It's been a while hasn't it? I'll try and update more frequently.

So many things have ended recently, Modern Warfare, Gears of War, Mass Effect and now Mahou Sensei Negima. In light of that I need to pick things up with this story.

Once again, I don't own anything of Negima or Modern Warfare.

"What would MacMillan say about this?" wondered Price as he pulled his gaze away from the view outside the Pave Low and stood up to join Soap at the lowering rear ramp.

The Russian piloting the helicopter was Nikolai; the codename he'd always gone by. Before joining Task Force 141, Nikolai was a member of a KGB unit which defected to Megalosembria Confederation. Specifically Spetsgruppa Vympel; the KGB's Tier 1 Special Forces. Sensing an opportunity, the Confederation handed them over to General Shepherd who inserted him and his comrades into Hellas as agents for Task Force 141. Despite Nikolai and his comrades' background in the Soviet bloc and TF141 from the West; they'd developed a very close working relationship. This was helped by the fact that Nikolai owed his life to Price and Soap during the Hellain civil war.

Not that mission with MacMillan thirty years ago at the Pavonis Mons Zone of Alienation had Price seen such utter desolation. What used to be the capital city of Ostia was abandoned in that incident ten years later. The network of floating islands and platforms had sunk to the ground, never to be raised again. Thousands were buried beneath the sand and rocks of the wasteland and no one dared return, not even looters. Nature didn't dare claim these buildings either, save for noxious weeds which clustered around the bases. Where ever there was vegetation, it was always pale, thin and sickly. The magnificent buildings and monuments of the city didn't look any better. Neglect had long peeled away most of the paint and smoothed or eroded the features.

"50 000 people used to live at Pavonis. 50 million people used to live here. It's more than a ghost town. It's a country obliterated," said Price quietly, not looking at Soap.

The other man merely answered with a grunt. Taciturn as usual whenever he was on the job, Soap was rechecking the gear on his tactical vest. On a previous operation, an assassination against a Shadow Company officer, the red dot sight for his rifle had lost power due to a piece of shrapnel which had speared the battery half an hour earlier. Since he was pinned down with little cover, he couldn't find the batteries amongst his kit. After that, he'd learnt to keep spare batteries close by along with backup iron sights.

"You have an hour before the next satellite passes overheard. We have to be gone by then," said Nikolai over the radio.

"Don't need to remind us," said the Captain, adjusting his hat as the helicopter lowered onto the ground, kicking up sand and dust.

"Far be it for me to tell you this but I still think you should have brought more men," said Nikolai while Soap hopped off, "No one ever sets foot in Old Ostia except for the military or bandits."

"We need to minimise our footprint here," Price replied before disembarking.

"Da. Good luck to both of you."

The helicopter departed as quickly as the two men had disappeared into the surrounding foliage.

"I'm heading west and north around the perimeter Soap," said Price as he pulled out a map of the factory they were preparing to infiltrate.

The place was abandoned like the rest of the industrial district. Since there was the risk of chemical leaks, both men had gasmasks at the ready. Although some of the medics recommended full MOPP gear they declined. They needed to travel light and fast and they mustn't leave evidence of their passing.

"Right then, I'll head in from the southern corner. There's a drainage outlet here I might be able to fit through," added Soap.

"If I'm not at the roof in fifteen minutes I'll signal you so don't enter the main building. Take up overwatch from that pylon if it's still standing. Otherwise find an elevated position and await my call," the Captain instructed before folding up the maps and stowing them away.

"Don't need to tell me twice. Race you there," said the younger man as he turned away and disappeared while Price did the same in the opposite direction.

As tempting as it was to hug the outer walls of the compound, Soap had learned a long time ago that wasn't a good idea. Projectiles and spells approaching at a shallow angle will ricochet at a shallow angle. The road separating the wall and the blocks of warehouses was laden with potholes and wrecks of vehicles behind which Soap hid, scanning all around him with his HK417 battle rifle. He'd fitted a suppressor onto the 16" barrel along with an EOTech sight for this mission. A Shadow Company communications uplink node would most likely be well guarded. Out here in the wastelands, no one in their right mind would stay around long enough to stumble upon it. An earlier flyover by UAV confirmed no heat or mana signatures indicative of sentience in the vicinity. Soap took the time to carefully and quietly proceed down the road to reach his drain outlet. While he did this, he made sure to scatter his footprints and check for any other recent ones.

