Chapter 29: Pathway Found
A/N: This is probably the only chapter (or story) where there's a gundam look-alike present. XD Hope you like and sorry for keeping you guys--the readers--waiting.
Inside the Elsa down in the hanger, Shane stood in front of a large machine which was covered with a tan-colored tarp. She looked to chaos who stood nearby with a small smile on his face. She looked back to the covered machine as she grabbed the tarp and pulled it off slowly. The red-haired girl moved back, taking off the sheet completely only to have it land on her. She yelped, trying to fight her way out of the tarp. The white-haired boy chuckled lightly.
"Gah! Get me outta here!" Shane exclaimed. "It's dark, and I don't know how to get out!" chaos walked over and pulled the sheet off her as she coughed. Her hair was sticking up in different areas, her face a bit flushed. "You okay?" She nodded some and stood up, dusting herself off. The red-haired girl looked up at the black/white/blue machine standing before her, armor plates on its arms for arm guards. She walked up to the machine and touched the cool metal gently. From her point of view and her knowledge of different mecha anime, it looked like the Strike Gundam.
"...Was this specially made?" chaos shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure," he said. "Gaignun Kukai asked me to give it to you. He said it was a gift for helping us the last time." Gaignun. Shane looked to him. "Does he know? About the little voice that lives in my head?" Little voice...? "I think he knows. But that's my theory, anyway." She nodded, running her fingers through her hair.
Of course he knows, Rukia said inside her mind. I spoke with them on several occasions through telepathy...back then, anyway. Shane walked over to chaos and folded her arms. "So, how's your cheek?" he asked getting off the subject. She rubbed her left jaw, feeling that it was a bit numb but the swelling had gone down.
"I'm alright. Besides, it's nothing my body can handle."
"Okay. I'm glad...that you're okay now."
"Huh? Heey...you weren't concerned about me, were you, chaos?"
He let his cheeks darken as he looked to the side, kicking his foot against the floor. "...You're more interesting than I thought..." Shane grinned then took his hand into hers. "Alright, stop blushing. You're making my face turn red too." He nodded slowly as he was pulled towards the elevator. "We better go greet Shion and Allen," she said. "It feels like it's been a long time since we've seen each other!" chaos nodded again and tightened his grip on her hand.
This warmth...a feeling of innocence and gentleness..
--
After the Dinah had docked, Allen made his way to the bridge first while Shion came out of the hangar dock and followed him inside. She walked inside then smiled at Captain Matthews, looking to everyone else who were gathered there (Jin, Jr., Shane, MOMO, Ziggy, chaos, Canaan, and KOS-MOS). "Captain! We owe you one!" she said. He looked back at her and grinned widely at the brunette-haired woman. "Yo! Looks like you're causing trouble like always!" She rubbed the back of her head lightly, chuckling almost nervously. "Yeah, something kind of happened at First Division."
"Something?" chaos asked. Shion looked to him and Shane who were still holding hands. She smiled at the red-haired girl. She looked down to their hands before turning a deep shade of red. "Yeah. I can't put it into words very well, but I felt I had to go to Old Miltia."
"What?!" Shion jumped at the captain's sudden exclaimation. "What? What's wrong, Captain?" He scratched his cheek lightly. "Representative Helmer asked us to go to Old Miltia, too. I didn't think there was anyone else crazy enough to head there," Matthews told her. Jr. nodded as he placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, Helmer asked me to go there, too! Besides, that's where the original Zohar is."
"Canaan and I have business on Old Miltia as well. Representative Helmer asked me to analyze Canaan's data." The brunette haired woman looked to everyone then smiled lightly. "So, everyone is headed for Old Miltia," she said to herself before looking at KOS-MOS in her new body design. "KOS-MOS was amazing back there!" Allen exclaimed. "Yeah, even I was surprised. But who was that enemy? It even dodged KOS-MOS' attack! I have a bad feeling about this." Shion nodded some.
"Yeah, I wonder about that myself."
