Old Friends Anew
Phase-29: With Freedom and Justice We Fly
"Okay, we're good Neuman!" Chief Murdock called up to the bridge as everyone scrambled to their places. "Start powering her up!"
"Roger that!" The blue haired Archangel pilot began activating systems.
The elevator opened up and Athrun gingerly stepped onto the bridge, leaning on Meyrin for support due to his injuries. "Athrun!" Miriallia went wide-eyed once she saw him.
"I'll be fine." He answered her unspoken question. "At the very least, I can operate in CIC."
Outside the ship, on a helipad, one of Archangel's MPs cut the bonds that held Neo Lorrnoke, setting him free. "What's this?" He asked as he rubbed his wrists and looked over his shoulder at the white and blue jet behind him. "Explain your meaning."
"You've already healed from you're injuries, right?" Murrue stared at him with a sad smile. "If you stay, you're only going to get hurt again."
"Huh?"
"Sky Grasper…. It may be a fighter plane, but I already had it prepped. Take it and go." The woman broke eye contact and tears began to well in her eyes. She turned around quickly. The man looked over her shoulder. "You're not Mwu. Mwu is gone, right?" She left without even letting him respond, as she broke into a run.
Murrue entered the bridge as she finished drying her tears, just in time to hear Athrun's voice. "Meyrin, I have to ask you to get off, and stay at the dock."
"Eh?" She stared at him.
"After we launch, Archangel and ZAFT will be fighting one another. So that's why… I can't let you stay aboard."
"Athrun-san…."
"I really am sorry, and thank you. But you'll be safe at the dock. So please, okay?"
Meyrin shook her head twice, the look in her eyes expressing pain. "But… But I… I've always been left behind!" She grabbed onto his arm, and pressed her face into his good shoulder. "In the academy, by Lumi, by Adam…. Why am I always the one who gets left behind when everyone else moves forward?" She looked up into his eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm fine here! I'll be okay here! I don't want to be left behind again!"
"Meyrin…." Athrun fell silent, and he turned to the captain with a silent, pleading look.
The woman nodded. "Meyrin has already fought with us on one occasion. She's welcome to join us."
"Fine then." He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and guided her to the CIC pit below.
The Archangel's dock was at full gauge with water when Murrue sat down in her seat. "Main gate: unlock!"
"Main gate: unlock." One of the officers echoed as the large bay door slid open in four directions.
"Restraint arms: uncouple." The two magnetically sealed docking clamps released. "Engines at 20 percent. All ahead, slow." The submerged ship slowly began its exit through the long underwater tunnel.
Soon, the ship surfaced right next to the cliff the Sky Grasper was sitting on. As the battleship rose into the sky, letting the water roll off its smooth metal in a spray of heavy mist, Neo followed it with his eyes.
Murrue noticed him still on the rocks for a moment before turning to the front. "Set course to 2-0. Archangel, all ahead full!"
The hellish battle off and on the coast of Onogoro was being fought desperately as anti-aircraft bullets lit up the sky above the ORB battleships. Babi mobile suits delivered their payloads through the hailstorm, but the curtain of bullets was too thick.
From the rear of the ZAFT fleet, a familiar red and gray battleship approached. "I should thank you for coming so quickly, Captain Gladys." The commander onboard the St. Helens sent a message to Minerva.
"No need." She responded. "But what of the target? Has he still not been found?"
"Correct. They were on the verge of defeat, but they began a major reorganization. I guess we should admire their tenacity. Minerva, take up the slack in the center by supporting the Freid Squadron."
"Roger that." The commanders saluted each other as the transmission was cut. "Turn 10 degrees to port. Decelerate and prepare for a water landing. We may not be at the front, but don't let your guard down. Continue to monitor all the surrounding airspace!"
"Ma'am!" They all responded quickly as the ship slid into the water, sending up a large spray.
Elsewhere in the sky, Akatsuki fired its beam rifle at Destiny multiple times. Each time it hit, it just dissipated off of the beam shield. Cagalli gritted her teeth as she unfolded the cannons from her flight pack. "If that thing breaks through, then ORB will…" She fired both cannons and her rifle at the blue and red mobile suit, which easily dodged two shots and deflected the third.
