A/N: I think I ought to have split this chapter into two parts, since it got way longer than I thought. I was going to put in Fate's last bit at the end, but I ended up having to put her in at the next chapter.

Her eyes were open, yet she remained in the darkness. Hayate felt as if she was pushing herself through an impenetrable black fog, so thick that it had become solid around her; a shrouded mist which never faded nor diminished in stature, yet grew with every step that she took to accompany the helplessness and fear which had taken root under her skin. It was a terrifying sensation to find yourself robbed of your sight, after relying on your eyes for so many years before.

She was blind, blind for the first time in her life, hanging onto Vita's shoulder more for guidance than support as the two of them made their way across unknown ground to take themselves as far away from the deadly hospital as possible. Hayate soon found herself unable to tell if her eyes were closed or not anymore, and had to resort to touching her eyelids with one hand just to tell the difference. Blinking no longer had any effect on her world of vision; there was simply nothing there anymore.

It was natural to feel lost like this now that her sight had been taken from her, and the longer she dwelled on the repercussions, the more Hayate regretted doing so. Never being able to see the faces of your loved ones, never seeing their laughs or the smiles on their faces; always needing help with your basic everyday needs, like eating or getting dressed; being unable to read as she always had, unable to use a computer properly, never being able to see the stars in the sky again...

Calm down, Hayate ordered herself, forcing panic away from her mind before it could overwhelm her completely. I need to calm down. This can't be permanent – I'm not going to be blind forever. I can still move my eyes and the rest of my body seems fine. A mage with restorative magic would be able to help me, surely...

She deliberately kept her eyes closed, instilling some sense of normality into her situation. It was normal to see nothing when you were eyes were closed, not when they were open. Maybe the next time she opened her eyes, she would be able to see again. After all, Hayate thought, she still retained the staff of Reinforce as her magical device. She could still fight to protect herself, even if doing so would mean she would literally be fighting blind.

If she was going to survive like this, Hayate knew she had to find the rest of her friends, as many of them as possible. Right now, her only tie was to Vita. If not for the support of the red-haired Velka Knight, she would be completely helpless, unable to even walk anywhere for more than five minutes. She had to reach some familiarity, no matter what.

"Vita...?" Hayate whispered as she was pulled across an unfamiliar path. A cool breeze was blowing through her hair, but apart from that the brown-haired mage could discern very little of her surroundings. Her remaining senses were of no help - she couldn't smell or hear anything at all. All Hayate knew was that they were definitely outside. "Where are we?" she said. "Can you see for me?"

The Guardian Knight held her up with an effort, panting as she tried to catch her own bearings. They had travelled for barely more than ten or fifteen minutes, and yet here they were standing upon the streets and roads of Uminari City. Vita found it strange to be in such a familiar place once again. It meant that the hospital that they had just escaped from, the one which was undoubtedly controlled by Grylmark...was located right inside Uminari City itself. It didn't seem like a mistake the TSAB would make.

To make matters worse, there no longer seemed to be any sign of the hospital at all. The path they had traced out ran from the side of the road...and disappeared into nothing, as if the facility had been swallowed up by the night completely. Was this another of Grylmark's tricks? Had he shielded the hospital with his own magic to make sure that the Bureau would have their work cut out trying to locate it? Vita wouldn't put it past him. Right now, however, she had to let it pass – finding a solution to their current predicament was much more important.

"We're home," she said with an uneasiness she could not put words to.

Hayate's arm tightened against her hopefully. "The Bureau?"

"No. Uminari City." The streets were completely empty, with every visible house locked and barred from the outside world. Lights flickered in a few of the homes, but it was darkness that reigned from what Vita could see. Something definitely wasn't right here – Uminari City might be a little quiet at this hour, but not deathly silent like this..."Watch out," Vita said suddenly, her ears pricking up as her body tensed. "We've got company."

The figures of two heavily armoured men coming down the street towards them, eyes fixated on both herself and Hayate, a firearm already readied in each hand. The first was heavily-built and muscular, contrasting with his skinnier companion; if the circumstances had been different then these two could have made a double act. Vita had never seen anyone like them before, not in all her years of experience as a Guardian Knight, nor in the amount of time she had worked at the TSAB. The only word that came to mind was mercenaries.

As the two men drew closer, Vita realised that they were not alone in the city; a group of similar men was already walking down into one of the side-streets further down. How many of these gunmen were there? Were they all over Uminari City? What was this, some kind of gang?

I don't have any strength left to transform, she thought bitterly. I used everything up fighting off those monsters in the hospital. Maybe I can take down these two, even if they're armed and in full military gear, but if there's more of them crawling all over the city...

Grylmark's words came back to her now, his final taunt to her upon their escape. About how she would not be able to survive in the outside world any more. About..."curfew". Vita shook her head, shaking away her doubts as her eyes flared with determination. With Hayate blind like she was, it was essential that Vita kept herself together. If she couldn't fight anymore, then...

The two men abruptly came to a stop in front of her, and she looked up into the muzzle of a strangely-built oblong-shaped weapon. The gunman holding it was roughly five times her size, but Vita had never let such a thing as height discourage her from the outcome of a battle. She was living proof of that.

"Are you aware of what time it is, ma'am?" the executor said. "It is after curfew. All citizens of Mid-childa who are found outdoors during this time are to be escorted to the nearest detention facility for integration into the Harlaown Program." The firearm lifted from Vita's head and in the direction of Hayate's arm. "Could I see your HX chip, ma'am?"

Did he say Mid-childa? Vita thought, wondering if she'd heard right. But we're in Uminari City. We can't -

Her gaze shifted upwards and caught the glimmer of the two moons of Mid-childa, shining brightly overhead. This was impossible. How could they be on Earth and Mid-childa at the same time? And who were these people with guns in their hands? What was this "Harlaown Program"?

"What's going on here?" Hayate enquired worriedly, tightening her grip on Vita's arm. "Vita? Who are these people?"

The other gunman drew himself up proudly. "We are executors of Commander Chrono Harlaown, ma'am." His own weapon remained strapped to his belt, and Vita realised that if she was going to make a move on them, she should target him first as the weaker of the duo. "It is our duty to enforce the terms and conditions of the Harlaown Program onto the citizens of Mid-childa, if only for - "

The executor suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, a strangled gasp sounding in his throat. Slowly, he began to back away from them, his eyes wide with terror as the colour drained from his face. Wordlessly, he grabbed at his companion's arm, staring straight at Hayate's face. The other gunman's mouth fell open, and the gun dropped from his hand.

"F...forgive us," the executor whispered in a voice of awe. "Forgive us for this error in judgement...we, we did not know that it was you on the streets, my lady - "

What's going on? Vita thought, completely bewildered by the behaviour of the two men. She had been moments away from attacking them, to get them away from Hayate, but the sudden change in their attitude was bizarre. They had started off aggressive, but something had made them back off...Why are they looking at Hayate so fearfully like that?

"Hayate, did you do something to them?" she muttered to the brown-haired mage suspiciously. The two executors were talking to each other in hushed voices now, gesturing and glancing towards Hayate in a very nervous fashion.

"I don't even know what's going on, Vita," the former leader of Riot Force 6 said in a pained voice. "If you need me to fire a spell, you're going to have to point me in the right direction."

Vita shook her head, scratching down the side of her ear. "You don't need to fire anything. I think you just scared these guys off with your face."

"Thanks, Vita," Hayate replied off-handedly. "I'm glad someone here appreciates my good looks and charm." She sighed. "No, really. Tell me if and where I have to shoot."

"I just told you - "

The two executors suddenly came back in a rush, ashen-faced, all of their attention set on Hayate. The larger man rubbed his hands together, and shifted his feet nervously on the spot, glancing at his companion before he spoke. The guns had been put away, and the executors had even bowed their heads respectfully towards the mage.

"Wh-what brings you here on such a night, Lady Yagami?" the gunman stammered. "Is...is everything all right? Is there any way that we can serve you?"

Uh-oh, Vita thought. This isn't good.

" "Lady Yagami"?" Hayate repeated slowly, as if mulling the words over across her tongue. "Are you referring to me?"

