Birth of a New Demon, chapter 9
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Solo looked up at the white mobile suit that was beginning to take shape.
"S-o-o-o-o…" He started. His father looked at him.
"Yes, Solo?" Kien asked.
"What's that you're building? What kind of suit?" Solo asked. Kien looked at him strangely for a moment before remembering that Solo wasn't very informed about Kiane's decisions. Kien handed him the prints for the Wing Zero Customs. Solo studied it for a moment before almost buckling his knees in amazement.
"This is so cool!" He whined. "And it's Kiane's? Man!" He continued whining.
"Sorry, Solo. Don't you think DeathsWings is cool? It's like the Deathscythe and the Wing combined."
"Yeah…" Solo made a face. "But it's still a girl's mobile suit. I like the scythe and the buster rifle…and the beam gatling you installed is just amazing…but God, the Wing Zero rules!"
Kien smiled. "Yeah. I almost wish it hadn't been mine. I wasn't the proper pilot for an amazing suit like that. I was too inexperienced."
"Kiane won't feel like that. She doesn't know the pride we feel about these suits yet."
"That's what makes her the ideal pilot. She won't be piloting this thing to fill our expectations about what the Wing pilot should be made of. She won't pull any stunts. If anything goes down, and she has to do something totally worthy of my father, she'd be doing it because it's what she knows she has to do. And her innocence is what makes her the ideal leader for the Sanq Kingdom. She was raised in a church, which enables her to talk of peace from a religious perspective."
Solo nodded.
"I guess so." He shrugged. Then he smiled. "She'll be the best leader that country will ever have. Religious leader slash pacifist leader slash Gundam pilot makes for a very interesting reign."
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Her head was pounding. Drums, beating on her brain. Bum-bum; bum-bum…till she was ready to explode. Images, too. Coming and going faster than lightning. ZERO…the system…ah, my head…ZERO…Epyon…ahh…fight, fight, fight, don't give up, never give up…
A blond boy, out of his mind…he doesn't see anything but the enemy…but everyone has the face of his enemy. Which is the true one? …Another boy, unable to handle it, sees the deaths of those he cares about play in front of his eyes…and another boy…and yet another until the true pilot for the system is found… Her grandfather. HE WOULDN'T BE THE ONLY ONE TO MASTER THE SYSTEM!
Master the damn system, Kiane! It's in your blood! Do it, do it, DO IT! Don't let it control you, don't let it!
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Aseka was in shock. Her breathing came in short gasps and choking sounds. Kien was scared out of his mind, but Aseka wouldn't let anyone near her as she watched Kiane's results while test piloting the Wing Zero.
Then, she simply shut her eyes and turned the monitor off. She looked up at Kien with an emotion beyond anything he could explain written in her eyes.
"She's doing it." Aseka croaked. "Nothing…nothing is going on. Her brain waves haven't altered, nor her blood pressure, nothing! But everything else is…amazing! She's handling the system as if she's been using it for years."
Kien felt his blood run cold. "It's impossible. No one can do that…well, except for…"
Aseka nodded slowly.
"Heero Yuy."
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Kiane knew exactly what the former pilots of her suit had felt while using the system. It wasn't emotionlessness…it was indifference. Nothing mattered but one thing.
Find the enemy and eliminate it.
She could see things playing in her mind, horrible images of her family getting killed as her colony exploded…but at the same time, she knew, she just knew that it wasn't happening. They were safe, safe and watching her and waiting. What was this? This was nothing. See the possibilities, and avoid them if they are bad.
"Where's my enemy?" She couldn't believe she'd said the words. But there was no enemy. She didn't find it. Fighting on her part would be pointless, but necessary all the same. She had no enemy. But the desire to fight welled up within her, almost as strong as her grandparents' did.
And pacifism…the spirit of pacifism must have been reborn in her from her grandmother! She could see herself promoting peace just as easily as piloting this pathetic system…but the system was still more fun.
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Solo heard the footsteps behind him as he walked to the base after dark. That's where Harmony was staying, and he wanted to visit her and tell her what had been going on. He'd certainly had a mouthful planned. 'Guess what, Harmony? My sister can handle the psychotic ZERO system better than my Perfect Soldier grandfather'.
Then the shadow appeared, catching up to him fast. Man, he was gonna get mugged, he just knew it. He lowered his hand to his waist, where he had a .30 piece. Then he heard the voice. A low, elegant voice, that of an aristocrat's. That he recognized instantly.
"Solo. Wait up." The voice said coolly.
Solo stopped dead in his tracks and breathed as the person caught up with him. Solo resumed walking, this time with the person walking at his side.
"How did you find me?" Solo asked slowly, deciding to lead his companion away from the base.
"I've been following you all day, waiting for you to be alone." The person continued in the same voice.
"Well, you've got me, Zeke." Solo said harshly. Zeke sighed.
