Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

This Cannot End Well

Chapter 12

Sakura closed her eyes, and taking a deep breath pressed firmly at her temples. "No." she said. "You don't have to be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Then she reopened her eyes, blue irises free of any conflicting emotions, once again the ruthless and amoral magus known as Murderer Blue. "What's the situation?" Sakura asked.

"Right…down to business…" Caules said with a look at the other Yggdmillennia scion in the command post. "…by the way, this is Roche Frain Yggdmillennia. Don't let his looks fool you, you wouldn't find anyone with more experience in making golems outside of Prague."

"And in Prague?" Sakura challenged.

Roche smirked. "Feel free to ask around." He said, before turning back to Caules. "I'm going to check in on the biocontainment operations. In the meantime, you bring the Wizard Marshal's agents up to speed."

Caules nodded, and Roche walked off. "This area is a safe zone, due to being a natural nexus between timelines." Caules said while leading Sakura to the map table. "I'm not exactly sure how that's even possible, or how it works, but that's what the Wizard Marshal said, and I'm inclined to take his word for it. You know, Second Magician and all that."

"Fair enough," Sakura conceded. "I assume then that Matou attacks whenever the temporal shifts occur? Come to think of it, how do they occur?"

"Normally, traveling between the temporal zones isn't possible." Caules said. "Not without Second Magic-derived assistance. Now, I understand this whole mess is thanks to Matou messing with stolen Second Magic-derived mystic codes, but I don't see them spreading what few derivatives they have outside their inner circle, or whatever they call it."

"Like Shinji Matou." Tom said as he and Rin arrived. "Name's Sawyer, Tom Sawyer, Enforcer of the College of Law, and this is Rin Tohsaka, the Jeweled Sword Blue."

"Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia," Caules said with a nod. "Commander of Task Force Saturn."

"…you were saying?" Sakura prompted.

"Right…the temporal shifts…" Caules said with a cough. "…but while traveling between temporal zones isn't normally possible, every once in a while, the chronometric distortions and chroniton flux levels reach equilibrium with the local permutations of the space-time continuum. When that happens, it is possible to cross between temporal zones without being torn apart at the quantum level. And unfortunately, one of the zones we're sitting next to just happens to be, well, Matou Central. So to speak: it isn't the Matou Hub at Mount Enzo, or their field command post – or its equivalent – at their residential estate in the suburbs, but it is the biggest zone and one completely at sync with the…ah, normal, version of this timeline."

Rin narrowed her eyes at that. "Can you bring up a map of the area?" she asked. "As in with all the temporal zones properly marked out, along with all the data on the localized conditions of the space-time continuum you have."

"Just a moment, please." Caules said while bringing up the relevant data. Rin pored over it all for the next couple of minutes, everyone silent and willing to let their expert on the Second Magic study it.

"…calling this place a safe zone is a misnomer." She finally said. "If anything, we're sitting on the most anomalous place in the entire city. We're sitting on a natural nexus and even intersection point between various timelines."

"Yes, we already know that." Caules said. "It's why this place seems to have not been affected by the fracturing of the localized space-time continuum."

"It also explains why Matou is so desperate to gain control of it." Rin said. "If they control this place, they can actually travel between timelines even without having to depend on Ruby and whatever construct they grew around it."

"What?" Caules asked with wide eyes.

"Overlay a business map of the city over the existing map."

"…done."

"I knew it: Ahnenerbe."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, but it was Tom who asked. "The German occultist cult from WWII?" he asked.

"No." Rin said with a shake of her head. "It's a café in Fuyuki. It was…let's just say that people and…entities, from various timelines freely interacted and passed through the café on a regular basis. And it apparently used to stand – will stand, depending on the 'when' we currently are in the timeline – on this patch of ground we're on now. It certainly explains how Ahnenerbe was such a…strange place, and proves my point as to why Matou wants this patch of ground so badly."

"We cannot allow them to breakout any more than they already have." Tom firmly said.

"Agreed." Caules said with a nod. "We'll do everything we can."

"If possible, I'd like to inspect the fortifications you have." Tom immediately said. "I might be able to help out, notice any weaknesses, give recommendations and suggestions."