"I'm at the outer gate which is locked. I'll try to look for another way in," Price reported at the fifteen minute mark.

By then, Soap had only just found the drain outlet which was about one and a half metres high. Just enough for him to crouch inside.

"I'm barely ahead. Just found my outlet. I'll try and secure the south western half before finding that pylon," answered Soap, shining the tactical light attached to the barrel of his 417 through the drain gate.

"I'll let you know once I'm there."

With that, Soap reached for the rusted hinged gate and pulled it open. Allowing it to rest on a pile of decomposed leaves which had gathered underneath; Soap stepped in while keeping his rifle trained on the inside. Carefully he shut the gate behind and proceeded forward, ignoring the faint smell of things which had died and rotted away years. He considered going for his nightvision goggles but decided against it after seeing the holes in the pipe which allowed the weak sunlight.

Further up ahead it looked like the drain tunnel had collapsed. Worried that he might need to blast or dig his way out, Soap looked for a larger patch of light which may allow him to climb out. He estimated he'd gone fifty metres in the darkness so he was well past the fence. Brushing a few intruding tree roots aside, Soap froze when he felt what seemed like a hand beneath his gloves. Training snapped him out of it, as he withdrew his hand and reached for his combat knife. Fortunately, it was nothing more than an old ragged cleaner's glove which fell to pieces when he poked it with the tip.

Grumbling, Soap found the largest hole and squeezed out into a near empty courtyard. As he did so, he heard a clatter as one of his packs detached itself from his vest. Holding down another curse, Soap leaned down and grabbed the item which had fallen. As he did so, there was another clatter which echoed this time. Soap turned his head to look back down the tunnel towards the entrance which was just a small circle of light against the dark. Deciding it was nothing; the soldier left the hole and glanced around for something to block it with. There was nothing suitable for the job so he instead cast a motion sensing spell around the edges and linked it back to a claymore mine, hiding it behind an adjacent clump of weeds.

Once he was done, Soap scanned the courtyard around him. Already he could see evidence of recent activity. Some of the grass was flattened in parallel lines, meaning at least one vehicle had passed through recently. A fairly heavy vehicle as well. Soap followed it with his eyes from the gravelled track leading to the locked east gate all the way past several empty rusting shipping crates up to the warehouse. Since Price hadn't replied yet and it had been thirteen minutes, Soap assumed Price was making good progress, though cutting it a little close.

"He's an old man all right," he muttered, making his way over to the stairs on the outside wall of the building.

As he began ascending, a little apprehensive of the stair's integrity, Price chimed in.

"Soap I'm at the warehouse's western entrance. Are you in position?"

With a sigh, Soap picked up the pace while answering, "Nearly there. Thought you weren't going to make it for a while then."

He glanced at his chronometer. Fourteen minutes and thirty eight seconds.

"Guess he isn't so old after all."

"Pick it up then. I'm ready to go," said the Task Force leader a little impatiently, his back pressed up against the wall next to the western side door.

A little bit of plaster shook off the wall and dropped on his boonie hat which he brushed off with a gloved hand, taking care not to shake it onto his M4A1 instead. This was supposed to be a covert operation so he'd attached a suppressor but just in case needed more stopping power he had his Desert Eagle pistol.

"I'm ready old man. I can see the door," reported Soap over the radio.

Good. That meant he was covering him through one of the large holes in the roof. Price acknowledged his readiness and slid a fibre optic snake cam under the door. No trip wires or traps to be seen and no one waiting behind the door either. Quietly, he wedged the door open, keeping his M4 trained on the gap as it widened until it was just enough for him to slide through without catching onto any of his gear. With one foot he slowly pushed it shut behind him as he scanned the abandoned building.

Sunlight could be seen beaming down through the gaps in the roof. Air currents from the shattered windows and other entrances stirred up dust and other debris which rolled and floated about lazily. The floor was mostly empty except for the parts of the roof which had fallen there long ago as well as the occasional pylon lying on its side. There were a few upturned chairs and desks as well as other unrecognisable pieces of machinery, some of them warped by heat most likely from a fire. Here and there the ground was scorched black or cracked open where vegetation could grow though only if there was sunlight directly above. There was a set of stairs which lead up to an office and catwalk. A perfect place to reach Soap or if Soap needed to reach him.

