Chapter 9: Over the River and Through the Woods (Part 2)
So, I tried to keep track of the time it takes me to do all this stuff, and I've found that it takes me about six hours to fully transcribe the dialogue and action of an episode of Gundam 0080, and then writing the actual character commentary for this fanfic. I have no idea if that's a good amount of time spent on it or not. What do you guys think? Anyways, I'll get on this more in the author's notes at the bottom, but for now, let's get back to the show!
XXX
INTERMISSION CARD
The episode resumes over some shots of the city the next day, festively decorated for Christmas. Cheerful music is playing as people walk down the street, shopping and otherwise completely unware of the calamity that is going to befall them later in the day. However, Al pays no mind to the toys in the store windows, instead running full speed towards the military base where the Gundam is at.
Meanwhile, Bernie, Steiner, and Garcia, all wearing Federal Forces uniforms, cut their way through a reinforced bulkhead in the underground tunnels, now infiltrating the base. Bernie is tensely holding a pistol up to face the empty hallway.
Steiner merely pats his nervous comrade on the shoulder. "Get a hold of yourself, Bernie."
"Poor guy, he really is a rookie." Yang commented.
"Hey, everyone gets nerves on their first big mission." defended Jaune.
"Speaking from experience?" smirked Yang.
After a brief pause to consider his answer, Jaune simply said, "Yeah." At least he was comfortable enough now to admit his flaws when it came to his start as a Hunter.
Up above, Al finally arrives to the medical center that's a disguised Federation base, and a secretary gives him some directions. "Yes, Professor Richard Lumunba is expecting you. He's in lab number two, on the fourth floor."
"Thanks, ma'am!" Bernie cries as he rushes off to meet the professor in charge of the base.
"Oh, don't run in the building!" the secretary calls after him.
Stopping in front of an elevator, a rather official-looking man gives Al a cursory look. "This elevator is for authorized personnel only. Visitors have to use that elevator over there, young man." The scene is punctuated by the man using his official pass to open the elevator, something that Al clearly picks up on.
Meanwhile, inside the professor's lab, an interview is being conducted with Professor Lumunba, with the reporter asking some rather tough questions. "Hmm, I see. There are rumors that this facility is involved in military research. How is it that—"
"Those're irresponsible rumors with no basis in reality!" the wheelchair-bound professor responds to the reporter, rather aggressively.
Undaunted, the female reporter presses her questioning further. "I've heard your research involves mechanical arms, is it not?" The professor in turn can't help but nod at the information she just told him.
Both Ironwood and Winter experienced a moment of internal shock and whiplash. It was crazy how much Professor Lumunba reminded them of Pietro Polendina. The comparisons were uncanny: crippled with an advanced chair to move around in, an old black scientific genius with glasses, and he even worked on robotics. Was this the feeling that that Jaune and Pyrrha couple a few seats away were experiencing? It was seriously odd for them now. There was no doubt in their minds that this was probably one of the reasons their mysterious captors wanted them to see this show. The resemblances to people audience members knew was just too good to not show them to get their reactions. But for what reasons?
"Well, Professor Lumunba, wouldn't mobile suits need this technology you've developed, in order to design mechanical arms and legs for military weapons?" the reporter lady asks further.
Professor Lumunba adjusts his glasses. He already has an answer in mind. "Toasters and cannons share similar technology too, you know."
Ruby nodded in complete agreement. "He's right, you know."
Weiss looked baffled. "What? How does that even work?"
"We'll work on that once we're back at Beacon. Trust me, it's so cool!" squeed Ruby.
"Just do it outside of the dorm." Blake asked of her. "I don't want it to burn down."
"…No promises." Ruby muttered.
The reporter sits back in her chair, clearly not expecting such an odd comparison. "…Yes, but—"
At that moment, Al walks into the lab, cutting off the rather intense interview (more like a light interrogation) short. The professor takes note of Al walking in and turns to dismiss the reporter.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but that will be all for today," he says to the reporter. "I have another interview to give."
