Episode 21: The Beginning of the End
With the development of the Eternal System, the terror of General Calnus was finally abated, but at what cost? Advisor Aelan Marcus, unable to control the immense power granted by the Eternal System, has lapsed into a comatose state.
While the Earth continues on its path of peace, the North Am Elite Unit waits anxiously for Ventrali Gorrs next move…
Offices of the Advisor, New Richmond
Aelan Marcus rushed into the hangars, with Kiron hot on his heels. In the interim period between Noin's leaving and Aelan's arrival, the rest of the pilots had assembled in the main bay as the Advisor of North Am charged down.
"Who saw the message to Noin?" Aelan demanded. When Trowa raised his hand slightly, Aelan then asked, "Where did she go again?"
"To Magnetic North."
"Aelan!" Hilde shouted, "Someone stole Phantom!"
"One dilemma at a time, Hilde." Aelan said, "Right now, we've got to find out what is going on up north." From there, Aelan rushed over to the hangar where Commadore Eternal stood.
Kiron watched Aelan board the lift leading to Commadore's cockpit, and quickly rushed to negate Aelan's idea. "Are you daft, Aelan? You just woke up, and you want to fly that… monster… again?"
"I need to see who this woman who claims to be Yeara is." Aelan replied simply as the lift reached the top, "The Fold Generator on Commadore Eternal should be able to get me there within a half-hour."
"Your body chemistry still hasn't returned to its normal levels. If you fly that thing into battle again, the Eternal System could kill you! And even if it doesn't, you'll lose focus again, and probably wind up hurting everyone you're trying to find!"
Aelan then stuck his head out of the cockpit, and responded, "I don't intend to utilize the Eternal System. I know now that it is something beyond mortal control. I would simply uninstall it, but I don't have the time right now." Once again, Aelan disappeared into the cockpit, and the panels closed around him.
Kiron watched in dismay as the hangar doors opened, and Commadore Eternal shot upward in a golden streak. As he turned around to face the Gundam pilots, Heero said, "We should bring our Gundams to standby, at least. I have a terrible feeling that Aelan might need our assistance."
Magnetic North…
When Yeara's golden suit grabbed Cygnus for what would definitely be the final time, Noin had figured it would have been inevitable. There was simply no way that Noin was going to be able to defeat someone under the power of the Eternal System, especially alone.
"YOU LITTLE WHORE!" Yeara screamed, "How many times did you proposition my husband?"
Noin was about to answer indignantly, but then remembered the party for Aelan re-election campaign, and how she had acted then. "Yes, I do care for Aelan, and maybe a bit more than friendship should allow. But I can't, and he is still totally devoted to you. He rejected me! I can't… I WON'T… compete with that!"
"SO YOU ADMIT IT!" Yeara bellowed, and was about to go for the killing blow. Suddenly a ripple in space formed, a fold was being generated. From out of it, appeared Hilde's Phantom. Phantom collided with Yeara's suit, knocking Cygnus free, and the pair tangled for about half a kilometer.
Noin sighed in relief, and waited for Hilde to communicate. However, once a voice blared over the comm, Noin instantly knew it wasn't Hilde's…
"That is enough!" An all too familiar voice rasped. Noin's jaw dropped in total disbelief. There was simply no way.
"Miliardo…" Noin gasped.
"Stay back, Noin. I don't think that you're capable of handling this." Miliardo ordered.
"You don't know what you're getting into, Miliardo!" Noin screamed.
"Regardless, I can't let this bitch harm you. Let me try to handle this!" After that, Yeara's mobile suit and Phantom engaged in combat. As the battle progressed, she remembered how good of a pilot Miliardo was. However, no amount of skill was capable of matching Yeara under the influence of the Eternal System.
Eventually, Yeara overwhelmed Miliardo, and sent Phantom plummeting to the ground. With that, Yeara turned back to Cygnus. Noin could barely keep the battered suit airborne, much less counter any sort of attack. But before Yeara could launch any sort of attack, something drew her attention.
Noin followed her sensor array, then saw ANOTHER fold appearing, and out from the fold shot out Commadore Eternal. The golden suit stopped about three kilometers from the pair, scanning the situation.
"Aelan… is that you?" Noin asked. Was he back? And why hadn't she been informed?
Aelan confirmed, "I just woke up from the most pleasant nap to hear that you had left suddenly to meet an old… friend of mine."
"Yeara's under the control of that Project Eternal! Be careful."
"I suspected as much. She was at absolute zero life function when she had been taken out of the rubble. Knowing what I do now, it is not at all unexpected to figure that Ventrali would have continued Project Eternal without his brother's consent. Both of those Gorrs boys seem to have a problem submitting themselves to authority."
