When I got to the stairwell, I was not alone. People swarmed upwards. Feet banged against the ground and guts heaved, grown large from one-too-many lift journeys. I joined the rush.

The thong was thick but moved with an almost solid purpose, and only a few minutes later it bore me through the final set of doors into Operations. People packed it too, but they were being kept in check by a line of men with clipboards. They scribbled madly, taking names, checking them off and ushering people through. Helping them in this task was my old friends the RAF soldiers, guns held ready if not quite pointed at anyone.

"Harry, Harry," said a man from near the back of the crowd. It was Robin, face taught and pale. "Stand aside. Stand aside." He forced his way through and burst out. "You got out okay? I thought... When you didn't come up we thought the worst."

Even as important as Robin was, there was no way people were going to flow around us. A hurrying lady in a skirt suit jostled my shoulder and almost sent me to the ground. She had some serious heft to her and I was none to steady on my feet to start with. Since standing still was clearly not an option, Robin grabbed my arm and dragged me backwards, passed the men taking names, and into the open corridor beyond.

"Daddy!" said Faye, arms wide inside the tiny screen.

"Faye," said Robin and wiped a hand over his face. "Thank God." He took the PDA and turned back to me. "Harry, what's going on?"

"Things are crazy down there," I said. "AEON, or the thing in it, started throwing banishers everywhere. I don't know. Force blasts or something. It blew up a large part of the library before I got away. I sealed the room but I don't know if that will hold it."

Robin nodded his head and grabbed my arm. "This way. There's a briefing about what's going on. They'll want to know what you saw." He forced his way back through the crowd, dragging me with him.

The sign on the door said Briefing Room A and it deserved the 'A'. The room was big. Stepped rings of chairs led down to a central platform, similar to what I always thought a Roman theatre must look like. It could've held a hundred people with room to spare. Today, though, it held far fewer than that: maybe a dozen.

My fellow 'superhuman' field agents were there — Kailen, Malon, Trinidad/Night Raven and Blackhole. So too was Doctor Hartwell, Charles Stanley, John Taylor and the big man himself Alistaire Stuart, along with a small host of people I didn't recognise, all dressed in expensive suits or crisp uniforms.

Robin dragged me down the central staircase, towards the assemblage of august figures.

"Approximately ten minutes ago," said Alistaire as I approached, "an unknown hostile entity infected Archives' supercomputer AEON. We believe the infection to have originated from Artefact 1222, which AEON had interfaced with. For those who do not yet know, 1222 is a hard drive we believe belonged to the Fantastic Four. While the infection seems to have been initially focused on that single computer, it appears to have spread. Mr Cunnings reports that other Archives' computers were acting in non-standard manors when he evacuated. Additionally, some force has locked us out of the network, facility wide. I have ordered all computers in areas still under our control to be shut down, but computers running in evacuated areas are presenting a problem. Without access to the network we can't send remote shutdown commands.

"While infected, AEON demonstrated telekinetic power. We don't know if it can manifest these powers in other locations. Now, I—"

"Mr Stuart!" said Robin, still tugging me. It was getting annoying. "Alistaire! Harry. I mean Agent Potter. He's here."

Everyone turned to look. Many of the eyes contained suspicion, some relief.

"Harry," said Lorance Hartwell and pushed his glasses up his nose with two fingers. "We thought the worst."

From the looks on some of the assembled faces, the worse was that I was behind everything, AEON, the lock down and quite possibly the master criminal suspected of stealing the sandwiches from the break room fridge. It didn't bother me too much. This was par for the course for my life.

"I managed to get away," I said.

"Really," said Lorance. "Mr Cunnings said it threw you clear across the room."

I nodded. "It could throw force blasts. None of my spells could hurt it but my Shielding Charm could just about protect me. In the end, I threw a table at it. That turned AEON off but the other computers were almost as strong."

"You threw a table," said Kailen, raising one thin eyebrow. "My dear Harry Potter, you are much stronger than you look." He smiled, a double row of too sharp teeth.

"I used magic," I said. Though I couldn't be sure, the utterly blank look on Kailen's vulpine face made me think he was being facetious.

"I'm sure we are all glad Mr Potter has returned to us safely," said Alistaire from his place at the table, hands steepled. "But there is much more to this meeting than that. Blackhole, if you could debrief Agent Potter while we continue planning our response?"

She nodded, rose and motioned off to one side. While I briefed her on what had happened — the start of the fight, the other computers returning to life, AEON's defeat and my retreat — the meeting continued. Given the coughs Blackhole would periodically send my way, my attention was probably more focused on them than her.

"Is the evacuation nearing completion?" said one man, a solidly built salt and pepper type.

"It's continuing," said another; he at least had a name badge: M. Barding. "But we should be nearly finished. We've trained for this before. There's a skeleton staff in Prisoner Containment but everyone else will be in Operations or above ground within the next ten minutes."

"And the corruption hasn't interfered?"

"Not as far as we can tell. It seems mostly focused on Archives, apart from shutting down the network."

"That's not quite right," said John Taylor and ran a hand along his stubble covered chin. "When I was evacuating... The security cameras. I don't know if anyone else noticed but they were not acting normally. They have a set search pattern and weren't following it."

Yeah... That wasn't worrying at all. I cast a glance around the room, searching the shadowed roof for sleek black shapes. I was far from the only one.

"Maybe someone was accessing them," said Stanley, shooting a look at the still standing Robin.

"Faye was locked down at the time," said Robin, just a hair to quick and forceful to appear a simple correction. "It has to be the invader, whoever or whatever it is."

"It's not impossible someone else was accessing them," said John, though he clearly didn't believe it. "Security keeping track of the evacuation? The network might not have been completely locked down at that point."

"Malon," said Alistaire and pointed to three places around the room. The lines on his face seemed especially deep right then.

She scowled but stood and stabbed out with her palm, three quick jabs. Bolts of green energy, not quite the right colour to be Killing Curses, shot up to the ceiling and exploded. Thunder boomed in the room, crashed off the walls and bounced right back. It echoed in my ears and left them ringing. Bits of broken electronics and ceiling tile rained down.

"I hate to intrude," said Lorance, rubbing somewhat theatrically at his ears, "but what about the people still in Prisoner Containment? While I am no expert, some of our, um, guests do require extensive and specialised holding facilities."

"For the time being they will remain where they are," said Alistaire, voice emotionless. "There are plans in place to be used in the event of a total evacuation, but Prisoner Containment is second only to the Vault in terms of security. Its computers are off network and seem to be still working, according to the hard-line telephones."

That gave me pause and Blackhole coughed, trying to draw my attention back to my debriefing, but my mind was well and truly set on other things. Where the 'plans' Alistaire spoke of really evacuation plans or did they involve not so artistic combinations of bullets and brains? It wasn't a pleasant thought but I knew what eyes like Alistaire Stuart's could mean.

"We need to destroy all the computers," said Trinidad, voice level and friendly from behind his faceless gold mask, "and anything they might have infected. It's better to be safe than let this contagion return."

"We can't do that!" said John, and half rose from his chair. A glance from Alistaire sent him back down. "You're talking about years of research and millions of pounds in equipment. Some of it simply can't be replaced. Yes, we have off site backups but, even so, the loss would be immense. And all of this is completely premature. We don't know anything about this infection yet."

"A full power shut down, then," said Trinidad, black suit shifting as he shrugged. "If we turn everything off, we can analyse it at our leisure, but we must stop the spread now. The longer we dally the harder our task becomes."

"We tried that already," said Robin, fingers white around Faye's PDA.

It was around then that I finished telling my story and Blackhole nodded, long angular face flat with thought. After a few seconds she turned towards the table and said, "I know what's going on, Stuart."

"Do tell," said Alistaire, giving nothing away. I'd half expected him to bite her head off for the forthright tone.

"The Archives' hard cut off stops the power to the computers, correct?"

Both Robin and John nodded.

"But it does not stop all power," she continued, "merely the circuit the computers draw off. The lights, for example, stayed on."

Another set of nods.

"Potter said the lights first dimmed and then exploded. It's drawing on that power, even if it's not connected to it."

