Chapter 12: Trust

Beta read by Opal

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-???-

"Report." 

It was an unsettling moment in the usually predictable confines of the facility. The cold, steely contempt and arrogance that once filled the air had melted away, replaced by a heavy cloak of weariness, simmering curiosity, and a barely contained rage. Jail couldn't remember the last time he'd suffered so many setbacks in rapid succession. 

For days, it seemed as though every carefully laid plan unraveled at the worst possible moment. His thoughts swirled with suspicion—was there a traitor in their midst? 

But the chances of that were ridiculously low; his inner circle was tight-knit, each one the numbers' loyalty were unquestionably solid and generally a waste of time to even entertain. Yet, doubt gnawed at him, forcing him to reconsider Zest to be the one behind this. He had Cinque on close watch, observing him around the clock to ensure his actions were beyond reproach. But even then, it seemed unlikely. "We don't see eye to eye, but we do share a common enemy," he mused to himself, his brow furrowed in thought. "He wouldn't just feed her to the wolves for the sake of revenge. He's not that heartless... not yet."

"Uno reporting. All six groups have been successfully deployed as instructed. They've managed to breach the outer zone of the radar undetected, with minimal acoustic and energy signatures. We'll reach the inner layers of the northern zone in T-minus five minutes," the voice of a tall, silver-haired woman cut through his thoughts, her face flickering onto his screen. Her expression remained as cold as ice, but her tone was laced with a subtle respect as she relayed the update to her creator.

"Quattro and Sein are in position. The others will be ready in a matter of minutes, well before we reach the city's outskirts," she continued, her words efficient, precise.

"Good," Jail muttered, his eyes scanning the data and maps projected on the screens before him. The intricate detail of the layout of both the outer regions of Midchilda laid bare for him to study, a web of his operation was unfolding smoothly so far with a precision that brought him some measure of satisfaction. "These drones were hastily assembled. I didn't have time to test them properly, but this is a good opportunity to see if they perform as expected. Keep monitoring enemy movements, and report back the moment the others have secured their positions."

"Understood," The woman responded, but instead of ending the transmission, she hesitated. A flicker of emotion—uncertainty, perhaps—crossed her eyes, causing Jail to raise an eyebrow. It was rare, almost unheard of, for his first creation to show hesitation or doubt. Yet, given the recent events, he had a good guess as to what troubled her.

"It's about Luticia, isn't it?" he stated, his voice firm and unwavering — certain why this topic bothered Uno given her prior relationship with the child. The question caught her off guard, her composure slipping for just a split second before she quickly regained it.

"Yes, I... I apologize," she replied, a hint of regret in her tone.

"Don't be," he interjected smoothly. Uno had always followed orders without question, but this time was different. He knew she wasn't doubting the success of the operation—her concerns were rooted elsewhere. She was likely grappling with the aftermath of what they had been ordered to do. "Luticia is an important asset, that much is still very much the truth. We can't afford to let her fall into the enemy's hands, she'll be used against us and possess valuable information… which I suspect she hasn't shared with them yet. Her potential is vast—she could be a crucial piece in this operation and in our future plans. I'm certain that leaving her at Regius Gaiz mercy will only turn the naïve girl against us eventually. So, when the others find her, they are not to engage with hostility. Make her see reason."

Jail wasn't entirely sure what the boy, or Riot Force Six, had promised her—something about her mother, perhaps—but he couldn't fathom what they could offer that he couldn't. "And what about Cinque?"

"She's still currently monitoring Zest," Uno answered promptly.

"Mn, even with all this, our operation should succeed. It doesn't matter if Takamachi Nanoha, Fate Testarossa, or even Hayate Yagami herself joins the fray. They might win this battle, but they will lose the war," Jail declared with a confidence that radiated through the room.

"What should we do if she refuses to come back?" Uno asked, the question hanging in the air, heavy with implications. Despite being captured, the young woman had never once attempted to communicate with them. She had the means to do so, even under surveillance, but had chosen silence instead.

This topic remained constant between the numbers for the past few days, many of them having mixed opinion and answers. Some still believed she was firmly on their side while others were quick to label her as a possible traitor.

At this, her creator's lips curled into an easygoing smile, one devoid of any doubt, which had a calming effect on Uno and those listening in. "Leave that to me. I highly doubt she'll defect after only a few empty promises. We were there for her in her time of need—she's young, but not ungrateful."

With that, the call ended, and Jail returned to monitoring the unfolding situation, his eyes narrowing as they caught sight of additional energy signatures heading directly for his drone units at the front. 

The first one appeared early, dispatching a few of his creations with ease. "Vita, a troublesome individual but not who I thought would show up first."

Thankfully, there were enough units in the groups that even destroying a dozen of them mattered little. 

It wasn't until others started to show up that he noticed something… odd.

"Strange, only two individuals?" he murmured, his mind racing. He had expected a more significant response from Midchilda after the previous events, but as he analyzed further, a new theory began to form. "Those two must be very confident to face an entire army without fear. How disappointing that they would underestimate me so blatantly. No matter—I'll turn their arrogance against them."

A smirk played on his lips, visible to all the Numbers who were watching him. "All right, prepare yourselves. Remember, if you find the Relic, pass it on to Sein. Retreat if you feel outmatched. They aren't our main priority today—we can always capture them another time."

"Understood!"

{Break}

While one side operated with confidence, the other held a different atmosphere filled with both confusion and worry. 

"Varian drones?" 

Having rushed to their headquarters, the team was met with a worrying scene of everyone gathered in front of a monitor showing various footage of a new kind of unmanned aircraft by the hundreds flying across the sea not far from the main city in multiple groups if what was shown on the screen was accurate. 

