Haruhi felt it even before the Tower was in view.

An attractive force, drawing her in. The black Tower in this field of roses was the center of everything; out of all the places Randall Flagg could have taken her, this was the one that she realized she most wanted to be. Still, she had no idea what was even inside the Tower, just that it wanted her as much as she did.

"What is this?" she asked. She didn't look to her side where Flagg was standing, it was impossible to take her eyes off the Tower.

"You really don't know? I'm sure you must feel something. You have to."

It was true, she did. All she really wanted was for him to tell her in simple terms, but maybe there were none to communicate exactly what this was. Leaving behind her old world had been worth it. This was something totally out of the ordinary. This was better than anything she could have imagined.

Flagg spoke again. "I only wish we would have had more time. I should have thought ahead..."

"No, it'll be fine. I won't let you down..." Haruhi meant what she said, but still didn't understand what they were doing here. Did it matter? She'd go along with anything.

Something flashed in his eyes, like a thought was occurring to him. "You're the only one who can do this. You understand that, right? There's..." He hesitated. "Absolutely no one else out there with a power like yours."

"Power..." Haruhi considered that. Right now, any kind of power seemed tiny compared to what was right in front of her.

"Come on. We can't waste any more time out here." Flagg started off across the aged stone path, stepping over the aged white bricks towards the front entrance of the Tower.

A voice drifted down, across a wide distance but still easily understandable. Actually, it was less of a voice and more of an insane, high-pitched shrieking. "FLAGG! YOU'VE RETURNED?"

"Who was that? It wasn't... the King, was it?" Haruhi said. She stopped in her tracks, unsure of whether to proceed.

"He's mad at me. It's been a few years since I left him. Didn't quite like his plans," Flagg said. "I followed him for a while, or at least pretended to. Eventually I found out that we - his followers, I mean - we were all the power he had. He's just a fool who probably lost his mind hundreds of years ago, and just wants to tear everything down to nothing. Since then, I've been working on my own to find you. We'll take the Tower back from him."

"YOU BETRAAAAAAYED ME!" The Crimson King's taunting was followed by something that sounded like a scream, but turned into an annoying whine as it sped closer. Haruhi had enough time to recognize a glint of gold flying through the air at nearly supersonic speeds before it whizzed past them and exploded into chunks of sharp, jagged metal on the ground.

"What's he doing? I don't like this..."

"Just calm down. You'll be fine. I need you if we're ever going to make this work." Flagg's face was sincere. Haruhi realized she didn't even know just how long he'd been preparing for this very moment. How old was he, anyway? Probably much more than he looked. At first guess she'd thought he was about thirty.

He'd never told her exactly what her power was, or how she was supposed to use it. Haruhi glanced up at the Tower, looking at the rows of windows on each floor, then noticing a balcony. A tiny red figure was up there, with a face and wildly waving hands. Another shriek, one hand reached down and then flung something at them. Another one of those gold spheres came at them, missing by inches. She even felt the gust of wind it created as it went past.

"EEEEEEEE!"

"What are we supposed to do? We don't have anything... Can't you use magic or something?" Haruhi said. She wasn't just asking at this point, she was demanding it. "What did you bring me here for?"

"Listen carefully," Flagg said. Another whine started off far away, growing in intensity as it came towards them. "I need you to - "

The sentence was cut off as one of the gold things grazed his arm. The jacket was torn, and his arm was bleeding badly. It almost looked like the skin had been torn off.

"Are you alright?" Haruhi said. She tore her eyes away from his injury just long enough to see the Crimson King up there, hearing his mad laughter at his victory. This place suddenly didn't feel as welcoming. He was ruining everything.

"I'll be fine..." Flagg winced, clutching at the wound. Then he seemed to forget about it, looked up at her, and spoke calmly. "None of this is real. You're dreaming. Nothing here can hurt you." He stared her straight in the eye, and she realized he was telling the truth.

"What?"