"Tch! What the hell is that thing?" Shinn snarled. Destiny's beam cannon uncoupled from its housing on its back and unfolded into firing position. After a short time lining up the shot, Shinn fired.
"Eh!" Cagalli gasped quickly as she stretched the mobile suit out, so the beam got a direct hit into its chest. In a flash, the red and blue energy weapon was sent right back where it came from, barely giving Shinn time to dodge.
"Beams get reflected?" He tested his theory by shooting at its head with his rifle. The green energy just split into three parts on impact. "If that's the case…!" Destiny folded up the beam cannon and made the switch with its anti-ship sword. With the saber pointed straight ahead, Destiny unfurled its great plasma wings. With the sword slung over his shoulder, Shinn gunned his thrusters straight towards the unknown suit.
It was nearly too fast for Cagalli to react. She was frozen as she saw the blade and the afterimages of Destiny. "Cagalli-sama!" A cry came from above. An entire squadron of Murasame vectored in, firing at Destiny, and getting Shinn's attention. It worked. He changed course and slid past the green energy with ease. As a Murasame tried to pass under him, Shinn slashed his sword and cut it in half.
Another tactic was attempted as three of the squad transformed to mobile suit at the same time and fired at the suit in sync. Destiny easily swerved around the weaponry discharges as its wings unzipped the sky. "That won't hit me!" As he flew up to meet the three assaulters, he caught an untransformed Murasame with his blade. The pilot no longer existed.
"AUGH!" A pilot's last cry was heard as his mobile suit was pierced by a beam shot from Destiny's rifle. The red and blue mobile suit's speed was demonic, and it was soon becoming apparent to them. Another pilot's sensor beeped too late, as Destiny cut it lengthwise with his massive sword.
Among the flaming debris that was falling around him, Shinn turned to the golden suit. "Egh!" Cagalli grunted as she pulled back. From the suit's left hip, she pulled out a double-edged beam saber and readied her shield before she went full burn.
Shinn did the same with his big blade. "Could that be the commander's unit?" They clashed sword and shield. "Then why do your skills suck so much?"
"Ughe!" Cagalli strained against the controls.
A white battleship approached the field of battle. "Onogoro Island is within visual range. Bringing it up now!" Milly did her duty and patched the image through to the screen. The crew gasped at the horridness of the picture, as explosions coated the air, and smoke rose from the coast.
"Examining enemy heat signatures. Vosgulov-class: two. Wehrenberg-class: four. Izarco-class: eight. Also… Minerva is there!"
"Eh?" Ramius gasped.
"Minerva?" Athrun was totally taken aback.
"I thought Gibraltar had it in port!" Neumann commented.
"They must've come to get Djibril!"
On another battleship, the viewscreen zoomed in on the new presence, and the sight of it took everyone off guard. "Archangel!" Arthur's jaw had dropped.
"I knew it. They didn't go down." Talia stared at the ship with rapt attention.
"Akatsuki has been detected. It's in mid-fight with an enemy mobile suit bearing 2 o'clock." Milly reported her findings just before bringing up the visual.
Athrun's breath caught in his throat. "Destiny? Shinn!"
The black-haired Coordinator brought his blade down, and Akatsuki's shield was sliced in half. Cagalli lost both portions of it as she was kicked away. "Haaaaaaahhh!" Shinn yelled as he took a Flash Edge boomerang from his shoulder and whipped it Akatsuki's way.
As Cagalli charged forward with saber drawn, she tilted her mobile suit away to dodge. It wasn't quick enough, as its left arm was suddenly sliced off. "Agh!" She winced. Destiny soon let the other boomerang fly. The timing was perfect. The first boomerang was coming back and the second was going forward. It was a pincer maneuver she couldn't escape.
"Cagalli!" Athrun yelled in desperation.
On Minerva, Burt's radar went crazy. "I'm detecting two unknowns descending from above! Mobile suits? They're so fast!"
"So what are they?" Talia demanded.
