Sergeant Riviera turned to the Commander as the man watched the incoming storm. "Your mask, sir. Shouldn't…"
"Nothing I can do about it right now," said the Commander. "I have enough control that it won't get out of hand. Just make sure Carlyle has her Mass Transport ready before that storm hits." He turned on his radio. "Sergeant Donoghue, see anything."
"Targets in view. They're alone, sir."
"Alone? I'd have thought they'd bring someone to bring Miss Parkinson home."
"I'll check them for weapons and transmitters in case they try and pull anything."
"Get on it, Sergeant."
"Echo-3. Move out." The Commander winced as his exposed eye sparked up, red and black lightning sparked around him and forced his men to take a step away. He covered his eye as the lightning started dying down.
"Dammit…"
"Carlyle," said Riviera. "Can you do something about…"
"No. She can't touch me. She'll be infected. Right now it's contained to me. I'll handle it alone." Riviera moved to hand the Commander his mask, only for said leader to stop him. "Don't. It won't work anyways. This mask was specifically designed by Kessler to keep my magic in check. I've since been learning to keep it controlled by myself. There will only be a few instances where I lose my control. When it happens, Technokinetics need to stay away from me, understand?" Riviera nodded before their radios sounded.
"This is Donoghue, subjects are unarmed, no devices on their person. Escorting them up," came the call. The Commander growled softly as his pain spiked just a bit.
"I don't like this," said Riviera. "MacGrath is too much like you. He has a plan, I know it."
"But until we can see for ourselves, be ready. Bring out Miss Parkinson, please." Riviera nodded to his squad and they carried Pansy over to the Commander on a stretcher. She glared up at the man. "Do stop with the look of disdain, Miss Parkinson. We may be enemies, but that doesn't mean we can't act like normal people. You'll be unable to walk normally for a few days because of the dart, but you'll be fine."
"Fuck you," she spat. Commander sighed before turning to the door to the roof. He spotted the three Beacons walking to him, armors still on their bodies but their helmets off, showing their faces.
"Hello again, MacGrath. Hopefully you've gotten stronger since the last time we met." Harry said nothing as he stared the man down. "Wait…" the young Technomancers watched as the black and red circuit lines glowed menacingly before his gaze fixed on the boy in front of him. "Nymphadora Tonks… what…"
"Incoming," shouted someone behind him. The Commander turned around and grunted as the real Harry slammed into him and knocked the man off of the roof. Tonks grinned as she changed back to her normal appearance before pinching a metal earing. Sparks emitted from the jewelry as GIGN along with Inspector Vermillion and Cole were Charged through the small receiver and in front of the terrorists.
"Rematch, asshole," said Cole as he tackled Riviera through the roof entrance.
"Down on the ground," shouted Vermillion as the GIGN aimed their weapons at the terrorists.
"Fuck you," said Sergeant Donoghue. "There's your fucking answer." Donoghue aimed his rifle at the GIGN and was gunned down immediately. The First Sons present split into two groups, those fighting against the GIGN, and those who ran for cover. Donoghue turned to PFC O'Malley and nodded to the man. "Good luck, Echo-3." Donoghue waved a hidden wand in his sleeve, raising a wall behind him and blocking off his team and Charlie squad. M, Noir and Tonks made their way to Pansy and helped her to her feet.
"Where's Draco," asked Tonks.
"They have a VTOL hidden on the roof. Draco is unconscious inside." M looked around and spotted an area the First Sons were trying to make it to.
"There," she said. Tonks and Noir sent a barrage at the First Sons and blocked them from getting to the VTOL. Echo-3 aimed their rifles at the children only for O'Malley to stop them.
"No. Charlie, can you get us out of here?"
"I'm not going anywhere without the Sergeant," said Carlyle.
"We need to get out of here, now!"
"You're not going anywhere," said M. She generated a large current between her hands and grinned at them. "My employer wants to have a little chat with you."
"What are you doing," asked Pansy as she leaned against Noir as Tonks went to go get Draco from the VTOL.
"Let's make a deal, you come with me, answer my employer's questions and work under him. We'll be able to get you time off on your sentences. You just need to cooperate."
"Corporal," called Riviera from the roof access doorway. "Get out of here! Go!" The Sergeant fired at the GIGN. One turned around and fired back as he hid behind the door. "That's an order!"
"Get us out of here," said O'Malley. "Bravo is gone, and the rest of us are being picked off. We need to regroup with Alpha and wait for the Commander's orders." Carlyle hesitated before activating her last ring and taking herself and Echo-3 away from the tower as the remaining First Sons were either killed or apprehended. Cole smashed the remaining gauntlet on Riviera and pinned him to the ground.
"No where to run now, asshole," He said before he turned to the children as they carried Draco out of the VTOL and to him. "Where's Harry?"
As they fell from the roof, Harry slammed his staff into the Commander's chest and drained the man's energy from him. "You're insane," said the Commander. "A fall from this height will kill you. You'd be dooming the future!"
"That's where you're wrong," said Harry. "I had to time this just right." Harry heard thunder behind him and grinned as he kicked the Commander away from him. Harry called down lightning from the storm and started an Ionic Shift. The Commander activated his thrusters and growled as Harry's eyes shown with green circuit lines instead of blue.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Ionic Shift! You like it?!" Harry generated green lightning in his hands and slammed the Tesla Staff into the Commander again before activating his own Thrusters. Harry used the knowledge he obtained from M and Overcharged his Thrusters before slamming and tackling the Commander into the building, shattering the glass from the impact. He Materialized the Arc Gun and fired at the leader of the First Sons. Instead of Lightning Bolts, however, the projectile was pure plasma, forcing the Commander to cause wires to break through the ceiling and walls to block the superheated projectile.
"Son of a bitch. When the hell did you learn this?!"
"Just now." Harry kept up the barrage and forced the Commander to retreat behind a wall. "We can end this right now. Surrender and we can get this over with."