"Didn't we just destroy a small army of these drones a few days ago?" Shirou asked while groaning internally, "Who can even make so many of them this quickly…" 

Granted, he already knew the answer to that but this was just ridiculous. The last few days were spent taking care of Lutecia and trying to make the girl come out of her shell around others, he didn't dedicate that much time to study Jail Scalliageti's past and involvement with the Time Space Administrative Bureau. But to be able to hold an army of drones of this scale was just ridiculous.

"Very few," answered Fate, standing next to him with her arms crossed and a pensive stare. "It's safe to assume these ones will be more dangerous compared to the land based drones you all faced before, already it is clear that they possess more speed and firepower."

They roughly resembled flying wings, some small enough that they wouldn't hold enough space to carry any person but there were a few large enough that made him wonder if Jail was truly coming to take Lutecia away or start a war. 

"They are approaching the north-east region, we've also received reports of the smaller land drones' presence within the subterranean tunnels, twenty units detected with possibly more on the way."

"How come no one noticed their arrival!?" 

"They are all heading in the same direction."

"So, what's the plan?" Shirou asked, looking over to Hayate along with everyone else. The woman didn't give him an answer immediately, staring at the screen in front of her eyes with a frown and shook her head. 

"I'm not sure if they came here to take Lutecia back or another relic, but we cannot take any risks." Just like some of the members in the room, she had doubts on what that rogue scientist had planned nor what his goals were. A stray thought crossed her mind which made her glance at the small girl behind the redhead. 

The latter's complexion showed uncertainty which did not bode well for the commander who held herself from saying something she didn't believe was a good idea in front of Shirou. He gave them his words that the girl wasn't going to pose any danger nor was she an enemy any longer. Just someone who needed their help and accepted to take the boy's extended hand. 

But what did she possess… or rather what was she capable of to make Jail be this desperate to take her back? 'I should trust him, but I am also responsible for everyone's safety. Nevertheless, I did give him my word that I'll trust his judgment, I can't start having doubts now.'

Lutecia has been quiet ever since she joined their side, having spoken to no one other than Shirou. Neither was she interrogated nor tested in any way — something which attracted the ire of her colleagues and superiors. But if this attempt at getting her back were to occur again, then Hayate knew there was only so much she could do from shielding Shirou and Lutecia from the eyes of her superiors. 

Either way, she had to make a decision now. 

"Stars two, I repeat stars two reporting." From the comms sounded Vita's voice soon followed by the footage of her flying across the sea headed straight for where the drones were. "I am approaching the target as per the commander's instructions and will delay them as much as I can until reinforcement arrives." 

"Mn," with that side now handled, she needed to handle another matter. Initially, Hayate planned to depart to the battlefield herself accompanied by Nanoha and Fate, but now that she thought about it, it was too much and it was best to not focus all of their heavy hitters in one spot. "Caro, Lushe, you two will handle the drones in the west side of the tunnels, Teana and Subaru will occupy the east. As for you, Shirou, I think you know what I want you to do. Upwards the tunnel is a bunker within the inner circle of the city with little the drones can do to reach that place." 

The man hesitated visibly, clearly wanting to say something but in the end not voicing it out and nodding his head. "... Alright."

He was capable, that much she knew, but recalling what happened last time, she was unwilling to take such a risk.

He grabbed Lutecia's hands and gently took the girl towards the exit — only to be pulled back by Subaru by the collar. The latter looked at him with a deadpan expression conveying a conversation between them which Shirou seemed to understand and grew pale. 

"... Is it really necessary? I… I really don't think it's needed. We can just do it on the way to the tunnels." He asked pitifully, his previous serious exterior shattered in an instant and replaced by that of an awkward smile that pleased the girl to let go of the matter.

Hayate blinked her eyes with confusion. 

Unfortunately for him, Subaru didn't take heed to his words and just turned her head to face Teana. 

"Tsk, tsk, told you he would try to sneak away." Subaru commented, her iron-like grip on him not wavering after he struggled to break from. "Just think of this as a team bonding exercise. It's important we conduct such things every time rather than doing so in the corner like you are, Teana and I do it everyday!" 

"That doesn't make it better for me."

"Just suck it up! What's so bad about it anyways?"  

"... You know that for a very split second you guys are without clothes…" 

A faint blush formed on Teana's face who was listening to the conversation while Subaru just waved it off. "We're not naked you idiot! There is a film of light around our body, also why are you observing us so closely in the first place!? You're making Teana imagine weird things now."

"Subaru!"

Hayate, who had been paying close attention to the enemy movement on the screen couldn't help but sneak a glance at the group, her lips twitching upwards when Shirou and the others brought out their devices. With the red-headed man having a slight blush on his face when holding onto his necklace — Rubin. 

'Is he still feeling embarrassed by the transformation?'

"Set up! Mach Caliber!" 

"Set up! Cross Mirage!" 

"S-Set… up… Rubin…" 

The contrast between the two groups was evident, especially for Shirou who was avoiding looking at the deadpan Lutecia in the eyes. Hayate was pretty certain that the young girl was probably just as confused as the others as to why he was embarrassed rather than judging him with that stare. 'Then again, different worlds must have different understanding.'

The room lit up with all three now vested with their appropriate barrier jackets with the red one standing out the most. Both girls giggling and patting Shirou on the back as they left. Thus this being his turn to turn tail and leave and make his way to a secure location — only for her to call out to him. 

"Wait." 

"Yes, Hayat— uh, commander?" Her lips twitched upwards at his small stumble there, she figured he wasn't aware she didn't mind being called by her name even in such scenarios. "You didn't forget what happened last time you dealt with this group right?" 

"I'll be careful." He answered confidently. 

