MGLN: Future Tense

Chapter 26: Extrication, Part 2

Xx~~*~~xX

This was it.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the '125 Supools Championship Bout!"

The final fight that she needed to win, in order to return to Mid-Childa in order to start the revolution that would finally change the Bureau.

"In this corner, displaying impressive magical power with seven consecutive wins, thus proving just why she has the reputation she does; the Starlight Destroyer, Seikou!"

There was just one problem.

"And this corner, the returning champion with a record 62 wins versus 2 losses, the Soul Stabber, Zira Rinaldi!"

Her opponent's face was firm, and Nanoha expected no less. Having studied Zira's style compared to what she knew of Shamal and Zafira's abilities, Nanoha felt confident she could win. However, there was one big issue remaining, since both women held large stakes on winning this match.

"Match continues until one side can no longer fight. Begin!"

Nanoha wasted no time. "[Zira, I-]"

And apparently, her adversary didn't either.

Zira blurred forward, ignoring the telepathic sending. Nanoha barely got a shield up in time, but Zira whipped out her sword in a split instant, destroying the barrier in an explosion. Both mages shot out of the smoke cloud in different directions, but Zira didn't let up for an instant, rebounding off the arena shield and coming in again. Nanoha fired a Divine buster, but the woman disappeared and the beam hit empty air. Reacting quickly, Nanoha executed a Flash Move and thus it was the very air being rendered instead of her body.

Thunder rumbled as the split air came rushing back together, but Nanoha was already preparing her next spell. "Axel Shooter, Gatling Mode!"

A high stream of shots erupted from Raging Heart's spear tip, as Nanoha attempted to track Zira's path. From her earlier study, Nanoha knew Zira preferred to keep the pressure up with short range attacks, using a short range teleport move not unlike her own Flash Move; Zira called them Flash Steps instead, and they were employed to great affect in the setup to an attack.

[I just need to keep her occupied long enough...] Nanoha thought to herself as Zira worked her way closer. And then the brunette cut off her attack and dove for the ground while firing a Divine Buster. [I need to buy Sein more time.]

The explosion kicked up a layer of dust that she hid herself in, but shortly after doing so, the cloud was cut into several parts by multiple slashes and Zira was on her again. This time, Nanoha deflected the sword swing her staff, able to follow the quick moves due to her experience fighting Fate. Zira was almost as fast, but slighty less predictable, which made the battle more difficult in some ways. Also, since Zira drew her weapon only when ready to strike, using the speed of the well-practiced maneuver to add to it's deadliness; a quick-draw ability not unlike the ancient samurai of Japan.

Sparks flew as the weapons clashed, but that ended quickly as Zira sensed the attack and phazed away, a dozen Axel Shooter orbs from the earlier Gatling spell streaking in for her. Nanoha flew backwards through the air, trying to get a bead on Zira again, but it was too late.

Time stopped and her vision swam.

"Got you," Zira whispered into Nanoha's ear from behind.

Nanoha glanced down to see a hand protruding from her chest, holding her linker core.

x~~*~~x

"Layla!"

A head topped by short reddish hair came up as her name was called. "Givo?"

The other prisoners in the cell looked up as the familiar boy appeared on the other side of the cell. "I've come to get you guys out of here!"

Layla was aghast. "What? How?"

"I brought, uh, a kind of help, " he told her proudly, pointing to his "assistant."

"That's Teana Nakajima, Homeworld Security Director!" a man in the cell uttered in disbelief. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No joke," Teana tried to assure him as the cell door swung open. "I need your help, which is why I'm helping to get you out of here. But the system will only be down for 5-10 minutes at most, so we need to hurry. We have a chance as long the drones are in diagnostic mode. Cross Mirage!"

"Deactivating," the device intoned.

Layla glanced down momentarily as the collar fell off her neck and clattered to the floor, and then back up at Givo. "Are you sure about this?"

He spared an eye to glance up at Teana, then returned his gaze to Layla and nodded. "Yes. Well, I think so. I don't think we have much of a choice, anyway." He sighed. "It's a long story."

"He's right about that," Teana agreed, meeting Layla's gaze with a look that didn't reveal much. "Neither one of us has much of a choice. I need your help as much as you need mine, and you stand to win your freedom."

"We can't go with her!" the prisoner who had spoken before uttered. "This has to be some Bureau trick to test us!"