"All right, lemme say something. Our next destination is Old Miltia, right? I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but it looks like we have to go, so let me know when you're ready to set out. Until then, go take a look around the newly remodeled Elsa!" Captain Matthews looked to Shane then grinned widely. "Hey, Bandage Girl! Why ya blushing for, huh?" The red-haired girl twitched lightly. Jr. looked back at her.
"Yeah...I've been wondering that myself...ever since you and chaos came back from the hangar. You guys took your sweet time coming back."
"N-nothing happened, okay?!" she said, turning even darker. "Well, chaos was watching you as you slept, Ms. Shane." She glared to Jin who looked away from her as she held her face. "Shane," KOS-MOS began. "Why has your body temperature risen?"
"Oh my god..."
"Ha, I knew it! Shane's crushin' on--AGH!" Jr. fell over with a large lump on his head onto the floor. He held the back of his head then glared at Shane who stood over him with a darkened look on her face. "Wanna try that again, little man? If so, I'll hurt you..." Everyone backed away, feeling a cold chill in the air. The black-haired man looked to chaos and leaned over to him. "Looks like you have your work cut out for you," he said as the white-haired boy smiled lightly with a small blush.
--
Afterwards, the group had either moved from the bridge for space or stayed on the bridge for preparations. The brunette haired woman walked over to the red-haired girl with her hands behind her back. "So...you've been unconcious since you left Second Miltia?" Shion asked Shane who was leaning against the wall. She nodded then yawned loudly. "Yeah, I have. I heard about all the stuff that's happened since Old Miltia--the path I mean--opened up again. Along with the baddies racing off to get the Zohar before any of the good guys do." She blinked her green eyes and nodded at what Shane had said. "That's the gist of it."
"And also..." The red-haired girl grabbed Shion, pulling her out of the bridge before pulling her cheek roughly. "Itai! S-shane, what the--?!"
"You better straighten up," she said with an unusual mature tone in her somewhat country voice. "Because if you keep acting like a whiny brat, I'll kick your ass until mine hurts. Understand?" Shion held her cheek, rubbing it as she stared at the younger girl in disbelief. Straightened up? What does she mean by that? From all the skills that Shane along with her spilt persona possessed, she was a rather deadly individual. She nodded slowly. "Right...I will. But I need to get my hit back." Before the red-head could do anything, she was slapped across the head. "Gnnngh...okay, I deserved that..."
"Right, you did." The girl grinned sheepishly at her then hugged her like a long-lost sister. "Shion...don't change, alright? If you do..."
"I won't change, okay?"
"Yeah, because if you change before me, I'll kick your ass," Shane said moving her index finger back and forth. Shion smiled some, nodding. "The same to you, Shane." The two girls giggled to one another as they walked around the newly remodeled Elsa while talking about everything that's happened: Shane's collapse back in the UMN center, the Immigrant Fleet making their move towards Second Miltia, and how the red-haired girl got her first AMWS unit when she woke up. "I see...that must be the prototype Vector built..."
"Hn?" The woman shook her head then smiled some. "I'll tell you later, okay?" Shion made her way back to the bridge while Shane blinked several times, running after her. "Hey, wait a sec!" The two of them walked back onto the bridge as the brunette looked to Captain Matthews, who grinned from ear to ear. "Well? Whaddaya think of the Elsa's new look? Beautiful, isn't she? Do you want to head off for Old Miltia at top speed right now?"
Shion nodded then raised a fist up in the air. "I want to head for Old Miltia now!" she yelled in an enthusiastic voice. "Okay, you got it! Hey, Tony! You heard that, right? Hit it!" The red-head blinked a few times, sighing softly. "And I'm ignored again..."
--
As the Elsa was preparing to take off, the group stood on the bridge. MOMO had taken chaos's seat on the bridge while the others stood near the door or near the middle of the bridge. Hammer looked up from his console and looked to the pink-haired Realian. "MOMO, how's the enemy fleet trace?" he asked. "They're headed for point E-52 at combat speed," she replied continuing to type at the console without looking up. Tony gritted his teeth in frustration. "Damn, they've got some guts to be charging in there that fast."
