Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Chapter 14: Searching the Darkness
Xx~~*~~xX
"Wait, say that again?" Hayate asked.
Teana smiled, and opened up a window displaying the ship. "We use the Bucket. When Fate and I went over it awhile back, we had to disable numerous protocols. One of them was an auto-pilot setting, we think. There was other information we needed, and then things came up and we sorta forgot about it. But I think I can get it working again."
"How do you know the ship will take you to Jail's hideout?" Signum asked, pointing out the obvious question.
"I don't know," Teana admitted, shaking her head. "But it has to lead somewhere. TSAB intelligence detected several random scientific research outpost attacks awhile back. If my theory is right, Jail was using these ships to rebuild equipment and materials for his next plan. As such, anything this ship was carrying had to have a way of making it back to a point where Jail could collect it. We hitch a ride, set it loose, and follow where it leads."
"I'll go with you," Arf declared. "It was my capture that sent in motion the chain of events that has Fate and Erio in his hands."
Hayate closed her eyes for a moment, thinking, then opened them. "Anyone I send has to be clear-headed and focused, and I know how much this is weighing you, Arf." The familiar wanted to argue, but looked downcast. "I'll want to have several platoons ready to follow you in a ship. If we find Jail's hideout, I want to take it down as fast as possible."
Teana shook her head again. "That's... gonna be a problem. The ship is small, and the life support system is very minimal, due to it requiring operation by drones. I'd say no more than six people can survive for any length of time. Also, the auto-pilot is programmed for evasive maneuvers and random trajectory if it detects any ships nearby. I'm hesitant to mess with that, for fear of ruining the auto-pilot. You'd have to remain out of sensor and communication range. Anyone on board wouldn't be able to call for help."
"So the six people who go would be on their own," Vita concluded. "I assume you mean six physically adult people. I require little more than half that due to my size, so I'll go."
"Agito and I consume very little air, too," Rein added, for once earning agreement with her demon rival.
"In puppy form, Arf and I also consume very few resources," Zafira added, currently in wolf form. "Probably no more than half a normal adult when added together."
Arf looked at him and smiled, mouthing a "Thank you." She was a bit surprised to see him meet her gaze for several seconds, then nod. She thought she detected something else there, but was unsure.
Hayate nodded, smiling. "Very well. I'll have a list of who is going by the time Tea and Shari tell us the ship is ready. I'll try to include everyone who wants to go, while maximizing success for this mission. This is a long shot, but I think it's worth the risk. You're all dismissed for now; do what you can to get prepared in case you are going."
Teana let a breath out she didn't know she was holding, glad that her plan had been approved. She just hoped it worked.
x~~*~~x
"Zafira, wait up!" Arf called in woman form, since he had switched to adult human form after leaving the office. "I wanted to thank you for that back there."
"It was the truth," he offered simply, continuing to straight ahead as they walked down the hall. "And I know the feeling of wanting to protect and rescue one's master."
Arf matched his stride, but dropped her gaze a bit. "Oh, yes, that is true, I suppose. We each serve our masters."
Zafira was silent a moment, then added, "Still, you would make a worthy combatant addition to this mission. We once crossed fangs in combat, so I can vouch for your strength."
"Zafira...." she spoke softly, looking up at him, then grinned, fang showing. She playfully punched him and teasingly added, "I didn't think you liked me that much!"
His gaze turned away. "I-I care for all our comrades. We all share the same goals."
Arf burst out laughing. "Zaffy, are you too fun to tease. Where ya headed?"
"Since we have some time, I thought I would get in some training," he replied. "Ever since Shamal told us we were becoming real again as opposed to programs, I've felt the urge to see if I could improve."
"Well, since you put it that way," Arf said, still grinning. "I think I will join you. I would make a worthy sparring partner, wouldn't I?"
"If you wish," he replied simply.
Arf shook her head. "Well, if you're becoming normal, you should also work on lightening up...."
x~~*~~x
"We got your message," Subaru said in the Lt. Colonel's office, then chuckled. "And Caro double-timed it to get back here as soon as possible."