Layla studied Givo's eyes, and then stood up defiantly to shook her head in disagreement. "Maybe, but somehow I don't think so. At any rate, I'm not giving up; it's not what Rio would do. I'm in."

One by one, the other dozen prisoners stood, including the doubter, although he was next to last. However, one person still remained inside, sitting against the back wall. Layla followed Givo's glance as it went past the rest of the prisoners and focused on the individual.

"Sister?" he questioned, but she barely looked up in response. "Sister Rubella?"

"Leave her," Layla said softly. "The others won't trust her after what she's done. She's part of the Bureau now, for better or for worse."

Givo ignored her, his expression thoughtful, then he crossed into the cell and came to stand before the nun. "Sister, they are escaping. I remember, even though I was angry, that you healed me. You're not a traitor, so much as someone who wanted the fighting to end. We have to fight, though."

"Leave me, like she said," the Saint Church nun finally uttered. "They're right. I won't be trusted again, and this is my punishment. I can only be judged by the Saint alone. Go."

"Givo, we don't have time for this!" Teana admonished him. "We have to go, now!"

"But-" he started to say, glancing back and forth between Rubella and Teana.

The nun reached out and pushed him away. "It's okay, I will wait for her holiness's judgment. I was prepared when I took the actions I did. If she is willing, we will see each other again. If not, I am glad I got to know you."

Layla sighed, and then walked over to him and gently grabbed his shoulder. "Givo, you heard her. Even if we wanted to take her, if she wasn't willing, she'd just slow us down."

He glared at her, but allowed himself to be gently pulled back out of the cell, his gaze returning to the sister. "I'll see you again, I promise!"

She smiled and nodded at him, while Layla turned back toward Teana. "Okay, we're trusting you, crazy at that sounds. Now what?"

"I need you to teleport us somewhere, so I can get a signal out over the jamming," Teana explained. "Your file says you have a range of just over 500 meters, so we'll need several hops to reach it, however."

"I can't take more than three people with me, though," she countered, glancing at the rest of the prisoners. "And I need to get them out."

Teana dismissed the concern, and tossed her a datapad. "They'll have to fight their way out. The Enforcers are technically after me, so any resistance they encounter will be light. They just need to follow that map into the sewers, and then blend in with the people in the ghettos outside Clanagan. If they move fast enough, they should be able to slip out sometime after. With the jamming in effect, the guards won't be able to coordinate an effective search. Now go!"

"Don't worry about us," a female prisoner stated, accepting the data pad from Layla after she checked it over. "We all made a vow to fight the Bureau no matter what; we'll see you at the rendezvous point."

Layla shook the woman's hand firmly as the prisoners began filing out. "Agreed, we'll see each other then." She turned back towards Teana and Givo while the woman went to join her compatriot's. "Well, where to?"

"We need to get above the jamming so I can send a signal, and there is one place in all of Clanagan that is deliberately above the jamming field," Teana stated evenly with small smile. "Hayate's personal command center at the top of the central Bureau spire."

x~~*~~x

The pain was just as maddening as she remembered, but she was prepared.

"Reactor Puge," Raging Heart intoned, as the outer layers of her barrier jacket exploded, propelling Zira and her apart.

Still a bit shaky from the effects, Nanoha reformed her barrier jacket in the smoke screen, and then took aim and fired. "Excelion Buster!"

Zira recovered just in time to draw her blade and swing, dividing the beam, although the pure force of it drove her back and began to shred her own barrier jacket. Zira yelled and pushed her sword forward, completing the slice and sending a vertical wave of magic up the beam, which forced Nanoha to dodge, thus ending her attack. For the next moment, the two paused and studied each other warily, panting in an effort to regain their wind.

"[Kela,]" Nanoha sent telepathically, and was rewarded by the brief flash of surprise and shock on Zira's face before her regular demeanor returned; she'd have to remember to thank Sein later for her information. "[She's your daughter, the one you're trying to afford the operation for. I understand why you're fighting, and why you need to win. And I promise I'll help you with-]"

"[I don't want you, or anyone's, pity nor sympathy!]" Zira responded angrily, taking Nanoha aback with the ferocity, and then charging straight for her opponent again.

