Disclaimer's Note: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam X
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Phase 36: In the Name of Justice
May 8, C.E. 71, PLANT National Defense Committee headquarters, December City
"What are you stalling for? Send the reinforcements from Gibraltar now!"
"We don't need unmanned recon unit! We just need accurate information!"
"This is way too sudden! Where did this stuff come from?" These were only a few of the things that Athrun managed to hear as he headed towards his father's office. Having just been informed of the disastrous failure of Operation Spit Break and the supposed treason of Lacus by his former mentor, he wanted answers. And he wanted them now. He knew that if there was one person who he could count on for information, it was his father. Soon, he reached the large door and it slid open before him as he entered.
"Athrun Zala, entering!" he announced as he stepped in, saluting.
"Hold on a minute," his father nodded before turning around to the small group of officers in front of him as Athrun stepped aside, "What exactly happened down there?"
"It appears that the Earth Forces used a very large Cyclops System," one of them replied, "They apparently hid it underneath their headquarters prior to the attack."
"What about Creuset?"
"We haven't received any word from him yet, but a report came in saying that he's fine."
"Tell him to send a full report as soon as he can," Patrick instructed just as another officer entered and saluted.
"Eileen Canaver and various other members of the council are repeatedly asking for an explanation regarding the situation."
"Tell them to wait," Patrick frowned, "Athrun, I'll be with you in a moment."
"Yes sir."
"They may be asking for an emergency council meeting."
"Alright, first things first, gather up the surviving troops at Carpentaria," Patrick said, "I want results. What we need is an objective analysis on the situation! Where is the Clyne family?"
"We haven't found anything yet, sir," the officer replied, "It appears that they've gone underground. Locating them may take longer than we anticipated."
"Alert the Justice Department!" Patrick ordered, "Eileen Canaver and any council members who were associated with Clyne are to be detained immediately!"
"B-But that's…"
"Lacus Clyne was seen consorting with an enemy spy! Now she and her father have gone missing and information regarding Operation Spit-Break's true target was somehow leaked!" Patrick exclaimed, "Even a child can figure out what really happened! It was Clyne who betrayed us! And yet the others are still trying to interrogate me? Damn Canaver and those bastards! They must be hiding them! There's no other way to view the situation!"
"Very well, sir," the officer nodded and all of them saluted quickly before turning to leave. As soon as they were gone, Patrick heaved a heavy sigh and sunk into his seat, rubbing his forehead to clear a headache that had formed.
"Father…" Athrun said warily as he approached him.
"What did you call me?" Patrick frowned as he looked up at him.
"M-My apologies, Chairman Zala!" Athrun stuttered as he realized his mistake, snapping a quick salute.
"At ease, Athrun," Patrick sighed, "Do you realize the seriousness of the situation that we're in?"
"Yes…but still…" Athrun replied hesitantly, "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Lacus a spy? That's impossible!"
"You don't? Then take a look at this," Patrick said and pushed a button on his desk, causing a section of the wall to slide back and reveal a screen that lit up, showing a Mobile Suit and two small figures in front of it before changing to a similar picture but with a different Mobile Suit, "These were taken by a surveillance camera at a military factory. Both the Freedom and Double X went missing immediately after these shots were taken." The image zoomed in on the two people and Athrun could clearly see a stranger wearing a red ZAFT uniform in both shots. However, in the first one, he immediately recognized Lacus as the other person and in the second, it was Siegel Clyne. "No matter what you think, everything is true. Why would anybody doubt them unless the evidence was solid?" Patrick asked before he added, "It goes without say that Lacus Clyne is no longer your fiancé. It hasn't been officially announced yet, but she and her father are being treated as fugitives, wanted for the crime of treason." After a brief pause, he continued, "Your next mission will be to recover the stolen X10A Freedom and X99A Double X and eliminate the pilots, along with any persons and places that they may have come in contact with."
"Huh?"
