For long seconds that seemed to stretch on forever, nobody moved. Signum and Shamal were tense in the midst of high-area protection spells drawn up around them, their attention on the tall alien in front of them. Srethis was still sat up in the same position on the hospital bed, looking up at Ungore with a mixture of bewilderment and awe.
They weren't expecting anyone to rescue them, Vita realised. She still couldn't transform at all no matter how hard she tried. Not the way they were acting. Which means...
"Do you plan to fight us all?" Signum said, a pulsating red light moving up and down her weapon steadily. "Even if you are one of Srethis' allies, there is no need for violence. We can resolve this peacefully."
Ungore blinked once, twice. "Peacefully?" it repeated. "And leave Srethis to die?"
"They're not going to d- "
"Oh, but they are!" the alien exclaimed, raising a hand to its forehead and stroking the side of its hood with those three lean fingers. "You see, what your intelligence fails to tell you is exactly what is wrong with Srethis. Perhaps you have questioned them, hmm? And found their memory to be lacking in places?"
Signum shifted uneasily. "It's true that Srethis' answers were vague and - "
"Yes! Of course, they would be," Ungore said with evident relish. "Because, because you see, Srethis does not remember who it is. Names carry on, but that is all. No memory of race, species, deaths, history or much of anything at all. They remember me, of course. They will always remember me."
Vita struggled to her feet, despite her own vulnerability. "Why is that?" she demanded. "Have you done something to them?"
The alien laughed, a high-pitched half-shriek. "Oh no! What Srethis has done, it did to itself. There is a substance from times forgotten, a substance that Srethis relies on for survival. It does not need to rely on normal, normal human needs shall I say, but its body has become heavily dependent on this substance to a degree that it cannot live without it."
Srethis lifted its head, seeming to understand. "Medicine," it croaked slowly. "Need...medicine."
"Ha!" Ungore scoffed. "Your medicine is no cure, Srethis, no cure to the disease known as life. Didn't I tell you it would kill you in the end? But still, we cannot be alone in the universe. I have your medicine, waiting with everyone else on the other side." It extended an outstretched palm towards the sick creature. "Come. Time to go."
Signum and Vita stepped forward as one to block the creature's path.
"I cannot let you leave just like that," Signum said. "Even if what you say is true, Srethis is still under arrest by the Time-Space Administration Bureau for their crimes against us." She tightened her grip on Laevatein. "Also...we will need you to come with us for questioning, Ungore. If you surrender quietly - "
"Surrender!" Ungore repeated faintly. "I am not here to surrender anything. I am here to save a friend. Your Tamagochi Nanoha seems to preach enough about friendship!"
"Tamakachi Nanoha," Vita corrected with a hint of irritation.
Srethis sat up straighter in its bed, beginning to move its body. "Ungore," it said, "did you really come alone? The otherss...they would not..."
The alien sighed. "Yes, Srethis," it said with regret. "I'm alone. I'm acting independently here."
"Then you are a fool," the lizard hissed, not without sympathy. "Srethis did not think you wanted to die with Srethis. Do not hurt them too much; one of them saved my life."
"You're alone?" Signum frowned upon hearing this. The first attack on the TSA had been carefully planned and devised in advance. This "rescue"...sounded like something badly-executed, done on the spur of the moment. "Then I would advise you once more to surrender quietly. You have no way to escape, no other allies to help, and - "
Ungore raised a three-fingered hand in the air, palm facing outwards. "Hellish Ice Needles!"
An enormous torrent of energy surged through from its hand and came forward towards the three members of the Wolkenritter. Caught unawares, Signum brought Laevatein forward to defend. The energy wave glanced off the edge of the blade and smashed into the ceiling of the ward, burning through the steel in an instant. The brunt of the shockwaves slammed back to the epicentre of the attack and exploded in all directions.
Vita had just a moment's panic of realisation that the impact was going to hit her head-on – I need to transform! Now! - before it struck. The metal walls on all sides were ripped apart as the energy struggled to expand to its maximum potential in the confined ward, ripping steaming holes left, right and centre. Hospital cabinets, tables and chairs were sent flying, the force virtually tearing them apart as they smashed against what remained of the walls. The beds were lifted off the ground as if they were nothing and thrown aside uselessly in a twisted mess, broken among the rubble of the ward.