The answer was short in coming. Though red from the atmospheric re-entry, the armor of the white and black mobile suit, Strike Freedom, was soon obvious to the world. Holding on to its hand was an unknown mobile suit, colored in purple and black with silver joints. Kira squinted as he let go of his partner suit and rolled towards Cagalli's battle. Freedom's railguns unfolded on its hips and fired. With less than a second to spare, the projectile slammed into the second boomerang and detonated it, throwing Akatsuki clear of the first one. Destiny caught the remaining boomerang quickly as Shinn looked towards the source of the blast. "What?" Strike Freedom barreled towards him at top speed, and the familiar look to the suit made him lose his breath. Kira whipped out both of his beam sabers and went on the attack, swiping down with his right arm. Destiny boosted its thrusters out of the way just in time. The crew of both Minerva and Archangel let out a collective gasp. The mobile suit with the golden hinges slid in front of Akatsuki, shielding it. "Freedom? What is that thing? There's no way! Just how?"
"Kira?" Cagalli stared at the back of the mobile suit in shock. "That's you in there, Kira?"
"Murrue-san, look after Lacus for me!" The strongest Coordinator sent a communication to the Archangel, but also left the channel open for his love to hear, who was piloting the other mobile suit in her brand new pink flight suit. "I'll take over out here! Cagalli, go to Defense HQ!"
"You got it!" The golden-haired girl acknowledged.
Freedom hit the throttle again as Destiny spread its wings once more. "Damn it!" Shinn growled as his thrusters fired. They clashed in midair twice, saber to saber.
Archangel's portside docking bay opened up to admit the incoming purple mobile suit. "Egh!" Athrun struggled to stand up from his chair in the CIC. Meyrin quickly went to his side and supported him.
"We're moving up to the front!" Gladys sent an urgent message to the St. Helens. "I hope that's not a problem."
"Uh… no. Please go ahead." And that was where the transmission ended.
"Rise from the water and ascend, and make it quick! Turn starboard 10 degrees!" The captain barked orders. "Our target is the Archangel!"
"Hai!" All of them responded as ZAFT's flagship let out a large trail of water as the engines went to full power. The ship broke from the surface, leaving a misty trail in its wake.
"Minerva is heading this way!" Ramius noticed the move right away. "Everyone prepare for battle!"
"Hai!"
"Launchers 1 to 10, load all tubes with Parsifal missiles." The missile tubes of Minerva opened and put in their first volley. "Tristan!" The two double barreled energy cannons calibrated themselves. "Isolde, activate!" From the center deck, the three projectile cannon chamber rose into battle position. "Your target: Archangel!"
"All rear missile tubes, load Wombats!" Archangel's missile tubes housed near the engines opened up and prepped for the first round. "Gottfried!" The energy cannons rose from the legs of the ship and stretched out their telescopic barrels. "Valiant, begin targeting!" From the back sides of the ship the Valiant projectile cannons emerged. They rotated to aim forward, and their telescopic barrels also extended. "Lock on Minerva!"
The two captains stared each other down from their respective chairs. "FIRE!" Came the order from both Amagi and Arthur simultaneously. All three Isolde cannons shot out their shells, the first volley of missiles launched from the side of the ship, and Tristan 2 discharged its energy. The portside Valiant launched its energy encased projectile, Gottfried 1 let loose its streams of green energy, and Wombats soared into the air, hurtling towards its opponent ship. Minerva's CWIS started reacting straight away, firing its machine guns into the air, blowing the missiles to smithereens and sending up a large explosive cloud in front of the ship. The cloud was quickly disbursed by the high powered energy of the Gottfried as it shot over their starboard bow. Archangel's CWIS went to work shooting up Minerva's payload, sending an orange explosive cloud up, which was cut through quickly by the Tristan's energy as it just skimmed past the port bow. Each ship came out of the smoke, passing each other's starboard bow, and firing its remaining energy cannons. Anti-beam cartridges intercepted them before the ships could be pierced by the weaponry. The real battle between Archangel and Minerva had just begun, and they were at a stalemate.
Kira pulled out both of his beam rifles, and shoved one into the back end of the other. Their combined might was unleashed at Destiny, which had no time to evade. Shinn took the attack on his beam shield in full. He pulled back and engaged his own beam cannon, firing its red and blue particle energy at Kira's Gundam. Strike Freedom's core cannon lit up and discharged its own beam of the same color. The attacks collided in midair, causing a massive explosion between the two. All the while, the battle was being watched by a very annoyed Ray.
