Allies Turned Enemies [War Reborn]
Adea's POV
*****
A nearer explosion occurred, within ten yards, tore away the far part of the building, sending me off balance. I felt myself fall, and too afraid to close my eyes, I kept them open, watching in fear as the ground seemed to draw closer.
A tight grip around my waist made me get a grip of my senses and turned to see Kyoretsu, his expression grim. I looked up at him and he shook his head. "There've been problems, c'mon." Not waiting for my reply, he grabbed my arm and we hurried back to the lobby where we'd all meet.
As we reached the lobby, everyone was gathered there, old and new pilots alike. We trekked to the main control room where more soldiers and Noin was stationed.
"Noin! What are the readings?" Zechs ran over to her side as she watched the monitors.
"It doesn't look good. We've got a band of what looks like a new model MS." She pulled up the data on a separate monitor. "Ares. It's Greek for god of war, and it's not the ones we fought. These have long energy spears along with buster rifles, or substituted with heat whips."
"So they aren't the flying models from AC 195." Quatre stated, peering at the screen carefully.
Sally nodded and joined them. "By far. Somehow I think they are remodeled after Epyon."
Another explosion shook the building like a massive earthquake, knocking almost everyone to the floor. "Dispatch the troops!!!" Noin shouted over the chaos from another eruption.
*****
Shorai's POV
Everything became a blur, we were rushed to the mobile suit hangar and were there in about two minutes because we ran as fast as our legs could carry us. Zechs and Heero were ahead, guiding us.
They stopped when we finally reached the hangar. As the gate slowly lurched its way up with creaking and groaning in dispute, there were six mobile suits revealed. To Adea's obvious disliking, they weren't Gundams of any sort, they were, however, new models. Beautiful dark green and black outfitted the suit perfectly. The arms were equipped with homing missiles, rockets, and energy sabers. On the top of right shoulder was a release for a light shield. The sides of the head were armed with smaller cannons and machine guns. There were forty missiles in the chest much like the Gundam Heavyarms, as well as bombs and more missiles in the legs.
Another bomb exploded somewhere near and the wave of debris bit and tore at the hangar. We had to evacuate, leaving the suits behind or risk dying. We took express travel routes to the colonies' central park, supposedly the safest area.
*****
Adea's POV
We reached the park only to see mobile suits surrounding the rather small population of the colony. The Ares were turned facing toward the group and facing outward to warn the leader of any possible guerilla attacks. Standing on the head of a mobile suit, turned facing down at the crowd stood Shaku, hands on hips.
Before anyone could stop her, Shorai ran out toward the mobile suit circle, shouting in fury. "SHAKU!! What the HELL do you think you're doing?!"
The redheaded girl turned slightly, looking down over her shoulder at her cousin. "Cousin, what does it look like?? Kitto you are not that blind."
I ran to stand beside my friend as did the rest of the group, craning our necks up and shielding our eyes from the harsh imitation sunlight on the colony just to get a look at Shaku. Shorai growled, fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.
"Don't give me that 'cousin' crap! Get down from there and explain yourself!!!"
"But dear Shorai how you do have a point, us not being related through blood and all. You may be two years older than I, but that gives you no right to order me around." She snickered, extending her right arm and sweeping it around her, giggling gleefully. "I'm taking over the colonies and Earth, much like my grandmother had!"
"WHAT?!"
"Oh, Shorai, dear, you know. Mareimaia had once tried to fulfill our family's legacy, but failed because she was too soft and pathetically weak!! I will complete her mission! You cannot stop me, none of you can. You've dug yourself into your grave." Shaku sneered. "And sadly, no headstone."
Shorai spat at the mobile suit's foot. But before she was able to say anything else, Heero stepped in front of her. "You've got no choice or a chance! Get down from there! I don't want to have to kill anyone again!"
She only laughed. "Old man! You think you could harm me? HAH! This isn't AC 196. You can't kill me! Hell, you didn't even kill Mareimaia! You, like her, became too soft. Not only that, you *won't* kill me! I'm too smart. I've studied the war of AC 196 and studied all of my grandmother's mistakes." She glanced back at the huddle of people in the center of the Ares and nodded as soldiers began escorting them away and the other MS started thundering away. "This will be a grand war!"
As Shaku's MS started walking away, Shorai began running after it. I jogged next to her and watched in curiosity as she stopped in front of the MS, daring it to step on her, skidding to a halt and spreading her arms out as if to create an invisible barrier. "Shaku, stop this! The reason Mareimaia didn't win was because she realized that wars were meaningless!"
Shaku glared at her cousin. "That war may have been meaningless, but this one certainly is NOT! Now move!"
