A gentle ray of sunlight shone onto Nanoha's pillow in the hours of mid-morning as she stirred in her bed, mumbling through the last vestiges of sleep that still clung to her. Soft, clean sheets were wrapped around her as she kicked them away loosely. The feeling against her skin reminded her of pleasant memories that she treasured with Fate and Vivio, whispering of bittersweet experiences and a link to the past they had shared with each other. For just a moment, Nanoha felt as if she were back home again, in her own world, like everything used to be...
Her eyes half-opened sleepily as she reached across the bed to wrap her arms around Fate. She missed her so much. Fate, where are you? Are you awake already?
Nanoha's hands moved over the empty sheets, frantically trying to find her lover's warm body. Fate wasn't there. Frantically, the mage pulled at the covers, rolling over towards the other side of the bed until she had clasped her arms around the waist of the other person sleeping with her. Fate. She felt so warm and comforting at her side, though a little smaller and slender than she remembered, but...
"Nanoha?" Tiana said nervously, lying awake in the same bed. "I don't know how to say this. Could you...could you stop touching me like that?"
At once, the Ace of Aces' eyes flicked open. That wasn't Fate she was hugging. No wonder it had felt a little different from normal.
Her memories of last night came back to her in a flash: arriving at Chrono's palace with Tiana, discovering first-hand the warlike history of the new Mid-childa after being pulled through Oguba's self-constructed wormhole, finding out about the Harlaown Program and how dismal their situation really was...As the reality of the present set in, Nanoha's heart quickly sank. A part of her had hoped that all this had just been a bad dream, even if it might have been a very imaginative one. No, she was still stuck in an alternate universe with the majority of her friends scattered or missing, a world without Fate...
How long had it been since the two of them had been separated? A few hours, several more over the passing of the night...no, it hadn't even been half a day yet. She had fought with the Enforcer side by side only yesterday before the wormhole had driven them apart. Maybe I'm just being overdramatic about all this, Nanoha thought. It's the circumstances of the universe we're in that I should be more concerned about. A world like this could swallow up your loved ones without a trace.
She wondered how Fate was coping in this strange universe so far. Was she among friends? Had she found affordable safety of her own in Mid-childa? Nanoha realised that she and Tiana had actually been very lucky to find themselves where they were now – guests of the man who was in charge of the Harlaown Program itself, and sleeping in a palace, no less. It could have gone a lot worse. They could have been on the run from a small army of combat cyborgs, or chased through Cranagan by squads of executors. Instead, she and Tiana had managed to find themselves a temporary comfort from which to plan their next move.
Last night, I wasn't really sure what to do. Mid-childa had changed and there was so much to take in. But now that I've got my bearings again, I know exactly what our next move is. We're in the best position to act from here.
The bedroom that Chrono had given to them mirrored the kind of expected high quality that came from living with the roof of a palace over your head. It was very spacious with a wide range of different facilities available, none of which Nanoha had any use for. Included was a wine decanter, an intercom for communicating with any of the guest service providers on the current floor, an en suite bathroom, and a strange lever-like device which turned out to be responsible for turning the ceiling tiles transparent. She wasn't entirely sure why a such thing existed when it was much easier to walk outside instead.
Even with all of these fancy luxuries surrounding them, the two mages had to share the single bed in the room. It was queen-sized, so it was definitely big enough for both of them to sleep in, but considering Nanoha was used to waking up in her own bed right next to Fate...
Awkwardly, the Ace of Aces realised that her arms were still wrapped around Tiana in a slightly inappropriate position. Lost in her dreams, and used to waking up every day with her lover and daughter by her side like usual, she had reacted unconsciously.
"I'm sorry," she said, quickly letting go of the orange-haired girl. This was so embarrassing. "I...I thought you were Fate."
Tiana looked at her with a shade of concern.
"You thought I was Fate?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm just used to having Fate by my side when I wake up." Nanoha felt her cheeks going pink. She hadn't intended to divulge such information. "Forget I said that," she said hastily, trying to steer away from the subject as much as possible. "I didn't mean to be inappropriate with you like that. I just miss Fate a lot, and when I woke up without her beside me, I just reached out and..."
Fortunately, the forward didn't seem to be too offended. "It's okay," she said shyly. "I understand."
Nanoha felt a great flood of relief. "You do?"
"It's normal to feel a bit lonely sometimes," Tiana said reassuringly. "It happens to everyone. Nanoha, if you really miss Fate and need to get your feelings out, I'm here to help." Her face froze suddenly. "Here to lend an ear, I mean. Not "help" as in being touched up in the same bed and - " Awkwardly, Tiana squeezed her eyes shut, beginning to flush furiously. "That's not what I meant," she said lamely. "Definitely not what I meant."
The Ace of Aces gave her a curious look. What was she trying to say?
"Tiana?" she asked. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
The forward clasped her hands together. "Nanoha, I look up to you a lot," she said nervously. "And I didn't mean in that way, but – if you ever wanted to – or pretend I was Fate to make you feel better - " The forward started to go bright red as the words tumbled out of her mouth a little too quickly. "No, that's not what I meant to say either! I mean, you can pretend I'm Fate if you want to talk things over. Not talking about the making out thing or anything. That would be awkward."
"I know what you meant," Nanoha said with amusement in her eyes. She found it rather adorable to see her pupil getting all embarrassed over nothing like that. "Thank you, Tiana. It's good to know I can talk to you if I need anything."
"Not completely everything," the forward babbled, starting to get into quite a state. "I already have a girlfriend."
The Ace of Aces looked at her in growing perplexity. What was she going on about this time?
"Never mind," Tiana said, scampering out of the bed as fast as she could before she said anything else which she would regret. "I said nothing. Nothing at all. I'm...I'm going to get changed. In the other room. Not this one," she added. "As in, the one which this one isn't."
She tumbled onto the floor, blushing furiously, and fled into the bathroom as fast as she could.
Nanoha watched her go, mildly baffled at her behaviour. What was all that about? Maybe the forward was embarrassed at having to share the same bed with her last night, as well as waking up to find Nanoha's arms around her like that; she was probably still embarrassed about the whole thing. The Ace of Aces couldn't really blame her for that. Tiana had been acting all flustered almost as if she'd enjoyed it.
Still, sharing the same bed with someone else wasn't really a big deal to Nanoha. It wasn't as if she hadn't shared beds with other girls in the past - it didn't have to mean anything, as long as you both got your intentions out in the open. You could just snuggle up with them and get cosy if nothing else. Of course, when Hayate and Fate had all shared a triple bed with her during those previous teenage years, all pretences at innocence had just gone out of the window...