Nanoha released a volley of orbs, sending half of them at Zira while the others arced off in wide angles and then returned to her. Just as she suspected, Zira disappeared and came in at a different direction, but this time, Nanoha had her magic missiles there and waiting, forcing her opponent to divert her own attack and defend herself. For the next few moments, they engaged in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, rapidly speeding around the arena, Zira trying to get in close while Nanoha kept her off-guard with her magical shots.

"[I just want to help,]" Nanoha continued, keeping her tone calm while preparing her next spells. "[I met her and even chatted with her; you have a beautiful daughter. I don't know why you left her at the orphanage-]"

But Zira had prepared her own spells, too; magical threads erupted from all directions and ensnared Nanoha's limbs, showcasing that her opponent hadn't merely been flying around aimlessly. But as Zira charged toward her now-bound opponent, she flew right into Nanoha's own prepared trap-bind spell; for the moment, it was a stalemate and a race to see who would break free first.

"[Even though she doesn't know who you are, your daughter wants her mother, more than anything,]" Nanoha continued, working on her binds. "[Why won't you go to her? Why won't you let me help you?]"

"You don't need to know!" Zira seethed out loud, a hand trying to reach the sword at her waist.

"If I defeat you, will you tell me?" Nanoha offered.

Zira barked a laugh. "Fine. If you think you can manage that."

"Understood," Nanoha replied, then closed her eyes. "Raging Heart, Blaster Two."

Her opponent stared as twin blaster bits materialized and proceeded to cut Nanoha's binds with Strike Flame tips, then she slid back through the air several meters and began charging for a Divine Buster with the two blaster bits helping to reinforce the main beam. Nanoha knew this might be pushing the stress on Raging Heart a bit, and she hadn't heard from Sein yet, but she had a good opportunity here and she couldn't pass it up.

Zira seethed and growled against her restraints, just managing to break her right hand free and grab her sword handle a split second before the blast reached her. Sword met beam again as she tried to cleave the stream in two, but wasn't entirely successful, being driven rapidly back instead until she managed to slip out of the way. She panted and glared at her opponent, her barrier jacket singed and and ripped in various places, but otherwise intact.

Nanoha inwardly debated about how to continue holding her off, when Sein's voice finally echoed in her head, giving the brunette the signal she was waiting for: "[I talked to the old man: It's done.]"

Inwardly, she felt a sigh of relief, but that still left the problem of what to do about Zira; she was quite evasive, and it would be hard to trap her in another bind, and any lesser attacks she dealt with via her sword. Nanoha needed someway to hold her still while hitting her with an attack big enough she couldn't block or cut. An answer came to her almost immediately, and she grit her teeth, knowing this was going to hurt.

And thus she waited, standing still, as Zira charged again. Her adversary blurred again, popping up in various places around her before disappearing again, trying to disorient Nanoha and leave her guessing as to where she'd strike. But Nanoha knew that those Flash Move-like abilities took a considerable amount of mana to do, which meant Zira had to strike soon.

"Master!" Raging Heart exclaimed, and Nanoha shifted slightly right while dropping her weapon.

Zira's eyes widened in shock. "What...?"

With her right hand, Nanoha had grabbed Zira's left, that was now jutting out of her chest. The incredible agony was back, but due to Nanoha having experienced it twice before and shifting at the last moment, it had missed her linker core. And with her left hand, she had grabbed Zira's right wrist, the one that held the sword. Zira tried to free her hands... but found she couldn't.

Nanoha shakily looked up and met Zira's eyes. "Excelion... Buster."

The other woman had just enough time to glance around, noticing that Raging Heart was floating below her and pointing up, while the blast bits were above and to either side and pointing down at a 45 degree angle. In the next moment, three pink beams converged on her in a large Y-shape, while her mouth opened in a soundless scream.

And then it was over, and Nanoha fought the pain as the hand retreated from her chest, catching the falling woman in her arms and dropping gently to the ground. While Seikou was announced as the victor, Zira's eyes began to flit open again, indicating that she had regained consciousness. Almost immediately, her facial expressions revealed that she knew she had lost.

"[Will you tell me about it now?]" Nanoha asked gently, laying the woman down; but Zira faced away, making no move to get up. "[Why won't you go see your daughter, and let her know who you are?]" Zira's expression became more pained. "[Zira?]"

"[Because it's my fault she's like that!]" the anguished response finally came as the woman's moist eyes snapped shut.

x~~*~~x

The trio materialized in the command room, Givo shielding them against Enforcers that opened fire the instant the three appeared, while Teana's magical bullets took them, and and technicians manning the stations, out.

