III – Hückebein

Nanoha felt divided. On the one hand, it was good to see her wife again and be with her in the same unit. On the other, she was certain Fate had not been listening to a word she said as they walked towards the meeting room. The Instructor waited 5 more minutes before doing something about it. She got close to Fate and blow air at her ear.

"Wha…? Nanoha!" Fate startled, putting a hand on her ear "Why did you do that?"

"I have been talking to you for a while and all you say is 'hmm'!" Nanoha said, making a pouting face and crossing her arms "Fate-chan is lost in her own world and doesn't pay any attention to me."

"That isn't true. I am just… worried" Fate replied, looking away.

"Will you tell me what is wrong?"

They just meet yesterday, but the reunion had been short. Both were overwhelmed with work. Nanoha had too many tests to run on the devices from Caledfwlch Techniques, while Fate was completely absorbed by the investigation. They barely had enough time to share a late dinner last night before going to bed, completely exhausted, only to woke up first thing in the morning to get back to work.

"We will discuss everything at the meeting" Fate said "You have been quite busy yourself. I can take care of this"

"You are avoiding the topic" Nanoha pointed with a neutral tone. Since she was 9 Fate had the bad habit of just keeping everything to herself, even her professional problems. She loathed to burden others with her issues so she tried to do it all herself, which was very frustration for those who just wanted to help her "We are working together now. I could give you a hand."

"I know, but…" Fate let out a sigh, defeated "Is not that serious, but it still worries me. The witness that survived the attack at Saint Valerie Airport died last night. Heart attack, unknow cause. Is not that strange considering her condition, and yet… I have been reflecting over it since the report arrived this morning."

Nanoha nodded. Now she could understand, even if she failed to see the issue. Lost of life was regrettable, but as Fate pointed out, the survivor had been in critical condition. Her death was tragic but far from unexpected. At least she had gotten her wife to come clean, which was better than trying to figure out what was going through her head each time.

"Maybe is worth investigating. If you suspect something you can request an autopsy" Nanoha said "And thank you for telling me. You should not keep things to yourself like that… even if you look very cute when you are lost in thought."

"Na-Nanoha! Don't say those things in public!"

Fate blushed, looking around for witnesses but they were alone in the long hallway. Nanoha giggled, teasing her wife was one of her secret pleasures.

They reached the meeting room, so their conversation was interrupted as Fate moved to open the door, still trying to control her expression, and they were welcome by the other members already present.

"Nanoha-san! Fate-san! It's been so long"

"Subaru!" Nanoha smiled at the young woman "How have you been?"

Subaru walked towards them, waving her hand. She was wearing the white uniform with blue shoulders of the rescue forces, and seem to be in great spirits. Behind her a more serious Teana remembered protocol and salute properly, she was wearing her Enforcer black uniform.

"Could you please act more professionally, Subaru? You are 21 years old" Teanna said, shaking her head.

"But we haven't seen Nanoha-san in ages. You always get to see Fate-san" Subaru complained, but she remember to salute "Besides we are just starting work today."

"You seem to be the same as always, that is good" Fate said, smiling.

The four of them enter the meeting room proper, and Nanoha saw it was already quite packed. She was shocked to see the other members of their new unit.

"Cinque-san? Also, Nove and the others… Are you all going to be part of Special Duty 6?" Nanoha stared at the rest of Subaru's sisters who just waved at her, not as use to the military discipline.

"You didn't know Nanoha?" Fate asked.

"Well… I think Hayate-chan mention something but she never confirmed anything…"

"We are here to help. Several members of the 108 Batallion and the N2R have been transferred already" Ginga, Subaru's eldest sister, appeared behind Nanoha.

The Instructor wanted to ask something else but at that moment the doors open again and their Commander, Hayate Yagami, entered the meeting room followed by her Knights: Vita, Zafira and Shamal. Her Unison Device, Rein, floating near her head. All conversations died down right away and everyone stood in attention, doing a formal military salute.

Nanoha took the chance to examine her friend's face. Hayate was normally very easy going and friendly, but today she was clearly all business, no traces of her usual smile adorned her face and she seem serious as she returned the salute, passing her eyes across everyone present.

"At ease" Hayate said, allowing everyone to relax and gesture for them to take a seat at the table. She herself took the chair at the head, followed by Rein. The rest imitate her until they were all seated "Good morning everyone. I am glad to see you all. My only regret is that the circumstances can't be more pleasant. I assume some of the people present know already what we are up against, others might have heard rumors, but I believe is important we are all aware of what we are dealing with. So let's start by getting some background information."

A small holographic keyboard appeared in front of the Commander and she pressed a series of commands. Several screens manifested behind her back showing images relevant to the case. These were a black book with a silver cross on the cover and a strange looking revolver with a blade stuck to the barrel.

"First of all, I would like to make it clear that while we are not taking this lightly, we are not considering this case a proper Incident just yet" Hayated started, she linked her hands in front of her face "Ideally we should be able to recover the objects you can see on screen now without allowing the event to get out of control. The tome is a Lost Logia, presumably created during the time of Old Belka, known as the Bible of the Silver Cross, and the weapon has been identified as Divider 998. Both are related to a… disease or infection know as Eclipse."

"What is Eclipse, exactly?" Subaru asked when Hayated made a pause.