"I know, but we can't be sure if our enemy will try to do it a second time."

"Lutecia is with me, they wouldn't fire such a thing in the tunnels." 

"Are you certain?" 

"..."

"I thought so, that is why I'll have you be accompanied by someone else." It may be a bit excessive, but Hayate believed it was best for her to overestimate the enemy than underestimate them even if there were only drones present. 

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(A few minutes later)

The subterranean area by itself felt like a real maze, with no source of light at first till they reached deeper after a few seconds of running guided by Subaru and Teana who split ways soon after. Caro and Lushe pairing up to clear another path a few seconds later as well — leaving him, Lutecia and the person in charge to protect them.

"The coast is clear, but don't drop your guard."

"I'll be careful, Fate-san." 

Out of everyone in the room, the last person Shirou expected to be paired with was her of all people. Not that he had anything against the woman, but part of him felt this was too much. 

He didn't show it outwardly, having not even pushed back against Hayate's orders since this wasn't the time for one. But it seemed his true thoughts were discovered rather easily by the blonde who gave him a side glance. 

"Are you thinking that I should be out there rather than here?" 

Was this person a mind-reader? Nevertheless, she was correct and he answered with a slight head nod, "I do appreciate your help, Fate-san, but  I'm more than capable of handling those drones." They were easy targets to hit with his arrows and  possessed little to no resistance against Noble Phantasms. 

Even if he was hit, his barrier jacket proved to be effective enough to reduce the damage. 

"Hayate-chan is just worried about you," Fate answered with a small smile, making it harder for him to say anything against that. "You must understand, when you were nearly killed by that attack she has been blaming herself for such an outcome. So learning from the past, she will not take the risk of letting history repeat itself." Her words, along with the echo of their feet spreading within the tunnel as they quickly made their way to the other side filled his mind. 

"But I survived in the end," he replied stubbornly, his voice carrying a defiant edge. "I may not be from around here, and my magecraft is also quite different, but I am no fragile vase. You saw what happened last time and I managed to pull through, also I'm not alone here, Subaru, Teana, Caro and Erio are all clearing the area as we speak."

She couldn't argue against that.

"Are you worried that Vita will be overwhelmed by their numbers?" Fate remarked with a slight chuckle, her tone light though not tinged with concern as he thought. 

It wasn't that he doubted Vita's capabilities; he knew full well how formidable that person was from their last encounter. However, the sheer volume of enemies could overwhelm anyone, and having Vita hold the front line alone was far from ideal. Seeing the worry etched on his face, Fate moved closer, with a flick of her wrist, a small holographic screen materialized from her wristwatch, displaying live footage of the battle raging outside.

From the looks of it, reinforcement arrived in time but was very different from what he had in mind.

"Hayate?" he murmured, his eyes widening as the image of the usually composed commander filled the screen. The kind yet strict leader, who typically directed operations from her seat, was now soaring through the sky beyond the city's limits. Her standard uniform had been replaced by a dark robe with a white sleeved jacket, reminiscent of Nanoha and Fate, but with an odd twist—four small, black wings adorned her back. In one hand, she clutched a scepter, and in the other, a book, likely her device. 

Even if he couldn't hear anything, she was clearly chanting something under her breath, her focus intense as she confronted the enemy head-on.

The air around her shimmered with ethereal colors as four large magic circles materialized before her, each one intricately designed, with a fifth circle aligning perfectly in the center. White energy began to gather, coalescing into a brilliant point of light in the middle of the first circle. Suddenly, a powerful beam of pure energy erupted, cutting across the sky like a blade of light. The blast stretched across the sea, leaving destruction in its wake—it pushed the waters apart, scattered the clouds, and obliterated dozens of aircraft drones in a single, devastating stroke. And then it happened again—a second, third, and fourth time—each blast more powerful than the last. The final, fifth circle unleashed an even larger beam, a blinding column of energy that tore through the enemy ranks, reducing countless drones to mere ash.

"..."

He could only stare in stunned silence, his mouth agape, utterly speechless at the sight before him. Was this truly the same sweet, somewhat mischievous girl he had known? The sheer magnitude of her power was staggering, more akin to the might of a Servant than a human mage! It reminded him eerily of the energy beam that had struck him earlier, its force undeniable and terrifying.

"Still think she needs my help?" Fate asked, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "I'm not sure if Nanoha-chan ever mentioned this to you, but our Commander is easily one of the most powerful mages in Midchilda. She didn't earn that double S-rank for nothing."

"I stand corrected." He'd only get in their way trying to help them, that much he was willing to admit. "I can't even fly yet, even with my arrows I doubt it'd make much of a difference…"

"Fufufu~! Don't look so down, I'm sure the others would be very happy to see you try and help!" She stopped having remembered something and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Speaking of being happy, I heard that you and Nanoha-chan are getting along nicely."

He nodded his head, "She does help me out a lot to get settled in and checking up on both Subaru and Teana. Is something the matter?"

"...Nothing really," Fate answered with an uncertain gaze. "She's someone who does naturally try her best to help everyone she can, guess I was just caught by surprise with how often she does it recently. She literally storms off the moment her shift ends without wasting a second, she never used to do this before." Her voice trailed off at the end, clearly there was more to it but that was missed by Shirou. 

"Did something happen between you?" She asked again, this time her curiosity growing further. 

"Eh? What do you mean?" His head tilted with confusion.

"Seriously, you haven't noticed something weird about all of this?" 

"Notice what?" 

Fats just couldn't believe her eyes and ears, the guy genuinely sounded confused. Hayate even mentioned Nanoha going regularly to his place for breakfast and lunch! She could understand in the case of Subaru and Teana who lived in the complex but that wasn't the case for Nanoha who had her own apartment! 