The ceiling caved in from the floor above as Signum was hurled backwards. She cried out as tons of plaster, rocks and stone came down in an avalanche, burying her underneath and cutting her off completely.
Slowly, the smoke began to clear. Ungore was standing in the same position, its hand steaming. The bed Srethis had been on was in about seven different pieces, but the lizard itself was unharmed at Ungore's side, shielded from the blast. The wall behind them had been twisted and bent, with a gaping hole opening out at the end where the open air breezed in.
The alien shook its head in wonder.
"Whoops!" it exclaimed. "Mistake. My mistake. I meant to do Hellish Ice Needles but then, hey, what happened? Say one thing and do another, that's how it is! That was a different spell. Went and did Neo-Vascular Plasma Surge instead. Sorry. Sorry! Low-powered version too. Now, Srethis. Sorry, I couldn't tell you in advance. I told you I knew what I was doi- "
Slowly, Vita stepped out from behind the wreckage of several cabinets and what had used to be the railings for a bed. The shimmering green glow of Shamal's protection spell flickered and faded away as the medical mage also came out to stand right next to her.
"Oh?" the alien said, thrown off-balance. "You're still alive?" It scratched its head. "What's with the new costume?"
Fully transformed in her red-and-black beret and dress with boots and gloves to match, Vita raised Graf Eisen in her hands. The metal hammer felt comfortable in her hands, an old friend come home. It ached to smash something, and here was somebody who needed to be crushed. Her blue eyes blazed with fury.
She still didn't know why she'd had so much trouble transforming before. But that wasn't important right now. Maybe Graf Eisen had felt her plea for help, sensed that her life was in danger, and made the final push.
"Now I'm pissed off," she growled. "Shamal?"
"Right with you, Vita," the blonde mage affirmed. "No one blows up my hospital."
Ungore lifted a hand up openly, trying to look vaguely apologetic. "Blow it up? Hey now. That was a mistake. So sorry about that. Wrong spell. You know when you try and do the spell to freeze someone to death from the inside and you end up blowing up the place and leaving them alive instead? Only, the other way round, right? That kind of mistake."
Vita raised Graf Eisen up with both hands, feeling the strength well up inside her once more. "And it's the last mistake you'll ever make."
"She looks so peaceful," Subaru murmured.
Fate looked up in surprise to see Nanoha's two most promising students enter the ward. Ever since the Aces of Aces had woken up, Shamal had allowed visitors in to see her. It hadn't prevented her from keeping Nanoha in bed, though – the medical mage insisted that Nanoha's experience must have been mentally traumatic to some degree if it had gone so far as to cause memory loss. So Nanoha was going to remain in hospital for just another day. When she woke up once more, everything would be back to normal.
Subaru and Tiana stepped inside with their arms full of flowers, intricate and beautiful garlands, hopeful faces looking towards Fate when they saw that Nanoha was fast asleep. The brunette mage had mentioned how unnaturally exhausted she had felt a few hours earlier, and was now in deep slumber. That was for the best, Shamal had said. She probably still needed to recover the remainder of what she had lost in these past few days.
Awkwardly, the two forwards stepped over another overflowing pile of cards and looked around to see where they could put their flowers. There wasn't any room, even though Fate had tried moving some of the piles about so that they could at least walk in a card-free zone.
"It's all right, Tiana, Subaru," Fate said with a smile. "You can just put the flowers on the bed. She'll see them when she wakes up."
It was sweet of the two of them to bring something extra for Nanoha, Fate thought, as the two forwards laid their gifts upon the bedcovers, but before long I'm going to have to let Shamal know that the amount of presents is just ridiculous. Nanoha was really being very stubborn in not throwing a single one of the cards away.
"Will you be okay, Fate-san?" Tiana asked. "You haven't left the hospital for hours and your classes are - "
"I'll be fine, Tiana," the Enforcer said quickly. "It's okay." She wasn't about to leave Nanoha alone now. Vivio was in safe hands back at home, and she'd seen to her dinner and the rest of her needs, so this wasn't a case of staying up all night like last time, but at least she knew now that Vivio wasn't going to be alone again. But still, she couldn't bring herself to leave. It was as if something might happen to Nanoha in that short span of time in which she was vacant...