"The Crimson King doesn't really exist."

Even though Flagg said that, she could still hear the King's voice. "YOU CAN'T WIN! I HOLD THE TOWER! IT'S MIIIIIIINE!"

"Do you hear me, Haruhi? He's not real. He isn't there."

No, it was impossible. All of this was impossible. All a dream... Like that one where she'd been at the school at night, with Kyon. As much as she wished the Tower to be real... and for the chance to leave behind her boring old life and have special powers... Deep down, she had always known it was impossible. This was all in her head... And she didn't want the Crimson King to be part of it anymore. She could wake up at any moment, but until then, she wanted to enjoy being here.

It had grown very quiet.

Chapter 32

Prophecies Were Made Of You And I

It was early morning by the time Konata found her way back to the hotel, a soft light had started to spread over the city and a bit of a chill was gradually dissipating out of the air. She didn't hesitate to enter the room and wake the others up.

"Alright, Edward and Alphonse will be here later today most likely, and then we should really be getting out of the city," she announced.

"Wait... huh?" Junpei rubbed his eyes as he sat up.

"Out of the city...? The way you said that..." Jason's voice trailed off, but she knew what he meant.

"Yeah. They're looking for me. But first we need to meet up with the Elrics." She moved across the room to look out the window, down at the street.

"What exactly did you do?" Junpei asked.

Konata didn't move for a moment, just moved a head up to her forehead to rub at it. Then she slowly turned around. "Well, uh... I was just looking around last night... I wasn't really expecting anything to happen." She explained everything, from the time that she found the Library up to the current situation.

"So this is a world that you know a lot about, despite never being here before," Koizumi said. He glanced over at the light novel on the end table, the copy of Haruhi that they'd picked up in the waystation. "Similar to mine, I suppose. And why exactly did you steal the book from the library?"

"I don't know, it's not really going to affect us at all, come to think of it..." Konata's eyes shifted around, not settling on any of the three of them. "They even got by without it, in the original series. I guess I just wanted to help them out a little. This way they'll have the information quicker than they would have."

"And you're planning to deliver this to them in person, from the sound of it." Jason's expression wasn't exactly accusatory, but he didn't approve either.

"Yeah... Sorry, I couldn't resist the chance. I know I shouldn't be doing this."

"It's fine," he said. "But where do you think we should go after we're done here?"

"Let's see..." Konata turned to the window again while she thought. She could see one of the blue-uniformed state alchemists passing by on the sidewalk across the street. His gait was relaxed; he was most likely not on duty. Still, they were out on patrol. Then, getting back to her train of thought, "I just remember a few places from this world. It doesn't really matter. Somewhere remote. I'll try to get us a way out."

Out of this world would be the best place. She wasn't sure where the next place would be. It was supposed to be wherever Haruhi was, Jason and Koizumi had made that perfectly clear. She was still trying to fix that in her mind.

"Can't believe we've only been here less than a day and you're already wanted by the police..." Junpei said.

Konata smiled mischievously. "It's not the first time that's happened for me."

Something - she couldn't be sure exactly what had triggered it - reminded her of that man in the yellow coat. He'd tried to kill her back in Haruhi's world. Never mind the state alchemists in this world, or the police force in any single world, there was an entire multidimensional organization out there looking for her. If they ever happened to stumble across her, who knows what would happen? And to think, Eclipse had once been so good to her. In fact, she'd considered it the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Jason spoke up. "The three of us should get going. If we're seen with you, Konata, things might get worse than they need to be. I'm sure you understand."

Konata nodded.

"Then I suppose you should drop off your book, and we'll meet you..." Koizumi tried to think of a landmark they'd seen the day before. They'd done a lot of wandering around, that was for sure.

"We could meet at the train station. You remember it, right? And we'll come up with some place to get away to," Konata said. Then her voice dropped, becoming more serious. "I don't know, I could try to get us a way out of here, and maybe we will make it to Haruhi."