"As far as we know, Eclipse is a virus" Shamal intervened. She looked at Hayate who nodded, so the doctor continued with her explanation "It's exact nature is unknow to us, but from our studies we have discern it only affects people with magical capabilities. It has a high mortality rate when it doesn't 'adapt' well to the host. According to some recovered ancient records Eclipse was one of the many attempts to create new types of weapons during the Saint Kaiser Unification Wars. The idea was to use a virus to infect mages, transforming them in to living weapons. Eclipse increases their physical capacity, enhancing strength, stamina, reflexes and all senses, plus it grants the host accelerated healing and regeneration, allowing them to recover from grievous wounds in seconds, and making their bodies resistant to physical damage altogether."

"The problem is that these Eclipse Drivers, as the infected individuals are known, become incredibly aggressive" Hayate said, she changed the images on screen displaying now the recordings of the many reported attacks that had taken place across the Dimensional Sea for months now "The virus makes them crave combat and bloodshed. But many infected succumb to these impulses and become mindless killing machines, attacking anything and anyone in sight. Since that made them unreliable, the Belkan people abandoned the Eclipse for other, safer, alternatives."

"But all of this experimentation happened in Ancient Belka, correct?" Ginga asked "How is it that this technology survived to the modern times?"

"The Silver Cross is related to that" The Commander changed the images once more. Now there were a series of faces which appeared on the screens. The first person was a dark-skinned woman with blonde hair and an eyepatch in her right eye. The other was a man with blue hair and large muscles, and the final picture was that of a woman with a darker shade of blue and deep black eyes "As well as these people. They are some of the identified members of the Hückebein Family. According to our intel they have been involved in many attacks on Non-Administrated Worlds for the past 8 years, but since they tend to operate outside our jurisdiction, the TSAB has not taken note of their activities until very recently. Those recent events being the attacks on Non-Administrated World #18 Easter and Administrated World #12 Fedikia. This last one occurring lest than 36 hours go. These criminals are extreme dangerous and have proven already to have no regard for human life. We have confirmed every single one of them is infected with Eclipse, however we are not fully aware of the size of their organization or their hierarchy."

"But are we certain of their involvement in the current case?" Cinque asked, speaking for the first time.

"Beyond any reasonable doubt" Fate said. Her hand moved under the table to grab Nanoha's "The few eyewitnesses that survived their attacks all gave descriptions that match them, besides that their Devices are unique and impossible to replicate or be wielded by anyone other than an Eclipse Driver. Every one of them also has an identifying mark upon their body, like a series of tribal tattoos."

"Yes, that the Hückebein are responsible is not in question, but their motives elude us" Hayate turned even more serious, no doubt that part was the one that trouble her the most "And yet that does not change our priority. We must stop the Hückebeins and recover the Lost Logia, that is our mission. The issue is the weapons Enforcer Testarossa has mentioned."

The screens now showed all the recorded images of these devices. All appeared a combination of firearm and blade, in distinctive forms. One look like an axe crossed with a grenade launcher, another like a rifle with a sword, and one look simply like a katana with a revolver chamber near the guard.

"These weapons are call 'Dividers' and possess the capacity, among other things, of breaking magical links. Meaning that attacking anyone wielding one with magic is not just useless but also potentially suicide. In Ancient Belka they dub them 'Mage Killers'" Hayate allowed a brief pause so everyone could digest the weight and meaning of her words "Precisely because of this, I had our technical department work with the company Caledfwlch Techniques, to research and develop new equipment to help us combat this tremendous disadvantage. Lieutenant Vita and Captain Takamachi have been testing their new units and should be ready to deploy them on the field soon."

Nanoha remembered the work Vita and her had been performing those past few months. Everything had to be accelerated and it wasn't without reason now that she understood properly the Dividers, however the Caledfwlch equipment was far from ready for proper field use. Hayate had been sympathetic to her concerns but unmovable in her decision, they had to get them ready.

"At any rate, that would be all regarding the case" Hayate continued, pulling Nanoha back to the present "We shall divide ourselves into taskforces to handle each even as they come. Our base of operations will be here, unless we need to move in which case the ship Wolfram has been prepared for us" The Command seem to be concluding but she casted a look at Fate and decided to proceed "But before we leave there is one final matter. Enforcer Testarossa has made some findings during her mission on Fedikia and we have received confirmation from Captain Signum about her supicions, so I believe is better if we discuss it."

Nanoha felt Fate's hand clench around her own, but her wife had her eyes fixed on Hayate. The Commander altered the screens once more and the images changed. Now it showed the image of a man, around 50 years of age, with short black air and cold grey eyes. He had military standing, with a short, groomed beard and appeared to be wearing a prisoner's uniform. In the image next to him there was just the symbol of a white skull without a lower jaw against a black background. Everyone at the table became tense when the images pop up, but Nanoha couldn't understand.

"Who is he?" She asked, seeing as everyone seem to understand. She earned several surprised looks from the others.

"His name is Frank Castle, better known in the Dimensional Sea as 'The Punisher'" Hayate said.

Nanoha opened her eyes, even she had heard the stories of the infamous vigilante, a terrorist killer who went after criminals, but always assume it was just one of those rumors people made.

"I believe most of you are familiar or have heard the story of this man" Hayate proceeded "But to keep to the facts, we shall expose the known facts about his background."

"Apologies for interrupting, Commander, but… What does Frank Castle have to do with this case?" Ginga asked. And she seemed to voice what most people around the table were thinking judging by the general murmur of agreement.

Hayate did not answer directly. Instead, she triggered a third screen, larger than the others, to present some form of recording.

"This is something that Enforcer Testarrossa recovered from the attack at the Saint Valerie Airport on Fedikia."