That... That made a lot of sense and I wasn't the only one who thought so. "Some kind of electrokinesis," said a slightly nerdy looking man in a white lab coat, face bright. "Of course! And if we shut of all the power, there would be nothing to draw upon! Its range can't be unlimited. If it was, it would never have needed to draw upon the lights."

The nerdy man wasn't the only one who looked pleased. The salt and pepper type was nodding his head, as was M. Barding and most of the rest of the table. John, though, was frowning. "There are still problems," he said.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"There are three issues that I can see," said John. "First, our key security systems work on a power-to-open model. That means, all secure doors and systems will be locked and stay locked. Second, will be life support. This base is deep underground and has poor air circulation. We artificially move and replenish air to keep it fresh and maintain security. Without power this system will be shut down. Third is EPOCH."

That brought a collection of frowns. It also left me confused. "EPOCH?" I said.

"Mordred has three supercomputers, Harry," said John and wrote something on a lined notepad. When he held it up, it had three names: 'JUBILEE', 'AEON', and 'EPOCH'. "JUBILEE is based upon Skrull technology and is located in Planning and Operations, not far from here in fact. It has been shut down successfully, correct?"

Alistaire nodded. "Yes. I ordered a manual shut down after disconnecting it from the network."

"Good," said John. "Next we have AEON, which is based upon Kree technology and belongs to Archives. You disabled that one. EPOCH is the final supercomputer. It is based upon the recovered remains of a Kymellian smart core, is located in Research and Development and—" He took a breath. "Has an on-site fusion reactor."

I could see why they were frowning now. A nuclear bomb was not something I wanted beneath my feet.

"You mean it's still running," said the salt and pepper type. He slammed a fist into the table but quickly withdrew it when Alistaire gave him a look, the merest flicker of a disapproving gaze. "Why the hell did we evacuate while leaving it running? It's a bloody hair trigger nuke."

"We didn't know there was a computer problem when we evacuated," said John. "And it's not a 'nuke'." The word clearly left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. "Fusion reactors are not bombs. They can't melt down or go critical. Fusion is hard enough to sustain at the best of times. It's near impossible for it to explode, and completely impossible for it to do so accidentally. Any reaction intense enough to damage the containment area would also breach the conditions needed to sustain fusion. The worst that could happen is a release of plasma and that would be contained by the blast doors."

Despite my general view that John knew what he was talking about, that explanation did nothing to reassure me. It was still a nuclear bomb as far as I was concerned. Most people not wearing white lab coats seemed to agree with me.

"The sorcerous wards might keep it out," said Lorance, though he looked pensive. "AEON's were down when it was infected and the normal computers have lesser protections. They're meant to stop remote assaults and primarily mystical ones at that. If this infection is technological, biological or technopathic in nature... I can't speak to what the wards will do. It's also already inside the protections. That won't help either."

Well, that was encouraging.

"There is a way to shut it down, I assume?" said Alistaire. His eyes glinted, chips of ice. In every way but the technical, it wasn't a question. It was a statement of how the universe would be.

"Three, in fact," said John, chin held high. "A remote command over the network, a hardwired off switch accessible from ground level and a local version of the same. The last two both work by breaking the links between the Kymellian smart core and the reactor. Without the core to manage it, the reactor will stop on its own."

"With the network locked we will need to use the remote hard switch," said Alistaire and raised a hand.

His secretary, the platinum haired Alice Blackmore, appeared out the shadows and leant down. "Sir?"

Alistaire gave the orders and she hurried away. That done, he turned his attention back to the table. "We should know soon enough."

A thought sparked at the back of my brain and I said, "Sir, there's something else. The, um, infection's force blasts were at their strongest when it was using AEON. They were much weaker when it just had the normal computers."

Blackhole scowled at me, her dark features giving easily to the expression. That particular nugget of information hadn't been in my report but I'd only just made the connection.

"There have been technopaths whose powers were amplified by being in a powerful computer," said a woman in a green military dress uniform. Markbanks her name tag said.

"Sage," muttered M. Barding. Alistaire's expression hardened a fraction and I made a mental note to find out who 'Sage' was.

"I'm sure I've read something," said Lorance and began patting his pockets, as if he might be carrying that exact book around with him. "What was it now? Ah, yes, reports of bio-occult conditioning producing similar results." After a few seconds he stopped searching his pockets, looking slightly sheepish.

"If this is true," said Alistaire, looking at me and ignoring the byplay, "disabling EPOCH becomes even more of a priority."

Alice Blackmore appeared and walked to the table. She lent down and whispered something in Alistaire's ear. After a few seconds he nodded. "The remote cut off has failed. We will need to switch it off at the source."

The plan, as it turned out, was simple. Turn off all power, sneak down to Research and Development and turn EPOCH off, using force if necessary. According to Patricia Coatbridge, a woman in her late fifties and Mordred's chief medical officer, air was less of a problem than we thought. With the lower levels near deserted, only the strike team would need to breathe. The people crammed into Planning and Operations could evacuate upwards at their leisure and Prisoner Containment, much like the Vault, was on a separate sealed system. Of course there were problems.

"I need to come."

The other superpowered field agents looked at me. They all clearly thought this was a bad idea.

"You're not trained, Potter," said Blackhole. "You're not use to working with us."

"I sealed the doors to Archives," I said, fingers white around my wand. "A Shielding Charm surrounds the whole room. You can't get in without me."

The plan called for us to drop through Archives' floor using one of Blackhole's portals and straight into EPOCH's control room. This would allow us to bypass any defences the infection had set up using the fusion reactor as power. Unfortunately from their point of view and fortunately from mine, that point was in the middle of Archives' main library, the very room I'd surrounded with a layer of shielding magic. Maybe I really did have a saving and/or protecting people thing? An excuse to stay out of danger was something most people wanted, wasn't it?

"It's your decision," said Alistaire to Blackhole. "You're team leader."

Blackhole pursed her lips and frowned. After a few seconds she said, "Fine. But you stay back and out of the way."

I smiled and nodded at that. She clearly didn't know me very well. No matter where I stood, trouble would find me.

Alistaire said we needed ten minutes to finish evacuating non-essential personnel so we waited. Trinidad/Night Raven took out a pair of sleek silver pistols and began checking them over. I was with Faye; guns made me nervous. Kailen draped himself over a chair, long legs over one armrest, back against the other. His oversized sword lay across his body. Malon Reeves sat corpse-straight in hers, only her fingers moving, Cat's Cradle without the string. Last of all, Blackhole was talking quietly to Alistaire, heads down and together.

When the time came, we all got up and Blackhole began passing out ear pieces and microphones. It was a long time since I'd seen anything of the sort. The Wizarding World had its own solutions to such problems but it probably wasn't the best time to exalt their virtues. "Put this in and keep quiet," she told me. "Clip the body to your belt, microphone to your collar and earpiece in your ear. To transmit, push down on the button on the belt unit. Don't use it unless you have to. Remember, you're there to take down what you did and stay out the way. Nothing more."

I nodded and began wiring myself up.

"Ten seconds," said Alistaire, just after I'd finished. He looked up from his watch. "Torches ready."

The tension grew, each passing second ratcheting it up another notch. The last second ticked away.

The world went black as the lights flickered out.

Once again it was the silence which struck me most. A thousand tiny background noises were simply gone and it was disquieting in a way I couldn't quite identify. The air began to feel hot and muggy, each breath heavy. It was my imagination, of course, but that didn't make it any less real. I could almost feel silk flush against my face.

From around the room came clicking sounds as torches were switched on, casting lines of light. Even with dozens of high-powered torches, dark shadows steeped the room, long and deep. The nested rings of seats were little more than grey shapes. If the room had reminded me of a theatre before, it was now an Amphitheatre, maybe even the Colosseum. Hopefully there would be no lions.

"We'll be running the command centre from here," said Alistaire. "Batteries for radios and lights should last several hours and we have access to hard-copy maps and technical data if you need it."

Blackhole nodded and we set off.