"I want to go with the team," Caro said firmly. "I promised Erio I would rescue him and Fate."
Hayate studied the girl's unwavering gaze. "It's possible. As you know, space on the ship is limited. I need clear-headed people."
Caro stood at attention. "I swear I will follow orders to the letter."
"I'd like to go as well," Subaru offered. "If there is another one of these relic devices there, I can handle it."
Hayate looked back and forth between the two. "Very well, I won't exclude either of you. Get prepared and report back here at 1700 hours." The two girls broke into smiles and looked at each other, but Hayate put up a hand to forestall comment. "I didn't say you'd go for sure, either. Once we know for sure how many I can fit on there, I'll let everyone know. I want everyone ready just in case."
The two girls straightened and saluted, saying at the same time. "Yes, Ma'am!"
x~~*~~x
With Shari and Suzuka working full time, the ship was brought back into shape, and the life support system was even improved a bit. After some testing, Hayate was able to confirm the roster of who would be going. Signum, Vita, Zafira, Arf, Teana, Subaru, and Caro were able to be packed in, along with Rein and Agito. But when it was discovered that there was room for one more, Hayate surprised them by deciding to come along, too.
After all, she had told them, Fate was her friend, too. And for once, she wanted to get out of the office to do some more field work.
She also carried a powerful beacon. When they found Jail's hideout, she would activate it to call for reinforcements. But depending on where they ended up, it could be hours, if not days, before help arrived. No homing beacon could be used on the ship, because it would be picked up and the ship would think it was compromised and shut down it's engines.
Chrono's ship towed the Bucket out to where they had captured it and let it go. As soon as the Claudia was out of sensor and communication range, Teana activated the ship's auto-pilot. The modified drones attached to it provided enough stimulus that the ship registered all systems as normal. It promptly jumped into hyperspace, traveling on an unknown course; they wouldn't know where they were going until they got there.
Knowing it could be awhile, they took turns on watch duty while the rest slept.
x~~*~~x
Vivio had waited until nightfall, just after her babysitter, Arisa, had put her to sleep. She slipped out of bed quietly, using magic to float so as to not cause the floor to creak, and quickly got dressed in black clothes. She placed one of her larger stuffed animals under the covers, hoping that if Arisa peaked in, she wouldn't check too closely.
Making sure that she had everything, she flew out the window, making sure to close it behind her. She knew that her mamas needed to get special permission to fly in the city and that anything flying above a certain height would get tracked, so she kept close to the ground.
In her research, and in her study of Nanoha's medical charts, she had learned that her mama had injured her linker core. Both in her extended battle against Vivio many months ago, and it was damaged again in her fight against some strange man. She felt guilty, because it was her own fault that her mama had been injured the first time. If that hadn't happened, she might not have been badly hurt again the second time.
While she also felt guilty back then, she didn't know what she could do to help. Now she did. No matter how much it scared her, she knew of a way to help her mama, but didn't think the grown-ups would let her do it. And she had promised to be strong.
She just hoped she could do this without anyone finding out.
x~~*~~x
"Tea, wake up!" Subaru was saying.
"Mmm?" the slowly-waking girl responded, stretching. "Subaru? What is it?"
"We just dropped out of hyperspace," the cyborg girl told her. "I think we're there."
Tea came fully awake and sat up. "Wake the others, I'll go check navigation."
Subaru nodded and left to check the other rooms while Tea headed to the bridge. As the cyborg girl had said, the Bucket had dropped out of hyperspace and was approaching the second planet of a three-planet system. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like they the ship was headed for one of the southern continents.
"Subaru informed me that we arrived?" Hayate inquired, joining the other girl on the bridge. Rein floated in behind her.
Teana nodded. "I think so. I can't access much of the ship systems at the moment, but there appears to be quite a bit of turbulence and interference in the upper atmosphere. Better tell people to hold on; it's going to get bumpy."
"I'll do it!" Rein announced, flying out of the room.
