All good things...
Chapter 1
She looked at him and then made a decision in a split-second. She grabbed him and pulled him into the bathroom. The knocking was going to a pounding on the door as she stripped down to nothing and wet her hair. Athrun was a gentleman and looked away as she did this, she at least grabbed a towel and answered the door.
"Yes?.." She looked innocently to the armed guards.
"We're looking for..."
"What are doing answering the door like that?" Lunamaria Hawk looked pointedly to her sister.
"I thought they were going to break down the door." Meyren looked to her sister. Luna then looked angrily to the armed guards. She closed the door and fell to the floor looking exhausted.
"Thanks, I owe you." He put a robe on her. "Why did you do it?" He looked questioningly at her.
"I don't know..." She had uncertainty in her voice. He started to walk away, but she took hold of his ankle and had a look of 'take me with you' on her face. "Let me get dressed and help you out...I'll hack in and set up a way out…" 'I'll go with you...and ensure in my own way that we'll live.'
She dressed quickly and got to her terminal, after a few minutes of the sound of fingers tapping keys she smiled.
"What did you do?" Athrun looked to her.
"There's a big hole in their radar...and I got a GOUF ready, all we have to do is get to it." She turned out her light and opened her window.
"Alright...lets get to our ride." He followed her out the window.
xXx
Hine had a look of shock on his face as he heard the name of the traitor. He couldn't believe it and he knew Lunamaria would be broken by this as well. It was the name of the second traitor that would do it. He then started looking for Luna to break the bad news. 'It's impossible...Athrun would never work for LOGOS...and the Chairman saying he did this...I've fought beside him, lost beside him...and Meyren! She is an innocent!' Hine found Rey with a rifle. 'I'll steer him in another direction.'
"I got a report saying he got out. He's trying to get ahold of a fighter." Hine looked seriously to Rey.
"Then we need to get to the air strip quick before he takes off!" Rey ran with Hine out the door.
'Sucker...'
xXx
She looked to him and nodded.
"When I get the car, jump in." She looked to him and finally felt that she was doing the right thing. She got into a car and drove to where Athrun was. He jumped in and hunkered down out of sight. The ride was quiet to the hanger where the new models was stored. As they got to the GOUF, Athrun turned to Meyren to try to dissuade her from going with him. But she pushed him on the lift and hit the control to go up to the cockpit of the blue close-combat monster.
"Meyren...you don't have to get anymore involved..."
"...I left a hole in the system you could drive a large truck though... They know it was me. I was on the Minerva because of the things I can do with computers..." She looked at him sadly as he booted up the GOUF's systems. He nodded and had a serious look on his face. The alarms blared as he took off from the base, engine's straining as he did a nape of the earth to avoid the AWAC's.
xXx
As the ZAFT soldiers searched futility for the fugitives on the base, Chairman Durandal was in his darkened office with a stoic look on his face, but inside he was worried. 'he wasn't supposed to react like that...what changed him?' He was deep in thought when Talia Gladys, Captain of the Minerva, walked in.
"What. have. you. done." She looked at him frostily.
"What had to be done." He looked calmly at her. She did an about-face and walked out of the office.
"Then I will have to do what I do." She had a sad tone in her voice.
xXx
Onboard the Minerva ZAFT Intelligence was grilling Lunamaria. Hine was outside the door with a worried look on his face. He then saw the intelligence specialists leave and Shinn walk in to help her out.
"Where do you think they'll go?" Shinn looked to Hine.
"The Archangel." He said with certainty. Anger clouded Shinn's mind as he thought about that ship. "I've shot it down, there's no way they're still alive...but wherever they go...they have the right to explain themselves."
"Do they?" Rey looked to the trio.
"Yes, they do." Hine looked pointedly at him.
"The laws that the council comes up with says so. So we have to give them a chance." Hine had frost in his tone.
"The law also says that traitors need to be shot." Rey walked off with purpose in his stride.
"After a trial." Hine emphasized. That stopped Rey.
"What the Chairman says is correct. He is always right." Rey stalked off.
"Now Shinn...don't make up your mind yet. Hear both sides first." Hine walked away leaving Shinn to his thoughts. 'Enemy...Traitor? Friend...ally...'
xXx
The Gouf walked onto the landing dock of the Archangel, Kira waiting in the pilots lounge as the crew secured the blue machine.
"Well, is this the new machine they assigned ya?" Chief Murdock had a joking look on his face.
"Not exactly..." Athrun smiled as he used the zip cord to lower both him and Meyren down.
"What happened?" Kira looked at him and then to Meyren.
"I didn't respond to the chairman how I should've." He looked seriously to Kira.
"I see."
"I helped him. I felt it was the right thing to do." Meyren walked beside Athrun with a quiver in her voice.
"Good. Sometimes we all need help." Kira said lightheartedly.
"Is Cagalli here?"
