Author's Notes
Hey, all! It's been a while since you last heard from me. Many apologies: this chapter ended up longer than I expected, and I couldn't post it up without thoroughly editing it. Not to mention I had health issues that sucked up time and energy. But, I can now say that I am pneumonia-free! Yay! :D
Thank you, Titanic X, for looking over this long chapter multiple times!
As I mentioned before, this is the last chapter before I go on a three-week break from writing Little Wing to catch up on homework, work on other writing, tend to family, avoid burnout, etc. I hope you enjoy! :) But, as I promised, in the Author's Notes after the chapter is a preview of a few scenes coming up in the arc after my break.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer
I don't own SD Gundam Force, so don't come asking me to make another episode, because I can't ;) But, I can write these little unofficial stories which include my OCs like Aleda, Titan, and Margaret.
Chapter 20: In-Sync
Shute waited, as did Grappler, each warrior staring at the other, hydraulics and pistons wound to spring, alert for even the slightest creak of a joint that would signal movement.
As they studied each other, Grappler followed a nagging strand of memory tugging at his CPU, whispering to him that he had been in a similar situation before. He tracked it through the pits of early failures, back beyond sinking Komusais and six-armed Musha Gundams, past space-bending mustached robots and recent zaps to the frame, to a time in a construction district, when he had stood off against the quick and precise Bakunetsumaru. He had moved first that time, but this time he knew better. There was no way he would lose focus—
Grappler blinked, and the beam saber was shining violet directly in front of his face. "Woah!" He deflected it with his sword, redirecting the blow so that it missed his arm and caught his shoulderguard horn, instead.
The tip sheared off, and Grappler grumbled at the stump, "Darn! It took weeks to weld that!"
Shute cut to slash across Grappler's chest, but the claws intercepted, and he fired the beam rifle. With a flick of the wrist, the shot bounced off the flat of Gouf's sword and landed by Shute's square toe. "What? You thought I couldn't get fancy with swords, too?" Grappler sneered at Shute's stare.
The Neotopian flashed a narrow-eyed, determined emote in his eyescreens and again tried to knock away Grappler's claws and shoot. His shot bounced off the sword. He bat aside the blade, and that time Grappler twisted the nozzle aside with his claws and it missed.
"Come on!"
"What? It's not like I'm gonna let you hit me!"
Another quick scuffle, and the next shot grazed Grappler's leg. "Alright, Gundam!" Grappler spat. He lashed out, and a tube clattered to the floor. The beam rifle's barrel was two inches shorter, sawed cleanly at an angle.
Aw, man! How do I use it, now? Shute wondered as he gawked at the pointy tip.
Grappler leapt at him. Shute jerked his eyes from the gun and stomped on his discarded shield. Clank! Grappler's knee banged against the upright shield, and the Dark Axis squad leader recoiled.
"Tch! This has gone on long enough," Grappler said, rounding to face a mirror-lined corridor.
Before Shute could finish his cry of, "Wait!" the goon had bolted halfway around the corner. Shute-Gundam gave chase.
Grappler cursed as his bulky backpack jet caught on the edge of a corner and chipped the mirror. "Friggin' fat engines! The tech needs to be shot!" But, he continued running to a shattered corner of the room where a large, turret-mounted laser hummed behind a sheet of rubble. He vaulted over the barrel to the control panel on its back and slid his hands into handle grips on the sides, his clawed left hand awkwardly scraping the curved surface. With his thumb poised above a red trigger button, his eye gleamed dangerously. "Let's dance, Gundam."
A V-fin popped around the corner, and his thumb pressed down.
Zzzt! "Ow!" Shute instinctively cried when the beam seared his V-fin.
"Shute?! Shute—?!" Static cut Chief Haro's voice.
"Communication system has been damaged. Unable to connect to SDG Base," the self-diagnostic system in Shute's computer stated.
Grappler angled the laser to tail the Gundam as he bolted across the room. Shute stabbed his thick fingers into the adjacent mirror wall and ripped a chunk from it. The laser hummed, the mirror glinted, and red flashed.
Grappler yelped, yanking his smoking self from the laser turret controls. "I'll take care of this!" Shute declared proudly as he jabbed his beam saber into the laser tube. Grappler Gouf growled as another slice chopped the base in two, dropping the laser to the dusty floor. The laser fizzed, and its hum sputtered into a dying crackle. "Surrender, Grappler Gouf!" Shute ordered.
"No chance!" Grappler waved behind his shoulder. "Bring it in!"
Hard feet scuttled. The floor reverberated. Walls cracked, and mirrors smashed, under a large body...or bodies? Shute took a step back. The approaching stampede broke through the wall behind Grappler, raining reflective shards on the two robots. Shute, amid the debris tinking against his face and armor, sized up the newcomers.
Interspersed in a crowd of Zakos were several tarnished white robots. The square screen displays, bulbous joints, and human proportions brought to Shute's mind his many books on the history of robotics. Pre-GM service robots, he identified. The standard ones before Kao Lyn started making mobile citizens. "You took control of these robots?"
"With a little bit of quick reprogramming, yeah." Grappler pat one rusty head. "It was a little tougher without Control Horns to go around, but we bypassed their security, installed the Dark Axis as the users, gave them new offensive programs, and deleted auto-shutdown procedures."
"So, they won't stop?"
"Once I give the order, they won't stop until you break them down to the last bolt." Grappler grinned. "Or until they break you down to the last bolt."
Shute, growing, spread his feet and set his sword arm forward.
"Zako soldiers! Bit Bots FX-9900! Destroy Captain Gundam!"
The Zakos fired, and the service bots swarmed. A few Bit Bots creaked slowly on rusted legs, but most charged at a run, with hands raised to grapple their foe. Shute ducked behind his holey shield against the machine gun bullets, and when the Bit Bots entered range, he swept his body around to cut and shield-bash the drones.