The darkened corners was what Price checked out first as he clambered over a set of railings and searched the warehouse thoroughly while Soap was on overwatch. Once he'd cleared the ground floor in seven minutes, Price signalled that he was going up to the office while mentioning the catwalk as Soap repositioned to cover him. The door had come off the frame and Price could already see through its shattered windows so he entered quickly but carefully but there was nothing to be found up there either.

"There's bugger all in here. Rakan told us there would be something," reported Price as he went back down the stairs, "Come down here Soap."

Once the two of them were down on the ground floor, Price said, "No sign of any transmitter but there were footprints around here. Boot sized. And it looked like something was wheeled in here as well."

He pointed to a parallel set of tracks which cut through the dusty ground.

"I hear. Shall we follow them?" suggested the younger man, following Price as he followed the tracks.

"It's hear where it all terminates," he said, stomping his steel capped boots lightly while Soap studied the ground before looking up at the hole in the roof directly above.

"Wait a second," he said, "I'll be right back in a jiffy. I think I am onto something."

With that, he took off back up the stairs to the office and then the catwalk and the ladder up to the roof. Meanwhile Price crouched down and scooped up a handful of dust from the ground. That was when he felt something under his hand. This time he poked at the ground, feeling something elastic resisting. Carefully, he brushed away the dust and dirt but found only hard concrete underneath. Carefully he stood up straight and dug into the ground with his boot, only to feel a thump as the sole struck something hard and bounced off. Next he tried the tip of his knife and found that it turned away as expected. However, pressing his fingers against the surface of the ground had a different effect. The concrete actually felt soft under pressure.

"Price?"

Soap had approached without making a noise, holding out a piece of metal.

"I cut this out from the roof above us. That hole was cut recently. See these burrs? They haven't rusted yet and they're still sharp enough to cut skin," he reported as Price examined it.

"I think you're right. And there's something down here below us too," he said before informing Soap of his discovery.

A little later, the two of them had worked out the obstacle. It was really a pliable membrane which hardened against impacts but against shearing forces it would give way. When shut, it would reseal itself without leaving any evidence of ever being opened. Carefully, the two men used a spreading knife from a ration kit and opened a small tear in the membrane before peeling it away like the rind of a fruit. What it revealed below was what they were looking for. An antennae, upon which they saw the recognisable Shadow Company insignia printed discreetly on a control panel. The shaft in which it was contained could lift it up and through the hole in the roof.

"Plant the tap and call for extraction," said Price, raising his gun and staying on guard as Soap leaned down carefully and opened the panel.

"Okay. It's-"

An explosion outside almost made Soap fall down the shaft but Price's boot came down hard on the back of Soap's thigh.

"What was that?" the Task Force commander asked as Soap rolled over and jumped to his feet.

"My claymore. Something must have set it off."

"Then we're compromised. I'm calling Nikolai."

While Price did that, Soap saw a shadow moving in a nearby doorway. He gave the Captain a tap on the shoulder and pointed while he raised his gun. Someone came limping out but there wasn't much detail the two soldiers could ascertain from where they were.

"Identify yourself!" Price called out, taking a step forward but receiving no answer.

Through his red dot sight he could see the clothes on the person were really old. What's more this person looked very old. His or her skin appeared desiccated, almost like a mummy. The hair had apparently fallen off as well. In fact they couldn't even tell if this shambling wreck of a person is human or not, nor could they identify gender. Then there were the glowing yellow eyes and the bestial snarls it vocalised.

"Halt!" warned Soap, "We don't want to hurt you."

The thing ignored him and continued to shuffle towards them. Price fired one into its leg, causing it to stumble and groan for a moment before going on with no indication of pain. This time Soap opened fire, hammering the creature down with shots to the torso.

"Zombie," the Captain commented as they both approached the creature which was just beginning to get up.

He finished it with a stomp to the head, crushing it. The younger man meanwhile examined the injuries they'd inflicted on it.

"Look, bodily fluids are flowing. Reverse clotting," he pointed out, "Necromancy."

Price nodded grimly as they both headed for the exit he'd come through.

"And walking corpses of such simplicity cannot wander far from their conjurer," he said, reaching for the door handle before a noise behind them at the far end of the warehouse made them both stop cold.

