Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: HARVEST
Cosmic Era Century –107
"Space…ever expanding, its edge always beyond our reach, reflects the very journey of the human heart. As the fires of creation burned forth to formulate the heavens it left within us the spark of life. That same prominence that shaped the stars in peaceful chaos exists within, continuing to churn to life the emotions and experiences that can only exist contained in the madness of the human essence. As we dawned upon the stars leaving the planet that spawned our ancestors so long ago, the fire inside began to cultivate in us our next step in human metamorphosis. We grew to find our inner perceptions externalizing, desperate to escape and be free amidst the oblivion of space. The concepts of time, space, passion, and reason became the very weapons of the mind. Such phenomenal abilities have led the world to experience the totality that is the Newtype. This new clairvoyance and empathy of the Newtype allowed hearts to become connected and understood; however, we were not without conflict...-"
The vastness of the stars took him by surprise as his eyes magnified them a hundred fold, piercing deep down into the very core of the galaxies beyond the cosmos. His concentration was stunted suddenly by the opening of an airlock door that led from the lab from the balcony corridor. The glowing fire that occupied his iris's dissipated as he turned to sense an approaching body. The sent of her was familiar while an air of indistinguishable energy followed. It was Naomi.
"Ciel, we're ready now. Torii says she has everything all set up for the plan," Her dark hair swirled in artificial gravity despite the best of her attempts to keep it pulled back. Her blood red eyes, although intimidating, never ceased to captivate the most curious of souls.
"Jeez! Even for Torii that was rather quick. Her mad Coordinator skills are getting better," Ciel said flushing with excitement. "There's no way I'd be able to get the security array shut down in time before the show!"
"Yeah, well there's no debating now is there?" Naomi flaunted her youthful voice in an atmosphere of an "I told you so" attitude. She cracked a smile brighter than the sun as she turned. Somehow even in semi-rotational gravity Ciel still managed to stumble clumsily towards the doors opening.
The brightness of the lab flushed his senses as he entered unprepared. His perceptions were still adjusting from using his abilities just moments ago as he looked outwards through space. An innocent shake of the head was an instant indicator to his friends that the transition was still taking place. A brown haired youth with green, sparkling, mischievous eyes took the mannerisms as an attempt to reiterate himself as he had done so many times before. He wore a pair of flight goggles around his neck for decoration.
"What have I told you before about straining yourself?" Rock insisted.
Ciel allowed himself to let his telepathy slip just slightly before sensing a slight change in the way Rock would present his broken record ways.
"I wish to God I could do that," The two boys said comically in unison.
Torii who was sitting at a lab table not five feet away cocked an eyebrow out of amusement as Naomi reserved herself a silent round of laughter.
"You're such a douche!" Rock teased.
Ciel roared with laughter knocking over a laptop on a table, which earned him a nervous and scolding look from Torii. Luckily though the gravity wasn't great enough to influence the object and the laptop simply floated towards the floor until Ciel caught it with his telekinesis. It floated only a fraction of a second above the tile floor before it rose back to its rightful place on the table.
Torii let a smile creep across her face as he shook her head out of scold for her doubt. There really was no need to be paranoid.
"Show off," Torii said rolling her eyes as she continued at her workstation.
Ciel shrugged it off as he hovered to Torii's side to investigate.
"So will we be able to do this?" Ciel said impatiently excited.
"Yeah, all I need to do is get past the security that's on Mr. Mikamura's station and then we have free reign over the lab," Torii grinned.
"Yeah and how long will that take?" Ciel sighed.
A small electronic ping echoed the answer to Ciel's question as the words "Password Accepted" flashed on the computer screen.
"Does that answer your question?" Torii giggled.
Ciel made a face and stuck out his tongue while doing an odd mid air jig to playfully mock Torii.
"Well that's a sexy face," Rock lulled as he kicked off his chair.
"Halloween's coming up pretty soon. Take a picture of that and put it on a paper bag and you're set to go!" Naomi joked.
Ciel's face soured with innocent defeat as he followed Torii to the tools lock. Not two seconds after Ciel made another funny face to get back at the other two youths.
"You can save that one for Christmas," Rock bellowed.
"Okay, okay, enough! Are we going to do this or what?" Torii interrupted. "This prank won't work if we fool around too much and I've gone through too much trouble to get to this-"
"Chill we're ready," Rock said patting Ciel on the back.
"Its total payback time!" Naomi giggled with glee as the plan had come to fruition.
Removing useless contents from the storage containment Ciel waited pondering how accurate this plot would be. Although he did manage to reassure himself that Torii would be able to help with specifics.
"Hey, and if all goes well lunch is all on me!" Rock exasperated with a rising fist.
"Oh! Oh! Let's go to China Buffet! I'm seriously craving seong sou chicken!" Ciel requested.
"Dude we were just there!" Rock said with eyes narrowing with a slight displeasure.
"Hey! I'm the youngest and that makes me special!" Ciel teased again.
"Yeah, special ED!" Rocks comeback refreshed Naomi with a new batch of giggles while Torii fished through the storage.
Torii finished her rampant search and withdrew a helmet with various cords protruding from the back. This item was key to their revenge as the group raced back to the workstation with exploding zeal. The deliciousness of the plot was seemingly innocent and harmless but it would prove to be rewarding non-the-less if everything was done correctly. Without a single strand of hesitation in her work Torii placed the entire plug in cords to their appropriate terminals while Ciel placed the helmet on his head. The cranial apparatus was designed for a Natural to operate machinery remotely using brain wave lengths; however, with Ciel at the reigns of the machine his Newtype abilities would push science beyond its limits.
"Ciel get as comfortable as possible. We've only got a five-minute window of opportunity until security kicks me out again. I'll launch you to the correct address using the VR eye. From there use your telekinesis and telepathy to guide the instrument and record what you see. Okay?" Torii affirmed.
Ciel sat with legs crossed in the middle of the lab table as he began to control his inner breathing. Seeing Ciel in the stereotypical meditation position was quite the sight seeing as his outline began to wave back and forth like heat rising off of asphalt on a hot summer day.
Rock and Naomi each took a seat. Naomi placed herself by Ciel just in case she was needed for anything. Rock simply plopped down anxiously as Torii typed crazily. Torii was ready to for the go ahead until she saw a program execution that would have to be temporarily shutdown for them to go forward. Rock noticed first and questioned the hesitation.
"What is it? What's the matter?"
The screen read: Radar.exe\plnt.exterior-ffT67280\gov.
"Listen we're still going to get that bastard for what he did but we've got to speed it up. If we use the security VR eye it temporarily shuts off the Plants exterior monitoring system. Apparently the VR eye wasn't integrated properly to operate independently from the radar outside," Torii said cursing to herself.
"Torii," The beautiful echoic voice of Ciel glided across every soul present in the room, "I wont even need five minutes to do this. Proceed."
Everyone's expression of awe focused on Ciel quickly turned into excitement seeing as he was ready for action. Smiles were in abundance as Torii began the security launch.
"Okay Ciel, I'm sending you to Community block four, section four, address 7889 Wicker Street. From there its up to you to do the probe by yourself. When I give you the signal to go I'll begin the recording process," Torii instructed.
Typing ever faster with the clacking sound of the plastic keys against her fingertips she enabled the remote surveillance VR eye to launch from the Plants inner walls. The VR eye's purpose was to record and monitor the civilian population. In the event of an emergency the VR eye would be ejected out into the public and guided remotely towards the problem and bare witness. The device was no bigger than a nickel and could go nearly everywhere. The problem with the system was the controversial questions that came along with it. Who would be using it? What could and could not be recorded? Can the system be used for malicious purposes? For the most part Ciel and the others planned on using the system before its initial termination by government authority. If anyone would misuse it, the right person to misuse it would be Torii and no one trickier.
The VR eye landed and hovered silently over the sidewalk looking over a small mansion that housed the group's enemy. Torii and Ciel were set to go.