Rubbing her eyes in the bright morning sun, Nanoha yawned and stepped out onto the soft carpet. Clearing all of these thoughts from her head, she cast around for something to wear. Her standard TSAB uniform was still folded neatly on the top of the dresser, and she didn't know if they were going to be coming back to this room again. After hearing Chrono's account of the history of this Mid-childa, Nanoha had every intention of ensuring that she and her friends would be returning home to their own universe as soon as possible.
Yes, this world is broken, terribly and painfully broken. Its sucking the life out of its own people just to maintain itself, and that's not how anything should function. Even worse...I think I know where Vivio Harlaown came from in the first place. She might be my Vivio, a Vivio who changed and grew up alone without me or Fate to take care of her, a Vivio who became the saviour of the universe...I don't want to think that such a thing's possible, but I have to be prepared. I have to be.
Chrono had said that Vivio Harlaown had been rumoured to possess powers of time travel. If that was true, then Oguba would have been involved. The heroine who had saved this universe from destruction could well have been a combination of Vivio and Oguba in one, much like what had happened with Takamachi from before, the past version of Nanoha that she had confronted at the top of Red Scorpion's tower...
Which meant that Oguba was single-handedly responsible for this version of Mid-childa. He was a Lost Logia – the immorality of the Harlaown Program probably wouldn't even faze him. To Oguba, it would just be a solution to keep the planet going as much as possible. Why would he do that? Nanoha took only a few moments to work it out – Takamachi had already told her the answer. Oguba was obsessed with his ambition about "saving the universe" and fixing all the holes that had opened up.
But this Mid-childa was already about to be destroyed before Vivio Harlaown intervened. Hadn't Oguba interfered with history by saving the planet? Wouldn't that cause even more damage? None of this made sense...
In addition, Vivio Harlaown had died a few hundred years ago now, of old age. Nanoha had seen first-hand with Takamachi that if you were possessed by Oguba, you would not die, not ever, not until the moment that the Lost Logia chose to leave your body. Did this mean that Oguba wasn't involved after all, or that Vivio hadn't been possessed by his powers? In the end, it just didn't add up. The information Chrono had given her had only filled Nanoha with more burning questions which nobody had the answers to.
"Tiana?" she called into the bathroom, knocking against the door. "Are you going to be ready soon?" The Bureau mage waited until she heard an affirmative reply. "Tiana, get dressed and wait for me outside our room. We're leaving."
I could easily be wrong about all of this, Nanoha thought, as she pulled on her old uniform again. Oguba might not be involved half as much as I suspected. On top of that, Chrono's account of the history of this planet is two hundred years old – I can't exactly take everything for granted. If Oguba really exists in every universe like he says he is, then...
She stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide. No. That was wrong, too. How it could be wrong? It had come from Takamachi's own lips. This was no lie or dangerous untruth, not when she had had Oguba inside her own mind and seen his perception of space and time for what it really was...
Oguba lied to me so many times before. But can a Lost Logia really lie? Even if he's a corrupted Lost Logia, with drastic changes made internally...No, more importantly, could a Lost Logia do something to itself which would damage it beyond repair? It could, couldn't it?
"Nanoha?" Tiana said, joining her at the bedroom door.
Nanoha forced herself to put her thoughts about Oguba at the back of her mind. She shouldn't be focusing on him at the moment, not when she hadn't even seen a single trace of the Lost Logia since entering this universe. Maybe she would never even see him again and she was just running in circles...
But if I can't make contact with him, we'll never get back to our own world again. We'll be stuck here for the rest of our lives, and I'm not prepared to let that happen. Oguba created the wormhole which took us here – Oguba and Grylmark. If Oguba isn't present in this world, then Grylmark will be. Finding either of them are the key to returning back to the Mid-childa we know.
"Let's go," Nanoha said to the forward, marching out of the room without looking back. She had a feeling that they would not be returning here.
She had ended up wearing her Bureau uniform after all, as opposed to the rack of gorgeous dresses and tailor suits that lay waiting in the wardrobe of the guest suite. Nanoha didn't really mind - the last few hours of the previous night had been mostly spent in her Barrier Jacket, after all, so she wasn't being desperately hygienic. Besides, she didn't want to leave her uniform behind here in Chrono's palace when it wasn't even her universe.
Together, the two Bureau mages followed the corridor downwards until it linked back to the dining room where they had eaten with Chrono last night. The huge security door leading out to the public areas of the palace was still closed and locked, but this time it was manned on the inside by two robust cyborg guards. As Nanoha approached, the palace guards appeared to recognise her and began to work on unsealing the multiple locks on both sides, calling out through the door to their companions to open up the passage.
"So," Tiana said, as the guards began to heave the door open, "where is it we're going? Where do we start, Nanoha?"
The Ace of Aces had been thinking about this since the end of last night. There were a number of different places where they could begin their search, but why go to all that trouble when all the information you needed was right here? For the moment, she would have to forget about Oguba. It was pointless having grand ideas about escaping back through time when they were still separated from the rest of their friends.
"We're going to find Chrono," Nanoha said determinedly. "He promised me he was going to locate Fate and the others today, and I'm going to hold him to that." Even though it was clear that he wasn't completely in charge around here, Chrono's status as Commander meant that he oversaw all operations of the Harlaown Program. With the Program effectively monitoring virtually all of Mid-childa, Chrono should still have something for them. "Hopefully he'll be able to save us a lot of time."
As the cyborg guards hauled the door open at last, the sounds of crowded activity burst through in a drone-like murmur of the busy chattering accompanying everyday life within the palace, drifting up from the lower levels. Nanoha and Tiana pushed through as hundreds of people circulated around them to choke up what little space was left in their vicinity. With some effort, the two mages eventually made their way over to the balcony overlooking the floors far below, pulling themselves free from the congested crowds.
It was only mid-morning and yet the palace was already so busy. Was it always like this? Even when Chrono had first taken them inside last night, there had been visible signs of lots of things going on at once in multiple areas of the palace, but that had been at a considerably late hour. Compared to what it was like now, it almost felt as if a small fraction of Mid-childa's population had started taking up residence here.
From her vantage point, Nanoha could see with dismay that it only became more crowded as you went further down. There even seemed to be some kind of business party going on at the ground floor, although she couldn't be sure from this distance. No one was standing still – everyone seemed to be in a rush to get to another area of the palace. Considering the size of the crowds, it was no surprise that a lot of people were getting frustrated about it.
How are we ever going to find Chrono in this mess? Nanoha wondered. The palace is so big that it would take hours to search for his whereabouts without so many people getting in the way. I could always cheat a little by transforming and flying downstairs in a shot, but I'm pretty sure that people are going to start noticing. Chrono may be friendly enough in his nature towards us, but I don't know who else might be out there. The people of this world are still alien to me. No, transforming in full view like this with thousands of eyes on me would be too risky.