"Let's hurry, we don't have much time," Teana stated, blasting the door controls and sealing them shut with a welding shot. "You two get the dimensional barrier up; we'll have company soon, and we don't want guests teleporting in after us."

"Give me... a second," Givo panted, hands on his knees. "If it hadn't of been for Layla's boost spell, I couldn't have held up a barrier against that."

"You need more practice with shielding spells," the Homeworld Security Director told him pointedly while tapping away at the keys on one of the stations. "Just as I thought, the computers here were locked out the instant we came in, so I can't use them, nor can I access the dimensional relays. Cross Mirage, can you send the coded signal to Hayate's ship from here?"

"Accessing..." Cross Mirage responded, the seconds ticking away in agonizing slowness, while shouts and spells sounded from the other side of the barricaded door. "Unable to complete. Hayate's ship has entered hyperspace and is now out of range."

"Damn it!" Teana cursed. "We were too late!"

"I might be able to boost the signal strength of your device," Layla replied, beginning to strain a bit as she helped Givo maintain the dimensional barrier. "But I'm not sure if it will be enough, and I don't know how long Givo could hold this on his own."

"I'll manage somehow," he grunted under his breath. "Do it quick!"

She nodded at him, then switched her focus to Teana and Cross Mirage. "Timeless ether, the span of the cosmos, grant this mage a line through through space. Communication signal, Boost Up!"

"Resending signal..." Cross Mirage repeated, while the three glanced up nervously as the dimensional barrier began to crack.

x~~*~~x

"Supreme Commander, we have a signal coming in," a bridge tech announced.

Hayate glanced up from her position in the Captain's chair. "What is it?"

"Accessing and decoding now..."

x~~*~~x

The dimensional barrier finally shattered, the magic backlash sending Givo tumbling across the room. Layla was immediately at his side, making sure he was alright and helping him up.

"We need to get out of here," Layla made the obvious announcement, beginning her teleport calculations.

"Not quite yet; Cross Mirage, status!" Teana snapped.

"Target out of range, unable to complete," the device replied after a moment.

"No!"

x~~*~~x

"It's from Supools," the bridge tech answered. "The Enforcers have found the underground fighting ring and are setting up a perimeter. We'll be in range to begin transporting down within a few minutes."

Hayate sat back in her chair. "Good. I want a full containment barrier ASAP." Inwardly she knew that wouldn't stop Nanoha, who had powerful barrier bursting magic, but it would slow her down and let them know exactly where she was when she attempted to break out. "Signum, did you hear that?"

A holographic screen opened showing the Wolkenritter General, Vita, Shamal, and Zafira behind her. "Ah. We are ready to move as soon as possible."

Hayate folded her fingers in front of her face; Nanoha wouldn't escape this time, not if she had anything to say about it.

x~~*~~x

"[I don't understand, why do you think it's your fault she was born that way?]" Nanoha questioned, kneeling down.

"[I... kept fighting, even after I found out I was pregnant,]" Zira admitted, tears leaking out of her closed eyes, as if she was reliving the experience she was describing. Now that the dam had burst, the rest came flowing out all at once. "[It was in the middle of a championship, and I couldn't afford to back out. But I lost a match, badly. The doctor's told me there could be a risk the baby was harmed, but I didn't find out until she was born; her foot was deformed and her spine is slightly out of shape.]" She paused to wipe her eyes with an arm, then finally opened them to glare at Nanoha. "[So I had to win! I HAVE to fix my mistake!]"

"[I know what it's like, seeing your daughter hurt,]" Nanoha stated softly, emotion creeping into her voice, reliving her own personal ordeal. "[It's as if someone reaches inside you and twists your insides, leaving you feeling weak and helpless, always questioning yourself, knowing there should have been something you could have done, but didn't. The guilt, the fear, and the anger eat away at you.]"

She shook her head and gazed down at Zira. "[But your daughter needs you right now, and I've just received word that the championship funds will be transferred into your account; I don't need them, as my deal was just a series of fights. You should be able to get her operation with them.]" She held out her hand. "[Let's work together.]"

Zira was speechless, staring at the other woman as if she had grown a second head. But any response was put on hold as both women suddenly felt a dimensional barrier engulf them, flooding the entire area.