"Begin recording! Go Ciel!" Torii commanded. Ciel's reply rippled across existence into their minds "Let's do this thing."
"Dude, Dodger is going to get the surprise of his life!" Rock laughed as silent as he could. Naomi shushed him out of fear that any loud noise or abrupt action would cause Ciel to lose focus. It wouldn't have happened anyhow.
Through his minds eye Ciel guided the remote camera to the front door and then shot the probe straight upward to the window nearest to the door. Using the machine as a sort of proto-projection body he sensed that the house was three stories: ground level, upstairs, and a basement. Staring straight down now he noticed that the basement gutters had been removed for repairs.
"Perfect," Ciel's inner voice sadistically informed. The others watched in wonder as Ciel continued passage into the house.
From there a small window was partially open to let some air into the houses lower levels. It was summer and the heat gave everyone a reason to open his or her windows. The VR eye entered without notice into the basement. To everyone's surprise they found that they were in the right location that they had hoped for. The largest section of the basement was cordoned off as Dodgers bedroom.
"How convenient," This led Naomi to leave her post to witness the journey deep into the bowls of the enemy's territory. Everyone's legs shuttled in anticipation. They made sure that Dodger would be home and not at work or somewhere else troublesome.
The story behind Dodger was a long one and a story that no one much liked to hear unless it was about his faults. Since the first day at the academy he was the groups unholy terror that embodied the very stereotype that everyone wished to become. Head of his class, on the sports teams, got every girl in sight with a swish of his hips. The sickening image of popularity had proved to be one of their more antagonizing foes. Once Torii reached the top of the class of 107' that pushed Dodger down to, not second place, but third place in the student body. So naturally he extracted his revenge by pumping Torii's locker full of fake blood which when opened, drained, and revealed a terrible death threat reading "Die you coordinator bitch." Naturally she was mortified. Naomi harked at every girlfriend that hung around Dodger while Rock attempted to go toe to toe with him on more than one occasion. Ciel was always strict with his moral code and refrained from "psychic spying" but in this case he reasoned that the tables needed to be balanced. Ripping the information from Dodgers heart (which Ciel found to be heavily guarded with fear and mistrust) found an aspect that would surly turn the tide and reveal an entire side of Dodger that no one but Ciel knew.
Being opposed to Dodger only strengthened the identities within their little Scooby gang. Torii was and always had been the natural gear head. Although high in intellect she certainly dressed quite the opposite. She was a bit of a rock and roller mixed in with the whole "I'm a cute little school girl gone horribly wrong" outlook. Rock wasn't too far behind in being the grunge muscle of the group. Not many had ever seen his face cleanly shaven in what seemed like forever. Naomi was the true schoolgirl. Her uppity nature and never ending supply of energy earned her the nickname Sugar baby. Of course her jet-black hair and blood red eyes deviated that assumption on multiple occasions. Ciel was the uncategorized Goth. Aside from his black attire which reflected his artistic nature the only beauty that shown clearly were his multicolored eyes and his burnt blonde hair. All of them were individuals and all of them were different, but none of that ever stopped them from being friends. Ciel was a thoroughbred Newtype followed by a slowly developing Naomi. Rock was the Natural while Torii was born as a Coordinator on earth. All of them loved one another, and no external word or action could change their minds. Not even Dodger's acts of racism could distance them.
Ciel slowly landed the VR eye on what appeared to be a nightstand but then he thought it to be a better idea to go for a corner in the ceiling for a better view. The circular VR eye was clear colored externally to provide some stealth so it would be difficult to spot. Just as Ciel held its position in the upper most corner surveying the entire room Dodger entered wearing nothing but a towel. Naomi shrieked as Rock raised an eyebrow while whistling an ornery tune. Torii was only interested in getting the goods no matter how dirty the outcome. Ciel seemed flustered but remained impartial. Dodger being athletic in all enjoyed nothing but showing off his body at any given appropriate time – which was perfect for the revenge seekers in hot pursuit of anything incriminating.
Ciel caught feelings circulating in the air as he proto-projected his senses from the VR eye. The air was electrically charged with a longing and yearning that expressed a loneliness that Ciel could empathize with. This footage was gunpowder and this experience would be the match to set it off.
"I think you'll be getting what you want Torii. Just make me a promise," Ciel's message reached her with a different tone this time. It was filled with an outpour of mercy that was certainly characteristic of her friend and she took to heart what he requested. "You may show him the footage and only him. If he insists on more conflict then you may do as you wish. Can you do that?"
"Common I'm not that heartless Ciel. That was my initial plan anyways," Torii calmly reassured.
Ciel physically nodded as he continued his Newtype work elsewhere. By the time he returned his thoughts to the eye things had already escalated tremendously. By now Dodger had put a disk into his entertainment system while he turned his television on. Ciel knew where this was going. Naomi composed herself the best she could as she faced the computer with eyes dripping with tears of laughter. Torii smiled and raised her eyebrows as she continued to witness to Dodgers apparent weaknesses.
Dodger laid on his bed facing the television in a provocative position that demanded immediate "physical" gratification…everyone save Ciel died laughing. Then Torii managed to control her sides to point out an important aspect of the picture.
"Holy shit! What the hell is he watching?!" Torii exclaimed in an appalled fashion. On cue Ciel zoomed in on the T.V, which proved to be a traumatizing revelation. All jaws dropped as they accounted for the site they saw. Before anything got hot and heavy Ciel commanded that the VR eye hover just above Dodger. Suddenly the visual screens indicated that Ciel moved the electronic device right up in the boys face getting a perfect profile view. Through words unseen Ciel sealed the prank.
"Hey sexy! So this is what Naturals do when they aren't playing "Neo LOGOS!" How does it feel to be on candid camera sweetheart?" With a single thought Ciel sent the sound of his puckered kiss through the teenage boys brain and shot the VR eye out the window.
With a press of the enter button the VR eye returned to its place amongst the systems outlining the Plant wall. The psychic transmission ended. Round after round of contagious laughter incapacitated everyone either sprawled out on the floor or where they sat. The footage was saved to a disk and put in Torii's disk pack for safekeeping. Once their sides started to ache they bolted for the door and exited the lab.
The metal doors activated leaving a small vacuum of air to push the teenagers along the windowed corridor to the industrial elevators. The prank was finished and the fun was only just starting. The ecstatic nature of the act thrilled them to the core as they pushed their way along towards the elevator door.
"'Kay, like I said, Chinese is totally on me," Rock said rubbing his temples in mid flight.
"Ugh! Don't tell me you're giving into Ciel's demands. Do you know what deep fried food does to you?" Torii's aloof monotone was beginning to show again now that the fun was over.
"It'll kill my diet but heck; I'll just work out later tonight. Coming Ciel?" Naomi said still wiping away her tears of mirth. The mention of Ciel caught itself in the air as everyone turned to see their friend pressed up as close to the glass as he could go without actually being outside. An intense grimace was painted on his face like he had just witnessed a horrible injustice.
"Ciel?" Rock's naive concern gathered his feelings into the pit of his stomach.
Ciel felt the chill of a coming winter massage his shoulders while the death it brought veined its way towards them. Unlike the feeling of autumn, the feeling of imminent change, this sensation surpassed the meaning. It was an omen of untold proportion. Something was coming for them and the tears they would shed would act as payment. As Ciel's eyes burned with hues of colors his unconscious tears turned to dancing prominences. He felt that he had lost something immensely precious but couldn't quite figure out what he had lost or would soon lose. His vision sharpened as Rock and the others shuffled towards him.
"Ciel? What's wrong? What do you see?" Naomi said straining her eyes as she focused with all of her primitive Newtype might.
Despite her intentions she could only see the sun and the stars blanketing the backdrop of space. For Ciel the sight was different for him.
