A/N: I was on holiday last week and couldn't get any writing down, so brief hiatus there. I tried to finish the chapter before I went on hiatus, but didn't quite make it. Anyway, here we are. And concerning future chapters, well, I just hope you like fight scenes.
COUNTDOWN TO DIMENSIONAL DISTORTION
140 MINUTES REMAINING
Signum, Zafira and Erio passed through the smoking ruins of the northern gate without much difficulty, leaving a long trail of fallen mutants in the dust behind them. With all three mages on the ground, their squad was now able to fight at full strength and soon made short work of the remaining enemies in the area. The Bureau's combined attack against the force-field had been successful, allowing everybody unprecedented access into Grylmark's facility for as far as they could go. It seemed that there was nothing impeding their progress further, at least for the moment.
Standing at the edge of the threshold, the pink-haired swordswoman scanned the corridors inside for signs of magic, glad that they had reached the interior of the facility at last. At this rate, their chances of recovering Vita and making it out alive were looking very promising indeed. Signum had to admit to herself that she had been worried earlier when Hayate had attacked the force-field on her own, rather than sticking to the original plan they had all agreed on. Fortunately, the TSAB had adapted to the change in time and everything had turned out fine in the end. The barrier had been disabled with minimal casualties, and that was what mattered.
Speaking of Hayate, the mage's powerful spell had annihilated the majority of the mutants around the northern side of the hospital grounds, making it much easier for Signum's group to reach the entrance. The Velka Knight was grateful for the help, though she couldn't say whether the situation would be the same for the other squads. For now, she was just relieved to make it inside the complex. There was no more time to waste here.
"All clear outside?" she asked her companions, just to be on the safe side. The last thing they needed was a surprise attack when they least expected it.
Zafira stepped over the motionless body of a winged beast and grunted in acknowledgement. "No enemies or visible threats left in the area," the Guardian Beast reported. "We should be able to continue. Erio, how are you holding up?"
"I'm fine," the red-haired forward panted, a little out of breath from the fighting earlier. With a practised flourish of his spear, he came forward to stand next to Zafira. "I'm just a bit nervous, that's all. There could be anything waiting for us inside."
Signum faced forward and stared into the narrow boundary of darkness that awaited them. It was like looking into the heart of a dark yawning abyss between time and space, a black hole which threatened to swallow up anything that fell into its gaping maw, but she saw no reason to be afraid. Erio was right to be concerned about the dangers they would face, but the Velka Knight was experienced enough to be able to handle such matters. This wasn't her first time leading a mission in uncharted territory.
"Let's concentrate on making contact with the rest of the Bureau," she said. "Vita is probably being held deeper inside the facility, so it won't be easy to find her immediately. If we're not careful, we could get lost within these corridors and lose a lot of time."
"Subaru and Caro must be here as well," the Guardian Beast said. "It would be a good idea to keep a lookout for any sign of their magic along the way. If we can make contact with either of them then practically all of Riot Force 6 will be united again, and we'll have a lot more firepower on our side." He relaxed the muscles in his right arm, frowning. "I can't detect much from here, but our connection to Vita is still very strong. It seems like we'll have to go up a few floors to get anywhere near her location."
"That's what I thought, too," the pink-haired swordswoman agreed. "For now, let's just bear all of those things in mind and work on finding everyone else as fast as possible. Shamal should be able to help us best, especially if Vita turns out to be seriously wounded, but she's with Nanoha's group at the eastern side." She stepped forward decisively into the dark corridor that loomed before them, feeling the pieces of a plan form together in her mind. "Let's try to proceed in that direction."
Erio inched forward warily, uncomfortable with the mysterious darkness sifting around the hallway. "I've never been on a mission like this before," he said worriedly, holding the Yagami Bracelet tentatively in one hand. "Should I just look out for traps? What threats should I be prepared for?"
"Threats?" Signum questioned, turning to look at him seriously. "Grylmark, for one. He's one of our biggest problems right now, although he's probably not going to show his face down here." That's unless we give him a good reason to do so, the swordswoman thought to herself. I wonder how he's feeling that we destroyed that force-field of his? No, he'll be staying close to Vita, as far way from us as possible. "Srethis and Ungore might be around somewhere, but I'm not sure if they're still alive. As for Oguba, Nanoha said that she's dealing with him. It'll be a bigger task to find any of them in this place."
"Let's get moving, then," Zafira suggested. "I don't sense any traps or hidden magic nearby. This corridor seems safe enough."
The Velka Knight nodded and extended a small glow of purple magic from Laevatein's edge, swiftly extinguishing the darkness that permeated the hallway before them. She couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary either, which suggested that they had managed to slip in beneath Grylmark's radar. Perhaps the summoner wasn't able to keep track of everything in the facility at the same time, or maybe he had simply given up trying to stop them and had fled. Either possibility brought Signum a sense of deep satisfaction inside; with the situation the way it was now, Grylmark was being gradually pushed into a corner.
Minutes passed by in relative silence as the three mages made their way down the deserted corridor. As their footsteps echoed across the empty hallway and no traps were sprung, claw marks and gashes could be seen carved into the walls and floor around them, evidence of the mutants' rampage down the same path. Signum and Zafira regarded the marks without much concern, knowing that the same creatures had already been taken care of, but Erio couldn't help feeling a little frightened at the sight. Those kinds of attacks were filled with the kind of anger and uncontrollable rage that would have been used on them, had their group not managed to defeat all of the enemies outside.
A light up ahead cut through the waning shadows, signalling an end to their current path. Within a few minutes, Signum's group caught up with it and discovered that they had reached a large intersection of multiple paths leading out into different locations around the facility. Here, the halls were unmarked and free of damage, and even the power was online and functioning to some small degree. The three mages had now progressed far enough to reach parts of the hospital which had not been affected by the Bureau's bombardment spells from outside.
Signum gazed down the many paths leading away from the intersection. There were about eight or nine of them in total, and all of them disappeared into another unknown section of the facility without no indication about where they led to. A disgruntled expression came across the Velka Knight's face: she didn't really like mazes, not in any form How did Grylmark and his allies expect to move through the hospital without getting lost? There didn't seem to be any signs or anything.
"All right," she muttered. "Now what?"
One of these hallways must lead to the upper levels where Vita is being held, the swordswoman thought to herself, trying to keep things in perspective. Another path could take us closer to another squad of the TSAB...and yet more of them could be filled with vicious traps which would incapacitate us. Maybe some of them link together and follow in the same direction. Is it going to be like this throughout the whole facility? What if the Bureau ends up going in circles?
"Maybe this is why Grylmark didn't set up any traps for us," Zafira ventured. "He doesn't need to try and trap us. He just has to wait for us to get hopelessly lost."
"Isn't there a map anywhere?" Erio asked desperately. "Anything that could tell us where we are?"
The Velka Knight shook her head. "I highly doubt that Grylmark would leave us a map, Erio.
"Not for us, Signum. For Grylmark and his allies. It must be hard for anyone to navigate this place without help."