"Pick up the X09A Justice from the armory as soon as preparations are complete," Patrick told him, "If the Freedom and Double X cannot be recovered, you are hereby authorized to destroy them."
"Everyone and everything they might have come in contact with?" Athrun asked, slightly alarmed, "Eliminating them sounds a little…extreme, don't you think?"
"Those three units, the X10A Freedom, the X09A Justice, and the X99A Double X…" Patrick replied with a lower tone as another officer came in, "Are all equipped with N-Jammer Cancellers!"
"They have N-Jammer Cancellers? Impossible!" Athrun exclaimed, "Why did you build them? The PLANTs made the decision to abandon all nuclear-technology!"
"If we are to win this war, then we will need it now," Patrick told him, "We need that power, Athrun! Your mission is of extreme importance; give it your utmost effort!" Later, at the Mobile Suit hangar that housed Athrun's new Mobile Suit, the said bluenette went to take a look at his new machine, accompanied by Yuri Amalfi. When Athrun first saw it, he was very surprised to see how much it resembled the previous Mobile Suit that he had piloted, the Aegis. This model, however, had an improved shield and beam rifle similar to those of the Freedom, thought it only had two Lacerta sabers as opposed to the four that the Aegis had. It no longer had a Mobile Armor mode, but it did possess a pair of Bassel beam boomerangs on its shoulders and a Fatum-00 flight lifter attached to its back, which was armed with two Fortis beam cannons, two Cervus machine gun turrets, and four Volucris guns.
"You know," Yuri suddenly said, "Nicol used to really like her songs. Your fiancé's, I mean."
"Yeah," Athrun nodded gloomily, "He was a real…"
"It's alright, I must apologize. I know it must be hard for you," Yuri quickly replied before turning away, "I realize that this is a war…but know that I should be the one taking vengeance for his death…"
"No, I…"
"And yet, there are many young men just like you and Nicol who are fighting and sacrificing their lives to protect the PLANTs. I just don't understand how anyone could ever think of betraying us!" Yuri frowned, "I just can't stand it! There have already been so many sacrifices! So many that we've even decided to resort to using nuclear power again by building these N-Jammer Cancellers!" At this, Athrun sighed and thought back to Lacus. He didn't understand why someone as sweet and caring as her would ever do something like this. It made no sense at all.
"Start the final Mobile Suit simulation! All crew members on Block F are to remain on standby!"
"If this machine or either of the other two ever fell into the hands of the Earth Forces, then they wouldn't hesitate to start using nukes again!" Yuri added, "We can't allow that to happen, no matter what!"
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"Commander Rau le Creuset, what do you think your doing?" she asked firmly, "Withdraw at once! I will not allow you to engage in battle in the presence of a memorial representative like myself."
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"Please, Athrun," Yuri said, "Don't let any more people like Nicol die…" Athrun sighed as he looked back up at the Aegis look-alike, still unsure of what he was supposed to be doing. Down on Earth, the entire crew of the Archangel had gathered outside the ship, staring at the two Mobile Suits off in the distance. Although they had heard the voices, they were still a bit unsure if the pilots of the Mobile Suits really were their lost comrades. As they were wondering, they suddenly spotted two figures clothed in red walking towards them from the distance. As they got closer, they identified them as two teenagers wearing red ZAFT pilot suits and carrying their helmets but it wasn't until they had gotten within twenty feet of them when they finally saw that the two looked exactly like Kira and Ryo.
"Kira…" Sai blinked as everyone else turned to each other while others gasped, "Ryo?"
"Well…" Kira smiled as Ryo did the same, "Looks like we got back just in time…"
"Are…are you two…" Murrue stammered, hardly daring to believe it, "Really Kira and Ryo?"
"Who'd you expect, Batman and Robin?" Ryo grinned, "Of course it's us!"
"Kira…" Miriallia muttered and then exclaimed happily, "Kira! Ryo!"
"It really is them!" Kuzzey said as everyone hurried forward to crowd around them.
