Alright, as I mentioned on last chapter, had to take two weeks to write this one. Not only is it shorter, I also had way less time overall to do it. I'm really getting very busy and I'll prolly have to make the chapters bi-weekly from now on until my schedule normalizes. But be sure that I'll keep on this, don't be concerned about that.
Hopefully only the size suffered from the tighter schedule and not the quality. I'd also like to add a fair warning for copious amounts of cursing at the end of the chapter, so you've been warned. Please, enjoy!
Chapter 18 - Creeping Past
"Welcome back, Lieutenant." Soma was greeted by Kati once she arrived with her father and Nena at the battleship they called home while they were on-duty. The crews cheered on the background, many of them were people Kati had brought from her base at the A.E.U. and knew Soma from back when she used to visit Nena and the others. They were very glad she was ok.
"Soma Smirnoff, reporting for duty, ma'am!" Soma saluted, then smiled. "You know I can't quite leave my team to their designs, after all. I won't fall so easily."
"Indeed. God only knows what would happen with Nena on the loose." Kati smirked and joked at Nena's expense. 'Hey, I'm right here!' could be heard on the background, on Nena's voice. "And Colonel Smirnoff, I'm glad to see you again. Have you fared well?" Kati saluted Sergei, then extended her hand in greeting.
"I have, Colonel Mannequin. And now that my daughter is safe, I'm even better." He shook her hand back. "And while I'd love to stay, I'm afraid my departure was rather abrupt and outside of protocol. I need to return anon." As he was preparing to say his goodbyes, a figure started running towards them, a figure he recognized...
"Lieutenant Smirnoff!" Andrei came running and bent with his hands on his knees to recover some air. "Y-you're alright!"
"Easy there, Andrei." Soma took his arm and placed a hand on his back. "I'm back and safe. I heard you worried about me?"
"Well, yes! I mean, you protected me, how could I not be? B-besides, you're my..." He raised his head and trailed off once he saw the man by her side. "Father? What are you doing here?"
"Andrei, it's been a while. I trust you've been ok?" Sergei smiled warmly, despite their strained relationship, he always loved his son dearly. If anything, the only one angry at the other was just Andrei. Sergei would always try to make things better, to no avail.
Kati grabbed Nena's elbow and gently prodded her to leave the Smirnoffs alone. "I do believe that's our queue, Nena." The redhead allowed Kati to take her away, tossing a thumbs up of support at Soma.
The middle-eastern Innovator base looked exactly like Regene left it. It had come as a surprise when Ribbons told him he'd see Regene here, instead of just conducting their meeting through videocall, as they were wont to do. Deep inside Regene had a bad feeling about it.
Knocking on Ribbons' quarters in the base, he waited for the invitation to come in. "Who is it?" He heard Ribbons' voice from behind the door.
"It's me, Ribbons. I have come at your command." Regene replied, then opened the door and entered. The first thing he noticed once inside the room was how Ribbons was apparently escorted by one of the other innovades. Yet what shocked him momentarily was his face, a memory of someone he reluctantly had let inside whatever innovades called heart. Looking back at him was Anew's face, but in a more androgynous body. Of course, this wasn't Anew at all, anyways.
He bowed to Ribbons in greeting. "Greetings, Ribbons. What is your bidding?" He said with all the acting skills he had learned by being with humans.
"Regene Regetta. It had been much too long. I trust you have been keeping an eye on our interests while acting with A-Laws?" Ribbons asked, full knowing what Regene had been up to.
"Indeed. Their missions proceed without a hitch, although Celestial Being has become a liability. But I can imagine that being also part of your plan." Regene replied while still bowing, his eyes closed.
"Their resistance makes the plan be that much more interesting, don't you think?" Ribbons smirked, his hands clasped on his chest. "And it justifies the funding A-Laws receives from the federation. Truly, it's win-win for us."
