Mission to the Rise 1
In the year 2045 AD, the Earth's population had swelled to 90 billion. The human race was forced to search for new places to inhabit. The Roman Calendar was replaced with the Universal Century. The advent of a revolutionary new weapon, the Mobile Suit RX-78, heralded an ominous new phase in the cosmic war. A mission was launched, a mission beyond the realm of the velocity of light, a mission into the unknown.
"I get it! They're venturing into Ms. Angelford's butt!" A teenage boy stood in front of the screen.
The playback was paused and the lights went up, the students in the auditorium laughing. "Mr. Jager! Principal's office, now!" An enraged old woman pointed to the door.
"Yeah yeah." The purple-headed boy put his hands behind his head and took his time heading to the door. "I'll get there when I want to." He shut the door before his teacher could retort. He lazily strolled to the window and looked up, seeing another city directly above. "It's so damn stagnant."
Challenger Campus for Potential Newtype Children
Mars LaGrange Point 2: Side M-2 "Challenger"
"Attention all students: target evaluations will be canceled for tomorrow." The voice over the PA came, amidst cheers. "In place of it, G-Force evaluation tests will fill the slot." Then there were moans, and lots of them.
"Slave drivers." The kid took off in a run, running along the wall and kicking off. He curled his body up tight and turned into a one-legged spin as he floated down the hall. The low gravity gave him enough time to go through four spins before landing on the ground in front of the principal's office. Opening the door, he saluted. "Rhinegeld Jager, reporting unwillingly, as is everyone else in this dump."
The secretary didn't even look up from her book as she pointed to the chair. She then buzzed the man in the inner office. "Mr. Marune, your regular is here." The office door slid open. "Go in."
Jager obliged, lazily walking through the door. "So, you ready to send me home yet Mr. Manure?"
There wasn't anyone at the desk, or in the room for that matter. There was a video screen where a video of a man with a thick brown beard just behind the chair. "As usual, Mr. Jager. Your antics have gotten so common I've actually had to put time in my schedule for them."
"Glad to know I'm contributing."
"So what did you do this time?"
"Let's just say I made a comparison of a black hole and Ms. Angelford's anus."
The man sighed through his nose. "Mr. Jager, are you really going to continue these foolish proceedings throughout your tutelage?"
"Hey, I didn't want to come here in the first place! I'd like to get out of this hellhole and return home, if it's all the same to you."
"Mr. Jager, your parents sent you here because your gifted nature wasn't being challenged enough. There's a reason why this school exists. You aren't leaving until your training is complete."
The boy slammed his palm on the desk. "Then you're gonna keep seeing me every day until you do, Mr. ShitFace! I will go home to Earth whether you like it or not!" Rhinegeld stormed out.
The secretary held out a data pad to him. "Your detention assignment."
"Put it on my tab." He never stopped his forward motion.
He tromped towards the dorms, growling as he went. When he got to the building there were other teens waiting for him. "Hey Jager! Nice crack on Angelford's crack!" A boy with orange hair raised his hand.
The purple-haired teen smacked it. "Well she's got such a big one, it's the perfect target. Isn't that right, Adam?"
"But man, do you have balls going up against Manure." A green haired teen gave him a pound on the fist.
"What's he gonna do? He's obliged to keep us here no matter what, while he sits in his office back at E Side-6. He's a hypocrite and he knows it." Jager waved it off. "So what did I miss, Soran?"
"The usual monthly reminder that what we're doing is a bunch of propaganda junk." The green-haired boy shrugged and shook his head. "Faster than the speed of light… who are they kidding?"
"Well after giving Manure a screaming, I'm parched." Jager turned towards the café section, and signaled Adam and Soran to follow. "Let's get some drinks."
"Your credits have been suspended." A female voice came from the doorframe. They all turned, a young girl with long flowing blonde hair was leaning against the open door with her arms crossed. "The order came down from the principal's office just a few moments ago." She opened her emerald eyes and stared at Jager as she spoke.
"A…Angel…." Jager couldn't move.
"Of course you knew this would happen. Apparently they think a bit of starvation would be a good method of punishment this time around." She tromped up to him and plucked the ID from his breast pocket, swiping it against her own and shoving it back in. "I hope this will satisfy you." She flipped her hair against his face and started towards the girls' dorms.