The video showed the recording of a security camera. It had the view from what seem like the corner of a hangar, pointing towards the tarmac. In the distance of the frame there seem to be a sudden explosion, and fragments started to fall everywhere. Hayate accelerated the recording. Nothing happen until a shadow, that look like a human figure appeared in frame, just at the right angle to be recorded. Whoever it was looked back briefly and then continue, running out of frame.

"Is hard to appreciate I know, but allow me to rewind and freeze the image" Hayate did as she said and stopped the recording just as the figure turned to look behind it. The person was wearing all black but you could make out a white symbol on its chest "Other than this video, a survivor of the attack identified Frank Castle as the man responsible for the explosion. And we have motives to suspect his participation wasn't an isolated incident."

"What evidence there is to back that?" Cinque said, deciding to intervene once more.

"Captain Signum reported a man fitting Castle's description has been seen near the event she is investigating. A minor thing, too small for it to be just a coincidence. We believe it probable that Punisher is going after Eclipse" Hayate made a pause to organize her ideas.

"To stay inform, here is what we know about the man: Frank Castle, born Francis Castiglione, and his family came originally from Non-Administrated World #97, Earth. He was born in the year 0032, both parents were mages and he enlisted in the TSAB at the age of 12. Made it into the Enforcers at 16 and remain in the force for 13 years. He was considered very talented, and had an S Rank in Combat Magic. His skills are based in 'arsenals' he is capable of utilizing any kind or type of mass based or energy weapon as long as he 'stores' it in his armory. He met the woman that would be his wife, Maria Elizabeth, during his time as Enforcer and they got married after a short courtship in the year 0055. They had two children, a boy and a girl, Frank David Castle and Lisa Barbara Castle. According to several friends of the family they were very happy and a tight group. But is in the year 0061 when the incident happens."

Hayate made a brief pause. The screens now showing new images. A crime scene at a carnival, the place looking like it was hit by a military attack, police signs for evidence and electronic lines to keep people away everywhere.

"It happened at a public park in Crannagan. The Castle family had gone to the fair on a Sunday, to spend the day together. That same day two criminal organizations decided to conduct a deal in broad daylight. The meeting went south, and the place just exploded with violence, dozens of people wounded or dead. The family was among the victims. The children died on the spot, the wife at the hospital from her wounds, Frank Castle survived somehow. He recovered and tried to seek justice, but the attackers were incredibly well connected, had bulletproof alibies and the case just didn't got traction. After a year of waiting Frank Castle exploded. He looked for those responsible for the attack and killed all of them. Then went after their superiors, and their superiors, destroying two entire criminal organizations in the process. Is from this moment he started his killing spree… and he has not stop for the past 20 years. He always uses lethal force, no matter his target, but only goes after criminals: killers, aggressors, terrorists, dealers… and is especially brutal when children or families get involved in their crimes. Because of this the press doubt him 'The Punisher'. Is impossible to get an accurate number of his victims, since he operates in Administrated and Non-Administrated Worlds as he pleases but is safe to say that he is well in to the four digits by now."

That had been an intense summary, Nanoha thought. She looked at the picture of the man. It wasn't surprising his eyes appear so… dead. Considering what he had endured, nobody would have blamed him for lashing out against those he considered responsible but, what could make someone just kill and kill like that? And that same man was now getting involved with their investigation. Nanoha searched for Raising Heart, pressing her hand around Fate's.

"With all of that being said, we are aware Castle only uses lethal methods against criminals and tries to not harm civilians or agents of the law. Regardless he is dangerous and one of the most wanted men in the Dimensional Sea. Do not underestimate him" Hayate continued, looking at everyone in the face for a moment "And let's be clear, capturing and neutralizing Punisher is not our priority. Our goal remains the Eclipse Drivers. If a confrontation with Frank Castle became inevitable, none of you should try to take him alone. Until this case is done he shall be consider a secondary objective. Is there any more questions?... In that case I say we conclude this meeting."

The sunrays enter the room through the window. Outside they could hear the little ones trying to be stealthy and making more noise as a result. He lets out a sigh and turns under the sheets, trying to gain as much asleep as possible despite what is coming. Next to him she also moves, shaking his shoulder, but they both know he is awake now. Resign to his fate he pushes the sheets away and sits up with a brief growl. A soft arm crosses his shoulder and touches his chest, while she hugs him from behind, giving him comfort. The door finally opens and he turns around to face them, forming the beginning of a smile…

Frank Castle opened his eyes suddenly and felt the impulse to scream when he saw where he actually was. He quickly reorganized his mind and scanned the room. An old faceless guest house without any noticeable features. There was a window, but no sunlight was piercing through it, the bed was much smaller, hard, and impersonal. There was no one else with him and the door was firmly closed, it couldn't be open from the outside if not by force. It was the dream again, part of him had been expecting it and that was what angered him the most.

He stood up and picked his things in a hurry, putting back his trench coat and collecting his bag. Making it to Ruwella had not been too difficult. Since he didn't know much about teleportation magic, he had to use a dimensional transporter. Crossing customs being a fugitive was never easy, but surprisingly straight forward with fake papers. Disguises were counterintuitive. Useful, but all systems were meant to detect trickery, so the least you use the better.

Punisher paid for his room and moved out into the street, nearly walking in the path of a patrol going the other way. Port City was fill with police officers wandering the street. Ruwella was a peaceful world, a simple cultural reservation, and so it was considered free of the vices of the 'modern worlds'. Having a case involving thievery and with the TSAB walking around had to be the most exiting thing to happen here in years. Frank Castle adjusted his collar, using the gesture as an excuse to press the receiver hidden on his ear. The first thing he heard was static, but as he kept walking soon words started to emerge and finally full conversations.