I stood next to Shorai and grinned at her. "She's not gonna go far. We'll stop her."
"OH?! Is THAT what you think? Fools!!! I'll kill anyone who gets in my way, and you pilots will be the first to go!" The girl growled menacingly, dropping her arms and motioning her troop to turn around. At that instant, reinforcement troops led by Noin and Sally appeared behind us. Behind them were four suits I recognized only from textbooks: The four custom Gundams. But the redhead ringleader only chuckled in pure glee. "Oh my! This is too much! Six old geezers as your backups??" She peered down at us. "Don't expect them to be able to save you."
At that comment radioed to the Gundam pilots, they set their weapons, ready to attack when given the word.
Seeing their reaction, Shaku only continued to taunt. "Dear, I am frightened." Her slight British accent that carried to my ears was full of sarcasm and enjoyment. Her ruby eyes sparkled with demonic hells dancing in them. "Let's just hope your arthritis doesn't interrupt our fight!!!" With that, Shaku raised her arms, stretching them out at her sides. She tilted her head to the sky and let out high, shrieking laughs from her perch on the MS head. "IMBECILES!!!" She sneered, looking down at us with a wry, evil grin. "TROOPS! OPEN FIRE!" She threw her right hand to a dozen or so Ares suits as she called out her command.
*****
Shaku's POV (heheh...)
I watched in awe as my troops clashed and collided with the old folks. They weren't too bad. But sadly, I wasn't able to see any bloodshed. I was escorted away so as not to be caught in line of the fire. What did they think I was? Weak?? Hah! That would be a mistake. Nonetheless, I went without making too much of a fuss.
Rhamsey led me to a set of monitors and in an instant, they blinked to life and there was the battle, held from a dozen different, but marvelous angles. I grinned and eagerly leaned over the control panel, watching with happy eyes. "What's the status??"
"Stalemate."
"Huh? Seriously??" I peered harder at the monitors, praying to...who?? If there was a god, he certainly didn't listen to me. So, who was I praying to? The fates? No matter. I gazed at the screens with such intensity; hoping for bloodshed. I don't care from which side, just let there be blood so this battle will spice up a bit.
The general beside me had boredom in his voice and was gnawing at a hangnail when he spoke, muffling his words slightly. "Yes a stalemate, what did you expect?"
I turned to him, slapping his hand away from his mouth. "I expect us to WIN! What's wrong out there? Why are 50 year olds beating us??"
Rhamsey put his hands on his hips and pouted, giving him a look thirty years younger. "They have more experience. Plus the other suits are being shipped in for the new pilots." Saying this, he returned to chewing at his finger.
"What?? Dammit, you idiot!!!" I shoved him away from the control panel and grabbed the radiophone. "Troops seven and nine, depart and block the unmanned suits heading in from sector 13! And destroy the temperature control! I want these people to freeze!! No one survives!" I barked angrily. I wanted these people to freeze. I want them to die. I wanted them to suffer.
"So??" Rhamsey peered annoyingly over my shoulder.
"So? SO!?" I growled and pushed him over to another set of monitors across the room that calculated the battle stats. "Watch the fight! If anything happens that damages us, notify me at once!!!"
*****
Third Person POV
About half an hour later, one of Shaku's soldiers trotted into her doorway and saluted. "You may speak." She commanded, nonchalantly waving her hand after setting her book down.
"Shaku, uh, ma'am? The suits have reached the new pilots." He knew that sending this message might have cost him his life. He was trembling in fear as Shaku stepped toward him, her fists clenched at her sides.
"And you're here telling me this shit and not DOING anything about it?!" Her palm lashed out and caught the soldier in the side of his jaw, cutting his lower lip on the tooth.
He gingerly touched his lip, wincing ever so slightly before managing to continue. "B-but, miss, they were able to break our defenses and they're heading here."
She growled. "Leave now! Tell Rhamsey I'll be there in two minutes. Now go before I change my mind!" She watched the soldier leave with disapproval before shrugging a jacket over her shoulders.
Mumbling a string of choice words, she headed out the door to her room, slamming it behind her. She almost seemed to walk with a vengeance, arms swaying slightly at her sides in opposite rhythm with her stride, clenching and unclenching her fists. Shaku swore that man, Rhamsey, was nothing but a painful and annoying thorn in her side. "He'll need to be disposed of."
Gah, what an old cliché, but such a true one: Good help is hard to find these days, she thought. Shaku rushed into the control room only to see that none of the monitors except one was being watched. "Rhamsey! Where are the rest of our men?!" She hurried over to him gazing into the monitor screen. "Well??"
