Chapter 7: Another Awakening
"Mother! Father!" cried a young boy at a sight of burning cars, buildings, and bodies. A few minutes ago he was dashing out towards a traffic light ready to scare his mother by walking close to the street as he usually did. Mischievous as he was, the boy never intended to do something so thoughtless as to walk out into a busy street. What he enjoyed the most of scaring his mother was the ranting his father received about not disciplining him enough to act accordingly in public.
When he reached the stoplight the boy turned around to find his mother and father quite a ways down the sidewalk. That day there was another boy there as well. He had golden hair, blue eyes, and stood about as tall as he did; a typical westerner, but kept to himself. The foreign boy was waiting to cross the street and didn't look as talkative as he was. The boy tried talking to the foreigner but received no reply, as he expected. Then he heard a scream, a female's voice, most likely his mother's. "Bomb" was the only word he heard before shouts and screams followed. After a powerful gust of wind everything went dark.
The explosion rattled the stop light enough causing it to collapse to the street. The golden haired boy grabbed him and pulled him away from it, slamming him against the front bumper of a parked car. Had the golden haired boy not grabbed him and acted as such both of them would have been blown away by the initial explosion.
The boy staggered to his feet first turning around wondering what happened. His eyes widened at the damage caused by the explosion, then at the golden haired boy.
"Dagger Three! Mizuki! Look alive! Respond! Mizuki!" it was Lunamaria calling him over the radio. She was chosen to stay behind as there were not enough operating Daggers to use. Captain Merquise, Chris, and he were the ones declared to launch to aid in the defense of Orb. Shinn thought otherwise and opted to stay out of current matters.
"Dagger Three, Mizuki Harbringer, launching!" he pushed forward his side controls.
The last operating Dagger launched from the Yamato with a brand new Aile Strike Pack. It wasn't the original blue color like the ones they came out with, but none of them were complaining. It had a plain gray color scheme being equipment Orb supplied for them. As Mizuki's Dagger took to the air he found Chris and Captain Merquise well on their way towards the battle. It didn't take long for him to catch the other two but even the two minutes it took felt like hours.
"Box off the hostile and keep it towards the mainland. It'll have no where to run if we keep it near Orb's base," said the captain.
"Who is that?" Chris questioned as they neared the battle. Mizuki also wondered who it was as the white blur stopped for a brief moment. It looked as though it had similar designed parts to the blue AC, but it looked different somehow. Maybe it was how thin the arms and legs looked but it looked lighter, possibly a bit more aerodynamic as well. It held two rifles just like the blue AC, but different models. It also didn't support anything on its wide shoulders. From what he could tell the entire Next was colored white for the majority of the machine with black on its joints in in-between the armor.
"It's a Next," Mizuki said, "no doubt about it, it's White Glint."
"Very good observation Lieutenant Harbringer," the captain said almost mocking Mizuki.
"Looks like it's on our side," Chris said.
Off in the distance the two Nexts battled it out against one another. The speed at which they fought was incredible compared to the sluggish performance the Daggers put out. They appeared to be as blurs to the untrained eye. It made Mizuki wonder if their intervention would do more harm than good if they were to help White Glint, but a better question would be why they would find White Glint at Orb of all places. All the intelligence they held on White Glint still labeled the pilot as an active mercenary.
"We should reconsider this decision captain," said a voice from the control room.
"This would put Orb in a bad spot, I understand," Captain Merquise acknowledged, "but it's just wrong to sit by and watch as the same Next that tore us apart, tear Orb apart."
"But sir, if we help Orb their neutral stance won't be taken as such. Having Federation soldiers aid in their affairs? We weren't even supposed to be here in the first place."
"Prepare to tell command that this was a gesture of good will. I will be taking all the responsibility for what happens, end of discussion. Now, surround the hostile and corner it inside the territory of Orb for White Glint."
"Yes sir," Chris and Mizuki acknowledged. The three Dagger's thrusters ignited at the same time each launching slightly in a different direction.