Yes, Haruhi was the objective at this point. But still, all Konata could focus on was the return home. She just wanted to be somewhere that she didn't have to care about anything anymore. It had been so long since those days she could hardly even remember what it had been like.

"Don't move."

Miyuki saw Alucard turn towards her, emotionless behind his huge goggles. He raised the gun in his hand, pointing it directly at her. She barely had time to comprehend what was going on before he fired.

The bullet went right past her left ear, close enough for her to feel the gust of wind as it flew past. It hit someone directly behind her, she heard a quickly silenced scream and the sound of a body dropping to the ground.

"What the hell's going on?" Spike said. The sense of dread was intensified by those drums. He had drawn his pistol as well, searching around for the next attacker. There was bound to be more than one.

The train station was right next to them. It would probably be a good idea to retreat inside... Provided there was nobody waiting for them. Turning around hesitantly, Miyuki saw the body of a man wearing a yellow bandana, now splattered with blood, his face entirely gone. She quickly turned away, but that glance had been enough for her to see he'd been carrying a knife. The possibility that a train might still be working was slim, but it was an appealing thought.

Some more gunshots rang out. Spike had fired. Miyuki cringed and spun around to see what was happening. A few more had come from a different direction, which suggested they might be surrounded.

"I..." Miyuki wasn't sure if she wanted to finish the sentence. The violence was too much for her, but... "I can help..." She held the card in one trembling hand hanging down limply at her side.

Nagato, who had been standing unflinchingly in the accelerating chaos, regarded her with a blank expression. Then she turned to the sign hanging above them in front of the station.

"Right... Miyuki, see if there's a way out," Spike said. "Maybe the train's still there. I'd be willing to chance it."

She had her good luck charm, her source of power. She had repeatedly told herself that she would be able to use it if the time came - which it had. But now there was something stopping her from using it. Not the thought that she wouldn't be able to. She definitely could. The problem was that she was afraid to.

The station. The Cradle of Lud. And Blaine, the Southeast line out of the city and away from this. She went in.

At some time, this must have been a very grand station, but now sat in ruin. There were bars running along one side, badly rusted, but through them she could see a pink form. Blaine. She had known he would be pink, the same shade her hair had been in those other worlds, come to think of it... On the opposite wall, stern faces had been carved into the stone. Nearly half of them had crumbled, some had fallen off.

There were more gunshots from outside, and even at this distance they caused her to flinch. She had to work fast, she had to figure out some way to activate Blaine. If he - if it - still worked.

There was a box mounted on the metal bars, near the front of the train. Miyuki hurried over to see what it was, because from a distance it certainly looked like a control panel. As long as it wasn't too complicated, she'd do her best to figure it out. A speaker was on the top half, and something that was probably the intercom button next to it. Below that, Miyuki realized with unease, were buttons for all the numbers from one to one hundred, arranged in a diamond pattern. A passcode entry, maybe. So many numbers... And the other two buttons were written in a language she didn't recognize, but could understand as "COMMAND" and "ENTER."

"This isn't any good at all..." she said to herself, looking over the diamond of numbers. There was also the intercom, so she tried that hopefully. Holding down the button, she spoke while leaning in close to it. "Hello...? Is... anyone there?"

No response. Outside, more bursts of gunfire. Spike's voice, although she couldn't make out what he was saying. She turned around and saw Nagato standing right behind her, seeming like she'd come out of nowhere.

"Oh! Um, hello..." Miyuki said, startled. "I found this control panel, but I can't seem to get it to work..." She looked back down at it. Had the "COMMAND" button been glowing that color before? Maybe it was doing something now...

"Please don't wake him up... I can't let him catch me..." Miyuki first thought the soft voice was coming from Nagato, but it wasn't the same. There was more emotion in it. The voice had been coming from the speaker.

"Hello?" she said, holding down the button again. It was incredible anything here could still work. "Who's there? What's your name?"