The blue, spiked frame of Grappler Gouf slipped into the darkness. "Wait!" Shute shouted. His audio sensors could pinpoint, amidst the ruckus of screeching joints and clacking metal, the rapidly retreating footsteps of his opponent. With another swipe of the beam saber, he charged for the dark ahead. But his feet snagged, and he looked down to see a legless Bit Bot clutching him. "Get off me!" he yelled, kicking the robot. Its square screen cracked, but still it groped after his blocky feet, trailing him by sound.
Shute detected pressure on his shoulder and turned his head to see two Bit Bots clutching him. He yanked, but they held firm. On his other side, another Bit Bot rushed up and pried at the seams of his shoulder armor. "Let go!" Shute protested, thrashing to shake them off. But, he couldn't buck them.
More Bit Bots closed in, some raising metal fists to beat him, and others grabbing at his helmet. The pulling and pounding shook Shute's courage. He couldn't see past the horde. His shoulder armor was starting to bend like a soda tab. His helmet was denting. The joint of his elbow strained. If he didn't do something, soon, then he would lose—no, more than lose, because he would be destroyed, and if he were destroyed... Captain! Shute internally screamed, jolting his body to spun the wrist of his sword hand, cutting the Bit Bots holding him on that side. "Out of the way!" He wrenched his other arm free with a punch. "I'm—" He leveled his wrist-mounted missile cannons. "—going to—" He fired, blasting the surrounding Bit Bots into smoldering spare parts. "—save my—" Another round flushed the Bit Bots between him and the line of Zakos. "—friend!" The Zakos blew away.
A Bit Bot missing a head flailed and grasped Shute's leg, but Shute shook it off, stomped the hand flat, and dashed forward, slashing and crushing twitching and groping broken Bit Bot pieces along the way.
"Z-Zako...!" The green, round 'bots started shaking.
"Get out of the way!" Shute shouted, brandishing his sword. The purple beam hummed hungrily.
"ZAKOOOO!" "Zakozakozako!" "No, zakoooooo!" The Zakos started scrambling into the recesses of the maze.
"Wait, zako! Don't run, cowards!" one hollered after his fleeing comrades. The loud clunk of a heavy footstep jolted the Zako, and he slowly turned his head to see the Gundam standing inches away, his neutral stare boring into the Zako's purple eye. He quaked.
Shute swiped, but the Zako ducked and cowered before the blade could make contact. Then, to the Zako's surprise, Shute ran past, leaving the pitiful green 'bot behind: he had bigger fish to catch.
...
"I still can't reach him!" Kao Lyn exclaimed, spinning in distress. "Not good, not good, not good at all!"
"We were hoping to find the hostages quickly, but the element of surprise has been lost," Chief Haro said. "It's time to send reinforcements. Send a squad of GMs, and the Re-Equip Ring. He may need some spare parts."
"Yes, sir," Juli said.
"Wait! Before you do that—" Chief Haro stood. "I'll go, too."
"...Yes, sir."
...
In the drizzle, Shute spotted a blue shape ducking around a corner. "Grappler Gouf!" He bolted after him.
Once he rounded the bend, Shute saw clearly the Dark Axis robot jetting low to the ground. "Hold it!"
Grappler glanced back, and his eye widened. "Time for Plan B!" He weaved into a narrow passage. Shute veered into the same alley. His proximity sensor triggered: Shute looked up just as Bit Bots leapt down.
"There's more of them?!" Shute side-stepped one so that it fell on its screen face and whirled out of grabbing range of another. They continued to pour in like lemmings. After a few seconds of the game, Shute planted himself, held his saber in front of him, and activated his wheels. He blazed through, leading with a whirlwind of deadly flashes.
The lane widened, and the Bit Bots became sparser. The Ferris wheel loomed ahead, appearing like the outline of a spiny, thick-haired tree. Shute heard the hum of helicopters, but he left his eyes on the opponent before him. Grappler looped behind the Ferris wheel's shadow, and Shute slowed, levitating on the blue jet exhaust of his attachments. A whine and a line of smoke trailed a rocket launching his way. "Woah!" His jets angled, and Shute ducked below the projectile. An empty carnival game stand exploded behind him.
Shute rose to pass over the Ferris wheel for a better line of sight. And, that's when he spotted a blue ring in the air. A burst of lightning revealed the thick, circular, glow-lined structure of the Re-Equip Ring.
A glowing purple eye caught his view. Shute fired his Vulcan cannons to send Grappler cursing and dodging under the shadows of a lower car, and during the distraction, he shot for the Ring.
This time, Shute aimed well for the center, and the auto-docking sequence easily pulled him in. The top of his head lifted, as if his hair had been painlessly removed, and a new helmet clicked into place. "Shute! Shute! Can you hear me?" Kao Lyn's voice came over the comm system.
"Yes, sir, Chief Kao Lyn!" Shute replied. The grip of a new beam rifle slipped into his right hand, and he grasped it like a lifeline.
"Oh, good, good! Thank goodness! You've gotten some scratches, though, haven't you? Don't worry: the Re-Equip Ring will fix what it can and restock your weapons. Reinforcements are on their way. So, just hold out until—"
An explosion kissed Shute's face and rocked the giant ring. Shute cried out as he jostled. The Ring sank, the clasps released, and the electromagnetic pulses keeping him aloft crackled and died. Shute clunked to the bottom of the ring and wobbled with its tilt. The Re-Equip Ring was angling beyond the park borders. "Serves ya' right!" Grappler taunted from the top car of the Ferris wheel, bearing a rocket launcher. Underneath the car, Zakos aerially fled from the scene. Shute rocketed off the edge of the Ring.
"Are you okay, Shute?!" Kao Lyn shouted.
"Yeah, I'm okay. But, the Re-Equip Ring—"
"Don't worry about the Ring, Shute! It'll go far away from the park, so it won't crush Captain or the other hostages. Focus on pounding the Dark Axis!"
"Got it!"
...
