Endless Waltz

By: Daishi Prime

-30 – Recoil-

The third day after Hong Kong found Hughes at Fort Knox's Armor Center and School, availing himself of his Army connections to begin plotting a new course for the Black Dogs, and for the Circles' response to Al Hanthis in general. Mostly it was quiet, as his meetings with certain ranking officers were not until later, and only a few people knew he was there that day.

Hughes looked up when the door of his borrowed office in the Armor School at Fort Knox cracked open, and the young warrant officer stuck her head in. "Mister Hughes, sir? A Sergeant Teri Maunders is here to see you, sir. Says you're expecting her?"

Hughes nodded, "Yes, I am, send her in please." The young woman nodded then vanished, and Hughes grimaced slightly. The kid patently had no idea what to do with a civilian holding military rank but not assigned to the command, yet in charge of special troops on base... Hughes was finding he had already gotten used to Jennifer back at ACES, and missed her efficiency and certainty.

Maunders marching in cut off that train of thought, and Hughes quirked an eyebrow. He had never actually seen Maunders so stiff, and she was truly marching. She was also in formal uniform, salad bar and all, rather than her preferred utilities. All in all, she looked and acted like she expected to get called on the carpet just long enough to be shot.

"Relax," Hughes growled before she managed to salute, "you're making my back hurt."

Maunders did not even twitch, just remained standing at attention, staring at the wall over his head. He gave her a few seconds, but still there was no reaction. Shaking his head, he leaned forward on his elbows, "All right, then, Sergeant. Let's see it."

She hesitated a moment longer, then, reached into a shirt pocket and pulled out what looked, for all the world, like a blank playing card. She set it on his desk, and he stared at it for a few moments, considering. Close up it looked like plastic, just a plain white rectangle. It could have passed for a thick credit card if it had anything printed on it. "Hardly looks like a world-ending horror, does it?" He poked at it with one finger, half wondering if it would activate for him. "I understand these things all have names. What's this one's?"

Maunder's clenched her jaw, and Hughes almost laughed at her dilemma. "It… doesn't have one, sir. According to Hypatia, when a device takes a new wielder, they usually give it a new name."

"So what did you name it?" She almost said something, then paused, and this time Hughes did laugh. "Indulge me, Sergeant."

"Pershing, sir."

"As in Blackjack Pershing?"

"Yes, sir."

"Funny. If you were going to pick a general, I would have though you'd go for Bradley."

"It just… came to me, sir. Afterwards."

Hughes nodded, then leaned back, leaving the device on his desk. "What am I going to do with you, Maunders?"

The little relaxation that had crept into her stance vanished. "I'm prepared to accept the consequences of my actions, Master Adept."

"Are you, now? You see, that's an interesting statement. Why don't you tell me what you think it means?"

"Sir… I used an artificial construct to enhance my magic. Heresy, by the Circles' laws. I also…" she paused for a second, steeling herself, "I know how many of our own I killed, sir."

Hughes grimaced at the reminder, "Ah, yes, about that. You killed no one, Maunders." She started, and finally looked at him, halfway between a glare and question. "There are eleven people who know anything at all about the EMP spell, of whom, before Hong Kong, I would have said there was exactly one person who knew enough to cast it. Of those eleven, there's you, me, Hayate, Vita, Signum, Aria, Lotte, and Jasper, Michael, Suleiman and Zab back at Tesla. None of us will ever discuss the spell with anyone else. Am I understood, Journeywoman?"

She blinked, and nodded slowly. "Understood, Master Adept. But…"

He cut her off with a wave, "No, Maunders, no 'buts'. The official line, the one you will faithfully report to anyone who asks, is that when our defenses at Hong Kong proved too strong for the Al Hanthis attackers, they unleashed an unknown but devastating area-affect spell to cover their retreat, which resulted in terrible casualties. If we tell everyone that one of our own caused those deaths, and did it by becoming fallen herself, we'll lose more than just the Revenants. Morale is high right now, we've got a victory, and the high cost just makes it more 'valiant' and 'heroic'. We need that morale more than you need a clean conscience. Especially since I'm about to gut the Black Dogs, however today turns out. This brings us to the real consequences of your actions."

He leaned forward again and tapped the device, nudging it towards Maunders. "Hong Kong demonstrated rather brutally that the wolfpacks, for all their advantage, are not sufficient to fight Al Hanthis. We don't have anyone who's really experienced with them, and the fundamental limits are more restrictive than we had thought. They won't suffice, not unless we start using apprentices and journeyman to build them in ridiculously unwieldy numbers."

"Journeymen can't build a wolfpack," Maunders protested, "it's too complicated, too delicate."

Hughes cocked an eyebrow. "Just like no one short of a Master Adept can manage the delicate and complicated EMP spell, right?"

Maunders flushed slightly, but shook her head, "It's not the same thing, sir."

"No, it isn't. You picked up the EMP spell honestly enough. Journeymen are not taught the wolfpack rituals, because a journeyman's wolfpack would still barely equal an Adept. But we may need them, if only to provide shields while stronger wolfpacks do the fighting. Regardless, we're going to have to reconsider how to use the wolfpacks, and whatever we do we're going to be short on power in the future. And here you are, a fully trained Circle Journeywoman, in possession of a mage-device of the type used by our current allies.

"Do you see what a tremendous opportunity that is, Maunders? You know how quickly and easily rules and traditions get bent in wartime, how old laws get quietly ignored in pursuit of victory. Against Al Hanthis, the only laws we have to follow are those we collectively choose to. With Hayate and her kids proving just how effective a device-mage can be against Al Hanthis, and you proving that we can be just as effective for a little corruption…" he trailed off with a shrug for a moment, then tapped the device again. "Hayate has fifty-some-odd more of these things, just sitting around. She doesn't want to give them to any of her first-years, they're still too new to magic for her to risk them in battle outside an attack on the school. But think what fifty Ops Masters and Adepts could do with those devices, Maunders. Thanks to you, we've got a chance to convince a handful of mages to try it, an example of 'noble sacrifices for the good of the Circles'."

"Hayate would never go for it."

"She asked me last night to suggest twenty mages of Adept rank or higher to learn to utilize devices."

That, finally, got Maunders to sit down, thudding into one of the seats in front of his desk as she stared at him in shock. "You're joking."

Hughes shook his head, "No, I'm not. She asked, and I'm considering it. The wolfpacks won't cut it, Maunders, not unless we get a lot better with them very quickly. Devices… they're a shortcut, and a dangerous one, but... the first tanks were more dangerous to their crews than the enemy, but they were still deployed, and still wreaked havoc. So you're going back to Japan, back to Hayate's school, and you're going to learn how to control that thing. In a couple weeks, I'll have a few more names, and you'll help settle them in place, teach them how to use the devices, and probably lead them in battle whenever the next one is."