The local police didn't use high level encryption on their radio transmissions, as expected, so he was easily able to tap into their communications. The TSAB was not yet in full control or just was unable to keep them quiet. Punisher listen in for a few minutes, catching up to their investigation. He continued to walk, pretending to be just another local minding his business, adjusting the receiver to change frequencies to monitor different talks when it seemed appropriate but after just half an hour he knew all the local police did: the suspect had been to Port City, somehow he had escaped in the middle of the night and they had no idea where he might be right now.

"Useless" Frank said, shutting the receiver. Nothing he didn't knew already thanks to Microchip.

He would need to do the work himself. Sleeping had wasted time, but his exhaustion had taken the better of him. 4 hours of sleep would have to be enough, nightmares or not. Now the task at hand could help him focus and keep those wandering thoughts of him at bay.

It was the time to weight his options. He couldn't go to the ruins. The TSAB and the police would have people there. Going around Port City asking questions would also be useless. What did he know and how could he use it? Frank stopped when he saw a wanted poster in a nearby wall. It was about the thief of the Silver Cross. They didn't have a picture but a sketch, and under that they had place what little information the local authorities had. Castle glanced at it, stopping at the last line, something added as an after thought almost. 'He might be accompanied by a young girl of the same age' it read.

"No description, but not an accomplice… a hostage?" Frank muttered to himself. He took the poster down to look at it properly. It didn't say much else "No, it would have said so. Someone he met at the ruins then. Involved in the case, but they don't know how."

Somehow this didn't make any sense. The thief walked into the ruins, took the Silver Cross and a girl, without killing anyone and then went to visit the city? An infected would be making a massacre. A criminal would be looking to flee, abandoning the planet. But a normal person…

"Would be looking for supplies" Castle said. Could that be the answer? Maybe he had been looking at this from the wrong angle all along. This didn't look like the work of an infected nor a criminal, what would a normal person do in those circumstances? Go back to town, look for supplies, seek food, clothes, a place to say, but then, why flee? The girl. If she had been at the ruins then perhaps she had something to do with the installation there, so the thief might suspect the local authorities or just be too afraid "Then he would leave the planet, flee inland or ask for help… I need more information."

Punisher felt he was on to something, or at least a potential lead. Of course, he could be wrong, but there was little else to work with. He needed to confirm his suspicions. If indeed the thief was what he thought, it could be possible to confirm where was spotted. Port City was famous for its sea food and its flea market, if you came here for supplies then you had to visit the central plaza. It would be safe to ask there.

Punisher moved and took a turn towards the center of town. Soon he could smell the scent of seafood being burned, making his stomach growl, reminding him he had not eating since yesterday and it was nearly lunchtime. He walked near a stall with brochette clams and decided to stop. The old woman cooking was so busy with her work that didn't hear him, and she flinched when his shadow appeared over her.

"We-welcome, mister, is there anything you want?" She said, recovering fast and trying to smile.

"One brochette"

He didn't add anything else, as a pair of cops appeared behind him, walking down the street and asking some pedestrians about the thief. Castle didn't turn his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the food. The officers continue their walk, not looking in his direction even once and eventually they vanish amidst the people of the market.

"Truly, is a pity I say…" the old woman commented as she prepared his order.

"What is it, ma'am?" Frank asked.

"This entire thing. I asume you just got here, correct? "she asked, he nodded "There was a robbery it seems. Some boy stole a valuable relic or something in some ruins. And is a true pity…"

"Would depend on the object."

"Oh, that is not what I mean" the old woman shock her head "I meant the boy being accused. I saw him myself and he look like a nice, honest young man. I am hoping this is just a misunderstanding."

Frank had to hold himself, but his hands clench for a second. The thief had been here? He did whatever he could to not her his interest manifest and just try to follow the conversation. He could not afford to scare the old woman or make a scene.

"If that is the case then it should be clear son. I doubt the police wants to harm him."

"I hope so. I didn't talk to them, somehow it didn't seem right" the old woman said. She pulled the brochette and offer it to him "Be careful, its hot."

"Thank you. And I understand what you mean. Sometimes discretion is the best part of valor" Frank took his money to pay her "I assure you; my lips are sealed."

"Is not like I know much anyways. The boy asked me where he could send an interdimensional message. And of course, we don't have something so high tech here…"

Frank Castle turned around so fast that when the old woman lifted her head, he was already gone. Punisher devoured the clams quickly and tossed the stick aside, ignoring the burning feeling on his mouth. He finally had a solid lead, thanks to his analysis and some good fortune. Interdimensional communication. In Ruwella you could only do that in certain places and one of them were the Churches of the Saint Kaiser. And just so happen there was one on the other side of the mountain. Now he knew where the thief had gone, he was looking to send a message off world.

It was midday, so it would take him the entire afternoon to reach the church if he walked at a good pace, using the main road around the mountain. A sound behind him made him turn his head. A cart was being pulled by two horses, following the same path as him. Castle moved to the side of the road to let it pass.

"Hey friend, where are you going?" the driver of the cart asked, stopping his horses to go at the same speed as him.

"… To the church, at the other side of the mountain" Frank answered, after examining the driver for a few seconds.

"I am going a bit further, but the church is on the way. Why don't you climb on board and let me give you a ride?" the driver said with a friendly smile "Is a long road, easier with a vehicle."

"… Thanks for the offer" Punisher agreed. He took his bag and jumped in the cart, sitting next to the driver, who moved aside to give him so space. Sometimes it was nice to meet a person willing to give a stranger a hand.