Rumbling clouds thickened, their angry tears fell heavier, and they snapped a thunderous cry overhead. Lightning illuminated the brown-streaked flank of the photo booth shop's exterior. Near the ground, a large grate rattled and banged, then finally crashed outward. A brown fluffy tuft of hair emerged, followed by wary green eyes. Captain searched the soaking night for signs of the enemy. Within seconds, his protruding bangs dampened and stuck to his forehead. But, no sound of robots could be heard.
Captain crawled out into the rain, collecting a thin layer of mud from the wet dust on the cracked pavement. Shivering, he pulled his hood over his head and pulled the drawstrings taut so it bunched around his face. A low metal fence separated the side of the small building from its entrance: it had once corralled park-goers exiting the ride to the photo booth so that they would not wander into the employee-only space in the back. Captain ran to it, grabbed the slippery railing, and jumped. His muddy shoes slipped, and he hit the rail, knocking his abdomen, and collapsed on the other side. "Ow..." he moaned, clutching his stomach.
A purple streak pierced the sky. Captain looked up at the familiar gleam and whine. Across the park, at the gear-shaped Ferris wheel, lights flared, and bangs echoed. "Shute," Captain murmured. Grasping the fence, he stood, gazing at the deadly struggle of his best friend. His jaw clenched. I'm going to help you, Shute. Hold on.
He turned, ran to the shop's door-less entrance, and stepped inside on the fallen plank of metal. "Margaret! Titan!" He weaved behind the counter and jiggled the doorknob.
"Shute! You made it!" Margaret called from inside.
"Hold on. I'm going to open the door." Another jiggle proved still ineffective. Captain searched for a key or other tool, and, in the cupboard space underneath the counter, he found a discarded crowbar. He grabbed the bar and slammed it against the doorknob. Sparks flew, and the round surface dented. Captain, encouraged by this result, continued his assault until the knob curled, bent, and finally snapped. The door swung inward.
Margaret, squealing in delight, gave Captain a leaping hug. "You did it!"
"W-woah!" Captain stumbled under her weight but quickly planted his feet.
The girl released him. "Sorry," she said, though still smiling. "I was just afraid we wouldn't make it out of here."
Captain smiled back. "We'll be fine." He peered behind her. "How's Titan?"
She sobered. "He's still awake, but he's not doing well."
He frowned grimly. "Let's get him out of here."
The two children found a passably whole cart in the storefront section: a simple single-shelf rectangular design, its base had warped so that no more than three of its four wheels could touch the ground at the same time, but all of them could roll, and the base had not split.
The difficult part was getting Titan onto it. Both Captain and Margaret had to push and pull from either side while the Knight Gundam mustered his last strength to crawl—or, rather, fall—on the cart. He thudded heavily. "How's your gem, Titan?" Margaret asked, touching his armored shoulder reassuringly as he panted from the effort.
"Painful. But holding."
"The glue must be working," Captain said. He opened the door. "Alright. Let's go. We'll get Titan outside of the park." And then I can help Shute.
With a couple of rough bumps and pauses to make in-transit adjustments to Titan's position, they wheeled the injured robot around the counter and out the door. "That door makes a nice ramp," Margaret commented with a nervous giggle as they paused under the awning.
"Yes, it does," Captain agreed. He peered past the curtain of rain. In the night, he could still see flashes of lightning and beams.
"Where should we go? Are there any side-exits?" Margaret asked.
"Theme parks have discreet entrances for staff members," Captain said. "I think that using those will reduce the chances that the enemy will find us."
"Those are in the staff-only areas?"
"I would think so."
They steered Titan towards the fences bordering the ride's exit ramp. With a few pushes, the rusty gates toppled, and they rolled in. The passage was narrower than the park-goers' ramps, and some hidden sections—under overpasses or behind high walls—were unpaved. The dirt had moistened to mud under the drizzle, and Captain and Margaret strained to wheel Titan's heavy frame through.
"One, two, three, push!" Captain cued, and they dug their soggy shoes into the mud and shoved. The wheels squelched. The cart groaned. But, in the face of the hill, they gained only a few inches. Screaming muscles and slipping fingers compelled the humans to ease the cart down, again.
"We're almost out," Margaret panted as her eyes searched the muddy pass. Her ponytail stuck to her back like a wet rag. "There has to be another way." But, no path branched from their way within sight. The last intersection had been passed seven minutes ago. Only the mud and low hill lay between them and the moonlit lopsided gate that led to an overgrown parking lot.
"Our stamina is depleting," Captain observed. His hair tuft had flattened. "Our best chance is to double back and choose another route."
"Leave me," Titan coughed.
"I will not abandon a comrade," Captain said. He squeezed between the fence and the cart to reach the other side, and Margaret followed suit.
"Are you okay, Titan?" Margaret asked as she put her hand to the cart handle.
Titan hacked, expelling grimy water through his vents.
Margaret guiltily clarified, "I mean, not 'okay,' but... you know..."
Titan nodded. "Alive," he groaned.
"Okay, let's go." Captain started pushing. Margaret took her place.
A blast sounded. "Where was that?" Margaret asked.
"About a kilometer to the west," Captain said. "We need to hurry before they catch us."
They resumed their harsh trek until they found a split in the path. "We came from straight ahead, so we should go left." Margaret jerked her head towards the branch leading down into a tunnel that dipped below trolley tracks.
"That sounds like a reasonable assumption," Captain said.
Jets pealed in the skies. Over the rooftops, Captain's Gundam body pursued Grappler Gouf, firing the beam rifle. Grappler dipped, leading Shute after him, and when the two drew close to the roofs, machine gun fire sprayed at Shute. Captain gasped at the sight of his friend flinching under the pelting bullets.
"Into position, zako!"
Captain dropped his gaze to their narrow corridor. The din of rain rapping on metal alerted him to the close proximity of enemy agents. He propelled Titan in the direction of the tunnel. "Hide! Quick!" he hissed to Margaret, who was pushing before he even said a word.
They rolled into the shade of the tunnel. "Stay quiet," Captain instructed. Margaret nodded and pressed her belly to the ground. Captain pulled the Glue Shooter from his pocket and crawled just below the lip of visibility.