"I'm not an officer, sir, and just a Journeywoman."

"You're testing for Master rank tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

"Evaluated by myself, Suleiman, and Zab," he said with a grin, "your theory is solid enough, after all the years you were helping us with our research, and you demonstrated the practical knowledge in Hong Kong. Christ, Maunders, EMP requires such fine control and precision, I could probably justify boosting you all the way to Adept tenth. Tomorrow is a formality, one we'll observe, but one we all know the outcome of. On top of that, you're an Army sergeant. You aren't going to be leading large or heavy forces, Maunders, it'll be closer to small-unit tactics – which sergeants excel at, from running their lieutenants' platoons, yes?"

Maunders nodded slowly, shock giving way to a sour look. "I'm getting drafted, aren't I?"

"You volunteered, Maunders, in the finest tradition of the US Army. Don't cry at me when I put you to use."

"Damn it, Hughes, it was the only way I could get cover to pull the troops back! I didn't volunteer for this! I want to get rid of the damn thing, it makes my skin crawl!"

"But you named it," he replied with a grin, "Once you name a pet, it's yours. It would be cruel to send it back out into the wild."

She stared at him for a second before giving him a look that would have made his mother proud. "It's a device, Hughes…"

"I know what it is, Teri. And I know what I'm asking of you. But I have to ask. We have to find a way to fight Al Hanthis, and the devices are our best bet. I don't know if you realize just how well Hayate and her Knights were doing. Even her kids were handing the Atlanteans their heads."

Maunders started to say something else, then sighed heavily, and nodded. "If that's the way it is, sir, fine. I'll behave. But I don't have to like it." She leaned forward and picked up the device again, staring at it balefully. "At least Hayate can probably tell me why the bloody thing keeps appearing in my pocket. I've tried to ditch it three times now, and it's always in my pocket again a moment later."

Hughes chuckled, "Maybe it likes you?" Maunders actually growled at him for a moment, making Hughes' grin wider. "Relax. For now, though… the Dogs are due in a couple hours, and I'd like a little backup when I find out which of the two of them is a Revenant spy."

Maunders nodded, heaving herself back to her feet. "I've got your back, sir. Here, or somewhere else?"

"If you could drag that chair off to one side, I would appreciate it," Hughes said. "Other than that, make yourself useful and help me review some of these candidates to go train with Hayate. The Dogs'll be along. Should be quite the show, a proper Greek tragedy."

00000

Laura slid out of her newly de-pinkified room with only a little trepidation. It was less that she expected trouble, than what her mind was running over. She had finally finished putting together what she wanted her 'team' to be, the criteria Sensei demanded, and was a little worried about how it would be received. She needed to talk to Noriko first, before she went and braved Sensei's opinion.

She ran into Meghan in the hall, also headed outside. "Hey, Megs, how's it going?"

Meghan flinched, then half-turned back to her, and Laura could not help grinning. Meghan still had a full set of scales, in roughly the same pattern of vivid blues and greens with yellow highlights as her dragon form, and her hair was still that mix of white and blue the dragon had sported. Of course, the only parts of that visible were her face and hair, as she was bundled up completely, and she was pulling a hood over her head when Laura interrupted her.

"H-hi, Laura," Meghan said, "Um… going somewhere?"

"Looking for Riko-chan, I think she's coming down the Forbidden Road. Hayate-sensei took her up there right after breakfast."

"Good luck."

Meghan stepped back as if to let Laura pass, but Laura just wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Come on. It's not private, and Riko-chan's going to laugh at me. She'll feel better about doing that if there's someone else to laugh with her."

"I… I was going to the Library," Meghan protested, "and I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You were going to try to hide, which is ridiculous," Laura countered, "and it wouldn't be an intrusion, you're a 'friendly audience'. Come on, how often do you get to see me prank myself?"

"I'm not trying to hide! I just…" Meghan's voice fell to a whisper, "I'm a freak."

Laura paused and stared at her, shocked that Meghan, of all people, would think an unusual appearance made her a 'freak'. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"I'm a freak! Look at me! This is the closest I can get to human, now! I'm still half dragon! I've got scales, and claws, and fangs instead of teeth and this mane goes halfway down my back! Everything looks weird, too, I think I'm seeing magic. But I can't go back to human!"

Laura tightened the arm around Meghan's shoulder into a hug. "Human's over-rated, Megs. You look awesome like this. I thought you liked being other forms."

"I do, but this isn't another form, this is me, except it's not, and I can't get back to normal!"

That set Laura back slightly, surprised by Megan's vehemence. Megan never got 'vehement', she was one of the quiet ones, like Cid-chan though not as bad. But the words resonated in Laura's mind, familiar in intent, if not in cause. Reaching up to finger the braid at her temple, now with two white beads separated by a black bead, she said "You know what, you have the same problem I do." Megan gave her a confused look, so Laura shrugged and resumed dragging Megan outside. "Control, Megs. You don't have control anymore, and it's scaring the piss out of you. I get it, really I do. You remember what I was like after China, right? Same thing, I lost control and it scared me to the point where I almost quit. Given what we can do, loss of control is terrifying, right?"

"I... I guess. But I'm not out of control, not like you are... were."

Laura smacked her upside the head for that. "Control of myself is not necessarily stifling myself. And you're problem's not the same specifically, just in general. I have to watch myself constantly, watch my temper, watch my magic, be careful, all that. You just have to figure out how to control something that was damaged in Hong Kong. Or how to control your reaction to those changes. Thing is, control takes times and practice. You've had, what, three days to get a handle on this? How long did it take you to learn how to shape-shift?"

"A month or so," Megan said, "But I know how to do that. This isn't working right!"

"Maybe because there's something you don't know yet? Maybe because it's something new, or a specific set of problems that are buried in the library's records and no one has had time to dig up yet? Thing is, Megs, the answer's out there, whether it's in the library or something you'll have to create. You just need to work at it, get control back. You can do it, the only question is putting in the work and time. Sitting around crying about it isn't going to get it done, though.

"Also, hiding," Laura picked at the hood, "like this? Yeah, not going to work. Everyone here knows everyone else, so we'll all know who the bundle of clothes cowering in the corner is. Also, the way you walk now, the way your shoulders are set, you kept more than just the dragon's scales and mane, girl. Ain't no one going to miss you now. You may as well have fun with it while it lasts, 'cause we sure as heck are going to."

Megan followed her outside, even when Laura let go of her to get the door, before asking, "When did you get so deep?"

Laura grimaced, "Don't spread it around, 'kay? If people realize I've got a brain they might start wondering what I'm doing with it, and then I won't have nearly as much fun surprising them."

"Seriously," Megan insisted.