Then, turning his mechanized wheelchair away from the reporter, Professor Lumunba offers a hand to Al to shake. "You must be Alfred," he greets, "My name is Richard. Chris told me about you." Al takes the professor's hand and shakes it.
Suddenly, there's a cut to Garcia rather graphically jamming a knife into a Federal Forces guard while also strangling him in a chokehold, while another corpse covered in blood sits slumped over against a wall of the security room he's in. Bernie is outside of the door, trying to distract some other soldiers from going inside.
"Whoa!" Jaune cried out in shock.
"That came outta nowhere!" exclaimed Yang.
Neo scoffed before typing into her Scroll. "He's doing it all wrong. Go for the neck slash every time if you want to be stealthy."
"Y-yeah, got here a week ago as well, mate!" Bernie says, in a rather bad Australian accent.
"Hey, you have a funny accent…" one of the random soldiers comments. "Where're you from? Sounds kinda Australian."
"Australian?" Nora wondered, scratching her head. "He sounds kinda like Velvet now."
"Maybe it's their world's version of where she's from." Ren offered in explanation.
"Huh. I guess some stuff carries over across worlds then. Go figure." shrugged Jaune.
"And yet still no Faunus yet. I guess not everything can carry over…" Pyrrha also observed.
As Garcia disables the base security, Bernie can still be heard trying to play himself off as a fresh Federation recruit. "Yeah... I was born and raised in Sydney!"
"Sydney, eh? Nice place?" the random soldier then asks.
"Oh, beautiful! This time of year, the city is all covered in snow!" Bernie bluffs. If only he knew that in the context of the Universal Century and tragedies thereof, this is easily one of the worst cover stories he could possibly think of. As most people know, shouldering craters covered in space colony debris don't look pretty covered in snow.
Elsewhere, Misha launches his Kampfer, completely demolishing the warehouse it was constructed in as the powerful, speedy mobile suit stands up. His flask wildly flails around on the string it's attached to as the Kampfer engages its thrusters, ready to move out. Inside the base, Bernie, Steiner, and Garcia are finally walking their way towards the Gundam Alex. The feet are visible in the hangar right down the hallway. Their plan is fully coming together.
A random civilian woman shrilly screams as she sees the Kampfer, causing the other people walking down the street too to notice it and freeze in terror.
At a government building for the Riah Republic, an officer of Side 6's forces gets into an argument with a Federation officer over the Kampfer being spotted. "What our forces are equipped with is mainly anti-personnel and anti-tank weaponry. A mobile suit is essential to—"
"The general forces will only act as backup to the Riah forces." the Federation officer drolly says over the phone. "We don't want any complaints from you and the colonists!"
"But sir!" the Riah Republic officer tries to protest.
"I think it'd do your men good to have some real battle experience!" the Federation Forces commander coldly says, before hanging up the phone on the Riah Republic officer. Then turning to a nearby comms technician, he then orders, "Bring the Gray Phantom inside! If the suit comes near us, form a defensive line with the GMs and Guncannons!"
Everyone looked over to Ironwood, expecting a comment about military leadership upon seeing that scene. Instead, Ironwood just gave them a cocked eyebrow.
"What? You should know how I feel about these people at the moment. This Federation is hardly a very good or effective military force."
The Gray Phantom, a Pegassus-class assault carrier ship and sister ship to the legendary White Base, flies through the colony port's internal ship airlock and into colony airspace. Even if it appears to be a powerful presence to defend the colony, in reality it is really only there to defend the Federation's interests.
Meanwhile, back inside of Professor Lumunba's research lab, Al is busying himself with playing around with a robotic arm that's on display. He's picking up toy blocks with it as part of a test.
"The real problem is the control system. You understand, Alfred? It's still too big for any human to use." Professor Lumunba explains to Al about mechanical systems.
"But mobile suits are useful, aren't they?" Al can't help but ask.
The professor looks a bit troubled thinking about it. "They are… a necessary evil." As he says this, the camera goes to where the Kampfer is going down the colony city's main avenue, with people fleeing in terror at the sight of it. "They were never made to bring anyone happiness."
