Name: Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Usually shortened to Index, real name classified)

Series: A Certain Magical Index

Disposition: Artefact

Location: Unknown. Any sighting of Index, real or suspected, must be immediately reported to the nearest Protectorate headquarters or Anglican church, whichever is closer. Currently believed to be in the company of Imagine Breaker.

General Information: Imagine there was a tinker. A tinker who knew how to build anything. Jokes are often made about the Brooklyn Bay-based tinker Leet; to the effect of 'If he can build anything, why doesn't he build something to make him a god' and such.

Now imagine there was a tinker who did know how to build a machine to make you a god. Knew it down to every detail, flawlessly. More than that, knew how to build a countless number of devices to accomplish anything.

Now imagine that tinker could build those devices out of common household objects and you are starting to grasp the idea of Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

Index has long been implanted with control devices that prevent her from using her knowledge with her own two hands, but there is no block preventing her from simply instructing someone else to use the knowledge locked away insider her.

Index possesses an EX-class threat ranking that is to remain in effect regardless of her personal goals. The knowledge she possesses is simply that dangerous.

Classification:

Brute 13: Index's Habit is actually a work of Tinker-tech known as a Walking Church. Specifically, it is a 'Shroud of Turin' model. Theoretically, a wearer of this garment would be perfectly fine even after being hit by an attack capable of splitting the planet in half.
Update: Index's Walking Church has been destroyed by Imagine Breaker, apparently on accident.

Master 3: Index can use the vast knowledge in her head to manifest the ability known as 'Sheol Fear', an auditory attack that works by rapidly pointing out contradictions in sacred texts and similarly revered information. When used on large groups of extremists, mob psychology translates the attack into physical pain.

Tinker/Thinker/Trump N/A: Index can instruct someone else in how to produce any effect imaginable. There are only two drawbacks to this power.

First, other Parahumans cannot safely use the information. Trying to do so causes their blood vessels to rupture.

Secondly, non-parahumans cannot safely use the information either. Listening to Index explain how to produce her effects actively damages the brain of the listener, and that brain begins to haemorrhage after absorbing too much information. Unfortunately, PRT Thinkers believe that this effect can have a resistance built against it, shooting her threat ranking back into EX immediately.

Recommended strategies: Immediate takedown. In any confrontation involving Index, her removal from the battlefield is the highest priority. Operatives may consider the safety of planet Earth to be secondary to ensuring the knowledge in Index's head remains known only to her.

Breaker 14: This ability is counted after general documentation for one simple reason: there is no appropriate action that can be taken upon its activation. If you do not posses the power of Imagine Breaker or have direct access to Index's collar, then there is no action available that will alter your fate.

Any attempt to tamper with Index's 'collar' actually causes it to release, at the same time overriding Index's goals with 'destroy the one tampering with the collar'. In this state (known as "John's Pen" mode), Index has full use of all of her abilities, and is generally accepted to be unbeatable; mostly because she can analyse enemy abilities and generate counter-measures on the spot, supported by a space-warping Shaker effect that prevents her opponents from closing to melee range.

Operatives are to note this state can be deliberately activated by someone with access to Index's control devices.

One of the most uncomfortable parts of accepting there were more powers in this world than Entities and their Shards was reassessing her belief in magic.

Rebecca had seen 'magic' before. Myrddin, though she was quite fond of the man, had been the final nail in the 'I don't believe in faeries' coffin. Sure, he played the part quite well, but it was a simple train of logic that killed off her faith.

If magic was real, anyone would be able to learn it.

And there would be no need for people like her.

So when it finally clicked for her that some of the parahumans she knew of – particularly the ones from alternate Earths – couldn't be explained with Shards alone, she was forced to endure the flaring up of various hopes that she had long thought had been extinguished.

It hurt to think that maybe, all those choices – all those people whose lives she'd sactificed – might not have been needed, might have been completely pointless, if only she'd know about the hidden facets of reality.

But she hadn't known, and so she'd had to make the choices. Make the sacrifices.

So she sat in her chair, and listened to a girl from another dimension who claimed to be the foremost expert on mortal magic in existence; and tried to endure both the weight of all of her past sacrifices haunting her at once and the unbearable hope that she wouldn't have to make any more.

"Okay." Index said. "I think I understand the situation now. Basically, someone or something has reactivated the creator deity Tiamat, and you need to prevent her from destroying and recreating all life on Earth."

"So, you really think it's her?" Rebecca asked. She'd expected Index to accept her word, but somehow she still found herself surprised. "You really think the Tiamat of myth is coming?"

"Your description of her matches the original myth with 98.4% accuracy." Index said. "Even if it isn't a direct summoning of Tiamat, we can treat it as such for all practical purposes."

"But…" Rebecca rested her head on the palm of one hand. "Are you trying to tell me that Babylonian myth is real?"

"Not exactly." Index said. "Instead of thinking about this in terms of 'real' or 'fake', you need to think in terms of layers, or phases. For example, the Christian phases of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory influence the worlds we live in and are in turn influenced by them. When a sorcerer summons forth the power of Telesma, they are drawing that power from the Heaven phase."