"He's got Oguba with him. I don't think he has to worry about getting lost in his own facility." Unable to find any stray magic around the area that would be able to help them, Signum tried to think of something else they could do. Unfortunately, she didn't have much to go on. "The only definite way we have of proceeding is by checking all the paths until we find the right one," she said. "That would take ages, though. Shouldn't we be able to sense Nanoha's or Fate's magic by now? Or even their general direction?"
"Nanoha and Fate were positioned on the far side of the hospital," Zafira reminded her. "There's no guarantee that either of them will have made it near to us yet. We still need some kind of trail to follow."
The three of them looked helplessly at the multiple paths leading away from them. All of the corridors seemed relatively unmarked with a normal appearance, almost indistinguishable from one another. There didn't seem to be any way of deciding which one to take.
"We could split up," Erio suggested.
"There are only three of us, Erio. We have no way of long-distance communication and we'd probably be even more lost by then."
Zafira scratched his head. "We're wasting time here," he said. "If we don't think of something soon then we'll just have to pick a path at random or something."
"How will that be of any help?" Signum argued. "We don't want to go around in circles. What direction should we really be going?"
"South," Erio stated. "South and then east, if we're trying to meet up with Shamal. That's where we've been headed – into the central chambers."
"Then we should stay in the same direction as the corridor we just came down. In which case..."
Signum turned back to check the heading of the previous hallway, raising her right arm to keep track of the exact direction. Taking care to keep her arm straight, she pointed in the opposite direction with her left hand to mark the route they should take to continue. To her dismay, she saw that her finger was not pointing at any specific corridor, but between two of the possible paths leading onward.
"One of those two, then," Zafira said. "We can take the one on the left. It's closer to our initial heading."
He boldly took a step forward with one hand brushing at the side of the wall. At his touch, a sudden wave of blue magic flooded the new corridor which ignited within seconds and blasted it to pieces. With a yell, the Guardian Beast sprang back towards the intersection, staring as dark flames consumed his chosen pathway. He hadn't expected a trap to be waiting for them this far into the facility.
"That didn't go too well," Signum said critically. "Let's take the other route."
With more caution, she moved forward and tapped the edge of her blade softly against the walls. There was no response. Gingerly, the Velka Knight stepped into the corridor and released a stream of her purple magic across the floor, her muscles tensed for evasive action if anything happened. However, no deadly trap revealed itself: the path appeared to be quite safe. Satisfied that the way was clear, Signum breathed a sigh of relief and motioned to Zafira and Erio to follow her through.
As they continued down the safer pathway without further mishap, a faint whirring noise rose up from their surroundings. It was just a low humming, very similar to the normal buzz of electricity, yet strangely enough had not caught anybody's attention until now. The three mages stiffened in response, sensing that the sound was coming from the room up ahead, and that it seemed to consist of a mixture of magic and machinery. Somebody or something could be waiting for them, ready to strike as soon as they emerged.
Signum and her squad had scarcely begun to react to the peculiar noise before it was accompanied by another sound – a loud hammering from somewhere in the distance of the hospital which ruptured the near-silence and made them all jump. It sounded like a great crashing of metal, as if something was being driven into the wall with vicious force...
What was that? The Velka Knight thought, her muscles tightening in preparation for anything, not fully knowing what to expect. That didn't sound like automatic machinery...
The members of the Wolkenritter finally emerged from the corridor into a spacious chamber where the whirring sound had originated from, feeling a refreshingly cool breeze brush against their skin from above. Fans and conditioning units hummed loudly from the vents built into the walls and ceiling, bringing fresh air circulating around the room at a moderate pace. Aside from that, the place seemed to be quite empty and no immediate dangers were seen.
Signum regarded the room with suspicion, holding out one arm to stop the rest of her group from proceeding further. Something wasn't quite right here. Judging by her instincts, the whirring sound wasn't just coming from the fans – there was a distinct magical energy present in this chamber, something which she couldn't quite place. The swordswoman was accustomed to detecting magic which was destructive or oppressive in nature, but this was slightly different than what she usually encountered. It was just a little more subtle and Signum was having trouble determining exactly what it was. Nanoha or Fate would probable be able to generalise the source much better than she could.
"Any thoughts?" she asked Zafira. "There's magic here, but I can't tell what kind of magic it is."
The Guardian Beast shook his head, no wiser than she was in this kind of situation. "I'm not sure either," he replied. "Whatever it is, it's only spread out across the floor tiles. We should be able to fly over to avoid being affected by it."
"Signum," Erio said unexpectedly, a strange curiousity in his voice. "Look..."
He held up the Yagami Bracelet in his hand for everyone to see. The device was glowing with a red pulsating light, resonating eerily with the unknown magical field around them. It had been behaving like that ever since they had entered the cooling chamber. Somehow, the Yagami Bracelet was reacting independently to whatever magic existed inside the room.
"The magical energy in here must have affected your bracelet in some way," Zafira said slowly. "But that doesn't really help us, Erio. We don't know what that bracelet does, and we can't really analyse it without taking it apart." He looked at the Yagami Bracelet critically for a few moments, but the device showed no other reaction. "I think we should fly across to the other side, just to be safe. That's unless anybody wants to take a chance and try setting off the magic in here."
"I'd rather not risk that," the swordswoman said darkly. "The enchantment inside this room could be anything from a harmless array of tiny heat waves to a deadly concealed trap like we saw in the other hallway. Erio, hold on to Zafira and we'll all fly across."
Taking care not to touch the ground, the three of them reached the opposite hallway leading out of the cooling chamber without incident. There was no sign of any magic being triggered off, so they could pass through safely once more. Signum felt slightly uneasy at not being able to analyse the magical field in this area, but decided to take note of this room for future reference. If anyone ended up backtracking through here for whatever reason, they would need to remember to stay off the floor. The nature of the magic in the cooling chamber was still unknown.
Ahead, the hammering noise from before had started up again with renewed vigour. It was coming from the room right at the end of the hall, right where they were headed. The awful clashing sound grew louder and louder as Signum's group drew nearer, putting everybody on edge everytime it struck anew...
We've been fortunate in escaping most of the traps up to now, but that noise sounds like trouble. I don't sense any magic from this distance...it could be anything.
The swordswoman's sense of unease grew when she caught sight of a large gathering of dark-scaled monsters at the end of the corridor. Mutants? Here? Quickly, Signum began to charge up a spell, sensing Zafira and Erio doing the same just a few steps behind her. These enemies weren't the ones from outside the gate. Perhaps some of Grylmark's minions had fled here into the innermost chambers of the hospital itself, seeking refuge away from the rest of the TSAB, but if they were forced to do battle here...
More mutants, is it? Is this all Grylmark has left to throw at us?
She increased her speed to a light run and rushed forward to attack the monsters in the room ahead. As she did so, the hammering sound came to an abrupt stop, so suddenly that it was almost painful to her ears. The air around her was immediately engulfed with near-silence – she couldn't even hear the roars or howls of her enemies. What had just happened?