Laura sighed, "Okay, seriously... it comes and goes. Sometimes I'm just as carefree and fun-loving as before. But ever since Li... I can't be all fun and games, Megs, none of us can. And I wasn't kidding about your problem and mine being similar. We both lost control. I did it short and sweet and bloody with long-term issues, you're facing a longer crisis with a possibly shorter overall timeframe and less collateral damage, but it's still the same fundamental problem. I may not know everything, and don't you dare ask me about at quadromial equations or whatever they heck Sensei was covering last week..."

"Quadratic equations," Megan corrected.

"I said don't ask! Look, I don't know math, but I get the whole fear-of-losing-control thing. I've been 'getting it' since February. Little stages, Megs, little stages. And one of the first is learning to relax and take time off. If you get all full-time-obsessed with it, you'll go crazy. For now, come on, there's Riko-chan, and like I said, she prefers to have company when she laughs at me."

Noriko was indeed coming off the Forbidden Road to the teachers' house, staring at her feet pensively as she walked. Watching her for a second, Laura frowned. "Okay, maybe this'll be less her helping us, than us helping her."

Megan gave her an odd look, then turned to Noriko. "What do you mean?"

"Something's bothering her," Laura muttered, speeding up and shouting, "Oi! Riko-chan! Stop frightening the earthworms a minute and let me ask you something, 'kay?"

Noriko looked up, but did not smile. As they came closer, she said, "Can it wait please, Laura? I need a little while to think."

Laura paused a moment, surprised. Noriko never turned down a request to talk. "Want some help thinking?" She tapped her head, "fourth-best brain in the class up here." Noriko actually smiled slightly, but started to shake her head. Laura interrupted her, "Seriously, Riko-chan, you're always getting the rest of us to talk, turn-about's fair play."

"If we can help, we want to," Megan offered.

Noriko hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. "Okay, but not here. The path through the woods, please."

Laura fell into step beside her comfortably, and a moment later Megan was ranging ahead of them in wolf-form – which was just as strangely colored as her human form, and had the same shaggy mane. They waived to Tai-yu-sensei when they passed her coming out of the woods, but were silent until they were quite a ways into the woods, when Noriko said, "Hayate-sensei has figured out a way that may save Cid-chan."

That announcement made Megan and Laura both stop for a moment in surprise, then Laura grinned, "Hey, that's awesome news!"

Noriko nodded, "Mostly, yes, but she is leery of trying it on Cid-chan first. She wants to attempt it with me, first, to be sure she understands the process correctly."

Megan cocked her head to the side, ears going in odd directions. 'But... you're not injured, Noriko.'

Laura put it together a lot quicker. "Deva magic. She's going to make you a Deva mage."

Noriko grimaced slightly and shrugged uncomfortably, "She asked if I would be willing to, but... I don't know."

"You don't know? Come on, Riko-chan, you've been gone on Deva magic ever since you found out about it opening day last year!"

"Longer," Noriko replied, "ever since I got my first tour of the campus and Hayate-sensei brought it up to explain it to my father. It's cutting edge, it's challenging, and only a couple people have ever done anything with it, and it's just... I want it, Laura, that's no question. But not like this. This feels like I'm cheating, like it's at Cid-chan's expense. Hayate-sensei had no plans to do this for years yet. The only reason she's doing it now is because Cid-chan is hurt. So I get what I want, but Cid-chan had to be hurt for me to get it."

Laura could kind of understand that, it fit the way Noriko thought – everyone else first, worry about herself later. She almost said so aloud, chided Noriko for thinking anyone would believe that she 'took advantage' of Cid-chan's injury. But mostly, the idea of Noriko getting Deva magic worried her, greatly. "I think you're overreacting, myself," Laura said, "but... are you sure that's a good idea at all, Riko-chan? I mean... Deva magic's... kind of dangerous, isn't it?"

Noriko shook her head, "Not really, not if I'm careful."

"Yeah, about that... you do remember what Hayate-sensei's told us about Deva mages, right? The ones who've already done it? We know four, Riko-chan, and three of 'em aren't exactly sane. Or weren't, in Sara's case. I mean, sure, the woman was smart, but she had to be more than a little off her rocker to come up with half what she did. Even Hayate-sensei's not the most rational of people about some things. Then there's Ta-chan and Billy-boy, who're both off-the-scale loony. Those aren't good odds, Riko-chan."

Noriko gave her a surprised look, then sighed and shook her head, "You are the last person I would expect to argue for following a sane path, Laura-chan. I'm not debating becoming a Deva mage. Just... under these circumstances. I don't want to profit from Cid-chan's pain."

'Hayate-sensei knows what she's doing, Noriko,' Megan said, doubling back to rub against Noriko's leg briefly. 'She'll have to practice with someone, and you're the best prepared of all of us. Cid-chan will understand, all of us will. You didn't hurt her, you're helping her get better.'

"I know, Megan, I know, Hayate-sensei told me all that already. But I still feel guilty about it, still feel it's wrong."

"Because it is," Laura said with a shrug. "Deva magic's unnatural, weird stuff. Dangerous, like I said. And we all know I'm better at risk assessment than you are, Riko-chan. This is a bad idea."

The surprise in Noriko's face was giving way to hurt and confusion. "A bad idea? Laura, this is Cid-chan's best chance!"

"I'm not saying don't do it, just... someone else could. Like Sensei, or Vita-sensei, or Tai-yu-sensei..."

"None of whom are at all prepared to do it. I am. I have been since last year! Laura, this is what I've wanted since I found out about it. I'm not having trouble with the transition, only the circumstances around it."

Laura growled in frustration, wondering why Noriko was being so stubborn. Well, not really wondering why precisely, but wishing rather strongly the other girl would get it through her thick head how dangerous this was. They knew little to nothing of Deva magic, not even Hayate-sensei and all of Sara's research. "What about our device connections? They're deeper than they're supposed to be, that's going to make the transition more complicated. A complication Cid-chan won't be facing, and we want to minimize the variables, right?"

"Hayate-sensei already considered that, the nature of the bond will actually make it somewhat easier to transition me," Noriko replied. " She does not think it will have enough of an effect to skew the practice for Cid-chan. Laura, I do not understand why you are so hostile to this. You know how long I've wanted this."

Laura fidgeted a little, grimacing as she tried to figure out how to explain why this was bothering her. "It's just... this is dangerous, Noriko. Too dangerous."

'You're a fine one to talk of danger,' Megan commented, 'little miss I'll-find-out-how-deep-it-is-when-I-hit-bottom.'

"That's different, Megs. I know every risk I take, every one. Well, okay, not every one, but if I see a risk, a danger, I consider it, I plan for it, I know how close to it I can get without getting burned. This... Noriko, none of us have the faintest idea what'll happen during this transition, and Hayate-sensei's never done it before. It's too dangerous! I know risk, I know danger, and this is too much for you."