The warehouse doors were opening. From the noise it made it must have been a recently installed mechanism. Scores of glowing yellow, eyes like cats stared back at the two soldiers at the far end. While Soap raised his 417 to engage, Price again reached for the door only for it to fly open in his face, knocking him down. There was a zombie right on top of him. Contrary to popular belief, the smell of its breath wasn't actually that putrid. It smelled very earthy though. Putrid or not, Price immediately head-butted it on the chin, feeling its lower mandibles slide backwards into its throat and its grip loosen slightly on his shoulders. That was enough for him to punch it backwards and reach for his pistol. By the time it had recovered and lunged at him again, Price had his Desert Eagle up and ready. A bullet through the neck severed the head while the body pitched forward to lie at his feet.

"What's the holdup old man?" Soap called out as he reloaded his battle rifle.

He'd stopped most of the zombies halfway across the warehouse but more were streaming in from the other entrances too. As he tossed a grenade, Price stopped another three in the doorway with his pistol, each boom leaving a gaping wound on the undead, before slamming the door shut and locking it.

"Courtyard's a no go. To the roof!" he shouted before getting on the radio, "Nikolai, we need immediate extraction from the rooftop! Lots of hostiles closing in. We're on the verge of being overrun!"

"Acknowledged Captain Price. ETA three minutes," replied Nikolai.

On the roof of a building several kilometres away, watching the roof upon which Price and Soap clambered, there stood a very tall figure with a pair of binoculars. It was clad in heavy ceramic and Kevlar armour, complete with a helmet which concealed its face and head entirely. Behind it were two Shadow Company commandos, one on an RBS-70 laser guided anti-aircraft missile system while the other had another missile ready to load. As the Pave Low came into view, the seven foot tall Juggernaut pointed and gave the approved signal to fire.

Nikolai swore as he detected the missile on the radar closing in. Since there was no radar lock it was most likely riding on a laser beam or it was a heat seeker. If it detonated within thirty metres the helicopter would be hit and no same pilot could depend on armour to protect his vehicle.

"Start the music," he instructed to his co-pilot who began activating countermeasures.

"We've got a SAM launch. Hang in there as we deal with it. We'll come get you as soon as we're done," Nikolai announced.

"You'd better hurry. They're trying to reach us on the roof now!" shouted Price over the radio.

Nikolai picked up altitude as he tracked where the launch had originated. The missile was almost upon the helicopter but the array of countermeasures included laser jammers which threw the beam off course and the missile with it. It was a near miss at thirty metres as the helicopter banked heavily in case the missile operator still had control.

"I see it!" announced the co-pilot, "Rooftops, two o'clock. Left of the one with the billboard."

The launcher was prepped with another missile as the RBS operator attempted to stay on target while the Pave Low jinxed from side to side, coming ever closer. The missile launched but the helicopter flew up and over the roof, while the missile flew under harmlessly and curved up from behind having lost its target.

"Let them have it!" shouted Nikolai to the rear ramp gunner with the M2 machine gun in the back.

The armoured giant didn't move as fifty calibre shells shredded the rooftop, smashing the launcher and tearing apart its operator and the other trooper. In fact the very roof collapsed, throwing up clouds of dust.

"No life signs or movement detected. I think we got them," reported the gunner before Nikolai turned the helicopter around and sped towards Price and Soap.

The two men had learned to fire at sections of the roof, collapsing them so the zombies would fall through. However that also served to make their footing all the more perilous. Down below on the ground floor they could see about a hundred or so milling about with more climbing the pylons, stairs and ladder to reach them.

"I'm putting a grenade on that catwalk, watch my back," Soap called out, ripping one out of his webbing before taking a moment to judge his throw.

Carefully, he pulled the pin and waited before lobbing it through the roof. It exploded right over the bars holding the catwalk up, taking out a bunch of zombies with it. Immediately the entire metal structure came thundering down upon the others while Soap and Price ducked away, hoping that their own bit of roof won't collapse too. It was then they heard the thudding of helicopter blades.

"Nikolai's here. Let's move!" shouted Price, leaping to his feet and jumping over a hole with Soap following.

Pursing them were the undead but fewer now that the catwalk was gone. Just then Price stumbled as one foot plunged through a weakened tile of roof.

"I got you old man!"

Soap had caught him under the arm.

"Thanks!"

