On the Precipice Between Worlds. Chp. 3

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Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Marteddu

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Fate scowled at the report on the screen.

It was a preliminary report by Hayate, but she knew she could trust her friend's analysis. The final report on the facility they'd discovered, the bodies they recovered, and the prisoner they've taken will most likely be completely the same, save for a few changes in wording and grammar.

Since they were close friends, Fate was more than willing to read any of Hayate's unedited reports and provide proofreading herself, but she couldn't find the focus to help her friend this time.

The report was that horrific.

As Fate had initially expected, the whole affair was a group's desire to utilize Linker Cores. The group in question, still without a name or designation provided by the TSAB, was harvesting Linker Cores en masse for both study and use. While the first facility they found was largely abandoned and bereft of any form information whatsoever, making the initial guess a "gut feeling," what they recovered from the latest facility and prisoner not only confirmed many things, but also provided terrible insight into the organization they were now facing.

The group's study and testing phase was already over.

The TSAB have found them in the middle of their operation to put their ideas into action.

Over a decade ago, the kidnappings began all over TSAB-controlled space with humanoid species with Linker Cores. The vast area, the operation method of never using the same place twice, and not making any facilities aided the shadowy group in ascertaining the truth behind Linker Cores. While their own people had an analogue in the form of "Circuits" the Linker Core was vastly superior in terms of generating power, thus human experimentation took place for the sake of gathering power.

That alone would've warranted a TSAB task force to come forth and hunt down the organization, so they hid their tracks, until their work was finished… and the operations necessary to utilize their new findings became impossible to hide. That's when the massive facilities, the artificial humans, and the mass kidnappings began in earnest, as the interdimensional Mages decided that speed was of the essence above stealth.

If the first facility hadn't been found… Fate shuddered at the thought alone, as with the resources and scale of the operation came to light, thousands of individuals with Linker Cores might have disappeared from numerous planets overnight to be vivisected and harvested, before the wrongdoers disappeared to never be found again with their prizes in tow.

As it stood now, they were barely making any progress in regards to bringing their few to justice, as they could finally pursue them, and potentially put a stop to what they were currently doing.

Which, in essence, is perfecting the Artificial Linker Core and returning to their own world, and leverage it to their advantage as much as they possibly could.

Leaving the TSAB with the option of pursuing them and facing off against an entire society of mages, or leaving them to be dealt with only by their own people, who'll be at a disadvantage against those who plundered other dimensions for power.

Fate stood a moment after finishing the report, and only hesitated for a second before grabbing her only means of communication with the TSAB's only, other primary source for their newfound threat.

Much of this information could've been shared earlier, so more lives could've been saved, by the TSAB putting more effort.

Thus, she felt it necessary to ask her new ally why he kept silent.

…

Fate expected denial, obfuscation, and perhaps even vague promises.

Instead she received something she didn't expect at all.

"I'm sorry. It's the best that I was able to do." The words that came forth from the simple card was filled with remorse. Enough remorse to make Fate's next breath catch in her throat, even though she was ready to continue speaking her mind. "I have no excuse. If I was stronger and more capable, they wouldn't have gotten this far, but I failed."

Fate tried to listen for sarcasm in Shirou Emiya's words, but only found the faintest hints of bitterness. It wasn't even the bitterness of a man forced to confess, but the tinge of true regret that leaked into words uttered to completely and utterly accept blame.

"There were a few rules that I had to follow, procedures by the Clocktower, that I should've broken months ago. If I did this back then, I'm sure that things wouldn't have gotten this far." The confession continued, even as Fate found it difficult to listen to the words filled with real regret. "But things are different now. I know what I need to do, and I'll make sure it gets done, and this doesn't hurt anyone else anymore."

Fate almost shuddered at the words uttered to her.

It was like listening to herself, as she was long ago, when all that mattered to her was a singular mission. Instead of a person, Fate as though she was listening to a lifeless individual bent on accomplishing a singular goal no matter the cause. While Shirou Emiya wished to save innocent people, his willingness to do anything, breaking the rules of his people, and taking on injuries evoked her memories of herself immensely.