"Too... much... Laura, that's ridiculous! You know some of what's involved, not all of it. I know all of it, now, Hayate-sensei explained it to me. I'm not going to back away from this chance just because I'm scared of it. I'm not scared of it! I just don't..."

Laura cut her off, "You should be scared of it! Jesus, Noriko, she's talking about ripping out your linker core and replacing it with an artificial construct! She's..."

Noriko repaid her interruption, "She's going to prove she can do it so she can save Cid-chan! She's not going to rip anything out of me, quite the contrary! Why are you being so obstinate about this?"

"Why aren't you seeing sense?"

"Because you aren't making any!"

"Girls." Tai-yu's interruption was like a bucket of cold water.

Laura jerked away from the shouting match with Noriko, and realized her friend was angry at her, really angry, and that she was too angry herself to continue, her self-control fraying. A thought took her into the sky, whipping through the overhanging tree branches without noticing. She needed to get away for a bit, to calm down, maybe beat something to a pulp and work out her temper before she did something stupid.

00000

Surprise held Noriko ground-bound for a moment as Laura took off, unable to believe the other girl was running away from her. It was just as confusing as Laura's ridiculous objections to the Deva transition, and even more aggravating. Gathering her power, she shouted, "Laura! I haven't finished with you yet!"

A hand on her shoulder made her pause. Tai-yu-sensei shook her head, "Let her go, Noriko. You both need a chance to cool off. I heard you the two of you from the dorm, and you're scaring Megan."

Sure enough, Megan was now a few meters off, watching her uncertainly. That took the wind out of Noriko's rage, and she slumped, holding out a hand. "I'm sorry, Megan, I didn't mean to unload like that. Especially not with her. I don't understand why she was so hostile, though."

"She's worried about you," Tai-yu-sensei said, "as all of you are worried about each other. You've also all had some stressful and trying days, and you two have reacted the least. Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long. For now, though, I think you need to do something quietly mindless. I could use a hand setting up Maunders' room over in the guest wing. Come along, both of you."

Noriko nodded and fell into step behind Tai-yu. A moment later, Megan shoved her head under Noriko's hand, and they returned to the dorms like that, Noriko scratching Megan's ruff, finding it calming.

00000

Yosho looked up from the display at an uncomfortable sound from Journeyman Turo. The young man was looking rather distressed, which Yosho could understand. "Something to say, Journeyman?"

They were sitting in his office, in the conversation area beneath the towering bay window facing the sunrise. On the screens in front of them were the details of Master Adept Willan's little discovery. Yosho was quietly intrigued by the spell, as an intellectual exercise, questioning its usefulness, but leaning towards giving it a chance, even if only for psychological reasons. It would make an excellent weapon to convince undecided parties to decide in the right direction, and prove that Al Hanthis was too powerful to be opposed.

Turo was, quite obviously, more than 'questioning'. "Ah... um... Lord Protector... we can't do this, sir. I mean... I understand we're in a war, that sometimes that requires we do terrible things, but we're still civilized, sir, still the Masters of Vision. This... this is slaughter, murder, of innocents as much as enemies. Gods, sir, if someone actually tried this ritual, I think I'd have to arrest them on sight for mass murder, even if it failed."

Yosho considered Turo's words quickly, and was vaguely disappointed. Turo showed a lot of promise, and this level of naiveté was unfortunate. It was also to be expected in someone so young, however and Yosho had decades to slowly work the boy out of it. That was what grooming a successor was about, after all, breaking them in slowly so they knew the job without being broken by it. Yosho had trained several successors, for various positions, though, and in this instance, decided it was better to let the boy have his ideals. Yosho was not looking to retire for a century or so, after all.

In the privacy of his own mind, Yosho could even admit he was just as happy to pass off responsibility for this one, as well. The fallout would be extreme, unless the spell was vastly more effective than he expected. Willan would need to use other routes to attempt this.

Aloud, he sighed slightly, and nodded, "You are right, of course, Turo. I had thought it might be something more palatable, but..." he shrugged, then waved at the screen. "What we have been reviewing is a shining example of the depravity of the Warlords, why the Masters of Vision first formed the Conclave to fight them, and why it is so important that we win today's new war. But we do not need Warlord atrocities to defeat their descendants.

"If you would, please send a reply to Master Adept Willan, informing him that, at this time, the Protectors unfortunately cannot assist him with this project. We cannot provide him the required information, and acquisition of this information or utilization of the ritual lies outside our authority. Remind him that the Guard does have the requisite authority, and suggest he try his luck with them. Politely, of course, and formally. Adept Alinz can assist you with that, she has a number of boiler-plate memos prepared."

Turo gave him a doubting look, "the Guard, Lord Protector? The General would... I don't know how she would react to someone proposing this, but I doubt they would survive the experience."

Yosho smiled, chuckling a little, "True, Turo, true, and Willan is perfectly well aware of that. The pointed reminder will make clear to him that Szash and I will stand together in the Conclave against any attempt to enact this travesty, and between us we can rally enough support to kill such an attempt outright. But that would embarrass him, make him an opponent. Better to cut him off politely, behind the scenes, than embarrass him publicly. Go ahead, though. I believe you have a patrol in Cairo today with the Guard, yes?"

"Yes, Lord Protector," Turo said, rising to his feet. "With your permission, sir, I'll go get that response put together before I head down to the surface."

Yosho waved him to the exit, and Turo walked out the door a minute later. Yosho himself rose to his feet and strolled over to his desk, taking his time to settle in comfortably. He gave Turo plenty of time to get settled at a desk somewhere working on the official response to Master Adept Willan. Then he sealed his office, ran a check for monitoring devices, turned off the official monitors, and placed a private call.

It took a few seconds for the system to route to the proper recipient, and for them to accept. Then a middle-aged woman appeared in his screen, Guard uniform neatly arrayed. "Ah, good morning, Lord Protector," she said, bowing her head politely, "I was not expecting to hear from you, sir."

Yosho returned the bow, "Good morning, Master Luen. To be honest, I was not expecting to call. Something has come up that requires a... certain delicate touch, and I was wondering if I might request a small amount of assistance from you?"

She schooled her face into a polite mask, "I'm always happy to assist my fellow Protectors, sir, but I am cross-assigned to the Guard at the moment, in Cairo."

"Yes, I know," Yosho assured her, "which is why I am calling you. The Protectors have not yet developed any familiarity with the city, as you are no doubt aware. I have been approached by a Master Adept about a scanning project which cannot be attempted from within the city. The city shields will block the scan, though I was not clear on how thoroughly. Enough to make the attempt pointless, at least. The Master Adept in question thinks he can get better information out of Japan, and as that is where our stiffest opposition is based, we both wanted this to go forward. This brings up you and your familiarity with Cairo."

