The military had seen vast changes since the sun transformation.
While the civilian population had certainly been willing to adapt and change, the military had been a little slower in some ways, and faster in others. Their primary goal has always been defence, and for the most part this meant defence against other countries with their own military and interests. However the vast and sudden changes in the world, including the addition of magic- not the least of which included the magic girls (A highly classified document at this point), the balance of power was something every country was becoming wary of.
Some of this was put on hold, given that nobody really knew what to make of magic, and very few had any real experts on how to wield it. This didn't stop the military attempting to create magical weapons, or shields, the most optimistic of scientists hoping to wield this to protect entire cities from any threat, or to divine a threat before it became an actual threat.
All this seemed so small though, compared to the possibility of something from outside earth entering their world. Something from the magical dimension, termed 'M' by their scientists.
The majority of soldiers, were human. This was not due to any form of racism, not exactly but of the simple, practical mindset of the human military with human hardware. While certainly some machines could be operated by the changed, a very careful assessment was made to decide if the transformed person would pose any risk. Human bodies were predicable, and therefore of far greater use.
General Make-peace, lead the operation known as 'project door'. It had been running a number of years, and their technology- as well as fields in the areas of magic had increased significantly since the days of the first sun transformation. Every advance that was made by someone in their soil or even their allies, they quietly made a copy.
To put it simply, the military always liked to do what has proven to work. Humans had incredible adaptability of skill. Jack of all trades, and the ability to master a particular trade. You knew what you got with a human, and the centuries of knowledge on their ability to endure and react in a hostile environment.
Changed people were certainly not shunned. They were often given highly specialised tasks. Tasks that their transformation was suited for. Large transformations- though incredibly rare, were able to carry military hardware with relative ease. While it might be tempting to use them in a battle, they were sitting ducks. Too big and too valuable to lose in a gun fight. So they were kept away from that- though it was always possible for another to see their application differently.
But it was the smallest transformations that interested the military the most.... and none were smaller, then Fly-Spy.
Fly-spy was... as his- or her name suggested, was a fly transformation. Most assume him to be a male though, with the voice projected. He was a fly with a human head... and very careful not to get caught in spider webs. He had a unique ability to be able to speak words that allowed anyone in his vicinity to hear him, and him alone. He also possessed a photographic memory... he could see anything, and describe it. The issue sometimes became in how to extract that information from him, but using special cameras and electronic trackings, he could 'draw' it digitally on an appropriate surface.
"Hello Agent Fly-spy," said the general greeting him in his officer.
The fly buzzed to the wall. "Hello general," he said back with a- slightly muffled voice. The way his voice projected was strange. It was as if he could 'concentrate' it at a particular direction. He directed his voice to a single ear of the general. The general really only 'half' heard him... that was the case with all people.
"Your mission?" enquired the general.
"Successful," said Fly spy. "As always. None saw me, or noticed me. I have a complete copy of the notes of the magic circle and all their advances."
The general nodded. The magic circle- that of the woman known as Jen who lead it, was kept under a very careful surveillance by fly-spy. The advances they were making, paralleled the military in certain ways. Getting this information before others did was needed to get them ahead in the game.
"Did the notes on Lilly Gordon help?" asked fly spy.
The general nodded. "Her notes are... almost on the verge of breaking into the M-dimension."
"It's a pity we could not help," said fly-spy, genuinely. "Leslie is a great ally to the country."
"Well, we are certainly helping her with this project. If we break into the M-dimension, that is where her father is... having her concentrate on that, is almost a godsend." The general mused on that for a while. When Lilly put all her knowledge into finding out what happened to her father... it helped their own ends immensely. in a way, they both had the same mission. To get to the other side... and determine what was out there. If it was a threat, or could be of aid to Earth. "At least we arranged for Hiro's treatment. I take it the mind-wipe on Dr Heider is holding?"
"Hard to tell," said Fly-spy.
The fly-person sat on the general's shoulder as they walked out of the office and into... the complex.
At the heart of the complex, there, was the Door... the gateway... the portal. Stargate, The Eye of the Gods... gateway to the moon and beyond... whatever you wanted to call it, it stood there. A magnificent structure of a curious circle, made partly of stone and curious relatively unknown materials, constructed by humans with the technology and insight of the magic users.
The circle stood perpendicular to another circle, on the ground covered in glass. It was like a bank of monitors that were as 'stepping stones'. Occasionally the glass would show symbols, that were being stored on a computer... in some strange attempt to decipher them.
"Every time we attempt to access the M-Dimension, we are greetted by... this." said one of the scientists working on the computer.
A computer screen flickerered showing... the Rainbow Guardian. It stood there, impassively... patiently. Always there.
The general nodded. "Any way to bypass him? I don't want to send another volunteer that has to go through a potential hostile." He didn't want to even think what happened to him. Another poor soldier, lost in the M-dimension.
"Well... curiously enough, we've worked on the assumption that magic works like a computer program. We've 'hacked' into the system... and found that we 'can' by pass him... and access the M-dimension. But the snag is, we can not determine exactly what lies beyond, and the portal keeps shifting in location.
A siren started to go off, as the portal shimmered, flashing into existence.
"What the devil?!"
The scientists worked furiously. "It wont shut down!"
"What does that symbol mean?!" cried another. They symbol was able to identify the kind of energy coming out of the aperture.
The general looked at it. "Time Paradox..." he said tensely. Something... something has just happened, "Activate the chrono-guard." said the general.
It was an untested system, of unkown range. Given the way the world was now 'hyper dimenstional', anything they did could affect anyone else in the world too. Suddenly runes flared on the ground, and a curtain of light was placed around the base.
... slowly everything else in the world started to change.
"Lucas..."
"..."
"Lucas..."
The angel roused slightly, but all she could see was light. "Who..."
" .. wings." said the voice.
It was like silk in Lucas's mind, and she could feal the feathers of her great ship even as she perceived the wonders of such a strange communication. But what the machine said next...
"... Paradox."
Lucas could suddenly see it all, perceiving the world outside of time. There she saw the paradox... " Oh... hell..."
Arachne's Daughter, 'Aria'... she died, as magic girl Three in the previous age.
Aria is then re-incarnated as Shawn in the current age...
Shawn is wished to Take Araia's place in the final battle... so Aria does not die, but Shawn does instead.
Shawn therefore can not exist... to take Aria's place, and Aria fights and dies...
Shawn and Aria keep dying multiple times in each loop... time loops again....and without 'the enemy' to correct this problem, Time was going absolutely nuts!
