Rock Bottom:
Seeds Sown Under the Earth's Crust
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, All Names, places and characters relating to Gundam Seed belong to Sunrise, All original names, places and characters belong to me.
Two centuries have passed since the events of 'Gundam Seed' and now, a boy named Kira must survive in a cruel world that hates his very existence, simply for being different… Rated M for; abuse, violence, explicit themes and content etc. K/L
Author's Notes: It appears that no one has managed to find my story 'Rock Bottom' (Rated M in the Misc Xovers category, so read this and if you like it, go check 'Rock Bottom' which is primarily a Gundam seed/final fantasy VIII crossover (with a few other anime/final fantasy characters thrown in.) before you read this, be warned. This story may take a while to get in and even introduce the main protagonists. Just give it a chance, even if it seems a little too political. The 'teen angst' element will come in later.
Episode I: Sowing the Seeds of Crisis
Cosmic Era 270:Two centuries have passed since the events of the first 'Bloody Valentine War' and in this time, the overwhelming conflicts between Earth Alliance and ZAFT have been both numerous and ferocious, separated by brief periods of peace. The endless fighting has ravaged and destroyed the land, as well as putting a tremendous strain on the economy of each nation... At last, the endless cycle of warfare came to an end only after the extermination of the Coordinator.
Phase 01 – Calm Before the Storm
United Earth Nations Headquarters, Washington, Atlantic Federation Capital, North America
A man dressed up in an expensive suit – consisting of White shirt, White trousers, Pastel blue blazer and a pastel green tie, stood outside the large building. He had clear blue eyes and slicked back blonde hair.
He wore an arrogant smirk on his face. If they thought this was punishment, they were sorely mistaken. By the time he got out of here, the entire house-of-representatives would be eating out of his naturally well-crafted hands.
Even after the extermination of mankind's life-long enemy, unrest remained to envelop the universe and even without the existence of those… space monsters, the power of corruption would always reign supreme… just as it always had, since humankind first began organizing itself into social groups.
The man repeatedly reminded himself of the fact that he belonged here. This golden opportunity had been granted to him as a reward for his excellent work to benefit the future of earth… the preservation of a blue and pure world.
This opportunity presented before him was a reward… not that he believed in God or any mystical force such as destiny. After all, he was atheist and proud of it. He laughed. It began as a silent amused snicker, but then grew in volume. There he stood, laughing like a lunatic in public.
"The true colour is green" he said slyly. After regaining his composure, he noticed a stray strand of hair hanging over his forehead. He raised his index finger and thumb to the strand and enclosed them around a single hair. Without another single thought crossing the complexities of his mind, he swiftly plucked the hair from his scalp and examined it in the sunlight.
The hair was such a colour that it seemed almost invisible, camouflaged against the backdrop of perfect clear-blue cloudless sky. He tossed the hair away and it fell to the ground with no breeze to carry it away. The man smirked once more. He belonged here.
Politics ran in the blood of his family, ever since that day, when that man – the pioneer of his family, a few called him… when he was unfairly killed by that ship full of coordinator-loving traitors… all those years ago… centuries ago… ancient history, some would say…
The man's thoughts were pushed aside by the sight of a small black dog walking merely towards him. The dog stopped at the man's feet and sat down, panting from the heat in the summer sun.
Looking up at the man, the dog barked. "Ruff!" it said.
"What?" the man asked.
"Ruff!" the dog repeated.
"Well, you're an ugly mutt, aren't you?"
"Ruff!" the dog replied. It tilted its head to the side.
The man laughed. "Dumb animal" he remarked.
The dog stood up and the man looked away in the direction of the large white building, the location in which his hearing was due to begin later.
He looked back down in time to see the dog cocking its leg. The man narrowed his eyes in disgust as he felt the dog's warm liquid excretions running down his ankle.
"Uhh!" he said, shaking the urine from his leg "you Disgusting Mongrel!"
"Ruff, Ruff Ruff!"
"Filthy bastard" he said. He kicked the dog hard, causing it to land in the gutter. The dog stood to its feet, shaking it off. After a sideways glance at the man, the dog hurried away… strait into the steam of traffic. The man smirked once more at the commotion he had caused.
"Well… it was your own fault, after all. Wasn't it?" He laughed at the foolish dog.