"That just shows how desperate they are. Course, at this rate, we're never gonna catch them," Matthews said folding his arms and shaking his head.
"Captain, I must warn you..."
"What is it? Make it quick." KOS-MOS stepped forward and looked up at the captain with blank red eyes. "If we continue to proceed along the present course, it is highly probable that the enemy will leave a force to intercept us. It is prudent to assume that this ship will eventually suffer an extensive and unacceptable level of damage."
"I'm afraid KOS-MOS is right," Shion replied. "We're in trouble unless we find a route where the enemy can't detect us." Matthews lowered his seat then scratched his head, groaning. "Look, I get what you're saying, but how the hell are we supposed to do that?! This isn't a highway, you know. It's not like we can just take a detour or somethin'!" A brief pause went through the bridge, the sound of beeping from the consoles could be heard along with everyone's mingled breathing.
"Actually," MOMO began, "there is a detour." Everyone looked to her with looks of awe (besides KOS-MOS). "What?"
"Really, MOMO?" The pink-haired girl nodded, using the control console. "I've detected a small-gap in the gravitational fields between the two black holes. If we fly through it, I think the chances of enemy detection would drop significantly." Captain Matthews looked at her with a worried look, another brief pause coming over everyone again.
"…Hey, are you outta your mind?" he asked aloud in a shocked tone.
"Right. Even if we made the slightest mistakes, we'd be caught by the gravitational field and dragged into the Abyss." MOMO lowered her head then let out a small sigh. "I guess it's impossible…"
"What? Impossible? Hey, hey, who do you think you're talking to here? There's no way Tony "Numero Uno's" gonna turn down a challenge like that!" Tony exclaimed, punching his fist into his free hand. Hammer sighed softly and shook his head. "There he goes again… Once that moron gets started, there's no stopping him."
"It's what makes him lovable, I guess," Shane said with a shrug. Matthews took off his cap, scratching at his dark hair with a loud groan. "Daaaah! Whatever! Do whatcha want… But you'd better not even think about gettin' a scratch on my Elsa!" The blonde pilot grinned at the captain then grabbed onto the controls tightly. "Don't worry! Leave it to me! MOMO, I'll be counting on you for a route!"
"Okay!" the pink-haired girl said in an enthusiastic voice. Soon after, the Elsa fired its boosters and flew off at warp speed, much to the discomfort of Shane who was still not used to it.
--
Later, the cargo ship exited out of warp space and neared two large black holes: the entrance to Old Miltia. On the bridge of the Elsa, the group looked to the black holes with a mixture of emotions. "Whoa, radar and sonar are both dead!" Hammer exclaimed. "We're not getting any readings…" Tony groaned softly then narrowed his eyes. "It's almost like we'd be better off flying blindfolded."
"Tony, I've detected a massive distortion in the space ahead of the Elsa. A large mass is about to gate out," MOMO stated as the blonde pilot looked back at her then back at the large window in front of him. "What? They're gating out here?" Suddenly, a huge spaceship in the form of a strange and menacing building gradually appeared between the two black holes. Everybody on the bridge of the Elsa gasped; frightened at the sight. "What the hell is that?" Matthews asked aloud.
"Damn, where were they hiding that thing?" Along with the large ship gating out of warp space, incoming enemy ships appeared with it at the scene. "It's moving into Elsa's flight path. 180 seconds to impact!"
"Tony, can we avoid it?"
"Negative! It's taking up the entire gravity well. If we screw up, we'll get pulled into the black hole." Jr. slammed his hand down on the railing, gritting his teeth as he growled lowly. "Bastards! They're not gonna let us through no matter what!" A small pause came over the bridge until Matthews broke the silence. "The only thing left for us to do is to make them move," he said. He looked to the red-haired boy. 'Little Master, can we take them out from the inside?"
The boy looked to the older man, taking out one of his handguns. "Yeah…yeah, if we can get inside, that is." The captain sighed then looked to Tony. "Tony, maintain present course and increase to maximum speed. Hammer, disengage all weapon safety locks. Don't worry about aiming. Just let loose with everything we've got! We're gonna dive smack dab into that thing's belly. It's time you guys showed me what you're made of."