"Something is on its way to the PLANT. I can't tell what it is exactly! My heart's beating so hard I can't concentrate all the way." Ciel gritted his teeth as the celestial light in his eyes intensified. "Souls, lots of them – too many to pick out individually, hundred strong possibly."
When numbers made no sense to Ciel the most obvious solution was to look at intent. He felt a shroud of deceit wash over him. It was like a terrible joke that history had played out once before. Finally he smelt blood as an invading luminosity consumed him, burned him in his vision while the premonition played out full circle. Before action could be connected to desire the entire glass hallway lit up with a green glow that came to them from outside the PLANT. No one had time to scream or know for that matter what had happened. The children should have died instantly and without wavering consequence; but even still they continued to breathe. Desire flooded Ciel's heart, and that rush pressed itself out of him the determination to act. The intensely heated light reflected in multiple directions like the sparks from a fourth of July firework while the fragments of green melted into the icy cold vacuum of nothingness.
"Ciel what happened?!" Naomi screeched.
"Calm down, Ciel just saved us I think." Torii said shaking.
"That was some kind of laser fire!" Rock reinforced as he rushed to Ciel's side as he jolted from the railing. "Ciel! How did you-"
Ciel turned with eyes aflame and spoke using the voice within as well as the one to clarify.
"We MUST leave!" Ciel roared with the thunder of God as he grabbed Rock in mid-flight and rocketed him towards the exit. Without a conscious thought the door opened earlier than expected. The girls felt a push on their shoulders and knew it was Ciel guiding them with his unstable telekinetic power. The group, whether carried or throttled through, made it past the door.
---
An eerie calm haunted all of the open communication lines on the battleship Victory 9. All mobile suits held their positions in and around the defense line around the Earth alliance ship as the captain's face melted into a distraught confusion. The unit that took the shot stood completely still as it held its high power beam cannon at standby. The silence broke once captain Nim connected lines from the bridge to the Arcaneus Gundam.
"Lieutenant Sol, report!" Captain Nim bellowed. His old age had not softened his voice through the years and its volume never dimmed. He removed his cap and combed back his hair in a single swipe and placed the hat back on before anyone had noticed.
Within the Arcaneus its pilot looked outward towards its target in bewilderment. Through the strands of moonlit blue hair he had clearly taken a shot with 100 accuracy. The radio control tower should have been obliterated leaving the colony absolutely mute. A pair of violet eyes quivered as the zoomed in image came to full view on his screen a few seconds later. With expression unmoving he spoke with a gentle, uncannily serene voice that only complimented the silence as his crimson Gundam shimmered brilliantly in the sun.
"Target unharmed. No damage was sustained. Some other ulterior force must protect the Leigas PLANT; otherwise the structure should have gone silent."
"We have little choice but to go ahead despite the protection. Our objective is to recover or erase the Bequest and its cargo," Captain Nim reinforced their orders.
Just off the bow of the ship another Mobile Suit hovered just in front of the command bridge over the deck. It adjusted slightly as indicated by the small vernier bursts it gave off at its sides and back. It was barely visible even in the light of the sun as it remained suspended for most of the bridge to behold. Its color scheme was completely black with no reflective surfaces to return mirror sheen to impress its onlookers; had its orange demonic eyes not been glowing the captain would not have known of its presence altogether. Its very shape was slender having no right angles to define it whatsoever – perfect for stealth.
"Lieutenant J.G Thanatos, infiltrate Leigas with the Lilith Gundam and disable communications. We need the world to be blind, deaf, and numb to the existence of that PLANT. From there we will order out units Duality and Buster Unlimited to assist." Captain Nim ordered casually.
Silence at first, but then a voice fit with the sound of cleaving knives came onto the speakers with chilling confirmation.
"The pleasure is mine, Captain," Thanatos slithered with professional gratitude as his unit used the deck as a spring point to launch into the dark of night. The suits outline faded against the backdrop of the Leigas PLANT, as the Mirage Colloid activated leaving no trace of its existence.
Sol's scarlet colored Arcaneus unit maneuvered itself onto the launch bed of the Victory 9 and stood at attention in the direction of the PLANT. Majestic and beautiful the Arcaneus was designed to be the leader of the four new Gundam's, developed by the Earth Alliances GE Project. Although the highlight of the Arcaneus was its Lancet VSBR launcher, its dragon mobile armor form was a force to behold altogether; however within the majestic shell its pilot sat in perplexity with only his frantic deep breathing to console him.
The communications tower was within a 100 accuracy shot with his weapon set to high penetration mode. The fact that he was capable didn't bother him. On the other hand the images of a boy with fiery liveliness in his eyes haunted him after he took the shot. He watched in an instant as the light was held for but a moment in time and then dispersed without the aid of a beam shield let alone any machinery involved. Conflicting thoughts played a deadly game of risk in the back of his brain while sweat began to form on his brow. It was then that he understood why neo LOGOS feared the Coordinators and the Newtypes. The clash inside of him was not focused on the target rather it was his superior, the captain. Such thoughts to him were damnable.
The Arcaneus returned to the mobile suit hangar while the starboard side, launch deck opened.
"Blue squadron one, prepare to launch immediately," Captain Nim ordered.
In five-second intervals Dagger Spawn mobile suits would erupt from the catapult and head for the PLANT without deviance. There was no turning back.
---
"What do you think it was? Maybe a battleship?" Rock chattered mostly to himself.
"You think we're at war or something? I know we were having armament build up problems but that's natural for peace times; almost nobody listens to those dumb treaties!" Naomi attempted to explain while pacing back and forth on the monorail car. Had she been walking any faster the others thought for sure that she'd wear a hole in the bottom of the shuttle car.
Torii had little concern for the politics and focused entirely on Ciel who had collapsed on the monorail seat in distress. No one could comprehend or help out Ciel in his current state. The torrent of power that had been utilized by Ciel set in motion the continuous growth of his abilities. His sensitivity and empathy had catalyzed the Newtype abilities within which in turn only reared the harvest buried in his soul.
"Ciel, you did such an amazing job! You can relax now," Torii tried to quell Ciel in his distress. Ciel's arm covered his eyes as his breathing was labored which only panicked Torii further. Ciel was both proud and fearful of what he had done. His premonition and the use of his telekinesis seemed to awaken a certain realization within him that he could not deny. He experienced life on the edge of a razor blade where only the slightest shift would tip the scale. It felt as if someone had opened a window in his minds eye while a violent whirlwind continued to enter unending and without mercy. The more he tried to suppress his powers, to set them aside, the more there was to consume – craving freedom. The seed had begun to sprout.
"Rock! Stop being an insensitive fuck and get your ass over here! Ciel's not feeling well at all," Torii roared at him to snap out of his self induced hyperventilation and to think about his friend who had done more for them than they could ever imagine. Rock slumped off his seat and crawled on all fours to Ciel's side just across from his spot. Naomi who was caught up in a panic attack had finally seated herself beside Ciel's head.
"Ciel, what are you feeling? Are you going to be okay? Please answer me!" Rock said more frantically than necessary. Torii was beginning to think that she had no soul compared to her other friends. If she had been more like them she thought, "Would I be reacting this way?"
It was a question that was impossible for Ciel to answer in his current state. He felt his essence stretch to every part of the PLANT to the point of tearing. Before he felt the tearing sensation within he found himself more and more flexible and spatially aware. Even then with some resemblance of comfort Ciel found that it didn't last long. He began to feel various feelings that mirrored his own but weren't his to experience. Little by little he began to recognize the fact that he was "tuned in" to the entire population of the colony. The voices were staggering almost paralyzing. There was an abundance of trepidation and disorder, which cascaded over every aspect of his heart. News broadcasts had been cut off and the communications had been brought down. Two million people would have no warning on this day. The very atrocious sensation of knowing that mass mourning loomed just beyond those moments forced Ciel to weep.