The smile on the man's face immediately faded when he heard the sound of a rowdy mob approaching. He turned to see who it was and felt the hatred swell up inside him. It was a tour group, most likely a school field trip.
His loathing of the Coordinator menace was great but almost equally great was his loathing for snot-faced, spoiled-rotten children.
The man was approached by the large group.
"Wow!" exclaimed the overly-energetic tour guide. "You picked a great day today; do you see that man there?"
The question was greeted with murmurs.
"Well, you may just see more of him later today" the tour guide explained. "He's going to be defending himself in an important hearing this afternoon. Isn't that right…? Mister Azrael."
The man grinned once more. "Why yes it is. You kids are in for a real treat… and rest assured, I feel just as much at home in a debate with politicians in peacetime as I do while in command of a battle in wartime."
The man looked at all the faces in the crowd. Some met his gaze with admiration, while others held blank expressions. One or two seemed angry for some unknown reason.
"Well, I have some time to kill" the man said. "Perhaps I can join you on the tour. I haven't been here for a while…"
"Oh… o-of c-course you can" the tour guide answered, a little too eagerly. It seemed she was overly-excited at having someone whom she adored and worshiped as a hero following her on a guided tour. For her, it was like a dream-come-true.
"Good. Oh… and by the way, I certainly hope you have revised for this little job you have been assigned… because I will certainly be taking note, even if none of these students are."
"Yes, of-of course."
"Well, the gates are now open, I see. Shall we go in?" the man asked. He was greeted by a rather nasty look by an early-teenage boy. "Yes? Can I help you with something?" he asked. He spoke in a pleasant voice but his tone was full of his usual arrogance.
"You're not so special. Just a murderer, nothing more" the boy said "what's so special about that? You're just an intollerent murderer!"
"Better to be a murderer than a snot-nosed little bastard, don't you think?" the man answered coolly.
"Ah… May we continue on in?" the guide asked.
"But of course" the man answered, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him. "Go right on ahead. Ladies first and all that… you know?"
The tour guide walked first, heading strait for the entrance of the building. The blonde man walked directly behind her and the tour group walked behind him… although most of them seemed to purposefully keep their distance from the two adults, either through lack of interest or general dislike of the tall blonde man.
The tour guide stood still when she reached the door to the building. She touched her hand to her face and brushed a few strands of crimson hair away from her eyes. She turned around to address the students… then she saw the blonde man watching her, seemingly with interest.
Their eyes met… the guide looked away; she could feel her face growing warm.
"Do I… do I know you? Have we met before?" the blonde man asked.
"Oh… no, at least… not personally" the guide answered.
"I see."
"…but I… I've been closely following your career. You could say… you could say I'm a fan" she was still looking anywhere but at the man.
The blonde man laughed, causing the guide to blush once more.
"Oh, don't get the wrong idea."
"What?"
"I wasn't laughing at you, it's just… I was wondering."
The guide looked back towards the man.
"Could I have your… name and number?"
"What?" the guide asked, her cheeks were now turning the same shade as her hair, which hung down behind her, below her shoulders.
"Hey hey hey… relax, would you? My intentions are purely professional."
"Oh… yes, of course." The guide rummaged through the pockets of her sleeveless vest to find a pen and paper. She then hastily scribbled down a number and handed over the paper.
The blonde man examined the numbers, two of them.
"The top one's my mobile number. The bottom one is… me at home."
"Hey! Can we get going?" an angry student protested.
"Oh, yes, of course. Please wait one more moment" the guide said before turning back to the blonde man. "What is this all about?" she asked him.
"Ask me later" the blonde man replied, pocketing the paper. "We'll have a nice little private chat later on, sometime in the future. Sometime… soon, well now, shall we begin the tour? Miss…"
"Oh, well… my name's Yuri… Yuri Tunshini. Are you ready mister Azrael, Ready everyone? We're going in now."
The tour guide with the flame-coloured hair pushed her swipe-card through the locking-mechanism to open the door. "The public open-house is finally open to the public" she remarked.
"How ironic" the blonde man added.
"Not really" Yuri – the tour guide responded. She led the group into the main lobby.
"Alright everyone… that's the first part of the tour over, I think" Yuri said to the group. "We can stop for a break, but first… This is Gallery two. Located in this room are two coffee machines. If you walk strait in that direction" she said, pointing her arm in said direction, "you will come across two public bathrooms and the cafeteria."
