Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Chapter 12: Hopes and Dreams
Xx~~*~~xX
"Well, I'm giving her a clean bill of health," Shamal stated with a smile. "Physically, she's fine."
Hayate turned to look through the window at Caro sitting on the hospital bed, talking with Teana, Subaru and Zafira. "But mentally...?"
"I don't know," Shamal admitted. "I don't see any evidence of programming or cranial trauma, so I don't think Jail did anything to her. But I do know she's very upset about what went on. I gather she feels guilt for getting captured along with Erio, and being unable to do anything to help. And also guilt for what Fate did to save her."
"Is she going to be okay?" Hayate questioned, studying the girl. She was smiling a bit as she talked to the trio, but Hayate could also detect the underlying tension and sadness.
Shamal appeared bemused. "Honestly, she seems more angry underneath it all; I wouldn't lay very good odds on Jail's survival if she encountered him."
Hayate turned and smiled. "Thank you, as always, Shamal. You take such good care of us all."
The doctor blushed. "To be honest, the healing work I've been able to do here, has been like a dream come true. While my memories of past lives are fragmented, that doesn't worry me because they were never as good as I have it now."
The master of the Tome of the Night Sky and of the Wolkenritter accepted that, and headed to the door's room. "Alright, I think I'll have a talk with her myself now."
x~~*~~x
"I must say, it's so refreshing to have you with me as my honored guest," Jail told her, as the two walked through the halls of his new hideout. Behind them, trailed Tre, Sette, and Quattro.
"Cut the pleasantries, doctor," Fate told him. "I want to see Erio."
Jail didn't seem phased in the slightest. "To the point, eh? He's just up ahead."
They turned a corner, and entered a medium-sized room, with several pods lining one wall, reminiscent of the ones he used in his Cradle base. Erio floated nude in one of them. Fate turned on the doctor, glaring.
"He's unharmed, just in stasis for the moment," the doctor informed her. "But you can check for yourself if you wish." He raised an eyebrow. "Unless you plan to go back on our bargain?"
Fate glared at him for a second more, the thought very tempting. She felt fairly confident she could take care of all three cyborgs and Jail and rescue Erio, but it would be risky without him getting hurt. And if she did that, she would be sinking to his level.
She turned away from him and walked up to the pod and spoke to the golden amulet on the back of her hand. "Bardiche, give me sensor readings." Several small floating windows opened up, displaying data.
"Satisfied?" Jail's voice came from behind her. "As we agreed, I won't touch the boy, and will even let him go once I am done with you. You did prefer I run my tests and experiments on you, instead of him. But first, if you would...."
Quattro had approached with a small open box. Fate glared at Jail again, knowing what he wanted, as she removed Bardiche and placed it in the box. Quattro closed the box and smiled, backing away.
Jail nodded in satisfaction. "I have no interest in your device, so it will just be kept safely until I let you go. Now then, if you're tired, you can rest first, or-"
"Let's get this over with," Fate told him, interrupting. "The sooner this is done, the better."
The doctor smiled and bowed. "This way then, my dear Fate..."
x~~*~~x
Caro and Subaru stepped off the teleporter, onto TSAB-administered world 6, Alzas. It was one of the few worlds within a single teleportation jump of Mid-childa, which meant it was easily reachable. Caro used Kerykeion to send a message back that they had arrived safely. She was glad that Shari had examined it and found that Jail hadn't tampered with it at all.
"How far is it to your village?" Subaru asked as the two began to walk out of the teleportation terminal. "I've actually been wanting to see it for a long time, but I never brought it up because you never seemed comfortable talking about it."
Caro shook her head. "The Lu-Lushe tribe doesn't really have a village; they are nomadic tribe of summoners. It hurt for awhile, to be banished from them. But I have a home with you guys now, so I don't mind so much anymore. However, if I ever want to figure out these dreams, I have to see them."
Subaru smiled and nodded. "I can understand all too well, the need to understand oneself and where one comes from. As well as the value in finding a family that could accept you for who you were." She raised and flexed her arm. "After all, you know how different I am. I was terrified when Tea found out about me."
It was Caro's turn to smile this time, although she was having trouble finding reasons to nowadays. While she had wanted to do this trip to find answers, she recognized it was only a distraction, too. A way to not think about her own failures, and the loss of Erio and Fate. There wasn't anything she could do to find them, but she could ready herself for when the time came.
