"Memory Recorders! You don't belong in this world!"

Alexis hadn't led the charge – she'd left that to Fate, who was so fast she'd dashed between the chromed skeletons and it had taken them almost an entire second to turn around... enough time for Alexis and Arf to crash into two of the four from behind, splitting them up. The other two locked on to Fate, who flitted away, getting a measure of them before she moved in to attack. Down below, Yuuno worked overtime, not only focused on protecting and maintaining Nanoha, but throwing up a new barrier to ensure the city wouldn't be damaged, either.

The skeletons certainly weren't on the same level as the Knights they had been fighting before – they mostly hid behind their shields for the moment, analysing and being analysed in turn. "Sure are weak for something you're so scared of!" Arf called over at Alexis, who had her Saber out and was busy trying to cut through her target's shimmering shield.

"These are just the lowest rungs on the hierarchy. Watch the claws, they don't care about armor or anything!"

"We'll see about that...!" Arf's dance partner finally made its move – its red visor glowed, just for a moment, and it lashed out with its huge claw, leaving four black 'cracks' in the air as if it was cutting through reality itself. Arf's hand came up, drawing an orange circle in the air in front of her, marked over with runes – another Mid-Childan barrier as usual – but this time it didn't do so much as stop the incoming claw. Instead, the barrier was split apart like it wasn't even there, and Arf snarled and drove her fist into the center of the thing's hand, blocking it the way instead. "What the hell?"

"Look at the air." Alexis advised her, now sword-locked against her skeleton's claw. Arf glanced at the black lines from where the claw had passed. They were almost sparking quietly at the edge, and looking directly at them gave her a headache, like she was staring at something she wasn't meant to be able to see – but then the gaps sealed up again and the world went back to normal.

"What?"

"Even their weakest fighters can wound reality like this. If they hit you... just don't let them hit you." Alexis made her move then, rolling the thing's claw to the outside and smashing the hilt of her sword into its visor, forcing it backwards. Arf didn't spare her a glance; she shifted her grip and spun the creature in midair, popping up a little and raising one leg high, glowing golden. The skeleton raised its shield to defend itself; too bad.

"Barrier Break!"

Her glowing leg descended like a bolt of lightning, smashing through the shield and almost cutting the Recorder clean in half. Its right arm came off at the shoulder; Arf's kick terminated when it connected with the creature's hip, and it rocketed down to the ground below, causing a meter-deep crater in the road below. The skeleton didn't survive; bits and pieces of it scattered over the area like so much shrapnel. Arf didn't waste time checking, she hurried off to help out Fate, who had to contend with fighting two at once.

Fate danced away from a slash, moving almost twice as far as she needed to. She took the opportunity to wipe her forehead, stopping sweat from dripping into her eyes. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally; Signum had outmatched her and left her aching all over, and by now the combination of fear and adrenaline that had come over her when Nanoha had been taken down was starting to run dry.

Which is why she didn't manage to stop it when two more skeletons dropped out of the sky and fell towards the rooftop Nanoha and Yuuno had taken over, in brazen defiance of Yuuno's barrier.

Fate grit her teeth and started to move, but the two she'd been fighting blocked her path, and she had to block another slash with her wounded Device. Arf would never make it in time. She screamed out as the claw descended over her friend. "Nanoha!"

The claw clanged off a disc of green.

"I said I'd protect her. Do you think I'd let something as weak as you break that promise?"

Fate nearly fell out of the air. She'd forgotten all about Yuuno, now standing in front of Nanoha, one hand raised to project a circular disk – the same spell Arf had used, but for some reason, the Memory Recorder just wasn't able to penetrate it. Alexis' jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding?"

Yuuno slowly turned his head, audibly cracking his neck. He hadn't had to fight in a long time, so he was quite rusty, but that shouldn't be a problem. Second one incoming. His other hand came up.

"Chain Bind!"

Another magic circle sprung into life, and a moment later a good six or eight emerald chains burst forth from it, wrapping the oncoming skeleton tight; it could move neither forwards nor backwards, let alone attack. Yuuno turned his attention on the one still trying to get through his shield, to Nanoha. He was almost glad she wasn't awake to see this. "As for you..."

He flicked his hand the Recorder sailed backwards, propelled by his exploding barrier, but it didn't travel more than five meters before it smashed into another conjured behind. This time Yuuno blasted it upwards – and then down again, treating the skeleton like a pinball in a machine. At the last second, as it came aside, he threw up another barrier at an angle, then one of the cushioning barriers he'd once used to rescue Nanoha from a fall. This time, the Recorder bounced off it, straight back at him, and Yuuno brought up a small barrier in front of his fist, attacking the chrome creature with a straight punch to the midsection. The blow was beautiful, sliding straight under its arms and driving the barrier into its spindly chest – Yuuno's fist didn't make contact – and as it staggered back, he spread his hand and the barrier expanded, blowing the skeleton apart from within. With his other hand, Yuuno casually curled it into a fist, and the Chain Bind contracted, cutting the machine to pieces.