Subaru's eyes were troubled, yet mixed with a sense of relief. After all, it could be so much worse. "You look tired, Fate-san," she said, as the two of them turned to leave. "Please don't overdo it too much, okay?"
The blonde mage nodded slightly as the door closed behind them, leaving her alone with her sleeping lover. Alone just like she had wanted, without anyone else to bother them. She wanted Nanoha to be awake with her, but...Fate sighed. She shouldn't rush it. Anything that she had to say to Nanoha, she could always say to her later. But when Nanoha was with her, it seemed that everything vanished out of her head.
The silence was all around her, punctured only by the sound of Nanoha's breathing as Fate watched her, her breasts moving up and down with each breath. She moved her hands across the brunette's beautiful hair, combing through her strands lovingly, stroking her cheek softly. She stopped halfway as her hand made contact, fearful that she might have woken her. But Nanoha didn't wake; she just slept on.
Should I say something to her whilst she's asleep? Would that help her? But everyone says she doesn't need help. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I'm the one that needs help. Nanoha's just sleeping. I'm just being paranoid. It isn't like last time, and she's the same Nanoha that I've always known. But...I have things I need to tell her. And not the usual things.
Fate traced the tips of her fingers across Nanoha's lips, and moved her mouth close to her ear.
"It's okay," she whispered. "Vivio's fine. You're worrying about how we're all going to fare, but we can't lose as long as you're with us, Nanoha. You always bring out the best in all of us, remember? And...I need you. I know you'll wake up. I'm just...I'm just worrying over nothing." She closed her eyes despite herself, melting her hand against Nanoha's own. It calmed her, just being this close to her. "Don't worry about anything anymore. Especially not about me. I'll bear the weight of all of that as long as you need me to. Just...be my side once more."
With her eyes tightly closed, Fate placed a kiss on Nanoha's forehead, a wish of recovery.
The skin burned beneath her touch, and she felt something move in response.
Quickly, she opened her eyes to see that from the point of the kiss, blue runes were extending in all directions across Nanoha's face. The same blue writing from before. It was lancing up and down the brunette's body like electricity, zigzagging across her skin as if alive. The runes melded over one another and began rising to the surface, causing Nanoha to stir in her sleep, shifting from side to side uneasily.
No! Fate wanted to scream. What happened? Did I do this? Nanoha, is this all my fault after all?
She could almost feel Nanoha's skin growing cold already. The pall of death descending upon her. She let go of the brunette quickly, not wanting to feel that fear become reality. If Nanoha was taken away from her now, after everything -
"Oguba."
The cry that came from the mage's mouth seemed unfamiliar and alien as Nanoha sat up straight in her bed, her eyes flicking open, unseeing, staring straight ahead. Her eyes seemed so...empty. Her movements were becoming stiff and robotic as she peeled the covers away from her, discarding the flowers and flinging them onto the floor as if they were nothing.
"Oguba," Nanoha repeated in a dull monotone. "Oguba."
Her arms came up in jerky movements as her body moved towards the closed door at the end of the ward. She didn't reach up to open the door but walked right through the material, as if it were water. Like walking through walls.
Nanoha?!
Fate pushed down the terror welling up inside her, the fear that something had taken hold of Nanoha from inside – and yanked upon the door herself to see Nanoha continuing forward across the hospital corridor, away from her. The runes blazed across her skin continuously, burning into her. There was no one else on sight in the hospital.
It's almost as if she's sleepwalking, Fate thought. If I...if I could wake her up...but that might do more harm than good...
She watched as Nanoha moved right through the main doors and exited the hospital, her body melting through the walls, chanting Oguba's name as the runes flashed. Where was she going? Whatever was inside her was forcing her towards a specific destination.
This is my fault, Fate thought. It must be. Her heart in her mouth, she ran out of the hospital after Nanoha, unsure if she was seeking something greater than she might have bargained for.
Back in the control room, the surveillance systems were going wild. The explosion in the hospital wing had knocked out at least one of the main screens and it was difficult to tell the cause from any of the other systems. But it didn't take more than an educated guess to work it out. Srethis had escaped from its guards very recently and the explosion was too much of a coincidence.
"Shari, what's going on down there?" Hayate yelled. "What happened in the hospital?"