"All right," she said grimly. "I think this is going to take a while. We're going to have to search floor by floor, and that's going to take forever."
Tiana looked up at her as a thought came to mind. "What if we split up? We can cover more of the palace that way."
"Split up?" Nanoha didn't approve of the idea. Tiana was the only member of her group that was still with her – everyone else had been lost in the transition through the wormhole. Separating themselves from one another could be dangerously risky when they had no sure-fire way of staying in touch, and the two of them could easily lose each other in this crowd. "I don't know, Tiana," she said uneasily. "I think we'd better stick together. Chrono will probably prefer to talk to me, anyway."
"But I want to help you, Nanoha," the sharpshooter pleaded. "I haven't been of much to use to you so far. I've just been hanging around the sidelines and watching you knock down everything in your path." Desperation came into her voice as she struggled to think of something. "I – I can use my illusion magic to pass through the crowds more easily, and - "
"You shouldn't be doing that," the Bureau mage said with a frown. "You'll have to transform to use your magic, and people will notice."
Tiana took a deep breath, holding her hands tightly together. She didn't want to just follow Nanoha through the crowd like a lost puppy whilst precious time passed them by, time that they weren't ever going to get back. Ever since they had come through the wormhole to this new world, Tiana had almost felt like she was a burden on Nanoha; it had been Nanoha who had been protecting her, talking for the two of them, conversing with Chrono and staying in control whilst she, Tiana, had been left forgotten in the shadows.
She didn't like feeling like this, and especially not after seeing how urgent their situation had become. The look in Nanoha's eyes before had showed clearly just how much the mage was missing Fate. If there was anything she could do, anything at all...
"We can travel faster if we go separately," the forward said, her heart beating fast. "You won't have to drag me along or worry about me. And we're not going to lose each other, because you can sense me from the aura of my magic, right? Please, Nanoha." Tiana looked up at her imploringly. "Please let me try to help you. I won't get into any kind of trouble, I promise! If anything goes wrong, we can agree to meet back here again!"
Nanoha sighed. "Tiana, you don't have to prove anything to me. I know that you're a very capable mage. Just because you feel you haven't achieved much in the past twenty-four hours doesn't mean - "
"It does," the orange-haired mage said achingly. "I haven't been helping anyone, I've just been trailing behind you and I'm being such a waste of space..."
The Ace of Aces whirled around to face her angrily, though her blue eyes remained surprisingly tender. "I won't have you saying anything like that, Tiana. You know it's not true. Don't call yourself a waste of space when you're still part of the reason why I'm not completely alone." She laid a hand on her shoulder, gazing into the forward's eyes, reluctance brewing up inside her. "If you really feel so strongly about this, if it'll make you feel better about yourself..."
This isn't the time for this, Nanoha thought grimly. We shouldn't be taking any chances. Wasn't it me who always told her not to be so reckless? This isn't the training field at the TSAB anymore, nor is it the kind of situation where you can just radio in to Shari or Hayate for reinforcements if you're in a bind. We're trapped in another universe with the lives of our companions on the line, cut off from any resources that might have been afforded to us by the Bureau. We're not in the middle of a high-pressured battle between mages or anything like that; this is literally about just gathering information as fast as possible. If we're going to risk splitting up just to save a bit of time which probably won't amount to anything, we might as well just transform whilst we're at it...
Even as such thoughts ran through her head, however, Nanoha couldn't help but feel sympathy towards the sharpshooter. The girl just wanted to help, that was all. She had survived the battles against Red Scorpion and was well-equipped to handle anything that might happen to them in the alternate Mid-childa. It wasn't going to be like last time during the JS Incident, when Tiana had lost her cool completely. No, the forward was a lot more experienced now and Nanoha felt that she could trust in her instincts and resourcefulness.
It isn't just that. Tiana made me realise that I've just been thinking about myself lately. It's true that I've been trying to look to the future, trying to find long-term solutions about how we're even going to get home to our own world...but for the most part, Fate has always been the reason I've been pushing forward like this. She's never left my mind, not for a single instant, and all I've been able to think of is finding her again. I've been putting her ahead of everything else when I should be thinking about everyone involved. Maybe I could use Tiana's help after all.
"Fine," she said wearily. "We'll split up after all." Excitement lit up in Tiana's blue eyes, but Nanoha kept her expression stern and serious. "Don't start celebrating so soon. You won't be going very far. I'm going to go check the ground floor, but I want you to stay here on this level in case Chrono comes back here and I miss him."
Tiana stared at her with avid disappointment. "I'm just staying here after all?" she said, stunned. "But I wanted to help you properly, Nanoha, not just act as a look-out! I can search the other floors in the meantime!"
"Tiana, there won't be any point in you doing that. I'm starting my search right at the bottom, so I'll have already passed through every floor by then. Neither of us is going to get through this kind of crowd any faster without transforming, and I really don't want to resort to that." She put one hand on her hip. "And you are helping me, Tiana. It's important that I know where you are, and that I don't waste hours looking for Chrono in the wrong places. This balcony overlooks the entire palace, and you'll be able to see him if he comes up to this floor." Nanoha took hold of her hands gently. "Do you understand me? Just keep yourself near to the entrance of his inner chambers, and stay alert for anything else that might happen."
The orange-haired forward screwed up her face in open discontent and pouted, clearly unhappy by this arrangement. She hadn't wanted this kind of role, no matter what kind of words Nanoha used to persuade her. She wanted to be helping the combat instructor using a much more physical and hands-on approach. Tiana couldn't help but think that Nanoha just wanted her out of the way for a little while.
"I'll do it, I guess," the sharpshooter said, in a kind of childish sulk. "But I still don't think I'll be really helping you from here, Nanoha. I'm a long-range combat mage, not a palace guard."
Nanoha shook her head. "I just don't want to come back from finding Chrono only to find that I've lost you too. That's why I don't want you to stray too far. Stay safe until I come back, okay?" She gave her a warm smile. "In the worst case scenario, you know how to get my attention, but don't worry about that too much. It probably won't happen."
The Ace of Aces turned round and disappeared into the crowd, leaving the forward behind to keep an eye out. It was the best thing to do, Nanoha thought. Chrono probably wouldn't be prepared to divulge any information at all unless it was her asking for it, so she would have to be the one to confront him directly. It still bothered her to leave Tiana waiting like that on the balcony, but she didn't think the girl was in any real danger. Chrono's cyborg guards weren't about to suddenly start attacking them, concerning the Commander's non-aggressive behaviour last night.
Resignedly, Nanoha began to make her way down to the ground floor, pushing her way through the obnoxious crowds at a tediously slow speed. She kept her eyes peeled at every corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of Chrono so that she wouldn't have to all the way down to the bottom.