"It's all according to plan, then." Regene confirmed. Then thought of a little chink he could pierce in Ribbons confidence, as he finally rose from the bow. "Even the twin drive, I hope?"
To Regene's credit he didn't even change his expression once he felt Ribbons scowl and grit his teeth at the mention of the twin drive. "That is irrelevant. And now even more, with the new mobile suit we have prepared." Ribbons recovered his confidence quickly, as if Regene hadn't mentioned the accursed twin drive. "Ah! That reminds me. Allow me to introduce Revive Revival." He opened his palm up and addressed his other subordinate in the room.
"It's a pleasure, Regene Regetta. I have heard great things about you, how you're quite the accomplished pilot. I can only imagine how much are the humans in your team pulling you down." Despite the words, Revive talked to Regene in a condescending manner.
But what surprised Regene was how the seething animosity he immediately felt towards Revive was not because of what he implied about his skill, but because of what he implied towards the Norns. With all his might he refused to even acknowledge the word, the phrase that had come to his mind. Something about comrades. "I manage somehow." He replied.
"He's the pilot of the aforementioned new mobile suit, the Gadessa. While I enjoy how Celestial Being gallantly struggles, I do believe it's time we start picking on them more, ah, seriously." Ribbons informed the purple haired innovade, his words dripping with arrogance. "I'd like for you to take Revive with you back to the A-Laws battleship. It should be about time that Lindt comes up with their location. You'd do that for me, wouldn't you, Regene?" He smiled calmly.
"Of course. It's my pleasure." Regene replied.
"Well then! Revive, my child, do get prepared with your Gadessa to depart soon. I still have some matters to attend with Regene." Ribbons turned towards Revive and motioned to the outside of the room with the orders.
"As you command, Ribbons." Revive bowed, and exited the room, all the while looking with an arrogant smirk at Regene.
Once the lilac-haired innovade was out, Ribbons continued. "The next move has already been decided, Regene. Our grasp in the world is firm, yet still not quite steel-clad. If we mean to tighten our vice-grip, we'll need to prod it. Perhaps not as subtly as I'd like but it will do."
"You mean 'Memento Mori'? You mentioned it on your summons."
"Yes, 'Memento Mori'. Such a beautiful device, but like all other things, it's just one more tool in the plan. Like all of us."
"All in the name of the dialogues to come."
"Ah, Halevy." Kati noticed the blonde's presence on the way to her office. She was apparently supervising the maintenance on her mobile suit, and that made her realize how dedicated she was now to their goals. "Please come with us." The Colonel ordered her, referring to her and her current escort, Nena.
"Yes, ma'am! A second, please." Louise quickly saluted Kati, then turned to the crews one last time. "The plates are feeling a bit heavy, please ask Riya about some sort of solution. And my left blade is busted, see to that one, too." She then ran to Kati and matched her pace. "You found the Boss all safe and sound, yeah?" She asked Nena half as small talk, half as mild concern. She knew she didn't need to be worried, for Soma was very skilled and Nena very dedicated to her people.
"Yeah! Oh, I'll tell you -all- about it later, it's good gossip!" Nena heartilly informed Louise, then heard Kati clear her throat. "I can't?" Nena asked, hesitant.
"Just be careful. Most of that information is highly classified." Kati admonished her.
"Yes, mooooom..." Nena retorted, but made a mental note to obey.
Once they reached Kati's office, she moved to take a seat behind her desk, and the two Norns took both seats in front of it. Kati produced an envelope from one of her desks drawers and turned it around to hand it to Louise. "Major Lindt gave me this envelope, as an assignment handed over from HQ to you. I supose he took to heart my request of always going through me first, before giving orders to the Norns." She said in a deadpan that belied her satisfaction at having cowed Lindt.
Louise took the envelope and opened it. Nena looked at it from behind Louise's shoulder and read at the same time. Apparently, it was an invitation to some sort of party...