"There goes our permafrost class rep." Soran's voice followed her.
"It's a shame she's got such a hot body. That kind of personality belongs on a wrinkled librarian." Adam shook his head.
Angel balled her fist tight as she picked up the pace. "Damn you Rhinegeld Jager."
Night had fallen without the purple-haired boy getting any food, which also cut into his sleep. However, in this case it was a good thing, because once 11 PM rolled around, he had already jumped the dorm gate. When he landed on the other side, a female figure stood there, waiting for him. "You're a little early." She whispered.
"More time to see you." He came up close to her and pulled out his ID. She did the same and they touched, both making a slight beep.
"Jager…." Her lips and his touched. She stared at him with her dragon green eyes, blushing. "Jager… I can't keep doing this. I'm going to have to make this the last time."
"Angel…." He brushed her hair, being careful not to disturb her beret. "Then let's go all out. Come with me!"
He gripped her hips tightly. "Eh? Jager, I… I can't! I'm the class rep… if anyone found out…. Mmmmm!"
He shushed her with another kiss. "If it's going to be the last time, then I want you with me, to be there for the final experience."
She pressed her head against his chest. "Damn you Rhinegeld Jager."
The two dark-clothed teens rushed to the wall that enclosed the compound. Running his hands through the grass, he found something metal. "Here it is." He took a breath and grunted, pulling open a heavy metal chute. "Hurry."
"But it takes one person to keep it open. How are you going to…"
"Just go!" Jager grunted, urging Angel to slide down, holding her skirt as she went down.
At the end, she quickly kicked off, floating out of the shaft in zero gravity. "Clear!" The hatch shut behind her. Using the sanitary waste bags floating around, she bounced around until she found the door. It slid open and she pushed off, finally getting enough gravity to float to the ground from the waste silo. Jager was leaning against it, waiting for her. "How did you?!"
"I vaulted over the wall." He thumbed the campus, which had alarms and searchlights up.
"Jager…." Her brow furrowed.
"Did I mention I also decapitated a security camera as well?" He grinned innocently.
"Ugh…" Angel turned away, shaking her head.
Jager fell into step next to her as they ventured deeper into the buildings. The shops and signs were all brightly lit and full of activity. This is what he liked being around, instead of that hospital-sterile campus. It also gave him a first full look at what Angel was wearing. She wore a dark brown beret on her head, her hair flowing out of it until it brushed her backside. Her jacket was brown as well, with a thin foux fur fringe on the neck and cuffs. She had unzipped it early, revealing a tight yellow t-shirt underneath, the same colors as the school uniform. Her skirt was yellow with a black lace fringe, shorter than the pleated school regulation lengths. "Liar." He whispered.
"Eh?"
He took off his pleather jacket and slung it over his shoulder. "If you had no intention of coming with me, then why did you pick that outfit? You could have easily worn some dark sweats or something."
She looked away and pouted. "Don't make fun of me. Just because I'm the class rep doesn't mean I have to dress like an ice queen." She looked down at her fingernails, which were also freshly manicured. She blushed as she put them in her pockets quickly.
"You're lucky we're in a colony. One poorly placed breeze and everyone would be able to see your underwear."
"Jager!" She yipped as her hands went to guard her skirt.
He laughed for a second before his face fell. "What I wouldn't give for a breeze."
"Jager, enough! Stop thinking about my…." She got a good look at his face. "Wait, you're serious…." He nodded. "That's right, you're from Earth. I had forgotten. Being an 8-sider, I never went there."
Jager stopped, looking somewhere thousands of miles away. "Nothing compares to it, our home planet, Angel. Everything else is so stagnant. That's why I can't stand it here. I want to go home, to that little blue ball." He took her hand and squeezed it softly. "When I get out of here, I want you to come with me, and see it for yourself."
"Jager… I…" She slipped out of his grasp. "I'm still the class rep. If you want to steal me away, graduate first."
"Spend three more years in constant aptitude tests? Yeah, I kinda want to pass on that." He stopped at an arcade storefront. "Ever been in one of these?"
"Eh?! Jager, but you're…." He disregarded her as he went in. "Geld…."