What if he isn't even in the palace? He's a pretty important person in Mid-childa – what if he's out on prior engagements to other cities? No, Chrono told me that he was willing to give us the information today. He should be here...somewhere.
If she ended up searching the entire palace only to find that he was away, Nanoha thought she might have a little fit of rage. Her only link to finding Fate again, and...Damn it. She was thinking about Fate again. It wasn't something she could help: the Enforcer kept coming back into her head again no matter what she did.
She made it down to the second floor, and then the first, both without revealing any sign of the Commander at all. It was at this point that Nanoha realised something: what if she could try searching for Chrono via magic?
The Chrono I know in our world is an accomplished mage in the high ranks of the TSAB, even if he doesn't use his skills out in the open very often. What about this Chrono? Could I detect his magical field at all?
Nanoha didn't dare close her eyes to try and concentrate for fear that she might miss any vital sign of his passing, and kept herself moving through the crowd instead. As she came down the last staircase, however, she felt a prickling of magic right at the edge of her senses. Surprised to detect another magic-user so close to her, she extended the scope of her radius further, reaching out as far as possible...
With a shock, the Bureau mage realised that she could sense more and more traces of magic, coming to life all around her. Compared to your average TSAB combatant, they weren't very strong in magnitude, but...there were so many of them. Twenty, thirty, forty of them...Nanoha began to lose count. There were this many magic-users in the palace alone? With these kind of numbers, she was going to have a hard time detecting Tiana at all if anything bad happened! How was it that she hadn't managed to sense them before?
It took her a few moments to work it out, however, and Nanoha groaned out loud when it came to her.
The palace guards, she realised. They're all combat cyborgs. Although the Numbers in our world who operated under Scaglietti may have used IS techniques and not official magic, it's clear that things are different here. With such a high number of cyborgs present in this universe, magic would probably replace their standard techniques at some point. That must be what I'm sensing – I'm just picking up the traces left by the guards, even though they haven't used any spells.
It was frustrating, to say the least, because it interfered with her trying to lock onto Tiana's magical field. On the other hand, it was easy enough to tell which ones were the combat cyborgs, since they all gave off exactly the same small ebb of power. Tiana's magic was definitely stronger and would stand out from the rest of them, but she was now too far away for Nanoha to pinpoint her exact location. There was also nothing which might have suggested that Chrono was in the area. Considering his position in this universe, he probably didn't possess any magic at all, so it was going to be a waste of time trying to search for him like this.
She had now reached the ground floor of the palace at long last, the crowds growing more and more raucous around her. People were drinking and laughing amongst themselves, swaying and dancing to the beat of music sounding from the west wing...With a start, Nanoha realised that this must have been the business party that she had glimpsed from the balcony, assuming that was what it really was.
Relieved at having made it this far, the Bureau mage fought her way through the ebbing crowd, emerging at last through a gap in the flow of people until she arrived right at the centre of the mysterious party. It was refreshing to leave such a claustrophobic atmosphere behind her.
There were still too many people in the area, however, swaying and dancing to the beat of the music. Glasses of champagne were being refilled regularly as waiters moved through the gathering without obstruction, passing Nanoha by with barely a second glance towards her. Rows and rows of tables were filled with plates of food, a mini-buffet to accommodate the party guests as they dined to their heart's content.
Where is he?
Several times she thought she spied Chrono up ahead of her, but each time it turned out to be only a stranger with a similar appearance. There was a stage rising up at the front of the party, upon which a group of girls were singing and dancing contentedly to keep the mood going. Nanoha watched them for a short while, wondering if Tiana could see her from up above.
There had to be a few thousand people on this floor alone, but still no sign of Chrono. More out of frustration than anything, Nanoha resorted to trying to detect him by magical aura. As usual, she could only sense the magic coming from the palace guards...
Wait. All the combat cyborgs I'm sensing in the area are all based around a single location, as if they're converging on one point. They're not spread out at all. What are they...?
She had a brief moment of panic in which she thought that the cyborgs were all coming directly for her, but it wasn't anything like that. The answer was much more simple.
Chrono. They're guarding Chrono, of course. That's where he is! This is what I should have been doing from the beginning – out here in the open, Chrono would need his guards to protect him at all times. I should have been monitoring his guards instead.
Now that she had a clear path to follow, Nanoha followed where her senses were leading her, taking herself all the way towards the back of the stage. She would have never thought to check around here on her own, and was grateful for her own quick thinking for working it out so soon. The movements of the guards were all circling around this particular spot, where the crowds had thinned into small groups milling around uncertainly. The singing of the girls on stage was loud and piercing in her ears, but she worked on shutting it out.
There!
The mage rounded the corner to see the figure of the blue-haired Commander conversing with two of the performers, complimenting them on their act. He was surrounded by a small group of other people, most of which were dressed in rich, flowing robes, all of whom were gripping glasses of alcohol in their tight hands. Looks like he's spending his time hanging out with the bureaucrats of the next generation, Nanoha thought darkly. Concealed in the shadows were two of the cyborg guards that she had detected before on her way there.
Wasting no more time, she walked forward at a swift pace and brought her hand forward to grip his shoulder.
"Hello, Chrono," Nanoha said pleasantly.
Startled, the Commander turned round to face her, his eyes narrowing at her unexpected appearance. A doubtful, wary look had crossed his features, but he was trying not to show it.
"Nanoha," Chrono replied in greeting, forcing a smile. "My lady. Are you well? Is there anything I can help you with? I'm afraid I am rather pre-occupied with matters of the state at this present moment..."
"I'd like to talk to you, if that isn't a problem," Nanoha said, not releasing her grip. "You promised to find my friends, didn't you?"
The blue-haired Commander tensed up uncomfortably, well aware of the murmuring of the bureaucrats behind him. "Yes, yes I did," he admitted. "However, Nanoha, as you might realise, I am a very busy man. This may not be the best time for me to deal with such trifling concerns when I have my other duties to attend to – if you could ask me to help you when I have more time - "
"No," the Ace of Aces said in a dangerous tone of voice. She hadn't come all the way here just so he could avoid all her questions. "It wasn't easy to find you, Chrono. You're going to help me, right now. The lives of my companions are not "trifling concerns"." His laid-back attitude was really beginning to aggravate her, raising the aggression in her voice. "You really think that your little morning party is more important? People are dying every day and you're just going to dine and forget about them? Is that it, Chrono?"
He tried to turn away from her, stung. "I don't make the rules, Nanoha. I'm being serious. I have a lot of things to do right now - "
"Don't try to get away." The Bureau mage grabbed hold of him with both hands. "You told me this planet doesn't need saving. The way I see it, this is world is never going to grow beyond its population limit, and Mid-childa might as well be stuck in a frozen moment of time. I'm not going to try saving it, Chrono. To be honest with you, I don't know where to start."