Memories of a girl who would do anything to see her mother's smile again.

A part of her wanted to say goodbye after those words, to let her past lie peacefully as it has for years, but Fate knew that she would regret seeing another person walk the same path, so she chose another path entirely.

"Are you okay, Shirou Emiya? Do you need help?" Fate remembered asking Nanoha once why her friend did so much to save her. The answer had been simple, but staggered her upon hearing it from her friend. Nanoha told Fate that she'd saved her, that she did everything she could to help her, because she looked sad. Knowing that, and hearing the sorrow in her faraway ally's voice, Fate reached out as Nanoha once did for her. "If you need help, just ask me, and I'll do everything in my power to help you."

Just from what he told her of his world and his people, Fate thought that those he protected and worked for were draconian. They espoused the destruction of witnesses as well as foes, and to eradicate all forms of evidence. If not for his actions, many families would be left without the knowledge of what happened to their sons and daughters, and the TSAB's efforts to find the wrongdoers would be hampered. They asked him to bleed for them, to sacrifice his empathy for them, and to shoulder the entire burden upon himself.

They asked everything of him, yet he worked for them anyway, in the hopes of saving anyone no matter the cost.

So, how could Fate not offer Shirou Emiya her help?

Fate waited for a long time for an answer, but none came… and she took that silence as an answer itself and gingerly put the business card into her pocket.

"Bardiche."

"Sir."

"Call Nanoha. I need to speak to her now."

If she was going to rescue someone like herself, then Fate was sure calling upon Nanoha's expertise was the best, possible course of action.

…

Hayate groaned with her cheek firmly against her desk, as Fate looked upon her with Nanoha.

"So, we don't just have interdimensional kidnappers with incredible magic, but our only ally is in trouble." Hayate was the official lead of the entire operation, so she had the entire picture. Both Nanoha and Fate gathered information and performed on the field, but the big picture was left for Hayate. Unfortunately for her, Fate thought, that picture is very grim. "Do you think he's one of the "Homunculi" too? Maybe some sort of combat version who's breaking out of his programming?"

Though Fate was ready to answer, much to her surprise, Nanoha spoke first.

"No. He's not anything like the others. He's definitely human through-and-through." While Fate had theorized on the matter, and had a small list of facts to point out to support her theory, she wasn't completely sure about her conclusion that Shirou Emiya was a human and not of the artificial creatures used by the foreign mages. Her evidence came in the form of his different skin color, his red hair, and even his golden eyes, which were divergent from the pale skin, red eyes, and platinum hair of the Homunculi. Nanoha, meanwhile, simply crossed her arms and stated her beliefs without hesitation. "None of the Homunculi felt so… pained when we say them. I'm sure that Emiya-kun's lived a difficult life, like Fate-chan said, and we need to help him first, so that he can really start helping us."

For a second, Fate mulled over Nanoha's confidence and strength, but soon noticed the expectant looks of both her friends.

Hayate was making a report to TSAB's higher authorities, so that she could justify making a quick-deployment mission immediately, as well as perform magic on an unknown artifact. A lot of rules were going to be broken, if they simply did things without permission, so they were going to ask for permission with a well-written, strongly-worded report, which could also back them up at a later date, if they didn't receive permission in the first place.

Thus, it was in Fate's best interest to word herself as formally and knowledgeably as possible for the sake of all their careers.

"Yeah, Nanoha put it best." Fate, without hesitation, put aside all her analytics and banked off of her best friend's words. Words that had an intense reputation within the TSAB, courtesy of Nanoha's long history of solving problems in a very enthusiastic manner. "I believe that in order to complete this investigation, and stop the criminals, we need to save Shirou Emiya first."

As Fate expected, Hayate's response to her words was to sob against her desk, while Nanoha beamed at her.