"You need a secure place for him to work from?" Luen nodded sharply, "I can find someplace easily, sir."

Yosho smiled, "I would appreciate it, Luen, thank you. Someplace private, as well as secure. The ritual in question is rather meditative. If you could contact Master Adept Willan directly when you have a location, I would appreciate it."

"Of course, sir."

A few pleasantries later, the call ended, and Yosho sat back in his chair, turning to face the windows once again. A little too close to me for comfort, but it shouldn't matter in the chaos, so long as I am cautious about how I get the information to Willan. The Asegawa girl, I think, he decided, Japan is a much more visible target than the Al Khan family's lands. Either Japan will collapse, and everyone will be too busy dealing with that, or it won't, and no one will have the time to investigate one spell not aimed at the city. Luen will never talk, Willan won't dare, and he's skilled enough to make certain he picks people for the actual ritual that won't talk. Anyone who investigates can be convinced the two of us were duped by subordinates about the actual nature of the spell, though that will be embarrassing. Good enough. Though... I think I'll have to arrange to investigate Master Adept Willan for suspicion of usurping Conclave authority. After the ritual.

A chirp interrupted his thoughts, a request for a call from his secretary. Bringing up a screen, he said, "Yes, Miri?"

"Lord Protector," Miri replied, bowing her head politely, "Wilhelm Kriegsen has returned to Cairo. He approached a Protector patrol and requested to speak to you directly."

00000

Hughes watched the Black Dogs file in silently, considering them, weighing them. Agent DeMauro was standing to one side of his desk, and Maunders was a steady presence behind him to the other side. Part of him wished he had more backup, as his suspicions about the identity of the traitor had become stronger the more he considered the situation. But if he was right, he would have to call on Hayate personally for protection, and he was not willing to do that just yet. That action would cost him the Circles, even if he was right. As it was, this situation was going to seriously undercut his authority.

Watching the Black Dogs, his hand-picked Ops soldiers, he was mostly impressed. They were all a little ragged, all of them had scrapes and a couple minor burns, Mahmoud and Bogdanovitch were sporting matching sprained ankles, and Suarez was going to need months to get the use of his left hand back. Despite that, they stood straight and proud, confidence written in every line, and Hughes could tell they had fully formed the sort of esprit de corps he needed the Dogs to have.

And now I have to destroy that spirit, he mentally complained. Damn it, why can't I ever get any easy problems?

Once they were all present, lined up in three rows in front of his desk, Hughes began. "First off, congratulations, all of you, on a job well done." The Dogs shifted slightly, and Early actually shot a glance at Maunders, but nothing more than that. "Hong Kong, despite the surprises and cost, was a victory for us, and you and yours played a solid part in that. You've proven the concept you were put together to prove, and for that alone the Circles owe you all a great deal."

"I'm hearing a 'but' in there somewhere," Thorngrave commented, grinning slightly. "Let me guess, 'what have we done for you lately?'"

"I wish it was that simple, Thorngrave, I really do," Hughes said, staring at him steadily. "Unfortunately, thanks to what we learned at Hong Kong, and to considerations outside of that, I've decided the time has come to break you up." The looks were all aimed his way this time, almost glares but not quite, and the Dogs were no longer happy. "The official reason is, as you have proven the concept, it is now time for you to spread your knowledge. Each of you will be leading a new team along the same lines – three groups of three Ops mages, relying on conventional weapons with magical enhancements, instead of purely magical means, to combat our enemies. The Circles need every weapon we can get, and you have proven yourselves more effective than the traditional wolfpacks, so we need more teams like yours. As the most experienced such fighters, you will lead those teams and get them trained up to speed."

Schuster was the most relaxed, frowning at him. "Sir, I don't remember talking about this. The team is solid now, yes, but we still need..."

Hughes held up a hand. "I haven't discussed it with you because it is not a field decision, it's strategic. We can't wait for whatever you think the Dogs still need. They work now, and like I said, the Circles need every weapon we can get our hands on. Effective weapons doubly so.

"As I said, that is the official reason. Unofficially," he looked down, separating the two files on his desk, "we have determined where the leak in Shanghai came from, and your little stunt in Mexico City did not help."

DeMauro had seriously opposed doing this. The FBI agent had wanted to pull in the two suspects, talk to them separately and privately, question and probe until they gave him what he needed. But again, Hughes had other considerations. He had to have the Dogs' loyalty, and they had to have confidence in themselves and each other. If they did this 'privately', rumors would run rampant and the Dogs would never regain the mutual trust they needed to function. Breaking them up immediately would help, but would then leave them forever suspicious of all their fellows, wondering who had been turned, and who they had turned before being caught.

"Edward Schuster, Uriel Thorngrave, step forward."

The two men did as ordered, moving to stand next to each other a meter or so back from Hughes' desk. He studied them for a moment, and thought he saw a dawning realization on Schuster's face. So, I may have been wrong, Hughes thought, but let's just see, shall we.

Flipping open the folders so the two men could see their contents, he said, "I have here death certificates, from the Time Space Administration Bureau, for one Edward Schuster, Master Adept out of Germany seconded to Asia Operations, and one Uriel Thorngrave, Adept out of America seconded to Asia Operations, both dated to March of this year, when the two men in question burned themselves out fighting Hayate's forces over China. And yet here the two of you stand, apparently alive and showing no traces of burnout." The two stared at him for a moment, and the Dogs were beginning to stir behind them. Schuster opened his mouth to say something, and then Thorngrave surprised Hughes despite his suspicions.

There was no hesitation, no thought, just a flat out attempt to kill. Thorngrave took one step to his left, and his right arm swept up and back towards Schuster. Blackness coalesced from nothing into a massive sword in his hand, blade forming just before it passed through Schuster's neck in a perfectly executed decapitation maneuver.

Schuster staggered back a step, blinking in surprise, then turned a wide-eyed look on Thorngrave for a second. Thorngrave narrowed his eyes, then shoved the sword into Schuster's head – what should have been Schuster's head – and waved it around, apparently without meeting any resistance.

"A hologram," Thorngrave muttered, voice shifting weirdly. "I suppose I should have expected it, Wilhelm. I learned the trick from you, after all."

Schuster melted away, leaving a rather different man in his place. This one was grey-haired, solidly built but oddly wasted looking, clad in the blue uniform of the Time Space Administration Bureau, with his right arm covered in some sort of armored gauntlet. "Takashi," he said, nodding slightly, "Why am I not surprised that you resort to violence first and thought never?"

"And yet you never had the least inkling I was here, did you? You were here, physically, I know it. A hologram, no matter how well programmed, cannot function as thoroughly in every day situations as I have observed you doing. When did you run, Wilhelm? Yesterday? Before Hong Kong?"