She shook his shoulder and gasped as horror struck her face. The man tumbled out of the chair. A bullet had long since been embedded into his back, soaking his tawny-colored uniform with bright red, then drying into a deep burgundy. She knelt beside him, checking for a pulse even though she already knew the inevitable: he was dead. She closed his ever-staring white eyes and shook her head slowly.
Almost immediately, her thoughts went to the soldier who had visited her no longer than ten minutes ago. Shaku jumped up and reluctantly left to search for the younger man. She scuttled around the base looking for him and just as she was walking into the control room to slunk into the chair and accept defeat, she ran right into him, revolver in hand.
She stumbled back, smoothing out her uniform as she glared at him standing in the doorway, blocking her entrance. "What did you do to Rhamsey?"
He looked slightly dumbfounded, then, glancing from the revolver to Shaku, he just nodded.
"Answer me!" Her voice demanded.
The soldier cocked the gun and pointed it at her. "This has to end. Shaku, ma'am, I've had enough of this." A look of remorse crossed his navy-blue eyes. "This isn't the way to peace." He ran one hand through his wavy black hair while keeping the gun aimed at the young girl.
"Why'd you have to kill Rhamsey?" She inquired.
"Because he killed my family, and like him, you must also die. That is the only thing I can do to avenge the people's deaths." His index finger quivered on the trigger.
"STOP!!!" A loud voice sounded from the hallway directly to their left. There stood Shorai and Adea, grenade launchers positioned one on each shoulder. Shorai spoke again. "Drop your weapon. You're out-numbered. Shaku, are you okay?"
She spat at her cousin's feet as the two advanced cautiously. "I don't need your help. You're my enemy. I wish you were dead."
The words stung Shorai's ears and she winced as she heard them. The soldier watched as the two had a stare-down, then breaking the silence, turned the gun to himself. "I won't allow myself to die at the hands of war, I'll avenge all I've killed." He whispered hoarsely.
No one had a chance to stop him as the crack of gunpowder echoed throughout the corridor.
*****
Adea's POV
It all happened too damned fast. There wasn't any scream of pain...it was the silence that got to me. The guy tumbled to the floor, the revolver clambering to the marble floor, making the silence afterward even more unbearable. His eyes...the eyes stared, unblinking. Shaku blankly stood there, gazing at the corpse.
"Dear Lord...." Shorai fell to her knees. "See?? See what war does to people? This is even worse! This is a blind war, Shaku! Don't you realize how many people are losing their lives? While your troops are on earth massacring thousands, you stand here and do nothing to stop or promote it. Do you hear me, Shaku! You're pathetic! You are weak." She looked up at her cousin, her eyes brimming with tears. "And to think you killed Ma. Damn you..."
Shaku said nothing for a moment, then began, her voice oddly calm. "Your mother angered me, as did mine. I rid of them for their own good. Whether you decide to wish me to the flames of hell for that or not, I won't care. This step of the waltz has been completed, and though you followed through well and alive, rest assured that that will not be the case for long. Expect another attack, but for now, may I suggest you run for your lives." She pulled out a small remote and pushed a square button on its face. At that instant, hundreds of red lights flashed around us from self-detonation switches. "This base will explode in ten, taking out the bottom of the colony with it."
I gripped a radio off my belt and messaged Heero. "Seal off the lower two levels!!! They're going to explode in ten minutes! Don't worry about us, we'll take the escape shafts." Immediately I turned the radio off, giving him no option but to follow my instructions. By the time I looked around again, Shaku was gone and Shorai was tugging at my arm.
"We need to get out of here! Follow me."
Our escape pods shot out of the tunnels with about five seconds to spare before the lower section of the colony exploded in a whirl of fire and debris, hurtling our separate crafts further out into space. As I sat there waiting for the rescue shuttle to pick us up, I looked out of the small window and saw the earth.
I wanted to go there. I wanted to see the trees, drink the waters, and breathe its air, just like a close friend of mine had before she moved to the colonies. To think, my true home. It's there, right in front of me. I sigh and lean back in my small enclosure, resting my head on the back of the mattress-like cushion, closing my eyes. I'm left here to think about anything. I'm left here to wait for my rescue.
*****
Shorai's POV
Adea's and my escape pod launched right before the colony exploded, sending us further away from the colony. Since these are just for escape, they have no power source, just an oxygen stimulator and temperature control. The pods are small, about the size and shape of a bunk on the inside, with a sleek, thick, protective casing giving the pod the appearance of a giant pill-like capsule. I curled up and turned on my side, cupping my hands under my head as a makeshift pillow.