The corridors were dark and dead as we moved through them, silent as the grave. We reached an intersection and I noticed a red glow. It cast strange shadows across the corridor, twisted shapes of crimson and black.

"Emergency lights," said Blackhole, voice only just above a whisper. "Local battery power. Should have remembered them."

Small red lights lined the path to the stairwell and we followed them in tense silence. No one talked or made unnecessary sounds. There was only the tread of feet and the sounds of breathing. Kailen, I noticed, made neither noise. He was perfectly silent, a cat in the night.

We made it to the set of doors which guarded the stairs. Trinidad reached out and gave them a shove. They clunked, the noise oddly muffled in the dark, but didn't open. "Locked," he said. It was just as John had said: you needed power to open them. We should have done so before we turned it off.

"I have a spell," I said, and raised my wand. "The Unlocking Charm. It opens doors."

Blackhole turned to look at me. She had a long hard face and it was all the harder awash with red. "Very well."

Smiling at my small victory, I stole forward and rapped the door with my wand. Alohomora! The door clicked and I tugged it open with a silent Summoning Charm.

"After you."

Malon Reeves snorted and strode through. Blackhole's eyes narrowed a fraction but she didn't otherwise comment. Trinidad, the last person through, wedged it open with a small mechanical device. At least we had a fast route back now. Hopefully we wouldn't need it.

The stairwell was also illuminated by the emergency lights, glass fronted boxes set high on the wall. They gave just enough light to mark where one step ended and the next began. The further we went, the thicker the tension grew. Even Kailen seemed affected, more alert, more the stalking predator. His muscles moved under his clothes, tight knots of corded flesh. Only Trinidad seemed immune but perhaps that shouldn't have been a surprise. If Faye spoke true, he was immortal and had a half century of experience under his belt. That counted for a lot. Voldemort was proof.

We rounded the corner and— The red emergency lights flashed like signal flares and guttered out, just as quickly. That could only mean...

"Get back!" I screamed and threw myself back up the stairs. They were hard and steep and I misjudged a step in my adrenalin fuelled dash. My feet disappeared from under me, something twisted in my gut and I fell, the hard edge of a step slamming into my chest. It was painful. Very painful. But that was for later. I dragged myself forward on knees and arms.

From behind came a dull thump and a rush of air, which stirred my hair and rode up the back of my shirt. That didn't matter though; I'd made it.

The other field agents had made it too, crouched low on all sides. Malon snickered but Kailen lent me a hand. I grabbed it and he pulled me up with strength he didn't look to have. Nothing seemed broken but I'd have another set of bruises to add to my already extensive collection.

"What happened?" said Blackhole.

"The lights dimmed," I said. "AEON, I mean the infection, did that when it was about to attack. When it used its electrokinetics thing."

"Electrokinesis," she said, correcting me. "Did anyone see where it came from?"

That was a good question; there were no computers in the stairwells.

"There was a camera to the top right," said Trinidad, one of his guns drawn and facing down the stairs. "Just around the corner." His golden masked never strayed towards us when he talked.

"Can you get a shot?"

He froze for a moment, as if thinking, but then shook his head. "Not without seeing it first. I may be able to get a shot off in time but it could be close."

"Can't shoot through walls either," said Malon.

"I could try to bounce a spell around the corner," I said. The corridor took a hard right turn. If I aimed for the connecting wall and angled things just right... It might work. I wasn't particularly good at bouncing spells. Ron's did it on a semi-regular basis, mostly by accident, but mine tended to go-off when they hit something.

"Bounce?" said Blackhole, clearly unsure about the whole idea or more likely me.

"I aim for that wall there," I said, pointing down the stairs. "It bounces off and hits the camera. If someone can tell me where the camera is, I should be able to hit it." Okay, maybe 'should' was being a bit generous but it certainly wasn't impossible.

"Here," said Trinidad. From his belt he took a small mirror and a few narrow sections of pipe. After a few seconds, he had them all screwed together, forming a lengthy stick. He affixed the mirror to the end.

"That would help," I said and gave a self-deprecating smile.

It took almost a minute to get everything set up right. Trinidad pushed his small mirror into place and angled it so I could see. A camera hung there, a small red light burning just below the lens. I began working out the angles, which wasn't exactly my strong suit, but I muddled through. When done, I nodded to Blackhole and raised my wand. Time to think bouncy thoughts.

"Deprimo!" I said and flicked my wand in a tight cross. The curse shot forward, a sickly purple shape. It hit the wall and wonder of wonders bounced too, angling up towards the ceiling. There it hit, and a section of wall erupted out. Broken rock and blackened wire showered the stairwell. It wasn't a perfect strike but it was close enough. The camera hung, a shatter mess. The red light sparked one final time and died.

After that it was slow going. We took our time, checking every corner. There was one more camera, which I destroyed using the same technique as the first, but apart from that, we reached Archives unmolested.

Between us and the main library was a short entrance way, which contained some potted plants and the lifts. I unlocked the stairwell doors using the Unlocking Charm and we stole forwards. That left only my own spells to keep us from our prize. The library's doors were a solid slab of metal and they spat blinding white lightning, an unintentional side effect of interacting spells. Each blast was sudden and violent, not to mention bright.

"The room's covered by a Shielding Charm," I said and sketched the path with my wand. "You can just see the blue glow."

"Take it down," said Blackhole and I nodded. It was why I was here.

Taking a few steps forward, I flicked my wand, muttering Counter-Charms under my breath. The Shielding Charm boiled away under my gentle caress. After a few seconds, only bare wall was left and the lightning died away.

"Should I do the same for the door?"

She nodded. That was sensible. If we needed to leave in a hurry, a clear escape route was always a good idea.

Despite my optimism, the doors proved a tougher nut to crack than the Shielding Charm. The first two stages weren't too onerous. The Locking Charm came off without difficulty. Everyone knew the Counter-Charm for that one: the Unlocking Charm. The Unbreakable Charm likewise was easy enough to remove. I wasn't likely to forget that spell in a hurry, not after desperately trying to remember it while plummeting unsupported through the air. The metal slab, though... Transfiguration was hard, Untransfiguration was harder and I'd never been very good at either. Despite that, I gave it my all. Wand raised, I locked my eyes forward and muttered a spell under my breath.

The metal shimmered then grew dull, taking on a slightly woody texture. I tried again, stabbing my wand forward this time. That gave a better result. A small circle near the centre turned completely wooden. True, there was some bark and one or two leaves but no one was perfect. Now that I'd got things started, the remainder was less tricky. I swept great lazy arcs with my wand and equally great swathes of metal reverted to wood. The two doors even popped apart with an almost organic plop.

With the way clear, we headed forward. Blackhole took the lead, with Kailen and Trinidad just behind, one on either side. Malon completed the diamond and I came along just behind her.

Instead of going to the door, as I'd suspected, we went to a section of wall, a few meters to the left. There Blackhole raise one hand and pressed it against the plaster. She closed her eyes, long white fingers giving slightly, and a black hole spun into existence.

It wasn't like any magic I'd ever seen but it did stir memories. A hushed sound spread out from the hole, faint whisperings accompanied by the rustling of a tattered veil hanging from a stone arch. I shivered but pulled myself together. This wasn't the Veil. This wasn't the Department of Mysteries. Despite that... It was dark already, with only a pair of emergency lights marking the stairwell to give illumination, but the hole seemed darker still. Somehow I thought it would appear so even in absolute gloom.

Blackhole motioned forward and Kailen jumped through, Trinidad just behind him. We waited, and I picked up the others' tension. Malon seemed especially irritable, hands opening and closing. Given she could throw energy bolts, that could be a very bad sign. Blackhole was just rigid.

My ear piece buzzed and Trinidad said, "Clear."

"Potter, you're next," said Blackhole and pointed towards the portal.

Gulp. I took a step forward and the whispering grew. "Stop being stupid, Harry," I muttered to myself, too low for anyone else to hear. I jumped.

The universe ended. Infinities existed in moments and moments existed in infinities. Black spun away in all directions. It was cold, far, far too cold, and then there was light. I stumbled out the far side of the portal, fell and collapsed to the ground, my knees knocking against the hard floor.

