Crackling flames shed inconsistent orange light through the shattered window. The dull roar of the fires, once relegated to the back of her mind, now tormented Olga Marie Animusphere. It pushed her psyche closer, closer, closer to that claustrophobic panic she had held back. She held her eyes shut and pulled her arms tighter around her knees. She was the Director. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was never meant for the field. 'Zero aptitude,' they said. She was no Master.

If only Lev were here...

A far-off roar made her flinch. Berserker was still out there, hunting. Hunting them. Forget finding the Grail and solving the Fuyuki singularity, Olga Marie just wanted to survive. If Romani just wanted to let them die, she wouldn't blame him. There was still a chance he could find some other Master candidate, right? Didn't Fujimaru have a sister?

Lev would know. If anyone could save Chaldea, he could. But Romani said-

A soft whimper forced her to open her eyes. At first she refused to raise them, staring blankly at the orange-tinted floor, taking in the singed, broken floorboards, scattered papers and pieces of furniture. Rubble, a mix of drywall, concrete, and shards of glass, swept around like sand blown by the hot winds. Slowly, a pool of blood crept into the top of her vision. She looked up.

Lev?

Three figures, one standing, one kneeling, and one lying on their back. Dr. Romani Archaman, or, at least, a blue hologram of him, gave orders to the kneeler, Mash Kyrielight. Ritsuka Fujimaru lie there, the focus of their efforts, bleeding out. The wound in his chest stained his white master uniform red. The growing puddle of blood on the floor had reached Mash's bare knees, but the Shielder didn't care. Her lavender eyes were wide with fear, shock, and panic as she tried to stop the bleeding. Through it all, Olga Marie couldn't help but wonder, 'What happens to a Demi-Servant if their Master dies?'

"... Director!"

She heard, but it didn't register. Nothing registered. Not the Shielder's eyes, pleading with her through blood-matted hair. Not Romani's blue face, inches from hers. Not the pale, pale face of the Chaldea's last Master. Did they want her to do something? About that? She had tried healing magic, back when it first happened. She didn't have the power to heal a wound that deep, only slow it down. Mash's Servant abilities might let her stabilize him, but he wouldn't recover enough to do his duties as a Master. Why let him suffer like that, then? Why prolong it? They were all going to die, anyways.

"... Director!"

No one could stop that thing. Even Caster was barely a fly against that mighty Berserker. Mash didn't show it, but the beast had put her on her last legs. Blocking a swing of his blade had thrown her three blocks away, and that was when she was still at nearly full strength. Fujimaru had only been scratched by the thing, and he was barely hanging on. Olga Marie couldn't do anything. She wasn't a Master. If some random skeleton happened to look in their hiding place, they were done for. All of them.

*SMACK*

The sound of fire shot into the background, replaced by a searing pain in her right cheek. Mash crouched at eye-level, anchoring Olga Marie in the present moment. Before the pain could dull and her mind could retreat into shock, Mash spoke.

"Apologies, Director, but snap out of it!"

The Director blinked. "Mash, I…"

"Director," Romani's voice echoed from the hologram, sounding vaguely robotic, "I need you to listen to me very carefully. You are going to perform a summoning."

Mash retreated to give space for the doctor's hologram to lower and look her in the eyes. Through the translucent blue man, the Director saw the Demi-Servant return to Ritsuka's side and taking his all-but-white, clammy hand in her own. Romani lifted his holographic hands and 'placed' them squarely on her shoulders. She couldn't help but wonder what awkward position he had to be in at his desk in order to pull that maneuver off.

"B-but I, I have no aptitude- h-how-"

Romani shook his head. "I know. We have a plan. A desperate, last-ditch 'Hail Mary' of a plan. And I need you to trust me, because it's the best plan we've got to even have a chance of saving humanity."

Saving humanity. That's right. That's what this was all about. They needed to save humanity. Olga Marie let go of her knees and wiped her eyes clear of smoke, dust, and whatever tears had dried there. She looked Romani in the eyes. "What do you need me to do?" She sounded more confident than she was. She had been faking it for so long she could barely tell how much of that bravado was real.

Romani smiled, but it was tight. Anxious. Fake, like hers. "Da Vinci mentioned the theoretical possibility of splitting the burdens of a Master. We could attach a Servant to Fujimaru's command seals, but power them with your mana."

Olga's brow furrowed. "But Fujimaru has the Seals, and he's…" She trailed off, looking at the brown-haired Master. His chest barely moved. Mash was channeling some sort of healing magic into him; probably the healing spell all Master candidates learned. It wouldn't save him, but it could keep him alive. For the moment, at least.

