"Darwinists? And I think it's not actually radio, it involves satellites--hm, might be easier than I thought to weaponize, I don't think you can do satellites without rockets, maybe I should pick something else..."

"Rockets kind of have a tendency to blow up a lot rather than get where they're meant to go. Darwinists, you know, they use critters for everything instead of mechanisms."

"Our world doesn't have that."

"Huh. I always thought it was a bit creepy. But yeah, they use created animals and plants extensively in places like France and Britain."

"Where're you? Milliways does translation, so I can't even guess based on your language, except that it's either English or something I don't speak."

"Weimar Republic? Or the German-Austrian Union. Or whatever they're calling it now, I don't exactly get newspapers."

"...You didn't actually mention the year, what year is it?"

"Thirty-nine? Yeah, it's March-ish of 1939... My little piece of history is a pile of shit isn't it? Can't say that's unexpected, considering." That giant mug of ale has gotten to her pretty fast. She's not slurring, at least, just obviously a bit warmer.

"1939--what month, World War II started in September 1939 in our world."

"It's probably March, I'm going by weather, we don't get newspapers."

Emily glances at the cuff on her ankle. "The Nazis have been in power for six years--where are you--" she sounds genuinely terrified.

"I don't know where I am out there. I've been where I am for two and a half years. I know tools and how to use a walker so I got the choice of execution or indenture when, um, when I snuck into a landship bay because I was curious. They said I'll be released after two years. Then they changed it to three... The fold-up plane I mentioned is to get out. The ballistic shield is for bullets. The lightning stopper is for the tesla cannons."

"I don't think we have Tesla cannons. Or fold-up planes, for that matter."

"...And the Holocaust didn't actually start until 1942."

"I think I need some future history right about now please."

"If you're Jewish, male homosexual, Romani, handicapped, or a political opponent of the Nazis, starting in 1942 in our universe they throw you in a death camp to starve or be worked to death or die in a poison gas chamber or die of typhoid or get shot on a guard's whim.

"The damn ID cards aren't fucking bad enough already, eh? ...How do I stop it? Help the French win when round two comes swinging?"

"In our world they surrender next year. I have no idea how Darwinism is likely to affect things.

I'm not actually sure this is as good an idea as it feels right now but you could let us in and we could fix it."

"You're right that it feels like a good idea. No damn idea if you're strong enough to make an actual difference. Or if you know what to knock over."

"We should definitely do research first--and you should be aware of our abilities. So, where we're from, magic does exist. If you want to say that magic is just another level of physics, I won't argue, but magic is the name everyone uses for it. There are three kinds of magic: sorcery, artifacts, and magical girls. We're magical girls."

"How descriptive."

"Even less so than you'd think! Magical girls aren't even always girls. Magical girls are people who have the ability to transform into an alternate form that can cast spells. Every magical girl has their own set of spells; getting more is highly doable but not always easy. Should I demonstrate?"

"Probably. Give me an idea of whether the army will squish you flat."

She places the first two fingers of her right hand against her temple, props the left one on her hip, and exclaims, "Truth and Beauty of a Magical Mind, Activate! Fervor and Will of an Impassioned Soul, Come Forth!" Her body is enveloped in the shimmering lights, she lifts up off the ground, and spins in place while waves of stronger light pass over her body, leaving garbed in her magical girl outfit. The lights vanish, and she drops to the floor in a crouch, before rising to her feet and pointing imperiously at nothing in particular. "In the name of Love and Equity, I arrive to right the wrongs of a distorted heart! The Psychic Maiden, Cerebella is here!"

She looks mostly the same, but her ordinary clothes have been replaced by a pretty, if slightly ridiculous under the circumstances, blue and purple dress that goes down to just above her knees, a pair of long purple gloves with thin blue rods stuck to the backs of the forearms, and blue boots with purple laces, and some sort of circlet thing that curves down so the largest gem is on her forehead.

A costume change, neat. She awaits a display of actual power.