"Never again," I said as I forced myself up. After the portal, the library seemed almost brightly lit. For a few moments I thought the beyond-darkness of the portal had supercharged my night vision but then I saw Trinidad and Kailen, both with lit torches in hand. That was a far more mundane explanation. They scanned the room, flickering beams passing over shattered bookcases and dead computers.

The whispering increased and I shuffled to one side, just in time. Malon dropped down behind me, landing without even a stumble, and Blackhole came a moment later. She stepped out of the portal like it wasn't some kind of ghastly black hell.

As soon as she was clear, Blackhole pointed at the computers. "Unplug everything. I want no surprises. Malon, disable AEON." That had been in the plan too: simple ways to disable the three supercomputers. Mostly it involved removing important sounding parts with names that made no sense to me. Graphical what-it units and quantum central doohickeys. While she did that, I started unplugging things, flicking my wand at each computer in turn and watching the wires shoot free. The Disarming Charm truly was a wonderful spell.

While I was doing that, Blackhole was examining a map. The plan called for us to drop down into a room directly below but that room was quite a bit smaller than Archives' main library. Going by the map I'd been given the day before, I also thought I knew which it was: the sole Black room in Research and Development. It seemed 'may not enter under any circumstances' had its limits.

It didn't take me long to disable the computers and Malon was even quicker. The large glass orb, which had once sat atop AEON, was now removed and lying off to one side. Blackhole called us over, and pointed to a section of floor. "We drop through here. I'm first, then Kailen, then you Malon. Trinidad, you're next. Potter, you're last. Remember, if I say run, head for the portal I'll make in the floor. You should be able to drop into the Vault. Assuming the base isn't destroyed, we'll get out eventually. Anything else?"

"I could cast a Disillusionment Charm," I said, twiddling my wand. While a layman might take the movement as completely random, a true maestro of magic would recognise otherwise. A good twiddle is essential for much high level magic. From the looks people gave me, they didn't see the skill behind my art.

"And what," said Blackhole, levelling her eyes at me, "is a 'Disillusionment Charm'?"

"Turns you invisible," I said. "More or less. Sort of makes you look like the background. I can cast it on other people too if you want."

Her gaze stayed just as level, dark eyes flat. From the looks of things, she didn't like my habit of pulling new abilities out of thin air. If so, she was in for disappointment. It was more-or-less why I'd been hired. "Show me."

The Disillusionment Charm wasn't one of my everyday spells but I knew it well enough. One tap on the head, one non-verbal spell and raw egg was dripping down my neck. My body shimmered out of view, becoming transparent, not perfectly so but I was no Dumbledore.

"Invisible," I said and waved an invisible hand, the motion weakening the effect slightly, appearing as a shimmer in the air.

"Kailen?"

"Hum," said Kailen and held up a hand. "My my, very interesting. It's not dweomercræft as I know it my dear Justine, but there's something there. A glamour of life if you will."

"You can do this to other people?" she said, giving nothing away. I couldn't tell if her question was a compliment, indictment or something else entirely.

I nodded, realised that was stupid given my current condition and said, "Yes. It will turn anyone or anything invisible but it works best if you're still. Move and you start to show up."

Blackhole frowned. "Not this time, Potter. I've seen entire operations ruined because two people with invisibility powers couldn't see each other. We're not trying anything so different in the field until we've practiced."

I waved my wand and shimmered back into view, phantasmal silver liquid pooling on the floor around me. The Disillusionment Charm felt almost as weird coming off as going on, and a shiver ran down my back.

"We deploy on the count of five," said Blackhole and flicked her hand. An inky portal appeared in the floor, a swirling mass, blacker than black. Half heard whispers brushed against my ears, retreating when I tried to focus on them, strengthening when my focus waned. My heart hammered in my chest and I smiled, lips pulling at my face. This was it.

"Jump!" she said and stepped forward. As quick as that, she was gone, the portal almost reaching up to welcome her in. Next came Kailen. He drew his blinding white sword and jumped. Malon was next. She just stepped into the portal, not even a backwards look. Trinidad dove in headfirst, both guns out, and then it was me.

"Once more into the breach." I held my breath and leaped.

The too-cold blackness vomited me forth and I fell, only my long practice at almost dying giving me the presence of mind to roll on impact. Even so, it hurt like a bitch.

The cries of battle echoed around the small room, explosions and screams and the thump of over-powered banishers. The room was chaos. Near the centre was a huge glass pillar, reaching almost to the ceiling, and in it floated a metal orb. Bolts of lightning crackled from it, earthing above and below on silvered spikes. Hulking banks of electronics clung to the lower sides. Behind that was a half tube, about two thirds of a man tall and three long. My heart beat in my chest. This was it: EPOCH and the fusion reactor respectively.

A solid wall of warped space guarded both devices, twisted light which hurt my eyes.

Malon threw an energy blast and it exploded against the wall, sound, heat and smoke billowing out. The blast looked a match for any Blasting Curse but it did not penetrate.

Kailen stabbed his sword in lengthwise, blade blazing too white to look at, and it sank home. He tore it up and out, ripping space-time and Trinidad ducked into the gap.

Both guns raised, he opened fire and bullets slammed into the computer. They sparked off EPOCH's outer casing but could not to penetrate to anything vital.

He seemed to have the right idea and I dashed forward to join him, my wand held ready. "Expulso!" The explosive banisher ripped out, a fiery wave of force and magic. It smashed into EPOCH, magic tearing at the glass tube, but again EPOCH endured. The tertiary electronic equipment was less lucky, however. Desktop PCs exploded in showers of sparks; banks of blinking boxes shattered as they fell; dozens of cables tore loose and one cable in particular groaned under the assault: the heavy line which led from reactor to supercomputer.

Space in front of EPOCH warped, and rushed out, a twisting mass. I raised my wand, the Shielding Charm on my lips, but Blackhole was faster. Her hands came together and darkness gathered in them, a strange orb rather than her normal inky portal. The force blast hit it dead centre and shot right back the way it came, smashing into EPOCH. Invisible forces warred and I took the chance to attack again. The cable connecting EPOCH and the reactor was the key. Break it and the computer would be without power and the fusion reactor would automatically shut down.

"Depulso!" I shouted and stabbed my wand at my target, all my will behind the spell. The banisher slammed into the cable and tried to rip it free. The heavy duty connectors that secured the ends screeched but didn't give, but I wasn't the only person trying my hand. Trinidad was still firing, tracing his shot along the cable, and Malon opened up too, a savage grin on her face. Explosions shook the small room and then Kailen was rushing forward, dodging friendly fire with supernatural ease. With a mighty swing, he slashed down with the sword and severed the cable. It sparked, looking ready to explode, and I flicked out my wand. "Accio Kailen!" He shot back towards me.

The insulation broken, the cable exploded and raw energy pounded everything in range. Bolts of electricity slammed down all around me but I couldn't use my magic to protect myself, not until Kailen was safe. He shot passed, a living missile, and I whipped my wand to a new purpose. "Protego!"

A wall of blue light sprang up and lightning crashed against it. I set my legs, arms and wand and took it head on. The constant assault turned my shield near-opaque but the edges remained clear. Through those gaps, I could see I wasn't the only one taking a beating. Lightning struck at the core of EPOCH too. A corona of phosphorescent fury surrounded the small metal orb.

Speakers hidden somewhere in the room burst to life and a voice cried out. "No!" it screamed. "I will not be denied again!"

The lightning exploded from EPOCH's core and into the top most spike. From there it jumped up, leaving a sparking trail of machinery as it passed from device to device until it reached the ceiling. There it hung still for a single moment, but only a moment. It seemed to gather itself and shot towards the room's main light fixture. Brilliant light blazed forth, out shining even Kailen's sword, and then the ball was gone. It moved onto the next light, then the next, then the next. In less than a second it was out the door.

"After it!" shouted Blackhole and I let my shield drop. We turned as a group and dashed in the direction the ball had gone only to find a barred door in the way. "Go!" Blackhole thrust forward with her hands and a portal opened, its edges ragged and wild. The whispers were louder, too, almost but not quite distinct voices. There was no time and I ignored them with an effort of will. We barrelled through, no careful order.