"Ciel its okay, it's going to be okay, please calm down!" Rock said holding Ciel's shoulders as comfortably as possible. The physical contact was a bit of a shock to Ciel as he felt the terror of his best friend infect himself in the form of a psychic contraction. Like labor pains the transfer of emotion to the Newtype boy was more than he could bear.
A small expulsion of force pushed everyone aside and cracked every window in the shuttle car. Thankfully none of them shattered due to the extreme externalization of Ciel's power. Rock and Naomi frantically shot back up to their feet to aid Ciel but Torii stopped them.
"Hold up, I think that's Ciel's way of saying, "I need some space"," Torii insisted. "We need to get him to a Newtype specialist ASAP,"
"No time," Ciel said sitting up now. The sound of his voice was dampened with exhaustion and pain. The storm in his mind let up slightly – just enough for him to function.
"You're okay? What was happening to you just then?" Torii exclaimed.
"I'm not sure myself Torii. It could be that I may have used too much power or that my powers must be growing," Ciel questioned.
"Do you remember how you saved us? You deflected and entire laser blast and saved the communications station!" Rock cheered despite the dire circumstances.
Ciel pushed his awareness despite his most recent power spurt and sensed with dread an awful truth.
"It's gone. The communications station is gone now," Ciel perceived.
Naomi turned and knelt on the seat next to Ciel as if praying to a holy oracle that had predicted the future.
"You mean…" Naomi paused as she began to get a taste as her own senses emerged.
"We need to get to our evacuation shelters now," Ciel finished for Naomi.
---
The shelter stations bustled with rushing individuals seeking to get their families to the escape vessels. More than a hundred stations had undergone a complete burst rate, which jumbled up the organization between assigned shelters. Utter chaos ensued. Multiple families had been separated between vehicles and taken to an alternate location. Others had been bumped from their original transportation only to find they had nowhere else to go once the terminals were closed down. People were screaming no matter which way the group turned. Luckily Naomi formed a human link in the group and held them together hand in hand through the angry crowds. The two boys and two girls lived in the same city sector and all shared the same escape vehicle along with forty other individuals; some of which were to be their families.
"People are saying that the PLANT is being attacked by the Earth Alliance because Leigas is being accused of harboring terrorists," Naomi shrieked in fear. She had never experienced something like this before and it was no small wonder that she was scared to death.
"Yeah well, the EA says a lot of things but I can hardly imagine why they'd come here. Hell, we all should have known that this would have happened sooner or later!" Torii thundered her opinions on the Earth's government. She had been passionate about the peace treaty between ZAFT and the EA and it gave her a small portrait of what it would look like to live in a world united. Once again, humanity was beginning to see the progression into another dark phase. This change was going to bring about a painful past that no one thought daring enough to dig it up again once more.
"I thought that Leigas was under special protection from the high council? Isn't there some insurgence here in the colony? I mean we aren't exactly defenseless are we?" Rock questioned, almost intrigued by the thought of partaking in a fight. He and Ciel were mecha junkies and had always enjoyed mobile suits from a safe stand point. Although the situation was apparently much more pressing he couldn't help but daydream as he squeezed his way through the crowds.
Ciel had been awkwardly quiet since they left the monorail and continued to the emergency service areas. Even though his physical pain had diminished, the inner storm continued to rage within him, attempting to tear him apart at the seams. Ciel could hardly believe himself as he scanned the residual essence that remained aloft in the area. Voices equal in panic and anger surged through everyone like an infectious illness. People began to weep while others downright bawled at the very occurrence of the national crisis. It was however the children that got to him the most. Their innocence slipped away from them layer by layer. To a degree it was like witnessing an angel rip out its feathers one by one until they were stripped bear. He could start to feel his being burn from within and slowly make its way out externally. Every attempt to suppress the feeling was almost useless and in some ways fleeting. The emotion came as a steady wave and washed over his thoughts until he drowned in their meaning. Once the pulse of emotion had consumed him he felt it happen again and again on multiple levels of understanding that he thought to have never existed. Reality interrupted his philosophical self-diagnostic as he came to the appropriate gate terminal.
Not many people had been waiting at the terminal seeing as they were already crowding the escape shuttles. Everyone from the little Scooby gang had a jump-start of horror that resonated the same response. Would they all be able to make it aboard and were their families already to safety? Naomi looked ready to wet herself while her red eyes began to well up with tears. Torii shifted her to the front of the line with her taking second place. The simple act put Naomi at ease slightly and made her feel safer knowing that her friends were there for her. Rock observed Torii with a fascination that struck him head on with the same compulsion to do the same. Time had drawn out the life that he had together with Ciel and the very thought of losing that aspect suddenly scared him. This was a disaster, yes, but the realization was the real focus.
Rock had never really valued much in his life until he met Ciel. They were very different back then, but to recollect, they had always remained the same to one another. Rock was indeed being brought down by gravity while Ciel was the embodiment of what it really meant to fly. The journey was long but moment for moment everything that Rock felt in that instant was precious. Undeniably the very glue that held his courage together was this other boy – both a mystery, and an open heart. In the deepest, more repressed part of his heart he vowed to himself to never see this boy suffer again. Without conscious thought he whipped around, grabbed Ciel by the shoulders and forced him in front. The two girls had made it safely past and the security guards were ready to take Ciel's ID for confirmation.
"Your ID card please! Hurry!" The sternness of the guard only flustered Ciel more. Between trying to process both the act and the request that happened nearly simultaneously he found himself fighting to do both to respond and to deny.
"Rock!" A female voice had called out from beyond the shuttle gate. Without a moment to process the two boys understood that it was Rock's mother. Her brown shoulder length hair and hazel eyes mirrored the very image of Rock if ever compared. There was an explosion of excitement and desperation within both boys. Although Ciel had no parents and lived out of an orphan center, the very presence of a familiar face to both children made their hearts leap for comfort.
Ciel's ID swiped and was passed….
…. Rock was forced back.
"I'm sorry, the shuttle capacity limit has been reached. Please proceed to Terminal 901," The officer barely had time to finish before Ciel whipped around like a fearsome vortex to tackle his way through to Rock. The trepidation in Ciel's heart in leaving his friend behind was unbearable to think of. Amidst the tussle between the two guards Ciel's berserker rage would not be denied, and he would prove this through an act of unprecedented compassion.
"Rock!" Ciel's voice was frantic and hoarse like that of a lions roar. He meant every part of the name and defined it through a series of telepathic waves, which surged through everyone in the terminal sector. The magnificence of the breakdown was both dramatic and tear jerking. Perhaps Ciel had caught wind of the unrecognized feelings within Rock, which gave him his strength, or it could have been Rock's mother who may have unintentionally channeled her feelings for her son. Neither boy could say it, or would say it, but they both acknowledged each other's importance out of truth. Rock was content; Ciel however would have it his way.
Like flexing a muscle, Ciel compressed the air around him and then relaxed, which in turn sent the two guards on either side of him flying in their respective directions. The electronic ID station flickered suddenly as it showed a complete listing of personnel on the flight. With the wincing of an eye Ciel's picture and data erased, while Rock's wallet materialized in the Newtype boys hand. Rock blinked disbelieving and felt his pant pocket become empty – his expression widened as Ciel swiped his ID through the terminal.
"…Wait – NO!" Rock screamed as he tried to reclaim his wallet from Ciel, but it turned out that this only played in his friends favor. Ceil gently, but briskly grasped Rocks hand and shoulder and threw him into the shuttle with the aid of his telekinesis. Naomi and Torii caught him while Rock's mother came to capture her reckless son in her arms. Ciel's eyes drifted to the ID station and without hesitation the doors to the terminal closed and locked.
Ciel took a breath and let it go. He made the choice just as willing as Rock had made his. The shuttle was full and ready for take off carrying everything he held dear as its cargo. He wouldn't have felt so anxious had Rock actually taken a seat instead of shouting through an airtight door. Ciel couldn't help but laugh a little at the attempt as the glow in his eyes dimmed down once again. Imagining the very best he could, he attempted to link his mind to his friends just on the other side of the door.