He swiped his ident card through a change machine twice, stuffing the tokens into his pockets. After scanning the ticket-producing machines, he settled on a row of them, making a closer inspection of each. Satisfied, he sat down. Within seconds, it was belting out tickets by the yard, stunning the other players. Then it stopped. "Empty already? Tch, I wasted a token." He folded the tickets up neatly and cashed them in, getting a large yellow teddybear backpack and handing it to Angel. "Hang on to that please."
"U-unh…." She nodded, stunned and confused as to what he was up to, following him to a 180 degree VR shooter.
He put on the goggles and picked up the triggers, starting the game. Blast for blast, each hit was spot on, right as the enemies appeared. He didn't waste a shot, and didn't even forget to reload. And he did it all with a straight look on his face. "Final level!" The system's speakers boomed, and Angel realized just how many people had slowly congregated to the monitors. Jager took out the boss with one final blast to the back of the throat and holstered his weapons. His score was on the top of the list, beating out everyone.
"Whew." He said, pulling off the goggles to applause.
"So he's the prick, huh?" A boy in front of her in a red and black jacket lumbered forward.
"Uh? Jager!" She was about to cut him off, but some hands held her fast.
"Sorry girly, but your date isn't going to be around much longer." Three other boys wearing the same jacket were holding her. "However, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as we like."
"You seem to like making fools out of the people that make these machines." The leader lowered his head.
"Not really. I'm just looking for fun." Jager answered calmly.
"You know, that was my record you beat there."
"Really? Well, I guess the best man won, huh?" Jager shrugged.
"I don't like your tone. You apparently don't know who I am."
"By the snobbish attitude, the ridiculously slicked back hair, and the arcade club jacket that costs about 15 million tickets, you're the leader of this arcade's gang."
"Heh, good guess. You know, you should have come to me first for permission to beat these games. The way you're doing it, it looks like you're making a hostile takeover."
"What, so now I have to yell 'tanomu' to enter an arcade now?" (AN: Yelling tanomu in a dojo you're not part of means you want to challenge the master to a sparring match, with the dojo's plaque and reputation on the line.) Jager flashed a confident smirk. "I told you I was looking for fun, and it looks like it found me."
"So you do know the consequences." The mob boss thumbed the racing game behind him. "Arklight. You play it?"
"Sure."
"I've got the top 50 records on that game. I can play it with my eyes closed and still never hit the wall. If you're such hot stuff, you'll play me in a race."
"And if I refuse?"
He snapped his fingers and the three other boys pushed the blonde to the front. "Then your hot stuff will suffer the consequences."
"Fine, but what are the stakes?"
"You beat me, all the games are free reign, and I turn my jacket over to you. If you lose… well, let's just say you and your date won't be walking out of here with anything but that teddy bear."
"Jager, don't! He's not the type to…." Angel's mouth was clamped shut.
"Do we have an agreement, Jager?"
Angel went wide eyed and shook her head as best she could. He winked at her quickly. "Agreed." She slumped and sighed through her nose.
Arklight was a dynamic quantum racing game for ten people. The track was made of light, but it changed throughout the race in seemingly random patterns, and the track colors gave different advantages depending on your racing style. It was not for the colorblind or those with epilepsy. As the two competitors marched up to the machine, two of the grunts tossed the current players out of the first two seats. All the others were filled with teens in sunglasses. "To be fair, you get to choose your seat."
"I'll pick 2P. You get to sit in the germy 1P seat." Jager made his choice and sat down.
"So that explains all the colds…." The opponent shook his head. "Choose your racer. I'll decide on the track."
Jager selected a small hovercar named Leech, while the gang leader chose a bruiser named Bear. The track was Corona, a lightspeed race around the sun. It was a ten car race that started off in flashy fashion, each of the vehicles breaking the sound barrier the moment they hit the track. Leech and Bear matched each other move for move, trading paint now and again, but the smaller vehicle took much more damaging hits. The racetrack warped in front of them, splitting apart. They eyed each other. "Not bad. You really have played this game a lot."
"I see that you've had a bit of practice too, Jager. You might actually be a worthy opponent."
They continued trading first and second place until the final lap. "Are we going to keep pussyfooting, or is it time for me to get serious yet?"