The bureaucrats around him were beginning to disperse, muttering underneath their voices about her, but Nanoha didn't care. "I'm not going to try and tell you why you're doing everything wrong here - I'm not even going to stop your Harlaown Program from ruining the lives of the only people you have. I'm not in a position to do any of that." Her voice rang sharply with determination.
"But I've got a responsibility for every friend of mine who came into this broken world, and if you have any power at all to find out what's happened to do them, Chrono, you're going to do it just like you promised! I'm not going to spend another day in this universe if I can help it!"
There was a long silence in which the Commander gazed at her coldly. He drew himself up with a start, shrugging her hands off his shoulders.
"Well, I might as well help you now, Nanoha," he said darkly. "You've managed to frighten away the people I was trying to talk to."
The combat instructor shrugged unsympathetically. "Good."
"It was important, Nanoha. I was talking to them about gaining possible immunities." Chrono averted his gaze, seeming genuinely distraught. "I...I think I'm in danger, Nanoha. Someone might try to make an attempt on my life."
Inwardly, the combat instructor felt like slapping herself on the forehead. Had he finally come to his senses about that? Last night, she had witnessed how Chrono had received a death threat from a cult and had simply dismissed it as nothing. He had invited her and Tiana in to his inner chambers without knowing anything about them whilst being lax in his security from thereon out. And he was only just starting to worry about it now?
From what Chrono had told her, the balance of the Harlaown Program was extremely unstable. It relied on the magic of Vivio Harlaown, magic which was only present within a living member of the Harlaown bloodline. And with Chrono as the only surviving Harlaown...
"You're a bit late," she said acidly. "Of course you're in danger."
Chrono shook his head, his eyes darting towards where his guards were watching over him dutifully, perhaps seeking comfort from their presence. "That's not what I mean," he said. "You remember how I received a note from the Cult of Neopocalypticon last night? I didn't think much of it then, because they never used to act before. But...I received another note from them this morning."
He shivered visibly. "It seemed different from before. This message had violence written all over it, with blood spattered all over the words, even citing the time of day that they would kill me. I've...I've never received anything like that before, ever. They never used to be this serious, and maybe they are still trying to scare me, but...It did scare me, Nanoha. I can't die. The Harlaown Program will collapse without me..."
Though a great part of her wanted to comfort him, Nanoha wasn't sure how she really felt upon hearing this. She'd just finished telling Chrono about how she wanted to be rid of this universe as soon as possible, implying that anything else that went wrong in this world wasn't any of her concern. She could see, however, that the second message from the sinister cult had deeply unsettled the Commander where nothing else had. It must have been a huge wake-up call to him, to know that an entire group of people were planning his death for real.
He doesn't know what it feels like. I've had to fight for my life so many times before, against enemies who wanted me dead. They didn't want me taught a lesson, or knocked unconscious...they seriously wanted to kill me. Chrono's going to be in that kind of situation, and if he faces it alone, he's not going to be able to cope. Will his guards be able to protect him? Even as combat cyborgs, can they stand strong against absolutely any threat?
He wasn't the same Chrono from her world, but that didn't mean she could just stand there and do nothing whilst he was killed. Before she really knew what was happening, the thought had come into Nanoha's head: I could protect him. I could defend him from this Cult of Neopocalypticon, just for a short while. Couldn't I?
It was a preposterous thing to even consider. She had enough problems to deal with already. But if Chrono really was attacked and killed, and the Harlaown Program collapsed as a result...what exactly would happen? Would the whole system collapse?
"No," Chrono said suddenly, pulling himself together. "I'm not going to die."
The Bureau mage stared at him in surprise.
"I'm a Harlaown. The strength of Vivio's Blood Oath runs through my veins." The blue-haired Commander was smiling confidently from ear to ear, with no trace of fear remaining on his face. "If any assassins come, I have the power to repel them. I still have the magical armour that Lady Yagami gave to me last year as a present. She said it would protect me from any form of attack, even though I told her I didn't need it." He threw his head back and laughed out loud, raising his arms up above his head. "No one can hurt me, Nanoha. I'm invincible!"
He has lost it, Nanoha thought wildly, watching him carelessly throw away all his fears and responsibilities out of the window. He has completely lost it. This is why I have to regroup with everyone and find a way back to my own world. If you live here for too long then you just start going crazy...
"I did intend to search for your friends today, Nanoha," Chrono was saying. He had pulled out a long silver rectangular device, initially strapped against his hip. It opened up into three separate compartments, complete with a miniature keyboard and several strange symbols on either section of the central section. A distinct humming rose from the device as the machine began to boot up, and three holographic screens came to life in front of him, each generated by its respective compartment. "I'd like to mention that I don't do this for just anybody. The paperwork involved in bypassing normal procedure can be quite hefty."
As Nanoha watched curiously, rows and rows of data began to appear on the left screen, forming a seemingly-infinite matrix of alphanumerical information as Chrono keyed in his log-in information for immediate access. To the Bureau mage, the screens seemed to be of a similar appearance to some of the monitors that she had seen Shari operate in the control room of the TSAB at Long Arch. Perhaps the technology had been adapted from the Bureau? The stream of data was going too fast for her to be able to read anything, but most of it seemed to be a jumble of numbers, co-ordinates and locations. She managed to catch the words "executor squad" and "Harlaown", but both of those phrases were quite self-explanatory.
"This is the means by how I oversee the operations of the Harlaown Program," Chrono explained. The central screen lit up to display with hundreds of people's faces, presumably ordinary citizens of Mid-childa, along with their profiles and personal information. "If any of your friends have been taken by the Program, then they are sure to show up on here."
"So you'll be able to see if any of my friends are just about to be executed?" Nanoha asked bleakly. It wasn't exactly the brightest of prospects.
"Now, Nanoha, it's not quite like that. Just because someone is on the system doesn't mean they've been moved onto the Program itself, it just means that they've been identified by an executor. Before I continue, however..." Chrono turned away from the strange interface momentarily, seeming rather thoughtful. "I discovered something interesting yesterday, Nanoha. Something you might want to know."
The Ace of Aces folded her arms, a little impatient to find out where Fate and the others could be, but also interested in what he had to say here. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's you, Nanoha. Or rather, the lack of you." Chrono passed one hand through his blue hair lightly. "You see, after our little conversation last night, I thought I'd try searching for your name on our system. Even if you were from a different universe, your name would have to come up somewhere, wouldn't it? The Program would still contain traces of your information. Even when the Bureau was destroyed, its members remained on the system." He leaned forward towards her. "Do you know what I found instead?"
Nanoha hesitated, not sure if she wanted to know at all.