Everyone got secured as the Bucket descended into the atmosphere, Tea and Hayate strapping themselves into the chairs on the bridge. As the junior agent predicted, the ship began to shake violently as made it's approach. She feared she may have underestimated the turbulence, as it felt like the ship was going to fly apart. But after several long minutes, it subsided and things returned to normal.
The two girls on the bridge watched as the craft continued its descent, coming low over a forest, heading right for a range of mountains. Worried, Tea unbuckled and utilized the scope function of Cross Mirage to scan the range.
"I don't see any openings!" she exclaimed in worry. "Maybe this was a bad idea; maybe we missed something in the ship's programming, and now it's going to deliberately kill us!"
Hayate put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. If it looks like it's coming to that, we can still bail out. But there could be a hidden entrance that will either open up, or be covered by an illusion." The mountain range loomed larger and larger. "Still, it might be a good idea to get ready to bail out. Pass the word to the others. I'll stay on the bridge. I can blast myself out of here if it looks bad."
Tea nodded and left.
x~~*~~x
Quattro tapped away at her console. "Collector #4 is returning. It seems to be a bit late. Have drones stand by to check it's contents."
On a hunch, she ran some activate scans, eyes widening a bit in surprise at her readings. For a minute, she debated internally. Then, as the ship came closer, she quickly began typing more commands into the system, clearing the ship to land.
x~~*~~x
Under cover of darkness, Vivio made her way across the final open leg of distance between her and the old Section Six headquarters building. It was technically a minimum-security facility, now used for some extra training facilities, offices, and also Shari's lab.
Coming up against the wall of the building, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. From her time in the barracks, she remembered a window that she could open from outside, in her mamas' old room. Flying up to the second-story window, she was relieved that no one appeared to be in it. She cracked it open and let herself in, taking a moment to steady herself before going further.
Her heart was beating louder now, so much so that she feared most of the facility could hear it. But she reminded herself that she couldn't stop now; her mama was counting on her. Nanoha didn't give up that day, so many months ago, and neither would she.
Opening the door, she crept out into the hall way, trying to look normal, like she belonged there. If this particular section was still used on a dormitory, there could be other kids so she wouldn't appear unusual.
She made her way to the stairwell.
x~~*~~x
The ship slid into the docking bay, and drones descended on it.
Quattro noted the scorch marks. "Hmm, it appears you suffered a bit of battle damage. Drones, check every inch of the ship."
Several type-1's entered as other type-1 gadgets left the ship, floating along the ground single file.
"We should have those drones checked for battle damage as well," Uno said, coming up alongside her.
"Oh, dear sister, you surprised me," Quattro said, smiling. "But I was already on that. Ship drones, head down the hall and check in at the door on the far left."
"I'll never understand why you talk to them," Uno noted off hand, checking data on her pad. "Computer commands are more efficient."
Quattro watched the drones move up the steps and enter the hallway, smiling wider. "Oh, just because it amuses me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do!"
x~~*~~x
"I thought for sure she knew it was us," Agito said, canceling her unison with Teana, who released the illusion spell that hid them all as gadget drones.
"The way she looked at us, I think she might have," Arf noted, changing from small girl form to dog form.
"The good news is that it looks like this is it," Zafira added, also returning to full wolf form. "The hallways are near exact copies of Jail's old Cradle base."
"Oh, thanks for the magic boost, Agito," Teana said, grateful. "I don't know that I could have made that illusion so convincing without it, nor maintained it that long without being stationary."
Rein canceled her own unison with the pink-haired girl. "Thank Caro and me, too, as we were working to boost your illusion spell, as well!"
Tea smiled and nodded at the pair.
"Well, if she knew it was us, she didn't sound the alarm," Signum noted. "Perhaps they already know, and are waiting for us to fall into a trap."
Hayate shook her head, opening a door and tossing the activated beacon in it. "At any rate, we can't really worry about that right now. If they don't know we are here, they will soon. We need to find Erio and Fate as soon as possible, and stop the doctor if he's here. Let's split up: I'll take Tea, Zafira and Arf. Signum, you take Vita, Subaru, and Caro."