"Like all weapons…" Winter said mostly to herself.
"I dunno, my Crescent Rose makes me happy!" said Ruby.
"That's because you treat it as your hobby." said Weiss. "You spend as much time on your gun as Yang does on her bike."
"And how is that a bad thing?" both Yang and Ruby asked at the same time.
Weiss looked like she was going to respond to that for a moment, but then just settled on giving a rather ambiguous shrug. It wasn't worth fighting the both of them on this.
As the Riah Republic forces get ready to engage the Kampfer with their missile trucks, mini-MS, and helicopters, the officer from earlier can be heard giving out orders. "Attention, all personnel! This is not a drill! Report to your stations!"
"Mobile suit is believed to be Zeon in origin!" a helicopter pilot reports. "It's moving west on 18th Street!"
Back in the lab, Al secretly steals Professor Lumunba's security pass while the professor receives the news about the Kampfer approaching. "Inside the colony?!" the older man exclaims in shock.
"Is the unit operational?" a Federation soldier asks on the other end of a communications line.
"Of course it's operational!" the professor shoots back. He is too distracted to notice Al sneak off with his pass card, making a mistake in his lack of oversight.
"Alfred!" Weiss barked in frustration.
Pyrrha didn't even bother to defend Al at this point.
"No response, and it hasn't altered its course!" some Riah Republic helicopter pilot reports to his superior officer.
"It'll be passing the residential area soon, just hold off! As soon as the civilians are clear, let 'em have it!" the officer then relays to the missile truck crews on the ground.
At the same time, the other members of Cyclops Team have made it to the Gundam Alex's hangar. There isn't much time to dwell on that, however, as the Kampfer starts to pick up speed and starts flying down the street, the shotgun it's holding scraping against the asphalt pavement of the road. "Mobile suit moving rapidly, heading for the residential block!" a Riah soldier reports.
Back in the base, the random Federation soldier that Bernie ran into earlier runs into the hangar, Bernie's bad cover story about being Australian and it snowing in Sydney ringing in his head. He stops and raises his rifle at Bernie, who grits his teeth.
"Hey, Sydney boy!" the soldier calls out. "This time of year, it's summer in Australia!" As if that's the real big issue with Bernie's cover story.
"They really should've thought of cover stories before they began this operation." Winter complained.
"I know, right? It's an amateur move." Roman agreed. Winter simply grunted in disgust at Roman agreeing with her.
At the same time, Al uses the security pass he stole to use the elevator that opens into the secret Federation base. Once he reaches the right floor, sirens start blaring, signaling that Cyclops Team has been caught.
In the hangar, Federation soldiers are holding the Zeon team at gunpoint as both Steiner and Bernie are being patted down. "Hey look at this! These are Zeon guns!" one soldier says.
At that, Steiner gives a secret signal to Garcia, who is hiding on a nearby walkway, by tapping his foot on the ground. On cue, Garcia opens fire and kills two Federation soldiers, while Bernie and Steiner beat up the ones that were searching them. Garcia then blows the brains out of one soldier rather gorily as Steiner dives to toss a shotgun to Bernie.
Jaune audibly dry-heaved upon seeing the headshot.
Ruby clutched at her stomach upon hearing that awful retching noise. "Jaune, don't do that, I'll—HRRK!" Now she got in on the dry-heaving action too.
"Just breathe deep, Ruby." advised Yang. "You too, Vomit Boy."
"Bernie!" Steiner shouts, throwing the gun at his teammate. Right as the gun leaves his hands, he's shot through his arm by a nearby Feddie. Bernie gasps in shock, before taking up the shotgun and blasting the soldier that shot Steiner in the side.
"Steiner!" Ruby cried out.
"This isn't going to end up good for any of them…" Blake pessimistically noted. The writing (and blood) was on the wall already for Cyclops Team.