The Nexts exchanged fire rapidly. Many stray bullets made contact with either the water or empty areas of the shattered base rather than on the other machine. Occasionally the blue AC would switch to its gatling guns and send a barrage towards White Glint anytime it would be low enough for them to cause damage to the base. Brutal, would be the tactics describing what the blue AC was using on White Glint. In return White Glint had no other choice but to carefully pick its shots whenever the blue AC and it would change roles. It was almost as if the pilot of the blue AC were taunting him by taking up a position over the base or near the city whenever White Glint had a clear shot, knowing the shot had a high chance of missing.
"Pilot of White Glint, we are here to help you. We'll be forming a barrier with three Daggers cutting the hostile's path of escape," Captain Merquise called to the pilot of White Glint. The three already took up positions carefully outside the Orb base. They split their distance between themselves giving them enough room to freely fire in each others direction if they needed it.
"Those Daggers won't provide much cover for very long," replied the pilot of White Glint.
"We're restricted to short range communication so don't wander off too far," Captain Merquise responded.
"Shit, here it comes!" Mizuki shouted. His Dagger strafed to one side barely avoiding the stream of bullets fired from the gatling guns from the blue AC. Mizuki returned fire only to hit the ocean surface.
The blue AC shifted focus from one Dagger to the next trying to blow pass their line, but each time it was met with resistance no matter how weak it was. With White Glint close on its tail and three Daggers cutting its escape route the pilot found his odds weren't so great now. Somehow the Daggers weren't as easy as before, but it must have been because he also had to focus on White Glint anytime it had a clear shot on him.
After several minutes guns from the shattered port base of Orb began firing upon the blue AC. Many stray shots met with the white shield, but the guns never let up. They continued to bombard the blue AC with explosive shells and regular shots alike.
"It's working," Mizuki said trying not to get overexcited.
"It should be running low on ammo soon," said Chris.
"He'll get desperate, be ready for a full out assault on one of your positions," said the pilot of White Glint.
Soon enough he blue AC began its full assault, dropping both empty rifles. It readied its dual gatling guns and lunged itself in Chris' direction. Captain Merquise and Mizuki both saw the split second decision and launched in Chris' direction, but he knew they wouldn't make it in time nor would White Glint. It was too far even if it used its Overboost. Chris fired away at the blue AC only to meet its shield. He figured the pilot resorted to an all for nothing attack as it absorbed his shots, but he realized he didn't have anything to protect himself once the Next's gatling guns started firing.
His heart began to beat rapidly then slowed to a steady but powerful rhythm. A seed fell in the pit of his mind, taking the same color as his blue eyes. His muscles tightened over the controls of his Dagger. He could feel every nerve in his body sparking with activity to his brain. His skin felt as if it were burning. Suddenly his heartbeat went from a powerful steady rhythm and skyrocketed into a rapid adrenaline filled pace. The seed within him turned from a regular blue seed into a sapphire blue seed just before the explosion.
Chris' Dagger drew its beam saber with its free hand while firing away with its rifle in the other. Bullets constantly shattered against the blue AC's shield scattering Kojima Particles into the air, which slowly began forming around the Dagger. Once the blue AC got within firing range its gatling guns unleashed a lethal wall of bullets that should have tore the Dagger apart, but only met resistance against its own Kojima Particles.
The element of surprise was mutual.
Taking this opportunity, Chris slammed down on his thruster pedals. The Aile Pack on his Dagger screamed as it increased in power output. Charging at full speed the Dagger's beam saber tore through the legs of the blue AC as it lifted itself just in time to avoid a fatal blow. As the two machines brushed pass each other the white Kojima Particles which had gathered around the Dagger glittered and swirled about in the empty space between them, dropping to the ocean as it didn't have anywhere else to settle. Bullets rained down on the blue AC from White Glint and the other two Daggers, tearing through most of the armor.
The blue AC plummeted towards the ocean, just as his friends did before. Chris looked down at the broken half of the blue AC core riddled with bullet holes. It wasn't enough to kill the pilot but it was enough to destroy the Next. Orders came down from Captain Merquise telling him to leave it alone. The urge of pressing down on the trigger was tempting, tempting enough for Chris to want to repay the favor, but he stopped when he heard Mizuki's voice.
"Great job Chris! I've never seen anything like that!" Mizuki shouted. He was overjoyed, as Chris could tell, but somehow he felt there was nothing to celebrate about. Despite the captain's decision to aid Orb in their own territory there would be another controversy over whose prisoner the pilot of the blue AC would be. He knew all this, and he knew Captain Merquise would confront him about it sooner or later.