"You should thank Ventrali…" Upon Aelan's arrival Yeara seemed to calm slightly, "He's given me another chance. I have so many memories that I want to live again. But it can't happen with THIS WOMAN in the picture!" Yeara then prepared to attack again.
"Yeara… don't do this…" Aelan warned, "You have to fight the control of the Eternal Unit. The Yeara I know would never be so violent."
"You're going to have to make a choice, Aelan!" Yeara shot back, "This can't continue. You either defend that SLUT, or you let me kill her!" Once again, it seemed like Yeara was becoming more violent.
"Like someone is controlling the unit's output." Aelan remarked to himself, looking up at the picture on his sensor array. That was Yeara's face, no doubt about it, but something didn't seem quite right. Eternal Unit or not, Yeara had never wanted to inflict harm upon someone else.
Noin sighed in regret. There was simply no way that Aelan would be able to harm the woman that he had been married to for most of his life. Nor should he be expected to.
Then Aelan spoke again, "Remember when I proposed to you, and the way that my eyes shone with love? Remember how you had reacted when I gave you that bracelet of diamonds?" At the same time, he was sending out a beacon to North Am on one of the few bands that could manage to break through the magnetic field. However, it would take several minutes for the beacon to be decoded. Hopefully, he could hold out that long…
Noin's eyebrow raised at the question. Where did that one come from? Before she could contemplate more, Yeara replied, "Yes. I was… surprised to say the least. And those eyes, such a beautiful unusual color, even for an Edenite. I was smitten. And that diamond… oh god… it shone with the colors of the rainbow. I don't think that there was a better day in my life."
After that, Aelan started to chuckle, and for a moment, Noin thought he had lost it. However, when he spoke again, all sense of mirth had disappeared, all that was left was a seething anger.
"I'm sorry, but it is rather amusing… you see, Yeara HATED the color of my eyes. 'Puke Orange' I believe is the description she used. Also, you might want to check on that bracelet again. It was emerald, not diamond."
Without warning, Commadore Eternal's massive thrusters ignited, knocking into Yeara's suit, and sending it off balance. As Yeara righted herself, one of Commadore's Matter Cannons seemed to materialize on his arm, pointing directly at the green paneled suit. "You may have my wife's body, but you definitely are not the woman I married!"
Noin's jaw dropped at the stunning revelation. Aelan now seemed totally convinced that Yeara was not who she claimed she was. "Aelan, be careful, don't make her mad!"
The woman who called herself Yeara hissed, "Well, I was hoping not to do this until later!" She obviously made some sort of command, because from underneath the ground burst about twenty Edenite suits, their golden panels dulled by being buried. "These are what you could call Edenite Mobile Dolls!"
Aelan looked around at the situation at hand. Twenty Edenite suits programmed with Mobile Doll capabilities, and with Cygnus and Phantom incapacitated to a degree that they might as well be useless.
Looking over at his sensor array, he still had not received a reply from the beacon. This was definitely not what Aelan would consider favorable. "I do have ONE option…" Aelan muttered. The danger was incredible, even if the Eternal System didn't kill him, how could he be able to control the intense physiological bombardment? He never wanted to use that system ever again, but looking at Noin and Miliardo (Aelan had deduced that it HAD to be him), he realized that he couldn't let them die due to his inaction. That tragedy had occurred once before.
It would NOT happen again.
"Commadore… engage Eternal System…"
Noin watched Commadore tremble slightly, and instantly knew what was happening. Aelan had activated the Eternal System, knowing that without it, there was just no way any of the three were leaving alive.
Noin watched in trepidation as Commadore Eternal began the battle with the new form of Mobile Dolls. Noin realized that the Eternal System didn't enhance the pilot's abilities any more than the Zero System. What it DID do was cause the pilot to be so juiced with hormonal strength that they were almost beyond any physical boundaries. Noin watched as Commadore took hit after hit, yet continued unfazed, much like Juggernaut did against the Gundams weeks ago.
As Edenite dolls detonated right and left, Yeara obviously started to get a little concerned. It was evident by the way that she slowly started backing away from the battle, trying to keep Aelan's attention busy with the dolls.
Finally, the last doll exploded in a twisted mass of burning metal, and Commadore Eternal turned in Yeara's direction. In a moment of panic, Yeara trained her plasma rifle on Noin, and shouted, "It's either me, or your little BITCH!"
Aelan didn't even bother to answer; he just trained one of Commadore Eternal's matter cannons on Yeara's suit again. It became evident that Aelan had severly upgraded the weapons effectiveness, as the bluish bolt charged and fired, burning right through Yeara's shielding, all before the Edenite woman could even pull the trigger.