On its attack run, a Murasame was unfortunate enough to become skewered by multiple anti-aircraft bullets before delivering its payload. From the depths of the sea, an ASSHU poked its arms and torso out of the water. The four beams mounted on the sides of its claws tore through an ORB battleship, completely destroying it. A Gouf extended its red hot whip and hurled it into an Astray Shrike at the same altitude. The red and white mobile suit was easily sliced apart. Tanks and Astrays fired into the air, trying and failing to fend off a missile barrage that slammed into the coast, and them in the process.
Akatsuki was carrying Cagalli as fast as possible towards her destination. A Gouf that was in her way was destroyed by her beam rifle's discharge. "Cagalli!" Kisaka and his wingmen formed up on her.
"I'm heading towards Defense HQ for landing! Give me some cover!" She said before she banked to one side, with the squadron following her quickly.
From space, a heat-shielded pod hurtled towards Onogoro island. Once in the atmosphere, the separation bolts detonated, and the outer shell fell apart, releasing three black and purple mobile suits into the air. "What the?" A ZAFT soldier was completely confused, not being informed of any reinforcements.
"Is that a ZAFT descent pod?" An ORB pilot also asked.
All three suits softened their landing with powerful thrusters. Each activated its pinkish camera eye. These suits were definitely not normal ZAFT troops. Their feet were massive, and encased large thrusters. Each had a large beam saber over their back that was actually mounted in the hips. The torso was heavily armored as were the arms, which each had a beam shield emitter in them. The weaponry was simple, yet complex, a single bazooka, that also had a beam rifle embedded in it as well. No, these were not ZAFT troops. These were mobile suits that original Gundam fans would recognize easily. These were the DOM Troopers.
"Heh. I knew it. Earth's gravity is a real pain."
"What are you blabbering about? Okay let's move, you dumbasses!"
"Yeah!" All three of their pilots spoke to each other.
"For Lacus-sama we fight!" The female leader of the pack cried. The three mobile suits hit their throttles and coasted above the surface like hovercraft. They fired their beam rifle portions into three ZAFT suits as they passed, their beam shields activated on their arms. A Zaku that was dumb enough to pursue one got a shot to the chest that overloaded the battery and exploded.
"What the… hell are those?" Miriallia pulled up an image of the DOMs slashing up three mobile suits with their blue beam sabers and one firing above him to take out a DINN.
"Murrue-san, Cagalli-san." Lacus opened a channel to both of them from the hangar, her hair now freely flowing over her flight suit. "The drop pod's mobile suits aren't enemies. They're our allies. I hope I was able to inform you in time."
A mass of Zakus and Goufs were in the direct path of the DOMs. "Looks like we'll have to take care of them first. Let's move!"
"Yeah!"
"So we doing this or not?"
All three went into a straight line, the first covering all with its beam shield. "Jet Stream Attack!" They spoke in unison. The first accelerated as its chest emitted a mirage of red particles to surround the three. The front one fired beam rifle blasts, the second sliced up any mobile suit that came within range, and the last one shot its bazooka at anything else the other two couldn't cover. They were certainly a force to be reckoned with. As they broke formation, each took a single mobile suit to destroy, which they made scrap metal of in record time.
"Lacus!" Athrun yelled to her as he and Meyrin made it into the hangar.
"Oh? Athrun!"
'Lacus-sama?' Meyrin studied her in silent thought. 'Is this the real one?'
The girl with the pink hair in the pink flight suit, with her pink Haro boinking around, went to meet them halfway. "I wasn't expecting you to be the pilot. Is everything okay?" Athrun stopped a few feet in front of her.
"Yes, quite. The only thing I did was take a ride in it. But what about you, Athrun? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He smiled at her slightly as an explosion shook the ship slightly.
"I didn't mean physically." The wizened pop star stared at him with a concerned smile. When the young man looked away, it told her everything she needed to know.
"Tristan, tei!" Tristan 2 launched a volley at Archangel, missing its aft starboard by inches.
"Evade them!" Ramius ordered.
"Wombats, fire!" Amagi yelled into his headset. Archangel counterattacked with six of its own missiles, fired from the rear.