"You guys…"
"How in the world did you two escape?"
"You…you two aren't ghosts…" Chandra stammered, "Are you?"
"Well…" Ryo laughed, "Could a ghost do…this?" With that, he dropped his helmet, caught it with his foot and tossed it up in the air so that he was wearing it when it landed on his head. Everyone laughed at this as he took it back off but then Kira noticed Sai and Kuzzey who were just now approaching hesitantly.
"Sai…" he said, "Kuzzey…" He made his way through the small crowd with Ryo close behind and went over to the two, stopping just before them.
"I'm…" Sai stammered, currently at a loss for words, "Glad to see…you're alive…"
"I'm glad to see you're okay too…sorry," Kira smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, "Thanks, Sai." With a last nod, he turned and went back to the others with Ryo as he said, "Well, I guess you guys have a couple million questions on your minds."
"At least," Murrue smiled.
"And there are a few things that we want to ask you as well," Kira added as he gestured to Ryo, who nodded.
"I'm sure you do," Murrue replied.
"So," Mu suddenly stepped in, "Were you guys with ZAFT?"
"We were with them for a little while, but we haven't joined the ZAFT army," Ryo explained, "But…Kira and I are also no longer members of the Earth Forces either." There was a slight murmur amongst the others before Murrue turned to them.
"I understand. Why don't we talk about it later?" she nodded and then glanced back at the deactive Freedom and Double X, "What about those units? What are you two planning to do with them?"
"If you mean equipment or supplies," Kira said, "Then we don't need anything for them right now. Both units are equipped with Neutron Jammer Cancellers."
"Neutron Jammer Cancellers?" Mu gaped as the others expressed their surprise, "I thought they were only a rumor!"
"So those things run on nuclear power?" Chandra asked.
"How in the world did they…"
"If you're asking us for information, you're not going to get any," Kira frowned, "And if you try to take those machines, then we'll protect them…even if we have to fight against you."
"Hey, let's not be rash, Kira," Ryo said disapprovingly, frowning as well, "However, Kira is right. These Mobile Suits are ours to use. We're not letting either side get them."
"Ryo…"
"You two…"
"They're our responsibility; they were entrusted to us…" Ryo told them, "The one that I pilot was passed down to me by my father…he knew that I would fly it one day…I won't give it up…"
"I understand," Murrue smiled, "I assure you, no one on this ship will lay a hand on your machines." She looked back over her shoulder and added, "Is that clear?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Thank you," Kira nodded, "Come on…we should leave this place for now…"
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Three days later, up in PLANT, Athrun was visiting the Clyne residence as the sun was setting. That is, what was left of the Clyne residence. Ever since the "Freedom Theft Incident", his father had sent several Spec Ops Teams to the house to find any evidence. And since no one had been at home at the time, the Spec Ops Teams didn't hold back in their search. Every window was smashed, chairs and tables were overturned, cushions were slashed open, and even the gardens were demolished. Athrun sighed as he recalled his last visit here only months ago. Back then, nobody would have ever suspected either Lacus or her father capable of committing something like treason. And now, his own father would be making an address to the public labeling the two as traitors tomorrow. "Lacus…" he sighed, "What's the world coming to now?" All of a sudden, he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him and he swiftly turned around, his good hand slipping into his jacket to grasp the concealed handle of his gun.
"Haro! Haro!" a familiar voice chirped out and much to Athrun's surprise, a round, pink robot came bouncing out of the bushes. "I won't accept that!" the rather dirty and scratched Haro exclaimed as it bounced away from him, "No problem! No problem!"
"Haro!" Athrun called out as he chased after it, "Come here!" Hearing his voice, the Haro immediately recognized him and stopped before bouncing right at him, almost hitting him in the face had he not put his hand up to catch it. The toy emitted a series of electronic beeps before going quiet again as Athrun looked around at where Haro had led him to. He quickly recognized the place as the remains of a green-house that still had a few white roses hanging from the wire frames. As he thought, he remembered something that Lacus had said to him once in the exact same place.