"I would love to stay and keep torturing you, but I have a race to win. Field tenkai!" A barrier appeared around Bear that matched the colors he drove over. "Green, blue, red, purple, yellow! Bear code critical! Cyclone Disaster!" Without losing its forward momentum, the car began to spin in a circle, sweeping its shield-reinforced bumpers into Leech, sending it flying back and reducing its speed to zero. "See you from the podium, loser."
"Tch…." He restarted the engine and shot forward again, trying to regain his momentum as the pack closed in on him. The drivers looked to each other and nodded, boxing him in from all sides but the front. "Real fair using your plainclothes goons!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"But it doesn't matter. Field tenkai!" Jager downshifted so his bumper touched his rear opponent just as the field expanded, blowing him forward with such momentum that Leech burst through the wall of the upcoming turn and into open space.
"Huh?!" The gang leader looked up as Jager's flying leech came closer, maneuvering over the racetrack.
Leech's shield glowed the colors his shadow was over. "Purple, red, green, yellow, purple, blue red, orange, pink, green, yellow, blue, orange, blue, purple, pink. Leech code critical!" He flew over Bear and latched on its roof. "Final Elegy!"
"Impossible! Not only did he skip half the track, he managed to complete the Leech's special ability in midair! I'm losing engine output! GAAAHHH!"
The Leech's engines gained an overboost as it detached, hurtling to the finish line as Bear crashed and burned. Jager claimed the win and the new track record. He hopped out of the system and took a bow. "Thank you! Thank you!"
There was no applause, just appalled gasps. The gang head scratched the headrest hard as he got up. "It's not over." He snapped his fingers and a struggling Angel was brought over. "I see now that being the nice guy has no effect on you. I gave you the opportunity to leave gracefully. Now you'll leave beaten and humili…." A heeled shoe landed on his cheek and sent him to the floor.
"Honestly, you just don't know when to shut up, do you?" Angel brushed off her hands, the three boys she was held by also hunched over on the ground. She crossed her arms as she stood next to Jager.
"Kgh…! Get them!"
All of the kids in the store wearing sunglasses turned towards them in a mob. "Is this the fun you were looking for, Jager?" Angel went back to back with him.
"Yes and no. Egh!" He sent a punch into a hasty idiot's face. "Let's dance." The two of them began to take on the gang, person by person, swinging with kicks and punches, disabling them in piles on the floor.
An electric shock ran through Jager's brain, and he whipped off his jacket and threw it in the face of a person in Angel's blind spot. Angel's fist then plowed him before she pulled the jacket back. A lightning bolt touched her cranium and she knotted a person's fist into the sleeves before swinging him back into the crowd.
A shotgun shot rang out, making everyone gasp and turn. The manager of the store fired a rock salt shell into the air. "That's them!" The gang leader was holding an ice pack to his swollen cheek. "They're bullies!"
"Are you the ones who started this fight?" The manager boomed.
Angel and Jager shook their heads. "We were defending ourselves. This one right here ordered them to sick us." Jager pointed to the cowering boy.
The manager shot him a cross look, and he slinked back further. "Your ident cards." Angel swallowed as they both handed the man their IDs. Jager just crossed his arms. "Get out of my arcade, now!"
"Why? We did nothing wrong." Jager stood his ground.
"What you did wrong was stepping foot in here in the first place." He grabbed Jager's collar. "This is strictly a No-Newtype arcade. But you already knew that when you came in, didn't you?" He shoved both IDs into Jager's pocket.
The kids around him whispered. "So he's a Newtype?"
"No wonder he managed to beat Maltz."
"That kid isn't human."
The manager dropped Jager and turned towards Angel. "I'm taking that back, Newtype!" He pointed towards the bear backpack.
"Damn, she is too?"
"I guess it's true, the real good looking ones are aliens."
"Why is our luck that bad?"
"Eh? How come?" Angel asked, hugging it.
"Newtypes aren't allowed in this arcade. That includes winning prizes and setting high scores. Now return that."
Jager stepped between them and raised his arm. "I paid ten credits to get enough tokens for that prize. If you take it back, I expect to be reimbursed."
