Disclaimer: Still don't own Gundam Seed Destiny
Fllay looked uneasy.
At least that was what Kira thought as he watched her with the children. While she was full of smiles and laughs, there was something about her demeanor that looked odd to the young man. There was a twitching that she kept doing with her hand when Fllay thought no one was looking; Kira would have missed it himself if his coordinator senses hadn't kicked in.
Molly and Sebastian were ecstatic to see their mother again; they ran to her bedside immediately and hugged the redhead. Fllay reacted with almost equal mirth and tried to rise from her bed to embrace her children. The children though seemed to know about their mother's condition and made sure that she did not strain herself by joining her on the bed.
Fllay was dressed in a simple pair of clothing consisting of a pair white pants and t-shirt. Her long red hair was currently tied in a pony tail which Molly ogled over; she then tried to match her mother's look by grabbing a hair tie from her dress pocket. Sebastian just rolled his eyes and sat next to his mother while Molly did her thing.
Kira laughed silently to himself, making sure not to ruin the moment. Standing at the doorway, he was looking in at the family gathering. He knew he was not ready to be in there just yet and opted to stay where he was. Hopefully once all the children were gathered, he would have the courage to do what he longed to do.
"They look happy," Athrun said as he silently made his way to Kira's side and peered thru the doorway.
"Yeah; did you get a hold of Cagalli?' asked the Ultimate Coordinator.
"I did; I let her know that we are heading to the next city. I have also rented us a car that we can use to travel to Texas," informed the friend.
"Think it is wise to leave Fllay, Molly, and Sebastian here by themselves? I almost want to bring all three with us," stated Kira as he glanced back at the gathering inside.
"A Family vacation of some sorts? I don't believe that's a good idea; Fllay is in no condition to travel and something might happen. They'll be safe here with Shinn, Luna, and Meyrin," said Athrun.
"I guess you are right; did you procure the means to get onto the base where Kevin Labot is staying?" asked the pilot of the strike Freedom.
The Third Child was named Kevin Labot and according to Chanka, he was a major military enthusiast. All the young kid could talk about was about he was going to pilot a mobile suit when he grew up. Out of all the children, Kevin had the best reflexes of the lot as well as a knack for being a good shot. He was also good at obeying what Fllay and Chanka told him to do.
Kira did not know what to make of this; he believed that no child should want to become a soldier. He understood the need to serve in order to protect one's family and nation, but so far it seemed that Kevin was the perfect soldier. There was a small degree of anger that Kira felt, but it was muddled with confusion than anything else.
"Yeah and it was not easy. Orb's intelligence network could only go so far and I had to call in a few favors with ZAFT's network. We are going in posing as FSA in order to get onto the base and from what I understand; they are pretty feared within the Atlantic Federation," explained the Orb Admiral.
"Weren't a lot of them members of the Blue Cosmos? I don't think many will believe that we would be with the FSA since we are Coordinators" asked Kira.
"From what I understand, the new Atlantic Federation Government has opened the door for Coordinators to join any branch of its Government and many are flocking in out of patriotism; that goes especially with the FSA," answered the Gundam pilot.
"That's good; anything else I should know?" asked the Ultimate Coordinator as he watched Molly show Fllay her new necklace that Kira bought her. The necklace, which cost Kira a small fortune, had a heart-shaped silver pendant on a gold string.
"I talked to Lacus; you haven't talk to her once since this all started," Athrun said with a frown.
"I was meaning to but…….," was all Kira could say.
The issue of Lacus had been hanging on his mind for some time now and Kira had no clear idea how to resolve it. He could not deny that he still had feelings for the former songstress but his current concern for Fllay was overriding that at the moment. The young man knew he had to talk to Lacus at some point but just could not bring himself to do so.
"You need to talk to her. I don't know how but it seems that she already knows what's going on," stated Athrun.
"She is the leader of the PLANTs so I guess I should not be surprised. How did she look?" asked the pilot.
"Well but very worried for you; from talking to her, I get the impression that she does understand. However like I said, you really need to talk to her," the Coordinator expressed to his friend.
"When all the children have been gathered, I'll contact her. Until then, I need to focus on this," Kira said with conviction. Athrun nodded with understanding.
"Think the children are hungry?" asked Athrun.
"I'll go ask," said Kira. Mustering up the courage, he walked into the room.
As he entered the room, all three of the occupants turned their eyes on him. While the children looked happy to see him, Fllay looked apprehensive and Kira felt a slight tinge of fear but suppressed it. He took a few more steps towards the trio, smiling while doing so.
"Are you guy's hungry? I am sure Luna and Meyrin are back with something to eat," Kira asked.
"Can we eat with momma?" asked Sebastian. Both children looked at Kira with sweet innocent demeanors which seemed to polarize the young man.
"Sure; we could even all have lunch here," suggested the young man.
The children looked at one another then at their mother. While Fllay looked really apprehensive, she nodded her approval in which caused the kids to nod at Kira in return. The young man then left the room to get something to eat with Athrun in tow. After they were gone, Sebastian got off the bed and went to shut the door.
"Momma; why does that man make you scared?" asked Molly to her mother.
"He doesn't scare me darling; but there are some issues between us that need to be resolved in time," Fllay said to her two children.
Unknown to everyone including Chanka, Fllay was more coherent than she let on. While most of her memories were blurred, there were more than a few that really stood out and mostly dealt with Kira. She wanted to talk to him about it more than anything, but instinct was telling her to play dumb for now. At least until all of her children were with her and safe.