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"These flowers…" Lacus smiled as she gently brushed her fingers against a white rose, "They came from the theater where I first sang in public…" Athrun blinked, a little confused as he looked around the green-house, laden with green leaves and several more roses.
"They must've really liked you, then," Athrun said to her with a shrug.
"Perhaps…" Lacus giggled, "They're something to remember it by!"
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"Haro! Fine!" Haro suddenly chirped, "You fine?" Suddenly jerked from his thoughts, Athrun looked around to see that he was no longer in the beautiful green-house but in a tunnel made of support beams and dead or dying plants. All of a sudden, a thought occurred to him.
"The place where she first…" he muttered and then rushed off out of the remains of the green-house, still carrying the Haro. Meanwhile, the Archangel had long left the rocky islet on which it had stayed for a while after the disaster at Alaska and was sailing across the ocean, which was thankfully free of ZAFT submarines at the moment. Currently, several technicians were looking over the Freedom and Double X from a distance while the crew had a meeting on the bridge.
"So that was the plan?" Kira, now in his Earth Forces uniform, asked after the entire thing had been explained to him and Ryo.
"There's no doubt," Mu nodded from next to Murrue, who was sitting in the Captain's chair, "That's definitely it."
"They never told us anything," Murrue sighed, "They just…up and left…"
"Headquarters somehow knew that ZAFT was going to attack Alaska ahead of time," Mu explained, "And they must've known it for a while, too. How else would they have had enough to lay out a Cyclops bomb that big beneath the base?"
"I don't like this…" Ryo, also wearing his old uniform, frowned as he and Kira stood up near a window, "What do you think, Kira?" Kira thought for a bit and then remembered what had happened the day he had received the Freedom.
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"Bad news, Clyne," Eileen said hurriedly, "It appears that Zala's deceived us. We just received word of this and we don't know how long this has been going on but…"
"Hold on, now, Canaver, there's no need to rush," Siegel interrupted, his face growing serious, "Just calm down and tell me what's going on."
"Operation Spit Break has already begun, but its true target isn't Panama!" Eileen exclaimed, "It's Alaska!"
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"Something like that happened up in PLANT too," Kira said, "They didn't know that it was Alaska until the last moment. It took three days for them to reorganize the attack after the announcement was made." As the others, excluding Ryo, looked up in surprise, he asked, "So, what do you and the rest of the crew plan to do now, Ms. Murrue?"
"We really don't know," Murrue sighed and turned to Mu, who shrugged.
"We can't contact anyone because of the N-Jammers and the electromagnetic waves," Tonomura pointed out, "Maybe we should head for Panama."
"I don't know," Mu said, "Do you really think they'll be so welcoming to us over there? I mean, we did find out about the whole thing."
"Since we left the battlefield without any official orders, we're a fugitive ship right now," Murrue told them, "It won't be so easy."
"So even if we do go back, we'll still have to face the law…" Neumann sighed, "Looks like we're caught up in another rut."
"For some reason…" Murrue said, "I'm not too certain on what we're supposed to be fighting for anymore."
"Then do you know how you're going to finish this fight, Ms. Murrue?" Kira suddenly asked, causing everyone to look at him, "I believe that we're all fighting for a new cause now."
"He's right," Ryo nodded, "Now that we've run off, everything's changed. We'll have to start over, all of us, in what we believe in." Later, in Murrue's office, she and Mu were discussing a possible place to go to for shelter.
"ORB?" Murrue blinked, "Are you sure about that, Commander?"
"Positive," Mu nodded as he set down a mug of coffee for her, "It's not like we really want to go back, do we? Everyone else feels the same way."
"Well, our execution is almost guaranteed if we go back," Murrue sighed, "So I guess we really don't have much of a choice."