Witnessing all this is Al, who's hiding underneath some nearby boxes as Federal Forces soldiers rush in to apprehend or kill Cyclops Team. He sees Bernie dragging a wounded Steiner, his face twisted in pain and covered in blood, over to cover while Garcia does his best to bloodily slaughter the incoming guards with dual-wielded sub-machineguns. However, that isn't enough, as he gets shot in the gut with an assault rifle just as he blows a hole in a distant Feddie's head with his guns. He staggers back in pain, his eyes nearly bulging out from the sheer force of the bullet hitting his body.
Ren could feel Nora's iron-hard grip squeezing at his lower arm. Even for someone who liked fighting, this was a bit too far for her tastes. He decided to do what he did best, and started to calm down Nora a bit with his Semblance. His wrist certainly thanked him as Nora's hand slowly relaxed. At least Ren managed to avoid getting a few bones broken.
Outside, the Riah Republic forces are about to engage the Kampfer with their missile trucks as planned. "Fire!" one Riah soldier orders as the missiles launch out of their tubes.
The Kamper is built for speed, first and foremost. That's why it has no problem dodging the missiles coming its way. However, the missiles do a good job of continuing on the trajectory they were originally fired at, which ends up completely devastating Al's elementary school completely by accident.
"Dear god… the school!" a soldier gasps as he watches the Kampfer come out from behind the smoking rubble, completely unharmed. He doesn't get much more time to dwell on it, as the Kampfer's giant shotgun completely shreds both the missile truck and the mini-MS escorting it.
"Idiots!" Ironwood hissed. It was hard for anyone to disagree with his take on the performance of the Riah Republic's military forces so far.
In the skies above, the Gray Phantom observes the destruction going on down below. "Scarlet Team, launch!" the captain of the ship orders.
On command, the team of Mass-Production Guncannons and GMs starts to engage the Kampfer, launching from the Gray Phantom's twin launch decks. The Kampfer flies up to meet them in combat. It shreds the cockpit of one Mass-Produced Guncannon with its shotgun, before tossing it aside and firing the missile tubes attached to its hips at two approaching GMs, blowing them up. The flaming wreckage of the Guncannon crashes directly on top of the colony's city center, where civilians try to shield their loved ones from the blast.
"I hope that woman and her baby didn't get crushed…" Ruby whimpered.
"I'm sure they're fine, Ruby. It looked like the wreckage was far away from them." Yang tried to reassure her. But honestly, she wasn't too sure herself. It definitely seemed like something this show would do, killing off a lady and her baby like that.
Back in the underground Federation base, Garcia reloads one of his sub-machineguns and dashes over to the cover where Bernie is trying his best to cover himself and Steiner. "Hey Bernie, how's the captain?" Garcia asks over the gunfire.
"He's bleeding really bad!" Bernie replies. Steiner looks to be barely clinging onto life, slumped over against a metal crate and limply holding his wounds. "He needs help, I think he's unconscious!" adds Bernie.
"Blood loss…" observed Ironwood. "He won't last long at this rate. Even hitting non-vital areas can be deadly."
Ruby frowned upon hearing that comment.
As Al runs down the corridors of the secret underground base, above ground the Kampfer launches a bazooka at the last remaining GM, which is taking cover behind a suspension bridge. One explosion later, and all resistance is eliminated.
"Scarlet Team destroyed!" a comms technician reports to the Federal Forces commander from earlier. "Enemy mobile suit approaching the base!"
"What's happening in the G Room?" the commander asks back in turn.
"A firefight. We can't approach, there's no way in!" the technician says.
"Get me Lt. Mackenzie!" the commander orders.
Cut to a shot of Chris running down a hallway in the base, already fully suited up in her pilot suit. "Fighting inside the colony? They can't do this!" she says over her helmet's headset to the commander.
"I know! And they do it anyway!" Weiss cried out.
"It's disgusting the lengths these people will go to." added Winter to her sister's comment.
"Would you rather the enemy gets the Alex, Lieutenant?" the commander icily asks back at her.
In the hangar itself, Garcia ties a headband around his head, reloads his automatic pistol, and pulls some mines out of a box that Steiner had been carrying earlier. "Bernie," he says, "we can't steal it now! Take the captain and get out of here! Go! I'm… I'm gonna blow it up! Now cover me until I blast it!"