Touma and her two companions had been walking the entire morning. After they left Port City in the middle of the night, they had made camp in the outskirts of town, then continue their path at dawn. Since they wanted to avoid the police or the locals, Touma took them across the forest, ignoring the main road and cutting directly through the mountain. It had been a calm trip so far and they only stopped around midday, when hunger was starting to get the better of them.

During the trip Touma and Isis had been talking to each other, or rather the boy had been listening to her. The girl had a very outgoing and energetic personality, which was a bit annoying but also quite surprising. By the time they finally stopped and Touma went to grab some logs to make a campfire, Isis went back to a topic she had been trying to touch but the boy had done his best to avoid.

"So, are you going to tell me why they chase you two?" Isis asked, taking a sit next to the pile of wood.

Touma was trying to light the flames and Lily was sitting on a fallen log behind him.

"I should have already said it. I have an idea, but we haven't done anything wrong" Touma said. Finally, some sparks worked, and the first flames started to consume the wood "Can't we leave it at that?"

"That is why I asked you to tell me what it is!" Isis insisted "Is important that we take care of each other."

"Look, I…" He started but Lily grabbed his arm, interrupting him. Touma turned around to see her, and she moved forward, kneeling in front of the other girl.

"Well Isis, Touma helped me out" Lily said, grabbing one of the girl's hands "This is why he isn't the one at fault."

"Huh?" Isis blinked, almost falling off her seat, as she heard Lily's voice inside her head.

Touma understood. Telepathy was a common thing, but Lily spoke to you in a different way, like if she was projecting her mind to you, placing her ideas inside your head. You could understand her perfectly, but it left an incredibly strong impression, and, unlike normal telepathy, it wasn't a one way link. Anyone in the vicinity could hear her. To her credit, Isis recovered rather quickly.

"Oh… so that's what happen?" Isis asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Allow me to explain" Steed said, letting go of Touma's neck and floating near the girls "She was imprisoned in an illegal facility. Hearing her cries for help we infiltrated the building, but they discovered our intrusion. We were nearly incinerated, and we had to blow part of the building to escape."

Isis gulped, likely imagining the entire ordeal.

"It's true that we destroyed part of the facility and took Lily away ourselves, but there wasn't anything else we could do" Touma said "Is why I don't want to just surrender to the local police. If the people at the facility were the ones who reported me, they will not listen and take Lily away. I want to reach the church, where I can speak with someone I trust. Su-chan is from the Bureau, she will know what to do."

"Well, she is likely to scold you first, though" Steed pointed.

"Don't say it, I have already decided…" Touma sunk his head as he placed the kettle over the flames to heat it up "We can't keep running away forever. We will secure Lily's safety first, then we will figure out what to do."

"I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble" Lily said, lowering her gaze.

"Don't worry, is not your fault. And it was my decision to help you" He said quickly, and Lily raised her head, looking better.

Isis stared at the two of them, letting out a small giggle after a while.

"So, you have it all figure it out, right?" Isis asked.

"You could say that" Touma said, scratching his cheek "But, it really doesn't bother you?"

"What?"

"Is just that I realized just now our story sounds a bit incredible…" He replied. The water boiled at that moment, so he took the kettle out of the flames "Is another reason why I don't want to just go with anyone."

"It does sound a bit strange, but I believe you" Isis waved her head, as if dashing his concerns. She smiled widely "Besides if you wanted to lie, you would have invented something more believable."

Touma didn't answer. Even though it had been Isis who taggle along last night because she thought they needed help, he was genuinely grateful with the girl. If it wasn't for her they would have likely been caught by the police last night and he would be in a world of troubles right now. Touma pulled three instant soups from his backpack, opening them and pouring the water before passing two of them over to the girls.

"Be careful, is a bit hot" He warned Lily, handling her one of the cups.

"Now that I think about it" Isis started, taking the other cup and blowing some air so it would cool down "Is this 'Su-chan' someone like your older sister?"

"Well, something like that" Touma smiled, remembering her "We aren't blood related, but she's taking care of me. I'm in her debt. No to mention she let me travel when I wanted to, so I try not to worry her much."

"Oh, I see where you are coming from" Isis stared at her cup "I'm kinda like that too. Being selfish and going on a long trip before moving on with school…"

"You can always go back, I don't think it would be that bad."

"What about you? I see you are about the same age as me. What about your education?"

"I get recommended when I go back" Touma replied, finally taking a bite out of his soup.

"Hahaha! I see" Isis laughed as she saw Lily's expression of admiration, as she followed their conversation "Magic school since your powers are so strong?"

"Really?" Touma looked at his hand and clench his fingers, as if testing his strength "I think they are fairly normal."

"You are pretty awesome" Isis replied "You don't look tired at all, even after running around with Lily on your back all day."

"Sorry Touma" Lily said right away "I'll walk by myself from now on."

"Ah, don't worry, you are pretty light."

"How nice, carry me too. I'm light."

"Why?!"

"No, Touma has carry me a lot, you shouldn't inconvenience him."

"Just kidding, just kidding!"

The two of them started to chat and Touma used the chance to finish his meal. 'But Isis is right. I don't feel tired at all, and I was carrying Lily yesterday as well' He thought 'Does it have something to do with that weapon?' The boy glanced at the bracelet on his wrist, remembering the gun blade that had appear on his hand the night he rescued Lily. He remembered holding the weapon and using it to fir that large beam of energy without even the slightest recoil, but other than the bracelet he didn't feel any difference from before or after. Maybe on top of his physical condition the weapon also increased his magic.