"But those two kids…" Mu said, "They've really changed…"
"Yeah…" Murrue nodded, "It's almost like…they've grown much wiser since they disappeared…"
"We're all fighting for a new cause, huh?" Mu mused, "Can't argue with that…" On a different part of the ship, Kira and Ryo were walking through the hallways when they happened upon Miriallia in the cafeteria.
"Hey guys," she smiled, "Good to be back, huh?"
"Yeah," Ryo nodded, "Even if it's just a ship, I did kind of miss it here." Miriallia nodded but Ryo and Kira sensed that something was bothering her, like she was holding something back. Suddenly realize what it might be, Ryo dug into his pocket and said, "Um, Milly…I really don't know how to put this, but…" He pulled his hand out and Miriallia saw that he was clutching a set of dog-tags. Almost at once, her cheery façade dropped and her eyes went wide.
"Are…" she stammered, "Are those…"
"I'm sorry…" Ryo muttered as he handed them to her, "These were…all that I could find…" Shakily, Miriallia reached out and took the tags from Ryo and looked down at them.
"Tolle…"
"I'm so sorry, Miriallia," Ryo sighed, "If we had known the Aegis would react like that, then we could've…"
"No," Miriallia interrupted and put on a forced smiled, "Thank you…for bringing me this…" There was a rather awkward pause before Ryo nodded and gave a shaky smile before giving her a pat on the shoulder and turning with Kira, leaving Miriallia to contemplate matters on her own.
"Well, I'll catch you later, I guess," Ryo said when they reached Kira's room, "I'd better check if everything's still where I left it." Kira nodded and Ryo returned it before leaving as Kira entered his room. The first thing that he noticed was the cardboard box lying on his bed, which probably held all of his things since none of his belongings were on the shelves. Moving over to his bed, he looked around and his eyes fell on a small object that looked rather out of place. Going over to it, he bent down and upon picking it up, discovered that it was a tube of lip-stick, probably belonging to Flay. All of a sudden, he remembered what he had said to her before he had left the Archangel that day.
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"Kira!" she called out and the said brunette stopped to look at her and Ryo did the same,
"Kira...I..."
"Sorry, Flay, not now," Kira sighed and turned to leave, "We'll talk when I get back, okay?"
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"Birdee!" a mechanical voice suddenly chirped and Kira looked up in surprise as his robotic bird landed on his shoulder.
"It kept following me around for some reason," he heard someone say by the door and he looked up to see Sai, "I…didn't want to turn him off, so…"
"Thanks," Kira smiled as Birdee chirped again.
"Well then…" Sai nodded after a brief pause before turning but Kira quickly spoke up.
"Hey, Sai," he said, causing the said blonde to turn around, "Um…have you seen Flay?" Sai paused, thinking about what Flay had said before she had been transferred.
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"You knew it the whole time, didn't you?" Flay asked, starting to become desperate, "You knew that…You knew that I never really had any feelings for Kira in the first place!"
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"She was transferred while we were in Alaska," Sai told him, "Lieutenant Badgiruel and Commander Flaga did too. The Commander came back eventually, but…the Lieutenant and Flay had already left."
"I see," Kira nodded.
"I…" Sai suddenly stammered as he tensed up, "I was…really upset when I heard that you and Ryo might be dead…"
"Sai…?"
"And now…you're both alive and you're back! I should be happy now!" Sai continued, "But why…why are you two like this now! We're different! You're different from us! From me! Always!" Kira blinked as Sai added, "I…I can't help being a little jealous when I'm around you!"
"But…you're different from me too, Sai," Kira smiled, "Sure, there are some things that I can do that you can't, but…there are some things that you can do that I can't either." As Sai thought about this, Ryo had returned to his room and was busy organizing his belongings so he could put them back in their proper places.
"Okay, where did they put my pencil case?" he muttered as he dug through the box, "I could've sworn I left it with this folder here…" All of a sudden, he heard the door hiss open and he looked up to see Tiffa standing by the doorway. "Oh, hey, Tiffa," Ryo smiled and then gestured at the items strewn around the room, "You'll have to deal with the mess for a little while…I'm still trying to get this room back together."