"Shaku..." The sound of my own voice startled me. I was wondering about her, hoping she was okay. I went through a series of emotional battles, hoping for her sake that she was alive, yet hoping for humanity's sake that she was dead.
*****
Kyoretsu's POV
After we destroyed the mobile suits, we headed back to the main base only to get information that Shaku had been found. Shorai immediately took the job and Adea insisted she come along, but that was it. We thought nothing of just letting them go. Now I curse myself for not going with them. We got word of their capsules being launched and now a search was being done to find them.
"Anything yet??" Kosen-teki poked his head into the room before walking in.
I sighed and pointed to the radar, which was still blank. "Nothing."
"Jaide should have found them by now!" He walked over to me and flipped some switches on the monitor, as if to see if I were lying.
"He is only one man after all, K-T, and for all we know, the explosion could have separated the pods by as much as 5,000 miles. We sent him out two hours ago-"
"Three, Kyoretsu, THREE hours ago. And we haven't seen either of the pods. We should be searching for them as well!" He growled.
I stood. "What do you think I've been doing for the past hours?? Eating chocolate cake?! I've contacted every other colony on this side of earth, contacted all earth radios, tracked all satellites, and all to see if I could use their radar to find them! So far, I have twelve satellite radar, four earth radar, and twenty-seven colony radar watching out for the pods!!! I even gave them the model numbers!!"
He grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently. "You idiot! You could have gotten them killed! Has it occurred to you that other people might be looking for them and might not care if they are alive??"
My mind suddenly blanked, then reeled in confusion and self-anger. He was right, I might have killed them. I nodded in defeat. "Alright, we look for them. Are there any radar shuttles left?"
"One."
"Alright then, we'll get them back and radio to Jaide if and when we do." We rushed to the shuttle's hangar and almost pummeled down a redhead in the process. Her eyes glowed pinkish-purple with anger and hatred.
Kosen-teki stood rigid, jaw clenched. "Shaku."
She smiled with a fake innocence. "Hello, Kosen-teki. How are you?"
"Where are they?"
"Where are who?"
"You know very well who I'm talking about. Where are Shorai and Adea?"
"I don't know, somewhere floating in space." She waved her hand around at the wrist, placing the other on her hip and looking impatiently up at the ceiling. "But that's not important. I'm going to give this virus to you. It'll freeze the colony within minutes and give me all the data that you collected within the past seventy-two hours." She held up a small disk.
I narrowed my eyes at her, unbelieving. "Why do you want to freeze the colony? What kind of childish prank are you trying to pull here?"
She looked right at me, crossing her arms. "I want them to feel the cold that I've felt in my heart for my whole life." She spread her hands almost apologetically. "I know it's childish, but it makes me feel better. And it's no prank."
"And that's your reason for wanting to kill almost 1,000 people?!?! 'It makes me feel better'?!" I almost laughed.
"You know, the oxygen stimulator in that model of escape pods only last about seven hours, may I suggest you continue your search?" She smirked.
"Go on, I'll take her from here." Noin startled the girl by jabbing the barrel of a pistol at the side of her neck.
Kosen-teki bowed gratefully. "Thanks Noin."
*****
Adea's POV
It's so quiet...I yawn and hum to myself the tunes of my favorite heavy metal band, gently drumming my fingers to the imaginary beat on the wall of the capsule. I draw my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I'm so tired and cold.
*****
Shorai's POV
I look at the illuminated digits on my watch. It's been about six and a half hours since we were launched. I've napped, thought, sang, cried, and yelled in that time. I'm tired again, I think I'll sleep.
*****
Kyoretsu's POV
I piloted the shuttle while Kosen-teki checked radar and watched by eye. We were running out of time.
*****
Adea's POV
I woke up with a start. I couldn't breathe, my lungs burned and choked for the precious air they needed. I felt sick. My mind reeled with pain that I could never before imagine. I had to think about breathing.
My vision clouded and everything started blanking out. Suddenly, a loud metal clang shook the capsule almost flipping me against the wall. Without the strength to fight, I closed my eyes, slowly losing consciousness.
I now know I was praying to God for guidance, because just as I was about to give up, the capsule split open and buckled inside a shuttle, allowing new air to flow into it. My chest stung as I drew in breath, but each one afterward became increasingly easier. A blanket was draped around my shoulders and I turned to see Kyoretsu, then looking to my right, saw Shorai's capsule.
Jumping up, I ran over as the pod split like mine had. The girl instantly started coughing, then sat straight up, taking deep breaths. She grinned weakly. "I'm alive." She gripped the cross dangling around her neck from its small golden chain. "I'm alive." She whispered again, almost in disbelief. Shorai coughed a few more times before looking over at me. "And you're alive. That's good. Very good."