Various members of the group scattered in different directions, although most simply walked toward the cafeteria.
"Ah, we all meet back here in half an hour" Yuri said, using a loud voice once more. Having no knowledge of vocal techniques, her throat was getting hoarse. She was desperately in need of a break, and a drink… of anything, anything whatsoever. "Don't be late. I really don't want to have to leave you behind, but I will if I have no other choice."
"You know, you really need to be more forceful" said a voice behind her.
Azrael was standing behind her, examining an old fossil, the ancient 'whale stone.' After all this time, it was still intact. "You can't let people walk all over you. Sometimes, you just have to be forceful and take what you want. If that means getting your hands dirty… then so be it."
"Yeah, I know…"
"Yeah, I know… I do realize that sir but…"
"But what, if you want something, then take it" Azrael said. The man talking to him was one that looked up to him as an idol. They were on the bridge of the flagship of the Atlantic Federation's seventeenth fleet – the Genesis, named after the weapon Zaft had used against the Earth Forces at the end of the First Bloody Valentine War. "Blood stained hands are still capable of holding prizes you know. Sometimes violence is the only viable option. When we get an opportunity like this, it is our duty to seize it with both hands. I'm sure you can understand that."
"Sir!" one of the petty officers in the back of the bridge spoke up. "This idea of yours, it's insane."
"This is war." Azrael answered. "Sacrifices must be made to ensure our…"
"This is a battle of conquest, not one of genocide!"
"This is a battle of survival!"
"Sir… you bigot, I can't serve under someone like you anymore." The officer pulled a pistol from the holster concealed under his blazer and pointed it at Azrael's chest.
"Well well, it seems treason is afoot."
"Shut up, you murderer, you intolerant bastard!" The officer fired his pistol.
Azrael should have died on that ship, but he survived. The man that had been talking to him earlier – commander Tunshini, took the bullet.
During the commotion this had caused, Azrael had time to draw two pistols, his own and the one belonging to Tunshini. "Treason is a crime not tolerated within the Atlantic Federation" he said, smirking. He jumped out from the safety of his dying human shield with the duel pistols, ready to execute every living soul on the ship, if need be. "Traitors must be dealt with, all traitors must die!"
With that, he began wildly shooting at anything that moved until he was completely out of ammunition and all the other officers on the bridge were dead…
Azrael looked carefully at Yuri's face. "What did you say your last name was?" he asked.
"Tunshini" she replied.
"I thought so" Azrael said. He narrowed his eyes. "Was anyone in your family involved with the military near the end of the last war? Perhaps he mentioned something about serving under me?"
Yuri nodded. "My older brother" she answered quietly.
"I see. Were you close?"
"We were."
"Do you… know what happened to him?"
"Yeah, I do.
"Oh?"
"He was killed… by his own subordinates, after you… after you sent out the order for…"
Azrael cut her off. He put his hand in his blazer inside pocket. His fingers gripped something.
"Don't you see? we have to end this now, damn it! If we don't, we'll never have peace… as long as our enemies live. Send out all reinforcements, order all Strike Genesis units to attack, send out Peacemaker forces seven through nine!"
"Sir?"
"I truly am sorry for your loss" Azrael assured her. "But his death was a necessary occurrence for my plan to succeed. You see, he protected me by sacrificing his own life, then, I was able to avenge him by taking the lives of every last traitor on the ship."
"I know what happened."
"You don't seem angry, you don't blame my actions?"
"No, he acted in the line of duty. I'd have done the same thing."
"I see… it's just too bad there aren't more people like you alive today, people who can see the big picture. Sacrifices must be made."
Yuri nodded. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked, gesturing towards one of the coffee machines.
"Coffee, huh?" Azrael said. "Actually, I feel more like a bottle of pure orange juice" he said, with narrow eyes and a grin on his face. "Can you get it?"
"…I'll get someone else to get you that" Yuri answered.
"Forget it" Azrael told her. You just passed the orange test. I should've known better than to ask you."
"Orange test?" asked Yuri, worried.
"Forget it; it's a good thing you passed. Ask someone to get you a glass or bottle of juice. When they do so, you check it. Either it contains pulp or it doesn't."
"So, pulp equals a fail… or a pass?"