The reply was much louder. "WHO ARE YOU?" It seemed to shake the walls, this already sorry structure could collapse around them at any moment. "WHERE HAVE YOU COME FROM? TELL ME NOW."

"Oh... um..." Miyuki stared at the train, which hadn't moved, but this was surely Blaine's voice. "My name is... Takara Miyuki... This is Nagato Yuki, we came from..." She gave a nervous laugh, not sure how Blaine would respond to the next part. "I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it before, but we're from Japan..."

"IMPOSSIBLE. THE DOORS TO THAT WHERE CLOSED LONG AGO."

"N-no, I'm really... We came through a door, I have a friend who... creates them, but we can't go back through. I'm from Tokyo, and Nagato... She lives in Nishinomiya, I believe, but it's a different world than mine. Please, um... Blaine, we just want you to take us out of the city..."

"WHO IS OUTSIDE?"

"Out...?" Miyuki wondered what he meant, but then remembered. "You mean Spike, and Alucard... Yes, they're with us. We all need to get out of here. I'd be very grateful if you could do that for us..."

"I CANNOT DO THAT FOR FREE, TAKARA MIYUKI OF TOKYO."

Miyuki shuddered to hear that voice saying her own name. This wasn't just some fantasy or science fiction novel, this was really happening to her. What did Blaine want? He wasn't human, or at least she didn't think so. What would an old, out-of-service monorail need?

"I don't quite understand..."

"ASK ME A QUESTION," Blaine commanded.

"Let's see..." Miyuki was possibly even more confused than before. "Where does your track lead to?" Blaine didn't respond. The only sound was the gunshots from outside (she realized what it might mean if there was still fighting going on, there had been many more people out there than she'd realized). And those drums... She almost didn't notice them anymore. "Who used to live here? Where exactly are we?"

Blaine would not answer any of them. She turned to see Nagato, who was equally as quiet.

"Nagato-san, I need some help here... Do you know any good questions to ask him?" Miyuki thought it might be a good idea. Nagato wasn't really anything like Blaine, but they were both artificial intelligence. Nagato was so much kinder in comparison, though, and not as threatening. An idea suddenly came in. "I can't remember any... Do you know any... riddles?"

Nagato stared back at her, and Miyuki almost could tell that she was thinking it over. As she was still trying to figure out why she had thought of riddles, how the idea had come right out of the blue, Nagato spoke.

"Tests of logic and deduction. I have read some."

"Good... Can you remember any?"

Nagato hesitated for a moment.

"SPEAK."

"'I am as large as a castle, yet lighter than air. One hundred men and their horses cannot move me. What am I?'" Nagato recited it in her usual monotone, like she had memorized it exactly. Most likely, she had.

Now Blaine was silent, and Miyuki worried that he wasn't impressed. It seemed foolish to try to engage a computer in a trivial display of logic, but then: "QUITE CLEVER... THE ANSWER IS THE CASTLE'S SHADOW. AN EASY ONE. BUT GOOD. DO YOU KNOW ANY MORE?"

Miyuki looked back to Nagato, who gave a slight nod.

"VERY GOOD... I WILL TAKE YOU AS FAR AS I CAN IF YOU PROMISE TO PROVIDE ME WITH MORE." Blaine seemed to have been able to see Nagato's head movement, even if she hadn't spoken. How? Was there a camera somewhere, watching them? Come to think of it, he knew that there were other people outside the station.

"Thank you, Blaine..." Miyuki said, remaining polite but scared nearly out of her wits. "I really do appreciate it. You're really going to take us out?"

"PERHAPS. BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO PRIME THE PUMP FIRST, AND MY PUMP PRIMES BACKWARDS."

"I don't understand..."

"SIMPLY A RIDDLE OF MY OWN." Was that enjoyment in Blaine's voice? She thought it might be.