"Ye-yes...well..." The second executor quickly stepped over to take charge over the other man's muttered words. "Lady Yagami has not left her place of residence in many years, but your face is very recognisable to everyone, my lady..." He coughed and cleared his throat, gradually inching backwards until he almost bumped into the other man. "My lady, if something is wrong...we have not been told to expect you on the streets tonight..."

Vita held her breath, not knowing how Hayate might handle the situation. There was obviously a case of mistaken identity here. These executors must had mistaken Hayate for someone else who looked very similar to her, someone of great importance who they looked up to. Should they play along? It would mean that they could avoid fighting the two heavily-armoured gunmen, and possibly all of their friends, but...would it lead to complications later?...

"My family name is Yagami," Hayate noted, after a heavy silence. "It seems you have the right person."

Vita let her breath out in one go. She had no idea where this was going, but she and Hayate were in dire need of refuge and assistance. If such help came from these questionable characters, then they might be forced to settle for it. Besides, they also needed information on the whereabouts of the rest of the TSAB.

"Yes, my lady," said the executor, with a small smile, bowing his head again as if it might fall off. "Do you need any assistance at all? We can...we can take you back home, if you like."

"We'd be honoured to," the second executor added in breathlessly. "It's...it's not far. We don't want any trouble from the House of Yagami..."

Hayate nodded and smiled diplomatically. "Can you take me to the Bureau?" she asked.

The two gunmen exchanged puzzled glances with each other, leading Vita to believe that this had been the wrong thing to ask. She didn't know why, but it would probably have been better to take them up on their offer.

"Are you well, my lady?" the second man said with concern. "The...the Bureau was demolished some time ago. But we would be honoured to take you back to your mansion..."

Demolished? Vita thought in distraught anger, her hands curling into tight fists. Just what in the world has been going on here?

She was on the brink of marching forward and demanding explanations from the two men, or attacking them head-on if their answers were unsatisfactory. Everything kept going from bad to worse with every passing moment, and Vita couldn't tolerate the feeling of not being able to do anything about it. She had to act now, while she still had the opportunity to do so.

But then she felt Hayate's hand on her arm, restraining her from dashing forward, and the Velka Knight's anger died down swiftly. Hayate was right: they had to try and resolve this peacefully, otherwise things really would continue to get worse.

"Maybe you can take me home, then," Hayate said to the executors, and then added, almost teasingly, "Do you know where it is?"

"Of course, my lady," the first man rumbled, nodding. "Everybody does." He swallowed and cleared his throat before gesturing forward. "If you would just come this way, Lady Yagami..."

Hayate elbowed Vita in the side, and reluctantly the Velka Knight began to follow the two gunmen down the street. Vita didn't like the circumstances they were in, but unfortunately she had to admit that they didn't have a lot of choice. "Lady Yagami"? Where had that come from? And if the Bureau really had been demolished, then they were in even bigger trouble than she had realised...

"Is this a good idea?" she whispered out of earshot of the executors, continuing to guide Hayate down the route they were marking out for them. "What if we follow them to this house and the real Lady Yagami is already there?"

Hayate shrugged. "It's still the same name as mine."

"You know what I mean!" Vita hissed. "I saw the way they looked at you. They seemed really scared – full-grown men like them, armed to the teeth. They were scared of whoever this Lady Yagami is. This could be dangerous!"

"Yes, and it could also be extremely useful," Hayate replied. "If they're scared of her, that means she has power. If she has power, then she has resources and information – and we could use that. Maybe she could even make my eyes better. Relax, Vita. Even if I can't see, I can deal with something right in front of me. Just be my eyes, and we'll get out of this."

Vita scowled, still not liking this one bit. It just felt like they were walking into even more danger, but she trusted Hayate's instincts to know the best choice of action. Maybe they would arrive at the house only to be turned away at the door, leaving them be no worse off than before. But whatever happened, Vita knew she would have to be there for Hayate. There was nobody else to help her. They could not be separated.

"Fine," the Guardian Knight said, giving in. "But this isn't going to last."

Nanoha had never been inside a royal palace before. She had also never been heralded as the guest of honour at a palace, nor had she ever found herself to be unexpectedly elevated in status to temporary Queen of Mid-childa in all of her new-found glory. With Chrono treating her like the next best thing to fall from the stars, however, that wasn't too far from the truth. From the way the palace staff were behaving towards to her, you could have been forgiven for thinking that Nanoha was surrounded by a shining aura and had been chosen as the next reigning monarch of Mid-childa.

She and Tiana followed Chrono through a colossal expanse of beautifully-designed rooms, chambers of epic proportions which seemed to lead on forever. From massively carpeted hallways to intricately-designed balconies beckoning up to a floor of richly carved sculptural art galleries; from courtrooms and conference halls to party gatherings where hundreds of people were milling about to socialise as one; from the heavily guarded private rooms of the upper levels to the double doors which Chrono eventually lead them to at the end. It seemed to take hours just to make it through the palace all this way, and Nanoha soon found herself glad that she hadn't completely worn herself out yet.

This isn't just a palace. It's a government centre as well. All of those people gathering in the rooms downstairs, all of those meetings going on...surely Chrono isn't in charge of all of them? They all seem to be acting independently. Is he really a "king", or is he just dressed up like one?

At every turn, Nanoha found herself beset by palace staff intent on weighing her down with a mountain of lavish gifts and expensive products of all sorts. Chrono really did mean to make her his private guest of honour tonight, it seemed. People bowed towards her at each corner, smiling courteously as they pressed clothes and jewellery into her hands with their eyes shining, piling an endless stream of presents onto her until Nanoha was struggling to hold them all.

At first she tried to refuse them, but as the growing number of people pestered her with flattering compliments to add on their presents to her, they began to impede her until she almost lost sight of Chrono altogether. Reluctantly, she accepted the hoard of gifts, depositing them into Tiana's arms when she couldn't carry any more. They would just have to give them back to Chrono at the end.

This isn't so bad, Nanoha thought, enjoying the majority of the attention nonetheless. If it was Fate who was treating me like an idol and not Chrono...that would be different. But even then I wouldn't ever want Fate to go to so much trouble. Chrono just seems to have so much wealth and resources at his fingertips...it's so strange to see him like this.

She knew Fate had gone out of her way to impress her before, but nothing on this level – with the exception of getting down on one knee and proposing to her on the spot, of course. Tiana was struggling to follow her under the weight of the heavy stack of clothes, jewellery, and even food that Nanoha kept passing onto her...But in the end, they were just superficial gifts from other people, just like when one of your relatives felt compelled to give you something for your birthday. Nanoha was more interested in how Chrono would be able to help them find the rest of the Bureau. She still couldn't help feeling that he expected something in return, especially after all of these unnecessary presents...

"Nanoha," Tiana gasped, holding up what looked like a dozen different varieties of an exquisite blue dress, twelve different necklaces and several shades of the same ring on top of everything else that she was carrying. "Can I...put these...down somewhere?..."

It was a lot quieter up here, away from the bustling crowds downstairs. Thankfully, less people around meant that no one was continually attempting to give Nanoha another wardrobe of blouses or skirts. She had to admit, however, that some of the clothes looked very appealing...maybe she could bring back a few to show Fate? Would Fate look good in them?

She realised Tiana was looking to her for an answer, and quickly snapped out of it, nodding to a clear space by the side of the wall. Chrono probably wouldn't mind – the gifts had to go somewhere. A look of relief passed across Tiana's face as the forward heaved her burden onto the floor with a whumpf, almost toppling over onto the huge pile of miscellaneous items. The sharpshooter had been virtually ignored ever since they'd entered the palace – apparently, Chrono only had eyes for Nanoha.

For the moment, at least, Chrono was pre-occupied with talking to one of the guards, one of the many combat cyborgs standing in front of a set of circular double doors with several different locks set into it. Evidently they were about to be let into a highly guarded area of the palace. It seemed odd to Nanoha for him to trust them so easily. Chrono had only just met them, and yet he was willing to allow them into such a place? Was he really that taken with Nanoha, or did he want something for his trouble?

"Did you notice anything, Tiana?" Nanoha said quietly to her side, not taking her eyes off the immaculately-dressed Chrono as he chattered away to the guard. "Anything catch your eye?"

Tiana nodded. "A lot of combat cyborgs. Too many to fight against if anything goes wrong. If we need to run for it, we might not make it – the whole palace is huge and we could easily get lost." Her eyes dropped to the floor nervously. "I'm really worried about this, Nanoha..."