However, Hayate wouldn't let her go without a partner, and Subaru volunteered. Teana was going to, but Subaru convinced her that the Bureau agent was better suited to investigating the location of Jail's hideout. Without that, any preparation methods were worthless.
Caro directed Subaru to a nearby cafe. "Since my tribe is nomadic, we'll have to get some information as to where they are currently. We can start by asking there."
"Lead the way!" Subaru told the younger girl, impressed with her maturity and intelligence.
x~~*~~x
Quattro watched impassively as Fate screamed again. Her body arched as much as it could from where it was strapped onto the table, then went into convulsions.
"I'm afraid that's as far as the deep scan will go," Uno informed the doctor. "Any farther will cause permanent damage."
For some reason, she couldn't muster up the joy she was supposed to be feeling. Instead, there was just a sort of complacency there. Maybe even an emptiness.
"Hmm, shame," the doctor was saying. "We can't have that yet. Give her a few moments of rest, then we'll start level three examinations."
Part of it was that she just couldn't understand these people. Nanoha had, against all odds, beat the Saint Kaiser to reclaim her daughter. Then despite what Quattro had done, Nanoha had insisted on visiting and talking to her. And now Fate had willingly given herself up to the doctor to protect that Project F boy and the summoner girl.
"Shall I prepare the injections, then?" Uno questioned.
She had seen something similar in her sisters, of course. They cared about each other. Even Uno took on a motherly role to her fellow cyborgs. But Quattro was different; she thought they were all fools, just tools to be used. The doctor was just using them. Part of it she recognized as her programming, but she also knew she had been created at Jail's whim, to serve him. As a cyborg, she was different than most everyone else; and humans tended to despise differences. She could only count on herself. She had gone along with the doctor, because if he had taken over the TSAB worlds, then cyborgs wouldn't be looked down upon.
"Yes, but hold off awhile," the doctor told her. "I want to talk with my daughter for a bit."
Yet, most of her cyborg sisters actually were getting along in society. What did that say about her? And now here she was, thinking too much and getting all soft like that fool Dieci.
She glared through the observation window at the golden-haired girl laying on the table. Fools, all of them.
x~~*~~x
Fate slowly opened her eyes, the dull pain at the back of her head almost overpowered by the aches coming from the rest of her body. She remembered where she was, wearing a long hospital gown, while strapped to a table in Jail's lab. That invasive "deep scan" was as painful as he said it was going to be. It felt like every cell in her body was probed, and now her mouth felt very dry.
The examination table was rotated from the horizontal position to near vertical, as Jail offered a cup to her lips. "It's just water, drink." When she kept her mouth closed and glared at him, he said, "Come now, when I want to get strange substances into you, I'll just inject it. This is just water. Keep your strength up, if not for yourself, then for your dependents. You want to survive this, don't you?"
Fate gave in, drinking the cool liquid, realizing he had a point. She didn't have to like it, however.
"That's a good daughter," he told her, then noting her lack of reaction, added, "Finally accepted it, did you?"
"I have accepted nothing," Fate stated in a low neutral voice. "Even if you somehow were Alicia's father, no parent would treat their children this way."
"Oh, but don't you love your mother in spite of what she did to you?" Jail countered.
Fate met his gaze. "It may not have been right, but my mother was traumatized. I can't imagine the pain she must have felt when she lost Alicia. It doesn't excuse what she did, but it does mean that she had love in her heart. You don't; you just do your experiments without regard for anyone else."
"My dear Fate, you mean you never really thought about it?" the doctor questioned. "Didn't the Bureau have a psychological profile on me? Did my motivations never come up as a question or thought?"
"I know the council created you to carry out the illegal and unethical research they wanted," Fate retorted.
"And you really think someone is simply the extension of their creator, incapable of exercising their own will?" the doctor mocked. "That's interesting, coming from a clone created to be a surrogate daughter, and then beat to become a tool."
The golden-haired girl lowered her eyes a bit, hating the truth within those words. "What then? You obviously want to tell me, so out with it."
"Perceptive," Jail complimented her. "While it's true the council created me and set in place some mental prerogatives, I was mostly given the benefit of true free will. They merely heightened the centers of my brain related to scientific curiosity and desire." he tapped the side of his head for emphasis. "I get the feeling I might not have been the only one they modified in this way, but merely the first success story.
The doctor pulled up a swivel chair and sat down facing the back of the chair, resting his arms on it. "But they also removed any potential I had for magic. No linker core, and genetically incompatible with receiving one, whether transplant or artificial. You see, they had a very specific role for me to play, and for that, they couldn't risk having me studying magic. I had to focus on science and build them their toys."