The helicopter turned around and the ramp lowered as the loading crew fired their weapons to cover the two as they ran for their lives. First went Price, followed by Soap. Even before the ramp raised itself, one of the zombies made a running leap and caught it by its fingers. While the Pave Low gained altitude, Price walked over and crushed its fingers with a stomp, sending it plummeting to the ground. As he sat down, one of the crew passed Price a headset so he could talk to Nikolai.

"You got what you needed Price?"

"We did. But I'm doubtful we'll get any useful intel now," he replied, looking at Soap who was working on a laptop.

"It all seemed like a trap. That walled in compound followed by the SAM," answered Nikolai.

"Good thing they underestimated you," complimented Soap, "Or maybe their aim is worse than usual. But we'd be dead if you hadn't got to us in time."

"Da. Now leave me alone. I'm sure you'll want to review what I've risked my ass dodging a missile for," said Nikolai.

Price turned to the younger man and asked, "So anything?"

Soap shook his head.

"This thing's a blank slate."

From the rubble of the collapsed building, the Juggernaut crawled out and got to its feet with surprising agility. Its bonded armour quickly regenerated itself, sealing up splits and cracks. The left arm was bent at an awkward angle at the elbow which it corrected with a yank and twist of the forearm. Anyone capable of pain perception would have blacked out from that alone. The being which was bound to the Juggernaut armour was a lich. A sentient being once upon a time, its soul no longer inhabits a living body but a dead in exchange for immortality; growing ever more dangerous as it acquired more and more knowledge throughout its unlife. A modern day lich however must be more than this. Riddled with cybernetics and other magical implants and wearing its bounded armour, it could possibly be one of the most dangerous undead entities barring Evangeline.

"Volk," said a soft voice in Russian on the other end of the connection inside the Juggernaut's helmet.

"Yes," it answered back with a deep electronic voice in the same language.

"You're needed on Earth. Report in as soon as you arrive."

"And here it is," announced Joseph, opening the laboratory fridge and taking out a jar half filled with a viscous brown liquid, "Allen's homemade napalm."

Gary's initial excitement quickly died with the smell of the stuff. In fact it reeked though the jar of sealed. The two of them were gathered around a lab bench with the napalm, a cigarette lighter, a board for heating and burning and a jar of paddle pop sticks. As the American began scooping out the napalm onto the board, Gary's hands started trembling as the odour of petroleum hit his nose in full. The ventilation fan didn't help much either.

Suddenly he was covered in it. Petroleum soaking his clothes down to the skin. Already it was burning as it touched his wounds. The roaring of the ventilation fan became the howling of VTOL craft. And that cigar was flying right at him.

"What's wrong? Why are you all the way over there?" asked Joseph as he held the lit cigarette lighter and a paddle pop stick.

"It's nothing. I'm just getting ready. In case of an accident," the other boy stuttered back as he edged for the fire extinguisher.

"You're not chickening out are you?"

"N-No."

Joseph rolled his eyes and said, "We made this together. So it's only right that we both see the results together okay? That way if Simon calls BS on either of us we can back each other up."

"I'll be fine from here. I can see it clearly."

"Suit yourself," said Joseph, looking back at the napalm.

In fact, it actually looked more like off-colour honey. He flicked on the lighter and held it to the stick, waiting a while for a flame to build up before dropping it on the dollop of napalm on the tray. The mixture ignited rapidly with a very strong flame. The smoke was quickly sucked up by the fan but Joseph still caught an oily whiff of it.

"Who could possibly love the smell of napalm? It smells like absolute shit."

Holding a metal rod in a glove, he carefully began spreading the flaming napalm like he's spreading honey on toast. The stuff still had a thick consistency but it worked.

It was about nine in the morning by the time Yuna had taken or dragged Simon across the campus over to the apartments where the staff, their dependants and other personnel of Mahora resided.

"And what explanation do we have now that possibly half of Mahora has seen us together," Simon wondered aloud, "We'd only known each other for a few weeks and already I'm about to meet your old man. That's a little bit fast don't you think?"

Yuna shook her heat and pouted a little, saying, "Simon-kun, I'm bringing you along for approval. You don't think I'd date you without my dad's approval now would you?"

Simon's eye twitched a bit while he answered, "Usually what I'm used to is- approval comes later, after the dating."

"So are you saying that based on your perspective that we've been going out up till now?"

"No. I'm just saying that's the arrangement I'm used to."