Miyuki let out an exhausted sigh. This computer had gone mad. It didn't seem possible, but it was somehow more alive than the average computer - and it had been sitting here for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, the monotony finally pushing it over the edge. Prime the pump backwards? Where was the pump?

"Do you understand what he's saying, Nagato-san?" she asked. "If we prime the pump backwards..." The control panel sat there, with its rows of numbers. One hundred of them. She couldn't make any sense of it.

"Prime numbers," Nagato said.

"What do you mean?"

No response, but Nagato simply went up to the box and started pecking at the numbered buttons too quickly to even see what she was doing. Then Miyuki realized - she was hitting all the prime numbers in reverse order. It was amazing how quickly she was able to process it. There was a series of clicks as each button was pressed, and the gate slid open slowly as she pressed the 1.

"NOT BAD AT ALL, NAGATO YUKI OF NISHINOMIYA. I SHALL LOOK FORWARD TO THIS RIDE VERY MUCH." His tone, which now definitely had grim joy in it somewhere, made Miyuki feel that she would probably like to be done with this as soon as possible.

"What's going on? I heard something..." Spike ran into the station, Alucard following behind. He looked down the platform at them, then at Blaine, and quickly turned back to the entrance and fired a few more shots.

"I WOULD SUGGEST YOU BOARD QUICKLY," Blaine's voice boomed down at them.

Was she getting paranoid? Yes, probably, the effects of being in that town... Seeing those things that weren't really there, but she knew were true... Those may never wear off completely. But Kagami thought that carrying a loaded gun while approaching a strange figure in the middle of a ruined America was probably a legitimate precaution.

It was an awkward-looking figure. The head was the wrong shape, the lanky arms hung down farther than they should have. Also, on closer inspection, it was made of metal and a few wires were exposed.

"It's... some kind of robot?" she said.

"Looks like it," Rei said. "Hey! Excuse me!"

"What are you doing? Don't talk to it like that!"

The robot turned around and looked at them... Kagami thought that's what it was doing, at least. "Good day, sai," it said to them. Its voice was relatively easy to understand. "Long days and pleasant nights."

"Uh... yeah, same," Kagami said. What else could she say?

"Is it safe...?" Mikuru said. She had hidden herself behind the others.

"Yeah, I think so. He's polite, at least," Rei said. "We're trying to find our way around. Is there a town nearby?"

"Indeed!" The voice seemed cheerful. "There is a settlement, by the name of Calla Bryn Sturgis, just nearby. In the meantime, would you perhaps like to hear your horoscope, or I could - "

"Wait, there's a town nearby? Just take us there, we've been... travelling," Joshua said. "A long time. If they've got food and a place to stay, we'd be quite grateful."

"Certainly, sai!" it replied. Kagami noticed a plate bolted onto its somewhat battered steel chest that read "ANDY" along with some smaller text she couldn't make out. "In fact, I was on my way there."

Andy - Kagami decided that must be its name, unless it was the model or brand or whatever - began to stride off in the opposite direction of the car. Kagami cast a glance behind herself at it, sitting there with one of the doors still open. It had breathed its last and died, it wasn't going anywhere. Mikuru silently asked what to do with a pleading gaze, and Kagami nodded.

"We're going with it?" Mikuru asked.

"Yeah. Let's go, he's not slowing down," Joshua said. He started walking, an expression of mild boredom in his eyes. "So what do you think this town is like? I don't suppose there will be any people there, unless they're all like our new friend. I can't even tell if he's really that friendly or if they just built that into him."

Kagami put one hand on the duffel bag, feeling its contents. She was still lugging around tons of ammo and two revolvers. It would hardly be a friendly welcome once they got to the town, if anyone bothered to ask her what she was carrying. But what could she do? Leave it behind? No. Who knows how long she'd be away from home. She may still need them.