"Zako"s preceded the scuttling green robots. A dozen or so pairs of robotic feet ran into view, some with thinner and simpler design. Those are... outdated models? Captain noted the rust, scratches, dents, and tears in the unknown robots. They are most likely taken from the park, but no Control Horns are present. The Dark Axis must have reprogrammed them manually.
The leg of one of the old models snapped, and it fell and slid to the edge of the tunnel, where it lay unmoving while electricity bled from numerous abrasions and its face screen died. Captain held his breath. But, the Dark Axis troupe paid no mind to the lost 'bot.
The enemies continued to run past, except for a couple of Zakos and a few of the rust buckets. "We'll go this way, zako!" One pointed towards the tunnel.
Captain swallowed and threw a fearful glance over his shoulder. In the reflecting moonlight, Margaret's blue, inquiring and anxious eyes gleamed in the shadows. Titan's eyescreen glow was absent. Captain turned and aimed.
"Zakozakozakozako..." The Zakos chanted as they rushed to the tunnel.
Green goo globbed on the visor of one, blocking its eye. "Zako!" The others glared into the tunnel. "It's the hostages, zako!" "How did they escape, zako?" "Get them, zako!"
Captain barraged them with glue shots as they and several Bit Bots charged. The feet of the first wave stuck to the ground, and those behind found themselves bumping into their stopped comrades. Then, with a few well-aimed shots, they stuck to their backs. "Zakoooooo!" "Help us, zako!"
Captain jumped up. "It's time to go!"
"Right!" Margaret took the head of the cart. Titan still made no sound. The children pushed as fast as their burning legs allowed them, down into the darkness. They traveled along a level stretch for some minutes, and then up a slope.
They emerged next to a soaring and smooth—aside from rust—launch coaster. The sounds of clangs and beam whines drew their attention to the skies, where Shute and Grappler Gouf still clashed. Gouf danced around Shute's beams, but the steady fire prevented him from nearing to use his sword or claws.
Margaret searched the dark night for a sign of a fence. "Shute, I think we lost the parking lot."
Grappler feinted a dash for the side, dipped below the shot, curved up, and slashed Shute with his sword. A chunk of torso armor sprinkled in pieces. Captain grit his teeth. He's using my blind spot!
"There's another path leading left. We should try to get to the fence that way." Margaret pointed.
Captain shook his head. "No, this has gone on long enough. My friend is losing, and I need to help him. We can't escape until Grappler Gouf is defeated."
Margaret shot him an incredulous, wide-eyed look. "How can you help?"
"I can boost his power." Captain met her with twin green flames of determination. "We'll hide you and Titan, and I'll go help. Once my friend hears my voice, it'll be over."
Margaret pushed as he started to guide the cart towards the shadow of a bumper car attraction. "I don't get it! If you—"
"Believe me, it will be worse if he's destroyed."
Margaret grimaced at the muddy ground, but she said nothing more.
They reached Robo Turbo and shoved the cart into the enclosed lot of parked, dust-laden curvy bumper cars. "Stay here until I come get you," Captain said. "Or unless the enemy finds you. If that happens, then you must leave Titan and flee." He bolted for the open downpour.
"Be careful!"
"I'll be safe!"
He rushed to the gates of the launch coaster and up the stairs to the loading deck. Rain beat on the roof overhead, and Captain's squeaking steps rattled the old steel floor. A parked roller coaster train perpetually waited on its tracks at the load platform. From the edge of the overhang, a walkway led along the tracks, extending up to the coaster's peak. "Hold on, Shute. I'm coming," he whispered to himself as his foot hit the first steps.
Meanwhile, Shute reeled under a rear assault from Grappler's claws. His left shoulder sparked, the arm caught at shoulder-height, and his exposed back, stripped to the white exoskeleton by numerous slashes, was starting to crack. Long and tirelessly had Grappler worked, jabbing and ramming the Gundam to disarm him: his shield was sinking in the mud below. Shute fired another pot-shot at the villain as Gouf's jets roared his way, but a quick turn evaded the beam. He pelted bullets from his Vulcan cannon to intercept, but Gouf dove, wove, and cut the edge of his helmet. "Ack!" The next cannon shots banged ineffectively against twisted slivers of metal capping the barrels. Another claw swipe knocked the beam rifle from Shute's hand.
Shute gaped, but the rifle had already fallen out of reach. Growling, he whipped out the beam saber and waited. Grappler, laughing, swung by from the front. "I've got you, now!"
A stab landed the saber in his shoulder. "Agh!" Gouf yanked back, and the saber came out of Shute's hand. The light blue squad leader fingered the hilt of the saber embedded in his shoulder. "Now, you've done it...!" With the click of a button on the hilt, the extra friction inside his joint disappeared, and he painlessly extracted the bladeless saber, though the hole and sparking circuitry remained.
Left without rifles, ammo, swords, or rockets, Shute pulled back his working arm and closed his hand into a fist.
Captain slipped near the top of the stairs and fell on his chin, but he grabbed the sides of the step before he could fall. His teeth ached, and he could taste a metallic-flavored liquid in his mouth. "Shute!" He pulled himself to his feet, careful to keep a handhold on the steps. Determinedly, he took the last few slow steps to the top. "Shute!" he called, standing to his full height. He cupped his hands and belted out, "Shuuuuuute! Focus!"
Shute and Grappler jerked their eyes to the boy on top of the roller coaster. "Captain?!" Shute gasped.
"How did he get out?!" Grappler exclaimed.
"You can win! Keep fighting! Focus!" Captain continued to shout. "Hit the bad shoulder!"
Hope flooded Shute's Soul Drive, sending it into a spin. Heat flushed through his frame like adrenaline, rushing from his chest to his extremities, and his fist took on a golden tint.
"Quiet, organic!" Grappler flew at the boy, claws poised.
Captain stepped back and tripped down a step. "Ah!"