The Ace of Aces put her hand on the forward's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't be. I've got it all in hand. In the worst case scenario, I can just blast our way out through the roof and we can take to the air."

She couldn't help noticing that the room that Chrono was going to lead them into had a lot of locks, however. It would not be easy to escape from once they got inside. Nanoha was also wary of the large number of combat cyborgs that she had seen on their way up – there had been hundreds of them, enough for a small private army. Jail Scaglietti had given the TSAB enough grief with only the twelve Numbers he had created, and it had taken him the majority of his life to make them...Why were there so many similar cyborgs here? In this new universe, had somebody found a way to manufacture them easily?

The great doors were opening now that Chrono had finished his brief conversation with the guard, the many locks beginning to unseal. He glanced back towards Nanoha and smiled, gesturing for her to come over.

As the doors began to open, a shadow suddenly detached itself from the opposite wall, forming into a hooded figure dressed almost completely in black. They seemed to move in a blur, sweeping ahead of the combat cyborgs as if they weren't there, one hand raised off to the side as they shot towards Chrono without warning...

Tiana rushed forward, opening her mouth to yell a warning. Next to her, Nanoha was bringing Raging Heart to focus in on the shadowy phantom, the combat cyborgs only just beginning to react. Everybody seemed to be moving too slowly, far too slowly...

In the next moment, however, the hooded figure had passed Chrono by, without attacking or making any aggressive action. Instead, they dropped their hand off to the side, and a slip of paper drifted away from between their fingers to land at Chrono's feet.

What are they doing here? Who is that?

Quickly, Tiana raced ahead to catch the unknown figure, sensing that they were about to make their getaway. As she did so, the person shifted around to face her, and Tiana froze. There was a young woman under the hood, with calm, calculating green eyes that fixed onto her own. Her body was fluid and well-muscled underneath her clothes, from what little Tiana could see of her, a seductive and dangerous beauty to her curves as she raised her head towards the sharpshooter.

Beneath the hood, a predatory smile alighted on the woman's face as she stared at Tiana for a moment, a smile which soon turned into a confident smirk, licking her lips as her eyes drifted down Tiana's body. The sharpshooter felt her heart pound in her chest, a flush stain her cheeks as she began to have trouble swallowing. Her mouth opened out a little and she found herself unable to look away -

The dark-clothed girl disappeared away into the shadows, racing back down the hall before anyone could stop her, and Tiana was left standing there awkwardly, with a trace of butterflies in her stomach. She was still having difficulty breathing...

Wow, the forward thought, her mind spinning. Who...who was that girl?

Already, Nanoha had risen up off the ground to pursue the stranger. Several combat cyborgs in the vicinity had begun to give chase as well, shouting down to the floor below to stop the dark-clothed woman before she got any further.

But in a move that surprised them all, Chrono suddenly raised his hand to call off the guards, calling downstairs to order the staff back to their positions and continue the rest of the night shift as normal. Nanoha stared at him in disbelief, unable to understand why he would let the assailant go free like that, but Chrono only shook his head slightly at her, indicating that she should lower her weapon as well. The cyborgs on the balcony had already returned to their posts, grumbling about disruptions in the palace. On the orders of their commander, they were not going to pursue the shadowy figure at all.

"Leave it," Chrono said in a surprisingly calm voice, as Nanoha showed no sign of backing down yet. "There's no point wasting energy on that one. Just another cowardly rebel dressing up and acting touch to try and intimidate me. We get quite a few of them every now and then."

"Rebel?" Nanoha repeated, slowly lowering Raging Heart to her side. She could not believe what she had just seen. "Why are you letting them go? They infiltrated your security all the way up to here! They were even on the verge of attacking you!"

Chrono waved her protests aside carelessly. "People like me learn to expect attempts on their life. My lady, I do not walk around completely defenceless. My guards can easily protect me from real threats."

Nanoha wasn't sure what to make of this. The cyborgs had had barely any time to react before the hooded figure had lunged towards Chrono from the shadows. The stranger could have easily made their attack before any of the guards had realised what was happening, and maybe even killed him. Wasn't Chrono being a little too relaxed about all of this? Even if he was a Chrono from an alternate universe, Nanoha didn't want to see him get assassinated in front of her. She couldn't help but think that he should be taking this a lot more seriously...

"Commander," one of the palace guards said stiffly, holding a piece of paper out to Chrono. "The rebel dropped this when they fled, Commander. Looks like another writ. Shall I burn it along with all of the others?"

Chrono nodded, disinterest in his face. "It's the same old thing. Get rid of it. I have my guests to attend to."

That's the piece of paper that the hooded figure dropped at Chrono's feet, Nanoha thought. He's just going to get rid of it without looking at it at all? A stranger just invaded his palace leaving nothing but a scrap of material and he's fine with it?

"Let me see it," she said tersely. Maybe Chrono was just going to dismiss it, but Nanoha had no such intention. "Why are you so dismissive of all this, Chrono? This could be important. This could be..."

She opened out the piece of paper and her voice died in her throat. Words adorned the sheet in a fine black ink, traced round in beautiful handwriting:

Writ of Assassination

This document is confirmation of receipt of payment in advance for the elimination of Chrono Harlaown by any means necessary. All members of the Cult of Neopocalypticon will be acting under optimum conditions to ensure that all innocent citizens are removed from the vicinity of the assassination.

This writ is valid to pass by legal right through the hands of all executors of elite status or greater, on the condition that the subject of the assassination is given prior warning.

In Neopocalypticon's name we trust.

At the bottom was a giant, extravagantly-written N.

What was going on here? Nanoha thought, barely noticing as the palace guard took the message away from her. This wasn't just something you could brush off and forget about. This was an official warning to Chrono himself from his future murderer. And who was this Cult of Neopoc...Neopocalyp...no, she couldn't even pronounce the name of this weird-sounding group. Whoever they were, their name was unnecessarily extravagant and drawn-out, and yet the wording of their sinister message seemed extremely serious...

"Chrono, what's wrong with you?" she demanded. "That wasn't just any piece of paper! That was a message from a group of people who were planning to kill you!"

Chrono didn't seem too surprised. "I know," he said simply. "It isn't the first time I've had death threats from them, Nanoha. The Cult of Neopocala...no, I never can remember the name." He shrugged casually, perhaps a little too casually. "It was a bit of a fright when I received their first message, actually. I had guards swarming all over the place searching for the culprit. But in the end...nothing happened." He sighed and shook his head. "That's who this "cult" is, Nanoha – just empty words and a lot of badly-worded threats, never acting on anything they say. Just forget you ever read it. I wouldn't want you to start believing in what they say."

Nanoha felt increasingly doubtful about everything he was saying. The message had seemed more professional than threatening...it didn't sound like this Cult of Neopcalypticon was playing around. Their name might have sounded ridiculous, but a name like that was never going to be good news. "Never acting on anything they say"? The bearer of the message had almost attacked Chrono himself. They didn't seem the cowardly type. And Chrono was just going to let all of this go? Just what was he playing at around here?

"Come," Chrono said abruptly, gesturing for her to follow him inside. "My lady, we have much to discuss."

With extreme reluctance, and wondering if she'd regret this decision later, Nanoha decided to drop the matter. Maybe there was some truth to what Chrono was saying about the death threats; maybe there was a reason why he didn't take them seriously. Those reasons would have to wait until after they had gotten the answers they needed.

She turned away from the balcony and gave Tiana a brief tug to wake her up. The orange-haired sharpshooter had seemed dazed and disorientated ever since the hooded figure had turned up. As Nanoha prodded her, however, the forward quickly pulled herself together and hurried forward to join them before the doors closed.

Within, the two Bureau mages found themselves inside a small compact chamber, the same room which had been under such heavy security with two reinforced steel doors and multiple locks. Nanoha didn't know what she might have expected: a top-secret hub of intelligence? An armoury? A mind-chilling interrogation chamber with soundproofed walls to drown out the cries of its victims?

Instead, they were greeted by the sights and smells of several plates of delicious-smelling food, all set upon an elongated mahogany table. Two bottles of wine had already been opened as servants rushed around to fill two glasses at the side closest to them, all prepared in advance. The assortment of dishes before them was exquisite and almost too good to pass up, ranging from sushi, ramen and fried rice to a mixture of freshly roasted duck and other meats, stirred in with fine herbs and vegetarian satay.