"I see," Tiffa giggled and then asked, "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Ryo nodded as he turned back to the box, "Just mind your step…I've got a lot of crap lying around here…" Tiffa smiled and walked into the room, carefully avoiding the items that were scattered about the floor before taking a seat on a chair.
"…I'm glad you're back," she said after a while.
"Well, it's nice to know Kira and I were missed," Ryo chuckled as he continued to sift through his belongings, "But yeah…it's good to be back here…" There was silence until Ryo looked up over his shoulder and asked, "Did you…need something, Tiffa?"
"Oh, no," Tiffa replied hastily, her cheeks reddening a bit, "I just…" Looking around for an excuse, she added, "Do…do you need some help?"
"No thanks, I'm fine," Ryo smiled, "But thanks for the offer anyway." Tiffa nodded as Ryo went back to looking but a few minutes later, he looked up again and said, "Um…you know what? I think I could use some help after all."
"What do you need?" Tiffa asked, getting up out of her seat and walking over to him.
"I kind of need you to help me find my pencil case…"
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That night, up in PLANT, the rain was coming down heavily, but it didn't bother Athrun as he stopped in front of an abandoned building. This particular structure was the old White Symphony Theatre, which was where Lacus had first performed in public. The theatre had been abandoned for several years now, which showed by the worn walls and the tattered banners that advertised Lacus' concerts that hung from large poles. Athrun figured that if his guess as to where Lacus was hiding was right, she would be here. "This is way too easy," Athrun thought as he walked inside, clutching Haro with his recovering arm, "It's almost like she wants me to find her…but why?" As he entered the building, he glanced around at the debris that littered the floor from the crumbling foundation. All of a sudden, his ears caught the faint sounds of a song coming from the auditorium. Straining his ears, he began to make out the words as he moved closer to the stairs.
"The night-time fills the sky.
Stars alive,
Go floating by.
So still the evening air,
So warm and soft,
Peace everywhere."
"That's Lacus' voice…" he muttered as he drew a gun from his jacket pocket and moved up the stairs, "It has to be her!"
"I see a world in harmony,
A world of peace and humanity."
Reaching the top of the stairs, Athrun crept over to the open door and pointed his gun around the corner to make sure no one was there. Once certain it was clear, Athrun hurried over to the other door and leaned against one while slowly opening the other. Peering around, he saw that the stage lights were on, illuminating the debris-littered stage and a blotch of pink sitting on the middle of it. "Lacus…" he muttered.
"Where people walk free,
Like water in a stream,
Flowing on, forever more."
As Athrun walked down the aisles, he began to see Lacus more clearly. She was sitting on a piece of debris and wearing a pale blue strap-less dress, with the sleeves cut off at the shoulders so that she wore them on her arms. Her hair was tied up into two pig-tails with matching ribbons and instead of her normal gold crescent hair-clip, she was wearing one that looked like three circles with crescent moons in them, one overlapping another; it was essentially the same outfit that she had worn to her first concert. Even as she sang, he began to think back to Kira, from his encounter with him back on ORB, to their chaotic battle in the Marshall Islands, and then up to the moment when he used the Aegis as a bomb to finally finish the Strike off for good.
"The breezes softly blow,
Caressing warm,
So sweet and low
Upon me cheek, I can feel
Tenderly, a kiss so real.
Like a brush from a hand I cannot see.
The sound of a voice deep inside of my heart.
So I dream of a new day coming for all the world to see.
Lift your eyes and see a new day dawning.
A dream that will soon come true,
The day that we waited for."
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"Someone gets killed for killing another…and then that guy gets killed for killing him…how's that twisted sort of thing ever going to bring peace?"
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"Lift your heart and see the future form a song.
And though the road ahead is long, I'll hold it in my hands,
Someday, somehow, I'll pull through…"
The peaceful scene was suddenly broken by a very loud "NO PROBLEM!" from Haro, followed by an equally loud, "LACUS!"