"Captain!" Shute's jetpack flared as he zipped to save his friend.
Captain's fingers grabbed a step. I can't die, or Shute will...! The shadow of a one-eyed robot fell over him.
"Captaaaaain!" Shute's eyes burned.
Grappler raised his claws. Captain flinched.
A glowing fist slammed into the side of Grappler's head, and he careened into the roller coaster track. The crash rocked the whole structure, including the service walkway. Captain's wet fingers glided off the steps, and he plunged.
Horror snuffed the flames in Shute's eyes. He dove down after his friend. "Captain!"
"Shute!" Margaret screeched.
Shute reached for Captain's hand, but his right thruster sparked, and his path wobbled.
Captain blinked, and numbers appeared in his vision. He was jetting towards Shute with hand extended. Shute! He skillfully steered his dying thrusters to accelerate and scoop the boy in his arms. Shute squeaked from the sudden impact of metal against his lungs, but when the boy coughed and moaned as they leveled out, Captain knew that he could rest easy.
"Captain?" Shute groaned. He gripped the Gundam's collar with human fingers.
"You're safe, now, Shute," Captain said. They arched back over the roller coaster.
"Grappler—"
"—is incapacitated from your attack."
Shute peered over Captain's shoulder to see Grappler Gouf meshed with one of the thick latticed support beams. "Ohhh, my achin' computer..." Grappler whined. The hill of the track above him swayed and cracked. "Huh?" The purple eye darted up in time to see the segment collapse. "Oh, no..." The coaster part smashed the supports and crumbled, dragging a screaming Grappler down with it.
"We need to regroup with Margaret," Captain said, drawing his friend's attention. "She is watching Titan."
Shute nodded. "Okay."
Captain descended, maneuvering their wobbly trajectory toward the bumper cars. "I'm sorry that I damaged your body so much," Shute apologized.
"Considering the circumstances, I think you took very good care of it." They landed in the squishy mud. "These are relatively minor damages."
Shute crawled out of the Gundam's arms. "Relative to what?"
Margaret bolted into the open before Captain could answer. "Shute, are you okay?!"
Shute looked back at Captain, then turned shifty eyes on the girl. "Y-Yeah. I'm... fine..."
The tall girl flung her arms around Shute. "Oh, my gosh! You scared the heck out of me!"
Shute blushed into her chest. Captain maintained stillness and stoicism.
After just a moment, Margaret pulled away. "Titan still isn't responding. We have to get him fixed!"
Captain immediately walked around her and Shute. "I will scan him to determine the severity of his injuries."
Margaret's gaze curiously followed the robot. The straight posture and smooth, deliberate steps tickled some unconscious, unplaceable memory. Then, she and Shute looked up at the patter of Gunperrys and blinked into spotlights. The sounds of screaming Zakos and scuttling feet echoed. One Gunperry landed adjacent to them. "Who are they?" Margaret asked.
Shute scratched his head. "Uh, they're, um... the police..." The surreal feel of his own soaking hair engulfed his thoughts, and his sudden, unknown role caused him to hesitate.
SDG staff and GMs poured into the landscape. Within minutes, Grappler's muffled, scratchy voice could be heard howling, "Stay away from me!" The steel rubble at the base of the roller coaster smashed open, and Grappler scrambled out. GMs brought their shields to bear as Grappler took flight with a yellow, oblong device in his hand. "Zakorello Gate, open!" The golden gate spread in the sky, and he and many spiraling and flailing Zakos ascended. Within moments, the Zakorello Gate had swallowed them and vanished.
"There they go, again," Shute sighed.
Several human and robot SDG staff neared them. Captain waved the SDG over to Titan's unmoving frame. "We have a Gundam down! He needs repairs!" Margaret and Shute anxiously watched as the GMs circled and began to pull Titan's cart.
A giant green ball on human shoulders ran to them. "Shute?!" Chief Haro began.
"Chief!" Shute hailed, then peered uncertainly at Margaret.
Chief Haro's shoulders slackened. "Are you and Captain alright?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good." Chief Haro turned his beady mask eyes to the girl. "And you are Margaret?"
She blinked. "Uh, yes, sir."
"Thank you for your help, today," Chief Haro said. "This all must be very confusing to you. Please wait while we secure the area, and then we will explain everything to you."
Margaret nodded.
Squelching and faint sparking noises preceded Captain's approach. Shute turned with a grin. "Captain."
Captain flashed smiling eyes at him and then saluted for Chief Haro. "Reporting in, sir. The mission was a success."
Chief Haro saluted in return. "Glad to hear that, Captain." And, lowering his hand, he added, "I saw everything. You did well."
"Thank you, sir."
"You performed bravely in the face of the most dangerous situation yet, and you saved several lives. I am very proud of you."
Although he used none of his preprogrammed emotional expressions, Captain's eyes seemed to glimmer. "...Thank you, sir."
"What about Zero, Bakunetsumaru, and everyone else?" Shute asked. "Are they okay?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, Chief Kao Lyn would have been here to meet you, but he is busy with their repairs. They are all in stable condition."
Shute breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great!" He turned to his companions to share his delight, but he found Margaret busy looking over Captain.
A cheek-squeezing grin spread over her face. "My gosh, it's you, isn't it?"
Chief Haro's ears flapped. Shute gawked. Captain stepped back, giving visible form to his shock for the first time since activation. "Well, I—"
"You're the rifle robot!" Margaret squealed in his face. "I saw you on TV that one time, and I've been waiting to see you, ever since!" Three pairs of joints and shoulders relaxed. Then, Margaret wheeled to throw a pout at Shute. "Shute, you didn't tell me that you were friends with him!"
Shute recoiled, stealing glances at Captain. "Er..."
"He told you that he knew me, did he not?" Captain said.
"Well, he did, but knowing someone and being their friend is different!"
"I have some business to take care of, so I'll leave you three to it," Chief Haro said. He about-faced. "Just be sure to use... discretion."
"Yes, sir!" both his soldiers affirmed, and Chief Haro strode off.