"Reasonable," Caules said with another nod, before gesturing at one of the homunculi. "Anna, please escort Enforcer Sawyer and assist him in his inspection."

"Yes, sir."

Tom nodded his thanks before turning to the Tohsaka sisters. "I'll leave the rest to you." He said. "Just call me if I don't come back and it's time for us to sync up with the temporospatial array before moving on."

"We'll be waiting on you." Sakura said.

Tom gave a small smile before turning away and letting Anna lead the way. "These…things, Matou keeps throwing against your lines." Rin began. "Any idea on what they are?"

"Mutants, mostly." Caules said in disgust. "Some appear to have been…ah, Human once, just affected by some kind of mutagenic agent. Others, though, well, if our biocontainment analysis is correct, they were never Human to begin with. As in they were born that way, and worse, born recently. As in just a matter of hours, subjected to accelerated aging, and then thrown against our lines."

Caules paused, pushing his glasses up, and gave a mirthless smile. "In short," he said. "Some of the mutants are degenerated Humans-turned-cannon fodder, while others are bred to be cannon fodder."

"Matou freaks." Sakura breathed in disgust, while Rin was completely at a loss for words.

"As for the…ah, well, we call them shock troopers," Caules continued. "Owing to their huge size, greater intellect, and even magical resistance and abilities, they appear to be…Human. Magi, even, but we're not really sure how there are so many of them. There shouldn't be that many Matou…that said, they do appear to also be mutants of some kind, but their mutations are more…comprehensive…"

"I prefer to just call themselves pig-men." Sakura dryly said.

Caules laughed wryly. "Yes, very fitting, I admit." He said.

"What about that big blob of flesh me and Sakura killed?" Rin asked.

"We aptly call them tanks, seeing as only Fiore's particle cannons can take them out in one shot." Caules said. "We know even less about their origins, but we can guess."

"…go on."

Caules sighed, and again pushed up his glasses. "From our biocontainment analysis," he said. "They appear to be made by…ah, fusing together dozens, if not hundreds of mutants around a core. The nature of the core is unknown, aside from its appearance resembling, well, an oversized and mutated Human fetus. Probably bred for just such a role."

Rin was again lost for words, shakily running a hand through her hair, while clutching at the table with her other hand so hard it turned white. Sakura quickly noticed, and prying the latter off the table, gently placed it between her own hands and rubbed at Rin's hand comfortingly.

"There's a danger of biocontamination?" Sakura asked.

"None so far," Caules said. "But we're not taking any chances. Not with what Matou's shown itself capable of. We have inoculations against mutation, and we can have you inoculated before you leave."

"Good idea." Sakura said, Rin just giving a jerky nod in agreement.

"Anything else you need to know?" Caules asked.

"I assume you've scouted the other zones?" Sakura asked.

"Not all," Caules admitted. "We can't afford to spread our forces too thin, after all. But the ones neighboring us? Yes, we have. Aside from Matou Central, the other zone we neighbor is designated Warzone IV."

"…and the reasoning behind that designation?"

Caules smiled, again without mirth. "It seems that zone includes Fuyuki during the Fourth Holy Grail War." He said. "We've tried making contact, but…it's been difficult. We've been unable to contact most of the Masters and Servants, and one of the two we've found has been…less than cooperative. Caster, I believe, and one that seems to be connected to Lovecraftian myth-forms, considering our homunculi were slaughtered by Shoggoths when we tried to make contact."

"…Shoggoths…Caster…Fourth Holy Grail War…" Rin said with mounting rage. "…I'll kill him!"

"…I'm sensing there's a story here." Sakura said, gingerly peeling Rin's hand off her own, as the latter was squeezing so tightly Sakura's bones had started to pop. "But, don't you think you're being too reckless? I mean…Servant, and all that."

Rin responded by pulling out her Jeweled Sword.

"Good point." Sakura conceded, and Rin turned back to Caules.

"And who's the other Servant you encountered?" she asked.

"Archer," Caules said while pushing his glasses up (again). "He appears to be a king in golden armor, considering his regal attitude, and quite reasonable for all that. Apparently, he expected your arrival, possibly thanks to a Noble Phantasm or a personal skill, and awaits you both. From what he told our homunculi, he will only speak in detail with either or both of you."