In that respect, Sein's mental warning almost wasn't needed: "[It's a trap!]"

x~~*~~x

The door finally burst open, flooding the room with Enforcers with Fate right behind, giving orders. "Stop them!"

Teana smiled grimly as Layla's pink magic engulfed them, and gave the other woman a message. "Tell Quattro I'll be back, and that I have a bullet with her name on it."

Binds, barriers, and magic shots filled the room, but the three intruders disappeared just before that.

x~~*~~x

"[One of the other family heads tipped off the Enforcers, hoping to collect the reward on yoru capture, "Sein continued in Nanoha's head. "[But the old man is being true to his word; he's sending the data to Raging Heart about the location of the ship he has for you, but you'll obviously need to hurry. I may or may not be able to reach you in time, so just go without me if I don't make it.]"

"[Thank you, Sein, but it's probably safer for you to stay on Supools,]" Nanoha replied truthfully, but also with more than a little concern. "[It's me they are after, and what I have to do on Mid-Childa is considerably more dangerous than what we did here. But I'm truly thankful for what you've done, and I'll repay it someday. Tell the old man thanks for me as well.]"

There was a brief moment of silence, and then, "[We'll see. This conversation isn't done, but you need to hurry. If I make it, I'm coming with you. If not, then good luck. Sein out.]"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Nanoha said quickly, helping the other woman to her feet. "The funds will be placed in your account shortly; hopefully, I'll be back someday to see your daughter run."

Zira refused to let the hand go, and instead squeezed it. "Thank you, but we're not done."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow.

The other woman glanced sideways as the sounds of explosions and voices became louder. "We've got to get you out of here. I assume you have an escape route?"

"Thank you, but I can't let you-"

"Whoa, I'm not going with you all the way," Zira stated sternly, giving her an even gaze. "I'm just helping to get you out of here. I have a daughter to return to, remember?"

A small smile appeared on Nanoha's face. "Alright, just for a short while. This way."

Zira nodded, and the two women sprinted out of the arena.

x~~*~~x

[Okay, it's just down a couple more levels...] Sein started to say as she slipped out of the ceiling and landed in the corridor, following her mental map, when a bind snapped into place on her wrist.

"You're under arrest!" a male Enforcer declared, pointing his staff at her.

Sein cursed herself, in her haste, she hadn't checked the room before entering it. [A rookie mistake!] She tried to break the bind, but the Enforcer's staff was charging for a stun shot that would obviously knock her out, and she knew she wouldn't make it in time.

Suddenly, a dark shape was there, grabbing the staff in it's teeth. "What in the hell-?" Before he could question it further, he was swarmed by several more.

Sein blinked. "Dogs? It couldn't be..." A side wall exploded outward, revealing three familiar faces, one of which she hadn't seen for years. "Deed, Otto! ...Verossa?"

Otto knocked the Enforcer out with a shot. "It's a good thing we found you when we did; Verossa's dogs were tracking you for the past several minutes as you dove through floors and walls. You're quite difficult to keep up with."

"How did you even know I was here?" Sein asked as Deed sliced the bind off her with her sword.

"No time to explain; we have to get out of here," the #12 cyborg replied, glancing at the room's doors. "We can compare notes after. We can't risk getting caught here with Verossa's important information."

Sein looked at him. "Important information?"

"Something that could tilt the course of our conflict," he told her, sending his dogs back out to find a secure escape route. "From what I've learned, our real enemy isn't Hayate nor the Bureau; there's something bigger going on. I've got the information on a disc which I'll show you when we-"

Sein's eyes widened. "Do you have it with you? I need to get it to Nanoha!"

"Nanoha?" Otto questioned, raising an eyebrow. "So that's who she really was? Not Seikou?"

"It's a long story, but what if you say true, then she'll need to know," the #6 cyborg replied, snatching the disc from Verossa's hands as he hesitantly held it out to her, and then placing it in a side pocket. "Thanks for coming, but you guys should get out of here; I need to get to Nanoha before she escapes. I can't explain now."

Deed placed her hands on Sein's shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "Are you sure about this?

Sein nodded, smiling, and then hugged her sister. "Trust me. And if you can, find a way to Mid-Childa. Something tells me we'll need your help there shortly, if we make it."

Verossa nodded. "I was planning to head in that direction anyway, but we'll meet up again there." He glanced up as an explosion sounded down the hall. "However, we need to go, now. My dogs have found a route but it won't last long."