"What's he doing?" Margaret asked.
"Overseeing," Captain answered.
Crashing metal rang. "Rogue robots at sector 5-Q326!" they heard someone yell.
"Sounds like he has a lot to... oversee..."
"Yes. I'm sure his most pressing concern is retrieving the man from on top of the Ferris wheel," Captain said.
Shute raised an eyebrow. "What man on the Ferris wheel?"
"I saw a man on the Ferris wheel just a few minutes ago while I was tending to Titan." Captain faced across the park and pointed. "From here, even the human eye can..." He paused.
"There's no one there, Captain," Shute said.
Captain lowered his arm. "Strange. I even zoomed in my vision in order to confirm the sighting. He was so high that no one could have missed him."
"Maybe he was a hoodlum?" Margaret posed. "Was he wearing a hood?"
"No. He was wearing long sleeves and pants, and he was carrying what looked to be a toolbox."
Shute paled. "You don't think that...?"
"The ghost?" Margaret giggled. "I thought you said that it was a vandal."
"When did I say that?"
"Well, you said it was most likely a vandal."
Captain dug through his memory banks while Shute and Margaret debated. The image of a man had definitely been on the topmost pod of the Ferris wheel. He had definitely looked back at Captain. But, no heat signature had been emitted. "Perhaps my sensors have glitched..."
...
Shute stood beside Captain, waving down at Margaret as their Gunperry lifted. The Gunperry steered, and Captain held an arm out to steady Shute before the boy even wobbled. "Be careful, Shute," he said. "Your shoes are slippery."
Shute gave a smile as he raised an eyebrow. "You're worrying too much, Captain."
"I apologize if my concern is excessive, but, even if it is illogical, my anxiety for your safety is heightened after this incident."
"I'll be fine. I promise." Shute flexed his arms. "It feels good to be back in my own skin, again."
"I am also glad to have my frame," Captain said, displaying his happy emote.
Shute glanced back over the edge of the Gunperry door, his smile shrinking. "Hey, Captain?" he said quietly.
"Yes, Shute?"
"What about Margaret?"
Captain traced his gaze to a spot of a dirty-blond head fading from view. "She is safe. She will be debriefed and returned home, soon."
"Yeah, but... you were friends, or..." Shute frowned sadly at his best friend.
"I perhaps didn't use proper discretion. Her personality quite attracted me," Captain stated. "But, I knew we were going to part ways."
"Captain..."
The Gundam looked at him. "I am a robot, Shute. Even when my body was changed, I was still a robot. Nothing could alter who and what I am. And, I am satisfied with that."
Shute glumly gazed at his feet.
...
Aleda hovered by her knight as he rested in Kao Lyn's lab. "I am fine, I assure you," a wire-studded Zero insisted as the scientist closely examined the readings on his screen.
"I'm detecting no energy leaks," Kao Lyn said, "but your output is extremely low. Although you're in no danger, you are nowhere near 'fine'!"
"I only need rest to regain my energy, and this place is ill-suited for me," Zero complained, sitting upright in spite of extensive aches. Aleda held his shoulder to steady his shaking frame.
"I'm also healed enough to go rest," Baku called from the other table. "I'm in even better shape than Zero!"
"I'm sorry, Zero," Aleda said. "I must not have done a good job when I healed you."
Zero fiercely shook his head. "It is because I used magic, not because of any fault in your spells. Healing magic accelerates our bodies' healing, but it does not replenish our life force. I used magic, even when my body's trauma had drained my life so low, and so I suffer from magic fatigue."
The Gundamess, hearing this harrowing account, gripped his arm to quell her uneasiness. Warmth spread to Zero from her touch, quick as a sponge soaking water, and much of it concentrated in his face. Sniggers chimed in the Knight Gundam's audios, and Zero swore to himself that, once he had recharged enough magical energy, he would cast enough roses to turn a certain samurai into a rosebush. The glare he flashed communicated as much, but Baku continued to snicker.
"Well, if it's only fatigue, then I suppose you can go rest," Kao Lyn said. "But," he added, "you should have a buddy walk you to your room, because your energy is so low..." Looking to Zero's close companion, he said, "Aleda, could you help him for me?"
"Y-Yes, sir," she stammered with a blush.
"I'll lend a hand, too," Baku volunteered.
"Nuh-uh! No can do!" Kao Lyn waved his arms in protest. "You're too tired! Go sleep!"
So, Baku sulkily shuffled off by himself, and Aleda accompanied Zero—or, rather, propped him up as he hobbled—to his room.
"I am dreadfully sorry, milady," Zero said after a painstakingly slow and wobbly step threw them both off-kilter.
Aleda pushed against his weight. "It's okay," she grunted with a strained smile.
"I ought to walk myself. This is ungentlemanly, and my balance may be better if I am not leaning on you."
"No, it's okay!" Aleda protested, clinging to him before he could pull away. "You're going to fall if I let go!"
Zero blushed. "I-I think I can walk, milady."
She stubbornly shook her head.
"B-But, I—"
Her hold persisted.
The Winged Knight sighed. "I have no choice in the matter, do I?"
Emboldened, Aleda firmed her grip and again shook her head. Hidden within her silence, her GunSoul pounded.
"Very well. I shall accept your gracious aid, milady," Zero relented.
Aleda's cheeks turned rosy. Nodding, she tugged forward to usher him along. And so, they continued, the Lady Gundamess half-carrying her battle-worn knight. When they at last entered Zero's room, Aleda, in spite of the Winged Knight's protests, held him the whole way to his bed, where he could acceptably collapse.
Zero looked up at the Gundamess as he eased onto his pillow. "Thank you, milady."
"You're welcome... Um, Zero?" Her shoulders hunched, raised to dam her guilt, and her eyes shifted. "I... wanted to say..."
"Aleda." Zero's hand slipped under hers and curled closed around it. Surprise flushed the remorse from her eyes. "Please, forgive me for my harsh words, today," Zero said. "When I said you could not help fight against the Dark Axis..." He averted his eyes. "...it was a lie that I said out of fear."