When Commadore Eternal turned in Cygnus's direction, Noin held her breath. She had seen Aelan under the influence of this suit before, and it very nearly hadn't turned out very pretty. She just reminded herself not to do anything that would suggest an aggressive approach. Not that she could do much of anything but stay airborne at the moment.
"Lucrezia, don't worry. I… seem to be much more capable of harnessing the full capabilities of the Eternal System this time around. I'm not fully sure as to why myself." Aelan commented. Upon hearing Aelan's voice, untainted with the rage normally associated with the Eternal technology.
Noin sighed in relief, then asked, "Now what, Aelan?"
"We wait for the others to arrive. It does not appear that the two of you are capable of heading back to North Am under your own power."
Offices of the Advisor, New Richmond: A day later…
"The only thing that I can think of is that your previous exposure to the Eternal System somehow caused your body to adapt to its effects. It might also explain why Calnus seemed to be rather well focused, a focused as one can get anyway. After all, all evidence suggests he had the thing implanted since he was very young."
Kiron turned off the bio monitor, and Aelan pulled the small suction cups off his arms. "Regardless, I really must be getting back to work. I'm sorry if I must return to my office."
"No offense taken." Kiron said, motioning for Aelan to leave the small sick bay of the office complex. Aelan took the elevator to the top floor, where his secretary and Admiral Noin were waiting.
"It is so nice to see you in fine health again, sir." His secretary sang sweetly, "The Congressional Body has sent some bills that they would like you to look at. I guess Admiral Noin's decisions weren't too their liking."
Noin sighed. She figured this was going to happen.
Aelan smiled, then replied wryly, "Tell them I fully back Admiral Noin's decisions."
Noin's day suddenly got a whole lot brighter. It was nice to have a friend like Aelan, she decided. Glancing over at Miliardo, who was approaching at top speed (with Hilde right on his heels), she decided that friends is exactly where she wanted it to be. No more… and no less…
Miliardo stepped in front of Aelan, and said approvingly, "That Phantom is a pretty nice suit." To his right side, Hilde was fuming.
"It's Hilde's." Aelan replied simply, "And I expect you to pay fully for the damage you did to it, and for the unauthorized flight you decided to go on."
Hilde huffed triumphantly, and Miliardo was totally blown away. This was not the reception he had been expecting. "I… don't have that kind of money…"
Aelan smirked, "Then perhaps we can reach an agreement on something. Perhaps you can pay me using those incredible skills of yours. Meet me in my office tomorrow. We'll figure out some way to reimburse North Am for your actions."
Aelan then walked into his office, and closed the door. Hilde skipped away happily, content that justice had been served. Meanwhile the Gundam Pilots took interest in the sure conversation between Miliardo and Noin, and Duo stealthily snuck out of the side offices to get a closer look.
Milardo then ran his hand through the back of his long hair, and sheepishly said, "I guess that means that we'll be working together again for a while, huh Noin?"
"Yes, I suppose it does." Noin answered quietly.
"Noin… Can I…"
Noin then turned away from Miliardo, and threw up her hand, saying blandly, "I have much work to do. If what you have to say is not involved with the current mission, I suggest you save it for later."
Now Miliardo wasn't even sure that he was on the right planet. Noin then approached Aelan's office, and knocked on the door, when it opened, she walked right in, not even looking back.
All of a sudden, Miliardo felt Duo tap him on the shoulder. As the tall Peacecraft turned to face Duo, Duo quipped, "Do you have a coat? It seems to have gotten a little chilly out here…"
Duo then walked back over to the side offices, laughing. Glancing in their direction, he noticed that even Heero was chuckling. Normally, Miliardo would have went for blood, but he was simply in too much shock to do anything.
Noin shut the door and chuckled, "Well, that was rather fun. I think I'll keep Miliardo hanging just for a little while longer. Perhaps you can help me."
Aelan dropped his jaw in disgust, "I will not be an accessory in the mental torment of that man, but… I won't exactly interfere, either."
As they began to laugh together, a familiar beeping came from Aelan's terminal. Noin quickly recognized it as a transmission from an Edenite. Aelan quickly activated the window, his eyes scanning the text.
Noin couldn't understand a word of it, being completely in Eden's native tongue. Finally she asked, "What's it say?"
"It's Ventrali." Aelan answered, "He's challenging me to one final battle."
Next Time…
As Aelan prepares to leave for his final confrontation with Ventrali Gorrs, Kiron makes an odd request. Once the battle begins, Ventrali brings out one final surprise, that he too has discovered the secret of the Eternal System…
Coming in Episode 22: Family Ties