It was clear he had more stamina now, or could it be just a coincidence? Touma glanced at Lily who kept chatting with Isis about her outfit. He wanted to ask her but it was probable she would not remember anything. He shock his head, and try to continue eating, but the memory of the weapon still haunted him 'I think I heard something when it appear…' He tried to force his memory and the words came back to him.

"EC… Divider…" Touma mutter to himself.

[Star up]

The bracelet suddenly shined with a bright light and before Touma realize what was happening he dropped his cup and the revolver with the blade appeared on his right hand, and the strange black book with the silver cross on its cover appeared on his left one.

"W-w-what's that?!" Isis jumped, surprised, hugging Lily "I oppose violence, I oppose guns!"

"No, no! Let me explain! This thing appeared on its own!"

"You want to say it came out by itself?! What the heck is that?!"

"Touma… I think it will disappear if you say 'Blade off'" Lily intervened, looking surprisingly calm.

"R-really?" Touma look down at the weapon "Let's try it then… Blade off."

[Blade off]

"Whew, that surprised" Touma said, letting out a sigh.

"That is what I should say!" Isis let go of Lily and relaxed "What was that? Your Device?"

"No, my Device is my buddy Steed" Touma pointed to the little camera.

"That is correct" Steed confirmed.

"Hmm… Lily, you don't know much either, correct?" Isis turned towards the other girl.

"Just how to take it out and how to put it away" Lily shock her head "Sorry Touma, I don't know more."

"Don't sweat it, I understand."

"It might be related to that bracelet and the secrets of that facility" Steed said "And it might be a very dangerous weapon. You need to handle carefully, Touma."

"You are right, when we make contact with Su-chan we will see what we can do about it" Touma adjusted the bracelet a bit "Regardless let's pick everything up and continue out trip."

The two girls nodded and helped him collect his belongings. Touma helped but as he did he noticed something off with his wrist. Just above the bracelet, and almost cover by the metal, he had a little red mark that he could sweat wasn't there before. 'How strange, did I scratch the skin or something?' He thought looking at the little mark. In the end he shrugged it off and continue to help the others. The sooner they reached the Church the sooner he could start to put some sense in to everything that was going on.

"Driver output clear. Response margin of error within 0.02 seconds" Nanoha finished synchronizing her Linker Core with the weapon. "CW-AEC01X 'Strike Cannon' synchronization complete."

"It is in the acceptable range for field operations" Mariel said through the communicator on Nanoha's ear "It could be improved, but I believe we have reached an adequate synchronization speed."

"Cannon was in time" Raising Heart intervened "I like to finetune the Fortress a little more."

"We should get to it right away then" Nanoha answered "You and I are the only ones who can use the 00 and 01 Units after all."

"That will be all for the Strike Cannon, we can start with the Fortress at any time" Mariel said "Let's take 15 minutes to readjust the equipment and then we can proceed. Thanks for the hard work, Captain Takamachi."

"Thanks to you and everyone else, Mariel-san" Nanoha replied. She removed the headset and started to undo the straps on her left arm to take off the Strike Cannon. It was a long and heavy weapon. It had approximately 2 meters in lengt and it required both hands to operate in its 'cannon' mode, but it could also be employed as a heavy sword for close quarters combat. Nanoha's personal unit was painted blue and white, and they had adapted it to be use it left-handed just for her "Raising Heart you don't have issues with your solo flight mode?"

"It's fine, Master" The Device shined and took its usual form of a little red sphere.

Nanoha smiled and took her carefully. She dispelled her Barrier Jacket while the technicians entered to recover the Strike Cannon. The testing room was now becoming fill with activity once more, the large place had enough room to test all the new weapons, reinforced walls and sensors, plus many dummy targets and monitoring equipment. Right above Nanoha's head the observation room was filled with the control staff which would be reviewing the data of the last test.

The people of Caledfwlch Techniques were very professional, but their AEC gear was still experimental and sensitive. Nanoha walked out, still thinking about it. 'The rhythm of battery consumption of the Strike Cannon is unreliable and unstable. In normal conditions we would never approve such a thing for field use' the captain thought 'It has too many issues, it barely qualifies as a test model.'

Vita, Mariel, and she had been working with the technicians improving and testing the AEC gear for months now. The conclusion was that only Nanoha herself possessed the power and reaction speed necessary to efficiently use the Cannon, reason why Mariel insisted on optimizing the 01 Unit for her exclusive use. As for the rest, it was decided to entrust normal Device AI to make the calculations and support other mages as they try to use the Driver system, but the results of that had been less than optimal. In theory usable in battle but bellow any efficiency performance. Another reason why they opted for specialized gear for each member of Special Duty Six instead of mass-produced equipment.

Originally Nanoha had been comfortable with all of that. The plan had been to spend a few extra months finishing the touches in the Units assign to Vita and herself, then work out the kinks with the equipment for field deployment. But Hayate had changed all that. The Units had to be done and ready as soon as possible. Since the incidents in Fedikia and Ruwella the pressure to finish the Eclipse case had been increasing, so the AEC gear would have to be employed before it was finish. It was a risky move, but Nanoha understood Hayate's reasoning, without those weapons they had no chance against the Eclipse Drivers.

The captain rubbed her eyes and let out a sigh. She had been longing for active duty and was getting a taste of how hard it was already. She started to notice where her little walk had taken her. Nanoha had been so lost in thought that she wandered away from the testing area and reached the office space at the other side of the base. How did she walked all that way without realizing it? She had too much on her mind. Better to just get back and start to work on the Fortress.

"What do we have, Signum" Fate asked, looking at her through the screen.