"My job is not done."
"I don't care. You're killing people."
"Bigots. The people we killed today were specifically targeted. Notice there were no children among the dead. These people would've caused trouble for the future. Forcing people to fight each other out of fear, as well as Technomancers who would lord their magic over everyone else."
"And that's supposed to justify it?!" The Commander sent a flurry of White Lightning at Harry, forcing the boy to dodge to the side as it neared him. He fired back and hit nothing but wire. Harry growled before Flashstepping ahead and hitting the Commander's electrified arm.
"What would you have me do? We all have our roles to play. I have the unfortunate role as being the Necessary Evil. You and the other Beacons, as well as your generation, have to be the spark that leads Earth to the future. All of us have a part in this." The Commander choked Harry and sent a current of White Lightning through him. "There are multiple ways the future can pan out, and today is the first step to see where we are going! Now, submit or I'll make you submit!"
"G-go to hell!" Harry sparked up Green Lightning and Pulsed around him. The same wires that protected the Commander now pulled him away from Harry. The 11-year-old coughed and slowly stood up as the Commander's exposed eye started sparking red and black lightning and the man screamed in pain. Harry stared at him, curiously. "What the hell is that?" After a few moments, Harry saw the lightning die down and the Commander relax.
"Tell me… what else would you call it? A debilitating software that can harm the hardware as well given the right malfunctions."
"A virus?"
"Viral Technomancy. Black and red Circuits and Lightning. And it infects the other Technomancers I come in contact with without the mask. I'd stay back if I were you."
"Who…"
"Kessler. When he activated my Technomancy, there was an unfortunate outcome. My existing magic didn't mix well with the Technomancy and caused a Virus within my own body. I've got at most a few years. My job is to eliminate those who would stand in the way of the fight with the Darkness. Or worse, side with it."
"Who would do such a thing?"
"People who are easily manipulated, coerced, or controlled. Especially by the Darkness. You've seen the pull the Vision has on even someone like Dumbledore. You know how dangerous Dumbledore would be if he were ever controlled by the Darkness. My job is to eliminate the most disruptive people and give a common enemy to both worlds."
"So far, you've only attacked the Mundane World."
"A far more intimidating presence is needed for the Magical World. Someone to put fear into them. Someone I've been bringing back to full health since you Exercised him from that idiot professor's body."
"Soneofabitch. You're resurrecting Voldemort?!"
"Reviving him, not resurrecting him. To be resurrected, he needs to be completely dead, and those Horcruxes are the only anchors keeping him the way he is. In order to unite both worlds, a common enemy is needed. I was merely the means to introduce Technomancy to the world as well as provide a mutual enemy to start global cooperation to defeat them. In order to achieve the future I think is coming, someone needs to work from the shadows. The Necessary Evil."
"There has to be a better way!"
"You're just a child! Believing a course of action can be taken without covering all of the basis is pure naivete! Things don't just work out all by themselves! There's always someone working from the shadows! The CIA, SS, the Corrupt Death Eaters, the Court of Shadows! It doesn't matter if they're good, evil, or neutral. There's always someone working behind the scenes to ensure things go smoothly!" Harry stared at the Commander for a few moments before speaking up.
"Who are you?"
"Who I am doesn't matter. The man I used to be is dead and buried. Kessler ensured that a long time ago when he brought me on for this crusade."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"I don't have to answer it. And you can't force me to answer, you touch my mask to remove it, the Virus infects you as well and we can't have that." The Commander grunted as the wires dropped him and Harry started sweating. "You still need to master every aspect of Technomancy. Kessler's knowledge should be able to help with that, as well as this." He placed two fingers to Harry's temple and Uploaded data to the boy's brain.
"What the hell did you do?"
"Information packet. Everything I learned myself about Technomancy Kessler couldn't figure out, as well as one of the necessary requirements for White Lightning. I need to get out of here."
"You're not going anywhere."
"Dammit, kid! Did nothing I say get through to you?!"
"No, I mean you physically can't go anywhere. I redid the Firewall you had in place to capture my friends."
"Clever. And that wasn't mine. Nor was it an invention of Kessler or Dr. Simmons. One of my soldiers is a Technokinetic. Not a Technomancer, mind you. She has no magic to speak of, but can control and communicate with machines as well as you or I."
"How?"
"Something you'll have to ask her yourself should you ever meet. And luckily for me, Techno-magic solutions can be countered by normal magic. And just to make things more interesting…" The Commander pulled out a blood-red stone and held it out to a piece of debris. Red lightning shot from the stone to the debris and changed it into a copy of himself.
"What the…"
"Philosophers Stones can do so much in the right and wrong hands. Be careful with the one you have."
"How the hell do you know so much?"
"Kessler gave me extensive knowledge of multiple possible futures. My Occlumency allowed me to keep track of each one individually without mixing them up. But the Virus has made it exceptionally difficult."
"How did you grant Artificial Technomancy to your men?"
"Artificial? There's nothing artificial about it. But it's not something I can tell you just yet."
"Why not?"
"Answer's in that machine we let you find."
"Why were you trying to kill us?"
"Needed to play off the bad guy moniker we'd already established. When lying, stick to a single lie you can remember fully. Too many leads to a web not even the Court can pull you from."
"You keep mentioning this Court…"
"That is a story for another day."
"The crate we took from you at New Marais, what's in it?"
"That's Kessler's surprise for you. Any more questions, kid?"
"Considering everything you just told me. Yeah." Before Harry could voice anymore, a loud thunderous roar sounded outside.
"What was that?"
"Shit! Forgot about the Storm Dragon!"
"Storm Dragon?! That's what caused the storm?!"
"If you're going to leave, do it now. I need to deal with our scaly friend outside."
"You are insane. You can't tame a dragon."
"Not trying to. Just need to lure it back to its thunder." The Commander shook his head and silently Apparated away. Harry put the clone into cuffs as Cole and Vermillion barged into the room.