"Fear?"
"Fear that an innocent lady like you would come to harm in this war."
Aleda turned over this warming thought for a moment, then squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Zero. You were protecting me, again."
The knight gave a bitter smile. "So much so that I was stifling you."
She shook her head. "I did that, myself."
"What do you mean, milady?"
She bit her lip. "I couldn't let go of something." Then, she asked, "Zero? What was that spell I used? The one that healed you?"
"I know not. It seems to have combined your healing spell with your fire magic," he said, his eyes twinkling with admiration. "Whatever spell you discovered, you are learning to control fire even better than before. The flames responded to your will so well that they not only left me unscathed, but they healed me."
Remembrance of the terror and despair of that moment misted her eyes, but she forced a grin, determined to push through their encounter. "I guess I'm getting better."
"Yes, milady, you are. I would say that I am proud of you, but I never taught you such skill." With affection pouring through his soft voice, he added, "And your deep concern, which caused such a miracle, warms me even more than your gentle flames."
Her lip quivered, sinking under the weight of his kindness. "Zero, I thought I'd killed you."
Zero's smile fell, and his gaze pooled with worry. "Little Wing..." Before he knew it, his hand, though trembling from weariness, was brushing leaks from her eyescreens. "Aleda, you couldn't harm a soul."
"I... I..." she stammered.
Zero squeezed her hand and waited. Aleda's lips pressed tight. When she remained silent, he finally said, "I don't know what happened to cause you to fear yourself so, milady, but, when I was young, a careless step of mine crushed my Papa's foot."
Aleda gaped, freezing her trickle of tears. "What… what did they say?" she said, at last.
"They forgave me, but I had to replace Papa on the farm," Zero said. He rubbed her fingers with his thumb. "I took much longer to forgive myself than they. You are not alone in making grave mistakes, milady."
Aleda's face wrinkled, and, at last, she spilled, "I burned Abby's face by accident, and she never forgave me."
The knight's eyes watered. "Aleda."
A knock at the door jolted them. Their fingers slid apart. Zero pulled himself up and propped his back against the wall, and Aleda rubbed her tears away. "Who is it?" Zero called.
"Chief Haro."
With a glance at Aleda, who pushed a smile onto her face, Zero said, "Please enter!"
The door slid open, and Chief Haro stepped in. Aleda shifted closer to the head of Zero's bed as the chief walked to the foot. "Aleda. Zero. I have come to report that Captain, Shute, and Titan have returned to White Base."
"Are they alright?" Zero immediately asked. Aleda lifted her head.
"Titan has some serious injuries, but he is conscious, and with healing magic he should be fine. Captain and Shute synchronized in the middle of the battle, and they have reverted to their original forms."
Aleda's wings twitched. "They broke the spell?"
Chief Haro nodded. "Yes. There's no need to worry about them, anymore."
After a blank-faced moment to digest, she looked to Zero, who nodded reassuringly. In response, she smiled, then wavered between a smile and a gape, unable to fully express the relief and surprise rising in her. Her straightening posture gave her the air of a fledgling unfurling her wings, and her eyes became emerald Christmas lights. Zero captured every second, engraving forever in his GunSoul the image of his lady's radiance.
"Aleda, do you have enough magic left to cast a healing spell on Titan?" Haro inquired.
She beamed. "Yeah."
"Then, report to Kao Lyn's lab in three minutes."
"Yes, sir!"
The chief departed, leaving the two Lacroans alone, again.
Aleda still grinned audio-to-audio. Zero gave a happy chuckle. "It looks as if you have nothing left to worry about, Little Wing," he said. Then, he blinked. "—Er, Lady Aleda." He plastered his face with a metal hand in dismay. "I'm dreadfully sorry for addressing you in such a way, milady. It slipped off my tongue."
A giggle escaped the Gundamess. "It's okay," she said, cocking her head cutely. "You can call me that, if you want."
He peered at her. "I may?"
She bobbed her head. "Mhm~"
His GunSoul swelled. "Thank you."
Aleda blushed. "You're welcome. I'll… see you, later."
"Yes, my Little Wing."
The girl, seized by happiness, suddenly pounced and squeezed her arms tight around Zero, who brightened like a nighttime aircraft beacon. The Knight Gundam, gingerly at first, then firmly, rested a hand above the base of her wings. Too soon, Aleda pulled away. "I-I have to go! U-Uhm, 'bye!" she stammered.
Zero softly returned, "Until tomorrow, Lady Aleda."
Aleda darted out of the room, fleeing her pounding heart.
...
Aleda held her hands over Titan's GunSoul, the glow of her magic sealing the cracks and pushing the glue to the surface. Her smile and hum hinted at happy thoughts quite detached from her surroundings.
Kao Lyn and the others present in the lab—including battered Captain and towel-draped Shute—listened to her unconscious tune, until the quirk at the corner of Kao Lyn's mustache refused to restrain him any longer. "You seem very happy."
Aleda's hum ceased, and she blinked. "Uh...?"
"You were humming," Shute explained with a grin. He stretched in the plain, sagging blue uniform the SDG had provided to warm his body.
The Lady Gundamess blushed. "I did that out loud?"
"Yeah."
"You weren't very happy before I sent you with Zero. Did something happen?" Kao Lyn asked with a gleam in his shielded eyes. Titan's hazel eyes narrowed.
The blush deepened. "N-No, n-nothing really happened." Her hands shifted over Titan's dented helmet, and the depression in the metal began to fill. "I'm just happy everyone's alright," she said, beaming at Shute and Captain.
"I hear that you nearly were not alright," Titan said. Shute cringed, and Kao Lyn stiffened. The cheer in Aleda's eyes faded. "Why did you enter such a dangerous fight?"
"I was the only one who could help my friends. I couldn't let them die," she said, a hint of stubbornness entering her tone.
"Do you know how to fight?"