'Maybe she's very interested in Shirou's origin given he is from another reality, but that hardly explains her behavior.' Fate decided that after dealing with this matter she would speak with her friend and get to the bottom of this. 

She knew countless sleepless nights would occur if these questions went unanswered! A part of her knew for certain that Hayate herself must have had some suspicions.

"...Nothing, forget I asked that. Maybe I'm just overthinking things." 

…

While taken aback by the strange question at first, Shirou went back to remembering the scene with Hayate once more and felt a chill creep up his spine. What was with the ridiculously powerful mages from the people in this world? 

"Ah, you've been quiet, Lutecia-chan." While he was still swimming in his thoughts, Fate decided to start a small conversation with Lutecia with a warm smile on her face. "You don't need to worry about anything, Shirou already mentioned many things about you and I promise that I'll do my best to help you."

"... Thank you." Her answer came out hollow, as if she didn't even trust those words mentioned by Fate and just said it out of politeness while keeping her gaze focused on the person holding her hand. "Shirou… the doctor knows about you." 

"I know, we've talked." 

"You did?" Fate interjected, certain she didn't hear about this from the others. 

"He was trying to get me on his side and make me doubt the Time Space Administrative Bureau. This happened before the attack during the auction, I mentioned this to Nanoha." Fate had more questions but stayed quiet letting him continue his explanation. 

But it seemed that this wasn't what worried the girl, she hesitated, looking back and forth between Fate and him before sighing. "What if… what if the doctor has a reason to stay away from here?"

Though she didn't say it, it was clear to both Fate and Shirou what the girl was trying to entail. Holding back more she wanted to say most likely due to Fate's presence. After all, those weren't something someone allied themselves to the TSAB would dare to say without arising without arousing suspicion. 

"That doesn't give him the excuse to use other people for his own gain like this." 

"What if he's not the only one doing so?" for all the positive things she heard about the time space administrative Bureau from Subaru and Teana, how the former was saved by Nanoha with similar stories mentioned by others, they also had to be things that were hidden from her. Stories she heard from jail which she hadn't shared with Shirou yet. In the young girl's eyes, this organization still wasn't trustworthy enough for her to trust them anymore than she did in the past. 

In her mind, the ideal scenario was for him to join her side instead. If he was worried about her safety, then he could stay by her side and watch over as long as he liked. It would take some effort to persuade the doctor, but she was confident to have the ability and the means to do so. Jail has shown in the past that he valued her opinion very much.

The group continued running lightly down the tunnel in silence for a few more seconds, fate not saying a thing but instead looking over at Shirou waiting for his response just as Lutecia was doing. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if the TSAB did indeed have some dark history and less than likable people amongst them who caused innocents to suffer."

"Then why…" 

He turned back, firmly squeezing her shoulders enough to reassure the girl. "Because I'm not asking you to be allied with the organization. Did you forget what I said before? Just trust in me if you don't trust them, and if by misfortune someone above Hayate or her other colleagues gets any funny idea of using you then I will not hesitate to turn my blades against them." Repeating the same words he mentioned on the day of the attack at the auction, he hoped it would convey to her that these weren't just empty words. He gave an apologetic smile to Fate, not wanting her to be offended by his words.

Surprisingly enough, there wasn't any expression of anger on her face. Instead some surprise which morphed into a beautiful smile when she looked back at Lutecia and himself. "Oh my, how bold of you to foil our evil plans for Lutecia-chan like that. I will not hold back against you and accomplish world domination." 

He was taken aback by what she said only to notice the faint mischievous undertone in her voice he recognized hearing from Nanoha. Fate was probably just trying to lighten the mood and ease up the girl behind him. 

So he chuckled in response with cold sweat streaming down his forehead when her device turned into a scythe. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Nanoha alone is scary enough. I don't want to deal with a blonde grim reaper." 

"Hah? This is the first time I got called a grim reaper… "

"Nanoha mentioned you liked using a scythe during your fights and how you used to be very scary wielding that weapon against everything that moved." 

"... Just what are you two talking about in private?" She looked at him suspiciously. "And for your information I wasn't a mindless berserker swinging around my device like that! Seriously, what is she sharing with you!?"

To be honest, he barely knew anything about her other than the fact she and Nanoha started off as enemies. 

He saw how she sneakily tried to look back at Lutecia, wondering if the conversation managed to make the girl ease up a bit. Her reaction reminded him about a conversation he had with Teana, about how the person in front of him was very good when it came to taking care of children given she looked after Caro for a period of time. "Shirou, heads up."

All of a sudden, her tone shifted dramatically, adopting a more serious and focused demeanor. The lightheartedness from moments before had vanished, replaced by the cautious vigilance of a seasoned mage. Her gaze sharpened, carefully scanning the space ahead as she sensed something amiss.

"Careful! We've spotted a dozen drones approaching fast!" one of the communication agents urgently informed them, the voice crackling in their ears. The agent provided detailed information about the size of the group and their direction of approach, a total of twenty with more coming on their way. 

"Stay back," he warned the small girl behind him. "We'll handle this."

Fate was already prepared. 

In a flash, her device transformed into a gleaming halberd, and without hesitation, she launched herself into the air. "Hah!!" With a powerful swing, she effortlessly sliced through the first five drones in line, their metallic forms crumpling under the force of her attack. The remaining drones halted in their tracks, immediately retaliating with a relentless barrage of blasts aimed directly at Fate.

However, their efforts proved futile. In the blink of an eye, Fate conjured a translucent shield, the magical barrier absorbing the onslaught with ease. Not a single crack appeared as the shield held strong against the assault. "Are you two already?" 