"Nothing," the Commander pronounced simply. "I found nothing. There was nothing at all regarding anyone called Takamachi Nanoha – I did spell that right, didn't I? Oh, good. Yes, I found absolutely no trace of your details at all, Nanoha. A system dating back nearly two hundred years couldn't find out a single thing about you. I suppose you could have been removed from the Program at some point, but you would still have shown some kind of record..."
Chrono smiled humourlessly. "In all my time as Commander, I've never encountered such an anomaly. If I didn't know better, I'd say you never existed in our history at all." He frowned as another thought occurred to him. "Unless, of course, you really are an alien and have never been to Mid-childa before. There's always that."
The combat instructor was silent then, pushing down her doubts and suspicions before they could rise up again from the pit of her heart. She didn't want to say it out loud. If she did, she knew that Takamachi's last words to her regarding Oguba would only come back to haunt her.
"I want you to find my partner," Nanoha said shakily, not wanting to think about it anymore. "Find out for me now. I need to know where Fate Harlaown is."
The instant the words were out of her mouth, she realised just how crazy they would seem to Chrono – to anyone from this world.
"Fate Harlaown?" the Commander repeated. "That's impossible. I'm the only Harlaown still living."
"She's from a different universe from this one, Chrono," the Bureau mage said patiently. "Just like I am."
"It doesn't matter where she's from. A Harlaown in the Harlaown Program is madness. It'd be like searching for myself – the Program isn't going to kill the person who keeps it going." The Commander tapped away at the keypad to open up another menu, seemingly annoyed at her suggestion. "All Harlaowns are exempt from the entire process. They won't show up on here."
Fate can't be part of the Program becauseshe's a Harlaown, Nanoha thought distractedly. Why was the whole system built like this specifically? Why the name Harlaown? It wasn't that it was connected specifically to Fate, or even to herself. No...it was all about Vivio instead. For Vivio to take that surname and none other...
This wasn't the time to get stressed out about this now. She had concentrated on finding Fate as one of her chief priorities. If the Harlaown Program couldn't track where the Enforcer was just because of the name she had, then there had to be a way to get round that. How else would the Program recognise her? Could she be under...a different name?
"Okay, I got it," Nanoha said. "Search for Fate Testarossa. That's the family name she used to go by."
Chrono turned round and gave her a long, hard look which she didn't fully understand. Later, she realised that he must have thought she was completely crazy.
"If you're talking about Fate Testarossa from the existing House of Testarossa," he said in a low voice, "then all of Mid-childa already knows what happened to her in that awful house. I don't need to check on the system for her, Nanoha." He pushed the interface away from him, looking quite disgusted. "Why would you ask me to look for her, of all people? She died a long time ago."
What?
"She died?" Nanoha said in wide-eyed horror. She felt as if her heart had stopped beating, with the rest of her body struggling on in its wake. "What are you talking about, Chrono? Fate came here with me! She was right next to me just before we were separated!"
"She died when she was seven years old, Nanoha," the blue-haired Commander replied harshly, looking away from her. "Suicide, as I remember. Her mother, Precia, died in the same way less than a week afterwards. They say she killed herself out of grief." The Commander didn't look too happy at having to recount such information, but he went on regardless. "The House of Testarossa was a very respected house of Mid-childa, Nanoha. With two such tragedies in the family, it became pretty big news across the entire world. The House of Testarossa was never quite the same after that, and their reputation soon plummeted. Many people don't like to talk to about them at all, Nanoha. I don't understand why you would want - "
No. This can't be happening. When Fate said we would never see each other again -
"Search for her," Nanoha ordered him furiously, biting back the tears that she could feel coming. "Search for Fate Testarossa on the system!"
"Nanoha, it's pointless. She's dea - "
"I don't care!" she shouted, her body shaking so hard that she could barely keep herself standing still. If she didn't find out the truth..."Search for her right now, Chrono! Tell me where she is!"
The Commander shot her a sympathetic look, but reluctantly did as she said, keying in Fate's details with a grim expression on his face. "Fine, fine," he muttered. "Just bear with me for a minute, Nanoha. It's going to take a little while, because I'm only searching the entire planet."
It's a lie, Nanoha thought tearfully as the Commander reluctantly began to key in Fate's details with a grim expression on his face. The roar of emotions circulating within her heart, conflicting with everything she had heard and experienced up to now, screamed to her that it wasn't true. Fate was with me! Don't tell me that she was forced into another past and committed suici- No, none of that happened! Why would Fate ever do that?! She has to be here! Everything I've done, every thought I've had...it's all been for her! If I can't find her, I...I don't know what I'm going to do anymore...
If there was a Chrono in this world, there could be another Fate in this world, too, right? A Fate that had died in the way that Chrono had just described? But the Fate from her world, the Fate who was going to marry her...her Fate. She was alive, wasn't she? Wasn't she?
Cold, metallic steps echoed through the basement of the House of Yagami as the Legion made its way deep into the subterranean passageways which circulated underneath the mansion, hidden away from the rest of the world. It was not a place for the faint of heart, for it was here that the more sinister aspects of Yagami's assassination organisation came into light. The only reason you could have for coming down into the basement would be as a prisoner or a torturer. Even Noriko and the other maids were loath to venture into such a place, and so the floors often remained squalid and filthy for many weeks at a time.
The entryway to the basement was well-guarded and closely monitored, but the Legion had still been permitted to pass through. Though it had been a few years since the cyborg had last been a real part of the Yagami household, and there was no reason why the guards would remember them, it was true that old memories died hard here. Perhaps the Legion had been recognised to be one of Wyvern's creations, or maybe Suzuka had sent word down to security to let the cyborg go where it pleased...or maybe Yagami just didn't care anymore. In any case, there was no real trouble in gaining access to the basement.
When you looked at it from another perspective, the premise was very simple. A corridor, a very long corridor, with about a hundred cramped cells on either side. The floor was slimy and sticky with dried blood, with insects crawling out of the cracks in the wall and ceiling. As the Legion walked past each cell, it could hear the sound of agonised screaming. Under the surface of the House of Yagami, prisoners were being tortured, whether for fun or for information.
The Legion had been here exactly twice before in its entire life. It remembered every detail that it had seen before of this terrible place. It remembered being taken into one of the cells and ordered to kill the prisoner who lay inside; hearing the superior program praise it for a job well done; being told to do the same to every other prisoner in the block who was still alive. More than anything, the Legion remembered Exoria's face as she watched the atrocities happen. The pain and anguish in her eyes was not something that the cyborg felt it would ever forget.
I felt nothing before. I was only carrying out the orders of my superior, for that was all I lived for. Now, however, I can feel...despair? Regret? There are too many emotions to put words to. What were the purpose of my actions before? To cause pain and suffering, all at the whim of a higher intelligence? The creature I used to be would perform such acts again as many times as necessary without any hesitation. As I am now, I could walk into each of those cells now and relive the memory. Everything is stored within my databanks. Everything can be experienced again in full, but nothing will bring back the dead.