Everyone acknowledged the orders, and the group split up at the next T hallway intersection.
x~~*~~x
"It seems we have guests," the doctor noted. "Girls, would you be so kind as to handle them? Oh, and send in the series-14 androids."
x~~*~~x
It had been mostly uneventful, and remarkably smooth, Subaru noted. She was hopeful that would continue.
However, the two cyborgs barring their way as they turned a corner, killed that notion.
"Subaru, Caro, you two go on ahead," Vita said, readying Graf Eisen. "Signum and I have unfinished business with these two."
"None of you will be going anywhere," Tre told them menacingly, signaling.
Subaru looked back to find the path behind them was blocked by four more cyborgs, and her eyes widened. "Nove, Wendi, Dieci, Cinque... why!? What are you doing here?"
The four cyborgs said nothing, emotionless as they stood there.
"You'll have to forgive them; they don't like to talk much," Sette explained, bringing up her blades.
Subaru grit her teeth, glaring back at Tre and Sette in anger. "What have you done to them!?"
"We've done nothing," Tre told her, assuming an attack stance.
Signum brought up her sword. "Subaru, moderate your emotions; you need to fight with a clear head. It looks like we have no choice, but I know you can handle it. Remember Ginga."
The cyborg girl could never forget that fight with her sister. She turned back to the four cyborgs and raising her Revolver Knuckle, determination burning. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to knock you back to your senses one way or another. Caro, I'll need your support."
Caro nodded fiercely, raising her arms, Kerykeion glowing softly. "Understood; I'm ready."
"We'll toast them all!" Agito added, grinning, moving in front of Signum. "Unison in!"
For a moment, all combatants stared at each other. Then, on some unspoken cue, everyone charged at once.
"Fried, Blast Ray!"
The little dragon let a fireball loose, which caused the cyborgs to scatter. Subaru charged in after, skating up the wall and coming in at Nove directly. The other skating cyborg twirled and lashed out with her foot in a strong spin kick, but Subaru powered on through, using Vibration Shatter on the other's leg. There was pause as the two connected, but Subaru had the stronger momentum and sent the other girl violently twisting and slamming into the floor.
[Sorry, Nove,] Subaru thought to herself. [But I know we can fix up your cyborg leg later.]
"Emerald fury that whose domain is the sky, piercing wind of nature that cuts through all; Come to me and let loose your whirlwind howl!" Caro chanted. "Dragon Soul Summon, Adelinde!"
Wendi charged in to attack the summoner while Cinque tossed knives, but Adelinde rose up on hind legs and beat her wings furiously. The cyborg surfer and the knife projectiles were flung backwards due to the fierce draft. The earlier fires were also blown out.
But Subaru could see the real worry as Dieci was charging up her cannon; in moments it would fill the entire hallway. "Caro, get out of here! I'll handle them!" Signum and Vita were already gone, having taken their battles elsewhere.
"All four of them!?" Caro protested. "You can't-"
Subaru charged Cinque and Dieci, while Wendi slowly regained her feet and Nove struggled to stand. "GO! You have to find Erio and Fate! I'll cover for you!"
The young summoner, nodded, jumping onto Adelinde's neck and pointing her wrist down the hallway. "Wheel Protection!" Cinque, who had been about to toss more knives at Subaru, was temporarily slowed to a crawl.
Power gathered on the drawn-back Revolver Knuckle, as Subaru realized Dieci was about to fire. "Diviiiine... Buster!" She punched forward, sending a stream of azure magical energy at the cannon cyborg.
Dieci fired, but the blue energy cut into the cyborg's beam, spreading it and providing enough cover for Subaru to close the distance with a double foot kick. Dieci ducked out of the way, and the skates impacted the shoulder mounted cannon instead. Subaru managed to grab Dieci's arm, though, and spun as she landed, tossing the other girl farther down the tunnel.
That was when she noticed Wendi had finished charging a shot, Cinque's slow had worn off, and both were turned her way. In the next moment, Wendi fired and Cinque tossed her daggers in a wide pattern.