Some tried to aim for Shirou, only for their shots to be met mid air by an arrow and then followed by another piercing it.

"Fate!" A panicked voice echoed through the tunnel, breaking the tense silence. She turned her head just in time to see more drones emerging from hidden entryways, half of them cloaked in some sort of invisibility that had escaped her detection as well as the radar's. They began to fire immediately, giving her little to no time to mount a counterattack.

"Eh?" Several sharp, piercing sounds filled the tunnel as arrows suddenly flew from behind, striking the drones that had been poised to ambush her. The drones exploded upon impact, their attack thwarted. More volleys of projectiles followed in rapid succession, each one finding its mark with pinpoint accuracy, taking down the targets without ever coming close to Fate, even as she continued to move and slash through more of the attacking drones.

"That one again," Shirou muttered, recognizing a familiar drone among the swarm hiding in plain sight. It was larger than the others, its presence unmistakable, recalling what capability it held made his eyes widen with unease. It materialized right beside the blonde mage and quickly emitted a large anti-magic field that swept across the tunnel.

As expected, the barrier's effects were immediate and overwhelming. In an instant, it neutralized the magic in the area, causing several of Fate's shields to dim considerably and break from the continuous onslaught. She was left vulnerable, exposed to the remaining drones, which were ready to fire upon her defenseless form.

"Get behind me!" The memory of what had happened with Erio during their first mission surged in Shirou's mind. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and grabbed Fate by the waist.

"Eh? W-Wait, Shirou, I can handl—Wah!" Her initial surprise followed by a protest fell into deaf ears and was cut short as Shirou threw her back toward Lutecia, the latter stepping aside a few feet and watching the body land with a loud thud right next to her. "Oof!" 

"...Shirou." Having not paid the person any attention after she landed, Lutecia worriedly stretched her hands where a pair of purple and black gloves materialized. A violet glow emanated from the gem in the middle but got interrupted when a hand grabbed onto her wrist. 

"—!" 

From the wall a ripple of water formed where a young girl with light green hair gestured at her to stay quiet with a small anxious face. "Sein." 

Crack! 

At the same time, the ceiling above Fate was cut into pieces where a blue haired woman in the same tight blue bodysuit showed up with multiple sets of eight feather-shaped energy wings struck the girl by surprise and pushed her further downwards. All of it happened so quickly that even Shirou hadn't noticed as on the spot several drones casted holograms of an undamaged floor with another Fate standing on guard.

She was shaken by her appearance but then calmed down, lowering her hands as the light from her device dimmed down. 

Unfortunately, her intervention made her forced to watch Shirou barely have enough time to trace the weapons she learned were called Kanshou and Bakuya. 

The married swords gleamed as he braced himself for the incoming barrage, the first few shots sliced into two at the edge of the blade while others shattered — but there were far too many for him to keep him. The drones unleashed their attack, and a torrent of blasts converged on Shirou from all directions, engulfing him in a thick cloud of dust and smoke.

Swish! 

Not even a second passed right as a black sword swirled in right out of the dust cloud and pierced through the drone with the anti magic field. Several more blades fired out at a rapid pace and took out all of the remaining drones. 

"Hah… Hah… that was close." The dust settled quickly and a disheveled Shirou walked out coughing, his barrier jacket managing to absorb most of the damage but at the cost of his magical energy. Had the assault continued for another minute, it would have completely drained him. "This is different from last time." 

The anti magic drone though at a glance looked similar to the one from yesterday but was different now that he got a closer look at it. His magecraft weren't affected by this contraption but he worried that Jail might have tried to enhance its effect. 

"Fate, Lutecia, are you okay?" He realized that in his panic, he ended up tossing Fate backwards like that without much of a thought. "Sorry about that, Fate, I acted before thinking… Fate?" 

He looked at the girls at the back, both of them standing still cautiously looking at the fallen drones. Sensing something weird he called them again, "Guys?" Walking closer till he stopped in his tracks realizing something wasn't right here. The two 'people' in front wobbled, their form started to glitch and become see through. "What!?" 

His fears turned true when he tried to grab onto one of their arms only for his hands to pass through without resistance. Their images disappeared along with his surroundings distorting until he found himself standing in a completely different space than before. A larger enclosed space still within the subterranean tunnels from the looks of it with neither Fate or Lutecia in sight. 

"Fate!"

"Lutecia!" 

He called for them but none answered, his nerves growing till he noticed a few individuals on the other end, unsure of whom they were he tried to take a step forward till his eyes were assaulted by a bright light. "Argh!" He cried out, using his arm to cover his face and allow his eyes to slowly adjust to the sudden brightness. 

"We meet again, Emiya Shirou." 

He hoped to not meet this person anytime soon. 

There on the wall was a brightly lit screen where Jail's face looked down upon him with a smirk. The shadows of multiple figures surrounding him, more drones as usual. "Did you like my newest little creation? Creating believable illusions to fool the human eye was not easy but it has room to grow. This especially is tricky when you are accompanied by Fate Testarossa, I must admit how unplanned that part turned out to be. But then again, she would have approached me sooner or later, she exists thanks to me after all."

Exist because of him? That comment caught him off guard. The chance that this person was possibly her father was absurd, Nanoha and the others would have mentioned this detail. 

"Either way, it worked, that's all that matters in the end." 

So many people were gathered in this room, the outside attack definitely served as nothing more than a distraction to draw in Nanoha and the others. 

"Where are they?" 

Shirou didn't waste any time, immediately demanding to know the whereabouts of the two individuals who had been with him just moments ago. "Hoh, even when you're surrounded and trapped, you still have the audacity to ask such a question, arrogance maybe? Let me warn you, your barrier jacket is not an absolute form of defense, it won't save you if I order all of my machines to fire. You've already sustained plenty of attacks not that long ago," the man taunted, his voice dripping with amusement. 