"Is this...proper? A party at this time? I mean, I understand not wanting to go after Celestial Being immediately but they -are- terrorists after all." Louise asked despite her deference to the Colonel.
"Frankly, I don't agree with Celestial Being's methods either but, you'll see why this is a good chance to further our goals." Kati clasped her hands and motioned with her head for Louise to keep reading.
After reading the whole invitation, she realized. "The top-echelons of A-Laws will be there. I see..." Then she opened her eyes wide, like plates. Kati supposed it was the whole realization sinking in but she didn't know that Louise had come to a very different, if related, one. Mister Ribbons was going to be there. Mister Ribbons was...
"Yes. It will be a good chance to truly realize who moves the strings. As such, I'd like for you to accept the invitation." The Colonel waited a moment for Louise to answer, then asked in worry when she noticed her still lost in thought. "Are you alright, Halevy?"
"Huh? Yes, yes! Of course, I accept. I'll go and find out what I can."
"Very well." Kati nodded. "It seems you can take someone with you so I'll assign Nena to assist you. Hopefully there's no objections, Lieutenant?" She asked the redhead, already knowing the answer.
"Hell yeah! I mean, party! How could I refuse? We get to buy dresses and stuff!" Nena replied excited, completely missing the point of the mission. Kati and Louise felt a cold sweat of embarrasment go down their foreheads at the same time.
"Just don't forget the objective, Nena." Kati found herself admonishing her once more in the same day.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Louise asked, seeking to clear soemthing that was nagging her. "But without me and Nena, won't we be undermanned? From what Major Lindt said while the search for Soma was being conducted, we're close to finding out where's Celestial Being."
"As a matter of fact, it seems there's reinforcements coming as we speak. That's why Captain Regene isn't around. We'll be fine."
"Huh, I was wondering where the purple wonder was." Nena took a moment away from her dress-up fantasies to comment.
"Indeed. Now, if you don't have any questions, that will be all. I suggest you start getting ready as soon as possible."
As they left Kati's office and walked to their respective rooms, Louise seemed distant. She darkly reflected that life would be easier if she was dumber or perhaps more disperse. Yet it fell like a bucket of ice on her shoulders. She didn't even need to go meet with Ribbons to realize it once she saw who was involved in the party. She had been used. The deaths of the innocent, of the defenseless. She had a part on that. She had been made into a tool for establishing A-Laws, her desire for revenge had been taken advantage of.
She didn't even ask, she just went with the flow. And for a moment she wondered if Mister Regene knew. She really hoped he didn't.
"Man, I wonder what kind of dress should I get? This is so exciting!" Nena chirped happily once they reached the rooms' doors in one of the hallways, then noticed Louise's distant stare. "You ok there, Lou?"
She heard Nena's voice from behind her. Turning suddenly she looked at her and also realized her friends were very few. Of the people she had met after this whole debacle had started, perhaps only Soma and Nena were her true friends. Maybe Riya, too? With her eyes wide, she took a couple steps towards Nena and without speaking, she embraced her friend. The warmth of Nena's body helped her frayed nerves somehow.
"Yaaaay, hug." Nena murmured in her typical sing-song tune. But after a moment, she grew worried. "Lou?" The redhead inquired in concern.
"Just...stay like this, please." Louise begged of Nena, resting her head on her friend's shoulder.
Nena said nothing, simply holding her tight and rubbing Louise's back.
If one asked Patrick, ever since the base had been left with the absolute minimum crew to work, it had grown deathly dull. Not content with using the federation army as errand boys for A-Laws, they were also made to wait and waste away when they weren't carrying some minor duty for them. At least sometimes they'd be called for relief duty, and helping always made him feel better.
And all that would have been tolerable were it not for the utterly incompetent replacement they had sent, to take over Colonel Mannequin's duties.
Once he had felt like he was just being too hard on the new guy, realizing that holding him to Colonel Mannequin's standards would be an excercise in futility. But after a while he realized how right he was.