If your eyes drifted past the food for a moment, then you would see the dim outline of a 3D television screen which took up the entire surface of the opposite wall, almost invisible to the naked eye when it was turned off. Several chairs were also pulled up around the table, and servants continued to sweep past them between the doors to either side, through which Nanoha could hear the sounds of cooking in progress.

Chrono had taken a seat at the head of the table, waiting patiently as the food in front of him remained untouched. For a moment Nanoha froze in the doorway, before realising that he was waiting for the two of them to join him at the table.

The food was for them? All of it? She was starving, and realised now she had been feeling hungry ever since Fate had been separated from her. Had Chrono really prepared such a feast for them specially? Maybe his intentions really were good after all. She walked forward eagerly, wondering which of the dishes she should sample first...

The heavy metal doors slammed shut behind them suddenly, and multiple locks clicked into place, sealing them inside. Nanoha had seen banks with lesser security. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it appeared that they were now locked inside Chrono's dining room with a feast of delicious food, which was definitely one of the stranger predicaments she had ever found herself in. Surely this wasn't just a dining room – the amount of security suggested otherwise.

Should we even taste the food? How do we know Chrono hasn't put anything in it? I don't want to suspect him of anything, but in this universe where nothing is what it seems...I have to be extra careful. There's been enough strange things going on for one night in this world.

"Don't eat any of the food," she whispered to Tiana. "Follow my lead. We'll wait for Chrono to eat something first, to see if it's safe."

"That food's for us?" the sharpshooter said in a voice of hushed awe. "How are we going to finish it?" Her gaze settled on the wine glasses warily. "Nanoha, I've never had alcohol before. I'm not of age."

"We're not going to drink it, Tiana. Our glasses could have been tampered with, and even if they haven't, I am not permitting you to get drunk at a time like this with so many combat cyborgs outside." Nanoha had a sudden burst of inspiration. "Wait: he thinks we're aliens. If all else fails, rely on your sudden allergies to all Mid-childan alcohols."

The sharpshooter pulled a face. "But I want to try it. Hayate said that when you get drunk, you - "

"Never mind what Hayate says," Nanoha replied. "That's not the situation here."

"She said she got drunk with you, Nanoha," Tiana went on earnestly. "And she said that when you were alone with Fate, you - "

The Ace of Aces felt a flush spreading through her cheeks as one of her more embarrassing memories began to drift back to her. She did not want to relive that again.

"Let's just sit down," she said quickly, pulling Tiana forward to the table before she brought up any more of Hayate's tales. Some things between her and Fate were better off remaining private. Really, it had only been one night...

The two mages sat facing each other, a steaming pile of spicy-smelling food prepared on their plates. Nanoha inspected hers and determined the contents to be that of fried noodles accompanied with several meat dumplings, resting in an acute curry sauce. Cautiously, she poked one of the dumplings experimentally with one of her chopsticks. It smelled so good...if only she was able to eat it...

She looked over and realised that Tiana was also poking her own food with her chopsticks. Nanoha bit down on her tongue, realising that maybe she shouldn't have used the words Follow my lead with the forward so literally. If they didn't start eating soon, Chrono was going to start wondering why his guests were sitting here poking their food with their chopsticks instead of actually eating it. Maybe she could pretend it was an ancient alien ritual, passed down from her grandmother...

"Is something wrong?" Chrono said, looking worried.

Fantastic. I wanted to wait for him to start eating so that we would know the food was safe...but he looks like he's waiting for us to eat first. Either he really has put something in the food, or he's just being very polite. Maybe I can pretend to eat.

No, she couldn't do that. Tiana was following her lead. If Nanoha started pretending to eat, then Tiana would think she was really eating the food, and would start eating it herself, and then...

"I don't want to be rude," she said, "but why are the doors locked so tightly when this is only the dining room? Why all the heavy security?"

She tried sniffing at her noodles, trying to make out the faintest sign of anything wrong with the odour, if that was even possible. Could you smell poison? Unfortunately, the smell of the fresh food served only to make her eyes water, and Nanoha didn't know of any magic that could detect if something was wrong with your food. To make matters worse, Tiana had started imitating her again and was sniffing at her food as well until her nose was almost stuck in her soup. Nanoha quickly aborted her attempt before Chrono thought they had gone mad.

"It may seem strange to an outsider," Chrono replied, "but from the dining room onwards, these are my private chambers and my sleeping quarters. I only ever eat here with established guests of the palace, or when I wish to be alone. That is why the doors are locked from here on out." He still seemed concerned by their behaviour. "My lady, do you not wish to eat?"

"Eat?" Nanoha echoed. "Yes. Eat. We were about to start eating." She threw him a reassuring smile. "We'll eat as soon as you do, Chrono."

"Nonsense," their well-dressed host said in return. "It would be improper of me to begin eating before my guests do. I have always observed proper etiquette at the dinner table."

Damn it. What now? Maybe I could tell him that it is our ancient alien custom to eat only after he does...but if he really is acting out of good intentions, and if he is being polite, I'd feel bad for him. He's been good to us so far.

Not knowing what else to do, Nanoha picked up a single dumpling, raising it in the air hesitantly. All right, maybe she could toss it towards her mouth and miss so that she didn't really eat it, but Chrono would think that she did, and that would make him start eating, and -

On the other side of the table, Tiana misinterpreted her completely and started digging into her soup with gusto.

"Mmm," the sharpshooter said happily, spooning meatballs into her mouth as Nanoha looked on in horror. "This is really good!"

"Really?" Chrono said to her, beaming as he started on his own plate of fried rice. He swallowed a few mouthfuls without any ill-effect and raised his spoon for another portion. "I am very glad that you like it. I made sure that the cooks prepared the very best in cuisine for the two of you beforehand."

That was really dangerous, Nanoha thought darkly, biting into her own meatball. If there had been anything wrong with the food at all, then who knows what could have happened? Watching Tiana and Chrono enjoy their meal as if they had all the time in the world, whilst showing no signs of sudden bouts of food poisoning or suddenly falling asleep, Nanoha felt that she could relax at last. She swallowed the food in her mouth and felt no negative effects at all as it went down. In fact, it tasted just as delicious as the aroma had made it out to be.

There really was nothing wrong with the food at all, then. Even so, Nanoha kept herself in her transformed state, refusing to let her guard down until she was absolutely sure of Chrono's motivations for taking them into his confidence like this. As far as he was concerned, they could be assassins out to get him, and there were virtually no guards here in the dining room. There had to be another reason why he had invited them here.

Nanoha didn't like deceiving people, no matter who they were on the inside. She'd always preferred to be straight with them and be completely truthful, within reason. That way, it was a lot easier for everyone to trust one another and work together to the best of their ability. Perhaps not everything in the world was necessarily as simple as that, but that was the way she saw it.

Right now, she found herself beginning to trust Chrono, even seeing him as a potential ally in a world where all their ties to the TSAB had been erased. Essentially, Nanoha and Tiana were in need of people with access to a vast range of resources and vital information - people like him. At the same time, they still knew hardly anything about this version of Chrono at all, and Nanoha knew that she still had to tread lightly. The night was still young. Nevertheless, she felt she could trust him with something.

"Chrono, I have a confession to make," she said abruptly, her chopsticks falling down onto the dining table with a clatter. "You might not be ready to hear it."

Their red-robed host looked at her questioningly. "My lady?"

Nanoha took a deep breath in preparation, closed her eyes, and decided that they might as well get all of this out of the way. He was going to ask them far too many questions no matter what they did. It was very important that he gave them as much information as possible about what was going on, hopefully before the end of the evening. Their future in this palace was still uncertain, despite what Chrono had said about staying the night.

"We're not really aliens," she declared, ignoring Tiana's alarmed expression on her face. "I am Takamachi Nanoha, combat instructor and Ace of Aces of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, and this is Tiana Lanstar, sharpshooter in-training. We have travelled through time from another universe, battling Manticores, one-armed aliens, shapeshifting reptiles and giant blue flying entities of space and time."