"Fate, you get it!" Nanoha beamed at her, while Fate did her best to simply look forward. She did not nod or agree. All she did was let her very emphatic and personable friend believe what she wished to believe, because Fate was sure Nanoha's way of thinking was beyond most. "We can't go around doing this like he wants to, since he has to work creeps who want to keep things secret, even though people are getting hurt!" Nanoha suddenly stood up with fire in her eyes and clenched both her fists. "So, let's get at it! We'll give them no time to prepare or run away! Let's go in and fix things as quickly as possible and save the most lives!"

With those words declared, Nanoha strode out of the room with gusto… while Hayate stared at Fate with hands already trembling from the many reports she would have to write in order to justify the next 24 hours.

Fate awaited her friend's words, but was surprised to see Hayate's shoulders sag, and her anger disperse.

"I'll deal with things over here. You go and make sure she doesn't do anything TOO reckless!" Hayate cleared her throat and began rifling through a persona pocketbook of contacts. Hayate was slowly going up the ranks and that meant she had many people who owed her. Thankfully, int times like this, Fate could count on her to use her influence and expend favors in order to do the right thing. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go save the day already!"

Fate offered her friend a smile of thanks, before chasing after Nanoha.

After reading the horrifying report, and spending so many days clutching at mere clues for the slightest lead on their investigation, Fate had to admit that it felt good to go on the offensive.

Even if that offensive was technically against their ally.

…

Yuno had to be shaken awake, but after a brief talk, both Fate and Nanoha gained access to the replication of the technique theorized to be used by the Mages abducting people for Linker Cores.

It was similar the TSAB's method of traversing through time and space, but perfected for the use of an individual, due to the inherent fact that it was composed by a civilization without access to Linker Cores. The magic involved was related with what the TSAB was familiar with, but vastly refined in order to activate with as little power involved as possible.

So, after a few sleepless weeks of study, the R&D division created a working prototype.

The size of a room… which also needed the Linker Cores of two very gifted individuals to activate.

While Fate had many, many qualms about the Mages they were now fighting, she had to admit that they were doing everything they can in order to use the little magic that they had available to them. For the best and brightest of the TSAB to only be able to replicate their magic with blood, sweat, tears, and the with the help of outliers like herself and Nanoha… Fate couldn't forgive them for their decision to harvest innocent people for power, but she could acknowledge their fearsome ability.

Still, though, Fate was sure that their fearsome abilities wasn't going to stop Nanoha in the slightest.

"Right, then, lets get this going!" Nanoha stretched out her hand, and with all her gusto, she nearly powered the entire device by herself. Fate had to take care to provide less than her friend told her to provide, a feat many others would've struggled to do without near-perfect control over magic. Fate was sure that Yuno will have much explaining to do later, alongside Hayate, for creating a device that seemingly could only be operated by the two of them… but results and progress would either stall those meetings, or at least calm down their higher-ups. "Fate… are you ready?"

"Yes." Fate, without hesitation, pressed her bloody thumb against the business card provided by their ally. It activated and she began to analyze the energy and effects behind it, but focused primarily on the other end of the "line," where Shirou Emiya was. "Lets go, Nanoha!"

The moment she uttered those words, she felt a drain on her power, as the device assembled by the R&D division linked two locations across time and space together. In an instant, the machine began to sputter and hiss, as it opened into a dungeon lit up by torches… and utterly filled with signatures of magic activating, alongside the sudden blare of alarms.

Fate hadn't expected that their planned rescue would take place in a dungeon, one filled with strange magics courtesy of her new ally's superiors, but she supposed that she should've seen it coming.

If he had broken as many rules as he said in order to contact them, Fate reasoned, he would have to be punished.

Even if his actions saved lives, he didn't do what his superiors desired.

While Fate usually felt calmer after analyzing and realizing the logic behind a situation, this time she felt her blood cool and mind sharply focus, as she became utterly determined to rescue her ally.

Without a hint of doubt, she knew that he'll do better work with the TSAB.