Shinn destroys… everything, really.
His eyes were stuck to the screen.
"Shinn… he's not trying to kill you – Shinn – open your eyes! HE'S NOT TRYING TO KILL YOU!!" he called, as if he could be heard miles away. His heart raced and his eyes widened – he didn't want to miss a thing of anything that meant everything to him. "Kira's not attacking!" He grabbed the screen from both sides and kept watching, rarely blinking.
"You do know he can't hear you out there, don't you?" Rey said.
"STOP, SHINN!"
Rey watched Athrun, amused, deciding that Athrun either didn't hear him or completely ignored him.
"Athrun?" Luna-Maria tried.
Athrun's brows frowned in intense concentration.
Luna-Maria and Rey exchanged looks before she approached Athrun and touched his arm. "Athrun?"
There was no sign of a response from Athrun. Instead, he took a step back , crossed his arms and kept watching, shaking his head once and sometimes gasped softly as destruction neared almost a heartbeat away.
"ArchAngel is submerging!" Rey observed. "If they want to rid of it, they better do it NOW!"
Athrun turned to him.
"What are you saying, Rey? ArchAngel is not the enemy!"
"Look around you, Athrun! ArchAngel is the enemy right now!"
"No!"
They jumped at Luna-Maria's shriek and turned to watch IMPULSE almost get hit by a missile from ArchAngel.
FREEDOM was still fighting IMPULSE hard, avoiding the ship and blocking all attacks towards it.
Athrun's eyes widened. "Not the cockpit…" He approached the screen again. "Not the cockpit! NOT THE COCKPIT! SHINN!"
And then… Athrun felt the air punched out of him as IMPULSE's sword went through FREEDOM's cockpit and both GUNDAM and ship submerged. A moment later, with a huge explosion, they were no more. All the time, unblinking, he watched. Athrun watched Shinn destroy… everything.
Luna-Maria and Rey watched Athrun.
He gasped. "What have you done… Shinn… What have you done…"
"His job," Rey said, leaving the lounge. Athrun didn't flinch, on a different level of consciousness as his eyes seemed almost diluted.
"Ki…ra…" Athrun's hand went up to clutch at his heart and stayed there. "Sweet… innocent… Kira…"
He stepped closer to the screen in a choke and touched where the explosion's aftermath kept the waterline unsettled.
"I couldn't… protect you… like I promised… I'm a horrible person."
With a silent tear, Athrun left the pilots' lounge.
Luna-Maria watched where Athrun stood only a few seconds before then looked up to the screen where Shinn was approaching, elated.
"Shinn Asuka… I think you just ruined a wonderful partnership, destroyed a hope… and made a deadly enemy."
She watched a few seconds more then snapped out and went to the MS hangers.
"Rey," Shinn said, pausing in front of Rey and Luna-Maria.
"Shinn, good work," Rey said, extending his hand.
Shinn brightened and shook it. "What did you think?"
"You did well."
Shinn looked around for a second.
"I advise you to avoid him for a while, Shinn," Luna-Maria said, noticing.
Shinn looked at her. "I have to tell him about what happened. It is, after all, my duty."
Rey looked into Shinn's eyes. "Shinn, I know how much you'd like to, but perhaps Luna-Maria is right this time."
"It is my duty," he said arrogantly and left.
"I don't understand why he dislikes Athrun so much."
"Why shouldn't he?" Rey replied, following Shinn to be there to prevent any blood-spill.
"You too, Rey," she said to no one in particular.
Shinn walked into the pilots' changing room and saw Athrun there. He mentally grinned. Athrun was changing into his pilot suit.
"Did you see?" he asked.
Athrun paused and looked at him. "See what?"
"The FREEDOM and ArchAngel go down."
"Oh." He resumed suiting up. "Yes."
Shinn kept watching him.
"And?"
Athrun's eyebrow went up. "And what?"
"What do you think?"
He paused and looked at Shinn for a moment then chuckled and resumed. Shinn waited, not understanding Athrun's behavior. Athrun locked his locker and walked around Shinn to the exit.
"Where are you going-" he started but was silenced by Athrun's hand on his shoulder.
"-Bloody brilliant."
Shinn's eyes widened in surprise and he turned abruptly to Athrun's retreating form. The door hissed shut between them.
"Athrun!" Luna-Maria exclaimed, approaching.
He stopped and turned.
"Have you seen Shinn yet? Please don't do anything bad when you do – he's naïve and –"
"Don't you salute your superiors anymore?"
She stopped and blinked.
"Shinn will be promoted. You should get used to the idea of saluting him too."
"He is?"