Nanoha rose from her seat dramatically. "In our world, you are Chrono Harlaown, Admiral of the TSAB Warship Claudia. And..." She paused, not sure how she should phrase this next part. "You're also the foster brother of the woman that I'm engaged to. I'm really, really interested in finding out where she is." She leaned forward keenly, starting to go off-track. "You haven't seen her, have you? Fate Harlaown. Tall, blonde, ridiculously attractive, kind-hearted...I might have a picture of her somewhere. Maybe this isn't the best time."

"Erm..."

"We're also looking for the rest of our group," the Bureau mage continued on heedlessly. "There's a cyborg girl with blue hair, a knight with a fiery sword, a red-haired girl with a gigantic hammer, and a boy with spiky hair and a spear. Tell me if anyone's been causing giant explosions in the sky or smashing through walls in Mid-childa. There's a good chance it'll be them."

"I'm not sure if I can - "

Nanoha lowered her voice a notch, a dangerous tone about her. "I also left a daughter waiting for me at home. She may not be waiting for me any more, and I don't know what could have happened to her...but I am not going to leave her like that for much longer. So, Chrono-kun, if you are able to give us any help or information without calling me "lady" anymore, I suggest that you hurry up with it and start being useful right now."

The Ace of Aces stopped with her face just inches away from Chrono's, glaring down at him and seething with anger and frustration. He had already backed away in his chair as far as he could go, wide-eyed with fear and intimidation. Nanoha paused for a moment, surprised that she had let her emotions go to her head so easily. She hadn't meant to get so worked up like that, but Vivio really had been on her mind for a long time, and her separation from Fate hadn't helped matters. There was a gentle touch on her shoulder as Tiana reached over to try and calm her down.

Slowly, Nanoha drew back from their unnerved host and sat down heavily. With forced calm instilled in her, she tossed her head back and bit into half a dumpling with great relish.

"Don't worry," Tiana said in a hushed voice to Chrono. "She's just a little on edge lately. We're not going to hurt you."

With an effort, Nanoha swallowed the rest of the dumpling, feeling some of the tension in her body ease away. She glanced at their host, feeling a little guilty for getting at him like that. Chrono had looked genuinely frightened – he must have thought that she was about to attack him. Why hadn't he called for the guards? Was his reliance on security really that low? Maybe he just wasn't used to being threatened in his own comfort zone.

"I apologise for my outburst," she said regrettably, as Chrono hesitantly brought his chair back to the table, his eyes shifting towards her nervously. "Tiana and I have been through a lot today, and we're still trying to fix the consequences. However, there are a lot of questions that I would still like answers to, Chrono." Nanoha hesitated, and then realised that he might well have trouble trusting her anymore. She added, "You're welcome to ask us any questions of your own, of course, but I think I've covered most of the vital details."

The red-robed man stared at her for a few moments, then shook his head in wonder. Pushing his half-eaten plate of food away from him, Chrono looked at both of the Bureau mages in near-delight, his face now filled with amazement and curiosity. He no longer seemed scared or frightened at all, but instead rather intrigued by what Nanoha had said.

"I'm afraid most of your words went over my head, my la- Nanoha," he said, quickly amending himself respectfully. "But...is it true? The two of you are both time travellers?"

Tiana exchanged glances with Nanoha. Technically, they had only passed through one time portal and one wormhole, visiting exactly two worlds of which one was now non-existent, but still...

"That's incredible!" Chrono exclaimed, holding the sides of his head as he stood up suddenly. "I have heard rumours of such powers existing in Mid-childa when Vivio Harlaown first visited our world...but never would I have imagined that I would actually meet someone who could travel in time!"

"We can't, really," Tiana said helpfully. "Not anymore. We were taken to this world against our will. And we don't have Oguba with us anymore, so we can't go home..."

Quickly, Nanoha interrupted before Chrono starting asking even more questions about who Oguba was. If they started talking about Oguba – a being that even she didn't full understand – then they would be here all night. Nanoha was impatient for answers.

"Chrono, we would be glad to tell you all about time travel a little later," she said. "But first..."

Their host nodded excitedly. "Of course, of course," he said swiftly, beaming at them. The concept of time travel seemed to have ignited a spark within him, and Nanoha's row with him from before seemed all but forgotten. "It would be uncivil of me not to introduce myself to you in return, Nanoha. I think there must be some truth in your talk of time travel...But as you know, my name is Chrono Harlaown."

He wiped a trace of food from his food with a nearby napkin. "I am the Commander of the Government Centre of Cranagan, as well as the sole inheritor of the Blood Oath of Vivio Harlaown, saviour of Mid-childa. As Commander, I also oversee the operations of the Harlaown Program."

His words were met by blank stares from the two women. This time it was the Bureau mages who were struggling to understand what he was saying. Tiana scratched her head and stifled a yawn, picking at the remains of her cold soup.

"I don't know where to begin," Nanoha said at last, pushing her plate of food away as well. "Chrono. Just tell me what's going on."

The red-robed man raised an eyebrow, seeming surprised. "Are you saying, Nanoha, that it isn't similar to this on your world? That Mid-childa is not overseen by - "

"No, Chrono, it isn't," the Ace of Aces said bluntly. "We don't have a Harlaown Program, or anyone called Vivio Harlaown, or anything like what you say exists here. Let's say we really are aliens who have never stepped onto Mid-childa before. Tell us everything."

Vivio Harlaown...that wasn't right at all. Legally, Vivio had taken Nanoha's surname upon her adoption, giving her the name of Vivio Takamachi. Had something happened with Fate to change Vivio's last name to Harlaown? What was really going on here? Harlaown Program...Blood Oath...everything seemed to have Harlaown all over it. And why had the Bureau been demolished? Nanoha couldn't keep track of all the questions buzzing around her head.

"Very well, then," Chrono declared decisively, rising from his chair. "I will give you a brief history lesson on how Mid-childa has developed in the last millennium. It's the least I can do after seeing the existence of time-travel with my own eyes..."

Briskly, he walked over to the centre of the dining table where servants were beginning to remove the leftovers of the short-lived feast. With a single motion, Chrono tapped a small switch at the side of the adjacent wall. Immediately, the three-dimensional television screen came to life in a blaze of colour, flashing with intense blue light as the two Bureau mages shielded their eyes against its uncomfortable glare.

What's this? Nanoha thought, as she and Tiana moved their chairs over to see the screen more clearly. A holographic television screen which takes up the entire wall? It must be very expensive to power – holograms have always exerted a tremendous drain on energy and money, even for the Bureau.

Pictures and moving images began to appear on the giant screen, rushing past in a blur before any of the two women were able to focus on them. Chrono continued to press the various switches on the side, re-adjusting the glare and co-ordination of the images, fast-forwarding and rewinding between specific transitions in an almost experimental display. One of the slides moved away from the screen completely and came outwards at a right angle, appearing instead on another wall of the dining room. Nanoha and Tiana watched with interest for a few more minutes as Chrono continued to readjust the settings on the device, carefully altering the configuration until it was positioned exactly how he wanted it.

"There we go," he said finally, as the image of a familiar planet appeared on the screen, moving and rotating almost with a mind of its own. Nanoha recognised the planet to be Mid-childa. "Now we can finally begin. Let me tell you about...what Mid-childa used to be."

He pressed a single button on the wall. The scene changed drastically from the peaceful, densely-populated planet that they once knew...into a complete warzone. Violent imagery depicting the marching of hundreds of thousands of infantry and combat mages came on screen, accompanied by row upon row of armoured tanks, chemical weapons of war, fighter planes and bombers, stealth jets, mechanised artillery, even combat cyborgs too...

Explosions rocked the screen, showing dark flames arising from the cities of Mid-childa as bombs, heavy weapon fire and bombardment spells were used against the population themselves. No, not just Mid-childa...Earth, too. Uminari City. Nanoha had her hand over her mouth as she froze on the edge of her seat, feeling as if she was really there. She was seeing her hometown burn to the ground right in front of her. Alien spacecraft descended from above, attacking the cities with all manner of technological weapons of destruction as people fled for their lives, falling onto the ground as the sky began to burn black with smoke, countless homes and lives destroyed...

