Episode 11 - Riot Force Six's Day Off (Part 2)
At the Saint Church, Admiral Chrono Harlaown is meeting with Carim. They have just been joined by Signum, who had business in the area, when they get a call from Hayate. She lets them know about the mysterious girl with the Relic who has just been rescued by the Forwards. This worries everyone: the fact that a Relic was found in the middle of the city raises the risk of a serious urban battle if Gadgets show up.
Subaru and Teana arrive where Erio and Caro are taking care of the girl. They notice that the chain holding the Relic has an empty space which suggests there was a second one. Soon after, Nanoha, Fate, Shamal and Rein arrive with Vice and the squadron helicopter. They are preparing to load the girl and the Relic on board when incoming Gadgets are detected: a small group heading through the sewers, and a much larger force of flying models coming in over the ocean. Fate and Nanoha leave to intercept one group of flying Gadgets; Rein and Vita (who was in the area), another. The four Forwards head into the sewers to deal with the Gadgets there, and also try to find the missing second Relic. Shamal and Vice take the helicopter back towards base with the girl and the first Relic.
Not far away, Scaglietti's assistant contacts Lutecia, and says that her sisters will take care of the helicopter. She directs Lutecia to head underground.
In the middle of all this, Ginga contacts Riot Force Six to inform them of the strange accident she was investigating. She has followed a trail leading from the scene into the sewers, and suspects it may have been from the girl they just found. The most disturbing thing, however, was the life pod at the accident site — it's a type that is used in the illegal creation of Artificial Mages: artificially grown humans who are cloned and genetically engineered for powerful magical abilities.
Meanwhile, Nanoha and the others engage the flying Gadgets over the ocean. They easily destroy several groups, but more suddenly appear — a lot more, and seemingly multiplying out of nowhere. Unseen by them for the moment, the new Gadgets are being controlled by a woman in a blue bodysuit and Scary Shiny Glasses, the numeral 'IV' embroidered on her collar. Her name is Quattro, and she is using something she calls her Inherent Skill to hack everyone's sensors.
Riot Force Six's command center, Long Arch, confirms that they're facing a mix of real and illusionary Gadgets, but there's no way to distinguish them. Fate realizes this must be a diversion to keep them away from the sewers and/or the helicopter. Hayate agrees, and suggests a bold plan: with Chrono's permission, she will release her ability limiter and use her powerful long-range bombardment magic to quickly take the Gadgets out. Chrono cautions her that he and Carim can authorize the release of her limiter only once each, but Hayate says she has a bad feeling about the situation. She orders Fate and Nanoha to return to the helicopter, and Vita and Rein to join the Forwards underground. Chrono releases three levels of Hayate's limiter, and — once the others have evacuated to a safe distance — she starts annihilating the Gadgets (real and illusionary alike) with Hræsvelgr.
Down in the sewers, Ginga meets up with the Forwards, and between them they take out the Gadgets there. They also find the second Relic, and are about to retrieve it when they are suddenly attacked by Lutecia's summoned creature, Garyuu. While they're distracted, Lutecia appears and tries to make off with the Relic, but is cornered by Teana. The Forwards seem to have the upper hand until Lutecia is abruptly joined by another arrival: a tiny, flying, woman called Agito, who wields powerful Belkan-style magic.
This fight is far from over...
Tropes
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: Even the narrower portions of the sewers are more spacious than some subway stations. The area where the battle with Lutecia occurs is practically palatial.
- Badass Boast: Agito announces herself with "Agito-sama, Genius of the Burning Flames, is here!", complete with tiny fireworks and dramatic poses, and finishes by telling the Forwards to "bring it on!".
- Dramatic High Perching: For no obvious reason, when Uno contacts her Lutecia is standing atop what appears to be a utility pole or antenna, which is in turn on the roof of a tall building.
- Establishing Character Moment: Quattro's first appearance consists of her disguising a fleet of gadget drones from Riot Force Six's sensors, and her first spoken words could basically be translated to "dance puppets, dance!":"These lies and illusions are going to make you dance for me."
- Fantastic Nuke: Hayate's Hræsvelgr note , a long-range, wide-area bombardment spell, is basically this (at least on the tactical warhead scale).
- Power Gives You Wings: Hayate's knight armor (the Belkan equivalent of a Barrier Jacket) doesn't initially include wings, but she acquires them once Chrono releases her limiter.
- Power Glows: Releasing her limiter also makes Hayate glow with bright white light, at least for the first few moments.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Quattro is introduced with these. We won't even see her eyes until the next episode. This is a significant clue about her true nature.