I have killed before, the Legion thought, walking past the countless cells as more and more screams rang out through the metal doors, the stench of death following in its wake like a grisly cloud of poison. As a machine, I am a success. But as a human, I am a murderer. Even Exoria has never killed anyone - she must have seen, far better than I did, that Yagami had changed beyond recognition when she started telling me to do those things...
The human in me is telling me that I do not deserve to live with so much blood on my hands. I even killed Scaglietti and delivered his brain to the client of Red Scorpion, long ago. Even now, I do not know why, only that it was what was expected of me. A machine which doesn't do its job is worthless and broken.
The Legion kept going, all the way to the end of the corridor. Yagami had ordered that Exoria was put in the cell right next to Felicity. Again, why? The cyborg didn't understand why the mistress of the house would do that to her most faithful servant. All the pain and agony in this place would pale in comparison to what Exoria would be forced to endure, in such close proximity to a Labinnac...it was as if she had already signed her death warrant.
Fearing the worst, the Legion gradually made it to the last two cells. The cries of the prisoners had faded away into the distance by now; even the guards would never dare to come this far down into the basement, and for very good reason too. In addition, the Legion couldn't help noticing something strange about the ground here - unlike the previous cells, the area here was well-cleaned and polished to a high degree, though it was clear that none of the maids would have been brave enough to do it. For some reason, someone had gone out of their way to make it especially nice and tidy.
Out of the two last cells in the block...one of them was not a cell at all. It was a bulky wooden door, with several large boards and planks nailed over it again and again. Either the person inside was very scared about coming out, or the opposite: they were extremely dangerous to the point that they needed to be caged away under maximum security. It was fear or be feared.
There was a small flap on the wall which was kept on a tight chain, perhaps to push food through for whoever was inside. It, too, had been cleaned very thoroughly, so that the previous stench of blood and grime was simply not present here. Everything just seemed so much more...hygienic.
The Legion took a step back from the boarded-up door, and looked up to see that someone had painted the following words across the boards in red and white:
KEEP OUT
DOMAIN OF FELICITY
And then, just underneath:
FEEDERS ONLY PERMITTED
The cyborg waited and listened intently for any sign of life. There was only complete and utter silence coming from inside Felicity's door, in complete contrast to the screams in the other cells. Somehow, the sound of silence was far more disturbing than any hellish noise imaginable. For a moment, the Legion thought it heard a tiny whisper creep out from inside, but then this too faded away into nothing.
Perhaps she was sleeping, the Legion thought. But it knew also that Felicity did not sleep. It would be best to keep away from that door for now, and focus on its initial task of getting Exoria out of here.
Quickly, the cyborg turned towards the cell opposite, and saw that the metal door was wide open. Strangled gasps and sobs came from inside, accompanied by the familiar smell of blood. The crackle of magic was present in the air, but it seemed so weak and close to sputtering out altogether. Steeling itself, the Legion approached the cell – and almost stepped into a sticky puddle of dark red.
The dark-haired Time Mage was slumped face-down in the middle of the cell, blood flowing out from her body in a vast radius. Her body was twitching and shuddering as backlashes of magical energy ran through her every few seconds, cutting down her back and shoulders as she cried out. Faint whispers escaped her broken lips as she shivered on the wet floor, not even looking up at the cyborg's entrance.
The Legion froze in the doorway for a moment. There were no marks on Exoria's body at all, suggesting that the damage was internal. Was Felicity harming her after all? Was this how the Labinnac attacked?
Exoria, what happened to you?
Another magical attack rippled through the girl's body, forcing a shriek from her throat, but this time the cyborg was able to divine where it came from. Though it was almost invisible to the naked human eye, the Legion realised that countless magical strands were buried underneath Exoria's skin at multiple points, like the strings of a controlled puppet. They were so thin that even the cyborg had difficulty seeing them at all, and each of them was aflame with razor-like energy. For magic of this magnitude to be burning into a person's body constantly, over many hours, whilst still keeping them alive...
The Legion focused in on the strands and discovered that they extended outwards from Exoria's body, to the open cell door and the empty corridor...to Felicity's boarded-up door.
So it really was the Labinnac who was hurting her like this. Felicity must have mistaken her for food – or even worse, a Feeder – and had begun the usual process as with all of her meat, conditioning Exoria over time to make her worthy for digestion...
How do I stop her? the Legion thought, as another muffled scream erupted from the dark-haired girl, dampened by the flooding of blood. If I try to remove the strands, it could do more harm than good. I could try to talk to Felicity and persuade her to let Exoria go, but engaging the Labinnac in any kind of conversation would certainly be suicidal. It seems that I will have to try something considerably less risky.
With a single swift movement, the cyborg lashed out with both hands and slammed the metal cell door shut, cutting through every strand at once. Exoria's eyes snapped open as she was freed from her restraints, blinking away blood on her skin.
From Felicity's door, a slow gentle scratching could be heard from inside; the creature was aware that its strands of magic had been severed. The Legion waited tensely with baited breath, wondering if Felicity was going to retaliate with something else even more venomous. Several minutes passed before the scratching finally abated, and a wave of relief came over the cyborg. For the time being, they were safe from the monster.
As they waited, Exoria had slowly rolled onto her back, breathing thinly with her eyes closed. Her hands and face were painted red with her own blood, but she didn't seem to notice. Staring up at the ceiling, the Time Mage had remained silent and weak, concentrating on breathing in and out properly until she could regain some of her strength.
It was a long time before the dark-haired girl could trust herself enough to sit up on her own. Watching her struggle, and knowing that the severe loss of blood would probably have driven her close to unconsciousness, the Legion moved over to her and helped her up with one metal arm. Exoria flung the cyborg a withering look, but didn't refuse their help. She was in no position to deny the assistance of anyone.
"Legion?" she whispered. "Why...why are you here?" She coughed lightly as she leant against the steel wall. "Yagami-sama sent you, didn't she?"
The cyborg shook their head. "I am here of my own accord. I came to help you, Exoria."
She gave a hollow laugh and started to turn away from them.
"I have no superior anymore," the Legion said. "The only orders I am following now are the ones I have created for myself. Having failed to kill Yagami and avenge the superior program, I have decided that a new approach was necessary. You, Exoria." The cyborg's gaze was fixated on her. "You are the only one I can turn to. The two of us are all that is left of Red Scorpion."
"Red Scorpion is dead," Exoria retorted, her eyes flashing. "Forget it, Legion. Forget about me. Forget about everything." She slumped against the floor, her voice hoarse in her throat. "I came back here even though I had failed in the mission that Yagami-sama gave me. All I wanted was for her to acknowledge me, but that's not going to happen, is it?"