Rin and Sakura were silent for a long moment, before slowly turning their heads to look at each other. "Of course he does." They chorused.

Caules blinked. "I assume you know who he is?" he asked.

"We do." Rin said with a sigh.

"Long ago, there was a time when all of Humanity was ruled over by one king." Sakura added. "Or so he claims."

"Then again," Rin continued. "It was the Age of Gods, so…who knows?"

"What we do know is that his identity is that of Humanity's first and oldest king and hero." Sakura said. "Or more likely, the one with the oldest records to ever have been made."

"The King of Heroes of Ancient Uruk," Rin finished deadpan. "Gilgamesh."

This time, it was Caules' turn to be silent for a long moment. And in the end, he could only say one word.

"Oh."

"Okay, so what's the problem with Caster?" Sakura asked as she and Rin lay in the medical wing, having come down with light fevers from their anti-mutagenic inoculations.

"You don't know?" Rin asked.

"No."

"…I meant the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War."

"I know Kiritsugu Emiya fought in it, and he had Altria as his Saber Class Servant." Sakura said. "Tokiomi had Gilgamesh as Archer, Lord Beckenstein had Alexander the Great as Rider, Kirei had Assassin, and Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald had…Diarmuid Ua Duibhne as Lancer. I…don't know who Caster was, though, or his Master. Likewise for who Byakuya Matou had as his Servant…"

"Right…differences between timelines, sorry about that." Rin said from her bed. "Come to think of it, you would have been too young to go to school at the time, right?"

"That, and I spent most of the war in bed, thanks to…um, side-effects, from getting the Tohsaka Crest implanted." Sakura said.

"…you got it early then." Rin remarked. "Anyway, back to my point…one of my friends from school, Kotone, was kidnapped by Caster."

"This isn't going to end well, is it?"

"No, because it turned out Caster was Gilles de Rais, and his Master was just as much of a sociopath as he was!" Rin raged. "They took her and many other kids apart while keeping them alive, and put them back together like something out of a horror movie! I…I…I went to save her…I couldn't…I even had to be saved…Uncle Kariya saved me…"

"…I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Rin said.

"…is it for revenge?" Sakura asked after a moment.

"Yes." Rin replied without hesitation. "But if I can also save Kotone, even if it just creates another parallel timeline…"

Rin trailed off, and Sakura didn't know what to say. "I didn't think a Matou – a born one, at least – could have it in them to be decent." She finally said.

"Yeah, me too." Rin said with a sigh. "Uncle Kariya…you know, I grew up hating him. He strangled Aoi – my version of her – and while he didn't kill her, the asphyxiation was enough to give her brain damage. She basically had Alzheimer's or Dementia or whatnot, and eventually died of it."

Rin paused and sighed again. "In hindsight," she continued. "Knowing that worthless woman, she probably provoked uncle. Especially since he only joined the war to save my version of Sakura."

"…he made a deal with the devil." Sakura breathed. "If he wins, then Sakura will be freed. Damn…he was a hero. Sure, he failed, but…still a hero."

"Yeah, he was." Rin agreed before blinking. "Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"What…what do you think happened to your counterpart in this timeline?"

"I don't know…and now that you mention it, I'm getting the feeling I don't want to know."

"Yeah, me too."

The sisters looked at each other from their beds, sharing worried expressions, but not daring to voice their suspicions. Not with what they now knew of Matou's fleshcrafting courtesy of the Yggdmillenia.

"So…you're not going to invade Matou Central." Tom said. It wasn't a question.

"Not from here, no." Sakura said with a shake of her head. "They'd be expecting that, and probably have all sorts of bounded fields, traps, monsters, and whatnot guarding their side of the…boundary. So, I'll go the long way, passing through Warzone IV and other temporal zones, and enter Matou Central from the other direction."

They were again gathered in the command post, the Tohsaka sisters having recovered after a couple of hours and analgesic pills. Tom, to their outrage, did not even suffer a headache from his own anti-mutagenic inoculation.

"Makes sense," Tom conceded. "And it's not like we don't have plenty of time to work with."