Signum raised her sword to strike the mutant closest to her...and then realised with a start that the creature was already dead. A neat hole had been burned through its body from the other side, killing it instantly; the beast's eyes were vacant and its jaw hung open in a silent scream.
Grimly, she pushed the corpse away from her with a firm kick. It fell without resistance and landing next to about ten or twenty more dead mutants which clustered the front of the vast room ahead of her. This wasn't the work of any mage of the TSAB, that much was for sure – concentrate laser or plasma fire of some kind had been used here.
These mutants haven't been dead long. Whoever defeated them could still be here...
"Watch out," the pink-haired swordswoman said quietly to her two companions. "We've got company."
Steeling themselves, the three Bureau mages stepped out of the hallway and entered the docking bay of Grylmark's facility. It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness before they saw the many spaceships and crafts kept in storage here within the massive chamber. It was an impressive sight to look upon: there were ships of varying shapes, sizes, models, types and designs, many of which even bore a small resemblance to those used by the TSAB back home. Signum permitted herself to gaze upon a few of them in admiration, wondering how Grylmark had acquired so many crafts at once. Sadly, almost every vehicle appeared to be damaged or broken in some way, or rendered inoperable due to age. A set of sturdy metal platforms kept each of the ships contained within a set area.
Sparks flew from a group of computer terminals set into the wall, all of which were now badly mangled and malfunctioning. Smoke had billowed out in large amounts where Srethis and Ungore had attempted to cool down the controls and increase the hospital's defences, but that plan had ended in failure. The smoke had long since dissipated, and all the terminals were now useless for anything but scrap metal.
A docking bay? the Velka Knight thought to herself in wonder. A docking bay here, in a hospital, containing so many ancient ships from long ago? Was this place originally a spaceport of some kind?
The lights in the ceiling flickered dangerously, and a great hammering noise echoed through the air once more, breaking the silence like a whip. This time the crash was far louder than anything they had heard earlier.
Startled, Signum, Zafira and Erio whirled around to see where it was coming from. With a shock, they realised that not all of the spaceships were completely broken and useless. A single craft at the back of the docking bay had been activated by external means and was in perfect working order. As they watched in disbelief, bright piercing lights flickered all over the front of the ship, and the mighty form of the Gargoyle rose into the air with a powerful roar of its engines. A great metal crane swung around from the top to smash into yet another ship in the room, reducing the old vehicle to pieces in no time.
"What on earth is that?" Zafira cried, drawing back his fists to defend himself.
The Gargoyle rose higher still until it drew very close to the ceiling of the vast chamber, and a set of panels opened out to reveal a pair of laser cannons, charging up to fire. At the same time, the dim light shifted enough for them to see the person in the pilot seat. It was a little girl with silver eyes and silver hair, her face lit up with excitement. A black balloon was clutched tightly in her other hand, and it seemed that she would never let it go.
"Hi!" Elsie exclaimed, manipulating the controls of the Gargoyle to her will. "You must be the Bureau! I've been waiting for you!"
Two sharp bursts of laser fire shot towards the three mages, but they had anticipated the attack and were already diving out of the way to avoid it. Nevertheless, the impact of the attack shook the entire room with a great ferocity.
"Who are you?" Signum shouted, grasping Laevatein's hilt in front of her and keeping a defensive stance. "You're not Srethis or Ungore after all. You're just a little girl! Are you one of Grylmark's allies?"
The silver-haired girl blinked. "Grylmark? I don't know about Grylmark." She chuckled softly. "But I know about you! All of you! You're here to play with me and give me the entertainment I deserve, aren't you? I already had my fun with the mutants, but they didn't last long." The Labinnac barely glanced towards where the mutants' corpses lay by the doorway, her eyes on new targets. "I can't have real fun if I don't play with strong people. But you're strong, and that makes me happy! All of you seem strong enough for me!"
"This isn't a game!" Zafira said angrily, flying upwards to clasp onto one of the higher platforms. "I don't know who you are, but if you're not here to stop us then there's no reason why we should fight. Do you know where Vita is?"
The crane-like arm at the top of the Gargoyle suddenly whirled around with lightning speed, smashing into the side of the platform that the Guardian Beast was holding onto. With an alarmed yell, Zafira quickly leaped clear from the wreckage, his face pale. This was not a definition of "playtime" that he had been previously aware of.
"You're not listening to me!" Elsie sang, charging up the laser cannons again. "My life consists of food and entertainment! Grylmark told me he would feed me if I joined him. And you know what? He lied. Metal and electricity doesn't fill me up much, and I'm still reaaaally hungry." She sighed sadly. "But that's okay...for now. Until I get some proper food to eat, I get to have fun instead. I don't know who Vita is, and I don't care." Her silver eyes alighted on the members of the Wokenritter gleefully. "But since you're here, you'll have to give that fun to me!"
What is she playing at? Signum thought in dismay. Like Zafira said, we shouldn't have to fight this girl. We could backtrack through the corridor right now and avoid a complicated battle – the hallway would be too narrow for her to follow. On the other hand...what if she blasts the whole place down? What if we end up leading her to Nanoha? Nanoha's got her hands full with Oguba. She doesn't need this.
The Gargoyle surged forward, and a second crane extended forward to smash the three mages apart. On the ground, Signum and Erio raised their weapons as one to stand firm against the great ship approaching them.
"Signum?" the red-haired forward said tentatively, bravely standing his ground as the fully-equipped craft soared across the docking bay to take them on. "What's the plan? Are we going to stay here and fight, or should we forget this and find the rest of the Bureau?"
The Velka Knight shook her head, her mind made up. She had a feeling that if they chose to leave this enemy alone, then it would just cause a lot more trouble later on when they didn't need it. If this girl wanted a fight, then they'd give her one to remember.
"We don't really have time for this," she answered. "Let's finish this as quickly as possible. We'll take her down in one go, and then regroup with everyone else and find Vita."
Erio nodded. "Got it."
The Gargoyle dived down to meet their attack, twin cranes swinging towards the two Bureau mages in a wide radius. Quickly, Signum and Erio ducked and rolled beneath the deadly weapons, breathing fast as they gradually regained their footing again. This wasn't going to be easy.
"I'm Elsie Labinnac!" the silver-haired girl cried, swerving the ship around to face them for another charge. "Youngest Sister of the Family of Labinnac! Grylmark told me to stop the Bureau, but I'd rather play with you and watch you feed my temptations instead." She threw back her head and laughed, throwing the controls forward as the Gargoyle put on a burst of acceleration. "You use Velka magic, don't you? That's wonderful, but it won't work against me!" Her face turned hard for a split second, revealing something of her real self behind the face of a little girl. "Now, mages of the Bureau, try to hurt me! And dare to pit yourselves against the all-encompassing legacy of my Family!"