"And so you've dated someone before me?"

"No I haven't."

"Aww. That's sweet. Your first time then?" said Yuna, clutching onto his arm. "It's also my first time."

Simon huffed in reply, saying, "Yeah yeah. Let's get this over with. Maybe your dad will throw me out before lunch."

The girl scowled back at him and said, "Don't keep thinking like that. Today is a good day I know it will be."

"It's easy for you to say that," Simon replied.

By then they'd reached a block of apartments, the front door which Yuna had unlocked. When Simon made to open it for her first, she'd already pushed her way through, though not without yanking him along by the wrist.

Professor Akashi, Yuna's father was sequestered in his study as usual, reading over the latest analysis reports regarding the Fate Averruncus. Since there wasn't any school related work to be done, he'd neglected to groom himself for the last few days. As well as this, his apartment had fallen into a state of severe untidiness since Yuna's last visit when he'd fallen ill. So engrossed he was that he didn't hear the front door open or the sound of voices coming closer.

"Morning dad!" Yuna called out after she wrenched open the door to his study.

At the same time, a tall stack of books nearby which had been disturbed by the sudden movement toppled over, knocking her to the ground and half burying her with a cry.

"Oh. Sorry about that Yuna. But you should try the other door next time," said her father as he quickly began stowing away the reports.

This didn't escape his daughter's notice as she immediately said, "You just hid something now didn't you?"

Feigning confusion, Akashi replied unconvincingly, "Uh. No I didn't hide anything."

Getting to her feet this time and rushing up to her father who was blocking access to his desk, Yuna accused, "No I definitely saw you hiding something then. You can't fool me now."

"No seriously. There's nothing for me to hide here."

"Yoink!"

Yuna dodged around to the side and snatched up a thick manila envelope before proceeding to open it.

"Erotic magazines?" she said numbly, tossing the first one to the side and then looking at the next. "What's this? You perverted old man!"

She proceeded to toss the remainder at her dad as he rushed out of the room to escape her wrath.

"Ow! Goddammit!"

She halted as soon as she'd left the study to see her dad and Simon had collided in the living area.

"Dad, do you know where you're putting your hand now?"

Later, Professor Akashi and Simon were sitting at the kitchen table, the latter looking very embarrassed and the former nursing a bruised chest.

"Great. My first encounter with old Akashi involved getting my junk grabbed. Fantastic way to start."

"So Yuna's taken a shine to this kid? I wouldn't object but what's with his emo hair and look?"

"Well at least you two apologised to each other and it's not as though I don't mind you looking at an ero book or two," said Yuna cheerfully from the stove. "Not you though," she added pointedly towards Simon who rolled his eyes.

While everyone was eating later, Akashi complimented, "That's really good Yuna. I haven't had a breakfast of such quality in a while."

His daughter laid down her fork in confusion and queried, "By your standards? What do you normally eat then?"

Akashi sheepishly answered, "Well it's like curry in sealed packs which don't need to be microwaved."

"What? Eating packet food for breakfast! That's unacceptable!" exploded Yuna, "You'll die if you keep it up!"

Simon spoke up when she'd calmed a little, "He's kind of right. It's cheap, quick, easy and tastes nice when it's cold."

He promptly shut up when Yuna glared at him though her dad gave him a nod in agreement.

"Perhaps I should move back here. You don't appear to be able to take care of yourself," suggested Yuna.

Akashi waved that off gently, saying, "Oh that's not necessary. I'll be fine living on my own. Besides, the commute to school will be difficult from here." He took another bite of his food and swallowed before smiling and adding, "But I think you're on the way to forming a good relationship."

At this, Simon discreetly excused himself, taking his plate, bowl and utensils with him to the sink.

Yuna beamed back, replying with, "Why thank you dad. One day I guess I will marry you then."

Akashi choked on the juice he was sipping while Simon nearly smashed a plate against the sink. Yuna glanced about in bewilderment.

"What's wrong?"

Simon spun around and looked from her to Akashi disbelievingly.

The professor cleared his throat and said, "Yuna. You know that at this age, such comments are inappropriate," before leaning forward and saying quietly, "Especially when there's company."

"How do you like your new body?" asked Satomi proudly while she watched Chachamaru sitting up on the operating table or workbench in the lab.