Kriegsen shrugged, "That is hardly important. The Circles have served my purposes as well as could be expected from such primitives. I've moved on to more capable allies. Don't worry, Takashi, we'll have our last conversation soon enough, and the galaxy will be rid of you at long last. Enjoy your hollow victory here, boy. It's meaningless."

Kriegsen's hologram faded from view, even as Takashi snarled something in Japanese and swept a hand laced with black energy through it. Whatever Takashi was attempting failed, and he swore once, giving the empty space such a hate-filled glare Hughes was amazed the air itself did not burst into flames. Then, in a frightening display of control, the rage and frustration vanished, replaced by Takashi's usual amused superiority. The Hellblade vanished, and Takashi turned back to Hughes, seating himself on nothing and leaning back comfortably. "Oh, please, don't stand on my account," he said with a wave, "we're old acquaintances by now, Gareth."

Hughes had not even realized he had stood, but Takashi's comment got him past the shock of the moment. He had expected one traitor and one odd explanation, not a pair of spies using his people to pursue a personal vendetta. Part of him wanted to be enraged, to arrest the arrogant bastard in front of him and try him under Circle laws. But Hughes had too much to do, and not enough energy to spare in what would amount to little more than a temper tantrum. He also understood Takashi's position and actions all too well, given the man's history.

Dropping back into his seat, Hughes gestured for the Dogs to stand down, noting with some amusement the sheer number of weapons they had produced. They were supposed to be 'on base', which meant nothing beyond 'utility' knives, though the definition of 'utility' was often stretched. Yet now there were nine pistols and one submachine gun pointed at Takashi, along with a spear, of all things.

Takashi ignored most of the weapons with amusement, though he did point out to Maunders, "You're going to have choose, Teri. The pistol or Pershing. You aren't trained to use a pistol one-handed, after all, and your accuracy is going to suffer for that, even with a dinky little pop-gun like that."

Pershing vanished in a flash, and Takashi chuckled, "Wrong choice. But you'll learn better."

"Not from you I won't."

"If you don't mind, Takashi," Hughes interrupted, "I'm more interested in getting you the Hell off my base so I can get on with my job. You're presence as a spy did not surprise me, though Kriegsen did."

"Oh, Kriegsen wasn't the spy," Takashi chuckled, "I was. Your various sections' habit of not talking to one another made infiltrating the Moderns easy. The Revenants? Please, musume's students could infiltrate the Revenants, with their devices. Shanghai made an excellent test, a learning experience, though I will admit the second Seed attack almost ruined it. Instincts, you know. I almost dumped the entire project to go make sure my musume was all right."

A single gunshot rang out, making Hughes jump then duck, and Takashi's head actually wrenched forward. He slowly straightened his head, turning in his seat slightly. Arlain matched his glare with one of his own, then shrugged. "Worth a try. Maunders, think that spear of yours fare any better?"

"Arlain, put the gun away. The rest of you, too," Hughes ordered. "Takashi, I'd ask what the Hell you think you're doing, but that's rather obvious. My major question is, why didn't you know he was Schuster?"

Takashi shrugged. "Infiltrating your organization was easy, especially with the Bureau's prisoner list to use. Though I will admit, Thorngrave was probably not my best choice. When picking a prisoner to imitate, I checked the Bureau's record for specific criteria – Adept rank, Operations, region other than Asia, unlikely to return in the middle of my mission. After that, it was simple enough to slip that record into your Cuchulain Project in such a way that I became a shoe-in. Wilhelm, though... he is not a front-line person, he does not think in combat terms. He thinks in political terms, in espionage terms. He sought a position of maximum authority and influence, but minimal personal risk. And as our infiltrations prove, neither he nor I can make heads or tails of your pathetic excuse for a personnel database."

"How did you gain access to it?"

"Hypatia," Takashi said, then grinned at Hughes blank look. "Another hologram, like Akira. I used to find them uncomfortable, a little too slave-like, but Akira has demonstrated enough individuality and free will that I am less concerned, and he has proven so useful I decided to take it a little further. You'll like her, and Beaudicea, when you meet them. They're based on my wife's constructs, so they're far less... discomfiting... than Akira."

Hughes grimaced, hoping he never had to deal with any of Takashi's creations again, but knowing it was inevitable. "Well, congratulations," he said finally. "You've accomplished your mission with flying colors. You and Schus... Kriegsen... just destroyed my most effective weapon. You have to realize how long it's going to take to rebuild the unit's morale and effectiveness."

"You have the right idea," Takashi said, dismissing the concern with a wave, "build them new teams, it will be no different than if Schuster and I had been reassigned or died outside of battle. And my mission here was never to destroy the Dogs. Quite the opposite. You needed a weapon strong enough to defeat the Revenants, but not strong enough to face my musume. The Dogs are that weapon. They're even good enough, I will happily admit, to face the lower level members of the Al Hanthis Guard. But my musume and her students would be more than sufficient to handle the Dogs." He stood with a smooth motion, opening a portal to nowhere with a wave of his hand. "For now, however, as this project has come to a conclusion, I have other business to attend to. Good day, Hughes. I'll be watching, all of you."

00000

Noah caught himself staring blankly at the screen again, and jerked himself upright. Shaking all over, he grimaced and took himself to task. He had been doing that – losing track of time as his mind replayed Hong Kong – way too often. It felt like that was all there was to do, sit and wait, think back and wonder where he made mistakes, if he could have done something about Natalia or Reian or the troops injured by Seed.

He was brought out of his next funk when Allison dropped into the seat next to him. "Yo, Beanpole, I got a favor to ask."

Noah started to complain about the nickname, then shrugged and let it go. Allison was never going to stop using it, and she was at least providing a distraction. "What can I do for you, Ally?"

She swatted him once, but explained, "I've been going a little stir-crazy the last couple days."

"All of us have, I think," Noah replied. "Until the teachers finish handling the fallout from Hong Kong, classes will be pretty ad-hoc. I kind of wish we could go back to Hong Kong, actually. We could help, like the volunteers are."

Allison shook her head, "Hayate-sensei won't let us off the campus, not after what happened to Cid-chan and Niranjana. Which is what I need your help with."

That statement made him nervous, and he frowned at her, "You want my help to get off the campus? Why?" Nervous was fading into suspicion. Of all of them, Noah knew, Allison was the one with the most deeply seated anger, however obvious Juliet was about her temper. If she decided to go rogue...

Allison swatted him on the head, "I'm not pulling a Russian, okay? I've got an idea for gathering intel, information we need, maybe even a way to hit back without vaporizing a city."

"Intel? What intel?"