He would leave the base to its designs most of the time.
He wouldn't administrate the base properly, sometimes leaving them without resources until prodded.
He would assign double or triple duties on a whim, and leave others with nothing to do.
But worst of all, he was incredibly, utterly arrogant. As far as this new guy was concerned, he was never wrong.
Sitting on the hangar, looking at the Gundam Drei, he wondered how Nena and the Colonel were doing. He also thought of little Soma, and then of Colonel Smirnoff. At least Sergei had more control of what he'd do.
"Oi, you ever thought of maybe a mutiny?" He heard Bernie as he sat next to him, to his left. He looked for a moment to the sudden companionship, then looked back at the Drei.
"Nah, too much trouble." He replied. "Also, Colonel Mannequin asked me to help the new guy out.
"Dude, I don't think Colonel Kat knows how horrible this guy is." Will joined the two, sitting at the opposite side of Patrick, to his right. "I think he just called a girl to his office! I mean, yeah, we're all just men in the end but, come on, it's still working hours!"
"Well, it's not like we can do a lot about it. No one's even paying attention anymore. You're either A-Laws or irrelevant." Patrick darkly observed. "No one cares about what happens to us."
"That's not true. We care." Carlos suddenly said from behind the other three. They turned abruptly, almost scared. This guy was known for moving like a specter but it was easy to forget. "And if that's much of a problem we make ourselves matter."
"Alright, smarty pants." Patrick crossed his arms. "What do you suggest we do, huh?"
"Easy. You say only A-Laws matters." He reclined himself against a concrete pillar, his eyes closed. "What if we join A-Laws? They take volunteers too."
Patrick considered it for a whole two seconds, then shook his head. "But the Colonel said..."
"Dude, stop." William interrupted him, exasperated. "We know you'd die like that old japanese dog story waiting for her word, but seriously, sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do."
He sighed out loud. He did want to see Colonel Mannequin sometime soon but she had relied on him for this. "I don't know, man."
"The boss is right, though." Bernie commented. "This is our base too, after all. S'our home, and boss lady's, and everyone she took with her. How would you feel leaving it in that guy's hands? They're gonna come back and find it a smoking crater filled with crap!" He threw his arms up for emphasis.
"Damnit, Cybernie, stop making sense." Will hung his head low.
"I might have a solution for that." Carlos said, then showed a memory stick to the gathered team. "Will mentioned our 'friend' having parties in Colonel Mannequin's office. This is just a start but if we gather enough dirt, we can make it so the higher ups can't ignore it anymore."
Patrick's eyes went wide with excitement. "Carlos, you sneaky bastard! Now that's a plan!"
Perhaps noticing the ruckus, Chief Moretti approached them. "Hey there lads. I couldn't help but overhear you getting all excited about something. Planning about getting some alcohol to forget the cesspool of mediocrity we're stuck on?"
Patrick grinned at Luigi and got up to place an arm around the burlier man's shoulders. "Better, pops. We got a plan to turn this ship around and I just know you'll want a piece of the action."
Nena had been to other formal events before, mostly from when she graduated from college. While she was someone who couldn't quite behave like such occasions required, she still did enjoy the general atmosphere. Besides, the food was almost as good as back home.
"Man, hey Lou! Lou, c'mere, check these thingamajiggies! They're delicious!" She called out to Louise while the blonde was conversing with some people from the upper crust of society who seemed to know her.
Unbeknownst to Nena, Louise was glad she had called for her. As a contrast to the redhead's opinion of these events, Louise had grown weary of them after the upmteenth time she had assisted to one. The atmosphere felt stiffling to her and being able to put her friend as an excuse was like a breath of fresh air. "Well then, if you'd excuse me, I need to go check up on my escort." She graciously bowed and politely smiled. Just as she was taught.
Approaching Nena she whispered. "Ugh, thank you so much, Nen, I was getting tired of that people." She said as she smiled again at the group she had just left.