The corridor was lined with red emergency lights, probably leading to an exit, and they flared and exploded as the ball lightning shot through each in turn. I dashed after it but Kailen outpaced me with almost contemptuous ease. Trinidad was only a mite slower and I was only just keeping up with Malon. The only expression on her face was a scowl. I, by comparison, was wheezing, breath heavy.

We hurtled around the corner in a strung out line, and I caught sight of a small sign: corridor 15. This was where John Taylor's office was located and I could see it just ahead. That could be bad; who knew what highjackable equipment he had stashed away. Sure enough the lightning swung left, through John's door.

Kailen and Trinidad were the first through, both perfectly in step with each other. Malon when next and then it was my turn. The second I was through the doorway, I stepped to the side. Death Eaters liked traps and old instincts died hard.

The room's sole illumination was Kailen's sword but that was light enough. It burnt with a white fire and cast hard shadows. Slowly, a spell on my lips, I traced the room with my wand, searching for sign of the infection, ball lightning or possibly something else. Trinidad was doing the same with his silver pistols but Kailen just stood there, tall and rigid.

The workspace was just as I'd last seen it: work tables covered with half completed circuits and mechanical devices, huge free standing electronic devices and shelves piled high with spy gadgets. The robotic Life Model Decoy still lay dead on its slab, electronic guts now closed. What there wasn't, though, was any sign of our target.

Kailen was almost shaking where he stood, the sword wavering in his hands as if he was just noticing its sizable weight for the first time. That was strange. Kailen's default mode was relaxed and even in tense moments he wasn't like this. Something mystical, perhaps? Faye had said he could sense mystical energies.

I took a breath and tried to feel magic, as ridiculous as the idea was. Nothing came but that didn't mean anything. It was a new skill for me, one which only worked on this universe's alien magic. Maybe if...

In a blinding motion, Kailen turned and swung the sword, the blade angled to bisect Trinidad. Masked as he was, I can't speak for certain as to Trinidad's expression but it surely must have been shock. He jumped back just in time, and the sword cut open air.

Kailen's face was taut and his arms continued to shake. He took another staggered step forward and swung again. Like before Trinidad jumped clear.

"Kailen!" said Trinidad. "What are you doing?"

The expression on Kailen's face intensified, a war fought with muscles, and his mouth opened a tiny fraction. "In. My. Head," he said, fighting for every word. Then it was gone and he leapt forward, with far more of his normal grace. The sentence had clearly cost him something.

Kailen struck again, and he was faster, surer. Trinidad was only just able to twist out the way and even so, the blade scored a bloody line down his side.

"Stop!" I yelled and jabbed my wand forward. "Stupefy!" The crimson stunner slashed towards Kailen but he turned and knocked it aside. I attacked again, stunners and Disarming Charms both, but he blocked each in turn.

Malon opened fire just as my first barrage was winding down, energy crackling from her hands. She let loose a storm of attacks, sizeable blasts of energy interspersed with needle thin shards and what looked almost like glowing mist, but Kailen was a whirlwind. His sword slashed through the air, always exactly where it needed to be, and not one of Malon's attacks hit home. "Fucking faeries," she said.

With Kailen's attention focused on Malon's attack, I cast again, a non-verbal Stunning Spell aimed right at Kailen's back. At the last possible moment he twisted and caught it on the flat of his burning blade. I frowned. According to Faye, the sword gave Kailen some kind of battle precognition. That appeared to involve knowing when something was about to hit him in the back, which didn't seem fair. I was meant to be the child of prophecy. Why didn't I take more after my parent?

While Malon kept up her energy bombardment and stopped Kailen from advancing, I trailed my wand around the room. Kailen had said 'in my head'. He was being controlled somehow and there'd been no indication before this that the infection could jump into living people. Maybe the infection had taken control of a mind control ray? That kind of device seemed just up John's alley, comic book meets James Bond. No lights glittered on the shelves, however, and no machinery hummed either. If I could just think of someway...

My heart thumped in my chest; I knew the perfect spell!

"Homenum Revelio," I said under my breath, and tapped my glasses. They turned solid red. Shit. The spell was one of the few with a front loaded subordinate incantation and that made it harder to perform, modifying a spell which had yet to be cast. I tried again, being sure to make the wand movements perfect, and this time it worked.

Coloured shapes swam in my vision, projected from my glasses, and they overlaid all nearby people. Kailen glowed a bluish-purple, Malon a dark red, Trinidad a lighter shade of the same colour and, Blackhole, when I looked back, magenta. I turned slowly, looking for any splash of colour to indicate the infection. At first I saw nothing but... The LMD was glowing. It was hard to notice. The colour was impossibly deep, almost black, but it was just visible. The LMD was a robot and the infection could take over computers. That could only mean...

"Deprimo!" I shouted and slashed my wand in a tight Saint Andrew's cross. My spell was barely a flicker of light, but the LMD moved impossibly fast. It rolled, mechanical muscles moving just like flesh, and my Detonating Curse hit the table. Shrapnel flew in all directions. The LMD threw itself towards me.

"It's in the robot!" I yelled and I took aim for another shot.

In a blizzard of cracks Trinidad opened up with both pistols. The first two shot struck home, blasting tight holes in the LMD's chest, but the follow-ups struck an invisible barrier. The LMD raised a warding hand but Trinidad just kept advancing, pouring fire into the machine.

With the LMD's attention diverted, Kailen swayed and thumped to the ground. His sword fell from his limb fingers and the blinding white light died. Darkness fell, sudden and absolute. Something cracked in the dark and I swung my wand. "Lumos!" Light blasted out, cutting a swathe. Trinidad's head was twisted at an impossible angle and the LMD had him lifted into the air, a broken corpse. No one could survive such a thing; I'd known enough death to recognise it when I saw it. Despite that, Trinidad raised one of his guns and fired at point blank range. The shot exploded into the LMD's stomach and it went stumbling back. Trinidad dropped like a sack of flour.

Blackhole opened up the moment Trinidad landed, a solid looking pistol held in both hands. The first shot punched home, blasting a bore right into the LMD's skull, and it went back still further, legs unsteady. She fired again but the bullet stopped in mid-air, a glittering point of silver in my wand-light. The LMD flicked its hands and the bullet reversed course, back the way it came. It slammed into Blackhole's shoulder and she went down.

Blood pounded in my ears, but I forced myself to act. I opened fire on the LMD and Malon was right there with me, energy bolts flying from her hands. My knuckles were white and I slashed my wand through the air, motions violent. Her bolts detonated against the LMD's invisible shield in great explosions of force and energy. My curses fared less well; they slithered and deflected off his invisible shield, a denial of my power rather than a direct challenge of it. Time to change tactic.

"Accio sword!" I said and stabbed my wand towards Kailen's sword.

It shot towards me, visible only in stop motion from Malon's explosions, and I caught it in my off hand. Immediately it erupted into burning white light and I staggered slightly, arm straining. Kailen really was stronger than he looked to carry it one-handed so effortlessly. That was for later, though. Not waiting a moment more, I lobbed it into the air and jabbed out with my wand. "Depulso!"

Still blazing with light, the sword shot towards the LMD, an avenging spear born of solar radiance. It slammed through the invisible barrier, not even slowing, and p into the LMD's chest. The light burnt and the robot's false flesh began to flay away, revealing metal underneath. Malon's energy blasts began to strike home and they too ripped at the machine.

It screamed, the sound an unearthly mix of human and machine. Its eyes glowing red, it charged right for us, Kailen's impaling sword still burning with white fury. Malon dived to one side but the LMD caught her a spinning blow to the side of the head. She crashed to the ground and ended up half draped over one of the tables. I fared bettered but was still in no position to stop its charge out the door.

Kailen was down and unconscious, Blackhole was shot and Trinidad had a broken neck but was somehow still alive. That left only me and Malon, and she was only just staggering to her feet, a groggy look in her eyes. "You help the injured," I said. "I'll track it."