"Later!" Sein waved, diving into the floor.

x~~*~~x

"Ooooh, you want some more, bay-bee?"

Vita smacked the dizzied mohawked man on the head with her hammer to knock him out, sighed, and then held a hand up to her ear. "Vita here, still no sign of the target. Light resistance mainly, but also, I found some magic hounds. It's possible Verossa is involved."

"This is Shamal," came the almost-monotone reply in her ear. "Klarer Wind has narrowed down her position somewhere in the west corridors. An Enforcer unit is in pursuit."

"Hayate here, I'll join them, if Zafira and Signum will keep pushing her west," their mistress stated. "We'll spread out around her to box her in, then take her down together. Let's move!"

"Roger," Vita replied, placing a bind on the enemy mage and leaving him to a pair of Enforcers while she sprinted off down the cratered hallway.

x~~*~~x

"You're under arrest!" several Enforcers announced, pointed their staves at the two women they had just run into.

"Why, how rude!" Victoria stated, whipping out her fan. "I shall have you know that I am from the esteemed Dahlgren family, a master of the Thunder Emperor style whose routes trace back to-"

"MOM!" Gloria yelled, throwing a barrier up across the hallway while simultaneously yanking her mother back around the corner as the Enforcers opened fire. "What did you think you were doing?"

"That was rather rude of them," Victoria huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Didn't even let me finish my speech."

"What makes you think they were going to?" the younger woman questioned, incredulous.

"Well, that's how it was done back in my day," the elder Dahlgren opined, and then sighed despairingly. "Combat always follows the speech. That's just how it's done. The youth of today have no respect for tradition."

Gloria rolled her eyes, then sighed. "Whatever. We need to get out of here and the closest way out is through them, so how about trying combat first this time?" She held up an electrified fist and grinned.

Victoria nodded, pulling out a second fan and charging them both with the same electric magical energy. "For once, I agree with you. Let us show these ruffians the Dual Thunder Emperor Style, for victory and glory! Ohohoho!"

The daughter tried her best to ignore her mother's laughter as the two women charged back around the corner in unison and attacked.

x~~*~~x

"This it?" Zira asked, glancing upward at the ship resting on a 45 degree angle launch slope. The name on the side read: Centennial Sparrow. "It looks like a piece of junk, honestly."

"Watch your mouth!" came a female voice from a hatch on the ship's side, walking down the boarding ramp. "She'll make point five past hyperspeed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts! Captain Duo is the name. And I take it you're Seikou, the one we're supposed to transport to Mid-Childa?"

Nanoha nodded and gave a short bow. "Yes, and I'm grateful for your assistance."

Zira planted her hands on her hips. "Well, it's up to you, but with the dimensional barrier up, we can assume there is a Bureau ship in orbit to greet you. Not sure how you plan to get past that."

"I've outrun Bureau starships," Duo boasted, jutting a finger at her chest. "Not the local bulk cruisers, mind you. I'm talking about the big XV class ships, now."

Zira rolled her eyes as if to say "whatever" and then turned back to Nanoha. "We still have the barrier to deal with, but this is as far as I can go."

"I'll destroy the barrier," Nanoha stated confidently. "You just get yourself to the edge, and then run as soon as it goes down; it might not stay down long."

"I will, good luck to you, and thanks again," the other woman offered earnestly, then hesitated and held out a hand.

Nanoha shook it eagerly. "You, too. And say hello to both your mother and your daughter for me."

Zira nodded, and then headed back out into the corridor.

"Alright, let's get going!" Duo declared energetically, holding up a hand to her ear as she led Nanoha up the boarding ramp. "Choonie, fire up the engines and prepare to launch!"

x~~*~~x

Teana glanced at the city of Clanagan in the distance and sighed, regretting her failure. Not only had she failed to protect Wendi and Nove, but she had abandoned them along with Dieci, She had failed to stop Quattro's plot, failed to contact Hayate, and was now a wanted fugitive, driven from the city.

"Damn it all!" she cursed, slamming her fist against a tree.

"She had no choice, we had to get out of there," Givo told her, keeping an eye on the unconscious Layla; she had used up the rest of her magic to make the longer teleport jump to the ghetto, where they hotfooted it out of Clanagan.

"I know that, but still!" Teana shot back gruffly. "I lost the entire city, no, the whole planet to Quattro and Due! Hayate has no idea what she'll be walking back into. I'll just have to find some way to sneak back in and warn her when she gets back."