Hayate and Exoria searched through the western halls of the facility for any trace of the Bureau's whereabouts, their efforts going largely unrewarded as they kept on their toes for hazards and dangers in the area. The sudden disappearance of the Legion had cut their number down to two, making it especially important that they made contact with the TSAB as soon as possible. Since it wouldn't do the Time Mage any favours if the Wolkenritter mistook her for an enemy and started attacking her on sight, Hayate had decided to try heading south where Fate's squad was located. The Enforcer was a reasonable woman; she would sympathise with Exoria's situation and be able to help them.
Unfortunately, things weren't exactly going to plan. Within minutes of entering the hospital, the two women had experienced great difficulty in covering much distance through the building at all, thanks to a large number of cleverly-placed illusion barriers at almost every junction. The floors had been polished to a high degree until you could virtually see your own reflection in them, effectively acting as a giant mirror which enhanced each spell multiple times. With such an intricate web of concealment magic hemming you in on all sides, you could lose your way with a single step.
Hayate was skilled enough to be able to detect standard illusion spells, but this was on a different level altogether. The walls shifted and revolved outside her control, occasionally turning opaque or transparent depending on which direction she chose to look; hidden stairways and concealed passages rearranged themselves in reaction to her magic, constantly preventing the mage from finding the true way forward. It wasn't long before she and Exoria started going round in circles. In frustration, the Time Mage started hurling her own magic at the invisible walls around them, but her small measure of Oguba's power had little effect. Without a way to escape the circle of illusions, Hayate and Exoria had become hopelessly lost, barely minutes after passing through the western gates.
Grylmark knew we were coming, the Bureau mage thought silently. Srethis and Ungore probably warned him. That's why there are so many illusions on this side of the hospital...he must have set them off deliberately to stop us from making any progress. Whatever the reason, he must see me as a real threat...
At a time like this, they could really do with Tiana's help on their side, but even so Hayate felt that she sharpshooter would have a hard time destroying Grylmark's high-level spells by herself. The amount of magic which filled these corridors was simply ridiculous. Exoria wasn't making things any easier, either; the dark-haired girl had taken to yelling at the walls and kicking them angrily, as if hoping that she could make a hole through to the other side.
"Come out and face us, you coward!" the Time Mage shouted, stubbing her toe on another hard corner of the hallway. "Is this what you've decided to do, Grylmark? Just hide behind stupid illusions and run away?"
Hayate decided not to mention to Exoria that she was guilty of exactly the same thing herself. Somehow, she didn't think that Grylmark was close enough to hear them anymore, nor did he even care. The summoner had probably thrown up these illusion traps to stall them whilst he dealt with the rest of the Bureau, assuming he hadn't fled already. Goading him with empty words was just a waste of breath and would achieve nothing.
"Exoria, stand still for a moment," she said, trying to concentrate. "We can't break the illusion if you keep moving around."
The Time Mage flung her a dark look, fed-up of being trapped in this unending maze of mirages and deceptions. "And what do you suggest, Hayate?" she demanded. "We've tried everything short of blasting through the roof! Time's running out for all of us! How are we supposed to move forward when the hallways change every time we blink?"
"Maybe we shouldn't blink, then," the short-haired mage said slowly, an idea slowly springing to mind. "Maybe...maybe we shouldn't be looking at all. At least not with our eyes..."
"What are you talking about?"
But Hayate understood now how they were supposed to combat this. The shifting and changing of the corridors around them was based purely on light and illusion, magic which changed the way their eyes saw the world. If they wanted to escape the effects of such a spell, then they just needed to stop using their eyes...
Quickly, the short-haired mage squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed hold of her Exoria's arm, ignoring her companion's spluttered cries in protest. She swept her magic round in a small radius around the two of them, sensing how the energy moved across the solid surface of the metal walls and feeling her way around blindly with the aid of her staff. At the core of her mind, Hayate focused intently on a single space of silence and ignored every other sound which came to her ears, sounds which were designed to throw her off the track. She knew how to get through this now.
I've been blind before. It's awful to live your life in absolute darkness, unable to reach out to those around you in ways that you've been used to for so long, but it also opened my mind to new sensations that I had never been aware of before. Even so, I never want to experience such a feeling ever again. Just this once, however, I'm going to make myself remember what it was like.
She felt Exoria trying to steer her away from the wall, fearful that they were going to walk right into it., but Hayate also knew for certain that the "wall" didn't exist. There was nothing there, after all, nothing to stop her from moving forward; a concealed, twisted passageway lay revealed to her, a shining path that could not be seen with anyone's eyes. Now that her senses were deadened and partially shut down like this, with the power of her own magic assisting her, the commander of Riot Force 6 felt that she could finally differentiate the illusions from reality. Maybe they wouldn't be heading south like she had wanted, but they would at least make some headway. It was better than being trapped in this prison of mirrors for hours.
"I don't like this," the Time Mage moaned. "That...that can't be an illusion, Hayate, I can see the light reflecting off it as clear as day - "
Her instincts screamed at her to stop going forward, but the Bureau mage ignored them all and dragged Exoria forward relentlessly. Slowly, the two of them passed straight through the metal wall, their bodies meeting with no resistance at all as they moved easily through the realistic image. When the floor rapidly turned into a staircase, Hayate's grip on her magic wavered slightly and she almost tripped over her feet. Within moments, the stairs began to shift and straighten out into a curved ramp, but Hayate felt no reaction with her own magic. It was just another illusion: ascending the ramp would suck them back into the controlling maze and take them all the way back to the beginning again. One step forward and two steps back.
With that information in mind, the mage kept walking dead ahead, feeling nothing blocking her path. The Time Mage tensed at her side, uncomfortable with passing straight through the next lifelike illusion, but gritted her teeth and trusted in her judgement. Together, the two women travelled out of range of Grylmark's maze of illusions at last until the world returned completely to reality once more.
I can feel my magic moving in sync with my usual instincts again, just like they should be. We must have left the illusions behind.
Satisfied that everything was back to normal again, Hayate opened her eyes again. The floor beneath her feet was no longer as immaculate and polished as before, but worn and grubby, and the walls were now covered with the claw marks and gashes of mutants who had come through recently. The web of illusions were confined to one location and had a very limited range; it had only been a matter of time before she had made it clear.
"Whew," she breathed, blinking in the strong lights which shone down from above. "I'm glad that's over."
Exoria let go of her arm, looking dazed at being dragged through several fake walls and stairwells one after the other. Nevertheless, the dark-haired girl looked just as relieved to be back in the real world again. There was no going back now.
"What now, Hayate?" she asked. "We've lost our sense of direction now and we still haven't found anyone from the Bureau. I don't know if we can - "
There was a flash of green light in the hallway behind her, and the Time Mage whirled around to find herself face to face with another female magic-user with soft blonde hair. Somebody was here, looking for them.
What the...? Did Yagami send an assassin after me after all? Are they here to kill me?!
Without thinking, Exoria panicked and lashed out with time magic in her opponent's direction. Taken off guard, her aim was poor in the space of the passageway, and her weak attack was deflected by a binding spell which snaked towards her arms with narrow precision.
"You're Exoria, aren't you?" the newcomer said accusingly, stepping forward to do battle. "You're with Red Scorpion! What have you done with Vita?"