Allison frowned at him, then swung his screen around and co-opted the keyboard. She dug through the system for a bit, then spun the screen back to him, showing an overhead still. It was from one of Hayate's monitoring satellites, Cairo and Al Hanthis at about a seventy degree angle. She zoomed it in while he was figuring that out, to an airport on the edge of Cairo. "See these?" She pointed at a set of constructs along the most remote end of one runway, constructs with small piles around them. "There are four of them. This is the best shot for the stations themselves, but there's another one from when they're active. The angle's wrong to see through them in that one, but those things are portals to Al Hanthis. I don't think they're generated there, the structures in Cairo are just target points, anchors for one end. If we seized them, they'd just shut them down and bombard us from the city."

She leaned in close to his ear, her voice dropping to a barely audible whisper, "I can get through one. I've improved on the Cloak of Shades, especially with Galloglaigh's help and my armor. I can get in, look around, and get out. If it works, I'll be able to do it again, maybe some sabotage, maybe sneak in a strike force, maybe anything. But Hayate-sensei'll never go for it, not after the Russian. So I have to sneak off campus, and that means I'm going to need some help to distract the teachers, especially Tai-yu-sensei. Can you do it?"

Noah looked at the picture, then at Allison, then back and forth a few times. Then he shook his head. "No, Allison, I can't. I'm sorry, but... maybe if Natalia hadn't... no, not now. Ask Hayate-sensei, tell her everything, all the details, prove you can sneak past her, and convince her to let you go, and I'll help. But," he shook his head, "I'm sorry, I won't help with this."

Allison's face twisted with anger for a few seconds, and she grabbed his shoulder and started squeezing. He fully expected her to explode, but they were in the Library so he figured it would not be too bad. After a second, she quivered a little, then deflated with a sigh. "Yeah, screw you and the horse you rode in on," she said, but there was no force behind it.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, and he really was, "but..."

"Yeah, I get it," she patted his shoulder. "But damn it, there's no way Hayate-sensei will let me try."

"Hayate-sensei won't, no," Noah said, frowning and debating if he should really say what he was thinking. If Allison did 'pull a Russian', he would feel incredibly guilty about it. But she was his friend, and he did not think she had it in her to betray someone, especially not in favor of an 'imperialist' nation like Al Hanthis. He huffed at his own indecision, and admitted, "Hayate-sensei's otherwise involved in whatever she's doing to help Cid-chan. She's left Signum-sensei in charge, effectively. She's a lot more... practical... than Hayate-sensei is when it comes to our safety. Look what she does with Laura. If you go to her, and you do it smart, she might agree. That I would be willing to help you with."

Allison grimaced, "She'll probably just insist I show someone else the better versions of Cloak of Shades, so they can do it."

"Maybe. But better that than you getting restricted to campus for the rest of your life."

"True," she grumbled, then shoved off the table. "Okay, okay, let's go find her and..."

It was Noah's turn to grab her arm, "Woah, hold on there. We go to her with a plan, Allison. Never go into battle without a plan. So, we figure out just how to go about getting you in there, what you do when you're in, and how to get you out. Contingencies, back-ups, all that stuff. What do you do if your discovered going in? On the way out? While you're in the city? Do you fight? Do you run? Do you do both? Do you go in with Laura, or one of the teachers, or solo?"

"I run," Allison muttered. "I'm not taking on the Guard solo, not after Hong Kong. God, could you imagine if they have Seed patrolling the streets in there?" She shuddered, "No way in Hell am I fighting if they spot me."

"So," he pulled up a blank document on his PDA, and noted that down, "that's where we start. Avoid combat at all costs, if discovered at any point, escape and evade. Next up, how do you get in?"

"Teleport to Cairo, under Cloak," Allison said, zooming the picture back again, "a ways off from the portals, somewhere..."

Noah had no problems keeping focused the rest of the day. He may not have planned to go along, but putting together Allison's infiltration plan, especially once they dragged Yussef and Luke into it, proved very engaging. They actually got Yussef's approval when they broke for dinner. He stood up to go, but Allison stopped them with one more question.

"Guys, could you do me a favor – on the off-chance that Signum actually okays this, could you get together some coins. A bunch. I want to send a message, if I run into Natalia."

00000

pfeil: Noriko's not so much 'ecstatic' as 'conflicted'. Yeah, she's getting her fondest wish, but at the price of a friend's pain. A fairly easy decision in this case, since Noriko getting what she wants is not the cause of Cidela's pain, but still a guilt-ridden situation.

Moczo: Natalia's betrayal has been in the works since I started Endless Waltz, and I've been trying not to make it too obvious but not too surprising, so I'm glad it worked in your case. From what I understand of Jail Scaglietti's abilities, he probably could set Niranjana up good as new, but I have no idea if he exists or not in this continuity – certainly he's not invovled on Earth, and no on on Earth is aware of him, if he does exist. Though that level of skill and information was what I was hinting at with Saraswati's 'repeat and refine' search back in chapter 27, the 'Tier Two /Medical' access requirement covered the sort of thing I understand he worked on. As for finding Hayate's decision to test on Noriko funning, there is a sort of humor to it, in the ironic/gallows-humor vein. All the polite arguments for and against Noriko's transition to Deva mage and all Hayate's principled will, but in the end it boils down to having to do it for safety. Personally, I like gallows humor, precisely because it's from situations that aren't supposed to be funny. The kids' reactions are actually still playing out (Noriko's and Laura's fight above is partly due to that), because you don't react to or recover from something like Natalia's betrayal overnight. Still, their reactions are 'older' than those of other kids their age, deliberately – after the Circles' attack on the school, they had to think about this sort of thing.

Rathmun: Noriko's not entirley happy about the situation, but whether it's a hollow victory for her or not will depend on wether or not it saves Cidela. I'm not sure how permanent Megan's scales are going to be, but she is going to have some issues with the reactions of people in China. Lotte and Shamal are both going to give her a talking to, but probably not until they get her back to normal or determine that they can't. Fix it first then make sure it doesn't happen again, and all that. Saraswati and HAL are not 'unfettered', there are safeguards built in by several means. Saraswati ran into and bypassed the crudest (the command override protocols), but the biggest limitation is their purpose of supporting Allina and Niranjana. How they go about doing that is still risky, though, as their morals are hacker morals, for all intents and purposes. They won't be 'taking over the world', but if they need information or resources, they're not going to be realy picky how they get it. With the FRAG-12, sure, if you throw hundreds a second out, you can probably wear down a Seed, like sand-blasting. But how many places make the FRAG-12 rounds, and how many places make fully-automatic shotguns? Compare that with RPGs and launchers, which the single most prolific anti-armor weapon in the world. Short version, go take a look at the Side Story I'm posting with this chapter that gives a more detailed run-down on the Seed.

Tombadgerlock: The Allina in Al Hanthis is rather complicated, and will be quite the spanner in the works for a lot of situations. Nanoha has a part to play, and I do plan a show-down between her and Szash that should be suitably impressive, but that has to come at the right place in the story, which is unfortuantely a ways off. I'll get there, though, just have patience.