"While you perform the incantation, Mash will run mana through his Command Seals. Since she's his Servant, she should be able to interact with them on some level. I would call this pseudo-scientific hypostulating, but Da Vinci says it'll work." Romani sighed. She had never seen him this worried about anything, even when she threatened to fire him. Maybe because he knew she wouldn't actually go through with it… "If he dies, you will need to figure out some kind of contract with the Servant. We… don't have the information to work that out ourselves, but with the Grail's knowledge, a Servant may know a way to do it. Da Vinci is doing her best to make the summoning system more accommodating, but this really is a last-ditch effort. You'll have to use the old, cumbersome summoning incantation. You remember that, right?"

"Of course." Olga Marie tried to puff out her chest in pride, but her earlier anxiety hadn't quite left. She managed to push it to the back of her mind, though. This was for the sake of humanity. "Who do you take me for?" she smirked and stood tall. "I am Olga Marie Animusphere, Director of Chaldea. It is my job to guide humanity to safety!"

The next couple of minutes passed by in a flash, but they still balanced on a razor-thin thread. Mash and Olga Marie alternated casting healing magic on Fujimaru and setting up the summoning circle through Mash's shield. As Olga Marie held her glowing hand up to his chest, the green light that she once found so comforting cast sickly shadows on the Master. The shadows only moved slightly when he breathed. Each breath was so shallow, so weak, the Director had to check his hand to make sure the Command Seals were still there and he hadn't passed away under her. She wouldn't allow that, not here. Not when humanity still needed saving.

"Director, it's ready!" Mash stepped back from where her shield lay on the floor and scanned the room. Olga's black coat hung above one of the former living room's windows to block the light from the summoning, along with a collection of blankets and blinds Mash had found stuffed away in a closet. Using her enhanced strength, Mash had also pushed a ravaged couch, the remnants of a table, and a wardrobe against the door in a token attempt to keep potential enemies at bay.

They knew the Lancer, Rider, Assassin, and, unfortunately, Caster of this corrupted Grail War were out of the fight, and Berserker sounded far enough away. Caster had mentioned that the corrupt Saber wouldn't leave the Grail's side, so they wouldn't have to worry about them. Archer, though, was actively hunting them down. It was probably just luck that he hadn't found them yet; that, or he was playing with them. 'That nameless spirit,' Caster called him. A ghost of some long-forgotten timeline, somehow dragged into this Grail's cruel game.

It didn't matter. The sympathetic tone their Caster ally had directed towards him didn't change the fact that the Archer sent powerful arrows flying their way any time he saw them. Blocking the windows only gave them the slight hope that he wouldn't rain hell on them the second the summoning started. If they could make the flashy cerulean lights just a little less obvious, they had that much more of a chance of surviving.

Mash kneeled beside the director, her black and purple armor chiming quietly with the movement. They locked eyes, and Olga Marie felt the icy grasp of guilt claw at her heart yet again. Why did this girl look at her with so much trust? Why was she relying on her? Mash should hate her. Despise her. She should be happily letting Olga Marie die. And yet, here she was. The Shielder's right hand started glowing green with healing magic, and her left curled around the Master's right.

"This is for Senpai. He's… he helped me."

Pieces clicked together. The Director smiled at the Demi-Servant, hoping to convey some warmth. "We'll fix this singularity and get him back, Mash. I promise. Now, three, two… one."

The Animusphere heir lifted her hand right as Mash's touched Fujimaru's chest. The two girls watched him for a few seconds, carefully scanning for any changes. His breathing remained shallow but consistent, and the bleeding had all but stopped. He was still in the danger zone, but the change in healers was successful. To her left, Mash let out a small sigh of relief. It was barely audible, but Olga Marie understood. If this were any other time, any time less urgent and important, she would think, 'Does anyone think of me so highly? Would anyone care if I..?'

The director stood and turned to face the summoning circle. Light blue, rune-etched circles floated around the shield, twitching and turning at irregular intervals as it calibrated to changes in the singularity. Roman's hologram glowed beside it, but he seemed to be focused on the data and numbers from the control room. She took a deep breath. "Romani. I'm ready."

"Good, good, let me just…" he typed faster, eyes darting to and fro. Olga Marie could hardly imagine the mess Chaldea was in right now, but it warmed her heart to know that those remaining were fighting to pull everything together. Romani… he made a good acting Director. At least, until she got back to put him in his place. But, without Lev, how would she…

Olga shook those feelings aside. They needed her here, in the moment. She would lean on Lev's teachings, on his advice, to get them through this. She would make up for the embarrassment of a Director she was just minutes ago. She would show ten times the strength to make up for her moment of weakness.

"There! Da Vinci's adjustments have been patched in. Go for it, Director!"

Olga Marie Animusphere's right arm shot out, her eyes set on success. Behind her, Mash ran mana through the Command Seals, projecting them as an anchor for any incoming Servants. Olga's silver hair flowed behind her, and with the practiced resolve of one who wanted nothing more than to be a Master, she began.

"Heed my words!"

