[3] (Plan: Rubberbandman)
[2] (Plan: TheNarrator)
[1] (Plan: Dreikanter)
Honorable mention for best lateral thinking!
Command mode active.
Requesting command mode: MACHINA
Requesting command mode: NAKIMURA NANAMI
Requesting command mode: SHIZUKI RYOUKO
Requesting civilian emergency mode: MIKI SAYAKA
Links established.
Situation report:
Trusted noncontractee <and magical girl candidate>(1) MIKI SAYAKA is dangerously near supernatural activity site and should be presumed at grave risk of harm. This timing is suspicious and may represent a trap or assassination attempt. MIKI SAYAKA should be presumed primary target until demonstrated otherwise. Location is civilian hospital, patients/staff subject to some risk of harm. Civilian of interest KAMIJOU KYOUSUKE is a patient, may be a secondary target.
Magical girl NAKIMURA NANAMI available.
Magical girl AKEMI HOMURA status UNKNOWN, taclink unavailable.
Magical girl SAKURA KYOUKO status UNKNOWN, taclink unavailable.
Magical girl SHIZUKI RYOUKO engaged in police interview.
Magical girl TOMOE MAMI detained in police custody.
Tactical adviser SHIZUKI CLARISSE engaged in police interview.
Deployment would imperil security of ongoing operations.
Trusted noncontractee KANAME MADOKA located: Kaname household tomato garden.
Trusted noncontractee SHIZUKI HITOMI located: engaged in police interview.
Trusted noncontractee TENJOU WAKABA located: public grocery store.
Trusted noncontractee SHIINA YUUKA located: at home in her bedroom.
Preferred approach:
Priority evacuation of MIKI SAYAKA as probable target of incursion.
Deployment of NAKIMURA NANAMI.
Establish contact with AKEMI HOMURA.
- AKEMI HOMURA should rendezvous with NAKIMURA NANAMI to expedite her arrival.
- Activation of Akemi Homura's powers may sever TacLink.
Tactical commander NAKIMURA NANAMI.
Shizuki Clarisse to contact KYOUKO SAKURA as reserve.
- Communications relay through MIKI SAYAKA would contribute to operational security.
- Communications relay energy budget may impair evacuation.
- Evacuate to safe distance of 150m before activating relay.
Transferring tactical leadership... Done.
Commentary:
NAKIMURA NANAMI: Tactical commander? Sweet.
Plotting recommended evacuation.
Immediate danger greatest in immediate vicinity of incursion site.
Safe distance unknown, estimating: 200m
Transportation at incursion site:
- Motor vehicle evacuation
- Data not available
- Bicycle evacuation
- Bicycles available at site.
- Bicycles may be locked.
- Bicycle safety equipment not available.
- Use of bicycles may compromise operational security.
- Evacuation on foot
- Estimated max speed 45 km/h
Evacuation on foot preferred, maximum available speed until clear.
- Sprint 18 steps to end of hospital driveway.
- Bank LEFT to avoid street, possible vehicular conflict.
- Re-compute route with additional visibility.
- After clearing safe distance, look for additional threats.
Estimated probability of unavoidable collision: < 0.1%
INSTRUCTIONS TO MIKI SAYAKA:
- This could be a trap.
- If a trap, you are likely the target.
- You need to be NOT HERE.
- Nanami will take care of things
- DO NOT try ANYTHING clever.
- DO NOT make wishes or contract.
- RUN AWAY QUICKLY, NOW!!!!!
Commentary:
<MIKI SAYAKA> What fresh hell is this?!?!
<NAKIMURA NANAMI> welcome to the future, Sayaka!
<MIKI SAYAKA> there is no way I can run 45 km/h!
<NAKIMURA NANAMI> We all believe in you!
<NAKIMURA NANAMI> JUST DO IT™
<MIKI SAYAKA> AAAAAAAAAAAAAH
<MIKI SAYAKA> OKAY OKAY OKAY
<MIKI SAYAKA> I'M DOING IT
MIKI SAYAKA is evacuating.
NAKIMURA NANAMI is dialing Akemi Homura.
MIKI SAYAKA has reached turn.
Updating evacuation route... Done.
NAKIMURA NANAMI has reached Akemi Homura.
MIKI SAYAKA has reached safe distance.
- Civilian emergency mode deactivated.
- Communications relay available.
TACLINK COMMUNICATION FAILURE, RETRYING
TACLINK COMMUNICATION FAILURE, RETRYING
ALL CONNECTIONS LOST
TACLINK DISENGAGED
TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS OFFLINE
ORBITAL LOCATION BEACONS OFFLINE
COMMAND MODE OFFLINE
"Stay exactly where you are," says a voice, and the world around you suddenly darkens. "Don't move. You can look, but leave the taclink offline. Try to stay calm."