"Oh! Why hello there, Mr. Pink!" Lacus giggled as the toy landed in her hands before turned to Athrun, looking not at all surprised, "I figured that you would be the one to bring him here. Thank you very much, Athrun."
"Why, Lacus?" Athrun asked at once.
"Why what?" Lacus smiled as Athrun took a running leap onto the stage and faced her, gun still in hand.
"Explain yourself, Lacus," Athrun demanded, "What have you done?"
"I'm sure you've heard all about it," Lacus shrugged, still smiling, "That's the reason why you came to see me, isn't it?"
"Is it true what they're saying about you? That you've been lending assistance to enemy spies?" Athrun asked, "How could you do something like that, Lacus?"
"I did not lend assistance to any spies," Lacus replied calmly, much to Athrun's surprise.
"Huh?" Athrun blinked, "Then…what did you do?"
"All I did was give Kira and Ryo…" Lacus smiled, "Newer and better swords…" At this, Athrun almost reeled in surprise, not having expected this kind of answer as Lacus continued, "Because I felt that they had need for them now, and that they would serve their purpose best in their hands."
"Kira and Ryo?" Athrun exclaimed, "What are you talking about, Lacus? Kira and Ryo are gone! I…"
"Killed them with your own hands?" Lacus finished for him and at his surprised look, she added in a more gentle tone, "Don't look so worried…it's true, Kira and Ryo are both still alive."
"You're lying!" Athrun suddenly shouted and pointed his gun at her, "What kind of trick are you trying to pull here, Lacus Clyne?" Even though he tried to stay calm, he couldn't stop his hand from shaking a bit as he continued, "What you're saying is crazy! It's impossible…there's no way they could be alive!"
"Reverend Malchio found them unconscious and brought them to me," Lacus told him, still calm despite having a gun pointed at her face, "Then I learned what happened between the three of you, Kira told me." As Athrun looked at her curiously, she added, "Don't you believe what I'm telling you? Do you even believe what you see with your own eyes? On the battlefield, or now that you've returned to the PLANTs after being away for so long, haven't you noticed that things are different now?" At this, Athrun lowered his gun to think. Slowly, he began to realize that Lacus was right; things had indeed changed around here ever since he had gotten back. However, there was still one thing bothering him.
"Lacus," he said, "When it comes to your question, I have to admit that you're right, things have changed here. But…even if Kira and Ryo are somehow alive…why did you give them those Mobile Suits?"
"Kira and Ryo are no longer in the Earth Forces…but they are not with ZAFT either," Lacus replied, "They both said that they would be fighting only for what they believe in from now on." As Athrun looked on, Lacus asked him, "But what is it that you believe in, Athrun? What is it that you're fighting for now? Is if for that medal you received? For your father's orders?"
"Lacus!"
"Because if that is so, then you may find yourself fighting Kira and Ryo as their enemy again," Lacus told him, "And this time, you'll be fighting me too." As she got up and approached Athrun, neither of them heard the cars pulling up outside or the men entering the theater while she said, "So if I'm to be your enemy, you might as well shoot me now. Athrun Zala, Soldier of ZAFT!" Athrun hesitated, lowering his gun as her words sank in. He had always known Lacus as a sweet, naïve girl who couldn't see the evil in people. And now, here he was, being lectured on what he should be fighting against by the same Lacus.
"It's…" he stammered, "It's all so…" Before either had another chance to speak, they heard the doors burst open and both of them looked up to see men in dark suits filing into the auditorium, each one armed with a silenced hand gun. Instinctively, Athrun placed himself in front of Lacus, pointing his own gun at them as he glanced around to count how many he was up against.
"Excellent work, Athrun Zala," one of them said, "The Chairman will be pleased."
"What?" Athrun blinked, confused by the statement.