Fate's gaze softened ever so slightly. While she wasn't ready to forgive him anything, she did understand the complications that came with a planned and modified creation. As Jail had said, her own mother had practically created and raised her for a purpose as well. And yet she was capable of exercising her own will.
"Obviously, we differ on what happened next, because you never went to any public schools," Jail continued, oblivious to her inner thoughts. "I was listed as an orphan, spending my days in orphanages or boarding schools. They made sure I didn't get any adoptive parents. Do you know what it's like to be a non-magic child growing up around other children, all of whom had some sort of magical potential?"
Her eyes widened a bit, looking at him in a new light.
Jail nodded. "As you can probably imagine, it wasn't pleasant. I was always the black sheep. Always picked on, ignored, left out of groups." He smiled, looking amused. "I could list out a number of creative and interesting insults and names they came up for me. They were very good at that."
"So you're doing all this because of a bad childhood?" Fate questioned, drawing the conclusion. "I hate to break this to you, but you aren't the only with bad memories. That doesn't justify your actions."
He laughed. "No, it doesn't. But I grew up hating magic, and the society built on it. This isn't illogical at all; I've seen what science, pure science, can do. It's far more useful and powerful that magic. Science empowers everyone, while magic depends on each user. My cyborgs were very much capable of taking on very high-ranked mages. And I created them in less time than it takes to grow a mage normally, and using less resources."
"So you created tools," Fate remarked in a scathing manner.
"Oh no, my dear girl," Jail replied, meeting her eyes. "I love them all, even the ones that deserted me. They are each free to choose their own path in life, and I wish them well. And as you are aware, some of them are finding a nice role in life despite not having magic. And I was deeply saddened by Due's death."
"I find that hard to believe," she admitted.
"Hard to believe or not, they worked with me because they shared my dream: to create a world based on science, where lacking magic does not harm you," Jail explained, his voice rising to a crescendo. "But that requires power, and the Cradle was going to give me that power."
"So then why do you need me?" Fate asked. "I'm a talented and strong mage. I'm everything you hate, and yet you seem to want me."
His grin grew wide, and he wheeled closer to her. "Oh, it's because you are a strong mage, and I have a certain... emotional attachment to Alicia, which you resemble. You see, while I created the cloning science, Precia perfected it, and did something else as well. Not only did she recreate a stable clone of her daughter, she also amplified the magic power you posses. You have, approximately 10 times the magic power that Alicia did. That girl was a sweet kid, but she wasn't very strong as a mage, despite having Precia as a mother." He sighed. "That's probably my fault, being the father."
Fate's eyes narrowed. Every fiber of her being hated hearing that, no matter how much it was repeated.
"Even Erio, despite being a successful clone, didn't have his magic increased as much as you did," the doctor continued. "And it was one technology Precia didn't see fit to share with me. You saw what happened to Zest, my first real attempt at duplicating her feat. He was a bit unstable. But if I can manufacture powerful mage clones, I can replace key members of the TSAB apologetic to my viewpoint. Then once I have control, I can create a better society for everyone!"
"Any change has to come from the people themselves," Fate countered. "Forcing it on them, no matter how good it may seem to you, is wrong."
"A slave may be legal in a certain civilization, but I bet you'd feel like liberating such a society," Jail shot back.
Fate grew angrier. "I am not going to debate morality with you, doctor, not while you have Erio and I held against our wishes."
"Touche," Jail admitted, seceding the point. "But I still have one more card to play: I am going to remove the force of magic for good!"
x~~*~~x
"You alright back there?" Subaru asked over her shoulder as she sped along on the wing road.
Caro gave her best smile. "I'm okay!"
The cyborg girl nodded. "If I increase the pace, we can probably make it there before sundown." She adjusted the piggy-back load of the smaller girl, making sure she had a decent grip
"Go for it!" Caro cheered, tightening her arms around Subaru's neck.
Fried peeked out of her pack, which was hanging on Subaru's right arm, and squeaked his approval. Subaru's pack was hanging on her left arm, leaving Caro to marvel at the girl's strength.
"By the way, I don't care what anyone else says," the summoner girl spoke. "I think you being a cyborg is pretty cool! You're so strong!"
Subaru lightly squeezed Caro's legs in appreciation for the compliment. "Thank you."