"Huh, really? They just seem like a collection of suits to me, are they that bad?" The redhead asked as she stuffed her face with the assortment of foodstuffs laid on the table.
Louise for her part picked a single one and munched thoughtfully on it. "Unfortunately after knowing what I know you realize what's under the suits and gazes with a glance. Hm, not bad." She reacted to the bite on her mouth and grabbed another.
"O'well, good thing I'm around t-whoa, look at that, on the dance floor." Nena commented as she stopped eating and stared with her eyes wide open at where a couple was dancing.
Louise turned to see the people who were dancing and there she saw...Mister Ribbons. Dancing with a beautiful purple-haired woman which she could swear she had seen before. Conflicted between the surprise of seeing the purple-haired woman and the tension at seeing Mister Ribbons, she spoke the first thing that came to her mind. "You think she's some relative of Regene?"
"Dude, that's one of the Celestial Dorks. I knew he was trappy but this is just too much!"
Louise turned fully towards Nena. Something she had said made her wonder. "You know the people in Celestial Being?"
"Uh..." Nena wasn't ready just yet to talk with Louise about what she had been up to all those years before. Even though she planned on talking with her about her past she felt like right now wasn't the moment. "Yeah, they have their files on the military after all. Kinda top-secret but it pays to be part of a colonel's family. Sorta."
"Oh." Louise thought on it, then decided it made sense. "Yeah, I guess." She then turned to see at the gir-, 'girl', again. "Hmmm, well I guess they're rather dedicated."
As the music came to a stop, Ribbons grabbed the woman's hand gently and walked with her to some other part of the building, and another piece begun. Some couples returned to the dance floor and to Louise's surprise, a man she knew well appeared in front of her. "Miss Halevy, you look radiant tonight." Regene said with about half as much charm as such a line would carry.
"Mister Regetta, what are you doing here?" She looked at him with her brow furrowed.
"Huh, purple. You look almost gallant, not bad." Nena didn't miss her chance to tease him."
"I could say the same to you, Trinity." He retorted with a half-glance. "Now, I hope you don't mind if I ask for you to dance with me, Miss Halevy?" He did a half-bow and extended his hand towards her.
While the redhead did a double take and remained shocked by the request, Louise simply took it in stride after seeing his expression. It appeared like he wanted to talk. "Gladly, Mister Regetta."
Walking hand in hand, they left Nena at the buffet table, while she stared at them flabbergasted. "W-what the heckles just happened?!"
The couples around danced with skill and grace. The half-lit ambience would be just what's needed for any couple of lovers to fall even deeper in love, or for stranged partners to reconnect. Yet what Regene and Louise did was something akin to a meeting in the form of dance. Sharp, well executed steps belied the tension between the two. They both somehow knew what the other had to say.
"I suppose you're wondering if I knew." He started. "I wonder if you'd believe me that I did, yet didn't know the rest."
She swirled around on his cue and tilted her head slightly. "Do enlighten me. I at the very least owe you that much. Even if you did use me to establish your little private army."
He smirked. "True enough. You see, at the beginning I did know what was supposed to happen with your support. I knew we were going to join humanity together with our plan." He delicately yet sharply twirled her around in a beautiful half circle, which she skillfully followed. "Yet, just as the branch doesn't know what the trunk touches, I didn't know the depths or the consequences of what our dear friend was doing. I wonder if you'd believe that."
She knew he meant Ribbons. And if she was honest he could have just left her once he saw she was already surrounded by skilled pilots. Like Soma and Nena. Yet he stayed for some reason, why? "WHy would you remain, then? Why continue if you didn't agree?"
"I threw my chips in with you three. I thought of helping you guys help me. I know what you mean to accomplish and perhaps..." He hesitated in his mind but not on his step. "Perhaps it's what's needed for the true goal to be reached."
She sharpened her gaze at him. "Which is?"