Malon looked like she might object but instead swallowed and nodded her head. I dashed out the door.

With my Person Revealing Spell still activated I could see the dull-black shape of the LMD highlighted in my glasses. Even if I hadn't, the blazing sword would have given it away, the light spilling out from around the corner. I sprinted after it, feet thundering against the ground.

I rounded the corner and searched. The light was gone but the dark shape looked to be behind a door, just ahead of me. Good, that suited me just fine.

"Confringo!" The door exploded off its hinges and I barrelled through. There was no LMD but there was another wall, the room a small office of some kind. I stabbed out again. "Expulso!" The wall blew apart in a cloud of rock and plaster.

The dust hung everywhere but I banished it with a wave of my wand. That revealed a hole, leading into another corridor, and the LMD was right there.

It shot a look over its shoulder but kept running, each step a staggered jerk that still added up to something very fast. Most of its flesh was gone, blown away by Malon's energy bolts, leaving only a metallic exoskeleton.

I whipped out my wand, tip slicing a tight circle, and stabbed through the middle. "Confringo!" The Blasting Curse exploded against the robot's back and I followed it, scrambling through the hole in the wall.

It turned on me, and its eyes were red pinpoints, glowing with malevolent fury. The red seemed to expand, growing until it filled the world, and...

Turn away... Turn back now... A picture formed behind the words, a pulsating brain, supported in a robotic body the colour of jaundiced skin.

I screamed and threw off its control. The thing was trying to get in my mind, just like it had Kailen's. It clearly didn't know who it was dealing with. It might have mind control, telekinesis and the trick with electricity and computers but I was Harry James Potter and that was worth far, far more.

Again I struck out, advancing all the time, and managed to land a Blasting Curse. Explosive force struck out in all directions and the LMD went staggering back. I flicked my wand, casting another spell, but this time it blocked. An invisible barrier sprung up and my spell washed off like water from an object bewitched imperturbable.

The LMD's left arm hung limp but the right still worked. That arm thrust out, half raw metal, half smouldering flesh, and a focused bolt of force thundered forth. I dived to the side and the blast missed but it whipped at me even in passing. A second came a moment later and I just had time to throw up a shield. His attack slammed into my defence and it was far more focused than before. AEON might have more power but the LMD was packing almost as much force into a much smaller package. Another bolt slammed out, before the second had even faded, and it shattered my already weakened shield. I went careening back, rolling, skidding and came to rest with the hard metal leg of a table digging into my back.

The LMD didn't give me a moment's rest and slashed with its working hand. The force blast was narrower this time, a knife edge, and I threw my tired body clear just as the table exploded, ripped in half. It attacked again and I dived forward, going under the blast. The floor was hard but at least it didn't explode like the wall behind me.

There was a whooshing sound, then pain exploded in my side. The LMD had dashed forward, moving almost faster than I could follow, and kicked me. I groaned, rolled and slashed with my wand, trying to conjure a concealing black mist. It didn't work — I was much too battered for that kind of complex spell work — but I got a blast of thick motor oil instead. It sprayed up with considerable force and covered the LMD's face.

It staggered back, free hand waving. Random pieces of electronics exploded on all sides. With its eyes covered it was blind!

I slashed out with a Banishing Charm, aiming for the sword still sunk in the LMD's chest. It didn't work. My spell deflected off an invisible forcefield, and that was all the LMD required to deduce my location. It struck back and a force blast took me full in the chest. It was wild and unfocused, and that saved my life. It sent me flying back but did not explode my chest like an over ripe melon.

A deep bruising pain burnt in my chest but I pushed myself up and smiled a savage grin. The LMD pawed at its face, trying to remove the sticky black gunk I'd hit it with. It would succeed any moment and then my only advantage would be gone. I needed to think of something now. The LMD's force blasts were too strong to fight head on and I couldn't let it get away.

With only moments to go, I thought of something.

"Diffindo!" I shouted and jabbed my wand at the ground. A circle appeared, sliced into stone and carpet. The spell rushed out in two great arcs and didn't stop until it had completely surrounded the LMD.

Space warped in the LMD's hand and it blasted its own head. The black gunk exploded in all directions and its red eyes blazed out, brighter even than the sword.

It was now or never.

"Protego Salvio hexia Impedimenta!" I screamed and slashed my wand through the air.

The spells leaped out and settled into the physical guide of the circle. The Joining Charm merged the other two spells and a glittering dome sparked into existence, blue-grey in colour, the child of two fathers. It completely contained the LMD.

I breathed a sigh of relief. It might well be done.

Inside the bubble, the LMD raised a hand. Forces concentrated within its palm, a heat haze rising, and it struck out. The attack brushed harmlessly off the shield. By combining the Shielding Charm with the Impediment Jinx, I'd created a shield extremely resistant to physical and force based attacks. Even as strong as the LMD was, it wouldn't break through.

The metal of the LMD's face moved. If there'd still been flesh, the expression might have been contemplative. As it was, it was alien, like watching a human heart beat without a human to support it. A hundred human hearts in a hundred crystal cabinets, all beating, all alive... I didn't like to think about that day.

The LMD raised a single finger, still covered in flesh, and jabbed at the shield. The force beam was pencil thin but it fared no better than the larger blast.

It turned to me and its eyes grew bright. The edges of my mind started to erode, like sand before the sea, and were replaced by a warm fuzziness.

Take down the shield... The brain was there, surrounded by a nimbus of red veins. They danced a hypnotic dance.

No...

Step out... I won't hurt you... The brain grew bigger, dominating space and time and universe and death.

No...

I latched on to that other voice, using it to haul myself back to the real world. It was a voice I knew well. It was the voice which let me resist the Imperious Curse, the voice which gave me some protection against veela and the voice which made my will iron when it really counted. It might not extend to other stupid actions, like running off to the Ministry of Magic to save my Godfather, but in situations like this, it was absolute.

I threw off the LMD's attempt at mind control and raised my wand. "Not going to work," I said and looked the LMD straight in the eyes to show I didn't fear its power. "I've been resisting mind control since I was fourteen."

The LMD cocked its head and opened its mouth. Only the ruined remains of a tongue lay there but it spoke all the same.

"Who are you?" it said, voice human but screeching with an electronic overlay.

"Who are you?" I said right back, wand pointing square at its chest.

"I," it said, "am Doctor Sun! Release me, boy, and know my pleasure. I can teach you secrets. I can give you power. Attempt to keep me imprisoned and know my wrath!"

"How about no," I said, as things finally slotted into place. Faye had told me about Doctor Sun. Doctor Sun, the Chinese doctor who separated his brain from his body and connected it to a computer. Doctor Sun, who possessed mind control and telekinetic powers. Doctor Sun, who died in the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building. Doctor Sun, who infiltrated Mordred inside the hard drive MI6 had recovered from that very location.

"Do not test me, boy," said Doctor Sun. "I have defeated foes to who you would be but an ant." He smashed his fist against the shield but that did even less than the force blasts.

"And I'm quite use to dealing with megalomaniacal villains, thank you very much," I said. "Now..." I touched the radio on my belt and pushed a button. Something buzzed and I said, "I've got the infection trapped. It's Doctor Sun. Ask Faye if you don't know who that is."

I took my finger off the send button — something I dimly remembered from TV told me you needed to do this — and it crackled. "Who's speaking, over?" It sounded like Alistaire Stuart, the boss man himself. Gulp.

"Agent Potter," I said. "Everyone is, um, various degrees of disabled."

"I have Agent Reeves' report," said Alistaire. "You have the infection — Doctor Sun you report — contained? Over."

"Yes, sir," I said. "He's trapped in a shield. It should hold but I don't know for how long."

"I'm authorising reinforcements," he said. "Hold while you can. Over."

With that there was silence from the radio; the same could not be said of Doctor Sun.

"What do you want, boy?" he said. "Money, power, women?" He paused. "Immortality?"

"Nothing you can give me," I said and it was true. Unless he knew the secrets of dimensional travel, he had nothing I wanted.