"You alright, kid," asked Cole.
"Tired," muttered Harry before he turned to his uncle. "How are my friends?"
"Their gonna need some time to rest up after this, but they're fine." Harry sighed before another roar shook the building. "We got another problem. That dragon is circling the tower and getting lower."
"I can't believe a dragon is actually here," said Vermillion.
"I need to get it away from the city," said Harry.
"What exactly are you going to do," asked Cole. "Whatever it is, let me know and I'll do it for you."
"You can't overcharge your Thrusters to fly, me and M can. We can shoot lightning into it's hide and let it follow us back in the direction it came from. It looked like it came from the south, more than likely from the Congo. But why is it this far north? They prefer climates that are warm and humid."
"As long as it is here," said Vermillion. "It's a threat. We need to either remove it from the city or kill it."
"You try to kill it you're just going to piss it off."
"You try and lure it away," said Cole. "And that thing eats you. Neither you nor M are fast enough to outfly a goddamn dragon. Harry thought for a second before his Vermillion's radio turned on.
"But the jet is," said Luna over the radio. "Mr. Alucard is starting it up already. And I need someone to help generate enough lightning to attract the dragon's attention."
"There is no way in hell you're going…" Before Cole could finish speaking, Harry Charged through and Landed outside the jet where Padma and Su Li were looking over the still unconscious Dr. Simmons.
"You're going to do something stupid, aren't you," asked Padma.
"Don't tell my mom," said Harry.
"She'll find out eventually," said Luna. "Come on. We need to get to the tower and lure the dragon away."
"Lure the dragon," exclaimed Padma and Su. Harry cringed slightly before following Luna and Magnetizing to the top of the jet.
"Hold on," shouted Alucard before he closed the jet's door.
"No shit," shouted Harry as the jet took off. Harry groaned as the wind rushed past their helmets. "This is loud," he said over their radios.
"What did you expect," replied Luna. "It's faster than a roller coaster!"
"Never been on one!" Alucard grinned as he flew the jet towards the storm, ignoring the calls from nearby air traffic towers telling him to divert course.
"How pissed is your master going to be when she learns what we're doing?!"
"Supremely," shouted Alucard with a grin. "She's gonna be even more pissed when she sees the state I left our hangar in!"
"Joy!"
"Incoming," shouted Luna. "Veer right!" Alucard listened as a bolt of lightning came to them. Luna and Harry absorbed the bolt and found it had more energy than a normal lightning bolt or even their own.
"That was aimed," said Harry. "It sees us!"
"What's your plan on luring it to us," asked Alucard.
"A stupid one! But it's unfortunately the only one I can use!" Harry charged up a lightning bolt between his hands and fired it into the storm where he thought the dragon would be. It apparently hit as another bolt shot out at them with a stronger force than the last one. Harry groaned as he struggled to absorb his share of the bolt to prevent the jet from going haywire. "Well, we got it's attention! Alucard, fly us south of here!"
"How far?!"
"Far enough out of range of any wandering eyes! If it's from the Congo, we need a way to discretely get it back there!"
"Got it, towards a major city it is!"
"Alucard," shouted Luna. "Now's not the time for jokes!" Harry and Luna struggled against a third bolt and couldn't absorb all of it. The remaining bolt struck the ship just as they flew past the city limits to the countryside. "Whoa," shouted Luna as she lost control of her Magnetism. "Not good!" Harry accessed his preloaded database and Conjured clamps around her feet that were welded to the jet itself. "What about you?!"
"I was just about to…" The dragon flew in close to the jet and snatched Harry off of the vehicle.
"Harry!"
"Whoa!" Harry thanked Danzo for the powered armor and dragon scales but made a mental note to address the physical strength of a dragon the next time he saw the man.
"Well," said Holly. "This is new."
"Kinda getting crushed here."
"Why don't you just Flashstep on top of the thing?"
"Because one, I need solid ground under my feet, and two, that would put me in the range of its jaws!"
"It was just a suggestion."
"Sorry. Kinda berating myself for being a hypocrite."
"It's not like there are smart many ways of handling dragons." Harry heard said beast groan in distress as it flew for a nearby forest, heading at full speed for the tree line.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Harry felt something fill up his suit as the words, "crash imminent" appeared on his visor. The jostling of the crash landing as they collided with the trees; whatever had filled the suit acting as a cushion from the heavy impacts. When they finally came to a stop, the claw around Harry let go, dropping Harry to the ground. As the foam disappeared, Harry slowly stood up and stared down the dragon. Human and A.I. alike gasped as they saw the state the dragon was in. In its side was a huge gash, it's dark blue scales and sky-blue membrane was littered with fresh scars and burns.
The dragon was missing a single eye and looked weak. How it managed to use its magic for as long as it did was a miracle in Harry's eyes. It wasn't easy to injure a dragon like what Harry was seeing now. Other dragons stick to their own respective territories and never divulge from where their instincts tell them to be. Harry reached out and gingerly touched the closest gash. The dragon snarled before snapping at Harry. The First Technomancer took a step back before staring the dragon down after removing his helmet. Holly projected her full body beside Harry and turned around. "Harry…" Harry turned around and gasped. The clearing they'd crashed in looked like a battlefield flames and burn scars covered the ground, the grass blackened and crisp. With his helmet now off, Harry could smell the distinct scent of smoke and ozone from flames and discharged lightning alike. There were also bodies littering the ground. Dragons, younger than the ancient dragon that had brought him here and the remains of what looked like an underground bunker. Its ceiling was burst from the ground, metal and earth scattered everywhere from where… something erupted from the bunker.