Mizuki cheered for his best friend's achievement, an achievement he couldn't accomplish himself. Deep inside he feared feeling resentment towards Chris just like when they were children. He didn't know why he felt this hidden resentment, but every time he did he would try to suppress it as best he could. As a child it was easy to forget something small as losing a game, but this weighed heavier on him.
"Chris, what's wrong?" Mizuki asked. Chris could hear Mizuki, but his voice didn't register to him it at first. His mind was elsewhere as his racing heartbeat slowed finally realizing the fight was over. His eyes had taken the color of the light blue sapphire seed which caused his condition. Mizuki looked closer at him from his portrait on his screen, "Chris, did you put in new contacts? And why are your eyes..."
"Sorry Mizuki," Chris said before his portrait turned black and blinked off of Mizuki's screen.
Jean stared restlessly at his shattered control panel. The screen of his on-board computer was cracked in various places as well as his cockpit windows. The entire cockpit was dark except for the emergency lights he remembered to install a week earlier. What little illumination they provided was enough for him to find his emergency handgun he kept above his seat. Once he took a hold of it he reached to the side of his seat and grabbed a full pistol magazine, pushing it into the empty magazine well of his handgun. He figured he never needed it until now.
With little to no strength left after the beating his body received at the hand of his defeat he knew his AC was on the surface of the ocean. How it was positioned was beyond him. He also contemplated whether or not to get out because surely he was going to be a prisoner of war, but for how long? Mercenaries don't particularly make for good prisoners of war. Especially with little to no information he held about his client.
It was strange to him that he wasn't feeling bad about his defeat. Had he been more prepared for this level of resistance he would have walked away with a few scratches, but instead this encounter cost him one of his ACs. There was no one else to blame but himself in this case, or so he thought. One more detail came over him as his head started to beat; had he been getting soft in his short lived mercenary career?
He tried his best to stay conscious but his body just couldn't handle it. He felt drained of his strength somehow, like something had mentally and physically sapped him dry. His vision slowly faded, turning into a dark emptiness he feared of for so long. Before long his consciousness slipped away and everything was black.
From the darkness a large wooden door swung opened. Sakura let herself into the boy's empty house as she usually did on her days she decided to tidy it up. No matter how long the boys were gone she felt as though she didn't want them to return to a dusty house. She longed for the days of their youth to return when it was just the three of them spending countless hours wasting the day in the very house she now stood in alone. It was Chris and Mizuki's house, but more so Chris' due to the fact that it was his money he used from his inheritance.
She went from room to room cleaning everything in sight. As it was the spring season she wore light clothing for the day's events she had to attend to. A short sleeved shirt and a skirt were all she needed, figuring she'd take one of the boy's sweatshirts or jackets for the walk home in the evening.
When she finished the first floor she felt a strange sensation fall over her as she ascended the stairs to the second floor. She stopped for a moment midway up the steps but continued as she disregarded her strange sixth sense feeling. From there she cleaned out her room she used closest to the stair well at the same time remembering all the times the boys would play pranks on her some nights. She was easily frightened and hated it when Chris and Mizuki would leave fake spiders, scratch on the door, or pop out from her closet or behind the door. Those only being a few examples of the things they did to her.
The door shut behind her when she entered her room. Frightened at first she thought it to be Chris or Mizuki, but remembered they were to be gone for the year out at sea. It was dark inside the room and the lack of sunlight didn't help her situation. She slowly turned around expecting to see a smiling and laughing Chris or Mizuki, but instead met a pair a glowing yellow eyes.
"Nice to see you again, Sakura," said a menacing voice behind the glowing eyes.
"Who..." before Sakura could continue her feet buckled below her and she fell to the floor unconscious.
The figure in the dark took out a cell phone, it's illumination revealed the face of a young male with green hair and fair complexion. His eyes ceased to glow as he began speaking to whoever was on the other end.
"I have the girl," he said. After a brief silence he continued, "yes, understood," and shut the phone. He looked down at Sakura's fragile body in disgust.
"Inferior," he whispered before kneeling down in front of her.