"I see you really are her fiancé…" the agent said as he advanced onto the stage, "That was better for us, of course. Now then, please move aside." Athrun's only answer was to point his hand gun at the new threat and move to cover Lacus, "She's a fugitive wanted to treason. We have orders to execute her on the spot if she resists. Will you still protect her?"
"No way…" Athrun frowned, "That's not what my father told me…" All of a sudden, a gun shot rang out and one of the agents fell dead with a hole through his skull. Without hesitating to see what had happened, Athrun wheeled around and scooped Lacus up under his good arm before running behind a large piece of debris while the agents shot at him. Another two shots rang out and two more agents fell to the assailants. Athrun, however, was pinned down by three agents behind the debris he was hiding behind and he couldn't move from his position since all three of them were shooting at him. "Dammit!" he swore, "If only…" Suddenly, two shots sounded nearby and two agents fell onto the stage. The third one quickly moved up against the other side of the debris before wheeling about around the side. Before either he or Athrun could shoot, someone else had already shot him through the head and he soon lay in a puddle of his own blood.
"Ms. Lacus," a voice said from around the debris and the two looked to see none other than Martin Dacosta with a gun in his hand, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Lacus smiled and turned to Athrun, "Thanks for the save, Athrun."
"We need to get going, Ms. Lacus," Dacosta said as other soldiers began to emerge from the shadows, "It's too dangerous here."
"What about Reverend Malchio?" Lacus asked, "Is he okay?"
"He's gotten away safely," Dacosta nodded.
"Well then, Athrun, thank you for bringing Mr. Pink here," Lacus smiled.
"Thank you! Thank yooooou!" Haro chirped.
"You'll find Kira and Ryo on Earth," Lacus added as she turned to leave, "I suggest you go and have a talk with them…they are your friends, after all…"
"Lacus…" Athrun muttered as he watched her leave, "What…what should I do?"
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"Sound the A-55 alarm! Radiation levels are normal. Course clear. All stations have clearance for take off. Countdown to commence at T-minus 200." It had been six days since Athrun had met Lacus at the White Symphony Theatre. By now, his arm had fully recovered and at the moment, he was sitting at the controls of his new Justice Gundam, wearing his pilot suit as he made some last minute calibrations to the controls. Even as he slowly worked, though he thought back to what Lacus had told him that night.
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"But what is it that you believe in, Athrun? What is it that you're fighting for now? Is if for that medal you received? For your father's orders?"
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"You'll find Kira and Ryo on Earth. I suggest you go and have a talk with them…they are your friends, after all…"
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The Justice's eyes flashed green as Athrun finished updating the O.S. and the said bluenette pressed a button on the dashboard, activating the Justice's crimson Phase Shift armor as the cables attached to it blew off. "Key lines 55-58 are in effect, gate separation from X09A confirmed. Standby for take off."
"Kira…Ryo…" Athrun muttered at the airlocks above the Justice opened one by one, "What are you guys thinking now?"
"T-minus 5," the technician announced as Athrun pushed a control stick forward and the Justice's thrusters began to warm, "May our Justice have the divine protection of the stars!"
"Athrun Zala!" Athrun said, "Justice, launching!" With that, the Justice crouched before springing up, its thrusters propelling it through the airlock. Outside, a brilliant streak of red shot through space as the wings on the Justice's Fatum-00 pack deployed and Athrun Zala began his fateful journey to the blue Earth.
Phase 36: End
To the reviewers:
Infinite Freedom- Oops, I didn't notice that until you mentioned it. Oh well, I'll probably have him use it again anyway. As for Tiffa, she's not going to pilot a Mobile Suit. Period.
Light of the Demons- Yeah, I always wondered how that one missile did so much more damage to the ship than all the others.
Ominae- Haven't seen it yet, but I'll see if I can catch it later.
Gojiro17- The ZAFT pilots that landed on the Archangel left. It was only a temporary stay.
Warp Ligia Obscura- Ryo existed in the world of C.E. from the start. Remember, the other life he lived was a result of his coma.