"Something will come, someday. What? I don't know. Yet that day, if humanity doesn't stand as one, we could lose everything. Us. Your people. Everyone." He ominously declared. In a moment where he didn't quite know and would never be able to be thankful for, he had managed to reveal a tidbit of very important information while Ribbons had been distracted. "All that has happened was with that in mind yet our friend seems to have other ideas."
Louise abandoned herself to the practiced steps to think. It was quite a bit to take in, after all. Deep in reflection while they both moved, she remained silent, with Regene patiently waiting for her to say something.
She finally judged him. "Somehow I feel like you're not lying."
"That's because I'm not."
"Then...what now?" She gazed into his eyes with a worried look, as if trying to figure it out.
"Now we see how many 'wrenches' can be tossed into his plan's 'machine'. Our team, and the 'Celestial Being' team, and the Federation regular army. There's a lot of pieces moving on the board and he knows about each and every one of them. He thinks himself invincible, and maybe he is. But perhaps one of the actors I mentioned or one we don't know of could be the so-called 'spanner in the works'"
"And you would help?"
"That's another thing I wanted to tell you." His gaze grew dark. "I feel like he somehow knows more than everything. Somehow he watches, and I wish it was merely paranoia. Yet he knows things he shouldn't. Why? I would rather remain on the sidelines while I find out." He stared right into her eyes, and she saw an expression she had never seen in Mister Regetta. Worry. "Louise, you must keep me on the perimeter of things. Do not let me know. Just call me when we sortie. I have taken a great risk at telling you this right here, right now. But I can only hope the gambit pays. Tell them when you can. And press on." They slowly came to a stop and remained like that for a few.
As he saw Nena approach and Louise keep staring at him, he took on an entirely different and neutral demanor, as if they had said nothing while they danced. "Now, Miss Halevy. If you'd excuse me, I need to go attend Master Ribbons. It was a delightful dance, I thank you."
"And I you, Mister Regetta." She curtsied at him and then turned to the redhead who was on them now. "Nena, do you mind accompanying me to catch some fresh air?"
"Uh, yeah, sure." She looked at Regene walking away, then back at Louise. "What was that all about?" She murmured.
"I'll tell you later. For now, I need some air for real." She half smiled at Nena and grabbed her arm, directing her to the garden as they walked.
As they reached the outer garden, Louise noticed someone else nearby. A guy about her age, with dark, messy hair and tan skin. This guy...wasn't he Saji's neighbour? "Excuse me for a second, Nena."
It appeared like Nena hadn't seen him so she just nodded. "I'll be at the fountain waiting for you."
As Nena reached the fountain she sat, and looked up at the stars. She felt like those two had said something very important, yet she'd have to be patient to know what. Were things getting out of hand soon? In a very unladylike manner she spread her legs while sitting and leaned forward, with her elbows on her knees and her arms pointing outwards. With her hands downwards she supposed it would be enough to cover her decency, so she didn't think further than that. And then she thought.
Celestial Being. She'd have to tell Louise someday. She had been part of the interventions back then, and apparently, the interventions had costed Louise her family somehow. A lot of people died back then, she supposed. She could only wonder who had done it.
A piece of her mind she didn't quite pay attention to nagged inside her mind that it could have been those at Spain. Remaining on the back of her mind she didn't even reflect consciously about it, perhaps as a defense mechanism. The implications would be too much to bear.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" A female voice called out to Nena and she raised her eyes. The woman seemed familiar, yet she couldn't remember who she was. "Go ahead." She motioned with her hand for the woman to sit.
"Seems you've been well, Nena Trinity. I hear you joined A-Laws?" The lady decided to throw her an immediate curve ball, and Nena turned to look at her more closely.
"Where...where do you know me from?" She inquired.
"Ah, yes, perhaps we didn't talk that much back then. Maybe reintroductions are in order: My name is Wang-Liu Mei. A pleasure." She extended her hand in greeting.