"So…" Rebecca tried to understand. "Religion… creates something like a sub-dimension…?"

"Or the phase creates the religion." Index rather unhelpfully 'clarified'. "In this case, Tiamat's power is coming from the Mesopotamian phases of šamû and irṣitu."

Rebecca rubbed her head with her palm. "Right." She said, not really understanding.

"Depending on the religion, the difficulty of killing a god can range from something a mortal can do by accident to something only other gods can accomplish." Index said.

"We're planning to forcibly transport her onto an uninhabited Earth and then destroy the planet." Rebecca said.

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"…that won't work." Index said, and Rebecca's heart plummeted. "In Babylonian myth, the heavens and the earth were made from parts of Tiamat's corpse, which means that anywhere in those places is automatically a battlefield that gives Tiamat the advantage. You can't fight Tiamat in a world 'made of Tiamat'."

Rebecca bit her lip. "So what can we do, then?"

"You're going to what?" Doctor Mother demanded. In a rather silly state of affairs, she'd put a nightcap on to go to bed and had forgotten to take it off when Rebecca had rushed into her room, so it still sat on her head.

"Before we use anything from the Donation Box, there's something we have to try." Rebecca insisted. "I talked to the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, and she doesn't think Tiamat can be killed as long as she's on an Earth she was used to create."

"Rebecca." Doctor Mother said, flatly. "You must have been under more stress than I thought to have converted to a dead religion in the hour since we last talked."

In a flash of insight, Rebecca realised that she would never get Doctor Mother to consider the possibility of magic being real as she was now. She knew she would never have considered it either, if it hadn't been for the slow eroding of her doubts over the past few months and then the sudden shock provided by Ajimu.

She'd have to change track. "Listen. Index can instruct anyone on how to do anything, right?"

"That's what Mem's Anglican Church believes." Doctor Mother said. "We take that on faith as part of our working relationship, but we've never seen it in action ourselves."

Rebecca bit the inside of her cheek. "She's provided me with a list of steps that we can use to kill Tiamat without using anything from the Donation Box. Surely that's worth a try?"

"How many people will die if this plan doesn't work?" Doctor Mother asked pointedly.

"They'd be volunteers only." Even to her own ears, the justification sounded weak.

"So your plan is to follow the plans of an unverified Thinker, which requires using up goodwill with some of our most useful allies and risking the lives of several people who are irreplaceable assets in the fight against Scion, just because said Thinker is worried about the connotations of a thousand-year old bedtime story?"

Rebecca felt one inch all. "Yes."

Doctor Mother maintained eye contact for another few moments, before shrugging. "Very well."

Rebecca's lower jaw dropped. "What?"

"Number Man and Contessa finished collaborating a few minutes ago. They couldn't find a foolproof plan, but they gave the Donation Box plan a 6% chance of success given what we know, and letting you do your plan a 27% chance of success." Doctor Mother explained. "I just wanted you to know how ridiculous you sound before letting you go."

Rebecca felt the usual surge of indignity that she was sure everyone felt upon being told their actions were predicted, but it was swamped by the relief and disbelief that her crazy, impossible plan was on it's way.

So she made the calls. A call to the Protectorate, telling Legend in no uncertain terms to bring his best and brightest to her now, never mind what hour it was. A call to S & C Plastics, the only Foundation front she knew with a phone number they actually answered, advising them of what her plans were. Somehow, she was sure they already knew.

A note, written in the diary given to her by the ruler of a fairy-tale world who had told her to write in it if she ever needed her.

That just left one last thing to do. Rebecca sighed.

"Ajimu Najimi." She paused. "Anshin'in-san. You said you could hear me when I was talking about you. Well, I need to talk to you. Now."

She didn't hear anything, but somehow she knew that Ajimu was now in the room with her.

"We're going to destroy Tiamat. Beast II. But our chances of success are low." Her mouth twisted. "You're the one forcing our hand. I want you to make them higher."

A soft giggle came from behind her, and Rebecca turned to find Ajimu sitting on her windowsill, Hanten perched firmly on the outside balcony. The window hadn't been open a minute ago.

"Oh, is that all you want the mighty Anshin'in-san to do for you?" Ajimu smiled. "You really need to be more extravagant with your wishes, you know."

"You're not a magic genie." Rebecca said. "Even if you were, I think you would answer to a monkey paw, not a ring or a lamp."

"Hmph." Ajimu leaned back, idly kicking out with her legs. "You're so jaded. Well, I do suppose I owe you a little something for doing my dirty work. As it happens, I know a boy who can turn any Plus into a Minus. If you ask me nicely, I might consider lending him to you."

"Please." Rebecca asked.

Ajimu waited, but Rebecca did not elaborate.

"So very jaded." Ajimu sighed. "Oh well. Where shall I drop him off?"

Rebecca told her. Ajimu laughed.