The summoning circle exploded with magical energy. Lightning shot from its center, harmlessly flying past the three inhabitants of the room like it knew they were there. This was more of a reaction than Olga Marie had ever experienced in her own attempts at summoning; whatever Romani and Da Vinci did, it changed something.

"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny! If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning!"

Olga's magical circuits lit up, tracing up her arm in geometric patterns. They burned bright, brighter than any other time she used them, but felt warm and gentle. Magic flowed forth like someone opened a gate that had long since been locked. It felt right. In the ever-changing lighting of the torn-up living room,she saw something begin to take shape on her hand.

She couldn't contain her excitement. With a wide smile, she continued. "I hereby swear that I will be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all evil in the world!"

The tattoo-like crest solidified. Finally! Whatever Romani did, whatever was different about this situation, she finally broke away from 'zero aptitude!' She was a Master! A real Master, not just a mana battery! She didn't need Fujimaru, she could protect humanity on her-

A ragged gasp ripped through the air. She heard Fujimaru twist in pain, and the next shock of mana from the summoning circle threw the room into further disarray. The magic power tore into her; Olga Marie cried out. It felt like the energy was shredding her from the inside out. Through her half-closed eyes, she saw the red markings disappear, fading back into obscurity.

'No…'

This was zero-aptitude, then, wasn't it? Constant failure. It just decided to give her hope this time.

"Senpai!"

Mash's voice echoed through the roar of the circle, but the Director didn't care. It just had to give her hope this time, didn't it? Why did the Grail torment her? Her hand started falling…

"Director! Finish the incantation!"

Romani's voice brought her back to reality. He was right. Stopping an incantation this powerful in the middle would kill them before Archer even got the chance. Her hand raised back up, even as the skin around her circuits began to lacerate.

"Seventh heaven clad, and the great words of power, come forth from the circle of bindings!"

The summoning circle was blinding now. Olga Marie Animusphere grit her teeth as the strain ripped at her. She may not be a Master, but she hadn't failed yet… There was still a chance! A chance that, maybe, this mission wouldn't end in the death of humanity!

"Guardian of the Scales!"

The first thing that Olga Maire noticed when her vision cleared was the beautiful, wavy blonde hair. It shone like gold in the orange light. The obsidian crown that adorned the Servant's head kept the golden strands from blocking her shining red eyes, which met Olga's with a warm but somewhat detached gaze.

Other Master candidates always mentioned that the moment right after a summoning seemed to hang in the air, as if the whole world was holding its breath to watch the arrival of the Heroic Spirit. It was a moment Olga Marie Animusphere never thought she would experience for herself, yet here she was. She felt like she had all the time she wanted to take in her Servant's black, royal lietard and the dark red cloak wrapped over her shoulders.. Olga traced the fluffy, conservative neckline down, noting the maroon highlights in her outfit, and the gold skull necklace that fell over her chest. She noticed the silver chain wrapping around the Servant's waist like a belt, and the sizeable golden cage that hung at her left hip. The opposite leg was fully covered by a gold-entwined black legging, while the left leg was relatively bare. Even as the dust cleared, the moment hung in the air for an eternity longer; Master and Servant, taking each other in.

"Servant, Lancer. Mistress of the Underworld, Ereshkigal. I responded to your summons!" A haughty smile graced the blonde lancer's face. "I don't often lend my power to one individual, but I'll give you a hand since you called for me so desperately. Be-"

"SENPAI!"

The introduction scene ground to a halt as Olga Marie was reminded that there were other people in the room. She glanced over her shoulder to see Mash doubled over Ritsuka Fujimaru, both of her hands busy pumping healing magic into him. Mash's head raised ever so slightly, and Olga Marie immediately knew something was wrong. Both of her hands raised to cover her mouth in shock.

If the Master looked bad earlier, he looked like he was on death's door now. A tinge of blue touched his features. Did he lose too much blood? Did he take on too much of the strain of the summoning? Should they have just focused on reconnecting the rayshifting technology, singularity be damned? And where was Romani? Where did his hologram go? What-

"Do not interrupt me, mortal! I've practiced that introduction for far too long to have it cut short!" Ereshkigal huffed, but with an authority that shocked everyone into silence. "And you!" she said, looking at Olga's hands. "You allowed me to believe that you were my Master! Me, subordinated to a mere spirit such as yourself… Forget that speech! You were not worthy of it! Who is my true Master?"

Rejected yet again. "H-he is. The one on the floor…"

Ereshkigal looked past her, past Mash, to the real Master. Her ruby eyes sparked in fear and… was that recognition? "Ri- I mean, Master! Oh no, no, no!" She dashed over, pushing Mash aside and running a magically-infused hand over Fujimaru. The blonde's gaze turned on them yet again, freezing them in place. The power Ereshkigal exuded dwarfed any Servant Olga Marie had ever met, and being the focus of her hate-filled glare threatened to kill her.