Without waiting for a response from Bernie, Garcia runs out of cover and makes his way up the catwalk that leads to the Gundam Alex's cockpit. Al is watching all of this through the small vent he took pictures of the Gundam though in the last episode. All Al can do is call out in horror "Garcia!"
The cry is all for naught, as a Federation soldier shoots Garcia directly through the heart, a gory spray of crimson blood flowering out of his chest. Garcia groans a low noise, before falling down the stairs and landing on his back. Al gasps in horror as he witnesses Garcia's final actions, where the dying man pulls the detonators on his mines and blows himself up. It's for naught, as the Gundam itself is completely unharmed.
"Pointless… it was all pointless…" Pyrrha whispered to herself. After seeing Garcia finally come around to caring for Bernie, it was saddening to see him die in such a pointless way. The pat she got on the back from Jaune only served to slightly mitigate that pervasive feeling.
The explosion completely crumples the wall that Al was leaning against, sending him and a large amount of debris flying back. Chris herself is forced to stop and wait for the explosion's debris to clear, while Bernie uses the opportunity to put on Steiner's helmet and try to escape with him. As Chris rushes in towards the Gundam, one guard cries out, "Lieutenant, it's not safe!"
Chris climbs into the cockpit just in time for the Kampfer to arrive at the base. Al sees Chris launching from his position in the rubble, shocked to see his next-door neighbor be the pilot of the dreaded Gundam. Before Al can process it or the Kampfer can land a shot on the Gundam Alex with its shotgun, Chris flies the Gundam backwards, crashing through the hangar wall while skidding along the ground on her mobile suit's back.
As the Gundam Alex prepares to stand up, the Kampfer manages to land a direct hit on the Gundam with its shotgun. However, due to the chobam armor layering that the Alex is equipped with, none of the shot manages to penetrate. In response to the attack, Chris fires the Gundam's head-mounted Vulcan cannons, but the Kampfer manages to dodge the bullets due to its speed.
Roman whistled in surprise. "Damn, that thing is tough! A lot better than an Atlesian Paladin."
On the ground, Al runs outside to watch the battle, while Bernie passes of himself and Steiner as wounded Federation soldiers. "Is he wounded?" one random Feddie soldier asks Bernie.
"Look at him, isn't it obvious?!" Bernie shouts back.
"The med unit's that way!" the soldier says, pointing off to the side. All around them, soldiers are running around in a panic, some wounded, some unable to join the attack. This is a battle of mobile suits now, not men.
Al sees before him the Kampfer and the Gundam Alex, facing each other directly in a showdown. Chris pulls out the beam saber that her Gundam is equipped with and activates it, summoning a blade of raw, pink-tinted energy. The Kampfer lands next to a trailer, one of the hidden weapon caches that Misha set up during his preparations.
"Okay, I'll show you how to fight!" the Russian taunts. He punches one of the Kampfer's fists through the top of the trailer, before pulling out a series of massive mines linked together like a chain.
The Gundam Alex rushes towards the Kampfer, its beam saber at the ready. As the Gundam closes the distance, Misha flails the chain mines at Chris' mobile suit, wrapping the explosives around the Gundam like a bola. Chris only gets a moment to stop in place in shock, before the mines detonate in a massive, fiery explosion.
"Holy shit…" Jaune said under his breath.
"If that thing doesn't kill that robot, then I don't know what will." admired Roman.
Only Al and the Kampfer are seen staring at the explosion, with the Kampfer standing resolute, bits of metal debris bouncing harmlessly off of its metal chassis. Al, however, is doing his best to remain standing upright against the force of the explosion. His groaning and whimpering is being drowned out in the deafening noise of the blast.
Once the smoke clears, however, it's quickly proven that Misha's attack was useless. As with the shotgun blast earlier, the chobam armor is what took the brunt of the damage. The metal plates fall off the Gundam Alex, revealing the powerful, sleek chassis that was underneath. The only real damage is that one of the Gundam's head antennas is damaged. Misha can't help but gasp in horror at his foe still standing before him.