He placed both hands on the cold metal reinforced door like king David placing his hands upon the Ark. His forehead touched the cold exterior and slowly he let his stance slip into a kneeling slump. Tears streamed down his face as he knelt propped against the door. He knew that the words said to him were not the words they would have liked to use. He gathered that Rock would curse himself for his choice in terms but that would no longer matter.
---
On the other side of the door all hell was breaking loose. Rock tried with all his might to open the shuttle door but to no avail. His mother and the other two girls attempted to coax him from the door but all of them were afraid of Rock's display of increasing hysteria.
"Ciel, open this door right now damn you! Open!" Rock pushed with all his might while turning the latch with all the power in his wrists. Tears blinded his view, which only aggravated him further as he rammed against the shuttle door.
"Rock, stop this! Ciel will be fine!" Mrs. Terran spoke trying to comfort her son. It was futile to even try to calm him, purely senseless. Naomi and Torii had second thoughts as they tried their hardest to peer out of the single glass window that was still in view of the terminal.
Rocks rage exploded in a single spasm that wretched his entire body upwards with the shuttle handle in his grasp. There was an audible "CRACK!" that sickened anyone close enough to hear it. Rock had successfully broken his wrist, which nearly sent his mother into a fainting spell. He refused to care, refused to acknowledge the pain within. Finally as all three of them looked, Ciel stood up to meet their gaze.
They could see the heaven in his eyes as the stars of the universe shown so clearly through his purely angelic expression. All three of the youths found themselves so lost, caught up within the sight of their friend that they soon forgot everything about the present. None of them would know it just yet, but they had seen a change within their friend so tremendous that it would surely change everything they knew. It wasn't a change in the evolution of man, no, not quite so far from the fact though. They had seen everything that a human heart could be. They waited in wonder of what departing words they would hear to help comfort their already lost souls. Unfortunately there were really no promises to say, none of which were definitive or absolute. Ciel left them with a heart for comedy.
"You totally owe me Chinese food!" Ciel smiled as the shuttle moved away from the terminal to prepare for launch sequence.
A total ruckus of all three of his friends erupted from behind the door. With a final wink of an eye he politely asked Mrs. Terran to watch over them. The three teenage youths wept, completely drained of their energies both emotionally and physically. Eventually the shuttle security attended to Rock who still had some fight left in him. For simple precaution he was sedated – the ceasing in swirling violent emotion was a clear sign of that. A few moments later they would descend into the docks and depart without interruption.
---
Finally, like an ice pick through the heart, the loneliness stabbed him in a harsh betrayal. He sat against the door with hands in his lap waiting for something else to happen. He had so much direction and poise just moments ago and now he felt he had nothing. He had never been one to give up or give into unsightly circumstances seeing as he had mostly been on his own for all eighteen years of his life. All he wanted to do was remember that his friends were safe and getting away from this hell and that was that. Just beyond the terminal gate on the floor were the flight goggles that Rock wore around his neck on occasion. He scrambled for them and held them tightly to his chest before putting them around his neck. He would find a way to return them to his friend.
No more than three minutes passed and there was a tremor that shook the entire terminal station. It shocked Ciel to the very pit of his stomach all the way down to his toes as the ground vibrated with repetitive violence. The boy shot to his feet instantly with satchel bag in hand. Without any warning his Newtype senses kicked in full force.
"They're here now?" He gasped just as an explosion outside rocked the complex sending him to his hands and feet. Such an unfamiliar sound made his heart pound harder and harder.
"If they got here this fast then they might go after the civilian shuttles! Maybe that's why they were aiming for the communications tower?" Ciel reasoned.
"All civilians please leave block A and proceed to area 901. All terminals are full. Proceed calmly to your secondary emergency outlets immediately," A voice mimicking Marlin Brando informed through the centers intercom.
The boy figured that somehow he could escape from the PLANT and make it to safety if he could get to the separate shelters. It was very unlikely however that he would make it all the way across the colony and make it in time. The influx of people running to the most convenient shelter had caused an overflow. Someone originally assigned to that shelter was bumped only to find that his or her secondary shelter was gone too. The odds were not looking good in the long run.
The guards that Ciel had sent flying began to awaken from their unconsciousness. This was the opportune time to leave unless he wanted to get caught and be punished. As he ran he logically surmised that they wouldn't have the time to punish let alone pursue him. Then again he was tempted to go back and ask them for assistance as to which route he could take to get to block 901.
He turned a sharp corner and confronted a doorway leading to another monorail that would lead him to the other end of the residential block. The words "pass code entry please" blinked over and over again on the small protruding entry log to the side of the door.
"Shit! You're kidding me? How am I supposed to get out of here?" Ciel cursed as he tapped the number pads endlessly. Usually in case of emergency the code to most of the doors changed to the three-sector number you were currently in, or to the last four numbers in your citizen ID. Neither of the number combinations worked which only aggravated him. A brisk kick to the door only managed to bruise the boy's big toe and send him into a tussled frenzy.
From his minds eye Ciel sensed that there was another person other than himself in the hallway. He turned slowly to see someone sitting against the wall next to the next corresponding door to another monorail. The person was covered in a sort of gown with a hood that was a bright goldenrod color. The shape of the figure suggested that it was indeed a woman, probably in her early thirties. Darker skinned – she was most likely of Eurasian decent. She held a small pocket sized book in her hands and read it in silence while a single kaki bag lay at her side. Ciel acted without considering politeness. The fact of the matter was they were at war and possibly about to die.
"Hey lady, we got to get out of here, the Earth Alliance is attacking!" Ciel thundered in her general direction. He jogged over to her and knelt beside her out of instant guilt for his brashness.
"Ma'am, we have to go now! You'll die if you wait for the terminals to be functioning again! We have to go to area block 901 and hop on a shuttle over there!" Ciel pressured the woman. Locks of pure black hair dripped from under the sunlit colored hood she wore while she saved her place in her book. Her eyes were an extremely dark hazel color, almost black by nature; hers were deep and never ending like his, as dark as onyx or sackcloth as opposed to his opalescent eyes.
"Its okay, I'm waiting for someone," She spoke with gentle words that reminded of him of a song he had heard as a child. He couldn't put his finger on the name or title of the harmony but he ignored it in light of the situation.
"Miss, if we don't leave now we'll be dead. Whom were you waiting for?" Ciel interrupted himself.
"I was waiting for a friend actually, he should have been here by now," She spoke again with utter cheerfulness. Despite the growing danger this woman didn't seem afraid at all. Ciel shook it off and stood up and attended to the door the woman sat next too.
"My name is Ciel Godsend," Ciel informally introduced himself as he typed furiously at the console. The woman stood with her kaki bag around her shoulder and appeared to be around five foot eight. Her hood had fallen off and revealed her hair to be waist length. Ciel felt a little more intimidated as she stood now. He delved a little deeper trying unconsciously to know this woman's identity all the while paying attention to the control panel.
"You're quick to the punch my friend. There's no need to push for information young man," The woman said hinting at the boy's use of his telepathy, "My name is Melody Swanson,"
Ciel turned and paid full attention to the woman as she approached. He was a little embarrassed at his misuse of his abilities but that wasn't hanging heavily on his shoulders at the moment.
"You're a Newtype like me," Ciel stated as he attempted to breach the console with his telekinesis.
"Yes indeed. I am a counsel member from the Newtype Bureau of Rights and Research," Melody hummed gently as Ciel worked overtime to try and break the lock on the door. Ciel stopped a moment and looked the gorgeous woman straight in the face. He had always wanted to go to the Bureau but never had the schedule to do so.