"Yes. But she is busy trying to get her country back." Kira looked down.
"It got that bad?" Athren looked serious.
"Lets just say that Yuna Roma Seiran is in deep shit when she gets ahold of him." Kira smiled. Meiren was watching the conversation and had a revelation.
"You're the pilot of the Freedom." She just looked at him with awe.
"Yes, I was. But now till I get a new machine...I'll be on the sidelines..." Kira looked at her.
"So he beat you that badly?" Athrun looked at Kira.
"With him I guess I'll change tactics."
"Shinn is very focused, and very, very angry." Athren looked knowingly.
xXx
Meer looked to where the chairman was and looked down, Athrun's words replayed in her head, and a very cold realization came to pass. 'I'm just a pawn, the real Lacus is a queen...he'll use me to kill her...' She knew she had to get away, but the question was how?
"So to ensure what I have said is clear to all, I ask that Heaven's Base surrender. Think of your families that you'll leave behind if you chance by going into battle, fighting for a few people that has never cared for your welfare." The words were sweet coming from the Chairman of the Plants. "I'm calling for you to see reason and hand over Lord Djibril and the rest of LOGOS."
When the camera was turned off one of his military advisors looked to him.
"Would you like my honest opinion sir?"
"I would welcome it."
"I don't think they'll surrender. They might just fight even harder just to prove you wrong." The man in the black uniform had a serious expression.
"Then this is my order. Disable if possible, destroy if necessary." He looked to them and his advisors saluted.
"Yes sir." Durandal smiled and nodded back.
xXx
Athren looked across the table to his new eating companion. How the dark red hair flowed down to compliment the now white t-shirt, grey sweat pants and how she passed him another coffee.
"I'm still a little confused...why did you help me?" He looked into her jade eyes.
"...It was the right thing to do...It felt right…" She looked down and blushed.
"They look so cute together…" Kira looked down on the two in the lounge.
"I hope Cagalli will stay busy for a while." Murrue looked at him.
"She'll be happy once she's roasting Seiran...How is the new machine coming along?" Kira looked to her questioningly.
"We're lucky we are on the ocean floor...and that our machine shop is just that good. We've discovered a new metal…or I should say rediscovered." She hands him a clipboard.
"These stats accurate?" Kira looked astonished.
"Yes. It was thought to be all mined out. But down here on the ocean floor we found enough of it to construct two suits."
"Lets do a remake on the model Athrun brought to us." Kira looked to his friend.
"That's one of the models we're doing. But they'll have to strengthen the core of the suit." Murrue looked at him.
"Since its a mass production model it still has holes that can be filled." Kira looked like he was dreaming up designs.
"The only problem is processing the raw ore, thats why we started on the rebuild of the GOUF. It will give us a machine we can use right away." Murrue looked back to Athrun and Meyrin.
"It will be a lot heavier than what he's used to." Kira looked to the clipboard again.
"Limited flight, but with the reinforced whip, it shouldn't be a problem." Murrue giggled when she saw Athrun blush. "She'll fit right in, don't you think?"
"Yeah." Kira smiled.
xXx
Durandal looked calm as he gave his speech to the camera, his words touched with emotion and his eyes showing sincerity. Meer stood near him like a good little puppet, and read off the script she was shown 3 hours beforehand, her photographic memory was that good.
"Friends, we need to break down the barriers between us, to stop all this fighting between us. I beseech you and all of the governments on the earth sphere." Meer had that hopeful look on her face, inside she torn with realization. 'if I don't do as he says...I'm dead...' The conversation she had with Athrun replayed in her head. Hine looked at Rey as he stared in rapture at the words being spoken.
xXx
Lacus looked up from a report when Andrew Waltfeld floated in and sat down.
"Did you listen to his speech?"
"I did. He is saying all the right things, but his actions are saying another thing." She sat down across from him.
"I know that you miss him, and he misses you too. That's why when we drop the pod, you'll be going with." He smiled at her shocked expression.
"But-"
"No buts..." The one eyed commander just looked at her. "Besides, I bet he'll enjoy the visit."
"I know he worries...as do you. But we'll need to finish this in space. I have a sinking feeling that to end this Durandal will have something up his sleeve."
"Every leader always has a big stick somewhere...I'll ask some friends if they have heard of anything."
"I'll talk to our new friends..." She got up and floated out of the room.
"Now to important matters...mixing in some colombian with the italian? Or maybe some more of the african...decisions, decisions..."
xXx
Lord Djibril looked at the reports from his comfortable office. 'So...we only have five extended left, including the one from Phantom Pain...They'll man the DESTROY's. I do like having that ace up my sleeve...but the problems with those large doors are worth it if I can get off one good shot.' He looked up and he found a ensign standing there with some papers.
"Sir. I have something for you to sign."