"Yup."

"Besides," Sakura said before nodding at her sister. "Rin has personal business in Warzone IV, and I…"

Sakura paused and sighed. "…I have to meet with the King of Heroes." She finished. "Wish me luck."

"Just be polite and it'll be fine." Rin said. "That, and don't be a sycophant. He hates sycophants, I remember him even saying at one point that if he wanted sycophants, he could just have been a god. Except he isn't, a god, that is."

"Thanks for the advice."

"No problem."

"The synchronization is finished." Roche said, walking over and returning the armbands. "You can teleport back here any time you want or need to. Oh, and Murderer Blue, here's that data on the temporospatial array you wanted. A technical readout, power requirements, emissions reading, and everything else we could gather about it. Good luck with whatever it is you're working on, though I can guess."

"Oh really?" Sakura challenged as she took back the USB.

"Long-range teleportation." Roche dully said. "I already saw you teleport earlier during the battle when you arrived. If I had to guess, while short-range teleportation is relatively-easy, long-range is both energy-consuming and has navigational issues. The data from the temporospatial array could help with the latter."

"Well, aren't you the smartest boy on the block?"

Roche preened. "Of course I am." He said proudly, and causing Caules to sigh.

"Real modest, Roche." He said, and Fiore giggled.

Sakura smiled at the sight, before looking down at the USB she was holding. Well, Roche wasn't wrong, just…incomplete. In addition to resolving the navigational issues over long-range teleportation, this data could help her navigate Null Space, and thus complete the path that led to the Root.

"What's on the other side of those doors?" Sakura wondered. "Will there be anyone – anything – waiting for me beyond? If I return, what will I bring back with me? And if I don't, what will I become? A god? Reincarnation? Or…simple dissolution…?"

Sakura's smile widened slightly, before slipping the USB into Imaginary Numbers Space for safekeeping. "Well," she thought. "That's for the future. Right now, we've got places to be, a king to meet, and bad guys to kill."

Sakura blinked, as she caught what Tom was saying. "…go on ahead, draw off as much attention as I can, and give both of you more freedom to operate with." He said. "Whether it's to nuke the Matou Hub, or to find the local versions of Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya…"

Tom blinked and trailed off. "Just be careful when you meet them." He warned. "They are vigilantes, but that's just a polite way to call them terrorists. No offense…"

"None taken." Rin said with a nod. "I'm sure the Shirou in my home timeline would agree. He'd probably even tell his counterpart to grow up. You can't save everybody. You can't make everybody happy. That's basically just the dreams – delusions – of a child who doesn't want to grow up. No…the best you can do, is find someone, make them smile, and protect that smile for the rest of your life. That's how he grew up, after all."

"Likewise for my version of Mister Superhero." Sakura said before giving a chuckle. "He'd probably agree too."

"The same for the tan bastard." Rin added, and Sakura laughed again.

"True!"

"I'll take both your word for it." Tom said. "Anyway, don't get careless. Especially you, Sakura. You're the key to this whole operation. Without you, we've got nothing. Don't wait for either of us to confirm our safety, or even if Rin here has completed her mission. Once you have a shot, take it: Nuke Mount Enzo. Finish Matou. Restore the timeline back to normality. Everything else can follow that point."

Rin looked like she wanted to protest, but in the end, she just grimly nodded. "I agree." She said, looking at Sakura. "Do what you have to, Sakura. Stopping Matou is more important than anything else. In fact, you might be the merciful option. Don't forget, if you fail, the Counter Force will take action."

Sakura blinked, and nodded grimly in her turn. "I understand." She said.

A/N

The beginning sounds like Star Trek, yes? It certainly helps that Yggdmillennia doesn't just have a dress code, but gives its members outright uniforms.

So, who's excited to meet our old buddy, the Golden Boy, the King of Heroes, Master of Mankind, Lord of Terra (and Mars), the Immortal Emperor, Gilgamesh?

Or more likely, to watch Rin go Jeweled Sword on Gilles' ass…somewhere out there, Ishtar is probably preparing a victory celebration in honor of her mortal alter-ego.

And finally stopping the dance around the real question…what do you think happened to this timeline's version of Sakura?