"You got it!"
"Aye aye, sir!"
The Elsa activated its boosters at full power and flew off towards the large building. The ship evaded the enemies' laser beams in the process. In an outburst, Tony piloted the ship through the enemies as it fires its lasers at the enemies, destroying some of them in the process. Then, as the Elsa flew towards larger ship, an enemy laser beam slammed into the cargo ship's left side; everybody on the bridge were pushed back, yelling out in surprise.
Shion slipped then nearly fell onto the bridge's front view window only to be caught by the hand in a strong grip by KOS-MOS who looked at her with blank red eyes. The brunette sighed a breath of relief. Shane looked over with a small smile as she held onto her white-haired suitor who held onto the railing with one hand; his arm wrapped around the red-haired girl's waist. The damaged Elsa made a landing near an entrance of larger ship.
--
After the battle, the group straightened themselves up from the shock of the blast and the rough landing. Shane held her head since she bumped into the railing when she slid on the floor only to be caught by chaos's gloved hand. She grinned at him and recieved a small smile along with a blush creeping up to his cheeks. She then narrowed her eyes at Tony. Crazy male driver, she thought.
"Okay, then! That was a little rough..." A little rough!? "..but we made it. There's no time to waste! Let's hurry up, get inside there, and take it out! That's a pretty big fortress, so we'll take the E.S.s!" Jr. looked to Shane as the group made their way to the elevator. "Shane, I dunno if you know yet, but--" She patted his head which made him hold the back of his head with a confused look on his face.
"Wha...?"
"You're talking about that mecha in the hangar, right?" He nodded at her. "Well, chaos already told me about it." He blinked a few times then looked back at the white-haired boy who turned to look back at him. He smiled some and continued his walk with the others. Jr. groaned lightly, letting out a sigh of defeat. "I wanted to surprise you," he said with a small pink tint to his cheeks. "When I told Gaignun about you having Rukia inside of your body..."
Shane kneeled down and hugged the boy gently which made him squeak in response. "Thanks, big brother..." He blinked a few times then smiled as he hugged the older girl back. "Yeah...you're welcome.."
--
Shion's group proceeded to the hangar and boarded their E.S.s. Shion looked to see Shane grab hold of a wire that led up into the cockpit of the Gundam look-alike. "Shane, is that...yours?" she asked over the radio in awe. The machine had large boosters and two shields on either side of its arms. The red-haired girl sat down in the large cockpit, looking around. It was a two seater with the pilot's seat above the second seat. Another seat? I wonder who that belongs to...might as well not think about it. She grinned widely then climbed up to the pilot's seat, strapped herself in and grabbed a headset that was placed neatly on the armrest. She pulled it on then turned it on only to be welcomed by Shion's voice.
"Shane!"
"Gahh...damnit, girl, I can hear you! I probably can't hear now," the red-haired girl muttered as the door leading up into the cockpit closed. Jr. shook his head then turned on his radio, matching up to Shane's frequency. "Hey, Shane? Now, you probably don't know how to pilot these machines but they're fairly easy, okay? You see the keys that's in the ignition slot which is to the right of the computer in front of you? Turn the key and start it up."
Shane looked to the computer with a larger black window behind it then the slot next to it. She grabbed the key with a shaky hand and turned it. The red-haired girl jumped as the blue-green lights came on in the cockpit. The window behind the computer turned white and soon the hangar could be seen. "This is so cool," she whispered. Jr. saw the once blank gold eyes flash then smiled some. "Alright. Now grab the controls on the armrests and put your feet on the foot controls at the bottom." Shane did as she was told then looked to E.S. Asher.
"Think I need to get some training in once this is said and done, Jr.?" she asked over the radio.
The red-haired boy chuckled softly. "Maybe, but it's gonna cost you. Now, step forward and lead us out, Shane." She tensed up as her grip on the controls tightened. Shion, inside of E.S. Dinah, bit her lip. "Are you sure, Jr.? It should be you leading us out..." He shook his head. "Nah, it's her first time piloting a. E.S., so she should get some experience in."