He raised his one free hand, eyes glowing a shade darker, and gripped the hilt of the sword where it speared his chest. My eyes opened wide. Oh, shit. I'd seen that sword cut through shields I couldn't even hope to breach. My defences wouldn't stand a chance.

It came out in a shower of sparks and thick black liquid, robotic blood and bile. Within Doctor Sun's hand it glowed like a second sun, a weapon fit to shatter any barrier, and that's exactly what it did. He brought it down in a scything arc and it parted my shield like a hot knife through butter. With only seconds before he would be on me again, I did the only thing I could: attack.

My most successful attack so far had been my conjured oil so that's where I started. I whipped my wand through the air, left to right, and conjured a large square sheet maybe two meters on a side. It popped into existence and I stabbed out again, the Banishing Charm on my lips. "Depulso!"

The sheet hurtled forward and I kept my wand trained, making sure it stayed wide and spread. Doctor Sun slashed once more, even as the remnants of my shield fell around him, and bisected the sheet down the middle. I'd been expecting something like that. I twisted my wand, warping the spell in my mind, and the two halves curved inwards, each part shifting to wrap around him. They constricted, binding arms to side and rendering the sword useless.

It wasn't over yet, though. Force gathered in Doctor Sun's working hand, and I stabbed out again, two spells in quick succession. First came the Sticking Charm, binding the sheet in place, and then the Unbreakable Charm, turning mere cloth into something harder than the strongest steel. Doctor Sun's attack exploded out, slamming into his bindings, and if not for my spells they'd have surely shattered.

"Depulso!" I said again and stabbed forward with my wand. The banisher slammed into Doctor Sun and he toppled backwards, crashing into the ground with a metallic clatter. His eyes glowed red and I pushed the attempted mind control aside before it could properly begin.

"No you don't," I said as I strode towards his prone body. I slashed my wand through the air and sent Kailen's sword spinning off into the corner. Now that it was no longer attached to anyone, its light flickered out. To replace it, I conjured a ball of illumination and hung it above our heads.

Doctor Sun struggled on the ground and managed to raise one foot. Force blasted from the sole and I threw myself to one side. When I rose, it was with my wand pointed right at the prone Doctor Sun and my first spell halfway cast. "Stupefy!" A crackling red bolt of energy crashed into his side. I stalked closer, casting with each step. "Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!"

The stunners battered into Doctor Sun and, bound as he was, his invisible shield seemed a lot less effective. Scarlet lightning crackled over his robotic body and the light in his eyes dimmed. I cast my last spell with the tip of my wand pressed hard against his forehead. "Stupefy!"

With one final shudder, Doctor Sun collapsed.

I spent the next few seconds shoring up his restraints, binding him in so many layers of Sticking Charmed, Unbreakable cloth he looked like an Egyptian mummy. For good measure I worked in a few Impediment Jinxes too, and when I was done, heat rolled off the cloth in a visible shimmer. Enchanting was meant to be approached with the same methodical mind-set as magical defences: intent neutral and with reference to large foldout charts of spell interactions. Since I'd done neither of those things, a little spontaneous Heating Charm was not unexpected. The spells would be weaker for it in the long run but I could hopefully get Doctor Sun somewhere safe by then.

While I waited for the backup Alistaire had promised some minutes ago, I kept a careful eye on Doctor Sun. He'd played dead before, when mind controlling Kailen, and I didn't want any funny business. That was probably why I didn't notice Blackhole until she was almost on top of me.

"Potter," she said and grunted in pain. I, for my part, jumped and turned. Her left arm was in a sling and she was leaning heavily on one of the RAF soldiers. That probably wasn't surprising; Doctor Sun had shot her.

"Blackhole," I said with just the beginnings of a cheeky grin. "Doctor Sun has been subdued for now." I pointed at his mummified form. "We should get him somewhere safe, though. I've knocked him unconscious but he's hopped brooms before, when we took down EPOCH. Wouldn't want that to happen again."

"Why is it wrapped in bed sheets?" she asked and hissed again, shooting a glare at the soldier supporting her. "In fact where did you even get a bed sheet up here?"

"Magic," I said. "Lots and lots of magic. They're bewitched to be Unbreakable and I've woven some other defences in too. It should hold him physically but as I said... I'm not making any promises if he tries his ball lightning trick."

Blackhole grunted. "We'll move him to one of the secure testing rooms. Electromagnetically and mystically sealed and lined with insulating material. It's the best we can do for now. Arfman, Dimond. Pick up the package and follow."

The soldiers moved forward; they might have been among the men who grabbed me but it was impossible to tell. Those men had worn black balaclavas; these were barefaced, weather worn and hard.

"It might be a bit hot," I warned them. While they were doing that, I turned back to Blackhole. "Is everyone okay?"

"No one's dead," said Blackhole and her lips thinned. "Kailen's still unconscious. The mind control hit him hard. Trinidad will be back to normal in a few days. He's immortal and just about indestructible." I tried very hard to pretend I didn't already know that. "Reeves was only stunned and I'm..." She looked down at her arm. "I've suffered worse."

"Ready," said either Arfman or Dimond; I'd yet to find out which was which. Whatever the case, they had Doctor Sun hoisted into the air.

"6E," said Blackhole. "You know the way."

They clearly did and set off down the corridors; I helped by moving my conjured light, keeping it always overhead.

Room 6E was small, square and maybe five meters to a side. The only furniture was a plastic table and rugged rubber lined the walls. The door looked thick but it was no cell. While a pair of soldiers got rid of the table — with much 'turn it this way' and 'no that way' — I turned to Blackhole. "Does this even lock?"

"Not well enough," she said. "But it's the best we've got. Prisoner Containment is still under lockdown. Once that's lifted, we can put him somewhere more secure."

"Do you want me to keep him stunned?"

"Like this?"

I nodded. "Stunning Spell. Mostly harmless but too many can cause problems."

"Yes," she said after a moment's hesitation. "How long does it last?"

A few hours for a single stunner was the textbook answer, more if multiple where used, and less the bigger you were. Of course, good old Miranda Goshawk had never even heard of a LMD when she wrote the textbook, and the less said about body hopping computer entities the better. "I have no idea," I said. "I've never used it on, well, whatever Doctor Sun is before. Every half hour seems safe, more if needed."

"We'll try that," she said and motioned forward with her hand. "Move him in."

Arfman and Dimond carried Doctor Sun into the now cleared room and placed him down. Never taking their eyes off him, they backed out and shut the door. There was a thick window, made from multiple layers of laminated glass, and I could just see the good Doctor's mummified form, admittedly very warped. Someone produced a set of keys and locked the door. It really was a depressingly small lock.

We waited and the minutes ticked by in tense silence. Finally, though, Blackhole shook her head. "Pentland," she said. "Help me back to Operations. Potter, the rest of you, stay here. You're on guard duty."

She limped away, supported by her soldier, and I turned to the maybe half-dozen men who remained. "Mind if I add a few protective spells?"

They looked at each other and a shorter man, with two chevrons on his shoulder, answered. "If you think that's called for Agent Potter."

'Agent Potter', that brought a slight smile to my face. It hadn't been that long ago that these very same men had pointed guns at me. Merlin, it wasn't that long since they'd actually opened fire. But that was the past and the present was infinitely deadlier. Philosophising aside, since I thought it was very much called for, I spent a few minutes casting my best Locking Charm on the door.

Once that was done, I let out a breath and shook my head. It had been a long day and the near constant batterings did nothing to improve it. "One of you tell me when it's stunning time? He's been out for about fifteen minutes. Call it another fifteen?" They nodded and I gave a sigh of relief. "Good. Now..." I concentrated and flicked my wand at the far wall, left to right.

Pop!

An overstuffed armchair sprung into existence. I'd been aiming for a red and gold recliner, like those in the Gryffindor common room, but got a bright maroon armchair in a different style instead. It didn't matter. With a tired sigh, I plopped down, set my wand on my lap and leaned back. Dumbledore would've been proud... Even if he would critique the finer details of my conjuring.

The remainder of my fifteen minutes' rest passed quickly and I even managed to keep my eyes open.