"Can you help me miss? I'm trying to break the auto lock for this door so I can get on the monorail," Ciel said turning to the door. "I cant seem too do what I just did maybe a few minutes ago,"
"Do what?" Melody smiled.
Ciel stopped to take a small break to explain.
"I don't know exactly. There have been weird things happening to me all day long,"
"Maybe I can help?" Melody said placing her bag on the floor next to the door.
"How can you do that?"
"I actually rate and monitor Newtypes for potential in my department of work. You've heard of the NT system haven't you?" Melody smiled again.
"Actually I have but I've been unable to go get evaluated,"
"Close your eyes for a moment and take a deep breath," Melody insisted as she placed both of her hands at both sides of Ciel's head. Ciel had little or no reason to fear this woman. She might have been more experienced but Ciel was confident enough that he could boot her out if needed. By the time the breath was over he had opened his eyes a second later just as Melody removed her hands. Her eyes were wide with marvel and amazement.
"Well, that's it? That's all you had to do?" Ciel said skeptically.
Before there was a response another tremor far greater than the last few sent Ciel to the floor while Melody plunged against the wall. Neither were hurt but both were shaken up considerably as they heard the action outside grow in intensity.
"You were saying?" Ciel said sighing while rising to his feet.
Melody bent down and shuffled through her bag of things. She ripped out an identical royal blue pocket book like the one she had been reading. She took Ciel's hand and deposited it without acceptance or refusal. Melody then stretched out her hand towards the door and it opened with the swish of the air lock. Before stepping through the door Melody met Ciel with a look of determination and resolve.
"I wish I would have found you sooner my friend. You're quite special indeed!" Melody shrieked with rapture.
"I'm not understanding. What NT level does that make me? A four, or possibly a five maybe?" Ciel said nearly smiling.
"Listen, this book will help you. Use it and it will serve you well! You may be able to step up and help this colony!" Melody mused to herself.
"Help the PLANT? How do I do that?" Ciel said getting worked up over the woman's reaction.
"The only way to do that is to be guided by the voice inside you. That is all I can say," Melody said leading Ciel through the door.
"I'm guessing this will help?!" Ciel said dumbfounded as he held up the soft cover book in his hands. In the meantime he placed it in his satchel bag for safekeeping. "And wait a second! What about your friend? The friend you were waiting for is bound to come by isn't he?"
"It's more important that I go where I'm needed to be. I will contact him and he shall be safe," Melody said stepping onto the balcony of the monorail cars. There had been two cars. The opposite railcar led to the industrial sector while the other led to block sectors 703 to 1101 where the two could make an escape. Before Ciel joined Melody in her rail car headed for the sectors the loudspeakers came on once again.
"All harbor mobile suits scramble! I repeat scramble! Enemy battleship moving to intercept rescue squads! All pilots scramble!"
A fuse had ignited somewhere in the teenage boys heart as he stopped to contemplate the message he had just heard. He paused and let the wave take hold of him as he listened with memories unbound. His eyes went ablaze with a greater brilliance than he had never given off once before. The immense amount of power summoned by the boy cracked the ground and affected the electronic fields surround him. Suddenly the images of his friends disappearing in a ball of cruel fire overcame him and set him in motion.
"NO!!!" He denied with the thunder of a thousand winds. Before Melody could act Ciel had moved at an undetectable speed into the monorail headed for the industrials sector. Before she had time to yell out anything the monorail shot off and out towards the battle.
"Ciel! Wait! You must come this way to escape!" Melody cried while trying to use her telepathy to reach him. Her calm voice was overpowered by the continual reply that only made her wonder what would truly happen next.
"I will save them, I will save them, I will…"
---
His thoughts raced as bullets shot past the shuttle car and through the air. Every beam that cut the air with super intense heat only made his blood boil further. There were explosions by the dozen occurring everywhere in the artificial atmosphere, adding luminescence to the scenery of a world gone to hell. Ciel could hardly control the reaction inside of him and had long abandoned all hope of quelling such an irreversible expulsion of power. He let loose whenever he could. Every so often the monorail would shoot forward, almost super charged by an infinite power source. The glass in the passenger car bent perfectly without breaking and landed on the seats or floor. It was the area he occupied that was most affected by his rush of emotion. His body flickered with a strange sensation that came and went invisibly with only the slightest hint of its existence. Ciel had to focus on the feeling of the moment. The strange feeling of touching the lips of death had fueled his Newtype potential, but the euphoria of the memory had become stale. The threat of loss was still very real to Ciel but the excess amount of raw energy was beginning to wane as he traveled to the industrial sector.
"I hope that Miss Swanson is okay. She seemed nice but she came of as a little mysterious to me," Ciel wondered. "Follow the voice inside? Sounds to me like a deep request coming from an individual who knows the meaning of depth."
"Thanatos, on your six!" A female voice bellowed from within the Buster Unlimited. It had placed itself quite a distance away in a residential block and observed most of the battle through a sniper scope zoomed in on the enemy.
The Lilith Gundam spun head over heels and extended its left hand, which splashed an oncoming Zaku III with pin missiles. Long sharp pillars capable of penetrating a mobile suits armor stuck out of the Zaku like a voodoo doll discarded in a garbage can. Not only had the pilot been impaled multiple times but also the actual suit itself was completely incapable of activation. The pin missiles emitted a small electronic charge that incapacitated a suits power system completely. The Lilith adjusted to be right side up and hovered while taking mercy shots at local hangars filled will military personnel and vital equipment essential for battle.
"Why thank you dearest Emma, if it weren't for you I would have been toasted now wouldn't I?" Thanatos cynically replied.
A Ginn two made a round about flight loop towards the Lilith and was ready to take another shot. Only a few more adjustments and the Lilith would have been critically damaged or destroyed. Sadly the Busters rail gunfire got to it first sending it careening to the ground. The attack ended in a fireball that carried with it the damned soul of its pilot.
"You're welcome asshole," Emma said with finesse as she reloaded to continue her barrage on nearby reinforcements headed their way. Their fun was interrupted by an incoming signal from the Duality who had made the most progress in sneaking up on the Bequest and her crew.
"I'm a minute from the actual hangar. I've customized the double shroud with extra ammo so if I come across trouble I'll be okay. Any sign of the two prototypes yet?" A younger male voice informed diligently. Although he had been trained thoroughly his voice carried a hint of worry and an impression that would leave any veteran doubting.
"Delay your actions by 30 seconds Kurt. I'll have passed through the phase two line by then. From there I'll be able to join you. Just hold off so I can have a little fun!" Thanatos requested.
"No Kurt, not sign of the prototypes yet. We haven't heard anything from Sol yet so expect that he's 1) already taken care of them or 2) they're clueless and ready to self-destruct them anyways. We shouldn't rely on those assumptions too strongly seeing as he's only performing diversionary tactics." Emma said as she clipped a Zaku two unit sending it crashing into an approaching Zaku three. "Two birds with one stone, very nice,"
---
Ciel had no time to act as he saw the two plummeting Zaku's tumbling towards the monorail tracks. All he could do was latch onto a nearby railing and cling to it hoping that his sweaty palms wouldn't let go. He closed his eyes – which was both a good thing and a bad thing. The bad was that he would be a little discombobulated when he opened them again; the good, was that when he had the instinct he unintentionally formed a small barrier around himself to protect his body.
There was a loud cracking sound as metal twisted and wires buckled under a titanic weight. Tumbling and tossing out of control in all directions it was impossible to tell what was up and what was down. His grip had slipped and he became a small plastic ball like the ones inside of toddler toys. Crunching earth and gravel hitting the sides of the monorail car sounded like hail stones striking a chalkboard at super sonic speeds. The intense high-pitched squeal of the grinding parts only helped to weaken the novice attempt at a protective barrier.