"I don't need a barrier jacket to get out of this situation." 

His mind scoured through countless weapons till several options were chosen. Black keys were the first and foremost most useful ones he believed to be helpful in this situation. 'Using Rho Aias again won't work since I'm surrounded, Carnwennan is an option if I want to disappear or maybe…' 

"Pondering on a way to escape? Don't bother, you are only wasting your time. You can always try, it will make it easier for me." He seemed to take pleasure in mocking him, as if entertained by his defiance. 

In situations like this, Shirou knew he had to remind himself to stay calm, to take a more measured approach. If the doctor truly wanted him dead, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to separate him from the main group, nor would he have attempted to communicate with him again. Their last encounter had been far from ideal, and the fact that this man was reaching out now only confirmed that he wanted something from him.

"Then what do you want with me?" Shirou asked, his tone steady despite the tension in the air.

"What do I want? Many things, you could say—knowledge, secrets from ancient eras, order, justice, and much more. I've dedicated myself to achieving these goals for years, only for you to come out of nowhere and start meddling with my plans in such a manner." The doctor's voice held no anger, only a cold, calculating interest. He gazed at Kanshou and Bakuya with evident greed, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of admiration and covetousness. "Before you say anything, I do have a deal to propose. Surely, you value your life more than you value those." 

He gestured toward the married blades, his proposition coming out of nowhere for Shirou. 

"My weapons?" Shirou repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion. Sure Noble Phantasms weren't something he knew whether or not existed in this world, but Kanshou and Bakuya wouldn't be that eye-catching compared to the devices. 

At best they were extra sharp swords to the eyes of the locals.

"What else? I have no idea where you found those little toys, but they're unlike anything I've ever seen before," the doctor continued, his intrigue growing with every word. "They can cut through machines even with an anti-magic field deployed, and without any resistance. Even the highest quality metals can't replicate what you've demonstrated today. These are not creations of modern technology. Just looking at their form and design, I'm led to believe they're weapons forged in a long-forgotten era."

"Hn, congratulations, you're a detective on top of everything else. Do you want me to applaud you?" Shirou's sarcasm slipped out without much thought, his tone laced with disdain. "They could be from a hundred or a thousand years ago—either way, that's none of your concern. You haven't answered my question, where are they? I'll find them myself if you insist on wasting my time." 

His eyes flicked to the people surrounding him, tensely aware that they could attack him at any moment. He was encircled by individuals and multiple robots, and he knew better than to underestimate any of them.

"Hahaha! So much hostility, yet you misunderstand something, Shirou," the doctor laughed, seemingly unfazed by Shirou's attitude. "I haven't come here with the intention of killing you or harming you in any way. It's become clear to me that there's a big misunderstanding between us, and I'd like to offer you another chance—if you'll allow it."

Shirou was momentarily stunned by the statement. This was the same enemy who had sent a literal army of robots to kill him, and now he was suddenly talking about an alliance?

"You're not exactly good at these things, are you?" He remarked dryly, his skepticism evident, still keeping his guard up.

"Well, it's hard to infiltrate a place like Midchilda without causing any commotion. Other than this, I had no other way to contact you," the doctor replied, his tone almost casual.

"I turned down your offer last time. What makes you so certain I'll accept it this time?" Shirou challenged, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Instead of giving him a direct answer, Jail Scaglietti simply smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Because this time, I don't plan on giving you the luxury of choosing. Capture him. Be quick, I doubt Fate Testarossa will be held back for long."

"—!" 

The scene turned dark with the menacing red glow of the drones and some of the women in blue tight clothing all glaring at him with hostility.

{Break}

"I'm so glad that you're safe, Lutecia-sama!"

"We were barely able to separate you from Fate."

The relief in Sein's and Quattro's voices was palpable. It was an odd sensation for Lutecia to be reunited with the Numbers after everything that had transpired. The young purple-haired girl remained as cold and distant as ever, despite the other parties' overjoyed reactions. Shirou and the others might see them as enemies, but in her eyes, they were still important individuals—people who had been kind to her when no one else had.

"Sein," she began, her tone neutral. "Quattro, you came all the way here for me… I'm sorry for the trouble." 

The bespectacled twin-tailed girl, Quattro, shook her head with an easy going smile. "It was nothing, you are an important member of our family and Jail-sama cares about you a lot. Plus this is as good an opportunity as any to acquire the sixth Relic, so we're killing two birds with one stone here!" 

Sein jumped in place with a large smile, "I'm so glad that you're okay! Do you have any idea how stressful it was when you were taken away? If it weren't for those mages, we would have come to save you much earlier!"

"...I wasn't in any danger."

She never was.

From the very beginning he kept her close away from the others. 

She couldn't even say she had been held captive or under lockdown by the enemy. There had been no threats, no attempts to extract information from her. "Shirou kept his promise, and I was safe."

"Shirou? Who's that?"

"It's the redhead, you idiot. Did you already forget!?" 

"Oh right." 

Quattro sighed at her sister's forgetfulness, "Either way, we shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary. Jail-sama already gave us the mission to take you away and leave this place as soon as we found you. Besides, those drones won't be able to hold off Fate for much longer. So let's go! I'm sure Uno and the others will be ecstatic to see you safe and sound."

"Uno…" 

A complicated expression passed across Lutecia's face. The blank, emotionless mask she usually wore slipped, replaced by genuine concern. "What does the doctor want with Shirou?" she asked, directing her question not to Sein, but to Quattro, who she knew would have the answer.