Wang-Liu Mei. Now she remembered, this lady had aided Celestial Being with funding, planning and other administrative duties. "Oh yeah, that rich lady."
She chuckled. "Well, I suppose that's one way of remembering me."
Nena recalled the question. "Yeah, I've been busy lately. Gotta pay the tab someday." She shrugged. "After all, we all knew what would happen if we got caught. No support from the others so we'd have to manage."
"Oh I don't hold it against you." She reassured Nena. "In a way, you're still doing the work you were before. To keep the changes so dearly paid for."
"I guess."
"Have you thought of rejoining some day?" Wang-Liu Mei asked. In a way, this would help her figure out what were the former operative's intentions and perhaps obtain a new agent for herself.
Nena smiled at that a sad smile while looking to the ground. "I don't think that'd be good for me anymore. All I can hope for now is that we can keep the peace, somehow. It feels like the world is spinning out of control."
"Alas, what a shame." She smiled at Nena, then motioned with her hand to her attendant, that guy who was always close to her but somehow you couldn't see until he was almost in front of you. "If you change your mind, do contact me, yes?" She said as the attendant extended a card towards Nena.
She took it and gave it a read. Seemed like your typical business card. "Yeah, I'll kee-" A strangled scream of pain called for her attention, and a split second later she realized it belonged to Louise. "Shit!"
"Go ahead, do not let me keep you." Wang-Liu Mei waved at her to leave.
"Sorry. See you around!" She said quickly then ran to the source of the scream.
She found her sitting on the ground, grabbing her head. Apparently her headaches were back despite her progress. "Lou, what happened?" She asked while looking inside Louise's bag for the pills, which she quickly found.
"I don't know, we were just talking and...AGH!" She tried, then felt another stab on her brain. Why was this happening? She hadn't lost her calm or anything of the sort, why now?! She felt the pills enter her mouth and swallowed. Hopefully it'd make it better soon. Then she recalled something. "Nena, you need to go after him, the purple-haired guy wasn't the only one here! I don't know what they're up to but we need to make sure it isn't anything rash!"
"Another one? Where did he go?" The redhead looked at Louise inquisitively. At least it seemed the pain was quickly subsiding.
"To his Gundam, I bet." Louise guessed. "You should go grab your Ahead and pursue." They had thankfully brought their machines, which at first she thought excessive but now realized how fortunate it was.
"Will you be ok?" Nena asked, worried.
"Yeah, I'll be right after you soon, go!" She waved at Nena and saw her scramble away towards where the machines were.
She didn't even have time to change, she just went ahead and climbed her Ahead. Starting up the machine quickly, she put attention to the skies and noticed the distinctive trail of green GN particles to the east. "There you are, guys. What the hell are you thinking?" The Ahead Pike started rising up into the sky. "Don't make me fight you, you idiots."
Setting her machine's speed to the top she pursued. They were far away yet not enough to be unreachable. As she got closer she saw sparks and beams fly around and grew more and more concerned. Who were they fighting? Had they perhaps chosen that party to take as many A-Laws leaders as possible or something? Had it gone wrong and were they now on the run?"
She saw the Twin Drive there, and Not-Virtue. The battle was apparently rather fierce. And then she saw their enemy...
That suit. They had modified it somehow but she could recognize it anywhere. The sword too, it was quite the distinctive design after all. And the GN Fangs attack. It was one of his signatures after all.
It was Michael's suit and she knew exactly who was piloting it.
"Hahahaha!" Ali Al-Saachez laughed. These dumb kids knew nothing yet they fought so valiantly. Like lambs rushing at a wolf they went. And he'd be happy to obligue. "What's wrong, getting tired? Give me some fun, come on! COME ON!"
"Argh!" Tieria screamed as his suit received the full brunt of the Gn Fangs' assault. "He's too powerful! But It won't end here, I need to avenge him! For Lockon!"