"Time, Agent Potter," said one of the soldiers and I levered myself up, groaning as I did. For a soft chair, it sure did make me stiff.

A muttered Counter-Charm took down the magical defences on the door and I motioned forward. "Open it up." I could've done that with magic but wanted to be ready.

While five of the soldiers took up firing positions, the last moved forward with a key. I raised my wand, muscles tensing. If Doctor Sun was going to make a move, now would be an excellent time. The door clicked and swung open. A wave of heat rolled out, hot even in the already muggy corridor, but there was no blast of force or blur of movement. Okay so far.

"Don't look at his eyes," I said and crept through the door; they shut it behind me. The tough rubber squeaked under my shoes and it was even hotter the closer I got. The pseudo Heating Charm born from the chaotic interactions of my other spells was really going at it.

Very little of the LMD was still visible, cocooned in reams of bewitched bed sheets. Since they would weaken my spell, if only slightly, I aimed for one of the rare clear areas and cast a Stunning Spell. It bucked my arm and scarlet lightning crackled over Doctor Sun's body. I followed it up with another two of the same, driving both home with equal power. That done, I backed away, wand never leaving the good doctor's slumbering form. The soldiers swung the door open for me and I exited the room. "Lock it up."

It was a long few hours. Six more times I entered the room to stun Doctor Sun and each time I drove three Stunning Spells into his seemingly unconscious form. If he'd been human, that would be well inside 'see a Healer' territory, but he wasn't and I had no way to judge. By the end I was beginning to worry about the air; with the power still off, it must be getting stale even with only a few of us breathing it. Maybe it was time to offer Bubblehead Charms all round? At any rate, the hot muggy feeling was on the increase.

A little before the eighth round of stunning, a clatter came from along the corridor. Some of the soldiers turned, guns swinging, and I rose too. Damn my back was stiff.

A gaggle of people came into view, pushing a loaded trolley. Most were white coated science types and they were led by John Taylor, looking even more tired than before. The stubble was thick on his chin.

"Mr Potter," he said and ran a hand down his face. "Harry. Is our prisoner still secure?"

"Yes, Mr Taylor," I said and shot a glance through the thick glass window to make sure. Doctor Sun looked the same as ever.

"Good. My team and I have examined my notes from the S.H.E.I.L.D. Life Model Decoy. Thank God for off-site backups. And we think we can remove the memory core. Doing this will render Doctor Sun inert, just as he was in the hard drive." He was speaking to me but his eyes kept drifting to the overstuffed armchair. Whatever he thought of it, he forwent comment.

"One final round of stunning?" I said, and John nodded.

"If you please."

"Right," I said and turned to the soldiers. "One more time, then we're done." A flick of my wand vanished my chair and another dissolved the Locking Charm. I positioned myself in front of the door. "Open it up."

Five guns and one wand gave quite a lot of firepower and it was all ready if Doctor Sun tried anything. Even so, the air was heavy with tension. This would be his last chance to escape. One of the soldiers pulled the door open and I immediately dashed inside. It slammed shut behind me, a dull thud.

Now that the door was sealed, I moved forward more carefully. Doctor Sun lay there, the same as ever but... It was a lot less hot than before.

I threw myself to the left just as a wave of force erupted from Doctor Sun, shooting out in every direction. My conjured sheets all but vaporised, and I slammed into a wall, hard but rubbery. "Ah!" I cried out but scrambled to my feet. Doctor Sun was standing but wasn't entirely free. Half the sheets were gone but some were still fastened, binding both arms and hobbling his legs. His head was free though.

Crackling blue-white lightning erupted from behind his eyes and his body fell, a puppet with its strings cut. The energy shot out, a raging mass of ball lightning, and slammed against the wall. For a half second it held, trying to break through, then snapped back. The only thing to mark Doctor Sun's attempt was a charred mass of burnt rubber.

Lightning crashed anew over the LMD, as Doctor Sun tried to return home. The robot arched its back, trying to move, and I added my own energy to the mix.

"Stupefy!" I screamed and launched the burning crimson spell. "Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!"

For a few blinding seconds blue-white and crimson lightnings warred, then they both died away. The LMD slumped to the floor, black smoke drifting up from the sword hole in its chest and the smaller bullet wounds elsewhere. Its eyes were lifeless. If Doctor Sun had truly managed to return home, he wouldn't be leaving again in a hurry. That was for the best; it hadn't been fun at all and my entire side was on fire.

"Petrificus Totalus," I said and flicked my wand, the movement pulling some quite sore muscles. The LMD clicked, the Body-Bind Curse pulling its limbs together and locking them fast. With that in place, I removed the remaining bewitched cloth, vanishing it back into non-being. "It should be fine now."

Air whooshed as the soldiers yanked the door open and the scientists moved in, pushing their cart. Within seconds, they had the LMD locked to the floor using a more than slightly intimidating collection of bars, straps and shaped plastic things. That didn't mean I took my wand off him, of course.

Once fully bound, John knelt next to the LMD and spread out a tool kit beside him. He selected a small screwdriver, pushed it into the LMD's right ear and twisted it a few times. Once done, he did the other side too.

"Halfway there," he said, a little too loud to count as under his breath. After setting the screwdriver to one side, he reversed his hand and slid two fingers into the LMD's nostrils. A moment's fiddling and the metallic face came away, revealing a mass of complex electronics. And a lot of black smoke too; my bad.

John tutted under his breath but didn't comment. Instead he retrieved his screwdriver and removed a small black box, three inches on a side. One of the other scientists produced a slightly larger case, lined with rubber, and John slotted the box into place.

"Done," he said and stood. "We need to get this to secure containment. Mr Potter, I think Mr Stuart wants to speak with you as soon as you are free."

More things to do? I really wanted to get to bed. A nice warm set of covers would do more for my body right then than the best Healing Spell. Some of it must have shown on my face because John put his hand on my shoulder and gave a wry smile.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get a rest soon, but we're all working long hours until this mess is cleared up. Not bad for a first full day, right?"

Considering my life, he wasn't entirely wrong.

The power was still off as I walked back but that wasn't too much of a problem. I had magic to light my way and the upper levels were lit by battery powered spot lamps. All the doors along the path were open too, some explosively. Life was getting back to normal even without lights or computers.

The corridors weren't bursting with people when I reached Planning and Operations but there were a few. I cornered the first person I saw and got directions to Alistaire Stuart; he was still in Briefing Room A.

Six large banks of lights cast long shadows in that cavernous auditorium, and they were connected to an electrical generator near the back of the room. It rumbled gently, a welcome background noise after the deathly quiet of the blackout. Alistaire was holding court at the centre of the room, reading papers, talking to people and doing all the things which kept Mordred running, electricity or no.

I approached and made myself noticed.

"Walk with me, Potter," he said and handed off a clipboard. We walked to one side, where the shadows of the chamber's interior met the light. "What do you see?" He motioned at the busy activity continuing in the briefing room.

Alistaire Stuart was the master of Mordred, a special operations division of MI6. That's what I saw. His private domain. "Mordred, sir," I said.

Alistaire frowned. "Do you know what I see?" he said.

"No sir."

"I see Britain. I see sixty million lives waiting to be snuffed out. I see some of the few people who might stop it. We are the line separating success from disaster, Potter. Superheroes — Wisdom, MI13 and his Excalibur — they can't and won't do what is necessary. This world's supervillains will end it if they have the chance and there are other threats too, from the depths of the past, the future and other worlds."

He turned and looked at me, eyes hard chips of ice.

"You did good work today, Agent Potter. I'll wait for your report to write up my formal evaluation but based on what your fellow agents have said you fought well and skilfully. Agent Blackhole was quite complimentary."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're in for a bright future here, Agent Potter. Good job."

I nodded my thanks and turned to leave. My first day at the office had been depressingly similar to my old life — life and death struggles, insane villains, the works. None of that really mattered, though. All I truly wanted was a night's sleep. Of course, with the power still out that was easier said than done.

"One last thing," said Alistaire and I turned. He wore a slight smile. "Buy a proper suit. I don't know where you got that thing you are wearing, but it's not suitable office attire. Read the dress code."

The end