Neither of them had come within five meters of Nanoha.

There was a whole lot of silence up above. In the midst of the hyper-violence down below, Alexis had managed to stab her target in the face, and Arf and Fate together had first bound, then casually dissected, the Memory Recorders who had been ganging up on Fate, leaving a gentle rain of shimmering metal. As the shrapnel hit the ground, it turned briefly to static – just like when they'd first appeared – and faded away, leaving them alone.

Alexis finally broke the silence, sounding somewhere between terrified and impressed. "Fucking hell."

"Well, the good news is that Nanoha isn't physically injured, and she'll be fine with some rest." Admiral Lindy Harlaown read off her flatscreen, half-slouched in the high-backed chair. A tall woman, she fitted the blue-and-white uniform admirably. The marks on her forehead, partially-obscured by her done-up mint-green hair, helped give context to the name of her ship, the Asura – although, of course, right now the Asura was in for repairs at this terminal station. Across the long table, Fate slouched, visibly relieved at the verdict. She was fairly bandaged up herself, although she hadn't been beaten anywhere near as badly as Nanoha had been. "The bad news is that Raging Heart and Bardiche are seriously damaged and will be in repairs for some time. And that leaves you." Lindy's soft gaze turned on Alexis, who had reverted back to her black longcoat from her Barrier Jacket and was wearing it loose over her shoulders. "What are you doing on Earth?"

"Sightseeing." Alexis returned drily. "I just happened to see a fight and get involved in it."

"And apparently knew about, and were the target of, a secondary set of aggressors that you called 'Memory Recorders'." Obviously, Lindy didn't buy her response. "Well, Earth isn't under TSAB administration, so unless you do something obviously wrong we don't have any quarrel with you. You're free to go."

"I'm going to be in the area for a bit, so look me up if you want some additional firepower." Alexis offered in turn. "I'm not very strong, but you guys look like you could use all the help you can get."

Beside her, Fate bristled at the implication. "That's..."

"We'll do that." Lindy talked across her, cutting any potential conflict short. "That will be all."

This time, Alexis took the hint and slunk out, leaving Fate alone in the ready room. Lindy took a moment before she spoke up.

"Are you alright?"

Fate swallowed. "I've been attended to."

"That's not what I meant." Lindy shook her head. "How are you feeling?"

This time, Fate took a while to reply. "How am I... feeling...?" she licked her lips, blushed and looked down, completely out of her depth with the situation. Lindy didn't rush her. After almost a minute, Fate felt ready to put her emotions, normally so locked up, into words. "I am... ashamed. I was too slow, and too weak. Because of that, Nanoha was..."

Lindy knit her fingers together above the table. "She's awake. Why not go and see her?"

"Can I?" Fate looked up, barely able to hide the eagerness showing through. Lindy hid her smile behind her hands.

"Of course."

"It's gone?"

"Fuckin' things up and vanished." EnBey hopped off the railing and onto Mami's balcony, pacing in a circle. His everything was twitching, obviously rattled like mad. "Get your phone and call Kyoko."

Mami almost dropped her teacup – she had to fumble it with her other hand, but she avoided spilling any of the rich tea. "What."

"Did I fucking stutter? Oh wait, I'm telepathic!" he snapped. "Call Kyoko. I need to speak to her. Yesterday."

"I really don't think she'll answer..." in spite of herself, Mami reached for her cutesy pink cell phone. Nobody had told her it clashed awfully with her generally-yellow... everything. Sure enough, there was no reply when she dialled, even though she let the phone ring out. "See?"

"Son of a... alright, I'm going to go and get her." he leapt back to the balcony railing. "If something happens in the next few days. Deal with it."

Mami let out a breath, choosing not to speak her mind in this instance. "Very well."

"Good." the cat-thing flickered off into the night. Mami put her cup down and fell onto her back. What could have EnBey so freaked out?

"Nanoha!" Fate called to her from across the room. Nanoha had woken up not so long ago, and in defiance of her usual attitude, was being a good girl and actually resting. Fate's arrival was a blessed chance for her to rise from her hospital bed, although Fate had to catch her because her legs gave out after two steps. They remained there for some time before Fate gently carried her back to bed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Nanoha lay back against the pillows with a grimace forming on her lips. "I just have to rest. And Raging Heart..." she shut her eyes. Fate let out a breath.

"They're being repaired. But those that we fought... Belkan Knights. They were... overwhelming." she finished after a moment, not liking to admit it. Nanoha squeezed her hand.

"Fate." Fate looked up at her. Nanoha's gaze met hers, perfectly steady. Fate shivered. "Let's get strong. That woman, I want you to find her. She's still here, right?"

"I... probably. Why?" Fate frowned. "Why would you want her...?"

Nanoha smiled, just a little bit mysterious. "She's tall, and she fights like they do."