The plains out here looked healthy and alive, gently rolling green plains stretched out all around them. Behind her the white shape of the abandoned Takuro Spirit grew smaller, while in the distance there was a dark cluster of shapes slowly growing larger. After they'd been walking for about a half hour she could almost identify them as buildings. Andy had been singing to himself for a few minutes, a song that Kagami neither recognized nor understood.

"That's the town?" Kagami said, squinting as she looked ahead.

"Calla Bryn Sturgis, correct!" Andy replied.

It laid on the trail Kagami knew she was supposed to follow. But the path didn't end there, it stretched out beyond. She was growing more and more convinced that she was being led to the way out - not just to the next world, but back home. They'd stop in this village for a little bit, get some much-needed rest and food (providing there was any) and then they'd continue on. They'd find the door, and when they went into it they wouldn't end up on some empty street but they'd be in the center of Tokyo maybe, crowded, with plenty of people staring at them, but it would be fine all the same. Just the chance to see her family again. Whatever else had to be done could wait.

The village was just a couple buildings, and the terrain around it seemed to be organized into rows. Farmland, where they were harvesting crops. That was a good sign. There would be food.

Andy had gone back to that little tune he had been singing softly. He was so strange. Even ignoring the fact that a robot with the ability to think for itself was the last thing Kagami had been expecting to see out here, he was still so strange.

"There really is a town up ahead..." Mikuru said, a hint of a smile coming to her face. It was good to see that. "There are people who survived that... disease?"

"Guess so..." Kagami said. "Hey, Andy. What exactly happened to everyone? I was almost sure that everyone had died when the flu hit, but this town still has people living in it, doesn't it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. Yes, there are many living in the Calla," he said.

"What state are we in, anyway? I think we started in Kansas, but then we drove a long way," Kagami said.

"I don't understand. This region is known as the Grand Crescent."

For all that Kagami knew about American geography, the name didn't ring any bells. Besides, Andy had seemed perplexed at the word "Kansas." It hadn't seemed like Topeka had been all that ancient, but maybe the pre-apocalyptic order had all been long forgotten, relics of a dead era. Or maybe not. These alternate universes gave her so many headaches.

It was nearly dark when they entered the town. Andy turned around to speak to the four of them. Kagami looked closer at that plate on his chest, and noticed the company names "North Central Positronics" and "LaMerk Industries." She had almost expected to see that Takuro Automotive had been involved in his creation as well.

"This is Sai Jafford's house," he said, indicating what seemed to be a farmhouse. There was a light on in one of the windows, dim, probably not electric. Elsewhere, the sounds of sheep bleating could be heard. "You may inquire with him for a place to stay. I hope to be seeing you soon, but I must be off."

Andy strode off towards the center of town. It wasn't exactly sad to see him go; it would be much more pleasant to talk with this Jaffords if he did turn out to be human.

It was sometime in the early morning, and the city was already awake and active. The buildings were mostly skyscrapers of a uniform white color, the surfaces very clean-looking. The motif was futuristic, yet for the most part everything looked like it came from the present day. The cars still ran on wheels. Clothing didn't seem radically different from back home.

"So where and when do you think we are now?" Kyon said.

Tsukasa suddenly looked up at him. She'd been concentrating on her feet for the past couple minutes, once the shock of everything around them had worn off. Ever since they'd finished that first battle with the demons in Tokyo, she'd gotten this look of being so exhausted. It never wore off, it might ebb away for a few moments but then it would come right back. When she had collapsed by that building Kyon had almost worried that she'd never pick herself up again.

"No clue," Dante said. "That school we were just at. Ashmore, or whatever. The name ring any bells?"

"I'm pretty sure it was Ashford," Kyon said, his voice fading out. He looked around again, somewhat disinterested. Right now all he wanted was to be back in his normal town, going to school and listening to those mind-numbing lectures.

Tsukasa spoke. "Kona-chan would know what's going on... She always knew everything about these places..."

"Maybe so," Kyon agreed.

"Right from the day I met her. I knew that girl was something special, I always knew it," Kamina said. "I wonder what she's doing now."