"I mean it!" Caro added. "Not just physically strong, but I always admired you for how strong you were inside as well. I didn't handle being different nearly as well as you did."
"Maybe, but you're just as strong inside," Subaru said over her shoulder. "Perhaps you didn't realize it then, but you are now."
Caro wondered how true that was. She was about to face her tribe again after many years. The family that had abandoned her. Could she really do this? She began to wonder.
x~~*~~x
"Eliminate magic itself?" Fate asked in disbelief. "That's impossible, even for you."
"Not as impossible as you may think," the doctor teased, standing up as Uno wheeled a cart in. "Are you aware of the source of mage power? That magical plane between dimensions? What would happen, if all access to that was cut off?"
Jail could see that Fate understood the implications, but still she asked, "And how would you do that?"
"Another bit of data from Precia," he admitted, picking up a syringe and checking the dosage. "Those relics I had been collecting before? They are a direct link to the magical plane and a huge magical battery at the same time. A single device, properly modified, and hidden on a single world... if it detonates precisely, it'll sever all access to the magical plane on that planet.
He moved closer to her, still holding the syringe, returning her table to the horizontal position. "In an instant, I can have several advanced worlds totally under the power of science. No magic can threaten me or my people ever again. There are many who would welcome such a safe haven. The TSAB would be powerless, and I can do my work in peace."
Fate grit her teeth in horror and anger, realizing what that meant; and in an instant, saw her folly. She should have tried to stop Jail when she had the chance. There were many that depended on magic to survive; Jail's plan would kill them.
"Now hold still, we're about to start level three," he told her, inserting the syringe needle into her neck.
Fate winced a bit at the pain, then she felt extremely sleepy. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed, was the doctor readying another needle.
x~~*~~x
Quattro studied the girl as the doctor resumed his experiments, having finally heard his plan. [It's grandiose and daring, I'll give him that. Worlds with magic...] The idea had it's appeal. She knew of the devices, but did not know what they did. If it succeeded, she would be quite the goddess among men, possessing powers mortals didn't.
The only question that remained, was whether that was what she really wanted.
x~~*~~x
A couple hours later, Subaru and Caro were back on the ground. The Lu-Lushe tribes' tents were on the far side of a range of hills, and Caro thought it best they go in on foot. She realized her reappearance at the tribe would cause enough trouble; she didn't want to antagonize them more than she had to.
As the pair approached, Fried resting on Subaru's shoulder, several tribe members took note of their approach. Many of them sent dirty looks her way, and Caro knew why. She had deliberately worn her white robes, the ones with the intricate markings on the lining, that were typical of the tribe. But her hood was down so they would be able to see her face.
She wanted them to know who she was. She wasn't going to hide it, as they would find out anyway.
"People here either don't like strangers, or they aren't too pleased about seeing you," Subaru noted quietly.
It was the latter, mostly, Caro knew.
They made it past several tents before several men of the tribe blocked their path.
"What are you doing back?" one of men, a blond-haired one in brown robes with white lining, asked. "We don't want trouble here."
Subaru assumed a battle stance, but Caro put her hand out to block her friend. "I am here to speak to the elders. I have no quarrel with you, Yorda. Once I get what I came here for, I will leave."
Another one stepped forward; taller, but bald with a short black beard and a gray robe. "You'll leave now! Every second you stay, threatens us with danger. If you care about anyone here, including your Aunt Gretta, you'll leave."
Subaru couldn't take it anymore. "Isn't she one of you summoner people!? A part of your tribe and family? How can you treat her this way!"
To their credit, they seemed to back down a little, almost looking a bit ashamed, except for the bald one who spoke up again. "Don't you go thinking you know our ways! We don't answer to strangers, especially those that pass judgment on our beliefs!"
"Subaru, it's alright," Caro told the other girl,t hen turned back to the man. "Be that as it may, Janus, I'm not leaving until I get what I came for."
"Then you will have to leave empty-handed," a new voice sounded, male, but older. A elderly gentlemen in white robes similar to Caro's, came through the crowd.
"Uncl-Elder Geott," the summoner girl breathed. "I apologize for disturbing the peace of the tribe, but there are things that I need to know."
"Knowledge in the wrong hands, such as yours, would only cause misfortune," he told her solemnly. "I'm sorry, but as the leader of the tribe, I must ask you to leave."