The arcade manager lowered the shotgun to his face. "Get bent. I don't negotiate with people who try to cheat my arcade."
Angel gasped as Jager stared down the barrel. "Jager, it's fine, I'll just give it back."
"It's not fine. I won that bear fair and square, using my deduction and reasoning. The truth is anyone could have gotten lucky enough to get those tokens and you know it! You've got nothing!"
"Kgh!" A vein appeared on the manager's forehead and he swung the barrel into Jager's cheek, sending him to the floor.
"Jager!" Angel dropped down to her knees and held him as he recovered. "What the hell is your problem? I've already said I'll give it back! You've already taken his money and banned him, and now you're hurting him?!"
The manager cocked the rifle again. "Don't talk, freak. You're the one who broke the rules in coming in here in the first place. I could tie you up and do anything I want to you, and no one here would give a damn. I'm letting you off easy. Just remember, none of you Newtypes are welcome. You're freaks, mutations that appear and act superior. Now get out."
Jager pushed himself off the floor and wiped the blood off his lip. He stared at the manager with a burning anger.
"What? You want to say something? Be careful, because I'll pull the trigger if you say even one word."
Jager took a deep breath and spat, sending a large glob of blood onto the man's shoe. Then in a whirl he turned away and headed out the door. Angel dropped the bear pack on the floor and ran out with him. He put on his jacket as he walked down the street, shoving his fists into its pockets. They walked, Angel a few steps behind him, at least five streetlights before either said anything. "Um… Jager… are… are you…."
"I'm thirsty. Let's get something cold to drink." He continued walking.
"Unh…. Jager…."
As they hit the restaurant district, there were little orange signs posted in every store window. "Newtypes are not served here."
They entered a small ice cream parlor without one, and they were turned away after their IDs were checked. They were even turned away from a ramen cart. "I can't believe I'm going to have to take you there…." Jager sighed as he rounded a corner into a dark alley. "Angel, let me just apologize
right now that you're not going to like this place. But it's the only place around for us to sit down and get a drink."
"Eh? Wh-what do you mean?"
"You'll see." He sighed as he opened a black door with silver glitter. Inside was a lot of loud music, and a large stage. He sighed again as he came up to the front desk. "Mitch."
"Huh?" The waiter looked up. "Woah Jager, looks like you've had a hard night! You finally gonna participate in our hard night package to make you feel better?"
"I'm under age, Mitch. Knock it off. Just get me my usual booth and…." He looked back to his companion. Angel had her hands against her heart, looking back and forth in panic. "On second thought, get me a private room."
"Oooh!" The slender waiter giggled. He leaned forward and whispered to him. "The boss is looking for new recruits, you know. Is she one?"
"Yes she is, and no she's not on the market. Look, just book the damn room, and make sure it's the quietest and CLEANEST you've got!"
"You're no fun." He sighed. "Follow me." Jager grabbed Angel's wrist roughly and dragged her quickly through the crowd to the back rooms. "I've currently booked you for the standard two hours. If you want to order anything, just use the phone. All orders come within 20 minutes, so try to be decent by the time the delivery arrives. Have fun cuties!" Mitch shut the door.
The room was filled with oversized cushions, all upholstered in multi-colored felt. Jager sat down on one and pinched the bridge of his nose. Angel gulped as she stared at the closed door, the muted bass still seeping through it. "Is this a… a brothel?!"
"Told you you wouldn't like it. Hell I don't even like it."
"And this place… this is… this is a sex room?!" The girl took a couple of steps back. "You're… you're not thinking of… with me..."
"No! Of course not! I only did it to get out of the noise, you have to believe me!" He waived his hands in front of his face, pleading his innocence. "Look, I didn't even want to come here, but it's the only place I know of that actually will serve Newtypes, okay? I feel terrible about it, really I do. Please just sit down, okay?"
"U-unh…. Jager, I'm taking a big leap of faith here, so don't screw it up." She sat down next to him, nervously picking up the menu and leafing through it. "Did… did you ever… you know… use the services?"
"Wha? NO!" Jager answered quickly. "I usually just sit in a back booth, order a soda and an appetizer, and leave when I'm done. You seemed really overwhelmed, so I ordered this room instead."