"Of course he is. Don't you know how ZAFT works?" he said with an unsettling chuckle.
Luna-Maria watched Athrun Zala's retreating form in wonder, as if with every stop he took, the air he left behind rumbled.
He went into the pilots' waiting lounge and relaxed on the couch, watching Aegis staring back at him through the window to the hangars.
"Your favorite playmate is gone, Aegis. It's time to destroy." He snorted. "Twisted, isn't it? He was afraid of being left alone – being left behind was his greatest fear... and now he's the one to leave."
He kept watching the GUNDAM which seemed, though absurd, to agree with him.
The screen went on.
"Athrun."
He turned and stood to salute. "Lord Dullindal."
"See me in my quarters – now."
"I'm the only pilot on call that's present, sir."
"It doesn't matter. Come now."
Athrun saluted. "Yes, sir."
Athrun shrugged when the screen went off and left the lounge, nodding to Aegis before entering the elevator.
"Athrun," he heard as soon as he entered. He saluted, noticing the other pilots.
"Is this a meeting?"
"You may call it an intervention. However, I need to know your view before going on."
Athrun kept silent, his expression not changing.
"Your comrades have observed drastic changes most evident since the downfall of ArchAngel." Athrun tried not to flinch but had no idea how badly he failed. "I understand you knew the crew." Athrun kept silent. "The main reason you are here right now is to answer this: Athrun Zala, as a professional, do you believe that you are fit to pilot on ZAFT's elite ZALA TEAM?"
"Absolutely."
"Very well, matter settled."
The others looked at him in shock.
"My questioning was for your welfare and nothing else. Dismissed."
Athrun nodded, saluted and left, briefly hearing protests before walking away with an almost silent snort.
"Captain!"
"Calm down, Shinn."
"But…"
"There's nothing to worry about."
Athrun returned to the pilots' lounge and resumed his position on the couch. "I'm back."
Meanwhile, Shinn was storming to his and Rey's quarters. He went in and basically yanked his clothes off and threw them onto his chair. He changed into his shorts and t-shirt before lying down and closing his eyes, completely missing Rey's entrance.
"You should concentrate on things other than Athrun Zala, he's a very unhealthy addiction."
Shinn's eyes shot open and then closed again. "I'm not thinking of Zala."
"What were you thinking about?"
"About how he is annoyingly unpredictable!"
"Is that so?" Rey said, making it sound more like a statement.
They sat in silence.
"I can't believe the captain trusts him so much!"
A few seconds later, Rey spoke, "He's a good asset."
"Are you siding-"
"I'm not supporting empowering Athrun Zala that much, but I do understand his power, though not his motives."
"His power, Rey?"
"You haven't seen him in proper combat, Shinn. Neither of us can judge. Remember, this is the soldier who brought peace before."
"He's a worn out-" Shinn started to scream before the screen went on and the captain came on.
"Rey, report to the pilots' lounge on standby."
Rey saluted and nodded. "On my way, captain."
"Use your time off wisely, Shinn. Good luck, Rey."
The screen went off.
"Don't pop too many brain cells, you might need them in the next battle," Rey said as he left.
"You, my friend, are not funny, and whoever lead you to believe so, is delusional."
Rey flipped him off as the door hissed shut.
Shinn stuck his tongue out.
Hours later, Athrun was within Aegis' cockpit, looking back at the captain when the screen blinked to the bridge.
"Did you have anything to do with the new orders?"
"Do you doubt them?"
"I don't doubt their efficiency."
"Then why is it important whose mind they came from?"
"Just so I can respect their judgment more in the future."
Athrun smiled, slightly, as the screen came on from the launching crew.
"Commander Zala, we have reached the highlighted zone."
He nodded and overrode the pilots' screens. "The mission is touch-base-and-leave. No firing permitted. If you cannot follow that simple order, abandon mission and return to ship. Understood?"
Rey nodded from his side.
"Any breach of order will have dire consequences, such as being terminated in combat. Is that clear?" he paused. "Any questions?"
"This seems to be a maneuvering mission. Why not Shinn? We both know he's the better pilot."
"Shinn is the best pilot – who will shoot anything in his way down. I have no use for an emotional pilot right now."
The GUNDAMS started their move into the launching pads.
Rey's brows frowned.
"That's not accurate."
"I'm on a timed mission – don't waste my time."
"Commander Athrun Zala, Aegis, prepare for launch."
The bridge powered on, drawing all shreds of doubt out of Athrun's mind.
"Aegis, coding exit in three, two-"
"Athrun Zala, heading out!"
"-one, launch."
The doors opened just as Athrun hit the accelerators and blasted into open space.