The scene changed, but only to a different camera angle. Nanoha and Tiana saw now that exactly the same thing was happening to virtually every planet within the known universe, every planet that could put up a fight at all. Some planets had no way of defending themselves effectively, crumbling before the line of attack. Entire civilisations were wiped out completely in such a short amount of time, and the surface of their ground was razed again and again so that nothing could ever live again...It was surreal, almost insane to watch such a thing with your own eyes...

Is this real? Nanoha thought, appalled. The...the land of limbo, where we found Red Scorpion. The barren planet. Could it...could it have been one of those planets which was almost completely destroyed, just like that? Is this what I'm seeing?

She realised it had to be. When they had gone through the first time portal to rescue Vita...they must have already entered a new universe. They had stepped onto the surface of one of the many worlds whose inhabitants had been driven to extinction by the scenes of war that she was witnessing now...

"This is crazy," Nanoha whispered, barely able to believe any of this. "It's as if the whole universe was at war..."

Chrono switched the screen back to the normal, peaceful Mid-childa. The scenes of explosions and entire worlds being wiped out dissolved away, leaving only the memory of what they had seen. Tiana was clutching at the sides of her chair, wide-eyed.

"Yes," Chrono said sadly, "that was what we used to be. This was not just one war, you understand, but the combinations of many. And yet, Mid-childa was always involved at the centre of each conflict. The Time-Space Administration Bureau, too, in particular. It waged on like this for over a thousand years, and the sacrifices proved too great for many. I was told that in the beginning...it wasn't so bad. A minor dispute, a small demonstration of power, but times had changed greatly since then..."

He sighed heavily. "Over the centuries, the varying levels of our technology began to lead to greater problems. We weren't fighting against a common enemy; there was no good and evil to attack or defend against. No, we were fighting against each other...ending one war just barely a generation before the next one began...It was a terrible time, Nanoha. I am glad that the majority of my family was not here to witness it.

"You may ask what the cause of such wars might be. It's an interesting question, and one which I will come back to later - you will understand much better when I've explained everything in full." Chrono's face was grim as he moved over the painful images, grimacing as he fast-forwarded across all of them. "Nanoha, it was truly a devastating era for all humankind, for aliens, for creatures of all species...nobody was safe. As I'm sure you saw there, entire planets were eradicated, left barren so that nobody would ever be able to live there again, nor to form any kind of defence or resistance there anymore...It was a common practice used within this universal war of ours."

The screen switched over to the form of a dying sun in deep space, surrounded by thousands of strangely-designed warships. They were pulsating with a common glow, synonymous with the life gradually fading away from the star.

"We also began to use our weapons to draw increasingly more power from the suns and stars which kept our worlds alive," Chrono explained. "Our technological capability knew no limits by then, Nanoha. Soon...we had sucked up so much energy, so much power, that even the stars began to die out. Millions of ships, using them day-in day-out for no other purpose than to release even more warlike destruction on our enemies, wasting so much energy in one go...they could not last forever. A star is meant to live many millions, even billions of years, but our weapons began to directly affect the process of their life cycle - altering them, even reversing them in some cases. Eventually, they could no longer survive as they were. And neither could we. Our universe was dying, Nanoha. We had brought ourselves to the brink of extinction."

Nanoha folded her arms, listening intently. It was all very interesting, if a little startling to know how much this universe had been at war with itself – and it was a different universe, she knew, an alternate one with no ties to the one she had left behind, thankfully – but she didn't see how this had anything to do with the answers to any of her burning questions. Nevertheless, she waited patiently for Chrono to finish.

"Three hundred years ago, we had reached our limit," the blue-haired man said. "Entire planets and star systems had been completely obliterated. The only inhabited planets that were left were our world of Mid-childa, the crippled population left on Earth, and a few insignificant small planets which were struggling to keep up the fight. Even though we were gradually dying out, one by one, the war was still going on strong, kept alive by the efforts of the survivors from previously destroyed planets and galaxies. Separate moon colonies also contributed to the battles by the use of their own resources, and Mid-childa could not fight against an enemy which had no real source. We would probably have been wiped out within another five hundred years."

He clicked against the screen, and the image of a tall blonde woman appeared, orange-brown hair sweeping down her back in a single ponytail. Her pupils were of different colours: the left eye burned fiery-red with determination, whereas her right eye was a tranquil green. The blue and white colours of a Barrier Jacket wrapped around her body protectively, and the crest of her uniform marked her out as a high-ranking member of the TSAB.

One eye red, the other green. Nanoha had seen such a face before, the face of a little girl that she had come home to every night after work. She had played with her, loved her more dearly than anyone else in the world, laughed with her, told stories to her, made food for her, put her to bed at night with a peck on the cheek...

But the woman on the screen wasn't a child anymore. She was a full-grown adult with weapons in her hands, all prepared for battle. Seeing her like this brought back memories to Nanoha, of when she had had to fight Vivio in her combat cyborg form near the end of the JS Incident...

"That's Vivio," Tiana whispered in staggered disbelief. "H...how? How can Vivio be in this world like that? She's safe and sound back in our world, isn't she, Nanoha?" There was no reply from the other woman, and the forward felt a note of trepidation enter her voice. "N...Nanoha?"

"It seems you know the name of our saviour," Chrono said admirably. "Yes, this is the woman who brought Mid-childa back from the brink of destruction – Vivio Harlaown. She was a very mysterious figure. People say that she came out of nowhere, with no details known about her history or family ties. Our information on Vivio Harlaown is still vague at best."

Nanoha found herself surprisingly calm inside her mind. She didn't even glance towards Tiana, but simply kept her face very still, unsmiling, as she continued to listen in silence. Vivio? Really?

"As you can see, Vivio proved to be a valuable addition to the attack force of Mid-childa," Chrono said excitedly. "She was recruited into the TSAB very early on and grew up to become a very powerful mage indeed. Soon...she began showing signs of abilities that nobody had ever seen before. She could affect the movement of vast numbers of spacecraft, deflecting them away from our atmosphere completely. She could transform entire cities of people into storable data in the palm of her hand. It is even claimed that she was able to stop time. Many people began to see her as an iconic figure for Mid-childa, even claiming that she was an immortal being from another universe, a goddess in her own right..."

The image flickered and changed, showing Mid-childa as seen from within deep space, a blue and silver glow resonating all around it. Warships were firing at the barrier in vain, deflected away as the light grew ever stronger. A moment later, the scene changed to show Earth. As the camera zoomed in, the two Bureau mages saw with shock that the surface of the planet was burnt black, all trace of civilisation removed from it.

"Vivio Harlaown ended thousands years of war almost single-handedly," Chrono said proudly. "You see, there was a reason why all this fighting started in the first place: overpopulation." He rolled out the word on his tongue with great relish. "Our efforts to colonise other planets were overshadowed by the fact that many other worlds preferred to be independent and free from the influence of the Bureau. As the population of Mid-childa grew and grew to ridiculous proportions – and bearing in mind that a similar situation was doubtlessly happening on many other planets as well – we were even more hard-pressed to find a feasible solution.

"And Vivio saw that. Throughout all of our constant wars, the stars had been drained away to nothing, and virtually every planet was now completely inhospitable...She saw that we would have to take a step back, away from humanity's dream of space colonisation. We would be confined to Mid-childa alone, unable to progress any further, but it was a preferable choice to extinction. She also predicted that even if the wars against other planets came to an end, there would soon be civil rebellion upon Mid-childa itself. The problem would not resolve itself."

"Vivio did all of that?" Tiana said in an awed voice. "Our Vivio?" Her eyes shot towards Nanoha concernedly, but the Ace of Aces had remained strangely silent the whole time, something which the sharpshooter found a little worrying. What must Nanoha feel from hearing all this about her daughter? "Okay," Tiana said, turning back to the screen. "So how did Vivio stop the war? What...what happened to Earth?"

"She destroyed it," Chrono said simply. "That is to say, she burned it to the point that it would never be able to bear life again upon its surface. However, she used her abilities to first rescue the waning population of Earth...and transport them to Mid-childa. Yes, cities like Uminari City and the like were completely moved all the way to this world without disrupting the people who lived in them. Vivio used an extraordinary technique to convert entire continents into countless streams of data, which she then released back onto Mid-childa. A few criticised her for doing this, for clogging up Mid-childa with even more people...but Vivio would not listen to them. She said that the people on Earth would die if she didn't move them back here.