"It seems we lost them" Signum said "We were able to confirm the thief and the young girl were at Port City last night, but then they seem to have skip town. They left their room just before the police arrived at their location."

"And we have no doubt about the thief's identity?" Fate asked. The answer was unlikely to change but she wanted to be certain.

"You know that we are, Testarossa" Signum said calmly "Master Hayate order us not to inform the rest just yet."

"Makes sense. This is a very delicate business and technically the boy hasn't done anything too grave just yet" The Enforcer looked at her friend with pleading eyes "Leaving that aside, do we have anything else about the facility?"

"We have run in to some troubles there. The local authorities found the place first and there was a bit of a debate over the custody of the criminals, and the recovered material. For the moment they are keeping those in custody, and they are not letting us interrogate the suspects. They do send me their interviews."

"Didn't you make clear your authority on the case? Special Duty Six has jurisdiction on any and all Eclipse related investigations."

"True but we did not officially started functions until today. And they have yet to ratify and process my rank…" Signum shrugged "You know how some people are with the proper paperwork. Until you arrive with everything they won't listen to me. For the moment I am just here as an assistant investigator from the Bureau. At least they let me take some precautions."

"Considering the identity of the thief we should be able to recover the lost materials and end this without much problem, correct?" Fate said, trying to give an optimist smile.

"I would like to agree with you, but I have a bad feeling about this" the Knight of the Sword crossed her arms "And you know perfectly what I mean."

Fate nodded slowly. Signum was right. Everything in Ruwella seem calm and under control, with the deployment of police officers it was just a matter of time before the thief and the Bible of the Silver Cross appeared. And capturing and securing both would give their investigation a huge boost. It was all too good to be true and there lied the issue that worried both Fate and Signum both: Frank Castle.

"Hayate told me, but I want to hear it from you. Do you really think he is there?"

"Beyond any reasonable doubt. The video security at the spaceport showed images of someone that fits his physical description and making some discrete questions on the side, some people have reported seeing the same person walking around. Punisher is on Ruwella and there is only one thing that could bring him here. After Saint Valerie I cannot think of another explanation."

"Neither can I" Fate admitted, placing a hand on her chin as she thought for a moment "For now we should not move against him. Whether we like it or not, he is too dangerous and volatile. Our best course of action would be to secure the Silver Cross before him."

"He is alone and having to keep a low profile while he searches. We can do it in the open. If I had to bet, I would say we have the advantage but…"

"If all else fails you can always hit him with Laevatein. If that doesn't stop him nothing will" Fate tried to make a light jest to ease the tension. Signum took it well, rolling her eyes and gave her half a smile.

"If it comes down to it I will make sure to not fail" Signum recovered her serious expression "We will continue our search here. I will inform you if something new comes up."

"Please do, take care Signum" Fate gave her a military salute and then closed the communication.

The Enforcer returned her attention to her work. She wanted to be on the field with Signum and Teana, but she had to stay behind to prepare the official report Hayate wanted to submit to the higher ups about the last incident. There wasn't much they could get from the affair in Fedikia. With the witness' death and the destruction of most material during the attack, they had reached a dead end. Fate started to type, continuing the report, until a feeling made her look up at her office's door.

"Nanoha! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see her wife "I thought you were working with the AEC Units."

"The truth is we were taking a little break and I ended here before I realized" Nanoha scratched her cheek a bit embarrassed "So I wanted to use the chance and see you. Am I interrupting?"

"No, not at all" Fate answered quickly "I can continue later."

"You are a terrible liar, Fate-chan"

"… Is that obvious?"

"With you it is. But…" Nanoha entered the room and sat in front of her "I want to be a bit selfish and take you at your word. Is that alright? It will only be a moment."

"Of course" Fate said, confused "Is there something wrong?"

"No, that's not it. I just wanted to talk with you" Nanoha waved her hand in front of her face "It always help me to think clearly. And you, Fate-chan, always get so into your work that you also need to talk, you sounded a bit worried about what Signum-san said."

"You were listening?!"

"I was about to knock when I heard you, but it sounded important, so I didn't interrupt."

Fate shock her head, it was likely that was all there was to it.

"For the record, she didn't tell me anything you didn't knew already."

"I didn't say anything!"

"But you were thinking it" Fate said with an accusatory tone but unable to hide a smile, which Nanoah caught and so understood she was being toyed with.

"Fate-chan! You are so…!" A beeping sound from Raising Heart cut her off "Oh, seems that is time to go back to start our work with the Fortress."

Nanoha let out a sigh and stood up. Fate did the same.

"In that case go, I will catch with you later, I really don't have that much work pending and you can tell me what is troubling you."

"It isn't that important, I just wanted to see you" Nanoha replied, smiling warmly "We will talk later, alright?"

And with that the instructor left the office. Fate stared at her door for a few seconds before taking her seat once more.

"Nanoha… you are also a terrible liar."

Nanoha returned towards the testing room with haste. 'I wanted to talk with Fate-chan about my doubts with the AEC units' she thought 'But she is also busy with her own work'. It was true that speaking with her wife always help her clear her mind, but in the end Nanoha chose to keep her doubts to herself. She had spoken to Hayate, but even with her Nanoha had held back her deepest criticism. Maybe it was for the best. Everyone knew the AEC weapons were experimental and prone to failures, there was no need to worry about it too much

"Ah, there it is. I can see it."

"You are right! Whichever world it is, Saint Kaiser churches never change."