"You can ask that to him personally," Quattro responded with a calm yet cryptic smile. "He's not seeking to kill the boy but has grown genuinely curious about him. I'm sure you've noticed some oddities about Shirou now that you've been around him for a few days. That's why Jail-sama is most likely after him. Especially after he took down those anti magic drones without using a device… even I'm curious how he did that without the help of summoning magic or a high-powered weapon."

They were able to conclude that Shirou Emiya did not use summoning magic or carried some kind of spatial storage from the footage of his fight against Zest. They even consider those being some kind of magical construct but appearance wise they differed greatly from that kind of magic as well.

"He should consider himself lucky, it's not everyday Jail-sama gets this involved. Usually he leaves Uno to handle the operation and myself."

Even though Quattro's words were meant to reassure her, Lutecia couldn't shake the ominous feeling creeping up in her heart. She had gotten to know Shirou quite well over the past few days. If there was one word to describe him, it would be "stubborn". 

Stubborn to a fault. 

So much so that she considered there was something wrong with him to go to such length for a stranger.

His statement of going against TSAB if her life was ever in danger due to them, reaffirming them in front of Fate just cemented that belief.

"He won't accept the doctor's offer, no matter how good it is," she said, more to herself than to the others. 

Sein and Quattro exchanged a glance, some hidden meaning passing between them. It was the latter who broke the silence first, stepping closer to place a hand on Lutecia's shoulder. "And you should know that Jail-sama is not one to back down so easily. If he wants something, he'll find a way to accomplish it. Don't dwell on this matter. Remember what he promised you. Staying here won't help you in any way other than further diminish your chances of getting her back."

"..."

Lutecia hesitated, her mind swirling with conflicting thoughts. Her wrist gently grabbed by one of the numbers who pulled her along towards the exit leading to the outside where an aircraft waited for them. 

Yet she resisted the pull and stood her ground, not willing to move an inch.

"—?" 

The two looked at her with visible shock and confusion, especially Quattro who had a bad feeling in her heart at the signs of Lutecia's behavior. Sein perhaps having picked up on them but still unsure how to act. 

"The doctor, he won't succeed in pulling him to the other side." These words were spoken with unshakable certainty.

"Shirou Emiya, whether he likes it or not, will join our side and help you accomplish your goals along with ours. Lutecia-sama, it's not wise to get attached so easily to a stranger you've known for only a few days who shows a smile but may have sinister purposes," Quattro added, her tone edged with a warning.

But even as she said those things, a large part of Lutecia's heart refused to believe them at all. The feeling was so strong that she shook her head the moment Quattro finished. "No, Shirou is not evil. He's not capable of that…" she insisted softly, her voice firm.

The past few days flashed before her eyes the more she thought back of their time together the more her doubts and hesitation grew. Subaru and Teana, they never spoke much to each other but even those two didn't seem like bad people. Subaru was far too energetic for her liking and ate all the food she wanted to keep for herself. Teana was weird, always distracted by something and kept bugging Shirou for advice on shooting instead of leaving them alone to enjoy a peaceful afternoon.

In the end he considered them as friends and thus she couldn't do much.

"What do you mean by any means necessary?" She asked with a wavering voice, "he'll be I force him to fight against his friends. I… I don't want him to hate me." 

She told herself thousands of times that for her mother to be brought back, nothing would stand in her way. Willing to go from one extreme to another if it meant seeing her smiling face again. Becoming an enemy of Midchilda looked trivial, yet the mere image of him looking at her with hateful eyes instilled a sense of dread she didn't want to experience. 

"Don't worry about him hating you, Jail-sama has plenty of ways to counter such a thing." 

And she didn't want any one of those methods to be used on him. Regardless of what they were.

She tried to pull back even more from Sein's grip, shocking the latter at her action. Arm shaking as it struggled to break free.

"Lutecia-sama… are you…" 

"I-I want to save my mother…. " Her shoulders trembled, voice croaking with a waterfall of emotions threatening to pour out. She was confused, the Lutecia of the past would hate the decision she was contemplating since it meant delaying her goals. "But not like this… please, I don't want him to hate me…" 

When was the last time she had shown so much emotion? She couldn't remember, maybe the day she saw her mother for the last time, a suffocating feeling that grew by the second. 

Unable to understand just what was going on with the girl, Quattro had to ask, "Lutecia-sama, why do you care so much about this person over Jail-sama who has shown you so much kindness? It doesn't make sense!" 

Her prior cheerful tone now completely gone and replaced with frustration and a hint of rage frightening even Sein who rarely saw her sister behave like that. 

But Quattro didn't care about the volume of her voice and approached the little girl, ready to complete this retrieval mission regardless if she had to use forceful means. But before that, she needed some answers. 

Yet all she faced was the appearance of a pitiful child with moist eyes who looked just as confused as her about this entire thing. 

"Because… B-Because he reminds me of mama… he feels like her sometimes…" she whispered silently, 

"..."

"..."

Speechless, out of the thousands of possible answers she came up with this wasn't amongst them. So completely out of the box that Quattro wondered if she heard wrong, but her hearings were perfectly fine unfortunately that seemed to be the case for Lutecia's weird behavior. 

"This is stupid." 

Done trying to persuade her to come along willingly, she had no other choice. "Sein, detain her and let's leave before more reinforcements arri—!?"

Horror flashed before both Numbers' faces when the glove on Lutecia's hands started to glow. A dark wisp emerging from the jewel and presenting itself before them with a large summoning circle forming beneath their feet in an instant. 

"I'm sorry, Quattro… Sein, please tell the doctor that I'm sorry I disappointed him." There was regret, she was betraying her allies by her own choice. "Garyu, help me."