He only had a few impressions to go off of, but Kyon was quite confident Izumi was doing just fine. The way she'd come into the club room, talking about alternate universes like someone might talk about the weather or the current price of gas. He'd really wanted to believe she was crazy. He'd wanted to believe that about Haruhi.

"Where did she get herself to..." he muttered.

"Huh?" Tsukasa said.

"Just wondering out loud... We're still supposed to be looking for Haruhi, aren't we?"

"That's what Kona-chan said we were supposed to do... Would she have come to a place like this?"

"Let's see. It's a bit futuristic, people here do seem really different. But it's still a bit too normal here. I mean, I could've sworn I saw a pizza delivery car go past a few blocks ago. Nah, if Haruhi could choose anywhere she wanted, it would probably be completely unrecognizable from the real world." Kyon stretched out and yawned. "Man, I can't even think what time it's supposed to be. Should I be tired?"

They continued on for a few more blocks. Looking for anything significant in these worlds was a hopeless venture. The necessities were simple to figure out after their last experience: don't get killed, find a way out, make sure you have a place to stay for the night, and most importantly, don't get killed. It looked as if the risks of that were less in this world.

A huge video screen, like the kind in Times Square that Kyon had once seen pictures of, was on the side of one of the buildings. A female news reporter was reading off what was probably an important announcement. Half the words didn't make sense.

"The Specially Administrated Zone of Japan is the first attempt of its kind in Britannia, and was personally proposed by Her Highness, Princess Euphemia," she read off in a slightly monotone voice. She continued on, something about the inspiration behind the plan and other details that didn't seem relevant to the four of them.

"Hm. So what's that all about?" Kyon wondered aloud.

"We're in Japan. Just like before," Kamina answered, as if it was as simple as that.

"But they said something about Brittania. Japan I've heard of, but that's a new one," Dante said.

Kyon nodded. "Right... It's got me worried, too."

The report continued. "The official announcement is to be made in a special appearance by the Princess herself, scheduled in two days..." Tsukasa let out a gasp, suddenly terrified.

"We... We need to... stay away. I don't, um... Whatever's going to happen..." she managed to say, the words jumbling together in confusion.

"Huh? Something wrong?" Kyon said.

"It's... It's just, well... There are a lot of people here who only have two or three days left..."

"Tsukasa, you really need to tell us about things like that! What about us? How long do we have?" Kyon had grown frantic.

"This is just wonderful, isn't it?" Dante muttered, although the others ignored him. "We're getting tangled up in some other random situation."

"We're going to be fine, I think..." Tsukasa said, her eyes darting nervously around, alternating between all of them. "We don't have any right now. So we've got... a week or longer, I think that's what it means..."

"Fine. We'll find out wherever this announcement's taking place. Maybe something will go wrong there. We just need to avoid that, and we should be fine..." Kyon said.

"You have no noble instinct at all, do you?" Kamina said. He suddenly seemed angry. "All these people are going to die, and we're just going to let it happen?"

"It doesn't concern us..." Dante groaned. "Besides, we pretty much did that in the last world, didn't we? If it's going to happen, it will. No need to get riled up."

"Anyway, you can't force me into doing anything," Kyon said. "I've just about had it. You go ahead if you want."

Nobody spoke for a moment, the droning voice of the newscaster going on behind them muffled slightly by other conversations. Finally, Kamina seemed to give in. "Fine. We'll let this one slip by. But just remember... We could've done something."

"Alrighty then," Dante said, stretching his arms out in a lazy gesture. "So where to next?"

"All just a dream..." Haruhi said breathlessly. It couldn't be. It all seemed so real, so solid. But dreams always did, like that one where she'd been at the school in the middle of the night, and...

She stared up at the balcony where the red-cloaked figure had been. He had vanished soundlessly, as if he'd never been there. Suddenly becoming conscious that you were not in reality had a few effects; one was usually disappointment, and the other was being in total control. She'd eliminated the one part that she didn't like. Now she could at least enjoy the rest of the time here before she woke up.