"So the only place in town that serves a Newtype is a brothel…. What kind of city are we living in?" Angel shook her head and reached for a box of Pocky in the center.
"I wouldn't." He grabbed her arm. "Those are 'enhanced' snacks, if you know what I mean. When I first came here, I accidentally ate a pack, and I was basically scrambling up the walls for the rest of the night. Mitch looked after me until I was back to normal."
She pulled her hand back quickly. "Why is it that this is the only place that serves Newtypes? I don't get it."
"Ever heard the saying 'the forbidden fruit is always the sweetest'?"
"So…" She opened the door for a moment and looked at the stage. "All the girls out there…."
"All Newtypes, or at least claim to be Newtypes. I doubt the management checks into that much. It's not as noisy up here as it should be." He pointed to his brain. "Let's just sit down and order some food. It's actually not bad here, especially the buffalo wings."
"Ugh… too much grease. That kind of stuff goes straight to my breasts." Jager smiled at that. "Don't you dare make a joke on that, Rhinegeld!"
"Hai hai, I'll do my best." He chortled for a second, but then put on a straight face. "Okay. I'm better now."
"Hmph." She turned back to her menu. "Jager… is this what you go through every time I help you sneak out?"
"With a few alterations here and there, yeah pretty much." He leaned back and spread his arms over the back of a chair, his hand dipping into a bowl of something. "Those signs technically are illegal, but the cops don't do anything about it. So I just pick a place, make a stand, and leave." He brought one of the items into his vision. "Eugh!" He returned what he now realized was a condom into the bowl and wiped his hand on the sofa.
"I didn't know…. Jager, I had no idea it was so rough for you. I'm sorry." Angel sat next to him.
"I'm the one who should be sorry." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I made a mistake bringing you into that mess tonight."
"Jager… I don't understand."
"Remember what that manager said?"
"I could tie you up and do anything I want to you, and no one here would give a damn."
"And the scary part of it is it's true. I put you at risk, and that was a mistake." He brought her into a tight hug. "I would hate myself if anything like that happened to you."
"Jager…." She sighed, nestling her nose into his hair.
"We keep our relationship a secret because of the whole class rep and rebel thing, so I don't always say it, but I really care about you Angel."
"Jager…" She pulled back and gave him a long, loving kiss as she reached between them.
"Urgh! Ah… ah… ah…." The kiss was interrupted by a shock of pain between his legs. "Angel… what are you…."
"You promise you've never used any of the girls' services in here?"
"P-promise! Didn't use! Agh! Didn't even enjoy the dance routines! Okay? Happy now?!" His voice got higher.
"Good."
"Geh!" He gasped at his normal pitch. "I see why you passed anatomy with a 4.0."
She stuck her tongue out at him as she opened the door, this time, dragging him to the front desk. Mitch was there, and he checked his watch. "20 minutes? Well, you two obviously aren't cuddlers."
Jager grumbled as he swiped his card. "That's the thing with Jager, Mitch." Angel smiled. "He makes you feel energized and ready for anything!"
"Aww, what I wouldn't give for a man like that who swings my way." Mitch sighed dreamily as he waved to them.
"Angel, where are we going?! Stop pulling so hard!" When he was finally able to look up, he realized they were at the monorail station. The girl swiped her card and purchased two tickets. The late night express had just pulled into the station and they rushed onto it. "Angel, what's this about?"
"Hehe. You're a ground pounder, so there are a few things about colonies that you don't know. I'm gonna show you something awesome." She turned to the map of the colony on the train's information board and started mouthing some numbers. Jager raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms as he tried to figure it out.
"Now arriving at Apollo Station. Apollo Station is next." The train slowed.
"This is our stop." Angel hugged his arm close, almost giddy as they got off. Jager looked burnt out from thinking too hard, as she dragged him down the street as fast as she could.
Before he knew it, Jager was on top of the tallest building. "Okay… so we're here. Now the question remains why?"
"All Sides have a height regulation for their buildings, which are especially strictly enforced when you get closer to the solar hinges. Do you know why?"
"Isn't that because maintenance and resupply exit from around here?"
"That's ONE reason, yes. However there's another one." She took his hand. "On the count of three, jump as high as you can." They both crouched down. "One. Two. Three!"