You raise your eyes and look to the ceiling tentatively. There's a hole where the ceiling should be, a surface that looks like water surrounded by a ring of glowing shapes. it's like you're at the bottom of a pool, and there are pillars of bubbles streaming up around you. A shaft of light comes down from behind the speaker, from a bright crescent moon in front of a dark sky. The speaker is looking down at you, just underneath the moon.
The speaker, to all appearances, is yourself.
Well this is new, you think to yourself, and try to stay calm, even though your sense of Ryouko is completely missing, and it feels very much like she's stopped existing and is nowhere at all. You focus on the other girl: why are her eyes gold? By the stars, what is she even wearing? It's a white dress, with lilac details, and somehow feels ceremonial. The flower in her hair is a little much, too.
"Okay, we're not time-limited here, we're information-limited," says Simona, peering over the frame. She's holding a staff in her right hand, the same as the one she had back in Governance; Clarisse is holding her other hand. Simona's eyes are not gold, but she is wearing a matching outfit, with orange details.
"If you two would kindly limit yourself to self-consistent ontological paradoxes only, and don't try to change anything this time, please." She places a lot of emphasis on the please.
You're a little bit stunned. "Simona? What's going on?"
"It's an inflection point," she says with a shrug. "You needed an intervention."
You are agog for a moment.
"… and earlier wasn't??!" you exclaim. "Ryouko died!"
"We tried earlier," other-Clarisse says. "Well, alternate-us tried, and everything exploded, which is why there was partial amnesia everywhere. It's a chronology protection thing, I'm told." She glances at Simona, then back to you. "Ryouko dying once was inevitable, given her adversary, and we were able to nudge Nanami's wish afterwards to buy ourselves time to act. The labyrinth right now is a trap we can avoid; its guardian is … like an inside out nesting doll, bigger on the inside. It'll play dead, then try to eat people in their moment of victory."
"Forty-five percent," says Simona.
You note the use of ambiguous terms here: "adversary", "guardian". Does this Simona not know about witches?
"A trap," you repeat. "Is the one who set it who I think it is?" You're still thinking Kyuubey, more than Oriko, but wish to guard against recency bias.
"Probably," the other Clarisse says. "We can't lose Nanami. Not if we want to save the Governance timeline, anyway, which you should at least be seriously thinking about. We want her railguns because with enough magic there's no upper limit on their power. Sayaka oughtn't contract here, either."
"Sixty percent," says Simona.
"If you want to save the timeline, changing places with ribbon magic won't be enough," the alternate Clarisse continues. "Ryouko left physically, so she needs to make a physical return. You need some way to cross universes, a strong emotional beacon to guide you, ungodly amounts of magic for when you get there, and a four-hundred light year equivalent wormhole just to arrive at the right time."
"Seventy-five percent," says Simona.
alt!Clarisse takes a deep breath. "I know," she says.
"Four hundred light years?" you ask, amazed. "That's stupidly long range. I assume we'll need to reunite with Asami?"
"… Asami?" asks Simona, lowering her staff and suddenly frowning.
The other Clarisse suddenly squeezes Simona's hand tighter, and reaches for her with her free hand as well. Simona, in alarm, tries to shake free.
Clarisse is trying to speak over Simona. "There's a reason that everyone—"
Simona is very upset. "Don't tell me that pathetic little minx—"
The image stutters.
"Damn you both!" shouts Simona. "You two just want her all to yourse—"
"— with Ryouko and she barely even notices, it's because her other —"
The image stutters for a longer interval.
"— like she did on the roof," declares Clarisse. "If they —"
"Go paradox yourself!" says Simona, and the window vanishes.
TacLink reconnected.
Syncing…
Clock drift detected. Approve chronometer adjustment? yes
TACLINK RESTORED.
Replaying 15 packets over 5ms.
MIKI SAYAKA has reached safe distance.
- Civilian emergency mode deactivated.
- Communications relay now available.
Communications outage: Shizuki Clarisse
Communications restored after 5ms.
COMMENTARY:
Nanami: What was the blip?
> goddess preserve you
[x] Send Nanami updated witch instructions over taclink NOW
[x] Continue your call with Kyouko
[x] Continue police interview as planned
[] Share this little experience
-[] with Ryouko
-[] with Nanami
-[] with Kyouko
-[] with Machina
[] (other reactions)
[] (new priorities)