Then there was nothing but complete silence to surround him with. He felt liquid dripping from his forehead and his back and shoulders. His thighs and knee's screamed out in agony as he gasped for air removing a seat cushion from his body. At first Ciel couldn't tell if he was dieing or not and being unable to determine this only frightened him more. Completely unintentionally his outstretched arm expelled an invisible motion that tore apart the weakened mainframe of the once recognizable shuttle car. The only recognizable action to take was to go towards it and hope that it wasn't the light of heaven as you emerged. Ciel took back that comment to himself as he adjusted his satchel bag that had wrapped itself around his neck while exiting the ruined transport.
The railings had come down from their pillar points and smashed into the ground along with the rail car. A large trench divided the stable parts of the railing from the destroyed section. The long engraving in the ground trailed off an incline just to the west of the tracks but stopped just short of a small patch of trees. The forested area on both sides of the tracks helped give Ciel a camouflaged edge as he ventured out to investigate the crash.
The shuttle car landed about a yard away from the initial railings that had been brought down from the impact. The two Zaku's had cut off the line and separated the tracks as they fell farther down below. He hoped for the life of him that the pilots had been unharmed. He knew as he began to jog (although feeling the effects of the crash in his legs) he felt an inward pain that suggested that a casualty had been made. It felt as if someone began holding him underwater, suffocating him, as he began to hear the screams of at least one soldier down by the crash. Then there was only sobbing. Ciel's heart dropped down into the pits of hell as he heard the gasping and wailing of a man just beyond the incline.
Like stepping out on the edge of plank over a hostile ocean he watched as the pilot of the Zaku III remove a fellow comrade from the fallen unit. A mangled body suggested that the shot traveled through the cockpit without damaging any internal mechanisms. The remaining pilot was tall and lanky, short brown hair with hazel eyes. Ciel did not know this man but he somehow instinctively connected to his heart as he beheld them sitting outside their suits. It took a moment to realize that he had already made it down halfway while screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Are you okay? I'm here to help you!"
He knew his words were futile and no amount of comfort would help. The only worry that continually showed itself was could he handle the sight of another human being…dead. The pilot of the Zaku III lifted his head from the chest of his fallen friend and noticed Ciel all the while sobbing uncontrollably. Ciel hopped from body part to body part to reach the second Zaku covering the one on the bottom. He had a little trouble trying to get a good grasp on the hand digits and eventually he made it with a good sweat. The chest of the Zaku II was flatter than the advanced unit beneath, so it allowed a plateau like feeling as the teenage boy surveyed the outlying surroundings. Nothing could ever prep Ciel for the sight of war in its fullest.
The defeated soldier held his teammate covered in his blood as he wept a silent plea. The two of them knew one another. The onlooker could only assume how deep the connection was as he witnessed the tragedy. Ciel felt, without a shadow of a doubt, that such a loss would never mend with time. The yearnings of the heart were too great to fulfill: like trying to drain the ocean into a bottomless pit. In that second, that very moment where everything changed, a boy stood stoic despite losing the world he clung to – only to realize a bigger, greater All was waiting for him. Death is a beginning, but love is forever.
Somewhere on the way between conscious action and thought he remained still as the world as it seemed turned. Without accessing the memory Ciel began to sing a hushed prayer. The song was ageless, beyond expression, and understanding. It echoed through the trees nearby as a small breeze began to lift from the ground up.
"…And as the wind comes crashing down, upon this barren landscape, I'll hold you near – so close to me, my dearest…" The pilot felt the words and comprehended them in multiple dimensions. Suddenly the sadness slipped away while the tenderness of a promise more ancient than love itself began to cultivate in the soldier's heart. He would still mourn the loss, but the heart that understood was so much greater.
The song was interrupted by the mechanical adjusting of metal joints in a mobile suit nearby. Before the birds of the forest could take flight the solider cried out at Ciel and dove for him. There was a thunderous repetition of fire that sprung out from within the dark underbrush of the trees and skid across the armor of the Zaku II. Before he recognized what was happening he was already in mid flight with the solider until they landed on the Zaku III just below. The claps of gunfire stopped and proceeded elsewhere as Ciel wrapped his insecure hands around the pilot's head. Ciel moaned as he felt the welt on the back of his head form slowly from impact. He was grateful for the act of protection but he seriously wished he'd stop getting the crap kicked out of him.
"Sir are you okay?" Ciel said sitting up adjusting the other man's weight over his torso. As his eyes slid across the body of the pilot the only response was silence. Ciel recognized that not all of the blood on his cloths was his and that's when it hit him. The shots shred apart the young soldier's backside revealing muscle tissue, torn ligaments, and the inner workings of his body. Ciel was saucer eyed and breathless.
He had no knowledge of this man or who he was and vise versa. They had only met a second ago and out of the blue he saved him. Without recognition or reward the soldier acted purely on an impulse of duty and honor. Then came the most unforgettable unsettling scream that no human should ever be allowed to make. Ciel felt that his mouth was open as he felt it with his fingers but he swore later he could hear no sound. The most disturbing war cry could be heard for a distance that could very well not be measured.
All at the very same time a massive change was beginning to take place within Ciel. His eyes now held within them what it meant to be broken as they glowed with a fearsome fire that mirrored what creation must have looked like when it first began. His hair dimmed and changed color altogether to become completely diamond white. The seed that Ciel possessed bore fruits ready for the harvest…and the Zaku III would be his scythe.
With no regard for politeness the body of the soldier slumped off the edge of the Zaku's body as the blood soaked Ciel walked casually to the cockpit. His sight penetrated the trees and the brush and identified the enemy with unerring accuracy. It was a royal blue mobile suit – a Gundam. They called the unit Duality. Ciel casually dropped his satchel bag through the cockpit doors and followed soon after. Angling his body into the seat he strapped himself in while putting his bag beneath the seat. The cockpit doors closed leaving the light from the monitors to guide him. All he could see was the sky above dotted with lights that appeared just as quickly as they disappeared, like fireflies in a jar.
Eerily the mobile suit resumed function without the slightest touch to a single control panel. Buttons on the side consoles descended and arose rapidly while the instruments adjusted accordingly to the pilot. It was as if the mobile suit was possessed, piloted by numerous apparitions from past battles. This of course was not the case. The telekinetic powers of the Newtype boy reached deeper and deeper into the mechanisms of the machine and controlled it. In an instant a full diagnostic of the mobile suit became raw untapped knowledge to Ciel – like a book that he had read over and over time again. It was as if the boy could pilot the suit even long before he sat in the cockpit seat. The knowledge was appreciated but even Ciel was terrified to some extent as to how he knew or why he knew. He simply understood the mobile suit.
Before acting he waited with the patience of a hunter as the blue mobile suit approached from behind. It was making its way slowly across the divide in the forest towards the industrial sector. It was funny though that the suit didn't just boost its way there. This led Ciel to suspect that it was attempting to be sneaky and attack at its flank. Ciel assumed that the Gundam's pilot thought that it had taken care of these suits and could move on undetected through this sector. "Tough luck blue boy, you're in for a surprise!"
The Duality rose up from the brush and started running up past the mobile suits. Ciel waited for just the right moment to act taking care to monitor the gargantuan footsteps as they drew closer. With blitzkrieg speed Ciel pushed the throttle to full igniting the booster packs on the feet. In a simple motion the Zaku made a quick sweep kick to the Duality catching it at its shins.