"The inhabitants of the moon colonies, along with any stray survivors, were also relegated back to Mid-childa. That was Vivio's ultimate solution, you see – to make sure that everyone coexisted within a single planet. No more wars, no more fighting...there would almost be no more need for space travel at all..."

Chrono moved over to the next image. Nanoha leaned forward to see Vivio speaking publicly before hundreds of thousands of people, holding her head up high as she shouted down to them passionately. A line of Bureau officers stood behind her for support as cheers and rejoicing sounded all around her.

Is this what really happened? Nanoha blinked away tears, realising that she was crying – out of happiness and pride. In this universe...my beautiful daughter grew up to become the one who would save humanity? This is real. It has to be. Look at all the people gazing at her with love in their eyes. Look at them. They love her.

The whole thing was still too much to take in, but Nanoha found herself choked by the scene. Even if it was an alternate reality, even if she was under a different surname, Vivio was still her daughter, and she had single-handedly saved the universe. She could not have been more proud of her.

"Of course, the massive influx of people coming into Mid-childa meant that the problem of overpopulation had to be resolved once and for all, and fast," Chrono continued. "Vivio had a plan for this as well. The operation was entirely successful and was entitled the Harlaown Program, as it was named after her. However, the Harlaown Program was sustained only by Vivio's unique abilities, abilities that nobody else possessed...which meant that after Vivio died, we could be back to square one. That was where the Blood Oath came in. What she did was - "

"Hang on," Nanoha interrupted. "Slow down for a moment. What did my daughter do to prevent overpopulation on Mid-childa?"

Chrono looked confusing. "Your...your daughter? I was talking about Vivio Harlaown, not - "

Nanoha decided not to break the news to him directly. Somewhere along the lines, her adventures with Oguba and time travel had led to Vivio being involved directly with this alternate universe. In this universe, Vivio didn't have a mother or even any parents at all, from what Nanoha had gathered. Her heart went out to her, this alternate version of Vivio who had given her everything for a universe which adored her...

"What I mean is,"she pressed, "what is the Harlaown Program?"

"I'll get to that in a moment," Chrono said crossly. "I will tell you first that it relied on Vivio Harlaown's unique abilities, powers that were born only to her. We wanted the Program to continue on even after she was no longer with us, but we had no idea how to do such a thing. Vivio used her magic to solve this problem, too, however. What she did was yield forth a Blood Oath, as it was called, to be passed down through the generations. Vivio never married or bore any children - she seemed to believe that she wasn't able to - but she used the Blood Oath to name a small group of individuals as Harlaowns, people who she was quite close to. These people who would carry on her legacy. They would be connected to her by blood, as if they were her family, and the same would go for their descendants." Chrono had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he were remembering something from a long time ago. "That's how the Blood Oath worked – every Harlaown would possess a trace of the magic needed to operate the Harlaown Program. As long as there were Harlaowns in this world, the problem of overpopulation would never trouble us ever again..."

He clicked the screen off completely, turning the entire monitor black again with an air of finality. The show was over.

"Chrono Harlaown, at your service," he said with a stiff bow. "Though Vivio Harlaown passed away long ago, the Blood Oath still resides in my veins two hundred years later. Mid-childa will continue to flourish under me. And..." Chrono smiled and took a seat at the table once more. "This leads us to the real reason I asked you to come here tonight, Nanoha."

The Ace of Aces blinked in surprise, not expecting this. The real reason? Did he mean...?

"This is difficult for me to say," said the blue-haired Commander, "but I am in fact...the last Harlaown who remains alive to this day. My wife, Amy, was not able to bear me any children, and so the Blood Oath will not be passed down to anybody else quite yet. However, if I die then the Blood Oath will be lost forever and the Harlaown Program will collapse in on itself. I'd really prefer that this didn't happen - "

She couldn't believe she was hearing this.

"No," Nanoha said flatly, staring at him in outrage. "The answer is no."

"Nanoha, please," Chrono said, trying another smile. "I have to pass the Blood Oath down to a child of mine. You've seen the death threats I receive, haven't you? There are people who want to crush the Program. Rebels who oppose the Mid-childan Government itself. In truth, I'm not a ruler or a king. I don't reign supreme over Mid-childa. I'm just here to keep the Harlaown Program in order." He cleared his throat, looking quite uncomfortable. "I know this is very short notice - "

"No," Nanoha hissed, her hackles rising. "This is why you invited me in? I thought you were better than this, Chrono. There's plenty of girls on this overpopulated planet. Choose one of them to bear your special children!"

"Nanoha, I know you to be a very attractive woman and - "

She had Raging Heart at his throat before she quite knew what she was doing, breathing hard with rage. Tiana, too, was poised in a hostile attack stance, Cross Mirage held in her hands. How dare he? How dare he suggest such a thing? He had been so good up to now...

I have to remember that the man in front of me...he isn't Chrono. He isn't the Chrono I grew up with and befriended with Fate and Yuuno. He's an alternate version who's resorting to desperate measures to save the remnants of humanity around him. Even then, he has Chrono's face and Chrono's voice, and the overall combination of what he's saying...it just makes me sick. I've half a mind to walk out of here right now.

"Nanoha, it's not quite what you think," Chrono said, backing away slowly. "We...we don't have to do anything. Please listen to me – we don't have to touch each other or anything like that. We just need to take a DNA sample. That's all we need. Mid-childan technology means that the offspring can be conceived in the laboratory without any physical contact." His hands were raised in a gesture of surrender and fear. "I...I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Nanoha. I'm truly sorry."

Her face cleared as she realised what he meant. Slowly, Nanoha lowered Raging Heart away from his neck and shook her head at Tiana, both of them sitting down grudgingly. Chrono breathed a sigh of relief as the weapon was pointed away from him and slumped back into his chair. Maybe she had overreacted a little...? – No, she hadn't overreacted at all. It had still been an appalling thing for him to ask of her.

"The answer is still no," she said shortly. "You need an heir to inherit your Blood Oath. I understand that much. But you will not receive anything like that from me, Chrono."

My hands are already full with trying to find Fate and the others. I don't need this Blood Oath making things even worse! Chrono says he's the last Harlaown? Then shouldn't he be especially careful about keeping himself safe? That girl from that cult could have killed him. I could have killed him right here if I'd wanted to! He didn't even call for the guards and this is the second time I've aimed Raging Heart at him...Just what is his game here?

"All right, all right," Chrono muttered, glancing at them distractedly. He did look rather ashamed of himself, at least. "I won't try to persuade you any further. I'm very sorry that I asked you something like that, Nanoha...please forgive me. But time is running out for me...I do need to find an heir very quickly."

"Does it matter which person you choose?" Tiana said with a pained expression. "If the stability of Mid-childa depends on it, then you shouldn't be picky. You could have been killed when that woman from the cult turned up..."

"No, that's not true," Chrono replied, holding his head up confidently. "I have my own defences in place. That's why I don't put all my faith into the security of the palace guards. I also believe that those who possess the Blood Oath do not die easily."

Nanoha looked at him anew with a mixture of sympathy and disgust. Chrono had been lax in his security because he thought that being a Harlaown made him invulnerable? This was the biggest load of rubbish that Nanoha had heard for a long time. She already itched to go back to her own universe.

"Now that you know I'm not going to bear your heir," Nanoha said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice, "does this mean you're no longer keen on having us spend the night here? Is this what it's about?"

Chrono sighed. "No, no. You two are my guests here. I would be happy for you to stay here as long as you wished - "

"We won't be staying long."

" - and to make up for it, I would be happy to answer your question about the Harlaown Program."

Nanoha shook her head in wonder. He had been about to explain it anyway; this still didn't excuse his actions towards her. Maybe Chrono had been quick to back off once he saw how Nanoha had reacted, but she didn't like being exploited in this fashion. She wanted to be back with Fate and Vivio – her Vivio, her child back home, not the Vivio who had saved Mid-childa from certain destruction and was long dead. She didn't want to be here.

"If you want to "make up" for anything," the Ace of Aces said testily, "you can find out where my friends are for me."

Chrono hesitated, one hand on the arm of his chair. "That may take some time. The Harlaown Program monitors the actions of every person on the planet, and...I won't have an answer for you before morning."