Flagg was still there beside her, so she wasn't completely alone. He was smiling. The wound on his arm was gone, the jacket perfectly intact.

"You did well," he said.

Haruhi was silent, staring across the field. The sensation of the Tower was returning, that feeling of being everywhere and everything at once. It was the most sensational dream she'd ever had, that was for sure.

"And... this wasn't a dream. I lied about that part."

"Huh? But..." Her eyes darted around, trying to think of what to say. "It had to be. I know that kind of stuff isn't really possible..."

"Don't say that. That's probably the worst thing you could believe." Flagg almost looked like he could start laughing. "Don't you get it? That's your power. That's why I needed you. Because for you, it doesn't matter whether you're awake or dreaming. You're always in control."

"I'm - ?"

"You're something special. No doubt about that."

Everything that had happened had actually happened. The Dark Tower and the field of roses were real. Everything was real. If she wanted aliens to show up, what did she have to do? Just want it badly enough? A smile came across her lips. She, Suzumiya Haruhi, was nothing like ordinary humans. She should have left her old world behind years ago. In fact, maybe if her belief had been just a little stronger, she could have done it. All by herself.

"Now, don't get carried away. Getting rid of the Crimson King was just the first step. We still have a few things to take care of."

"It's no problem," Haruhi replied. "What's next?"

"Maybe you've felt it already. This tower is the center of everything. Every universe, every possible version of reality, it all comes together here."

Yes, she did notice it. That was the source of the amazing feeling she had. Her ability - the one that could change anything she wanted, the complete control she realized she had over the entire world - was coming together with this Tower. Flagg's plan all made sense now...

"And I'm supposed to... what? Take control of it?" she asked.

"You catch on quick," he said. "The Crimson King was trying to tear it down, destroy everything to a point where nothing would be left. But, thanks to you, not anymore. Still, this place is in bad shape. For now, you just need to keep it standing."

"I... what?" That was a vague request. How would she go about doing that? The structure looked healthy enough, it wasn't like huge chunks of the brickwork were falling out or anything.

"Now that the crazy old bastard's gone, we can start strengthening this place again. And, once everything's back to the way it should be..."

"I'm in control of it now," Haruhi repeated to herself. She had slowly been realizing that's what they were after. And, if she could have her way with how the world worked, things would be so much better, wouldn't they? She was getting restless with the prospect of what was to come.

"We'll be in control of it," Flagg corrected her. "But I couldn't have accomplished this without you, so I'll be generous with your share of the power. In the meantime, I have to get going."

"What? Why?" It had caught her off guard. "What am I supposed to do?"

"The Tower's getting stronger just by you being here. I can tell. But there's still a few... minor annoyances... left for me to take care of. I'll be back shortly," he said.

"I understand," she said, a little disappointed. But staying here did have its appeal. She wouldn't deny that.

"Good girl," he said with a grin. He took the phone out of his pocket, the one he'd used before to take her out of her old world. He examined the circular emblem on the cover. "You know, taking over that organization was probably one of my better ideas... It led me to you, among a few other things. Yes, quite useful indeed." Then, after entering a few numbers, he vanished.

The Dark Tower belonged to her now. As she told herself that, endless possibilities were opening up in her mind. All the exciting things she had wanted? That she still did want? It could all happen. Somehow she'd been able to get rid of the Crimson King just by wanting him gone badly enough - and by believing she could remove him from existence. She'd really done that. Now how to do something like that again?

A short flight of carved ebony steps led up to the entrance of the Tower. Walking down the path, through the scarlet field of roses she had seen in a dream just several short days ago, she approached it and walked right up to the front door. The horizon was beginning to take on a deep orange color, and soon it would be sunset. The view from those windows all the way up there would be incredible, she knew it.

Everything was becoming so wonderful.