"That's not the point. No matter what, they always fail. But if they do as you did, they have a scapegoat to blame."
"So, it's a trick question then."
"Not quite, although some call it that. I'm surprised. You actually are quite intelligent. I wonder why the politicians stationed you at this dead end job. Don't tell me you actually enjoy it."
"No, not particularly" Yuri answered. "Please, excuse me" she said. She then walked over to a nearby vending machine in the corner of the room.
She's already loosened up quite a bit, Azrael thought, talking to himself in his head.
Yuri returned shortly after with a can in each hand and handed one of them to Azrael. "Thanks" she said.
"What for?" asked Azrael.
"You know, just for standing here and giving me someone to talk to. I was feeling out of place with all these kids around."
"Yeah, I could sense you were overdoing it a bit this morning."
"Really?"
"Yeah, just don't try so hard from now on. You may not be able to make these kids interested in history or politics but who cares? You won't be the first to try and fail. You won't be the last either.
"So… about this trial" Yuri said.
"Hearing" Azrael corrected her.
"Whatever" Yuri said impatiently, she took a large mouthful of drink from the can she was holding. After she had swallowed it, she spoke again. "What are you accused of?"
"Oh, this and that" Azrael said. "War crimes, you know. Excessive force, attempted genocide, firing on my own soldiers…"
"What?" Yuri said, apparently enraged. "What about treason, that's a crime too! Of course you opened fire on those traitors, what choice did you have?"
"And not to mention…" Azrael added "They're trying me as a civilian. If they gave me a court martial, I'd risk the death penalty but even so, I have friends in high places in the military. As a civilian, I've got nothing."
"What's going to happen to you?"
"Well, worst case scenario… I get life. "Oh joy; I spend the rest of my life in prison."
"I may be the only one, but I just want to say that I hope you can clear your name."
"So do I… there's a chance, right."
"Well, I suppose you can think positively, go in there smiling and show them some of that famous charismatic charm of yours. That could work."
"I hope you're right. And if you are, I can get my plans underway for a very comfortable future for myself."
"Oh, great. I hope that works out."
"Yeah, just me and a handful of my closest friends."
"Well… good luck with all that."
Azrael smiled. "Thanks, of course, you're invited to come and go as you please. In the future, you won't need this worthless job to make a living. I'll have my own private paradise, somewhere where no one can question me. I'll be on top. After all, I always win. Stick with me and you'll win too. We all need allies, right."
"Yeah, it's just that… this whole thing, it makes me so mad. Why is our government full of so many weak-minded fools? It's so stupid. How can they expect you to protect the enemy, the people with guns in their hands, pointing them at your head? We were at war, they were prepared to wipe us all out and you felt the same, right?"
Azrael agreed.
"Right, that's what I thought. Wiping out all traces of the threat was the best way to end the war. When things get to that point… to the way they were, as bad as they have been for the last ten years or so, diplomatic solutions are impossible. Everyone in power, all they can do is talk big but when it comes to taking action, nothing. You were the only one to deliver."
"And yet you were the first one to offer me any kind of praise. The rest of the world treats me as some kind of monster that needs to be locked away. I've done nothing wrong. If anything, I saved the world. I protected Earth from its greatest enemy; I should be a hero but instead… forget it. Life just isn't fair. There's always someone else to steal the glory. We'd better just accept that I suppose."
"It hardly seems fair, but…"
"Never mind, I'd better ready that charisma of mine. I have to prepare myself for that oh-so important hearing of mine."
"Good luck, I hope you win."
"Thanks, so do I" Azrael said. He turned and left the room, heading towards the House of Representatives. He put up the back of his hand to wave 'good-bye' just as he was leaving Yuri's line of sight.
Yuri couldn't help but worry about the fate of the blonde man; she couldn't shake the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. She could feel it. This was not as simple as a disciplinary hearing. Something was wrong.
She shook her head, forcing the thoughts to the back of her mind as she walked to the middle of the room. "Ready everyone" she said, waving her arms to draw everybody's attention. "We will continue the tour now; gather 'round everyone. Gather 'round, we're about to leave this area and go upstairs. We may even be lucky enough to witness a debate."
There you go, the first chapter. In the next chapter, Azrael defends himself. If you have any suggestions, just put it in a review.
Thanks,
Morbid333