"No," Caro intoned, dropping her pack and crossing her arms in front of her body, revealing Kerykeion on the back of her hands. "I'm not leaving until I get what I came for. I'm not the girl I was back then. I've learned so much, and used my powers to help people. I am Caro Ru Lushe, Dragon Summoner, master of the white dragon, Friedrich, and priestess of the black dragon, Voltaire. You can try to force me out, but you know it won't be easy. And you would cause the very misfortune that you are so afraid of."
Subaru stared at the girl, amazed at her inner fortitude. She smiled and turned back to the tribe members who were clearly rethinking their position. "I'm Subaru Nakajima, member of the Administration Bureau Rescue Division, and Caro's friend. I could try to tell you what we've been through together, though you wouldn't believe it. But believe me when I say that she has become a valued comrade that any of my friends would die for. I don't know why you are so afraid of her being here, but I can tell you that she hasn't brought *any* misfortune to us."
Elder Geott met the eyes of the two girls, studying them, then sighed. "Very well, if you come with me, I will tell you what you want to know. But after that, you will leave and never return."
"Elder!?" Janus exclaimed. "You can't-"
Geott turned on him. "It is my decision as elder, Janus. She is right; while we could eject her by force, it would cause much destruction and possibly loss of life. Voltaire alone is one of the strongest creatures known to our tribe."
Janus said no more, but still was not happy with the decision. Still he seemed to accept it as he turned and walked away. The rest of the crowd began to disburse.
Geott turned his back to the two girls, but glanced over his shoulder to tell them, "Follow me."
Caro let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, suddenly feeling a bit woozy. It was only now that she could feel her legs shaking a little.
Subaru patted her on the back. "Nice job!"
Caro could only smile in response, as she didn't trust her voice.
x~~*~~x
"I trust you are having the dreams?" Geott asked, using a stick to poke the small fire in the middle of his large tent. He sat on one side, while the two girls sat on the other.
Caro looked a little surprised. "Yes. In it, there are a number of dark shapes around me, but I can't make them out. One of them keeps asking me where I am."
"In our tribe, we have a number of summoners," Geott explained. "Not everyone, but roughly a quarter of the tribe is capable of summoning on some level. But there is more to it then simply magical ability. The creatures we form pacts with, gain power from our magic. They agree to help us in exchange for our magical power. That is why a summoner generally does not have strong magic in other areas, besides teleportation.
He paused to take a sip of his tea. "When Caro was born, it was the dragons that took note of her; her magic, for whatever reason, was well-suited to them. That is why she found Friedlich, and why Voltaire formed his pact with her so early. But other dragons await you, young one. They too, wish to form pacts. If you wish to proceed down this path, you will have to negotiate with them."
"How do I do that?" Caro asked.
He lifted the stick from the fire and pointed it at her; both girls were surprised to see a small brand on the end of it. "If you have the courage, we can give you the ability to communicate with them the next time they appear in your dream. The alternative is to find them yourself, from wherever they are."
He placed the branding stick back down into the fire and turned around. Lowering his robes a bit, both girls could see the black symbol just below his neck. It was a diamond, with an intricate rune designs within, almost like a summoning square. He pulled his robes back up, then resumed his original position.
"I have told you what you wish to know," Geott informed. "If you wish to search on your own, please leave now. If you wish to brave the mark, I will give it to you. You will be unconscious for a time afterward, so your friend will have to carry you out. In either case, I would ask that you not return."
Caro closed her eyes, gathered her courage, then opened them. She turned around and lowered her own robes to expose her back, giving her answer.
Subaru jumped to her feet. "Whoa, hold on Caro. These guys want you gone. How can you trust them on this?"
"I'm sorry, Subaru, I don't expect you to understand," Caro told her softly. "But I do trust him on this. I do recall seeing the mark on my aunt and others as well."
Geott stood, taking the brand out of the fire again. "She knows, as well as we do, that we've seen her conviction and the conviction of her friends. If we were to harm her, you and your friends would take revenge, would you not?"
Subaru nodded slowly, moving to sit in front of Caro, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "Are you sure about this?"
Caro nodded. "Yes, I am. Please take care of me." She raised her head and braced herself. "I'm ready."
There was a burning pain, the smell of burnt flesh, and Caro's world went black.
Xx~~*~~xX
Author's notes:
Caro's turn in the spotlight for a bit. Also, Jail's back story as promised (most of it anyway). I don't like truly evil villains who just do things because they are evil. They have to have reasons to, and a life experience that shifted them to their philosophies.
Cleanup of this chapter is finished, but R&R and C&C are welcomed as always.