Shinn took two downward swipes at Kira, missing each time. "Damn you! Why is it this way?" Without even saying a word, Kira's SEED dropped in front of his eyes and shattered. In an unexpected move, he put away the beam rifles in a flash and activated both beam shields on the back of his hands. Shinn's next downward stroke was cancelled in a move that was deemed impossible for a mobile suit. Freedom received Destiny's blade in a bare-handed catch, something some human martial artists can't even master. "Huh?" It was the only thing Shinn could let out before Freedom's railguns flipped forward and fired at point-blank range. The explosion knocked the blade loose from Destiny's hands, and Freedom threw it away as Shinn was blown backwards. There was little damage done to Destiny, due to the Phase Shift armor, but its pilot was still majorly pissed as he pulled out his beam rifle. "So what you're saying is 'If that was a beam…'" Kira pulled out his blasters again. "'This fight would have been over!' Isn't that right?" Shinn's rage filled his eyes in with the shades of red of a SEED mode. "Tyeaaaaaaaahhh!" He charged at full burn. The two of them began exchanging intense rifle fire.
"Launcher 1, Launcher 2, fire!" Arthur ordered through his headset.
"Target their engine!" Gladys was working on a strategy. "Malik, you're in charge of evasive tactics hereon in!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The man at the controls said with strain as he cranked the wheel.
The internal communications screen popped up and Ray's face stared at the blonde woman in the captain's chair. "Captain, Shinn needs to come in."
"Eh?"
"The situation is different now. The outcome looks grim."
"Then you or Lunamaria should launch!"
"Indeed we shall head out too, but Shinn needs to come in before that. He'll need a quick maintenance and re-supply. If we don't shoot down that mobile suit, we can't win."
"Very well. I'll let you handle it." Talia closed her eyes for a second, only to open them with an annoyed look on her face. "But make it fast!"
"Understood." The discussion ended there.
"Abby," The captain turned to the new intelligence officer. "What's the situation on the front? Have we still not been able to locate the target?"
Suddenly, in the ORB Parliament shelter, which housed all of the Emirs aside from Yuuna was broken through by one of the new GOOhNs. Those that were not killed by getting hit by the mobile suit were crushed by the collapsing roof, Unato included. Sadly, a shelter full of civilians also was hit. All the while, Djibril ran through the tunnels and halls, escorted by ORB military that was loyal to him.
"Correct." Abby answered the captain. "We have yet to get any information on him!"
The Defense Headquarters was under siege. Astrays and Murasames covered the building in desperation. One of the burrowing GOOhNs popped up right in front of an Astray guarding the front door, and shot its chest beams straight into it. "Haaaaaaahhh!" Cagalli let out a battlecry as she stabbed the enemy mobile suit and landed just feet from the doors. The blonde ripped her helmet off and descended the winch while Kisaka began to land himself.
Kira was playing follow the leader with Shinn, who was following and not liking it one bit. "This one…! He just won't go down! Why won't you die?" He fired three more rifle shots at Freedom, which Kira either dodged or deflected.
Shinn's communications screen activated. "Shinn, return to ship!" Ray told him.
"Uh? How come? I can still fight!" He checked his power gauge, which spoke differently. It was down to 16.
"I'm ordering you. If you want him gone, return for now. Get it?" Ray ended the transmission there.
"Keh! Screw you! I'm the same rank!" Shinn hit his communications to Minerva. "Abby! Deuterion beam!"
"Eh?" Both she and the captain said it at the same time.
"What is he…?" Arthur let the question hang.
"But, Shinn…." The girl said.
"Don't question me! Just do it, damn it! Do I have to make it an order?" Shinn hissed at her, and flew towards the Minerva.
The blonde girl looked towards the captain, who just shrugged. "Deuterion Chamber on standby. Targetting Destiny. Deuterion System at full charge!" Destiny flew up high in front of its flagship. "Deuterion Beam, irradiate!"
The slow and thin particle beam started to lance towards Destiny's forehead. Suddenly Burt's screen went wild again. "Incoming mobile suit from portside! It's no good! It's too fast for me to get a reading!"