"I'm sorry that you had to come in between my beliefs." Zeke said sincerely.
"Yeah, ditto." Solo hissed.
"Why didn't you stay on L3 like my father asked you to?" Zeke retorted with the same tone. "We could be fighting side by side, like we always wanted to."
"When we were kids." Solo said. "And Mom needed me to come home."
"Oh yeah, I forgot." Zeke said in a sympathetic voice. He'd forgotten about Aseka and Kien's emotional breakdowns nine years ago…
"They needed my help to get through the breakdown."
"I know."
"Zeke, I know that you're just being a patriot for L3…but how can you go against your family? Your blood? Just for a colony?"
"My colony."
Solo laughed weakly. "Yeah. I guess I'd do the same. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"
"I guess I owe it to you." Zeke said softly.
"What?"
"Harmony." And then Zeke stopped Solo and simply hugged him. Forgot that they were the greatest enemies, and forgot that they were at war, they only remembered one thing. They were family. And Zeke knew that his best friend, his kin, had died already because of someone that worked for him. "Luna told me about when she showed up on your welcome home party. I wish I could've gone."
"Funny thing about Harmony, Zeke," Solo grinned as they resumed walking.
"What?"
"I think I love her." Solo said softly. Zeke gaped. His jaw went slack.
"After everything…you love her?" He stammered.
"I think I do." Solo smiled faintly. "And considering how she acts towards me, I think she feels the same."
Zeke returned the smile. "I know the feeling." He shrugged. "In a way. Lady Luna and I have been together for years. A year ago I would've shouted my feelings for her from the top of a water tower, but with her being such a big factor on L3, I can hardly see her in private."
"She said that she didn't want to hurt us." Solo said suddenly. "She warned us."
"That's another thing I need to talk to you about." Zeke sighed after a moment. He paused again. "I never even thought about you guys. If I had her rank…God, Solo, I would have put out an order for a sweep of the colony to kill all the Gundam pilots."
Solo said nothing. Zeke didn't say anything else for another minute. "I heard Kiane came back. That doesn't help L3 at all, but she's my cousin…so say hi to her for me." He said softly.
"Sure." Solo said. "Luna helped us…so I'll give you something. Kiane piloted the Wing Zero for the first time today."
"How'd she do?"
"Zeke…she handled the ZERO system better than my grandfather. He's still in shock." Solo said hesitantly.
"How…that's…no way…" Zeke stuttered. "I can hardly manage Epyon."
"She's psychic. That must have something to do with it." Solo shrugged. "Now can I ask my questions?"
"Yeah." Zeke said in a monotone, thinking of the ZERO system.
"Are you really going to become regent in the Sanq Kingdom?"
Zeke smiled warily. "I have about as much interest in pacifism that you so. They'll never accept me."
Solo nodded. He looked at his watch. "The colony scheduled some rain tonight. There's some dry spots sprouting up everywhere. We have to hurry."
Zeke nodded. "Anything else?"
Solo tensed up before he asked. "Yeah." He said. "Are you really gonna try and kill your family?"
"I was hoping we wouldn't have to get into this." Zeke said in an almost irritated and slightly angry tone.
"The greatest battle ever to have been was between our grandfathers using the Epyon and the Wing Zero. Only this time Kiane has the Zero. And she has no quarrel with you. I do. Only I have DeathsWings."
"What quarrel do you have with me?" Zeke sounded slightly interested. A loud splashing sound echoed above them Solo looked up at the pipes a hundred feet from the floor of the colony.
"The rain." He warned, and with a final booming sound, the rain hit them like bullets. After a moment, the pressure lightened and it didn't hurt to have the water hit them.
"What's the quarrel?" Zeke asked again. Solo met his eyes.
"Its funny that you don't know. You just said you didn't want to get into it. But we are into it." He hissed.
"Solo--"
"When the war started last year, I figured you weren't part of the army responsible for attacking out colony. I just thought, you lived on the colony, you support the colony. I had no Goddamned idea that you were practically in charge! We weren't gonna use the Gundams! We just got them ready! "
The rain was roaring in his ears, but Zeke managed to catch all the spite that Solo had in his voice.
"I'm using the Epyon very soon, Solo. That's all I came here to warn you about." Zeke tried to remain calm.
"And Kiane is using the Wing Zero. She's more dangerous than my grandfather ever could be. And then she's taking over the Sanq Kingdom. L3 can kiss its victory goodbye." Solo snarled. Zeke had had enough.
"I used Epyon to get here. Do you wanna fight this out right now?" He said bitterly.
"Bring it on." Solo growled.
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Next chapter: Solo battles Zeke…the Epyon against DeathsWings…which will win?
Harmony tells Solo who the mastermind behind the war is. The old lady from chapter 7 turns out to have a closer connection than anyone could have imagined….
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