In a last, desperate attack, Misha makes his Kampfer charge at the Alex with his own beam sword. However, Chris has a better plan in mind. Tossing aside her beam saber, she instead activates the large Vulcan cannons hidden in the Gundam Alex's arms, and opens fire on the Kampfer's cockpit at point-blank range. The Kampfer is thrown about from the sheer force of the bullets hitting it, and Misha's fate is displayed by his flask being thrown around on its string, being hit by debris from the cockpit.
At this point, everyone is too shocked by the sheer level of carnage on display to really say anything. Instead, they all sat there, slack jawed in horror and awe at the kind of brutality on the screen. They all knew that they were probably better off not seeing what was happening to Misha directly at that point. It would've been too much to stomach, literally in Jaune and Ruby's cases.
The smoldering wreckage of the Kampfer crashes into a heap on the ground, all while Al sees his second taste of death for the night. It's too much for him. Whimpering in fear, he runs off in the opposite direction of the Alex. It's a bitter truth, now knowing what was really in store for the life he chose to get involved in.
And finally, as if in one last act of spite on behalf of Cyclops Team, the charges that Garcia planted to cover their escape detonate, ripping a hole in the colony wall. The atmosphere of the colony is being sucked out through it in a spiraling vortex, as a final spit in the face to the innocent civilians living in Side 6.
"There's a hole in the colony hull!" the Feddie comms technician reports to the Federation commander. "The internal pressure's dropping rapidly!"
Scowling, the commander turns to face the technician. "And what about the Alex?" he asks.
"The colony is at risk, and all he cares about is the robot?!" Pyrrha yelled, finally raising her voice. Everyone was a bit surprised at that one. It was rare to see someone like Pyrrha express her abject disgust at something like that. "That's awful, absolutely awful!"
After that outburst, Pyrrha rubbed her face, trying to massage out the stress. "These military leaders… Ugh!"
"We're right there with you, Pyrrha." Weiss said in solidarity.
Winter nodded. "Indeed. And that's coming from an Atlesian Specialist."
"Fog's forming because of the breach, I can't see it!" complains the technician.
It's a grim sight at the wreckage of the Federation base. Misha's broken flask drips its contents onto his shredded corpse, with his hands still clutching the controls of the Kampfer. The Gundam Alex stands motionless, towering above the wreckage of the Kampfer. Even if it won, it doesn't feel like a good victory at all.
Al wanders over to where Bernie is holding a dying Steiner. Al can only freeze up in shock as Bernie briefly points his gun at him in fear, before lowering it slightly upon seeing who it is. There is no words exchanged between them, only a single unblinking look that conveys what so many words cannot. Hell is in their eyes as the episode comes to a close.
The lights of the theater started to brighten again, and yet this time nobody bothered to move to talk about what they had just seen. It was easily one of the bleakest episodes of a show any of them had ever seen. It was chaos, blood, and despair. Anything remotely positive that happened in the course of the series so far had been completely negated in a half-hour span. Frankly, it was downright haunting what they saw.
"If nobody has anything to add, the next episode shall begin shortly." came the mysterious voice out of nowhere.
"…Do we have to?" Ruby meekly asked out loud.
"Yes."
"Now this is just plain unfair!" Jaune complained.
"Too bad. The next episode is starting now."
Before anyone could protest further, the theater lights dimmed, and the next episode of Gundam 0080 began to play. It was going to happen whether they wanted it to or not.
XXX
I think the one thing that takes up the most time in terms of transcribing the episode is having to go back every minute or so and checking to see whether or not the dialogue I wrote down is actually right. Given that I'm writing down the English dub, there's quite a few times I have to go back and check on it, due to the rather spotty quality it can have. Like, don't get me wrong, for the most part it's a fine dub, but with some characters it can be hard to understand what's being said. That's definitely the case with Garcia. To paraphrase SFDebris, his accent is like someone trying to talk after burning their tongue with soup. But enough of my ramblings, I hope you enjoyed the reactions to this episode where things absolutely go to shit! Let me know what you think!
This has been The Draigg, and I'm signing off for now!