As the projectiles loomed larger in her vision, Subaru was glad that at least Caro had gotten away.
x~~*~~x
Teana moved up, one gun held in both hands, placing her back against the wall next to the door. Arf and Zafira crossed to the other side of the closed door, nodding that they were ready. Hayate, in unison with Rein, readied her staff, then gave the signal. Teana hit the button for the room's door and dove into it, rolling and coming up on one knee to cover the entire room.
And froze, her mouth dropping open.
"Fate!" Arf exclaimed, beginning to run forward. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"Arf, stop!" Hayate commanded. "Look at her; something's not right."
Tea had come to a similar conclusion. Fate looked unharmed in her barrier jacket as she stood there, no expression on her face; even her eyes betrayed no emotion. Bardiche was deployed in Haken form. It was almost as if she was waiting for them. If she was Jail's prisoner, why was she like this?
The golden-haired girl brought up her weapon, then charged at Arf, swinging.
"Look out!" Zafira growled, moving quickly towards Arf who was frozen with shock. He managed to knock her out of the way in time, but winced in pain as he took a long cut to his side.
"Zafira!" Arf cried, overcoming her shock.
"Teana!" Hayate shouted, bringing out her book, flipping pages. She needed something concentrated, something that wouldn't fry everyone in the room.
Tea realized Hayate was working up a spell, and began firing rapidly at Fate to give the SS rank mage both time and cover. Fate blurred backwards, avoiding the shots. Tea cursed, knowing what was coming next, diving again as Bardiche's golden edged smashed the place she was kneeling a moment before.
"Arc Saber," Fate whispered, swinging.
"No!" Arf yelled, diving forward and bringing up a Round Shield to protect Hayate. The rapidly-spinning projectile was stopped, but began to cut into her shield.
Tea blasted it out of the way before it could penetrate, then moved as Hayate sent the mental command to get out of the way. Arf dropped to the ground and rolled.
Hayate brought up her staff. "Resound, Horn of Judgment! Ragnarok!"
Fate threw up a Defenser Plus barrier a split second before the blast of magical exploded against her.
x~~*~~x
The small figure used a bit of magical energy concentrated around her fist to break the vent grating and pry it outward. The lights were mostly off in the lab storage area, but Vivio knew she had to be quick. She was just glad she was barely managed to squeeze through the ventilation system.
She dropped to the ground, wondering for the first time the object was located that she was seeking. A quick look over the rows of shelves revealed nothing. Then she noticed the walk-in safe in the back wall, and despaired; how was she going to get into that? The little Takamachi girl realized her mother wouldn't give up in a situation like this, and neither would she.
But then the lights in storage room began to turn on, and Vivio froze in fright. Thinking quickly, she rapidly floated over above and behind the door as it opened inward.
Shari stepped into the room carrying a package and turned on the lights, humming to herself as she walked between the rows of shelves. Vivio saw her chance and floated over the ground, hiding behind boxes as Shari approached the safe. Getting into position, she watched Shari punch the combination into the keypad, memorizing the numbers. Once she had them, she returned to the wall vent shaft, pulling the grating up, and waited.
The senior technician left the safe after several minutes, closing it was she walked back to the door. Vivio waited until the lights were off and she heard the door close, taking a few more minutes to calm her rapidly-beating heart. When she was sure it was safe, she slipped back down and entered the combination, smiling in delight when it worked.
The inside of the safe wasn't too large, and it was easy to find the case she was looking for on a top shelf. It was also surprisingly easy to open, yet Vivio had to steady herself, suppressing the waves of panic and fear that came up when she glimpsed the object inside.
Hands shaking, Vivio reached in and grabbed the relic crystal. The pain that followed was just as bad as she thought it would be.
x~~*~~x
Author's notes:
An old writing adage goes: "If you show a gun mounted on a wall in Act I, you better be prepared to have it used or come into play by Act IV." Well, it's not so much writing, as much as just any story. I try to keep that in mind. And in this case, it was a spaceship. :P
Anyway, cleanup finished, thought commentary and suggestions are welcome. I can always do another pass through to adjust things so they sound better.