June 2nd, 1942

Der Riese Facility, Germany

(Heavy footsteps)

?: Doctor, we are ready for teleportation. Target Location?

?: Send me directly to Griffin Station, Dr. Schuster. I have business to attend to at once!

Schuster: Of course, Doctor.

(The sound of buttons pressing can be heard)
P.A: Inputting co-ordinates- target location received as: Griffin Station.

Schuster: Step onto the pad, if you'd please.
(More heavy footsteps are heard, followed by a grating metal noise)
P.A: Teleporter doors closed. Commencing in 3, 2, 1… ERROR: TARGET LOCATION NOT FOUND.

Schuster: Damn it! Turn it off-
(The sound of lightning and electricity is heard, then silence)

…
Schuster: Not again… Get me securi-
(END OF TAPE)

All that the doctor could hear from within the machine was a loud spark as he was thrown through the weightless expanse, a tunnel of purple light stretching out before him. He'd been through this dozens of times, but it never ceased to amaze him- the lights, the colours, and the sounds- all so wondrous! The power contained in this technology alone could revolutionise humanity to an extent unseen since the development of steel itself!

Of course, he'd have his part to play in it all. That being the incredible genius masterminding the advancement of the human race, not to mention the other talents of his- his incredible inventions, his position in Group 935, the most prestigious neutrally-aligned scientific group in Europe, his handwriting skills, his ability to write ciphers, being able to eat half a dozen bratwurst in a minute…

…Was he getting off track?

Come to think of it, it had been quite a while in this limbo. He should have arrived at Griffin Station by now, but it was nowhere to be seen! This was definitely worthy of complaint…

...His train of thought was interrupted when he was unceremoniously spat out onto the floor of Griffin Station, his officer's cap falling to the floor in front of him. He quickly scrambled to put it back on, praying no-one noticed his bald spot… before he realized.

No-one was here.

Matter of fact, the 'here' in question was incredibly odd- He was in a room with sterilized white walls and floors, with an observation chamber to his left. There, he saw faces- but they didn't seem familiar. In fact, all of the lab-coat wearing staff looked strangely… Asian? Despite the fact that no-one in Griffin Station was from the region?

"Mein Gott, this is confusing…" The doctor rubbed his temples, a headache coming on. These had become more and more frequent as of late, and medication did little to dull the pain by now. He was already irritated, so the sight of a man with tanned skin and blonde hair approaching didn't help his mood.

"Ah, so I finally summoned one, at long last!..." The man smirked, his hands in his pockets. He eyed the doctor with scrutiny, before continuing on. "May I ask, what is your identity, Servant?"

The doctor didn't even pick up on the odd wording, instead simply answering him at face value.

"Edward… I am Doctor Edward Richtofen."

"Walk with me, Edward."
Richtofen nodded and followed the man out of the chamber and into the observation room. He looked around and saw all manner of odd devices- tubes and wiring leading into the chamber he'd come from, with monitors and devices all over the place. There were screens, like televisions, but… flat? Where was the box for all the intricate parts they couldn't slim down? It was all so confusing.

"Who are you? Where is this place?"

The man simply chuckled, stroking his chin. "I guess you'd be out of it from summoning. Ah, well. I am Atrum Galliasta, and you are my Servant. We are in Fuyuki City, Japan."

Richtofen scoffed at the remark. "I am nobody's Servant! Ha! And Japan? Are you an Imperial officer? You look European." He chuckled at the thought of him serving anyone. As if the possibility should ever even cross their mind!

The man looked as if Richtofen had grown a second head. "...No, I'm not with the Imperial army. What year do you think this is? 1940?"

Richtofen raised an eyebrow. "It isn't?"

Atrum sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We… Have a lot to catch up on. First of all…"

…

…By the time Atrum was done talking, Richtofen was filled with a sense of wonder. He was… No, it couldn't be…

"Summarize that one again, good sir." He said, looking around at the new room they were in. It was a massive space, in a building that seemed to reach to the sky, with glass windows from the floor to the roof showing the skyline of this 'Fuyuki City.' It was a marvellous place.

Atrum sighed, but humored Richtofen's request. "...It's 2004, in Japan. You're fighting for the right to the Holy Grail, an omnipotent wish granting device-"

"Ja, Ja, I know all the basics. But details, Galliasta, details!" He began to pace as his mind set to work, almost independently from his body as he walked up and down. "If I am to establish the lab, I need to know the environment. Is there any deposits of 115 to be harvested?"

"115? I presume that's from your Earth?" Atrum laughed at Richtofen's remark, an insult the German did not ignore. "No, we don't. But we have magecraft, powered by mana…"

"-Magecraft?" Richtofen had to stifle a laugh. He had heard the Germans call his creations works of 'magecraft' and 'magic', as if they didn't understand simple science! Marvellous as they may be, they were technologies crafted by human hands- his hands, and to call it sorcery of any kind was almost degrading. "I don't need ancient wizardry to create my technologies."

"Then you haven't seen our process yet, Doctor. Come with me." Atrum lead him to a small hallway, and reached an elevator. He watched as the man pressed a sequence of buttons and then they descended, far below the ground floor. A secret passage.

The room they reached was brilliant. Cables and other scientific apparatus were strewn across the floor, with several containers surrounding a circular platform. Small tubes led from these containers to a pedestal in the center.

"Here is where we make miracles happen." He gestured to a glass panel, through which lay an interesting sight. Rows and rows of children, hanging from hooks on conveyer belts. As Richtofen watched, several of the children were moved along the conveyer belt out of sight, before a door opened and two men in hazmat suits dragged them out.

"We have mastered the art of alchemy, doctor. Watch closely. This… this is the zenith of magecraft fused with technology." He gestured to the containers, and to Richtofen's surprise, the children were placed within them. He had an inkling of what was going to happen, but did nothing as Atrum pressed a button and activated the machine.

Richtofen watched as the children were turned into a red paste by the machines, the liquid flowing into the tubes and to the pedestal. There was a flash of light, a spark, and then, in the center, a small crystal was produced. Richtofen stepped forward, eyeing the shards with a gleam in his eyes.

"Well? What do you think?" Atrum asked, looking to Richtofen.
The doctor simply smiled, a smile wider than Atrum had seen before on a man. His voice was full of passion as he spoke.
"I think you and I will get along just fine."