Harry and Holly took a glance at the dragon before slowly advancing for the structure. As he peered inside, Harry saw multiple cages as well as preservation jars. Dropping down, Harry noticed the jars were broken, whatever had been inside nowhere to be seen and no trail to indicate that it had crawled anywhere on its own. Two massive cages stood out above the rest. One was significantly larger than the other which seemed to be big enough for the injured ancient dragon that brought him here. Harry turned on his radio. "Can someone…" Harry winced as feedback came in over his radio and looked around. A faint ringing caught his attention and Harry turned to one of the smaller cages as Holly activated his helmet's spotlight. He advanced towards the cage and found a smooth stone-like object the size of his head lying inside what looked like a nest among similar looking fragments on the ground. When Harry picked it up, his lightning sparked up as the egg emitted its own.
"Is that a storm dragon egg?"
"I guess. No one has ever seen one."
"What happened here?"
"My guess, someone has been experimenting with the storms dragons."
"But what killed them. The ancient dragon had marks that looked like claw wounds in its side. And whatever was in that larger cage is most likely the reason." Harry looked at the large cage and saw its bars had been bent outward.
"It broke out. With that cage size, they should've used something strong. An alloy to counter the strength of whatever it is. We need to take a look around."
"We should get back to the others."
"Holly, we need to find out what this place is and what was going on here." Harry used Schematic on the bars and noted the composition. "Graphene? And this thing bent that?" Harry went to a nearby room and saw the room was on fire, the compound's sprinkler offline. "Someone destroyed whatever research was on file here."
"I'm not detecting any digital data here at all."
"Completely off the grid. Whoever used this place didn't want to be found, or his work to be discovered."
"Sounds like you."
"No comment." Harry went to another room and saw it was another room filled with large preservation chambers that were human sized. Harry looked into one of the chambers and spotted a human looking girl with scales lining her body. "Jesus fucking Christ."
"Is this natural?"
"I don't think so. That there is room filled with dragons not too far away should be the hint. This is a genesplicing lab."
"So what in the world were they working on?"
"That's what I'd like to know."
"Is she alive?" Harry pressed his hand to the base of the preservation chamber and linked with the machine. After reading the machine's output, he shook his head.
"No. This machine was turned off a few days ago."
"Communicating with machines now, are we," asked a familiar voice behind him. Harry turned around and fired off a shot from his Arc Pistol. The Voice didn't so much as flinch as it flew by his head. "Nice to finally meet you as well, MacGrath," said the Voice as he casually lit a cigarette before calmly walking to the boy.
"Voice. I take it this facility was yours?"
"Far from it. A former associate of mine who helped fund my organization." He walked over to Harry and extended his hand. "But I'm forgetting my manners. The name is Jack Harper." Harry refused to shake the man's hand before moving to the next chamber. "Nice to see you're more insolent in person."
"I'm not dumb enough to give you access to my genetic material, Mr. Harper. You've shown me time and again I can't trust you."
"Oh really, when?"
"The fact that you only spoke to me over a phone or through M, the sixteen people who followed me over the Christmas and Easter breaks when I was with my family, and the woman who attacked me on Halloween. Took me a while, but I figured out the only one who would have motive to test me would be you, the overly cautious, overly illusive figure who's been watching me since Empire City." Harper took a drag from his cigarette before answering.
"There were actually twenty agents watching you during the Easter break." Holly turned to Harry.
"I told you," she said. Harry grumbled slightly before listening to another chamber. He grunted slightly before moving to the next.
"What are you hoping to find, Harry?"
"I don't think he will tell you, Mr. Harper."
"I don't listen to machines."
"She's not a simple machine," said Harry as he stood up. "Why are you here?"
"Investigating, same as you. My organizations readings warned me about the storm. It suddenly spawned in the clearing above before it made its way to Lyon. I tried to warn M, but the one of the bastards who ran this place managed to hack and block all of my signals. Damn Tech savant…"
"So he's like her," muttered Harry.
"Like who?"
"Your mom."
"Cute." Harper moved to an intact filing cabinet and poured through them. "Seems this place is larger than it appears to be. When I got here, I detected strong magical wards. Explains how no one has stumbled upon it."
"You said this guy was an associate?"
"Former associate. An unstable one, but brilliant all the same. Bart was obsessed with the idea of genetic superiority and how to exploit the human body's adaptive cellular network and it's compatibility with specific modifications."
"Sounds like a charmer."
"There are a few women who would agree with that. The man is somewhat of an actor. If it weren't for that annoying tick of his, he could pass off as anyone better than even someone like Miss Tonks."
"What did you find?"
"A map. One covering the extensiveness of this complex. Hidden labs, secret exits. And knowing Bart, he ran this place alone."
"That's insane."
"He's more cautious than me. Bart's only been tripped up once and that was almost twelve years ago." Harper noted one lab in particular and folded the map up before slipping it into his pocket. "I doubt we'll find anything pertaining to what this place was meant for. Everything of importance was burned in the fire but a map." Harry checked the last chamber and sighed when the results were the same.
"Why was this 'Bart' doing this?"
"You're asking me? I couldn't figure that man out when we were working together."
"Is he First Generation?"
"Pureblood. And a smart one at that. Smart enough to catch Kessler's attention."
"Of course He's involved in this as well."
"Robert was well respected in both Worlds. It's not unusual that he would find himself recruiting people from all walks of life for multiple purposes. But I doubt he signed off on this, though."
"Well he signed off on the First Sons eliminating specific targets in Lyon and other cities."
"So you picked up on that as well." Harry turned to him. "I just saw the casualty reports. Former followers of Grindelwald and Voldemort alike. No-Maj racists, unstable Technomancers. Well played, Robert. And smart."
"Smart?"
"Change won't be accepted by all, MacGrath. There will be resistance. And that resistance will come in the form of those who you'd find are more comfortable in a Neo Nazi rally." Harper took another drag before turning to Harry. "What are you going to do with that?" He gestured to the egg still in the crook of Harry's arm.
"What can I do? I can't exactly get to the Congo to return it to the Thunder living in the mountains there."
"Breeding is illegal."
"Has that ever stopped someone like you?"