"Whoa! What the!?!" Kurt exclaimed as he tried to gain control. Of course Ciel couldn't count on a physical attack to slow down the Gundam seeing as the blue mobile suit regained its balance in mid air. By the time the Duality had turned around the Zaku III was already on a collision course with the Gundam using the Zaku II as a living shield. In the heat of the moment the Duality made good use of the double shroud packs on its body and pulverized the Zaku II with multi dispersal missiles. It was a ploy plain and simple. Ciel had already circled around to the backside of the suit with beam tomahawk withdrawn. The Duality and its pilot were completely oblivious to react as the Zaku rammed them from behind throwing it off balance once again. The pilot panicked. The beam tomahawk mauled and ripped through the back of the assault shroud causing a great amount of damage to the suits ability to maneuver. The total "rape" of the mobile suit was hardly over. A backhanded fist from the ZAFT mobile suit smashed into the side of the head unit causing the pilot to lose visual temporarily. The Zaku grasped the right hand of the Duality while its other hand balanced the blunt side of the beam tomahawk against the shoulder armor. Ciel ignited the boosters and shot straight up with the right knee extended. The arms pressed down simultaneously while the flying knee kick hyper extended the Duality's arm with the sound of clashing metal. This forced the Gundam's beam rifle to be dropped all the while the pilot failed to gain a heading. Tired of playing with his pray Ciel severed the Duality's right arm with the tomahawk and kicked the Duality away.
It an act of retaliation Kurt enabled the use of the nagitana beam saber and swung around while he was still in range of the Zaku. The long sword like beam merely caught the Zaku's shield and sliced it apart off the shoulders. Ciel was quick enough to sense the enemy's next move seeing as he only needed to take a single step back. The beam tomahawk flew and divided the Dualities left arm perfectly all the way past the shoulder armor. The resulting explosion almost toppled the suit completely. Ciel wasn't out of weapons just yet as it seemed. Still clutching the forearm previously severed, the Zaku threw it spear style just before the phase shift energies left the limb. The hand of the duality wedged itself through the eyes of the Gundam's faceplate causing the pilot to go temporarily blind. In a final act that would bring the battle to a close Ciel hovered above the Duality as it tilted ready to fall from impact and thrust the left leg of the Zaku downwards. The swift kick forced the hand inwards completely crushing the Gundam's head.
The Gundam ceased moving temporarily as Ciel looked over it carefully with the eyes of a hawk. Then the chest cavity opened up and a pilot with pistol in hand walked out. The boy was hardly worth a description. He was a late teen maybe, red head, freckles, and glasses. Ciel couldn't help but laugh manically over the external speakers, which activated automatically according to Ciel's will.
"You killed those who could not fight back without a second thought." Ciel's voice struck a terrible chord in the Gundam pilot's soul. He had acted out of his ruthless nature without consequence. He could be a bastard, or maybe that's just how wars went. The battle of the minds continued onward.
"What is your excuse?" Ciel interrogated.
The defeated pilot's eyes lit up with fury.
"You dirty Coordinator!"
"Correction: I am a Newtype, end correction," Ciel said allowing himself to play the smart ass.
That sent the pilot over the edge. He fired his pistol until empty and useless. If Ciel had the time he'd entertain himself by telling the man that this was his first time piloting a mobile suit. In knowing that information the Gundam pilot would have killed himself or just had a mental breakdown.
"Come down here and fight on my playing field! Man to man!" Kurt hollered.
Ciel un-strapped himself from his seat and opened the cockpit door. He emerged a terrible omen with diamond white hair dressed in trappings of black. Ciel held the top hatch and smiled a smile that invited resolution.
"If you wish to die, then I'm game,"
Kurt had second thoughts.
An agitated sense caught Ciel just in time before he would recklessly drop down to go into close quarters. There were two others, one unit was quite a distance away, and another unit not too far behind the Duality. By now the other approaching teammates noticed that the Duality had been lost on radar and were moving in to investigate. Ciel turned back into the suit and closed the door behind him.
"I'll have to take a rain check on your request," Ciel said moving the Zaku to boost up and away. Kurt stomped uncontrollably like a child in a tantrum.
Just as the Zaku took to the air a massive beam struck the ground and melted the surrounding soil into glass. The Unlimited had just barely missed its mark. Ciel maneuvered around to face the west while getting used to the hallow feeling in his stomach. The Unlimited fired a volley of shots to confuse Ciel but failed to get that reaction. The shots only nicked the outer layers of armor leaving the machine practically unharmed as it darted across the sky. Ciel retrieved the buster cannon off of the equipment hook placed on the back and aimed carefully. The scope was so limited in range that the image blurred on the screen. For a regular pilot this shot would have been impossible, for Ciel it was as clear as the truth itself.
Back in the residential areas farthest from the action the Unlimited's target lock-warning signal blared occasionally as the lock was lost and then found again.
"This little mosquito thinks it can hit me from half way across the colony!" Emma roared laughing almost uncontrollably. Her laughter ended in a green light that pierced the cockpit and cooked her from the inside out. Her molecular structure unzipped and melted into a mesh of core components that would hardly be recognized at all. In a fleeting moment of carelessness and impossibility the Unlimited exploded and took with it an entire neighborhood block as a result. The zoom on the scope reversed as the fire in Ciel's eyes continued to burn with increasing ferocity.
In a lightning swift reaction from out of the trees a hoard of projectiles shot unyielding towards the Zaku. Ciel's concentration had been on the Unlimited for too long which let his perceptions of the Lilith Gundam to go unnoticed. No way of escaping some damage. Ciel shot straight up into the air, which saved the body from being pierced by the pin missiles. The legs of the suit were not as fortunate. The internal motors exploded sending the Zaku out and away without any control over direction.
Ciel grabbed the throttle and abandoned the use of the foot pedals. At just the right moment when the Zaku's body tilted towards the southeast Ciel fired to boosters to full power and rocketed towards the industrial section. Luckily the shipyard had remained unscathed by the conflict thus far. The decent of the Zaku was severe and the crippled mobile suit had little chance of operating successfully at all. The shipyard consisted of various barracks or hangars the circled the central support column of the PLANT while the shipping decks remained closer to the factories. There was little hope for the mobile suit now that its power was practically on empty. Ciel shoved the right shoulder forward just as it slammed down on a runway leading to a collision course with a pair of hangars that appeared vacant. He could only hope that what was behind the doors of the hangar wasn't explosive. Sparks flew as the speed decreased with distance towards the metal structures just ahead. Unfortunately the fluctuation of speed made no difference to the hangar walls. The Zaku III's head was crushed on impact while the sturdy body made it clean through to hangar. All motion ceased.
Before the Zaku lost all functioning capabilities Ciel propped the suit on its left arm and opened the cockpit. Grabbing the satchel bag from under the seat he dove out of the suit unsuspecting and ran clear of the wreckage. The Zaku was officially useless and attaining it from its former pilot was pure shit out of luck. Fortunately Ciel's luck did not end at the hangar. A large cargo bed – mobile suit sized – was parked near the central area between the mobile suit cages on each side of the walls.
Running away from the crash he spied a ladder for getting up and onto the bed of the carrier. The metal was slightly warm to the touch as he climbed. He figured that it must have been the vents of the truck but he was deathly wrong. A mobile suit hand colored in a pale gray laid sprawled out to his left while the body remained unmoving. Ciel's heart leapt in a mixture of joy, horror, and awe as he ran up the side of the arm.
Before him was a mobile suit colored a gray ash. Its majesty echoed the centuries before, in the now, and what was to come in the legends that would be born. Breathtaking and stunning the suit seemed so perfect and so clean cut that it seemed almost a shame to put it through combat. Ciel refused to hesitate – his friends could be in serious danger if what he heard at the monorail station was correct. He stood upon the body's torso and lifted a small indented switch that opened up the cockpit in two equal sections. Just as before the teenage boy jumped right on in unsure of the things that were to follow.
Ciel pressed the ignition key and watched as the cockpit door closed while every screen lit up on command. Once strapped in the console booted showing the program operation system. Again, Ciel's power manipulated switches and buttons on the panels in front and beside him automatically.
ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance for Freedom Treaty) Ver. 5.556 proc-801 C.E 107
Gundam
Unit supportive
Negation
Defense
Automation
Matrix
Gundam: P.A.W.N(Personal, All-Range, Weapon, Neutralization) Strike.
As the body of the mobile suit shuffled and the metal restraints moaned, the Gundam's eyes flooded with a beryl green light…