The low gravity increased their jumping height and, to Jager's surprise, they kept going. "Uh? Uah! What the?!"
"Welcome to M Side-2's LaGrange point." Angel flipped around in midair. She took off her beret and shook her hair out.
Observing her doing so, Jager could have sworn that she really was an angel, the way her golden locks spread out behind her. "Wow."
She went forward and nuzzled him, planting a quick kiss on his lips. "You've had zero G training in a space suit, but nothing beats this little section right here. No suit confines, no worries about oxygen levels, just you and me in zero G."
Jager turned to look down the colony, its solar and city-scapes slowly rotating in front of his eyes. "Wow…." Then he realized something. "Um, Angel, how are we going to get back?"
"That's the reason why they tried to keep the building height down. Unless you have something to push off of, you can't. In an hour, the building will be in the same spot again and we can float back down." She giggled and pressed her forehead against his. "Until then, we can do anything we want. Anything." She gave him a passionate kiss.
"Angel…" He gulped. "Anything?"
"Well, more like everything." She guided his hands to her hips. "I want to do everything with you."
"Angel." He kissed her again, with more energy this time.
Suddenly, the lovers were washed in blackness. The lights started going out in the city block by block. "Wha? What's going on?" Angel whirled around, trying to get an understanding on the situation as red emergency lights cascaded on through the city.
"Attention. Attention." An authoritative message echoed through the cylinder. "A rupture has occurred in the hull. Please stay indoors and prepare for emergency shutter close and repair. I repeat."
"A rupture? Emergency shutter? What's going on?" Jager looked around in panic as the solar panels closed in on the colony.
"There must be a crack or a hole in one of the colony windows. They're sealing up the colony and shutting down all but emergency systems just in case there's a cause for evacuation while they repair it. They'll even shut off the rotation."
"But that will leave us in the dark, floating here!"
"It's okay. That might wind up being a good thing for us, unless… oh crap." She dug around in her skirt pockets as the colony completely shut. She turned on a pen flashlight. "We're in maintenance airspace. We need to get out of here before they start flying in." No sooner had she said it then she heard it, the echo of engines from the maintenance mobile suits of the colony. "Where's the building? Where is it?" She searched with her flashlight until she found the rooftop.
Jager grabbed her quickly and tossed her towards it, she swung around and did the same, until they both, in a chain, managed to land back on the roof. They both panted as they laid there, happy to be safe for the moment. The engine lights passed overhead, going quickly in places but slowly in others. "Wait a second… Those aren't maintenance armor engines. Those are military grade verniers." He sat up. "Give me that flashlight, please."
"I can't even see you, how am I… uagh! Jager, careful where… careful…" She giggled. "That tickles!"
"Here it is!" He raised it up to the engine lights, and followed it upwards, seeing the head of the mobile suit. "That's an RX-7801!"
"One of those new mass produced Gundams?"
"Yeah… what are they doing here?" All of the lights turned off. The emergency lights in the city, and the verniers as well. It became pitch black.
"Jager… what's going on? I'm scared." She whispered.
"I don't know… they turned off their engines, but they're still using air thrusters." He listened, trying to detect the puffs of air. "Let's see if I can get a bead on one." He turned the flashlight on and waived it into the air again. The entity that the light hit lit up in a blinding white glow, lighting up the colony and the mobile suits. The entity was a large metallic head, the size of a mobile suit, metal plates extending down like tendrils or feathers and spreading out, its nose was long, going down to practically its chin and ending in a point. Jager stared at it, standing up. "Wh… what is that?"
One of the Gundams turned towards him and went to full burn. The entity's color changed to match the vernier light. "Put that light out, now!" The pilot yelled, and everything was thrown into pitch blackness again.
An hour later, the lights went back on and the solar panels stretched out again. The colony once more resumed its normal functions as if it was 4 AM. The only difference was a purple-headed boy and a golden-blonde girl were marched off in handcuffs. 'That was no hull breach. Just what was that?'
Author's Note: This is a little experiment fic I'm working on, based on the CG short "Gundam: Mission to the Rise." Like I said, it's a little experiment that could end at any time without "funding", so if you want to see it continue, please "fund" by leaving a review and letting me know. Thanks.