The robot, in a smaller body than her usual one with shorter hair and altered antennae, blinked a couple of times before answering, "This platform is sufficient and there are no problems."

Satomi beamed and said, "Excellent. This compact version you're using is capable of carrying miniaturised versions all the modules from your original body. These include your processors which can run all those extra lines of code I analysed and compiled from the combat data you logged during the Festival. Theoretically that should enable you to perform instant movement techniques."

"Yes I am aware that this platform is more efficient in size. However I would prefer to continue using my previous body," said Chachamaru, making an effort not to upset her classmate and co-creator.

To her relief, Satomi shrugged and said, "Oh, really? Not to worry. Chao-san did future proof all the designs for your modules and bodies so you can revert to your previous platform with all the aforementioned upgrades. If you want, I have more in the making." She walked over to another bench and whipped off the cloth covering it. "Oh and I also have a platform with the appearance of a ten-year old in case you want to pair up with Negi-kun."

Chachamaru was about vocalise her objection before the fire alarm began ringing. Satomi looked puzzled as she crossed the lab and slid open the door.

"That's funny. There shouldn't be anyone in this building save for us," she said, stepping out into the hall.

The android got off the bench and switched on her array of sensors. The thermal and heartbeat sensors caught on first.

"We have a fire on this floor, Lab EO 03," she reported, following Satomi who nodded and grabbed a fire extinguisher from a nearby rack.

"I've also checked the sign-in log at the reception computer. The only other people in the building at this hour are Joseph Allen and Gary Sanderson."

Satomi frowned as she tried remembering before she said, "Oh yes that's right. Allen-kun came around not long ago, needing a lab to conduct an experiment. He was working with chemicals I think. Whatever it was, he's in trouble now."

As they neared the lab, the air became thick, oily and foul. Fortunately ventilation appeared to be working since there was little smoke. Once they were outside, they could hear shouting from within and the blasting of a fire extinguisher. Chachamaru's thermal sensor detected an intense blaze inside while the chemical sensors in her nose detected hydrocarbons and aromatics in the air. Taking the lead, she pulled open the door and entered first.

"Stay back," she warned.

Immediately she caught sight of Gary who was lying slumped up against the wall near the door. She could detect life signs from the boy. On the fire side of the room she saw the fire engulfing half the lab which Joseph was trying to put out with a fire extinguisher. After a quick assessment of the situation, Chachamaru immediately instructed Satomi to pull Gary out of the room and to provide first aid if applicable. Her next priority was to get Joseph out. The android sprinted across the room and vaulted over several benches along the way to reach him. Joseph turned when he heard her approach. The sight of her made him drop the extinguisher before Chachamaru grabbed his waist without wasting time and spirited him out of the room. Outside, Satomi and run off to find a first aid kit from the floor reception office. Briefly, Chachamaru took a moment to check on Gary before telling Joseph to lie down. The boy numbly gave a nod of compliance. After that, Chachamaru re-entered the lab, unveiling a nozzle from her left forearm while she picked up the fallen fire extinguisher in her other hand. Her fire fighting module included reservoirs of compressed fire suppressant foam. Her outer skin was impervious to the heat and insulated her internal components well so she was able to put the blaze out quickly by getting to the largest of the flames. After that, a quick analysis of the debris, most notable a lab bench which looked like it had melted revealed several incendiary chemicals needed for napalm. When she went back out into the corridor, Joseph and Satomi were both trying to revive Gary.

"He has only passed out. Though not from smoke inhalation," Chachamaru noted, joining them.

"I know, he just fainted on the spot when the fire engulfed the entire bench," said Joseph.

"Here."

Chachamaru reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a small sealed packet. After ripping it open, she placed the small white tablet from inside under Gary's nose before giving strict instructions to the others not to disturb. After about a minute, the boy's eyes opened, followed by an expression of pain and disgust as he swiped the offending tablet off his nose.

"Ugh! What was that?"

"Smelling salts," said Chachamaru, looking down at him.

"What? Where am I? Joe?"

Joseph said, "You're outside the lab. There was a fire and you just fainted. It's all under control now."

Gary paled as the memory returned.

Satomi looked to Chachamaru before she said, "I believe the both of you owe us an explanation. But before we get to that, we have a few questions to ask you. Chachamaru, feel free to use chemical persuaders."

As she went into the lab, the gynoid raised a finger as a hypodermic needle emerged from the end.