"Point. So you're keeping it?"
"If it means keeping it safe, yes. This 'Bart' somehow captured and caged dragons, seemingly by himself, experimented on them and possibly tortured them. He's clever, and dangerous. If he learns this egg is still viable…"
"I doubt he'll do anything. Whenever he gets bored with an experiment or focuses on something he deems more important, he usually drops everything else." Harper turned to where Harry dropped in. "What's troubling is that cage and what he had in there. If it were a dragon, the beast would just go back to its territory without a second thought after eating him. It wouldn't go on a killing spree before disappearing."
"Does that map have any other listings of importance?"
"One. Nanobots." Harry turned to Harper with a start. The man nodded. "That was the room that was on fire. Moved all documents in there and set everything on fire with a powerful flame spell. But the rest of the building is intact."
"Think he's still here?"
"No. I think he left as soon as the massacre started. Clever as he is, it's mainly from his cowardice."
"Smart enough to work with nanobots, genetic splicing and Ward Building to hide everything he does. What did he do before Kessler?"
"Someone you'd hate the most. He was a Death Eater." Harry stopped in his tracks as the words caught up with him. "Exonerated by Kessler's testimony. You can guess why." Harper examined one of the expired specimens as the Commander's words pieced together with Harpers. A Death Eater working with Kessler and Voldemort being revived. Nanobots, dragon and human hybrids, and the massive potential for Technomancy. Voldemort wasn't just being revived he was most likely being upgraded. And Harry had let the Commander get away because he'd believed that Kessler knew what he was doing. But if Voldemort was being made into an even bigger monster than before, Harry may have doomed the world when he was supposed to save it.
"I think you should get back to your friends, MacGrath. I have a lot of walking to do down here."
"Like I'll trust you not to take anything for yourself."
"I'm trying to find out where Bart may have gone. He's cautious, but if he was in a hurry, he may have forgotten something. You've had a long day. I need you to be a hundred percent."
"I don't work for you."
"You should. What I am doing will mean humanity prospers in the future."
"Somehow, I don't believe that." As Harry used his Overcharged Thrusters to leave the bunker, Jack Harper made his way to a specific section of the compound marked Lazarus on the map.
Harry landed next to the dragon and saw its breathing was slowing. The apex predator stared at its would-be prey as it carried the last egg of its captured nest. Harry reached out and attempted to Download the memories of the beast. The thoughts were more primal than he was expecting, a strangling sense of confinement, anger at her captives, hate for the pain her hatchlings were forced to endure. And then pain as the monster ripped her offspring apart, fear as it wounded her and crippled her, relief as the monster disappeared after a sharp sound cracked in the air. Hope as she felt the magical lightning of a nearby city, confusion as she saw not dragons but prey, humans wielding lightning as if they were storm clouds. Annoyance as a whelp tried shocking her from one of those metal birds it saw daring to fly as high as a dragon. And finally peace as she saw the same whelp cradling the last of its nest, lightning calming the distressed child inside.
Harry pulled his hand away and felt tears streaming down his eyes. He wiped them clean with his free hand as the dragon slowly climbed to her full height on two sets of legs. She inhaled deeply before breathing the last of her lightning at Harry. It coalesced into an orb before solidifying into a sapphire stone. Harry caught the stone as it fell to his hand and felt the raw energy the stone was giving off. He looked up at the mother dragon as she walked away before breathing fire at the ground around her feet and on her deceased hatchlings and collapsing. Harry watched as the dragon breathed its last before the Funeral Pyre started burning the scales and flesh of the beast.
"Harry," called Cindy on his helmet's radio. "Harry can you hear me?!"
"Say nothing if you're dead," said Isabel.
"Isabel!" Harry placed the helmet back on his head.
"I'm fine," said Harry as he watched the fire die down. "Nice to see you think so highly of me, Izzy."
"See, he's fine," said Isabel.
"He won't be when we get back to Hogwarts! What the fuck were you thinking," shouted Cindy. Harry gulped
"I don't think she's ever cursed like that before," said Holly.
"No she hasn't. Which means I'm deep in it."
"Oh, you have no idea," said Cindy.
"Can you hold off on any punishments for tomorrow," asked Blaise. "I think all of us are due for a day off after today."
"Where's the Commander," asked Harry.
"Somehow he tricked you," said Cole. "The man we put into the squad car turned into a pile of debris. Don't know how he did it, but her got away." Harry sighed as he mentally kicked himself again for his actions and the consequences that may come from them. "We just picked up your GPS signal. Coming your way now."
"If you could pick me up as well," said Harper behind Harry, making the boy jump. "That would be much appreciated, Mr. MacGrath."
"Who the hell is that?"
"Mr. Harper," asked M. "What are you doing there? I thought you were back at the hideout."
"I had to check something, Operative M. We were hacked. I've found the cause of it, but the person behind it is long gone. I've used a lot of energy getting here from the States and require assistance getting back."
"$3,000," said Isabel.
"Done."
"Wait… 10,000."
"Done."
"Dammit." Harry shook his head before holding up the sapphire to the sun.
"What is with the stone?"
"Nunya."
"At least I know where your childish behavior is adopted from." Harper fixed a cufflink on his suit, drawing Harry's attention briefly before he shut off his radio and helmet speakers.
"Not. A. Word."
"I said nothing," said Holly with a knowing grin on her face.
(Countryside)
The Commander sighed as arrived outside of Lyon and drained a portable generator to keep his magic from stagnating. "Well, well, well," said a dark voice behind him. "Seems like things didn't quite go as planned."
"Things went exactly as planned on my end. You on the other hand." The Commander wheeled on his 'associate' and aimed a hidden gun he had in his sleeve as the other man aimed a wand. "The dragon. How did it get out?"
"There was a small containment breach in the experiment."
"You mean your attempt at playing God."
"It's not playing if you're successful."
"You're a goddamn roach who was brought on because of your intelligence. I told Kessler not to recruit you."
