Birth of a New Demon, 11
AnimeCat: One more chapter, people!! Review!! Please! As a final favor, I know I have at least 10 readers that stayed with me through the whole thing…could I please get a review from each of you on the last chapter?
Ja!
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Kiane hung up the phone about an hour after she called, and Aseka came in to look for something.
"What's up, Kiane?" She asked, seeing Kiane's breezy expression.
"Mom," Kiane turned very serious, looking at Aseka in the eyes. "I don't mean to be morbid…but what would you do if Dad died?"
Aseka appeared suddenly very cold. She sat down near Kiane and kept herself very stiff.
"It's all right," Aseka said, "Kiane…I always carry a gun. With my childhood and teen years…you'd see the logic in it easily. I don't mean to be morbid either…and though this may hurt, the moment your father dies is the split second before I take it out and kill myself."
Kiane looked as if someone had actually died. Her jaw went slack. "I love Kien more than life. Not more than you or Solo…neither of us do. We both went nutso for a while when you vanished. Solo stayed with his uncle on L3 for almost a year. But I cannot see myself without him. I refuse to. I refuse to see myself without my children," She said, smiling faintly and brushing Kiane's hair from her face. It fell back again, but Aseka didn't move again. "I refuse to see myself without this family. You understand, don't you?"
Kiane returned the faint smile, and looked down at her hands. "I wish I could. I hope someday I can be as attached as you." She sighed.
"You will be." Aseka nodded. Kiane stood up. She turned to Aseka a moment later with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Mom, would it be all right if I took the Zero out for a test flight? Just for a little extra practice."
Aseka nodded. "It's fine." She said. Kiane smiled, kissed Aseka on the cheek and left the room.
~~~~~~~
This is fun, she thought as she slashed the beam saber around. Up, down, to the right, to the left… Kiane really liked the Wing and the sight of the huge metal feathers on the bottom of her screens when she moved.
She suddenly heard a shrill beeping sound. She looked up at the switchboard with wild confusion.
"What--?" She breathed as a small red light flashed in sync with the beeping. Then she caught on. "An enemy? Where?" Her eyes zipped from one end of the screen to the other.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw it. The white suit, coming so quickly it had to be painful for the pilot.
"Tallgeese." Kiane acknowledged. She had a feeling she should turn on the ZERO system, so she did. As it kicked in, she felt a strange excitement. Found it oddly funny that the Tallgeese was coming to challenge her.
"Kiane Yuy." The woman named Luna called as she came closer. "I came here to assassinate you…but I want to work something out."
Under the influence of the system, Kiane found no reason to respond.
"I want to duel you. If you win-- that's it. I'm switching sides. If I win…I'm very, very sorry."
"How do you know I won't kill you rather than accept your surrender?" Kiane smiled. She could practically hear Luna smile.
"Because you're not just any soldier. You're a Gundam pilot." Luna said with praise.
"Then lets fight, Luna. Let's see if you're worth my time." Kiane challenged. She pulled out her beam gatling, and Luna raised her beam cannon.
At the same exact moment, they fired. Kiane managed to dodge, but the heat of the beam made her skin tingle and burn. She shut her eyes tight to keep away the burning light. Wing jolted suddenly because Tallgeese had fired at it with the Vulcan guns. Kiane felt the rush in her brain due to the system starting to take effect.
Fire...fire again…dodge…
She could see how easily she could defeat and kill Luna…but then she remembered. She wasn't to kill Luna…remember, remember, remember, she told herself over and over again.
"You're very good at this, Luna." She commented lightly. Luna chuckled.
"Thank you, princess. Shall we duel?" Luna asked, wrenching her beam saber from its place. Kiane, who still clutched hers, lifted it up and charged.
Kiane had never had any training with the saber, but for some reason, she had no problems using it.
Slash, to the right, to the left, dodge…
"Your methods are sloppy." Luna criticized. Kiane allowed herself a light chuckle.
"I've never used it before in combat, let alone ever being trained with it." She responded, slashing at Luna.
"Impossible." Luna gasped. "They're sloppy…but your moves are…natural."
"Thank you. Must have got them from my grandfather." Kiane smirked.
"Ah yes, I forget you're the granddaughter of the greatest pilot of all time." Luna said.
Dodge, slash, up, down…
This was confusing for Kiane. If they were enemies…why were they smiling and laughing at each other? Weren't battles supposed to be filled with risks and anger? Because she's not your enemy! Remember, remember, remember…
Slash, slash, dodge…
Luna had lost her saber. With another fast charge, Luna was completely disarmed and completely at Kiane's mercy.
"Well," Kiane smiled. "Was that good enough for you?"