A blue and brown phase shifted mobile armor rocketed forward. Its rear claws closed up and flipped into its body while the legs rotated out from the same hinges and stretched to their full extension. The cockpit receded into the torso as the six wings slid backwards until they touched. Arms folded out and down from the chest, and the core cannon latched onto the tip of the nose cone uncoupled and slid in to take their place. The blue nose cone shot off the suit, revealing the head inside, and it split into two even pieces. The cone halves latched onto the shoulders of the mobile suit, and a rifle slid into the right hand while a small shield slid onto the left. The shield opened up around its four-point star and glowed with the technology of a positron reflector shield. The new mobile suit halted in the path of the Deuterion Beam, and its head antennae absorbed the energy. The pilot's energy gauge instantly went back from low to maximum power. "Heh, thanks for the recharge. Nothing beats a good pit stop."
Shinn was stunned. "Wha? What is that?" Then he realized he wasn't getting any power from the Deuterion cannon. "I don't care who you are, but you're in my way!" He pulled out his beam rifle and fired. The mobile suit turned its shield towards the attack and disbursed it. "A positron reflector? Wait. I know that equipment!" His mind flashed back to when he was flying with his best friend in the sky, and how Falcon transformed. "Damn you! Using parts from my dead friend's mobile suit!" He pulled out the remaining Flash Edge from his shoulder and hurled it at the enemy.
"Wah-oh!" The pilot said as he spun away from the boomerang. "And this is nothing like a good pit stop!" The dangerous weapon made its arc back towards the new suit. "Well, let's see how these things work!" The two lower wings separated from the body and flew under their own power, spreading out beam sabers perpendicular from the wingtips. One of the pods met the boomerang's beam saber, stopping its spin, and the second one did a barrel roll, slicing up the weapon less than a second later. Both pods cleared the area before the explosion, and became wings on the mobile suit once again. "Oh yeah! Atmospheric DRAGOONs! Work's like a charm!" The pilot in the yellow flight suit grinned. "Now… about that attack you just made…." The six-winged suit turned towards Destiny.
"What the hell is this?" Shinn pulled out his rifle again and fired two shots. The new mobile suit danced away and fired its own rifle. Destiny deflected it with its shield quickly. "Then I'll take you out this way!" He pulled out both beam sabers on his hips. The enemy suit launched its top two wings, and they hurtled towards Destiny with powerful thrusters. Each fired beams of green energy at the mobile suit. "Nani?" Shinn's beam sabers batted the assault away after some quick thinking. He was too preoccupied with them to see the bottom wings launch again and extend their blades. They came in horizontally from the sides, slicing off Destiny's weapons just below the handle. Shinn let them go before they exploded. "Shit, are those DRAGOONs? But we're in atmo! Minerva! I'm coming in for a landing! Get this monkey off of my back, would you?"
"Understood!" Arthur said. "Tristan 1, tei!" The flagship's main cannons fired at the mystery suit.
"Everyone's on my case today!" The pilot whipped around and took the blast in the reflector shield. He tilted back and the shot was reflected straight up into the air.
The beam energy got the attention of Kira, who magnified the source three times on his screen. "That mobile suit… is that…?"
The six winged suit barreled away and headed towards the island, but not without making a pass by Archangel. It waved at the bridge with its shield hand as it sped by, and for some reason, Murrue felt compelled to wave back. "Miriallia, keep an eye on that one! It may have not attacked us, but we still don't know its allegiances!"
"Got it!" She responded.
Cagalli and Kisaka entered the command center. "Yuuna!" She yelled as she ran to where he was sitting on a chair, beaten, and his hands tied behind him.
"Cagalli!" He stood up. "This is cruel! They went too far! Cagalli… you were gone… so I tried my best to…." His sentence was never finished as Miss Fist met Mister Cheek as the blonde princess finally got to do what she wanted to do for months. "Gwah!" He cried as he fell to the floor. He struggled to sit up. "Cagalli!"
"I'm not saying you're completely to blame! By not sharing my views with you, Unato, and the other Emirs, and not doing the duties set upon me…. I'm at fault too!"
"Cagalli, that's not…."
"But what the hell do you call this, huh? We may not see the same view, but didn't we have the same drive to protect our country?"
"No, but, that's…"
The girl's rage was unrivaled as she picked up the taller man by the collar. "Spill it! Where the hell is Djibril?" Not getting a response right away she shook him once. "Are you still trying to shield him even now?"
"But I already said! I don't know!"
"Yuuna!"
"Really, really! I haven't a clue! Yes he was at our house, but now I have no clue where he is!"