Fate caught up with Alexis down in the station's hangar, interrupting her negotiations for passage back to Earth with one of the preparing teams. "Weaver."

"Fate." she left off, folding her arms across her chest. "What's wrong?"

"Nanoha wants you to stay." Fate told her, just barely able to hide her annoyance. Alexis grinned.

"Not happy?"

Fate's irritated expression became a muted scowl. "That's none of your concern. Regardless, she wants you to stay and train with us."

Alexis played with the pendant around her neck, considering. Fraternising with the TSAB wasn't exactly to her advantage, but then again, it wasn't like they were going to talk to this backwater station, and the extra backup if the Memory Recorders came knocking would be useful. Plus, that Nanoha girl was something else... Alexis had never seen a magical attack like that before. Then there was that sexy fox girl, what was her name? Arf. That sealed it. "Sure. I do need a place to stay, though."

Fate bit her lip. "... I'll ask the Admiral. Don't leave the station in the meantime."

"I'll help myself to some food instead." Alexis shrugged. "By the way, have you seen your friend? Arf?"

Fate instantly went on guard at that. Arf could take care of herself, yes, but she was still Fate's familiar, her closest and oldest companion. "Why?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I thought I'd try my luck." Alexis smirked. Fate very nearly slapped her, but she held off and simply turned away.

"No clue."

"This seat taken?" Unfortunately for Fate, Arf had the misfortune to actually be in the mess hall when Alexis came through, and promptly came under the tan woman's attentions.

"Nope." The rest of the crew had taken to giving Arf a wide berth, and Alexis promptly took a seat next to her. She must have been starving, judging from the fact that her plate was heaped nearly as high as Arf's had been, although Arf couldn't help but notice that Alexis had stacked her dish with nothing but meat.

"You got something against vegetables?"

"Rabbit food." Alexis wrinkled her nose. "I like something that I can sink my teeth into." she smiled sideways at Arf, who snorted and busied herself with her meal. "Hey, thanks for that help earlier. I really would have been dead if you and yours hadn't agreed to help."

Arf considered around a piece of... not carrot, but something close enough. "You owe us an explanation about that, by the way." Alexis winced.

"I'd kind of rather not."

"I'd kind of rather you do." Arf replied. "It's my job to protect Fate and that means that if they attack again I need to know."

"It's better if you don't." Alexis said quietly, looking down at her plate. "I'm not exaggerating. I'm even hoping they won't turn up again. If they do... I'll explain everything then. Okay?"

Arf's ears fell flat. "Fine... but if you don't, I'll get it out of you the hard way."

"Kinky." Alexis replied around a small mouthful, making Arf blush.

"Hey!"

"Sorry." Alexis said, completely untruthful, and completely unable to hide the smirk that rose. This was going to be fun.

The eventual decision was that Lindy, along with her top rankers – Fate, her son, Crono, and her tactical officer, Amy – would take up residence in Uminari, not too far from Nanoha, to protect her while her Linker Core regenerated. As a part of the proceedings (and by virtue of the fact that their 'apartment' was more like a two story mansion), Alexis had been allowed to stay with them as well, as per her request. By the time they'd all got moved in, even with Nanoha's help, it was well and truly sunset, but Nanoha was insistent, which is why they'd all – sans Lindy, Crono, and Amy, who had remained indoors studying footage from the attack – come out onto the deck to practice.

"You get cold doing this kind of thing in bare feet." Alexis muttered to herself. The deck was wood, and while the sun was shining, it was still the middle of winter and still cold, and since she wasn't going to be wearing her shoes inside – and her socks would have been too slippery on the fresh deck – she didn't have much of a choice. Nanoha, apparently immune to the cold judging by her short skirt, tossed her a bokken, which she fielded easily. "Why me, anyway?"

"You're tall." Nanoha replied, raising her wooden sword. "You're probably not as strong as that red girl, but you're almost twice my height."

"Ah..." Fate, standing on the sidelines, caught on. "You want to simulate the strength difference... that's why you needed her."

"Right. Arf's the wrong kind of strong." Nanoha smiled at Arf, who was leaned up against the wall, just watching.

"Well, it's not like I mind, but did it have to be her...?" Arf said it out loud, but her tone suggested she was merely pondering.

"That aside, are you alright to be training?" Fate put in gently. After all, Nanoha had been on her back for a while. Nanoha laughed.

"I was forced to lie down for a couple of days so I'm just bursting with energy. Let's get started!" Alexis snorted and raised her own weapon.

Well, I probably shouldn't try too hard -

Her train of thought was shattered as Nanoha smacked the sword straight out of her hands, leaving it clattering to the far end of the deck, and followed through with a slash that she stopped just shy of Alexis' left side. "Dou!"

Then Nanoha straightened up and smiled, although it didn't reach her eyes. "Alexis. Please be serious, or this will happen and it will be a waste of our time."

In that moment, and in the hours that followed, Alexis found several new reasons to be terrified of the White Devil.

AN: Long time, huh. Uni is hard work.