"Kessler needed me because I can make sure his long-term plans remain unhindered. In exchange, I remain out of Azkaban and ensure I survive what's coming. That was the deal."
"Deals can change. I have someone who can create the same things as you and won't put everything in jeopardy like you did today, Crouch!" The two men stared each other down before the Commander groaned as his magic went haywire. Bartemius Crouch Jr. grinned maliciously as his ally contorted in pain. After a minute he calmed down before glaring at the 'former' Death Eater.
"Seems your little curse is progressing faster Anima." The Commander glared before righting himself.
"At least tell me the package was delivered and the notes destroyed."
"All according to plan. Jackie Boy was practically drooling when he saw my map."
"Good. Kessler needs MacGrath to walk a certain path. And Harper is the only one who can push him to do so."
"Why do you insist on calling him by his adopted name?"
"Because that's how he's known. And unlike your Master, his name isn't proof of how much of a coward he is!" Crouch sent a Cruciatus at the Commander and shouted out as a black and read magic circle appeared and started absorbing his spell completely. "You are a predictable roach, Crouch. Did you really think I wouldn't have a protection against an Unforgivable?" Crouch glared at the Commander as the circle dropped and fell to his knees. "Finish your preparations. We have two years before Revelation day and the final stages before your master is returned to his body. And find that beast of yours! Don't think I don't know that's how the dragons got out. You're not the only one with hidden cameras." As he walked away, he contacted his remaining forces who participated in the Lyon Assault. "First Sons, fall back to rendezvous coordinates. Echo and Charlie, await further orders. Alpha, get us the hell out of here."
Harry awoke the next day and groaned as he sat up in his bed in the first-year boys' dorm. As soon as they had arrived, everyone made their way to their beds and instantly fell asleep, exhausted from the fighting and running. "Harry," said Holly. "While we were out, it appears your phone has 3 messages. One from Sasha, one from Sakura and a third from an unknown caller."
"I'll save the unknown caller for later. Play Sasha's first."
"Harry, it's Zed! Where are you Cindy and Isabel right now?! Sasha just went into labor! We're at the hospital right now!" Harry looked at the time of the call and saw it was when he was most likely strung up by the Mechanical Tiger.
"Damn."
"Playing Sakura's message," said Holly.
"Harry, get to Akagi Industries as soon as you can. Something happened with your ship!" Harry looked at the time and saw it was around the same time as Sasha's call.
"Ok," he said. "That timing couldn't have been more unusual."
"The unknown caller is from a few hours ago," said Holly.
"While I was still asleep?"
"To be fair, it is noon."
"Jesus…" Harry groaned before selecting a suit for the day and fidgeted with the cufflinks. "I just wore this suit last week. Why is it so tight now?"
"Harry, you seem to have grown by three inches overnight."
"What the hell…?"
"Perhaps it had something to do with the dragon? Or perhaps the green lightning?"
"I don't know…" Harry sighed.
"You're hung up on what we learned, aren't you?"
"I helped the Commander. I let him get away because what he said made sense. Kessler eliminating those who would inadvertently help the Coming Darkness. But reviving Riddle of all people…"
"We'll discuss this another time. When you're not at risk of letting that piece of information out."
"Right. When the schoolyear ends, remind me to pay a visit to Kingsmen."
"Noted. Shall we inquire as to the composition of the suit?" Harry nodded and checked his watch before opening his trunk and placing his hand on the egg. Lightning passed between human and unhatched dragon before he took out the sapphire and closed his trunk, locking it. He felt the innate power within the stone and examined it before slipping it into his pocket. He made his way out to the common room and found Hermione sitting at a computer. When she saw him, she shot from her chair and wrapped her arms around him in a bone crunching hug.
"You know," said Harry. "Your hug is almost as strong as a dragon's claw."
"What?"
"Harry got snatched by a dragon yesterday," said Luna above them. Harry glared up at the Seer as she floated upside down with her skates.
"You couldn't let me ease into that story?"
"No."
"What exactly happened yesterday," asked Hermione. Luna landed next to them before turning to Harry. "You're taller."
"I noticed," said Harry. "Can't explain it."
"Gonna need to adjust the armor now."
"I know." Hermione looked at Luna.
"What do you mean Harry got snatched by a dragon?"
"It's a long story," said Harry. "Draco and Pansy in the infirmary?" Luna nodded. "And Isabel's on the phone, being yelled at by Sir Integra."
"Mom?"
"Checking on Sasha. She got a call that she went into labor while we were in Lyon."
"I got the same call. I should go visit as well."
"Eat something first," said Hermione. "You were gone all day and were fighting for most of it."
"The whole world saw it," said Luna. "People were recording the Technomancers in Lyon saving people and using their magic to repair damages and fend off the First Sons. It's the single largest use of magic in the public."
"Which means its bound to bring notice to people in both Worlds. Lift the Veil is going to face its biggest test now. Especially in the UK. Where's Noir?"
"Sleeping in a guest room," said Hermione. "Professor Flitwick said to report to the Headmaster's office, by the way." Harry sighed.
"Let's not and say I did."
"No such luck, Mr. MacGrath," said Flitwick behind him. Harry jumped and turned around.
"Don't do that! I'm tired of people doing that!" Flitwick chuckled lightly.
"My apologies. It just occurred to me your nerves must be still on edge after yesterday. Sirius and Remus showed us the live feeds, I believe they called it. Minerva was especially proud of Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Malfoy. Those two definitely demonstrated Gryffindor courage."
"How much trouble are we all in?"
"A lot," said Luna. "Though Isabel and Cindy are in more trouble than us for allowing us to go."
"What else were they going to do? I was in danger as were the people in the city. If they hadn't done anything…"
"I'm aware," said Flitwick. "But you still need to speak with Dumbledore anyways."
"We've all spoken with him individually," said Padma as she walked into the common room from the entrance. "You're the last one he wants to talk to." Harry sighed.