"Who is responsible for this? What happened to him?"

Mash snapped herself out of her petrification and tried to move back towards Fujimaru. "Please, I need to keep healing-"

A single lance tore through the floor, stopping a hair's width away from Mash's neck. "As my Master, he will receive the Blessing of Kur. Do not come any closer." Her glare shifted to Olga. "Either of you." Once the Lancer was sure of their compliance, she returned her focus to Fujimaru. Dark magic swirled around him and slowly came together to form the bars of an ornate brass cage around his body. A moment later, a green aura ran through the metal.

"That should stabilize him. This goddess is not about to let her chosen champion die before she even gets the chance to fight alongside him." A dark blush flashed over her pristine face, and the blonde turned so her hair shielded her from their gazes. "Oh goodness, I sound like my sister. It's just, if he dies while I'm here, I wouldn't be able to greet him in the Underworld… he would have to wait until my mana gave out, so I couldn't say 'Welcome home!' or show him the nice…"

The goddess's dreams fell to murmurs to quiet for Olga Marie to hear. She did well to heal the Master, but why did she talk like she knew him? Fujimaru had barely been a Master for a few hours, and hadn't even summoned his own Servant yet. Was this a case of mistaken identity? Or was she one of those clingy types? Maybe she was a delusional Berserker masquerading as a La-

"Attack in-" Mash started to yell, but Ereshkigal jumped in front of her.

"Protect my Master!" she ordered. Olga Marie felt a sudden, complete compulsion to do as she said, placing her body between Fujimaru's and the direction Ereshkigal dashed in. Without her conscious choice, her body ran through every shielding rune she knew and mumbled the incantations. "Shielder! Your Noble Phantasm! Deploy it!"

But Mash was already there, her shield slammed into the ground right in front of the Animusphere heiress. "Right!"

A lance of pure red energy formed in Ereshkigal's right hand, and she held the small birdcage in her left. The burst of energy of her spear materializing blew her hood back, throwing her golden hair out around her. Behind her, floating golden bars formed in a circle, spinning dangerously fast before shooting forward and tearing the front wall off of their little base. They disappeared into the orange sky. What were they…?

*BOOM*

Eight explosions wracked the burning sky, momentarily blotting out the ring of light that signified the distortion. Ereshkigal gripped her spear tighter.

"There are more coming! Brace yourselves!"

She shook the cage and a light ringing drowned out all other noise. Olga Marie found it… familiar. Inviting. Had she not already been locked in place maintaining three layers of shields, she feared she might've forgotten her duties.

In front of the director, Mash finished her chant. "Lord Chaldeas!"

By Ereshkigal, the shadows seemed to move. The bell still echoed in the night, and like someone rousing from a dream, the darkness rose into a monstrous figure. The spirit stood far larger than the Berserker that fought them earlier, a human-like beast with a wolf's head made completely out of darkness. Was this Ereshkigal's Noble Phantasm? Or just one of her Servant powers? Even Caster's Wicker Man seemed like a toy figure next to this darkness…

An explosion of red energy tore the monster's left arm to shreds. Three more hit in quick succession, decimating it. Ereshkigal grimaced. Six red metal spears materialized in the air behind her and shot off into the distance, intercepting more of the incoming shots. The spear in her hand still crackled and glowed ominously, but she had yet to use it. She stood at the ready, the foremost line of defense, even in front of the Shielder.

"Shielder! Get ready!"

The words still hung in the air when the red hell hit Mash's projected wall. The Shielder flinched, but a backwards glance at Fujimaru seemed to be enough to steel her resolve. Olga Marie watched, still maintaining her own shields and hoping they wouldn't be necessary. There was no way she could stop attacks of this magnitude, even at her best. The temperature around them increased exponentially as fiery explosions shook their defenses, but every once in awhile the director would catch a glimpse of Ereshkigal throwing spear after spear at the onslaught. Archer had found them, she knew.

"Ereshkigal!" the young heiress called, hoping the Servant could hear her over the deafening attack, "We need to move, there's no way to fight him from here!"

Something tickled in her psyche. 'Don't order me around! Master will be stable enough for movement in five seconds. Be ready to move on my signal!'

"Mash!" Olga called, "Be ready to move Fujimaru!"

"Right!"

Olga Marie watched Ereshkigal's shadowed form as she raised her spear into the air and brought it down. 'NOW!'

And then they were falling.

AN: Something I've been working on for awhile, but needed to wait for the Christmas event to drop in English for characterization purposes since I'm not the best at hunting down translations. Apologies if I broke the Fate magic system, I'm only so read on the Nasuverse as a whole (and, at times, it feels like the magic rules are pretty fluid depending on the writers). Prepare for a story all about Olga Marie Animusphere, friends.