The dark wisp transformed into a shadow towering over the girls, an insectoid with a human-like form burst forth letting out a roar that shook the room. It's five crimson eyes glaring at the girls who couldn't believe what just happened.

Sein was already halfway submerged within the ground the moment the creature moved. Its figure blurring, moving at speed beyond anything Quattro dealt with in the last and appearing right in front of her. 

Its carapace covered hands pulled back along with its body until a loud bang sounded, "Urgh!" Spit flew out of her mouth when the next second a dark fist dug into her abdomen, tearing through the latex-like armor with ease and sending the girl propelled through the air and crashing into a wall.

The attack carried enough force that it broke through the entire thing and led to another room where the young girl felt her heart skip a beat when she saw none other than Shirou. 

Holding his own against Tre, Sette, other numbers and drones who managed to inflict some wounds upon him. 

"Lutecia!" The boy's expression in question, which initially was that of pure anger that quickly turned into pure joy upon seeing her. "Stay there, I'll get you out of here!"

Even in such a moment he continued to worry about her, had she decided to leave with Quattro and Sein… what would he think of her? And for the Numbers, especially Tre and Sette to be engaged in combat did not make her feel like Jail truly wanted him to join them.

"Lutecia," she heard the Doctor's voice and saw his face upon the wall. There was disappointment in his eyes, yet strangely enough she didn't feel any more regret than before. "Is this truly your choice?" 

"Garyu." 

The insectoid creature understood her words and made its move, ramming against Tre with great force with its tail slashing against the nearby drones. Moving at hypersonic speed in such an enclosed space made it very hard for even the most combat oriented Numbers to keep track.

"Gah!" The blue haired number followed a similar fate to Quattro but proved to be more resilient physically as she managed to endure the attack. By pushing herself off the ground with shaking legs. 

Lutecia's action was the answer to Jail's question, the man sighing with his eyes closed. "I suppose you have abandoned your mother, the Time Space Administrative Bureau truly poisoned your mind." 

"No, I haven't," she retorted. "I…I'll find a way." 

"I see, then this has been a waste of time. All of you, retreat, there is no point staying here any longer than necessary." At his command, each of the numbers vanished from their spot with the remaining drones gathering around the ceiling, their bodies starting to glow a reddish hue with the overall temperature of the place rising by the second. 

"We shall meet again, Emiya Shirou," were the last words of the doctor before the broadcast went offline.

"—!" 

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, finding herself momentarily recalling the warmth embrace of her mother despite the current situation. The guilt of her betrayal burned away until nothing was left but ash, and this very action made her certain that both Jail and the numbers were wrong about him. 

Shirou was not evil like those people working in TSAB.

He was planning on using himself as a shield again wasn't he… she wouldn't let him. 

It was her fault they came here.

She had to take responsibility.

The gloves once again started to glow with several summoning circles appearing around them. "Gar—"

Crash!

The floor caved in as a bright yellow scythe cut through it, a figure emerging right as the drones all exploded at the same time. A sea of fire filled the room and nearly reached them if it weren't for Fate grabbing both of them and creating a yellow sphere around her. 

The shockwave and destructive force of the explosion impacted the sphere, rattling everyone inside. Lutecia unconsciously found herself wrapping her hands around him as well and waited for the shaking to come to an end, bracing the entire time but without any fear in her heart. 

This went on for a couple more seconds till everything came to a stop. The sphere tumbled deeper underground till they reached the very bottom, all three waited for another minute till they were certain that the blast came to an end. 

The sphere dissipated, and she found herself staring at the distant sky above, surrounded by endless rubbles and remnants of the tunnels having survived the explosion. 

"Guys! I found them!" From one of the tunnels, Subaru appeared waving her hands over. Teana, Caro and Erio all soon came over and released a sigh of relief seeing them safe and sound.

"That was close." Fate mentioned, looking around to make sure they were in the clear. "Are you two injured?" 

Shirou shook his head, "Rubin took some damage but other than that, I'm completely fine. Hah… this thing consumes far too much of my energy, I'm spent." He said, letting out a deep sigh. For someone who she saw go up against the Numbers before she intervened, he did indeed look in a very good condition. 

She was glad. 

"Are you hurt, Lutecia?" Finally, he turned his attention to her, grabbing onto her face and looking over careful for injuries. 

Barely she managed to hold back her emotions and shook her head. 

"I see, I was worried something happened to you back then. Hahaha, good thing you showed up in time, I was about to resort to desperate means to get rid of them, all of them had weird names." 

His hand gently rubbed her head, that same smile he showed her everyday coming back that reminded Lutecia of someone precious to her made it harder for herself to hold back. 

Sniff…

"Eh, are you crying?" 

"N-No…"

"You are crying," 

"I… sniff… I'm not."

He pulled her into his embrace once more, she accepted it without resisting. 

"It's okay to cry… I'm happy you chose to stay." 

Of course she would stay, something told her that had she left, a certain someone would have actually tried to come chase after her and put himself in needless danger. Not listening to a single word even if she tried to stop him… stubborn to the core. 

"I'll keep my word to you, we'll save your mother. That is my promise to you."

Hearing those words made her feel a sense of relief once more, further extinguishing any embers of guilt she harbored for turning her back against the doctor.

Sniff 

"I-I trust you."

Out of nowhere, both heard the sound of a camera shutter.

"Ara…," Fate holding a camera showed an awkward face. "I didn't mean to ruin the moment." 

"Why?" 

"Something tells me Nanoha-chan will really like this." 

Both Shirou and Lutecia were confused by that statement, though the girl soon no longer cared and just continued to stay in his embrace as she felt exhaustion creep in. 

Mentally fatigued, she drifted asleep while he carefully held her up and started to head back up. 

-------

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