"Well, we can't go back now," Givo pointed out. "Well just have to hide until things cool down."

Teana shook her head. "Things won't cool down, not where Quattro is concerned. But you're right, we do need to get out of here and hide for awhile; they are probably trying to trace the teleport, so we aren't safe here." She paused thoughtfully, and then turned to Givo, a grim smile growing on her face. "But I do have an idea. I need you to find us a certain accomplished expert at hiding."

x~~*~~x

Sein drove her cyborg limbs as fast as they could go while running down the corridor, the spaceship in the distance igniting its engines. A glowing ball of pink magic was positioned at the craft's nose, that Sein recognized as Nanoha's magic; she realized Nanoha was going to shatter the barrier as they launched, which meant she didn't have much time.

With a final push, she came aside the ship while it began to climb, and then leapt with all her might towards the wall that separated the corridor from the launch ramp the spaceship was rapidly ascending.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha swung her staff down, activating the Starlight Breaker just as the ship cleared the launch tube and burst into the air. The magic exploded forward, shattering the barrier after a few seconds of direct impact.

"Altitude climb nominal," Captain Duo declared.

"Bureau ships in orbit!" co-pilot and engineer Choonie announced, worry in her voice. "They know we're coming; I don't know how you plan to get around them."

"You should know me well enough by now, hun," Duo replied, a certain eagerness in her voice. "You just handle the hyperspace jump calculations while I bring the shields up and remind you just why I'm the main pilot here. There hasn't been a Bureau ship yet who could catch me!"

Nanoha held onto her seat straps as the ship rocked from nearby explosions, as energy beams lanced from the cruisers, seeking the small ship out. Several times, the ship shuddered as Nanoha felt what were probably were shots connecting, but true to her boast, the captain managed to outmaneuver them long enough to clear the atmosphere. With a final burst of speed, the ship lurched into hyperspace.

"Geez, about time you steadied the ride," came a voice from behind. "I had a hell of time holding on. Perhaps you should get your inertia dampeners checked."

Duo swiveled around in her chair. "My inertia dampeners are fine! There just aren't any that can keep up with the inertia this ship puts out. Now, who the hell are you and how did you get aboard?"

Nanoha craned her head around. "Sein! What are you doing here? You should have stayed on Supools!"

The cyborg cracked a grin. "You aren't getting rid of your manager that easily!" She held up a shiny disc. "It just so happens that I received some last minute intel from Verossa, Deed and Otto. They claimed it was important, so I thought you should have a look at it. At the least, they need me to get it to any resistance groups on Mid-Childa, and you previously mentioned you had contact with them."

"You can plug it in here," Choonie informed them, indicating a slot.

"I sure hope it was important enough for you to stow away with me," Nanoha stated, hesitation in her voice. "It's not exactly going to be safe around me."

Sein popped in the disc, grin still present. "When has it ever?"

Nanoha sighed, then all four quieted down to watch the recording of Regius's office. While the captain and the first mate were clearly confused about what was going on, Sein easily recognized her deceased sister Due from pictures, though she was at a loss when it came to the figure wrapped in a full-body cloak.

The #6 cyborg shook her head. "Well, not sure how or why this is important, except it looks like Due survived and... Nanoha? What's wrong?"

The cloned mage was pale and trembling, her face locked on the still image. "That voice... I know it..."

Sein's eyes widened a little in surprise. "You have? Who is it? It doesn't sound like anyone the doctor used to work with. Where have you heard it before?"

Nanoha gave her a hauntingly terrified look, like none other she'd ever seen on the woman's face, while replying simply, "In my dreams."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Magical Girl Therapist Nanoha! In re-watching A's with some of my anime group members, and then re-watching StrikerS on my own, I really was struck by how Nanoha tries to play counselor/psychologist a lot, even in the midst of combat, heh.

At any rate, Nanoha will be back on Mid-Childa next chapter, one way or another, as the series rounds third base and heads for home. The final confrontations are coming, and mysteries will be revealed shortly. Tune in next time for "The Return" where we learn the fates of several characters, including some we haven't seen for awhile...

Victoria and Gloria were just for fun; not sure if they'll pop up again, but you can be sure people like that find a way to survive. ;p I'm completely blaming Dezo for the use of them, though.