Slowly the damage reports began to come through: a massive explosion of energy had taken out the whole of Ward 4X. The rest of the hospital was relatively okay, which allowed Hayate to relax a little since a great number of their troops were still recovering in the other wards. But Ward 4X? Heavily fortified, reinforced steel walls on all sides...it had been built for the purpose of housing only the most dangerous of criminals that the Bureau brought in. Why would the explosion be there?
The reports gave no indication of what was going on, since all of the security and surveillance for Ward 4X had been completely obliterated. But Hayate found it pretty easy to figure out – the only thing that could cause such a huge amount of damage would be a high-powered mage attack. Nanoha could do it easily, for example.
Which meant that either one of their own mages had used it as an attack, or that one of their opponents was down there. It wasn't Srethis; Fate's summary of the reptile's abilities had been quite clear that Srethis was not an experienced mage of any degree. So whoever was in Ward 4X right now...
"One of Srethis' allies," Hayate said, half to herself. "They've come to rescue them. But why did they attack the hospital...?"
She hadn't received any information on Srethis' whereabouts either. Maybe the lizard had reached the hospital, or been shot down by Bureau mages. What mattered was that one of Srethis' allies was attacking them right on TSA territory.
If they could capture this new enemy, they would have a lead. Their chances of working out who or what was behind all of this would be much higher. That is, on the condition that they weren't being attacked by another shape-shifting lizard who insisted on knowing nothing all the time. But if this adversary was anything like Srethis, then they wouldn't have tried attacking the hospital in the first place...
"Send some of our agents down to the hospital wing at once," she ordered. "Are Tiana and Subaru on duty right now?"
"They were on their way to visit Nanoha, I think," Shari replied, flicking through the screens.
Nanoha? Hayate did a double-take for a moment before she realised that Nanoha's ward was in a separate annex completely from the rest of the hospital on the other side of the compound. Could she have something to do with th- no, that was impossible. She must still be asleep.
"All right, then," she said reluctantly. Subaru and Tiana would probably be too far away to help right now. Capturing their intruder was all about timing. "Send Erio and Caro over to the hospital instead to investigate. If they find the culprit of the explosion, they are to arrest them and bring them to - "
An animal-like howl sounded from far-away, followed by screams and roars echoing down across the length of the compound. Shari turned several of the surveillance monitors westward to pinpoint the sound. There was the sound of wrenching and crashing, and three monitors immediately went dead.
"What was that?" Hayate said sharply. This sounded familiar. Just like when... "Turn the rest of the monitors to focus on the vaults. Are our enemies coming back for the rest of the Lost Logia?"
Shari changed the focus of the surveillance monitors as she asked. The Bureau Vaults showed no activity. No enemies attacking, no opponents charging at them...nothing. No one was coming to steal the rest of the Lost Logia. That was strange. Their defences at the vault were still weak from last time. Their enemies could have attacked them easily there and broken through and -
Another series of beastly howls rose up into the air. Closer.
Shaking slightly, Shari brought up the cameras from the immediate perimeter.
The sight of dozens of monstrous mutants leering at close distance, claws and teeth slashing at the mages and soldiers on guard, came up on screen. The same ones who had attacked the vaults before, as a decoy. Were they a decoy again here? The summoner from before must have been responsible.
Why are they attacking us here? Hayate thought in frustration. They're attacking our most closely-guarded perimeters which we can easily defend. If they really wanted to cripple us, wouldn't they attack the vaults, where we are still rebuilding?
Even for a decoy, it didn't seem as well-thought out as before. In fact, it was as if someone had thought it up at the last minute. There weren't as many mutants attacking, and a lot of them were still illusions. And this time, the majority of the mages at the Bureau were well-prepared for the attack, and were pushing back the enemy with little difficulty. They weren't even that much of a threat, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous.
Still, Hayate realised that the existence of the mutants again meant that...the summoner from before was around. Another of Srethis' allies, perhaps? If she split their forces, maybe she could capture both of them, including whoever was wreaking havoc in Ward 4X, and kill two birds with one stone. It was quite possible.
"I want to talk to the forwards, all four of them," she said silkily to Shari. "Contact them all and open up their channels to me personally. I intend to come out on top on this one."