--
Shion's group in their respectful E.S.s followed Shane (after a shaky start) and proceeded to the entrance of the enemy ship. In the enemy ship, the E.S.s took the elevator down to the deep lower area as the group disembarked from the mechas. Shane looked around the area, letting her headset sit around her neck like a pair of headphones. She growled under her breath softly.
"Shane!" The red-haired girl turned to Shion who was waving at her. "We're going to the docking bay. Hurry up!"
"Alright, calm down, Ms. Vector." She jumped onto the elevator, dodging a swipe from the brunette woman then grinned a wide, toothy grin at her in the process. Shion merely shook her head with a small smile on her features. Shion activated the E.S. elevator then backtracked to the E.S. docking bay, embarking on the E.S.s. The mechas took the elevator up and went through another route.
In the next area, the E.S.s took the elevator to the control room. In there, the E.S.s approached a button on a wall. Then suddenly, a familiar yet annoying voice came from out of nowhere.
"My name is Richard!"
Oh, fuck, no, Shane thought as she and the 3 other E.S.s turned to see both E.S. Pilum and Scutum appearing at the scene. "I assume you remember. I'm sorry, but I have no time for games. Honestly, I grow weary of these encounters. I've had enough of you!" The red-haired girl growled softly. "Jr...Shion...can I take 'em while you back me up?"
"Huh? But, Shane--"
"No, buts are for sitting, Shion. That Richard fool is starting to piss me off!" The E.S.s dodged a sudden burst of gunfire from Pilum, making them scatter in the process as Scutum flew towards the Gundam look-alike. "So you must be that homicidal girl our commander warned us about! I'll gladly take you on, little girl!!" the pilot, better known to Shane as Hermann, screamed over the radio. The red-haired girl grinned as she reached behind her to grab the large handle of a blade and blocked it.
"What the...?!" The man looked at the girl's weapon to see a bright neon red shoot up from the top of the handle, taking on the form of a blade. He cursed under his breath as the girl pushed him back. Shane let out a rather insane laugh at the top of her lungs. "Now, you pathetic wretch of a man," she said in a dark voice, "feel my blade slicing through your belly!" She lunged at Scutum with the mecha's weapon only to have him dodge the attack and punch at her. Suddenly, as the punch nearly made contact, the blue/white/gold mecha vanished.
"What?!" Hermann cried out. "She's...gone!"
Shion gasped at the sight, nearly rising from her seat inside Dinah. That ability...a cloaking device? Scutum turned and was hit with heavy gunfire from the far end of the room. The mecha appeared once more with two large machine guns in hand; the beam sword placed back in its holster. Shane grinned widely as the black mecha fell to one knee. Hermann looked around the cockpit, seeing the entire system shut down completely.
"Shit, she knocked out the power!" he yelled slamming his hands against the controls. Pilum turned to its now still partner; its pilot seething with rage.
"Hermann! Damn you, brat!!" The lavender mecha flew at Shane only to be shot at by Asher and Dinah. Shion fired off a few rounds into the its legs, watching it fall to the ground with a loud thud. Richard growled then turned Pilum around and fired 2 missiles at Dinah. The brunette-haired woman cried out as the missiles slammed into the shields. Shane narrowed her eyes then pushed forwards on the controls and flew at the lavender mecha with a battle cry. She grabbed hold of its head, the enemy mecha grabbing onto the blue machine's arm.
"I won't let you win, girl!" Richard roared.
"Well, buddy..." Blue electricity shot down from the shoulder of the blue mecha and down its arm where it hit the head Pilum. "You've already lost." The pilot shielded himself from the sudden electrical burst only to watch his beloved machine suffer the same fate as Scutum: all of the power had went out completely. He slammed his hands on the controls, growling lowly. "Damnit!" Shane let go of the lavender machine's head then turned to her allies.
"Geez, Shane...what the hell did you do?" Jr. asked after seeing the electrical burst come from her machine's hand. "I...don't know. There's another control here next to the hand/arm controls." Shion bit her lip then turned Dinah around, pressing the button on the wall. "We shouldn't stand here talking all day. We've come here to do a mission, and we have to complete it or the enemy will get ahead of us," the brunette-haired woman said while the others nodded in agreement.