Fllay also knew her children would keep her secret. They were all connected in ways that even Chanka did not realize. While he had not been cruel with her and the children; she still could not trust him especially since he was a scientist first and a human being second. While she had understood his decision for what happened with Stellar, there was a part of her that could never forgive him for it.
Ever; it was because of him that Kira had killed his own daughter.
For now she would use all of her abilities to make her own plans. Somehow Fllay knew that whoever was after Chanka was really after her. While her children were very special, she also knew that she still surpassed them. They were still in danger though and she would everything possible to protect them.
No matter what.
Kira returned with four plates of what looked like spaghetti. During her moments of fazing out, Fllay had learned that the Hawke sisters were attempting to learn how to cook. While she was flattered that they would go to all the trouble for her and her children, their culinary skills were a little lacking. If her secret were to get out, she would have to teach the sisters a few tricks.
Before they killed someone.
Cagalli hated politics.
It was the one area she hated the most in running a nation. She even hated it far more than all the paperwork that piled on her desk every day. No matter the situation, it was slimy and made her feel dirty all over. However, what Cagalli really hated the most was that it was a necessary evil that had to be mastered. She was taught that lesson in dealing with the Seirans in the last war.
When she had been contacted by the President of the Atlantic Federation for a private meeting with her and Lacus, Cagalli knew that something was up. Usually such meetings were planned way in advance and going thru their respective ambassadors first. This meeting was set up in a hurry and secretly held in a secured location within Orb.
Something was definitely up.
Contrary to what a lot of people both in Orb and the PLANTs hoped, the Atlantic Federation was still one of the top powers in the Earth Sphere. While the other EA member states were dealing political and economic fallout for the last war, the Atlantic Federation had bounced back pretty well. They were still a force to recon with, especially in the terms of military strength.
It really did not surprise Cagalli though. As Lacus pointed out in their private sessions, the AF had a far more centralized Government as well as a major industrial base. The fact that it encompassed a whole continent and could tap into a wide range of resources proved that even the nastiest of wars could not keep it down. So when it came to keeping peace in the Earth Sphere, Orb and the PLANTs had to deal with the terrestrial nation on just about anything.
Currently, the three leaders were sitting at a large wooden table in a small windowless room that happened to be the basement of one of Orb's safehouses. Each leader had a bodyguard with them; Andrew with Lacus and Kisaka with Cagalli. President Jackson had a tall Caucasian male with a back suit next to him.
The Atlantic Federation President was just recently elected and the two women had yet to really interact with him. Standing at six feet and dressed in a blue suit, he was bald and had blue eyes. He appeared to be in his early forties and had been a General in the military before going into politics. It was rumored that one of his parents had been a Coordinator but no one had yet to confirm that.
"So may I ask why we needed to meet in this way?" asked Lacus in a polite and friendly matter. It was agreed that she would do most of the talking.
"Yes I apologize for the unusual meeting but some things have come up that need to be addressed immediately. This is Colonel Dan Sheppard, the head of Third Echelon," said the AF President while gesturing to the man next to him.
Both women noticed how their bodyguard stiffened up at the name and Cagalli herself felt a little apprehensive. From what was reported to her by her intelligence head, Third Echelon had been responsible for the brutal removal of all Blue Cosmos members within the Atlantic Federation Government. It was reported that car bombs and other assassination methods were used. Though it had been effective, one could not deny the viciousness of it.
"Recently, we have received information that an alliance had been established by a remnant of LOGOS and a group of former ZAFT soldiers," stated the Colonel.
"I though all of LOGOS had been wiped out by Durandal; the group captured at Heavens Base were executed for crime against humanity as well as Djibril being killed on the moon," said Andrew.
"From what we can tell, Durandal missed one and he/she has been quite active lately. We have evidence of a transfer of funds going to a dummy corporation once used by LOGOS to a Commander Stevens; I am sure you recognize the name?" Sheppard asked neutrally.
Everyone nodded and the two bodyguards exchanged glances. After the Battle of MESSIAH, two hundred FAITH members had vanished from the PLANTs; taking their mobile suits with them. Appointed by Gilbert Durandal, the force had been more loyal to the deceased Chairman than to the PLANT Council itself. Finding them had been a top priority for ZAFT seeing how they could cause problems for the new peace in the Earth sphere.
"Why would this group team up with a LOGOS member?" asked Lacus, confused by the strange alliance.
"We don't know; the only other Intel we have come up with is something to do with a scientist named Chanka. Apparently this ex-LOGOS member wants him for something," informed the head of Third Echelon.
That startled Cagalli and she tried not to show it. It seemed that the issue with Chanka and Fllay was far bigger than originally thought. She had to get word to Kira and the group first chance she got; especially since things were getting far more complicated.
"I agree that this is a major problem; what do you propose we do about it?" asked Lacus in a serious tone.
"I would suggest that we pull our resources together and deal with this growing threat; obviously we can't risk tipping off our enemies so I suggest using the military exchange program as a front," suggested the AF President.
Both Girls tuned in.
Author's Note: Been a long time huh?
A great many of things have come into play in preventing my updates in all of my fics; something which I will now rectify. I am back so be prepared for more updates in the very near future for my fics. The next updates should be with Checkmate and my 2 Code Geass Fics; hopefully by the end of next week. GSD Homeworld and Sins will follow after that.
A huge Thanks to an author by the name of RedCrimson for the support and enthusiasm in getting me to update; this chapter would not have happened this soon without him. Also sorry for the lack of editing if it needs it, wanted to really get this one out on Christmas. Next one will be better written.
Next chapter will deal with out Villains and the next child; not sure on a date by the end of next month at the latest.
Please R&R and Merry Christmas!