Grimly, the dark-haired girl slashed at the other woman with her dagger, cutting through empty air as her enemy side-stepped the attack and threw up a strong shield of passive green magic. Her weapon-hand jarred bluntly against the protective barrier, almost causing her to drop the blade, but Exoria pressed her attack forward and unleashed another blast of Time Destruction squarely into the centre of the shield. She was fighting purely on instinct, not even thinking about anything except protecting Hayate and her own survival...
"Exoria, stop!" Hayate cried, grabbing her arm to stop her from casting another spell. "Don't fight her! That's a mage of the Wolkenritter!"
The dark-haired girl faltered in her steps, uncertainty in her eyes. What?
"Shamal, it's me!" the short-haired mage said, rushing forward to stand between the two women. "Stop fighting her! Exoria's on our side now!"
For several heart-pounding seconds, everybody froze in their tracks. On one side, Shamal was standing in front of them, a protective magical shield in one hand and a binding spell charging up in the other; on the rear, Exoria had raised her dagger to chest level, interrupted in the middle of another melee attack. It was a strange set-up for all three of them to meet at this lonely corridor, but for a split second nobody seemed to knew what to do.
"Hayate?" the medical mage said in disbelief, her eyes widening. "Hayate, what are you doing? That's Exoria that you're protecting! She tried to kill you before, remember?"
"No, she didn't, Shamal. She's not our enemy anymore." The commander of Riot Force 6 made no move to get out of the way. "I know this is going to be hard for you to believe, but hear me out. Exoria's been travelling with me since yesterday as an ally of the Bureau – she's changed from the person that she used to be."
"What?" The medical mage just looked more and more confused. "Hayate, you can't be serious - "
"Her past actions against us weren't her fault," Hayate continued, refusing to give way. She felt partly responsible for the Time Mage's presence here; she was the one who had promised Exoria sanctuary at the TSAB, and she intended to make sure she got it. "She was just being used by those who created Red Scorpion for their own ends. Exoria doesn't have a safe place in this world anymore, Shamal. She's come here with me to seek the protection of the Bureau."
Slowly, Shamal took a step away from both of them, the power of her shield waning slightly. "Are you sure you're the real Hayate?" she said dubiously. "You aren't Srethis in disguise, like last time?"
"Do you hear me hissing and talking in third person?" The short-haired mage sighed. "It's me, Shamal. Exoria, please put your weapon away. I promise that no one's going to hurt you." Her gaze shot back towards the medical mage again. "Shamal, do you understand what I'm saying? Exoria's with us now. She can help us combat Grylmark, so everybody just stop fighting and relax for once!"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I'm ready to believe that," the blonde Guardian Knight said quietly. "Hayate, what's going on here? I don't mean to doubt your word, but this is Exoria we're talking about. She's been our enemy every since day one! What makes you think we can trust her so easily, just like that?" The strained look in her eyes shifted towards the Time Mage for just a moment. "What's happened since we last saw each other, Hayate? Nobody knew where you were, or what had happened to you. I was so worried about you – we all were! I've been fighting with the Bureau so that Nanoha can defeat Oguba and Grylmark. You didn't turn up until the last minute, and now you appear out of the blue and insist that Exoria is suddenly on our side? How am I supposed to take that, Hayate?"
This was all going wrong, Hayate thought in dismay. Even her own Guardian Knights were beginning to doubt her. If Shamal felt so strongly about this, then how hard would it be to convince anybody in the Bureau? Something must have happened to put the medical mage on edge – something which concerned Nanoha and the others...
"Shamal, please calm down," she said, trying to sound reassuring. "It's all right. We've all had a lot to deal with during the past few days. Just take a moment and consider what I've just said."
With an effort, the medical mage eased some of the tension from her face. Her green eyes still shot towards Exoria, however, and her expression was not friendly. "You've been away from us for some time, Hayate," she said shakily. "For all we know, you could have been brainwashed
or something. Anything could have happened to you. My duty as a Guardian Knight is to ensure your well-being. When you suggest things like this...we all know that Exoria was with Grylmark the last time we saw her. This could be one of his ploys, and we wouldn't be the wiser - "
"Don't talk about me like that!" Exoria said angrily, dropping her weapon-hand down to one side. The other two women turned towards her in alarm, and she didn't miss the look on the medical mage's face. "I'm sick of this! I'm sick of being constantly mistrusted and used and hurt all the time! My own Family were the worst, and they were supposed to be looking out for me!"
"Exoria - "
"Are you listening to me, Bureau mage? Are you listening to me?Because you know what, you've been listening to Hayate and just ignored me, ignored that I've tried to put my future in the hands of your people. Maybe you fear me, loathe me, despise me, just like every creature on this damn planet."
Her hands tightened into hard fists, trembling on the spot as the glare of her eyes burned like fiery coals. "Listen well, then, Bureau mage – I'm not with Grylmark any more! He betrayed Red Scorpion, thinking only of himself! He's the one who took Vita away and disrupted the flow of Oguba's powers! Don't you dare put me in the same boat as him!"
Shamal was staring at her in a new light, not expecting to hear this from her. She blinked in bewilderment and surprise, realising that this couldn't possibly be an act of façade of any kind. The depth of passion and anger in the Time Mage's voice was quite real.
"I'll set things out straight here," Exoria growled. "Hayate told me that the Bureau would take me in. And I believed her. Well, now I know that you're the scum of the earth that I always thought you were! No wonder I wanted to kill all of you so badly in the past!" She slammed her hand against the wall. "I'm not willing to work with anyone right now. Anyone except Hayate! She saved my life more times than I can count, when I did so little for her. She's the only one who showed me a single moment of kindness! I left my Family of many years just for her, because she gave me a chance, just one chance to redeem myself!"
"Exoria, I didn't mean..." Shamal stammered, aware that she had made a mistake. "When Hayate said that you had changed, I didn't think that you - "
The dark-haired girl wasn't listening. "So I decided!" she hissed, shoving her dagger back into her belt as she blinking away tears of frustration. "I decided I'm going to protect Hayate if it's the last thing I do! No, I won't fight the Bureau anymore. I don't know how to work with people properly. But I won't fight people like you, because you're Hayate's friends, and it'd hurt her to see me do that." She turned her face away, breathing hard. "Is that evidence enough for you, Bureau mage?"
The medical mage was rendered completely speechless. She hadn't seen this side of the Time Mage before, hadn't fully believed everything that Hayate had told her about Exoria...but now there was no doubt that there was an element of truth to her words. If Exoria could change like this, put aside such hatred and turn it into something else – well, the hatred was still there, admittedly, but even so...
"I'm sorry," she said. "I misjudged you, Exoria. I didn't know that you had changed inside this much. It...it really makes me wonder, and..." Her shoulders slumped, unable to find a definitive answer. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what to say to you. I really don't."
The Time Mage didn't deign to look at her. "Save it, Bureau mage."