"Tch!" She threw him into the arms of the nearest security personnel. "Enough. Lock him up!"
"Hey, but… Cagalli!" As they took him away, he continued to call for the girl.
"The Kaguya blockade is done, right?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Commander Soga told her.
"Our highest priority should be to find and capture Djibril ASAP!" Kisaka chimed in.
"We can't give up! We'll start work on a cease-fire once they've been pushed back! Keep that in mind for now!"
"Yes ma'am!" The entire room saluted her.
"I've got an incoming transmission from an unknown mobile suit!" One of the communications officers called. "Putting it up on speaker, also getting a visual of the mobile suit!"
The video was patched in first and Cagalli's jaw unhinged. "Is that the… M-3?"
"Hey, looks like you've got quite the party going over here!" The pilot said as he shot out a Gouf who had unkindly disassembled a Murasame. "You got an assignment for me or should I just fly around destroying random ZAFT suits?"
Cagalli snatched the microphone away from the nearest communications officer. "Adam? Adam is that you? You bastard! I thought you were dead!"
"Hey, is that any way to talk to your friend that has a nice shiny new Gundam for you to make use of? Of course it's not as shiny as yours, that is… if that gold one parked in the front lawn is yours. Anyway, I'm here, and I'm ready for action. Adam Cancho, Eagle Gundam, reporting for duty!"
"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice again. Eagle, give air support to those purple and black mobile suits! Those are our allies."
"Got it!"
"And after you're done with that, head for the Archangel! I think a certain Hawke would absolutely love to see you."
"M…Meyrin's back on Archangel?"
"We'll talk later! Get to work!"
"Yokhai!" Adam's transmission ended and he banked towards the DOMs.
The Archangel shook from another explosion, but Athrun and Meyrin were unfazed as they stared at the new metallic arrival in the hangar. Neither was the girl who approached them, who had changed from her flight suit into something a little more comfortable, and a lot more stylish. "Justice, huh?" Athrun said to her without looking.
"Yes. But its full name is Infinite Justice."
"Is it mine?" There was small hint of irritation in his voice.
Lacus paused for a second before speaking. "Putting everything else aside, you're the one that gets to decide that."
Kira's HiMat system activated, and he targeted multiple mobile suits on the ground. Strike Freedom let loose all five of his weapons at once, taking out that many mobile suits. The DOMs took care of the scraps that were left, while Eagle shot out the skyward DINNs and Babis with his rifle. "That mobile suit…." Adam noticed the source of the blasts and toggled his communications once again. "Is that who I think it is in there?"
Kira blinked when he heard the voice. "Adam? Adam Cancho?" He put on the full video.
"Remind me to kick your ass later for making me think you were dead."
"Heh, same goes to you, and I happen to know there are a lot more people who want to kick your ass than mine!"
"Match point to Kira Yamato." A formation of Goufs was heading towards the DOMs, guns a-blazing. Eagle whipped around and fired three quick rifle shots, taking out the formation. "And three more kill points for me!"
Athrun glared at Lacus. "So you're also thinking I'm only a fighter, too? Is that what you're hinting at?"
"That is also something you get to decide." He twitched at her words. "It's scary to be limited. To just give up while thinking 'this is the way it is' or 'this is where it ends.'"
Shinn slammed his fist into the wall as he watched his mobile suit get its replacement weaponry onboard. ORB military personnel escorted running crowds through buildings and bridges to get to shelters. Astrays gave them cover fire. "Don't let the fighting reach the civilians! We need to draw the line here, no matter what!" Kira whipped out a beam saber and beheaded two Babis. Adam spread his arms wide and fired his core cannon into two DINNs that were in line.
"I'm sure it's painful for someone with a wound like yours." Lacus continued, "But Kira said when he wished for me to pilot Justice, 'Unh. We can fool them this way. Two birds taken out with one stone. But as for Athrun, not being able to do anything when you're yearning to do something… isn't that the worst pain of them all?"
"Kira…." Athrun whispered.
"Power is just that, power. And you may be a fighter like you said, but you're also Athrun. Am I right?"
"Uh?" Athrun looked to her, trying to soak up her words.
"I'm sure that that's the way it is."