"Yes, what is it?" He snatched the papers and read them. "Neo was captured...and by the Archangel no less. And with the report of that ship being destroyed, it's no use weeping over him. Consider him KIA." He notated the document and then signed it.
"Yes sir." The ensign turned to leave.
"And one more thing, have a shuttle ready just in case things go bad here." Lord Djibril gave a hard look.
"Yes sir, for you and the other LOGOS members." He saluted and left the opulent office.
'Fools...I'm the important one here...and if I stay alive, the hope for the world stays alive.' The hateful noble stared at the TV as the Chairman of the Plants and Lacus Clyne each gave their speeches.
"For our blue and pure world..." He whispered.
xXx
The Chairman sat on the bridge of the Minerva with a small smile on his face. Talia just sat in her chair with a dark look on her features. The other black uniformed aides stood or sat around, each looking with anticipation. 'Here begins the new world.' Durandal nodded to the radio specialist and blonde opened a channel.
"To all of LOGOS forces, this is your last chance to survive. We will give you six hours to reply, if you do not reply within the time period given, we will take your silence as your willingness to fight us, but we will give quarter."
Talia just glared at him, but he just sat there with a knowing smile.
The people that made up LOGOS sat or stood nervously when the message was broadcast. Each of their thoughts being made clear as they looked to the soldiers around them.
"It's no matter. All of the soldiers here are loyal. Aim for the Minerva." Lord Djibril ordered.
The ensign saluted and left to give the orders to the radio man.
"I hope your right Djibril..." The elderly LOGOS member whispered.
xXx
Shinn waited in the hanger pilots lounge, a grim look on his face. Rey walked in and noticed, but Luna looked afraid. 'It's been three weeks since...the traitor got away...I will get revenge for Meyren.' Shinn looked to Luna and his features softened. 'I promise.' Rey looked to them and made a grunt.
"Listen up, more than likely we'll be facing multiple mobile armours and DESTROY's, so don't get distracted." He looked to Shinn. 'We need good...bait.'
"I'll back you guys up in the IMPULSE..." She looked to Shinn.
"These are soldiers of LOGOS, the Chairman will give mercy to those that surrender, but for those that still fight...we need to wipe those people out." Rey looked hard to his other two pilots.
"Alright...I'll get the DESTROY's, those weapons should've never been built." A memory of Stella came to his mind. 'I promise you Stella, I will avenge you as well by killing Lord Djibril.'
"We're waiting five more hours...then we get justice." Rey looked to the other two pilots with conviction.
"And then...we'll have peace." Luna looked to Shinn and smiled.
xXx
Athrun looked up to the new model of GOUF. Instead of it being a blue it was the shade of very dull iron. Everything seemed the same, but he knew something was off.
"Kid, that armour and extra flight boosters added extra weight." Chief Murdock patted him on the back.
"How much weight?" Athrun looked to the mechanic.
"About...give or take seventeen tons. We also upgraded the power plant and the joint motors...even the hydraulics, you won't be able to fly. But you'll be able to jump. In space the weight won't matter. Think about it like this: The unstoppable force meets the immovable object." The chief smiled at the confused look on Athruns face.
"So...beam weaponry...as well as other weaponry won't be able to penetrate the armour?" Meyren had a thoughtful look.
"You got it in one guess. Now we don't have enough for the other suit, but we can always make shields." Murdock smiled.
"Athren...get in. I need to see what the computer specs are." Meyren looked to him and he went to the lift, taking her along with.
"Let me see…" Athrun went to work on the OS and she just looked over his shoulder.
"Thats wrong, you'll need to set the pressure higher if you want more speed." She pointed it out.
"More weight means more thrust to get it off the ground...gotcha." Athren reset the hydraulics.
"Bring the voltage up on the whip, most of ZAFT's mass production models aren't shielded, you'll switch the breakers for sure." She looked at him as he shook his head.
"I don't want to fry the pilot, and upping that would do just that...if they were in a mass production model. But I'll have a setting for the LEGEND and the DESTINY." He saw her smile.
Then he saw her get to work on the OS by sitting in his lap.
'Change neuro-linkage...switch the ion pump...boost the performance of the jump jets by 180%, not enough for sustained flight but good for a jump...reset targeters...and done.' she was proud of her work, but then she realized why her seat felt warm.
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't be." Athren smiled at her as she finally felt his arms around her waist.
"I just...want you to be safe…"
"With what you did...I will be." His breath on her neck made her skin tingle, slowly she leaned in and kissed him. Cagalli looked from the catwalk and just smiled. 'I guess I don't have to be worried...he'll be taken care of.' She put the ring that was on her finger in her pocket. She shed a few tears as she left the hangar bay.
xXx
A/n: Yes, I know, so many unfinished stories...but this one I had cooking since 2007. I started it, but nothing seemed to sound right. Don't expect fast updates, but the reviews with a few ideas will always help. Thank you for your time.