Touma nodded in agreement. Indeed the churches always had the same unmistakable style. From the hill top they were at the little church he visited only two days ago was perfectly visible. It felt as if he had last been here weeks ago, but they finally made it. In a few minutes he would be able to speak with Su-chan and ask for help. Next to him Isis was explaining to Lily everything she knew about the Saint Kaiser Church. After Isis' teasing, Lily had insisted on walking by her own means. She still had a very peculiar step, but she was able to keep up with them so far.

"Well partner, seems like we made it" Touma said, speaking to his device.

"Agreed. We must thank your new friend."

"Friend, huh" Touma took a moment to glance at Isis who was still talking to Lily "She is just a weird kid who tagged along because she thought we might need help"

"Well that might be true, but you seem to enjoy yourself more when someone is with you. And she did lend us valuable help."

"I guess you are right, we are in her debt…"

"What are you talking about?" Isis turned towards them "You were talking about me, right?"

"Oh no, not at all." Steed said a bit too quickly.

It was no use, the purple haired girl looked at the little camera with a frown and Steed wisely chose to move behind Lily to hide. Touma scratched his cheek as Isis reached with both hands trying to capture the floating device and Lily did her best to keep him safe and away from her.

Steed was right, he did enjoy himself more when someone was with him. Hectic as his trip had become, it wasn't dull and he would regret having to say goodbye, even if ending things now seem to be for the best. Touma glanced at the church and let out a sigh, it would be best to go down there as soon as possible. He had no idea where the police might be looking for him and he could only hope they had not thought of coming here. The sooner he could talk with Su-chan the better.

"Gotcha! Now you will see…" Isis finally caught Steed and pulled of the two optical cords hanging from its main body.

"No! Leave him alone."

"Don't worry, he can't feel pain."

"Actually I must inform you that I am a very delicate unit"

"Don't be such a crybaby."

'I better stop her' Touma figured, opening his mouth to speak up when a sudden gush of wind made him stop 'This smell… its gunpowder and blood!' He breathed in once more to be sure, and the familiar scent filled his nostrils. The smell of fire and death.

He knew it very well, and the horrible memories of his past treathen to overwhelm him right then and there. Touma did his best to control them and scanned his surroundings. The church was the only building in sight for miles. The smell had to come from inside it.

"Steed, I will leave those two to you. I will go ahead and check the place, please stay here" Touma almost shouted before running off and down the hill.

"Wha…! Touma, wait!" Isis said, trying to stop him, but he didn't listen and continued forward, leaving her and Lily behind.

Touma rushed towards the church, sensing how the smell was even stronger down here. Now there was the scent of burned flesh and wood. The idyllic scenery of the church now looked almost ominous, out of place with that scent filling the air so intensely. Everything look normal, like during his last visit, but right away something was off. The sun was shinning over the garden, and the wind blow gently but there were no sounds of life, he could only hear his steps on the gravel road, a deathly silence had descended upon the place. The main door was open, waving gently in the breeze. With trepidation he opened it full and enter the church.

"What the…?"

If the exterior was inmaculated and pristine, the interior of the building was the opposite. The reception desk where he left his letter was broken in to pieces, and the door behind it hang from its last weaken joints. The church was divided in two sections, with the living quarters wing looking intact, but the hallway that lead towards the chapel appear to have been the scene of a battle.

There were marks of cuts or claws across the walls, with several signs of burning or dark red stains tainted the once pure white wood. The bench where he wrote his letter was broken in two and had been thrown towards an inside window. Touma knew those dark spots could only be blood as he advanced, turning a corner to head for the chapel. As he did his worst fears were confirmed. The bodies of the nuns were laying on the ground leading towards the chapel's doors.

"Sister!" the boy rushed towards the closest nun, who he recognized as the one who took his letter. But it was useless, the woman was dead, and the same was true about the other two nuns.

They appear to have been impaled or shredded by some large claws, and then just drop on the ground like garbage. Touma let a silent prayer for the souls of those good women. What had happened there? He had to go back to Lily and Isis, then flee. There was nothing he could do for the sisters now.

He heard a loud noise, as if something big was being dropped on the ground. It came from the chapel. Without knowing what he was going to encounter Touma advanced the last steps towards that door slowly. Like the main entrance the chapel's door was half open and from its slit he could see that the interior of the chapel had also been destroyed, the benches broken, the other furniture burnt to ashes and the walls damaged as well. Touma reached the door and he push him open. His eyes were wide with shock as he saw what was awaiting him on the other side.

"You're too late" the voice boom in the defiled chapel, sounding annoyed and angry "Thanks to that I've to unnecessarily kill in such a disgusting place."

Touma froze, staring at the man speaking to him. He was tall, around 1.8m, with long unkept light grey hair that reached down to his shoulders. He was wearing black, with heavy motorcycler boots and a black jacket with white collar and sleeves. He had a red shirt, black gloves and a chain around his neck. His eyes were cold and hard, of a deep purple that look almost black. He looked bore, sitting on top of the broken altar. Next to him he had a weapon that look like a cross between a sword and a heavy shotgun. The blade was cover in blood and on its side it read '928'.

The man stood up, slowly, and ignoring Touma's lack of response he lifted his left hand, as if demanding something from him.

"Listen kiddo, I only want one thing" He said slowly "The Divider and the Reactor you stole. Hand them both over. Is not a brat's toy. So, if you don't wanna die, hurry up and hand them over!"

But Touma was not listening. His eyes were lock on the man's wrists. Just there, where the jacket and the glover split, he could see a strange mark, like a blue tribal tattoo. The boy's mind flare with anger as he recognized it. 'Those blue wings…' he thought without taking his eyes from those markings 'They are the same ones I have been looking for!'