"She wants to redeem herself, Shamal," Hayate said gently, slipping her hand down to interlock with Exoria's. "I promised her sanctuary if she returned to the Bureau with me. I know it's going to be hard persuading everyone, but...this is something that Nanoha would understand all too well. People can change. Exoria acted like she did in the past because she thought there was no alternative. But it's a long story, and there isn't the time to tell you it now."
Shamal gave her a sympathetic look. "I can imagine. I'm glad you're here, Hayate, I really am. I'm glad you've survived, but I didn't expect you to be with..." With an effort, she turned to look back at the Time Mage uncomfortably. "Exoria," she said. "I trust Hayate with my life. I care very much about her, so you have to understand that I become very concerned when she takes risks like this..."
"So I'm just a risk now," the dark-haired girl spat. "That's nice to know."
The medical mage took a deep breath. "Exoria, I believe that you have changed," she said. "I believe that you are a different person than before. Even so...I don't know if I can forgive you so easily." She was well aware of Hayate's gaze on her, but kept going nonetheless. "When Red Scorpion attacked the Bureau, many of my friends suffered greatly. You played a significant part in that, Exoria. I remember that day well, because I had to deal with the wounded and the dead..."
"That matters little to me now, Bureau mage," Exoria said harshly. "I'm no longer a part of any of that."
"Really? It should matter," Shamal said softly. "There were a lot of casualties. Do you remember what happened? Nanoha almost died. Her family with Fate and Vivio was left shattered, perhaps just temporarily, but Fate was in a terrible state at the time. Hayate almost didn't return to us at all." She shook her head. "No, I can't forgive your early behaviour so easily. I'm sorry, Exoria, but atonement takes time, and I would like you to understand that. Out of respect for Hayate, I will keep myself in a position of neutrality, and will refrain from attacking you or doing you any harm. However, I can't say that the rest of the Wolkenritter will be so lenient..."
The Time Mage's dark eyes burned with emotion. Even having come this far, the mages of the Bureau couldn't bring themselves to completely trust her. The old wounds simply went too deep.
"I don't care what you do," she said defiantly. "I won't fight anyone in the Bureau, but I won't aid you unless Hayate specifically tell me to. As I am now, I'll continue to protect her with everything I have."
"You're not her personal bodyguard," Shamal said patiently. "She already has the Wolkenritter to defend her." She looked helplessly at the short-haired mage. "I'm not discussing this any further, Hayate. The dimensional distortion is less than a few hours away, and we don't have any more time to waste. If I make contact with anyone else in the TSAB, I'll tell them that Exoria isn't our enemy anymore, but I don't think they'll react too favourably."
Reluctantly, Hayate nodded. Their reunion had turned out to be more bitter than she would have preferred, and it didn't seem that they could hope for much more than that. "I understand," she said sadly. "I can't force you to trust Exoria, Shamal, but she's helped me survive all the way here. I've seen her in battle, and we need all of the allies we can get." She took a step forward. "There's another thing, too. Another ally was travelling with us – a combat cyborg, previously of Red Scorpion and operating under Exoria's command. They're known as the Legion, and have proven themselves to be a very capable fighter."
"Another one from Red Scorpion?" Shamal said, looking quite alarmed. "Hayate, are you sure about this? I already had my doubts about Exoria, but..."
"Relax. It's not like that. The Legion relies on their internal programming, rationality and logic, rather than emotions. They have a good reason to fight against Grylmark and would be a strong ally. We can trust them, I promise." Hayate paused for a moment, knowing she had to convince Shamal strongly about this; the Guardian Knight already had her doubts about Exoria. "The Legion was travelling with me and Exoria up to the gates of the hospital, but then they were caught in a transportation trap and became separated from us. I don't know where they are now. If anyone makes contact with them, then they need to know that the Legion is on our side now. Can you get the word out, Shamal?"
"You're just full of surprises, Hayate," the medical mage said, shaking her head in wonder. She still seemed a little hesitant, but relented nevertheless. "All right. You seem really sure about this, so I'll relay this information to the Bureau – if I can find anyone in this facility, that is. What are you going to tell me next? You've befriended all of Red Scorpion, maybe?"
"Not exactly," the Bureau mage replied reservedly. "That's about as far as I got. What about your side of the story, Shamal? I managed to trace everyone in Riot Force 6 earlier, when we were all attacking the force-field – but I thought you were all in set groups of your own. What happened to the others? Did you become separated?"
Shamal shrugged. "In a way, yes. Nanoha asked me to break away from her squad in order to regroup with more people, so that my skills would be of more use. I've actually been trying to reach Signum's group for sometime – she entered from the north with Erio and Zafira – but the corridors were hard to traverse. I ended up making contact with you instead, Hayate...you and Exoria."
The Time Mage turned her face away again. "We don't need your healing," she said loftily.
"You knew I was a medical mage?" the blonde Guardian Knight said in surprise. "Does it show that much?"
"I have researched Hayate's skills and abilities thoroughly over the years," Exoria snapped, withdrawing back into her cold mannerisms from before. "I know about the talents of the Wolkenritter, her Guardian Knights. She doesn't need you."
Hayate held up a hand to forestall the girl before this turned into another argument. "Exoria, please," she said awkwardly. "Shamal's just trying to help - "
"I don't want her help! You heard her, didn't you? She's not prepared to trust me!"
"That's not her fault." Painfully, the Bureau mage turned back towards the medical mage. "Disregarding what Exoria says, we're both fine at the moment, Shamal. We're not in need of any restorative magic. If you like, you could travel with us and search for Signum's squad, in case they really do need your help." She thought about the rest of the Bureau for a moment, and another idea popped into her head. "However...there's another thing you could do."
"What's that?"
"Subaru and Caro. Both of them are imprisoned inside this hospital somewhere." She knew this to be the truth, because the two forwards had been held captive in the same room as her, and didn't recall seeing them with the rest of Riot Force 6 earlier. If Vita hadn't helped her escape back then... "They could need medical attention more than the rest of us. I don't know how to reach them, but it's likely that they're not too far away from Vita."
"And our connection with everyone in the Wolkenritter tells us where Vita is," Shamal whispered, understanding where she was coming from. "That means I could find all three of them at once and help out that way." Her pulse quickened in excitement. "Yes, that's a good idea, Hayate. If all goes well, I might even be able to release Vita!"
The short-haired mage motioned sharply with her staff. "But be careful," she cautioned. "Remember that Grylmark is here as well. He went to a lot of trouble to capture Vita, for reasons that we still don't know yet, and he's probably staying close to Vita's location. If you encounter Grylmark, don't try to fight him alone. Retreat and concentrate on helping Subaru and Caro instead."
Shamal nodded. "I know. Time's running low enough as it is, so I'll head off right now." As she turned to go, her gaze settled upon the Time Mage. "I'm still undecided about how I feel about you, Exoria," she said, not without an element of regret. "But as I said, I'll tell the Bureau that you are no longer our enemy. I hope in time that I will be able to find a way to trust you more."
"You do that," the dark-haired girl said in an empty tone. "I'm used to being mistrusted."