"Fine." She decided it was the best she could settle for right now. "Then tell me now, Chrono. What is the Harlaown Program?"

The Commander was silent for a few moments more, interlocking his hands together as he pursed his lips. It seemed like he was trying to choose his words carefully. The servants had removed all of the plates from the table by now, leaving its surface strangely bare with only the lingering aroma of food in the air.

"Population control," Chrono said at last, with a definite air of reluctance. "From birth, every citizen of Mid-childa has an identifying chip inserted into the skin just under their wrist. This chip contains every last piece of personal data about a person, from their date of birth to their nationality, to their sexual orientation...but most importantly, it identifies their position in the Harlaown Program. The technology which created these chips was a combination of Mid-childan science, alien research and Vivio Harlaown's own abilities. It came to be known as Harlaown Xenomorphica, or HX for short. In time, these chips came to be known as HX chips. Everyone who lives upon Mid-childa is required by law to be ingrained with them."

He passed one hand through his blue hair, brushing it across to the side. "Now, a large group of people who work underneath me are given the authority to scan or identify the HX chip of any given individual. These people are known as executors. They work closely with the Program and are widespread across the entire world. If a person's HX chip is showing signs of negative activity, then it is an indication that they have made it to the front of the Harlaown Program. The executors will then escort them to the nearest detention facility for removal."

This is wrong, Nanoha thought, almost impulsively. With every word, her sense of dread about this version of Mid-childa deepened. This is all so terribly, terribly wrong...was this the solution for overpopulation on the planet? This was what Vivio had implemented? She didn't believe it for a second. Not her Vivio, no, not any version of Vivio at all...

"Think of the Harlaown Program as some kind of waiting list," Chrono was explaining. "Instead of waiting to see a doctor, you're waiting to be removed from the population and do your part to keep the world in order. People really have nothing to fear from this – if their HX chip is giving out positive readings, then they can continue to live their lives as usual. In addition, there are ways to opt out from the Program. If someone is accepted by one of the Houses of Mid-childa, such as the House of Yagami or the House of Testarossa, then they are granted special immunity. The executors and myself, of course, do not need to contribute.

"However, in recent times..." Chrono bowed his head sadly, looking forlorn. "People have not been co-operating to the degree that they used to. Some have even rebelled against the government itself, and the executors have had to step in and stop such individuals for continuing like this. Perhaps it is because Vivio Harlaown is no longer with us, and it is up to me to enforce the regulations upon them all. I have had to enforce a strict curfew, so that anybody who breaks it will go straight to the top of the Program. But really, it isn't any different from the "normal" way. Seeking a job for regular income, accepted by a Mid-childan House to keep yourself near the bottom of the list...it really isn't any different from - "

Nanoha was staring at him, thunderstruck as the true meaning of Chrono's word hit home to her. Suddenly, she didn't want to hear any more. Executors, HX chips, rebellion...the entire concept of the Program was just a vile, twisted creation. Humankind had been saved only to be condemned to this? People forced into a curfew so that they wouldn't go against the Program? Nanoha had already forgotten about the issue with the Blood Oath. This right here – this was what was really wrong with the planet, and for it to be happening all over Mid-childa at the same time...

I almost wish I hadn't asked about the Program at all. But would I have been better off not knowing? Fate and all of our friends...they're stranded out there in this kind of world? I wish that I had never come here in the first place!

"Chrono," she said dangerously, "where are the Bureau? What are they doing whilst you've been turning Mid-childa into your own personal plaything?"

The Commander stumbled over his words, edging his chair back once again. He looked like he was starting to regret asking Nanoha and Tiana inside like this after all.

"They...they were demolished," he stammered. "They weren't needed anymore, not now that we were confined to Mid-childa...and their members were rapidly declining. Please understand. Many of them were already being taken away by the Program itself, to be removed from the population - "

"Removed?" she repeated. "Just what do you mean by that? Tell me it isn't what it sounds like!"

But she had already guessed what it really meant; she had only hoped that it would be something different. There was nothing else it could be. Executors, Nanoha thought darkly. More like executioners, going all the way back to what they used to, only this time it was on a global scale...it didn't take a genius to work it out...

"We had no choice!" Chrono cried. "Vivio Harlaown did not want to implement such a thing either, not after saving so many, but even she realised that this would be the greater good! The people wanted an end to the thousand years of war that Mid-childa had endured for so long, and if it could bring peace, if it could allow us to live in harmony, then some sacrifices had to be made!"

"Do you expect me to believe someone like Vivio would support this?" Nanoha said angrily. "And you, Chrono! Making excuses for it! How is this any better than all of your constant wars! The only difference is that innocent people know they're going to die first!"

"Nanoha, what's he talking about?" Tiana asked urgently, not understanding yet. "What...what does the Program really do?"

The Ace of Aces averted her gaze from Chrono, unable to look at him any more. Here he was, living in luxury inside his palace, when billions of people out there...

"Culling the population," she said quietly. "That's what this world is doing to its people. The Program targets people using these executors and these HX chips...and keeps the population down under a set number. And something tells me that your Vivio Harlaown didn't have a hand in it. Isn't that right, Chrono?"

Tiana's eyes were wide in horror, gripping Cross Mirage unconsciously as she looked from one person to the other. She half-expected guards to burst through the door at any moment.

The Commander's eyes flared defensively. "If there was another way to survive here, then we would have taken it. But there isn't. Do you know how many babies are born on Mid-childa every day, Nanoha? Two hundred thousand, all over the world. My duty is to keep the population under control. I'll also have you know that the majority of people in Mid-childa are still very much in favour of the Program. They don't want the wars to start again. This is the only alternative."

Nanoha felt like hitting him. "The people say they're in favour of the Program because they'll be killed if they don't! You've already destroyed Mid-childa, Chrono, without even leaving your palace!"

The blue-haired Commander shook his head slowly. "No, Nanoha. I'm the reason that Mid-childa still breathes. We have done this for two hundred years already and the people are used to this way of life. Nanoha...I have a favour to ask of you." His eyes narrowed. "You seem like the kind of person who thinks they can change the world. My favour is this: don't try to change this one. Return to your own world and forget about us."

"I would be happy to," the Ace of Aces seethed. "Because this isn't the Mid-childa that I love, Chrono. This isn't Mid-childa at all. Thanks to you and every Harlaown before you, it's too far gone to be saved."

"That's one way to put it," Chrono commented, "but the way I see it is this: we don't need saving."

He rose from his chair and turned towards the open door to the right, his footsteps echoing faintly against the walls of the dining room. There were no guards accompanying him, no cyborgs to threaten the two mages. He was allowing them to act exactly as they wanted.

"One of my servants will take you to your rooms for the night," Chrono said softly, his back turned. "Tomorrow, I will locate your missing friends for you, just as I said I would. I wish you good night, my lady. This conversation has been very informative for each of us."

Nanoha felt her gaze burn into his back as he disappeared up into the waiting corridor, her muscles tense as she raised Raging Heart up to shoulder level for just a moment. She could shoot him right now: he was defenceless with not a single guard in sight. The Harlaown Program would collapse.

A brief second later, however, she lowered her arm again as Tiana looked at her with acute pain in her eyes. No. This wasn't how she operated. This version of Chrono wasn't the Chrono that she knew, and taking him out might even worsen the situation. Besides, they were also trapped on the top floor of the palace with a ridiculous number of combat cyborgs outside. It would be foolhardy to act like that.

I don't need to do anything. This planet will crumble apart no matter what I do. I'm just going to do my best to survive until I can find the rest of my friends, and then we're going to back to our own universe once and for all. I can't stand being here in this place, not for a single second. We'll stay here for the night because we have to, but after that...it will be time to act fast.

"Come on, Tiana," Nanoha said, motioning the sharpshooter up through the same door. The two of them were in dire need of rest by now. "Let's go."

A/N: Yes, Chrono is rather OOC but he is a different Chrono in this universe. Fortunately, after this chapter he won't play as much a huge part, because Nanoha will be doing her stuff.

There may be some holes in the explanations about the Harlaown Program and the AU Mid-childa, but the overall setting is the important part. (I didn't actually plan for them to spend much time in this universe at all, but other stuff happened.)

Also, there's a good reason why they call her Vivio Harlaown, and not Vivio Takamachi.