Luna sighed. "Well, I suppose I'm going down in history as a traitor." But she didn't really seem too unhappy.
"So you're the new Benedict Arnold, who cares?"
Tallgeese gave a clumsy bow. "I pledge my loyalty to you, Princess Kiane." She promised earnestly.
~~~~~~~
A week passed. Luna's loyalty was never questioned once. She passed information to them freely about L3, and the force they were working up.
"The thing is," She said to Solo, Kiane, and Jake one day. "The army is following Zeke and I. Not Ms. Schbeiker. If I'm gone, they follow Zeke. If Zeke leaves…the army totally breaks apart. Um…have you told Mr. Maxwell about Ms. Schbeiker?" She asked suddenly.
Solo and Kiane stared at their shoes. "We're not planning on telling him or grandma. In fact…only Cedric, Quatrine, Sarra, Harmony, Marin and the four of us know, and we're gonna keep it that way if we can." Solo said sheepishly. "I don't even want to think about what it would do to Grandma. The other day I asked her, just to see, and she told me they were like sisters for a long time, and the last time they saw each other was when Mom was sixteen."
Luna sighed and nodded. "I see. Then we'll try to avoid them finding out."
"So…what can we do about Zeke? If we can get him to switch sides…we can totally avoid any bloodshed!" Kiane said. Solo stared at her oddly.
"I saw a bit of Grandmother in you just now." He said, a little freaked. Her hand shot to her mouth and she covered it, looking horrified. Jake draped his arm over her shoulder and she calmed down.
"That is the plan, though." Luna agreed. "If people don't need to die…I'm not going to allow it."
"Wouldn't Zeke have looked for you? --I mean…he told me that you two were pretty close…" Solo stammered. Luna blushed slightly.
"I don't know how we can be, now. On opposite sides like this…" She whispered. "But yes, if he wants me back…he'll come for me. I-- I don't know if I want that or not." Her voice trembled.
Kiane collapsed to the ground, and her body trembled as if she was having a seizure.
…"Hey, that's my--" She can see herself calling… "Well, Solo, I guess you got the email…" Zeke…that must be Zeke… "The war is over, Zeke…accept it, my friend…" "What are you doing?" The image changed suddenly, showing two elderly women in a tiny apartment… "This is the only way, Ms. Schbeiker…We get rid of the Gundams and we can attack again in a few years…" She held a small control… "No! That's…oh God, that's Duo! No, Lady F, its over…we lost…"
Kiane sat up straight, startling everyone.
"Solo…" She started slowly, looking up at him. "I think you should check your email."
~~~~~~~
"You have mail." Solo clicked on the mailbox, and saw one letter waiting for him.
Get ready, Solo. Tonight. Today we're going to settle the score. I know That the Wing is in perfect condition. Fight me in the Wing instead of DeathsWings. Meet me at midnight east of L3. There's no risk of anything happening out there. Don't worry, cuz, its no trap.
~Zeke Merquise, Epyon
"Well," Solo snapped at no one. "Looks like he wants to reenact the last battle between the suits. Fine then." He looked toward his door, which was open. The halls were dark. Luna, Kiane, Solo, Cedric, Sarra, Harmony, Marin, Jake, and Quatrine all stayed at the base now. It was easiest, considering they spent every waking minute checking the suits. Hopefully, if all went well at midnight, it wouldn't have been necessary.
~~~~~~~~~
School was out, now, and the base that had once been a corporate building was now empty. The teenagers had chosen the second floor for sleeping, and had each an old, empty office to camp out in. The lobby was too open to the public.
Kiane couldn't sleep very well that night. Her door seemed to have a mind of its own, and it opened and shut of its own accord. Kiane passed time by watching it. It was funny, because at a quarter to midnight, so said her clock; a shadow appeared on the opposite hall.
She sat up and waited for the person--or thing?-- to pass. Moments later, Solo passed by in a space suit. Kiane got up and followed him quietly, hanging back. When he got to the base, Kiane expected him to grab his mobile suit and head out. Apparently he was about to duel Zeke. Solo paused momentarily, looking at the Wing Zero and DeathsWings, which stood next to each other.
Then he climbed up to the Wing.
"Hey!" She shouted shrilly as the Wing Zero fired up and the locking gates opened. "That's my--" The Wing zoomed away, "…mobile suit."
~~~~~~~
AnimeCat: The last battle approaches!! Use of the ZERO system shows someone the pain inflicted long ago, starting with Daye Maxwell…and continuing with Hilde Schbeiker. But it's far from over. Tomorrow, one more person will make the ultimate sacrifice for this family….
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