"Any chance I can save this for next schoolyear?"
"No," said everyone at once. Harry scowled slightly before remembering the other people that arrived at Hogwarts with them.
"M and Harper?"
"Left before the sun came up," said Luna. "They were in a hurry. And I still couldn't see anything on him."
"I took a look at him before he left," said Flitwick. "He had a crystal in his coat pocket."
"Lumomancer equipment," said Harry. "He's the one who supplied the crystal wand to that Aquamancer back in October."
"How are you sure," asked Padma.
"He all but confirmed it to me. When the dragon crashed yesterday, we found an underground complex where storm dragons were being held captive. Gene splicing their DNA with humans."
"Gene splicing," asked Flitwick.
"Combining attributes of two separate beings," explained Hermione.
"Something the person was working on broke out, injured the dragon that nabbed me and killed its hatchlings. I read the dragon's mind, or rather her emotions. She felt that thing was a monster. And considering what it did, I'm inclined to agree."
"Show us the memory later," said Hermione. "For now, eat then see Dumbledore. And no, we're not leaving you alone."
"Thing about that…" Harry tried Charging into the camera only to be bounced back by a Firewall. "Ow…"
"Nice try," said Luna. "But we know you well enough not to leave you an out."
"Fine." Flitwick chuckled slightly as the three girls led Harry to the Great Hall. When he sat down, he was approached by multiple people from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw about the previous day's exploits. Harry deadpanned before turning to Hermione. "A warning would've been nice."
"To be fair," said Blaise as he walked over. "All of us have had the same day. Everyone but my oh so excited House has been clamoring about yesterday."
"Has anyone sent any owls home about it?"
"Quite a few," said George as he walked over. "No doubt the Ministry is going to take notice."
"Right. Well, we weren't on English soil. And the Technomancers were sanctioned by the French ministry to work with law enforcement. There's not much they can do."
"Are you sure," asked Padma.
"Izzy looked into it a long time ago. Technomancers are recognized by the ICW and because of our place in the public No-Maj eye, allowed to use our magic in public. Trying to punish us would put them in hot water with the ICW. And the bigots in the Ministry would rather keep International Aurors out of the Ministry. Less chance of them finding things that would be of… questionable nature. Besides, we still have Lift the Veil. More trustworthy Aurors were assigned to help with the slow exposure to magic. More people have been saved from accidents by the 'Miracle Workers'."
"The Church must hate that," said Draco.
"Well, right now, they're a bit preoccupied," said Lena as she walked over with a Muggle newspaper. "The Pope just retired. The Conclave was called in."
"They're choosing a new Pope," said Harry. "Which means Anderson and Iscariot are protecting the College of Cardinals. They're sitting ducks."
"I don't think the First Sons would try attacking them," said Draco. "They just suffered a massive defeat. And ran from Lyon with their tails between their legs."
"Still…" Harry bit into his food and sighed. "All of this happening at once is no small coincidence."
"What's this," asked Luna as she eyed the sapphire. Harry snatched it back from her and glared.
"I need to find a way to keep you from pickpocketing. It's from the dragon. She did something strange with her lightning. It changed into this and the power it's giving off is immense. Dragons are pure power, but this is insane."
"I felt it," said Luna. "Why did it give it to you?"
"I… will explain over the summer."
"Harry," cautioned Hermione.
"I can't tell you here. Just trust me."
[L: It's a dragon egg, isn't it?] Harry blinked before glancing at Luna and nodded slightly for her to notice.
[L: Walking on thin ice, there.]
[H: Shut up.]
Harry finished his food and stood up. "Going to Dumbledore's office," asked Padma. Harry cringed slightly. "Come on." Harry grumbled as Luna, Hermione, and Padma escorted Harry to the headmaster's office. Harry sighed before going up to meet the man.
"Hello, Mr. MacGrath," said Dumbledore as he looked up from the end of year paperwork. "I trust you've had a good rest."
"Decent. You wanted to see me, Professor?"
"Yes. I understand we had an agreement about you leaving school once in a while to help in the fights against these First Sons, Harry. But at no point did we discuss your friends going as well."
"I know sir. But they jumped to save me and the people of Lyon. There were no classes, they volunteered. They outthought the First Sons, showed wisdom in combat on how to divide their talents properly and worked together while saving others as well."
"You're trying to defend them by showcasing the attributes of the Four Houses?"
"What better way than that? They're heroes. Them and the other Technomancers. You always talk about the importance of the characteristics of the houses, but alone, it doesn't mean anything. Each of the attributes can easily lead to another. Dividing us into those characteristics never made any sense."
"In the beginning, students were selected by the Heads of House to attend join their House and the students would be moved between the four to learn each characteristic equally. But with Salazar's split from the other three Founders, the practice was stopped."
"And then came the House rivalry."
"Quite." Dumbledore extended the bowl of lemon drops to Harry. The boy waved them away as the headmaster took a couple for himself. "You understand I still need to punish the others for their involvement in Lyon, just for leaving the school without my express permission. And your mother and Isabel as well."
"Padma and Luna told me. And you might as well punish me as well. I am just as responsible for their choices. I influenced them from the beginning. If they get punished, so do I."
"I have to commend you on your loyalty, Harry. But are you sure about that?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well then. From now until the end of the schoolyear, you are suspended."
"And what about the end of year exams?"
"They will be mailed to you. The others are merely serving detention, but your actions led to theirs, making you the instigator in this."
"I suppose that is fair."
"You are remarkably calm about this."
"Holly calls it my Machine Mind. In important meetings, I am able to stay calm and keep my emotions out of important conversations for the most part, but certain things tend to bring out the worst emotions."
"So like Occlumency."
"Sort of. I suppose you could call it a Technomancers Occlumency. We naturally have very organized minds, part of our magic makes it easier to speak with machines, and that means compartmentalized information is par for the course." Harry stood up and loosened his tie. "Is that all, headmaster?"