"Zero's been teaching me."
Titan's slowly sealing joints creaked.
"I asked him to. I'm fighting the Dark Axis for those who protected me. That way, they won't have died for nothing."
Titan pressed his mouth in an irritable line. "I see."
"We're glad she's back," Shute interjected.
"Thank you." Rosy joy snuck into Aleda's face, again. "I'm going to stay, this time." Her eyes softened with visions of a certain knight. I'll stay with him, like I promised.
Agitation brewed behind Titan's eyes.
...
In a double-moonlit sky, a winged, golden, caped shape flanked by a red and a blue robot soared above a lifeless castle pierced by giant spikes. "Ah~ Home, sweet home," Tallgeese rumbled with a grin.
Author's Notes
I wasn't kidding when I said it was long! I hope that helped make up for the delay a bit. :)
Grappler didn't have the Control Horns this time, I decided, because it would be a little much to have one for every Bit Bot. Well, no, actually, it's because I had him say offhand in a previous chapter that he wasn't going to use the Control Horn, and so I had to come up with a reason for that XD My explanation is that the Dark Axis hasn't been happy with the results of small-scale use of the Control Horn in Neotopia, so they're trying to conserve them for something better—namely, the big invasion led by Commander Sazabi. Grappler was probably a bit miffed that he couldn't have one of the favorite DA tools, but in the face of a funnel laser cannon, what could he do? Plus, he's smart. He knew he could come up with any needed alternatives.
If anyone was wondering, no, Margaret is not based on me XD If I did do a self-insert, I'd probably pair myself with Zero ;) (who is surprisingly a lot like my boyfriend—chivalrous, sensitive, protective, possessive, prone to fretting, romantic, sappy, and ostentatious. My boyfriend even calls me "lady," and I never asked him to do that XD). And though Aleda shares my shyness, she isn't based on me, either (she's way sweeter, and way more sensitive, and I hate cooking XD).
If you haven't, already, check out Tricks (s/11588320/1/Tricks) to see the Halloween-y stuff that happened while Shute was chasing Grappler Gouf. I was trying to get this chapter done in time for Halloween, but it was too long, so I compromised by cutting out that fluff section and posting it as a Halloween special ahead of the rest of Chapter 20.
A lot of the theme park concepts and names were contributed by Titanic X and fleshed out by me. For the abandoned park setting, I looked up pictures of real abandoned theme parks and a planned robot-themed park, Robot Land, for South Korea (I'm jealous!). The Bit Bots were named after the GX-Bits of After War Gundam X.
As promised, here are the previews, though keep in mind that after edits these passages may not look quite the same. These are not all from the upcoming Chapter 21, but they are all from the next arc. The first two are from Chapter 21, and the third and fourth give a glimpse of some new key original characters. Not all of the upcoming new OCs, but some of them.
Preview 1:
"We'll see each other later at Shute's house, as usual."
"Actually, later... I wondered if I could speak to you privately?" Zero said.
Aleda met him with a curious gaze.
"I have... something important to discuss with you." The Knight Gundam squirmed. "So, perhaps, when everyone else leaves for Shute's home..."
"Is it something bad?"
Zero shook his head. "No, not at all! It's a very good thing—at least," he said, tearing his eyes away momentarily as a blush highlighted his handsome face, "I hope it is good—but there is nothing the matter. It is simply very important." He peered at her, again. "Does this idea please you?"
Aleda nodded.
"Then as the others leave, shall we meet at the launch deck?"
"S-sure…"
Zero's eyes lit with delight. To Aleda's astonishment, the knight took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it tenderly. "Then, I shall see you soon, Lady Aleda," Zero said with a smile that melted her motherboard.
Preview 2:
Tallgeese's golden wings flared, and his eyescreen glowed. He glowered at Zero at first, but then his gaze jerked to the winged Gundamess far away on the sidelines. "Hm?"
Zero shifted to cover his sight of Aleda. "What are you looking at, Tallgeese? Your fight is with me!"
Tallgeese grinned behind his faceplate. "Ooohhh, I see, now." His claws enlarged to extend several feet, exposing their wicked, sharp contours. "It is not simply for love that you are so possessive of that Gundamess."
Zero blinked, then gathered himself behind his shield. "You shall fall this day!" he tried to threaten.
His opponent cocked his head. "You don't know, do you?"
"Know what?" Zero demanded.
Tallgeese laughed. "Of course! You cannot see it!"
"What are you talking about, Tallgeese?!"
"Should I tell you?" Tallgeese taunted. "It may be more fun to watch you discover it on your own."
"Quit your games!"
"Very well," Tallgeese sneered. "I'll tell you."
Preview 3:
Behind the black-armored Gundam's back, Miku saw a bolt of electricity flying for him, and she bowled him over, sending them crashing on the floor out of the beam's path. The Knight Gundam glanced at the slim, red-armored Arkian with curious surprise as they scrambled to their feet. "Thank you," he said.
In the next second, his eyes were on the battlefield again. He and Miku pressed back-to-back, eyeing their approaching opponents warily. "When I said 'Remain close,' I didn't mean for you to follow me into battle," Ace chided, though keeping his gaze locked onto Mercurius.
Miku smirked without turning from Vayeate as she trained her pistol on the blue robot. "It's not necessary for you to worry, Sir Knight. I'm no helpless damsel. Though, at times, I do appreciate the help."
Preview 4:
Lady Opal, too, now shifted her full attention to the Lady Gundamess by his side. A blink of surprise escaped her regal gaze before she stared intently at Aleda, eye-to-eye, green-to-green, her large white wings quivering while Aleda's gold-edged ones stood stiff.
"This is Lady Aleda," Zero said, taking his beloved's small hand. "And, milady, this is Lady Opal, the wife of Rock, the leader of the Royal Knights and my mentor."
I hope you've enjoyed the story, so far. Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter, a prior chapter, or the previewed material. :)
If you don't hear from me again before Thanksgiving, then have a Happy Thanksgiving!
-Penelopi