Adam looked to his left and saw three Zakus in close proximity to each other. He flew over to them faster than they could react. The first one, he stepped on its head, and it exploded, the discharge from his foot beam destroying the mobile suit. The shockwave from the explosion sent him towards the second Zaku, which ate the other foot and its beam quickly. The third met the energy of a beam rifle. "That's three more down!" The orange-haired Coordinator took to flying in formation with the DOMs once again.
A smoking Gouf flew under the Minerva's port wing and detonated unintentionally, shaking up the ship. "Turn 20 degrees to port! Circle behind them!" Gladys ordered.
"Parsifal, tei!" Arthur commanded the firing station.
"Eight missiles detected at 11 o'clock!" Milly warned the Archangel bridge.
"Dodge them!" Ramius shouted. The CWIS turned to shoot up six of the missiles as she banked hard to port.
Two more of the Parsifals were left over, and a swift jet fired its overhead cannon with pinpoint accuracy to dispatch them from this existence. It flew past the bridge, and everyone was taken by surprise by it. "Sky Grasper?"
"Heh, looks like I don't know when to keep my nose in my own business! Sorry." Neo came up on screen.
"Y…you?" Murrue's jaw nearly hit the bulkhead.
"But you know, I'm not really a fan of that Minerva ship over there."
"Eh?"
"Don't worry. You'll win this one. I mean, I am the man who makes the impossible possible." With that line, he cut the transmission.
"Mwu…." Ramius whispered to herself, recognizing the line that he always said come out of the mouth of the man that looked exactly like him.
"Second District here! We have no sightings of him!" An ORB officer reported from the shelter to HQ.
"Sixth District here! We've got nothing as well!"
"Third District here. Nothing suspicious going on." A man with a smoldering machine gun held the radio to his ear. The man who had just shot out the MP search party. The one who was defending Djibril and his cat. The one who just lied to HQ and got away with it.
An Astray became cornered by two Goufs, and an instant later, the Goufs had more corners than before, as Freedom came down on top of them, disabling them easily with its beam sabers only to take off again. The Minerva's alarms blared as the PA system came to life. "Destiny: re-supply complete. You may launch at any time." Shinn smiled and rushed to the elevator.
"Shinn, wait!" Luna began to go after him, but he wasn't listening, and was in the elevator before he even realized she spoke.
"Lunamaria, you'll be staying here." Ray spoke to her.
"Eh?"
"Kuso! Those two…!" Shinn growled on his way to the hangar. "This time, I'll make sure of it!"
"This is an order." Ray spoke to Luna in a stern tone. "If Shinn is distracted, he'll lose."
"But…"
"As things stand at the moment, you'll only hold him back." Ray's curt words stunned Luna, and he left without further speech. Both Ray and Shinn booted up their systems. "Make sure you're cautious, Shinn. If they succeed in provoking you, even if it's possible for you to win, you won't. They're trying to do exactly that."
"I understand." The red-eyed boy responded.
"That's good then. One is only a phantom. The other is just spare parts. Let's take them both down together!"
"Ah!" Bee, bee, bee, buzz! "Shinn Asuka, Destiny, ikkimas!"
"Ray za Burrel, Legend, hashin salu!"
Kira's proximity alarm went off, and he took a look towards the Minerva. "Those are…. Ugh!"
Kira wasn't the only one who noticed. "Shit, both of them are out now!" Adam growled. "HQ, I'm breaking off. Freedom will need some assistance on this one!"
Athrun gripped his forehead, struggling with what was said in his past, be it his words, or those he respected, many important phrases returned to him. In the end he faced Infinite Justice under his own power and turned to the pink haired girl. "Arigato."
The operating system in Infinite Justice came to life, and its green eyes flashed on. The portside hatch opened, and the lights inside the catapult turned yellow and green, to indicate the clear path. Athrun's purple helmet barely hid his bandages. "The person I am is… Athrun Zala! Justice, delu!" The mobile suit shot out of the catapult, and the purple phase shift armor gleamed in the mid-day sun.
Chapter 30 preview: Inside the chaos, who will be the ones left standing? Who will emerge from the nightmare of battle in triumph? What true powers lie within the mobile suits? Also… how will one react to the events he was never a part of? Next time on Old Friends Anew: Echoes That Fight Back. Let your sword of truth fly free, Justice!