"One more thing. I think you should pay a visit to Mr. Filch. He would very much like to speak with you."
"The experiment!" Harry Flashstepped out of the office and instantly Charged over to where Filch's office was. Dumbledore chuckled slightly before popping another lemon drop into his mouth. Harry landed in front of the door and knocked as he calmed his breathing.
"Come in," said Filch on the other side of the door. Harry opened the door and blinked as a bright light was shined in his face. When the light shut off and his vision returned, Harry saw the smiling visage of Argus Filch, still clutching the oak wand he'd been lent for the experiment. "Finally awake, MacGrath?"
"Mr. Filch? You still have magic?"
"I do. I know you and Isabel told me to expect it to diminish or go away entirely, but it still hasn't. And I even got the drop on those damned Weasley Twins! Hah! I've never been happier!" Harry stared at the old man before him and tried to process what he was hearing. Hecate was more successful than he or his birth mother ever dreamed it would be. He thought it would last only a few hours at most. But for it to last over 24 hours? Harry was beside himself. On one hand, he was proud. He'd achieved his mother's goal. On the other, he was worried. He'd made something that could either unite or tear apart the world. A world where everyone has access to magic would be equally good and bad. He needed to speak with someone about this.
"Mr. Filch. I'm glad you're happy. Please keep monitoring your magic for us. If you feel your magic is starting to fade, please let us know. As of now, the test is still ongoing, and we still need to monitor how long this will last or if it is permanent."
"I will. I'm just happy to be using magic. I've been a squib all my life. I've tried all of these shite remedies trying to allow me to use magic, escape the ridicule."
"You know not to use your magic in front of anyone who wasn't aware of the project, right?"
"I do. Isabel paid me a fine sum to keep my lips sealed tight. Don't need to worry about that. The Weasley's are the only ones I plan on using my magic against, especially since I mapped out all of the cameras, and fixed their blind spots."
"You what?"
"Found spots where the camera can't see. Now I can crack down on anyone in the school."
'Dammit, so much revenue lost now!'
"Glad you're happy, Mr. Filch. I need to get going, I need to check on a few things."
"Alright, Mr. MacGrath." Harry closed the door behind me and silently shouted before punching the air in frustration. He breathed out before looking at his phone. He still had one unknown message left on his phone. Deciding now was the best chance to listen to it, he placed the phone to his ear.
"Monsieur MacGrath," came the accented voice in the message. 'My name is Fleur Delacour. I want to thank you for looking after my sister in Lyon. I want to invite you to a dinner in honor of yourself and your friends from Hogwarts. Your friend Luna was kind enough to give me your contact information and RSVP yes for the dinner, though how she found out about it is astonishing. I would like to know more about you all. The dinner is a week after school lets out, formal wizarding attire. Au revoir." Harry looked at his phone before sighing.
"This is unnecessary."
"It would be rude to decline," said Holly.
"I know. But I really don't want to go. I hate formal dinners." Harry sighed and turned to Holly.
"I need someone to vent to. Mom, Izzy, Sasha, or Sakura?"
"What about me?"
"You've had all this time to speak up about yesterday and said nothing. Which means you are processing everything as well."
"I am. But my thinking process is significantly faster than your own."
"Then tell me your opinion."
"I think you should focus on the here and now. Before yesterday, you were content with living a normal life. No more fighting, no more worrying too much about the future. The Commander may be working to revive Riddle, but odds are, it won't happen until after Revelation Day. We have time to come up with an effective strategy to beat him. We have time, and you have others to help brainstorm. You just need to trust them and tell them what happened. Otherwise, you will truly be alone in the end." Harry sighed.
"You're right. You're right. I need to trust them. I'll tell them, Mom, Izzy and Cole. The more people who are prepared, the better."
"Good. Now, I believe you have a godsibling to see."
"Shouldn't I check on the ship first?"
"Given that an irked Sasha is worse than a piece of flying junk, your priorities should be clear, Harry."
"Right again. Is that your logical side speaking?"
"No, it's the inner Sasha in me. Now, would you kindly get going?"
"Don't start with that." Harry Charged away to where Sasha and Zeke said they'd be going to when the baby came.
(Undisclosed Location)
"What am I Remote Charging here, Mr. Harper," asked M as she focused on transporting whatever it was that her employer had marked.
"It is clear that Harry Potter will not listen to me. He may trust you, but any mention of me and he does the exact opposite of what I want, despite the logic behind my reasoning. If we want Potter on our side, we need someone he will listen to."
"His name is MacGrath, sir." M looked up as she saw the lab equipment she'd Charged into the base land. In the middle of it all, stood a large tank holding a woman in her mid-thirties. She floated in an unknown liquid and seemed to be breathing through a tube, a helmet with electrical wires placed on her crown with long red hair.
"I am all to familiar with his preferred surname, Operative Lawson. But if we want Harry to join our organization, we need someone he will listen to. Someone he respects above all others. Someone who could convince him to do what we want and need and use him to get in the Wizengamot so we can keep track of things there. Operative Lawson, I want you to meet Subject 001 of Project Lazarus."
(Author's Notes)
Hey guys, sorry for the lengthy update. But I most likely won't have access to a reliable computer for a little while, so I have been trying to bring First Year to a close as fast as possible, hence the rapid updates here and lack of updates in my other stories like Court of Shadows, Kill the Conduit, and Azure Flame of Remnant. Expect one or two more chapters before First Year is officially done and after that, I may go dark for a little bit. May. It's not a definite thing, which is why I'm letting y'all know now. And if you've picked up where I'm going with this story later on and know who a particular person is and what franchise he is from, feel free to comment about it and let me know what you think. Also, I want to know what other inventions, ideas, or abilities the Technomancers should discover after or during the eventual time skip. Just remember, it needs to be in line with what they already know or a concept involving technology. Until next time, Y'all!