"Tieria, be careful!" He heard over the comms from Setsuna but too late did he notice the kick that came for him. As he scrambled to recover he saw something he didn't expect.
Another crimson suit had apparently joined the fray, and it was one of the Norns. The red one was the sniper yet they had managed to come into melee range. Then he heard the voice.
"It's you, you piece of shit, bastard! I'll make you pay!" Nena's scream raged on the area's communication's channel. Both Celestial Being memebers recognized her. Tieria wondered, Trinity had joined A-Laws? "I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Taken by surprise, Ali had to pull back and dodge the point-blank bullet barrages. "Whoa, hey there! I think I know that voice!" He teased her, amused. "Some girl I didn't leave the money for? Man, they're now getting on mobile suits to charge!"
"Shut up, damn you! Shut up and DIE!" She screamed again. It had been funny, in a way. Feelings that had remained buried for a while, after a few years of peace. Of love and family. Of friends and a newfound dedication to righting her past wrongs. All that forgotten once this guy appeared.
"No way! Dude, is that you? Girlie, it's been a while!" He finally recognized the voice, the Trinity girl. So she had survived, not bad. "How've you been? Training I hope?" He dodged once again and put some distance between them. As if playing with a raging kitten.
Her gaze began to lose focus to her rage. Vengeance was at hand and to be grasped. He'd pay right here, right now. "That's Michael's suit, give it back!" She demanded, while she tossed ahead the plasma saber as a rotating blade then, without quite thinking, used her rifle to spray the GN particles from the attack around Ali's position.
"Whoa, you have been practicing! Nice m-what?" He dodged the spray, yet it became too spread to evade it all. Fortunately for him he only caught a small part of the attack. "Girlie, be careful or I might angry. You won't like that."
"Give it back!" She demanded again. Closing in with blinding speed she let loose another machinegun barrage.
"Damnit, kid, stop that shit or I'll kill you right here!"
By this time she didn't know if she meant the suit or her past life anymore. She kept screaming. "GIVE IT BACK!"
"Don't say I didn't warn you, you bitch." He readied the humongous sword and prepared to stab her and split her apart.
"GIVE THEM BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!" She charged ahead once she saw the bastard charge as well. Without quite thinking, she shot and he dodged skillfully, only to see her suit be pierced through.
"There, you fucking crazy bitch." He said, tired. "You sure gave me a run for my money but it's time to say hi to your stupid brothers. Now d-what, damnit! Let go, you idiot!" As he motioned to remove his sword from the enemy suit's body, he noticed she had grabbed the blade by its handle and gripped it with all of the machine's power.
Inside of the Ahead Efreet's cockpit sparks flew. Some of the sparks hit Nena, and a few injured her eye. Without even registering the pain she closed her quickly bleeding eye and yelled once more, with less strength. "G-give it back. It's Michael's. G-give it..."
"Fuck, fine! You want it? Keep the stupid sword!" He finally relented once he saw the other Celestial What'chamacallits approach. "I'm skilled but even I know four is too many." Releasing the blade and leaving it stuck on the Ahead's body he flew away. "Be sure to thank the girlie, she bought you bozos enough time to survive! Laters!"
The machine began powering down from the damage. Floating in place it descended ever so slowly. And inside the cockpit, its pilot also kept receiving damage from the sparks around it. Her bleeding eye and her death grip on the controls the only signs of life.
"Give them...back. Give them..."
Awsh-What's gonna happen to Nena?! Once again she got very damaged. And Patrick's back with his own side-story! And what could Regene be planning? Will he discover the backdoor Ribbons put on them innovades? Will Sergei prepare some stroganoff for his kids?! WHY AM I SCREAMING?!
The answer to that and many more questions shall come in the future. Again, I apologize beforehand if i don't quite make it for the next week, I'm doing my best. Also, ten points to whoever guesses where did that attack Nena performed with the rotating blade and the sniper rifle come from! Than you very much for your reviews and for your reads! I'll see you next time, take care!