A single tear dripped down her cheek. Not so long ago, she would have never opened herself out like this, but things were very different now. What did it matter how she acted now, after all?
"I don't care what happens to me anymore, Legion. I loved her before she changed, and I swore that I would continue to love her. I...I still do." Her voice cracked slightly. "If she wants me to be devoured by Felicity, then so be it. If she wants me to die for her - "
"She is no longer the Yagami that you once knew," the cyborg replied thickly. "Already she has ordered...a replacement for me. There is no longer a place for me here. You too, Exoria...it is likely that you will also be replaced."
The Time Mage's hand instantly went to the Legion's throat, red fingers squeezing against bare metal as her eyes narrowed in hostility.
"Yagami-sama would never replace me," she whispered. "I was there for her when nobody else was. I've been here with Arisa and Suzuka, ever since the beginning when the Family was first founded! She wouldn't throw me away like that!"
"And yet she tosses you in here to bleed to death," a high-pitched female voice echoed from beyond the closed cell door. "How nice of her to show you such courtesy, Exo-chan."
Exoria and the Legion both froze in their tracks. Somebody had been eavesdropping on their conversation all this time? It was a voice that they both recognised, too, a familiar voice which could belong only to a member of Yagami's personal staff. It was the last person that either of them would have expected to turn up here. But why would...?
The metal door opened out towards them slowly, revealing a grim-faced woman with her green hair tied back in a ponytail as she adjusted her glasses. She didn't look especially pleased to be here at all – she was already sweating from being so close to Felicity's door.
"So much blood," Dr Kaizen murmured, stepping inside and quickly closing the door behind her with a frightened look towards the Labinnac's abode. "Noriko will not be pleased to hear this when I tell her what a mess you've made, Exo-chan. She's the one who has to clean it up."
"Excuse me for bleeding, Dr Kaizen," the Time Mage replied acidly. "If you want to see some more, I'm sure Felicity will be glad to flush it out of your own body."
The doctor flinched at the mention of the Labinnac, her face turning a little pale. "There's no need for any of this," she said quickly. "To think, Exo-chan, that I risked life and limb to come all the way here, just to give you a bit of medical treatment to numb the pain. Here I am, in the jaws of death - "
"There is no risk to you here whatsoever," Exoria snapped back, irritated by the doctor's whining. After enduring such pain, she was unsympathetic to anybody who wasn't in the same boat as her. "Felicity has no interest in you because you don't possess any magic. And I know Yagami-sama sent you here, Dr Kaizen. If it was left to you, you wouldn't lift a finger to help me."
The green-haired woman raised an eyebrow at that, a dripping syringe held in her right hand. "So I take it you don't want the jab?"
"I need my fluids replaced, you idiot, not a mindless painkiller. I'm going to wake up hours later feeling like a worthless sack of shit." Despite herself, Exoria rolled up the sleeve of her arm, already stained red from Felicity's onslaught. She could still do with getting rid of the brunt of the agony. "You can give me the damn jab."
Dr Kaizen smiled knowingly, stepping forward across the cell to administer the drug. The twinkle in her eyes was prominent as she slid the needle deep into the dark-haired girl's flesh and released it into her bloodstream. She had never liked Exoria, but that was no reason not to do her job right. Her orders still came straight from Lady Yagami, and she was bound to follow them.
The sight of the Legion was a little bit worrying to the doctor, however. Whatever was that cyborg doing down here with Exoria? As far as she knew, Lady Yagami hadn't given the Legion any orders at all, and surely they couldn't be here of their own free will...Frowning, Dr Kaizen decided to let it go. It wasn't anything that was going to inconvenience her, anyway.
"I have some grand news for you, Exo-chan," she said, taking great pleasure in being able to say what was coming next. "Grand news indeed that Lady Yagami has asked me to pass onto you."
The Time Mage looked up at her hopefully. Was this a sign that the mistress of the house was going to acknowledge her at last? Could it be...?
"There is a visitor in the house at present," the doctor said smoothly. "A Miss Hayate, in fact. I think the two of you may have met before, have you not?"
She watched Exoria's face quickly drain of colour, finding it immensely satisfying.
"Hayate's here?" the dark-haired girl said hoarsely. "Alive?"
"Of course. Lady Yagami seems to be implying that you have been given a second chance." Dr Kaizen plucked the needle away and slid it neatly back into her breast pocket. "Your mission target, Exo-chan. Guest bedroom 4C. She's asleep, helpless, an open target...she's even blind. It sounds easy to kill her, doesn't it?" The green-haired woman leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "It's really easy, Exo-chan – really, really easy. You won't screw this one up, will you? Even I could have done her in by now!"
Exoria found that she was shaking just thinking about it, unable to keep still, and it wasn't from the effects of the painkillers. Hayate was here, in this house. The personal mission that Yagami had given to her could still be carried out. She could do it, couldn't she? Yes, of course she should. Anyone could do it. And yet...and yet...why was she dreading the thought of carrying it out? There was a deep, unsettling fear rising up inside of her as she thought of the consequences...
"Imagine that, Exo-chan," the doctor pronounced. "Your first kill. I'm sure Lady Yagami will be very proud of you once you succeed. Proud enough to bring you back into the Family again, don't you think? Even I might have a small amount of respect for you again." She couldn't resist a spiteful smile. "As much respect as one can have for someone who murders a blind girl in her sleep, that is."
Hayate's been prepared for me, Exoria thought, finding herself panicking. The pain from Felicity's torturous attacks on her had now ebbed away, and she could easily stand on her own. She could fight if she had to, against anything. Hayate's been brought here and taken upstairs all so that I can fulfil my mission. Is it fate? Or is someone else pulling the strings? For Hayate to be here, in my universe, blinded, asleep...Why is this happening? Why is all of this happening in my favour? Why the hell is she blind?
"Exoria," the Legion rumbled unexpectedly. "I have no grudge any members of the Bureau anymore. However, if you seek to terminate Hayate, I will be glad to assist you. Further orders received by my program are a welcome relief."
Again with all of this help coming out of nowhere. Even the Legion wants to help me too? There's no reason why they would even want to. They're an emotionless machine! It's not in their programming!
Something's wrong with this set-up, Exoria thought uneasily. It's as if someone is watching me, setting me up to take Hayate as my first kill...watching to see what I'll do. But I've got to do it, haven't I? I'll do it if it makes Yagami-sama happy. I'll gladly do it for her...
"All right," the dark-haired girl said, forcing herself into action. "I'm ready. Legion, come with me." She smiled coldly, preparing herself mentally for the crime she was about to commit. "Hayate doesn't stand a chance."