Lady Sekhmet Ka: As I told Tombadgerlock, the Allina in Al Hanthis is rather complicated, with a variety of implications, good and bad. Hayate is going to transition Noriko to a Deva mage first for practice, and if that goes well, will attempt to transition Cidela. Thank you for the compliments, and the review!

GeshronTyler: Thank you for the review, and the compliments, but I'm afraid Nanoha and Yuuno don't have any kids yet – they're still in their early twenties, after all. North Africa is going to be a problem for Al Hanthis, not least because Hughes and the Circles are going to make it a problem. It's very easy to incite and support guerilla forces in areas where the local populace support those guerillas, regardless of Africa's historical instability. The Conclave of Masters have some plans how to deal with it, however, and how well they succeed will determine in large part how they proceed with the rest of the world. That's going to involve a lot of political maneuvering, which I'll probably gloss over for the sake of time. The Circles already have anti-mage ammunition that non-mages can use, it's what the Black Dogs are equipped with. The details will be in one of the next couple of chapters, but the ammunition is somewhat difficult to produce. I know how the Circles will apply the anti-mage rounds, but the details will be relayed in-story.

Advent000: I was thinking over Niranjana's, Allina's, and Cidela's injuries since I first decided on Natalia's betrayal, so I've had a lot of time to settle them in. The Allina in Al Hanthis is going to be fun, though.

AluciusDawn: Sorry again for the delay, I got thoroughly caught up in a couple other stories. Niranjana's not going to be getting her lost memories back, though she can learn some corrections. The name confusion issue is an interface problem between her brain and her mucles, not a memory loss problem, and can be trained away, as can the clutziness and strange sensations she reported. But she'll never remember Hong Kong or the day before, which is bad, but could also be a blessing – she'll know what Natalia did to her, but it'll lack the immediacy of remembering it... or something. Natalia's linker core destroying spell is nasty, but she actually flubbed it both times – if she had done it right, both Cidela and Niranjana would have been dead before Natalia teleported out. Noriko's going to have some guilt issues for a while, as you suspect, it's never easy to get what you want because someone else is hurt. Deva magic is superior in general to the canon forms of magic mostly due to the fact that it allows for much more powerful effects more easily. It's also difficult for traditional mages to counter and understand – witness how Al Hanthis keeps reading Hayate's magic as dimensional dislocations, what they call fractures. Deva magic does have a critical weakness in that the mage is tied very tightly to the fabric of reality – dimensional instabilities and dislocations will affect the Deva mage by mere proximity, possibly fatally. To approach a null space, a normal mage merely needs to avoid crossing into it. A Deva mage would need special shields and personal protections just to approach within a kilometer. Hayate's Hellgate spell – what she used over Hong Kong to absorb the l'Arc en Ciel – was four-fifths personal shielding, one-fifth opening into the Void, and it still left her staggering and semi-functional. I haven't done much with the parents of the students, because while I know how and why they would agree to let the students fight, it's not a good situation for any parent. Suffice to say, yes the parents are aware, they're not happy, but they recognize that their children are skilled, stubborn, and not the personalities to let their friends go off without helping. Takashi's project is revealed, and while he's not done mucking about with the Black Dogs, the covert side is done. Africa is going to be a headache for Al Hanthis, but they have some plans in place and in play. Journeyman Raus' emotional problems were sort of a joke and sort of a consideration of what would result from fighting Akira and Laura simultaneously while they argued over killing you or not, so some amusement's fine.

Kell Shock: The Ghost Wards around Japan can be gotten around, most easily by just what you're thinking – infiltration on aircraft or ships where most people are just doing their jobs or whatever. So long as the pilots were not hostile to Japan, the plane or ship would get through the misdirection effect, though there is a second tier to the wards that may trigger. Making Niranjana more borg-like was one idea, but her damage, like Noriko's the year before, was mostly neurological rather than gross physical, thus the more stroke-like effects. I debated having her completely and permanently merge with Saraswati, but it just did not feel right. I also considered making her a Deva mage as well as Cidela and Noriko, but that also did not feel right. The Allina in Al Hanthis is in a difficult situation, especially as Al Hanthis' computer systems incorporate magic in design, data, energy, and so on, so she can do some things, but discovering what and trying to get home will be major challenges. As for the Blood Penance ritual/spell, you can see above that it's not a pretty idea, whatever it ends up being (and yes, I know what it is, but I'm not telling anyone yet:).

nolrai: sorry if I confused you at all with the last chapter, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!

Baughn: Defending the planet (or at least, stopping the North Africa attacks) would have required better planning from the Circles, and cooperation with the various African mage-traditions like the Shaman in South Africa. They could have done it (the Al Hanthis strike teams consisted of a hundred or so Seed each and maybe five or six Guard mages – seize the critical locations and people, exert power through them), but it would have required pre-planning and placement of troops. It's less a matter of quality than quantity, as Al Hanthis simply cannot field the numbers necessary for their greater individual power to overcome the Circles' numbers in more than one place at a time. They did it in Hong Kong to try and take down Hayate and establish an early win, but could not have done it in Hong Kong while simultaneously fielding overwhelming forces in several cities in north Africa. On the other hand, Hughes, at least, can see the writing on the wall, and is taking steps to gain what advantage he can against Al Hanthis. Natalia is insane – not 'certifiable lock her up in a straight-jacket' crazy, but definitely obsessive regarding saving her family, and possibly dissociative identity disorder. As for her position after the war, that is very complicated, and how it comes about is based on later events in the story, so you'll have to wait and see:). Al Hanthis fully expects to kill more people, and remember – Szash had authorization to use l'Arc en Ciel against a major urban center, essentially authorization to nuke it. Al Hanthis, Szash and the Conclave both, fully expect to have to inflict massive casualties – remember, they don't see this as a war of conquest, but as a civil war where their options are victory or death. Szash is trying to be as humane as possible (the long warning-time in Hong Kong served multiple purposes), but she's a General, not a human-rights activist. The Allina in Al Hanthis is complicated, but it was not Saraswati's doing – Saraswati was never involved in any connection with Al Hanthis. The situation with the 'second' Allina will play out in-story, though the implications are making things a little complicated – I know how I want them to resolve, but getting there is going to be complicated.

Eleventh Messenger: While I thank you for the compliment, please don't chew off your hand – that hurts, after all, and I don't like my readers getting hurt:). Seriously, though, my apologies again for the delay on last chapter, but I got distracted. The Allina in Al Hanthis is a mess, and rather confused, but that could also be a matter of finding herself in a computer system instead of in her body. Regardless, it's going to be complicated to sort it all out. Thanks for the review!