Hayate closed her eyes in near despair. She had anticipated that it would be difficult for the TSAB to accept Exoria as a recently turned ally, but hadn't expected that they would encounter so many problems. Shamal was one of the more open-minded and passive members of the Bureau: if she found it this hard to trust Exoria, then how bad would it be amongst the others? Would anyone here be able to trust the Time Mage at all? Hayate hoped so, but it would take much more time and patience than she had thought...
"Keep yourself safe, Shamal," she said, bidding the medical mage farewell with a smile. "Exoria and I will move south now to find Fate, if we can." The Enforcer would be able to help Exoria, surely. She would understand what the Time Mage was going through, or something very similar to it.
Shamal nodded. "I'll head into the upper levels, then. That's where Vita is. Good luck to you as well, Hayate."
Fate crossed over the boundary of the southern gate, closely followed by Rein and Agito on either side as she made her way inside the facility. No mutants or similar enemies remained to bar their way into the hospital, having been taken out by the Bureau's combined spells earlier, which made it a welcome relief for the three of them to enter unscathed. Hundreds of enemies had been stationed here just half an hour ago, but now all of the monsters had either fled or been defeated. Inwardly, the Enforcer was grateful to Hayate and Nanoha for helping to clear the path ahead. This way, everything was much simpler.
We actually managed to bring the force-field down and gain entry to the facility, she thought excitedly. The army of mutants was the only thing that worried me, really. Now all we have to do is find Vita, Subaru and Caro and return to our own universe! There's still enough time left for that.
Her thoughts had initially been of Nanoha; wanting to meet up with her partner as soon as possible before anything else could drive them further apart, aching to feel her gentle touch against her skin and hold her in her arms once more...it would be a blessing just to know that they were safely back together again. For some time, that had been Fate's central motivation. Now that the Enforcer knew more about what was going on, however, she wasn't so sure that it was the best idea. Nanoha might be too pre-occupied with dealing with Oguba, or her squad could have encountered additional trouble at the eastern gate. Even so, Fate knew that she wanted be there to give the Ace of Aces her full support. If she couldn't find Nanoha, then the next best thing would be to meet up with Hayate instead.
It wouldn't be that easy, of course. The hospital's massive size made it difficult to find anyone within its maze of corridors, even with magic to guide their way, and there could be plenty of hidden traps and devices that were littered around the place. Still, the blonde mage had complete faith in her squad and felt that they could easily deal with any threats inside. As long as they kept an eye on the amount of time that was left, they should be fine.
"This was too easy," Agito said, casting her gaze over the lifeless grounds of the hospital where hundreds of mutants lay unmoving in the dust. "No more enemies? Everything's over already?"
Fate shrugged. "I guess Grylmark wasn't paying much attention to the southern gate," she replied. "Besides, this isn't over. It's only just beginning..."
Bracing herself, she pushed forward into the opening chamber directly ahead of her. Strange lights danced down from above and a strong acrid smell rose from the surrounding atmosphere, compelling her to tread lightly from this point. A curious vibration ran through the floor, strong enough that she could feel it beneath her feet, and a slight bubbling noise rose from the front of the room, just outside her vision.
There didn't seem to be any traps or hazards in the vicinity that Fate could make out, but she looked towards Rein and Agito for confirmation just in case. Both unison devices shook their head in turn. With a trace of suspicion lingering across her features, the Enforcer walked out into the centre of the chamber, not knowing exactly what to make of her surroundings. This was not a room that you would find in any ordinary hospital.
"What is this place?" Rein whispered, hovering behind her at shoulder-level. "There's no magic in here at all...and that smell..."
Fate moved forward as quietly and cautiously as she could, but even so her footsteps were a loud clink of metal on metal which punctured the silence around her. Her mage's boots scraped across the top of a large grille set in the ground, and an eerie green glow bathed their company through the shrouded opening. As the Enforcer raised her face upwards, she saw faint neon lights shoot across a tiny screen close to the ceiling. Fate watched the pinprick of energy race across her vision, but didn't see that it posed any danger to her group; so far, nothing in sight appeared to be connected to anything remotely harmful.
Two steel ramps led off the ground at the far end of the room, curving up to a raised balcony. Another ramp rose off the balcony in the other direction, leading onto a second balcony, and then another, and another...it was like one big stairwell which zigzagged in a bizarre looping formation, all the way up to the ceiling. Each platform was supported by a single giant pillar, rising higher and higher until they disappeared out of sight completely. Fate felt a strong temptation to investigate the tallest pillar, wondering if there was a reason why the platforms went so absurdly high – was there something hidden right at the top? - but decided to stay on the ground. Perhaps there were dangers here that even she couldn't see.
As she approached the first two ramps, the pungent smell from before grew stronger. The stench was coming from a great metal vat of green frothing liquid situated on the platform. There was the bubbling sound she had heard before, too...Something was powering up the tank, keeping it at a very high temperature. There were several of the vats spread out all across the platform, a whole row of them with toxic fumes rising out through their lids...
Tentatively, the Enforcer stepped up to the balcony and looked inside the nearest vat to see what it contained. She had to hold her breath to avoid inhaling in the fumes, but it was close enough for her. With a start, she saw that the inside of the metal container was slowly eroding, scarcely a millimetre at a time. The liquid inside was eating into it.
It's acid. Deadly corrosive acid. That tank can barely hold such a large amount without being dissolved completely...I should stay well away from these containers and press on. This is a poisonous environment to be in.
Fate glanced at Rein and Agito and noticed that they, too, were just as uncomfortable about staying here as she was. She didn't know why Grylmark had a room like this in the hospital – unless it was something to do with the mutants? There weren't going to be more enemies crawling out of the acid vats, were there?
"Let's get out of here," she said uneasily. "Nanoha and the others will have gone deeper into the facility by now. We should get moving and catch up with them."
"You got it," Agito agreed. "This place just reeks of trouble." Her purple eyes scanned the walls hesitantly. "Just one thing, though. Where's the exit?"
For several seconds, the three of them looked around the room in confusion. There were no visible doors or pathways leading out of the great chamber, save for where they had come in. It didn't make sense to have a massive room like this containing vital chemicals and machinery, situated right next to the southern gate with no way to pass straight through into the rest of the facility. If this was a dead end, then where had the mutants come from?
"Wait," Fate said suddenly, working it out. She pointed to the faint outline of a door in the opposite wall, partially hidden from view by the acidic fumes wafting out of the vats. "There it is. We'll have to leave through that way."
The two unison devices stared in disbelief. The door had been burned by the toxic smoke until it appeared barely operable at all; it seemed old and heavy, with many of the hinges affected by rust. It would probably be difficult to get it fully open, and nobody could approach it without being affected by the fumes.
Is this why Grylmark didn't leave any traps here? That door probably hasn't been touched for many years...
"Fate could blast the door off," Agito suggested. "Long-range magic would do it."
The Enforcer shook her head. "I'd hit the acid tanks in the process," she said. "I really don't want to do that."