The two boys at her mercy shrunk away as she said, "Readying truth drug."

Simon voiced aloud what Akira, Makie and Ako were thinking, "Stalking your dad is just weird Yuna."

The five of them were hiding around a corner, watching Yuna's dad as he conversed with a blond, short haired woman at a café table.

"I see no reason why you shouldn't support him if he's started dating," added Makie.

"Agreed. That woman looks very pretty and they look nice together," said Ako.

"No. You don't get it do you! She's stealing him away from me!" Yuna retorted angrily, "Dad should have told me this before. How can I trust him now if he's keeping this from me?"

"Yuna-san, I think you should tone that done a little. You're creeping us out and Reilly-san too for that matter," said Akira.

"That's just Yuna and her friends. Nothing to be worry about from them," Akashi said in English while Donnet McGuiness, his old friend nodded, "Just look natural. To anyone else we're just having a chat over coffee, nothing more."

"I see them. Isn't that precocious? I heard Yuna performed exceptionally well during the Festival," she said, "Just like her mother. And is that young man, Mr Reilly with her?"

Professor Akashi smiled tiredly and said, "That's him all right. Of all the boys she could have brought back, it had to be this one. He doesn't that interested in her from what I've seen so far. But Yuna was awfully quick to introduce us. I wonder what she's up to?"

McGuiness gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm which caused the observing Yuna to convulse with jealous anger.

"She's trying to get your attention. Also, from what I've read, Mr Reilly's a little bit of a troublemaker himself. Rather like Yuna and her mother."

The sight of Akashi finishing his coffee signalled that this aspect of the conversation was over.

"Okay. Let's summarise what we've learnt recently. We haven't found any links between Chao Lingshen and Fate Averruncus."

"I see. So she was working alone in this case. Her story about being a time traveller is a major complicating factor. The Dean didn't report this incident because there weren't any casualties. But you can imagine the fallout."

McGuiness then said approvingly, "A wise decision. You got to hand it to his foresight."

"What's problematic is the intrusion by Herr von Herrmann's intrusion on school grounds. This was a most grievous security breach, especially just before the Festival. After that, Chao's activities left us horribly exposed."

"We have been able to identify a link between von Herrmann and Averruncus," said the woman, taking another sip of her coffee, "After interviewing Mr Springfield's acquaintance, Mr Inugami."

"That's one intensive conversation they're having," commented Ako.

"Yeah, how far do you think they've gone?" Makie wondered aloud next to her.

Simon who was watching as well added, "Well you got to hand it to Akashi-san. He's got good taste."

That got him a whack on the back of the head from Yuna."

"Hey! I can go blind if you keep doing that."

"The recent disappearance of the Hina Blade has everyone concerned as you may know. However there's been other disturbing incidents which I cannot reveal at this time. The primary suspect in all this is Bastian de Kere," said McGuiness who raised a hand before Akashi could reply, "I know most info on him is classified. Even what's publicly available doesn't tell the whole story."

Akashi leaned forward and asked quietly, "So what can you tell me now?"

McGuiness' lips curled before she answered, "You remember how everyone thinks Makarov is dead and that de Kere was merely his replacement. The evidence doesn't add up since de Kere has been operating in the same time-frame as Makarov, though never at the same time."

"What? They're the same person?"

"Possibly Makarov was a nom de guerre used by de Kere. But that leaves the question of where de Kere came from. We managed to find one lead. The Joint Magical Institute for Security Cooperation."

Akashi blanched a little at this, saying, "That's basically the magical version of the School of the Americas. Churning out an equal number of torturers and terrorists to honest cops and soldiers. The place used to be run under General Shepard."

"Even more circumstantial evidence. But we're not sure that Shepard is really at the heart of the war. It's all going to come down to finding Makarov. But you know as well as I do that no military in the home country can do this."

"I know that," said Akashi, "A lot of people want Makarov or de Kere. It's all the more important that the boys are up to the job. A lot of people are relying on them to get some measure of justice out of the whole sorry affair."

McGuiness gave him another sympathetic pat.

"You're not the only one. Your wife will find justice. They are the right people for the job."

Makarov is just too badass to discount. Especially that voice of his.

In any case, if I do get to the end of this fic I hope I can satisfy you readers.

SPOILERS

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But I won't kill everyone like in MW nor will everyone live like in MSN.