The group watched some of the floor tiles rose up, creating a bridge. Then, the E.S.s proceeded to the deep lower area. Soon, the group disembarked their E.S.s, crossing the bridge and moved on to the next area. There, they took the teleporter down to the core: the enemy spaceship's heart. The group took the teleporter up to the top core area. Inside, the group saw a mysterious woman kneeled in the center of the room. Shane looked around the room to see it was similar to a chapel as she moved her hands over her chest in the form of a cross.
"Welcome to this holy confessional," the woman said in a cold tone. "Come in, you filth."
"What?" The red-haired girl smacked the back of her male counterpart's head. "She said 'come in'. Are you deaf?" He growled at her while the group approached closer to the center of the room. "There is nothing to fear. No matter what you do, there is no escape from this place. Now, confess your sins. I will listen to anything, even from the mouths of foul beasts like you."
Jr. immediately seethed in rage, taking out his two handguns. "You damn bitch!" Shane smacked the back of his head again. He grunted then turned and pointed his gun at her face. "What the hell, Shane?!" She kicked his legs out from under him, grabbing him by the waist and kneeling down with him on her knee. "Hang on, w-what are you doing?!" To everyone's surprise, the red-haired girl began to spank him.
"You little idiot! Hasn't anyone taught you not to curse in a holy place?!" she asked angrily admist Jr.'s howls of pain. "Once we get back, tell Mary and Shelly what you did, understand, Gaignun Kukai, Jr.?!" He whimpered in response as she let him fall to the floor, holding his bottom in pain. "Y-yes, ma'am..." She stepped forward and held her hand out, her sword appearing in her left hand. MOMO and chaos helped the red-haired boy up.
"Are you okay, Jr.?"
"No...my as--" He stiffened up when Shane shot a warning glance at him. "..my butt hurts really bad..."
The woman chuckled lightly. "I see. You do not wish to admit your sins," she said. "You will leave me no choice but to rip you apart." The woman, who Shane knew from experience as Orgulla, stood up, turned around and faced the group, readying her beam sword and dagger. "You, child." She motioned at Shane who readied her weapon with Shion and the others. "What is your name? You seem to take great care about this holy confessional."
"It's Shane Lee," she replied with a small smirk. Orgulla smiled some then pointed her sword at her. "Shane, if you had joined us, you would've been a priestess."
"That right? Well, it's too bad though. I don't think I would've been a very good priestess for a group that's after the one thing that could do something extremely bad."
"Pity." With a battle cry, the blonde haired woman rushed at the group; Shane rushing at Orgulla the same way.
--
After the battle, Orgulla fell to the floor, blood coming out from under her. Shane stepped back then said a small prayer as the rest of the group destroyed the energy conduits causing the core room's bottom support to fall into the water. chaos looked to Shane, walking over to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We have to go now, Shane," he told her. She looked up at him, nodding some. The sword had vanished once more as she held her arm.
"Seems like she nicked you."
"Yeah. At least she can finally rest in peace." The two teens followed after the others as the group went down via the teleporter to the lower core room in water. Inside, the group arrived at the self-destruct device. "This looks like the center of the stronghold," Shion stated. "And luckily enough, it comes with a self-destruct device."
"I'm still wondering though...how could you be stupid enough to place a self-destruct device on a ship?" the red-haired girl asked. Ziggy simply shrugged. "Precautionary measures, I suppose."
"All right, let's light it up and blow this thing to hell! We'll show 'em!" Jr. yelled as the group nodded in response. The group solved the puzzle of the self-destruct device by connecting the right fuses. Then after that, they successfully activated the self-destruct device. "Okay, this place is going up in 30 minutes. Let's get out of here and go back to the Elsa!" Soon after Jr. had said it, the announcement of the self-destruction of the Ormus Stronghold can be heard.
Chapter 29: End
--
Sorry if it took so long...writer's block...;