"Then how do we get the acid out of the way?"
Rein flew forward, charging up a spell in her hands. "I'll deal with this," she said. "Frigid Dagger!"
Freezing icicles of magical energy plunged towards the fumes and cut through them in a heartbeat, rapidly lowering the temperature of the acid and clearing the way to the door. The bubbling liquid responded by releasing a billowing mass of steam which obscured their path even further. Satisfied that the problem had been dealt with, Fate waited patiently for the cloud to dissipate and then stepped towards the door to open it herself.
But before she could touch the handle, there was a single screamed cry which sprang up from behind her, one word which had the effect of stopping her dead in her tracks...
"Alicia!"
The Enforcer whirled around in alarm, a look of stunned surprise on her face. For one dizzying moment, she thought her twin sister was standing there in front of her. Instead, all she heard was the roar of a speeding motorbike just outside the facility, growing louder and louder until it was almost on top of them. With a start, Fate realised that somebody was coming straight through the southern gate; she unsheathed Bardiche in a golden chain of magic and braced herself in a defensive position, her heart pounding...
A red-haired figure drove into the chamber at high speed, hunched over her motorbike with a shotgun levelled straight at Fate's chest. The woman was tall, broad-shouldered and muscular with a deathly chill in her eyes, sporting an army uniform which left her arms bare. On one shoulder was carved a tattoo in the shape of a demonic skull was carved above one shoulder. Thick black boots slammed down on the pedal of her bike as she charged forward.
"Alicia!" the army girl shouted angrily. "What are you doing here? Where...is my sister?"
Alicia? How does she...What's going on here?
Wide-eyed and bewildered, it took Fate a moment to realise that the woman on the bike was actually addressing her. In that time, the Enforcer was already reacting to the raised shotgun firing at her head. Quickly, she swung her golden sword round and deflected the incoming shell coming towards her, her body flashing round to the right as she evaded the deadly weapon.
"I'm not Alicia!" she shouted over the noise of the firing. "Who are you? Are you with Grylmark?"
The muzzle of the shotgun whirled back towards her, but now Fate could see that it wasn't the only weapon in sight. Two scythe-like blades hung at the army girl's belt, and a couple of machine guns were strapped to her back. Whoever her opponent was, they had come in here fully equipped to fight a war. Were they a soldier?
Kagura's eyes burned into hers, narrowing as she pulled the motorbike to a stop. Rein and Agito hovered behind Fate, ready to lend assistance if it was needed, but uncertain about the best course of action.
"You," the assassin whispered, licking her lips as excitement lit up her features slowly. "You're not Alicia after all! I can see it in your face. You must be one of her worthless clones! I thought Alicia destroyed the last of them many years ago, but I guess not." Her gaze shot to the glimmering form of Bardiche in the Enforcer's hands. "Well, what a fucking piece of work you turned out to be, sweetheart. You're even holding Alicia's old weapon!"
Fate stared at her in confusion, not sure she understood what was going on. Who was this woman, and why was she armed with such a large range of dangerous weaponry? How did she know so much about Alicia?
"I asked you a question," she said quietly. "Who are you, and what are you doing here? Are you here on Grylmark's orders?"
The red-haired assassin laughed harshly. "Grylmark?" she repeated. "Are you out of your fucking mind? I'm here for my sister, you fool. I'm here to take her back!"
Fate felt the words cut into her like the sting of a whip; the biker girl spoke in such a venomous, domineering fashion that she was momentarily taken aback. It was more than hatred or emotion – a dark confidence and desire to control was what encompassed Kagura's words, like pulling a chain taut to ensnare her victims.
"Why are you attacking us for?" the Enforcer asked in surprise, holding her ground. "We're not involved with your sister at all. We're mages of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. In fact, Grylmark is our enemy too."
"I know who you are," the red-haired woman sneered. "But you don't seem to know who I am, sweetheart. I am the bringer of bloodshed for all who crave it. I am the eternal child of war, reaping my sustenance from the slain."
Stunned, Fate could do little but stare back at her. The assassin's eyes had gone black as death, a promise of what she had come to deliver.
"My name is Kagura Labinnac!" the assassin thundered. "Feeder and Sister of the Family of Labinnac, and Advocate of the Cult of Neopocalypticon! I've come for my sister Elsie, and I'll kill everyone who stands in my way!"
The Cult of Neopocalypticon? Fate thought, staggered. But I thought they had already been defeated! I finished them off on the roof of the House of Testarossa, with Arf's help. Is this woman with them as well?
She didn't know who Kagura's sister was, nor did she feel compelled to move out of her way. The frenzy and violence in the assassin's eyes was quite savage, a combination of hunger and desire to kill. Had this woman come here to fight Grylmark? Indirectly, wouldn't that mean she had the same goal in mind as the Bureau? Even so, there was no mistaking Kagura's present intent – this was the face of uncontrollable murder.
"Fate," Rein said fearfully, backing away slightly from the crazed red-haired woman. "I don't know about this..."
She's ready to kill us, the Enforcer thought to herself. If I let her go past me, she could do great damage against the rest of the Bureau and cause a lot of trouble for Nanoha. Even if I tried to avoid fighting, Kagura doesn't look like she would take no for an answer. I don't sense any magic about her, so maybe it wouldn't be too hard to take her down here...
"Rein, Agito," she said urgently, keeping her eyes on the assassin. "The door's open. Go on ahead. I'll take care of Kagura."
"But Fate - "
"Go on. I'll catch up with you in five minutes." The Enforcer locked her legs into position, watching her opponent's movements. "This won't take long."
Kagura didn't even glance towards the unison devices as they flew away and out of sight. It was possible that she didn't see either of them as a threat. All of her attention was taken up by the blonde mage in front of her.
"So you've decided to take the honour of being my next victim," the assassin whispered, a sadistic smile appearing on her face. She licked her lips in anticipation. "Five minutes, did you say? What a fucking joke! In case you haven't noticed, sweetheart, you're not Alicia. You don't have her power, her skill, her speed, her endurance...which means that you can't possibly beat me. You're only a clone. You just signed your own death warrant!"
"We'll see about that," Fate said calmly, bringing her sword up at a sideways angle. "What makes you so confident, Kagura? I'm a mage of the Bureau. You don't have any magic of your own."
The red-haired army girl grinned wildly. "Magic? I don't need magic. You just don't get it, do you?" She raised the shotgun back to eye level and took careful aim at the Enforcer. "I'm a Labinnac, you pitiful clone! The usual rules don't apply to me!" Her motorbike began to rev up again in preparation. "I'll slice you up, fake Alicia, and then deliver the pieces to your pathetic excuse of a sister! I'll show you that your world is nothing but a hollow shell of artificial memories!"
Her foot slammed down on the pedal. The motorbike raced forward, the crack of the shotgun echoed through the air, and Fate's body moved on its own in a blur of speed and magic...
A/N: I hope Shamal wasn't too OOC in this chapter. Next chapter will have Nanoha's part and the first of many major battles in this part of the story.