Kosen-teki walked over to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I've radioed Jaide and he's going to be here in a few minutes. Are the two of you alright?"
I nodded. "Where are we?"
Kyoretsu almost laughed. "The explosion knocked you into Deimos and Phobos' orbits. The magnetic fields of Mars' moons kept us from locating you on radar. Actually, all the credit of finding you can go to K-T. He was the one who suggested we use the old method of searching: the human eye."
"What about Shaku? Did she escape?" The green-haired girl looked up at Kosen-teki, her brow furrowed in confusion.
He sighed and laced his fingers behind his head. "More than that. She managed to infiltrate the base. Thankfully, Noin got hold of her so we could search for you two. Speaking of which, it'll take us about two hours to get back, so we might as well start now."
"Right. You two hungry?? We got a fridge on board with all kindsa junk." Kyoretsu grinned.
By the time we got to the main deck, Jaide was standing there happily gnawing on a sub sandwich overflowing with tomatoes and mayo. He informed us through a mouthful of food that he had just docked his ship and was absolutely famished.
*****
Shorai's POV
The five of us sat at a round table with the shuttle on an automatic course to the colony. Adea was busy with trying to get her watch to cooperate, apparently the "little bitch" as she called it was messed up from being in a magnetic field for so long. Sadly, she wasn't handling it as well as I explained....
"Dammit!" Adea pressed the buttons on her watch, struggling to get it to work. The shrill beeps of protest from the watch only seemed to frustrate her further. She unclipped the watch from her wrist and continued fussing with it. "You little piece of shit....I spent almost 60 WNM on this!"
[WNM stands for World Nation Money, one WNM is the equivalent of about 5 US dollars. This new money was adapted in AC 198.]
The others and I couldn't help but chuckle. She scrunched her face up and got so angry she pulled out a pocketknife and started picking at the back of the watch with the blade. "I've got you now...Hahahaha...." My comrade laughed evilly as she pulled off the back of the watch and started twitching the wires inside.
"Why are you so concerned about a mere watch, girl?"
She sat back briefly and chuckled. Her voice was low and smooth, menacing. "Oh, dear friend Jaide. You have no idea do you?" She held up the watch by its band. "THIS is *not* just a watch. This watch is programmed for projectory visuals, records data, has a tracking system, and runs completely on the CO2 in the air!! Therefore, I could just breathe on it and it would work! AND it's water, shatter, force, anti-gravity, and crush proof!"
"Then why's it break so easily?" Kyoretsu leaned forward innocently taking a big bite of his sandwich.
"THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW!!" She hunched back over the watch, pulling and straining the wires until they snapped, sending a buzz of electricity up her arm.
I smiled as she looked up from the charred piece of metal, her long hair frizzed from the shock. "That's what you get."
She stuck her tongue out at me then tossed the piece to the middle of the table. She sat back in the chair and crossed and arms. "What a waste. Piece of junk. Nothing but scrap."
Kyoretsu reached for it. "May I?" He motioned to the knife in her hand. She tossed it to him. He took it and the watch and started working on it.
Kosen-teki, who was silent through the whole episode, turned towards me. "What exactly happened between you and Shaku?"
*****
Adea's POV
Her eyes, brimming with the smallest amount of tears, were locked on the table. Her voice, strong, but trembling slightly. "It started a long time ago. When I was five and our families were together, I was assigned to baby-sit her. She was kind and polite then. Then a wave of battles hit, you know them; we all went through it."
I noticed Shorai almost in tears, her face in her hands, Kosen-teki's arm around her shoulders, listening to her talking. I as well as Kyoretsu and Jaide listened in.
"She wasn't the cute little girl everyone loved. She changed. Whenever our families would go to a little get-together, she would always stay away from everyone, and when someone would come near her, no matter what reason, she growled and spat at them. As we got older, I noticed smaller things a lot more. When she was about four, she started reading. Everyone seemed to be proud of her, but it was a fake pride. Shaku was reading war, weapon, and mass-murder books at that age. She would craft deadly weapons out of any material she could get her hands on and threaten to kill anyone who came near her with them.
"As she became older, her sense of combat increased. She started asking a lot about Mareimaia. Whenever a stranger would comment about our grandmother, she would immediately come to her defense, but point out her weaknesses. Her parents would, like any others, try to get her to make friends, to have fun, but every time, she turned them down, claiming that war WAS fun. Soon, the nagging of her parents became too aggravating. She murdered them." Her voice almost broke. "She made it seem like someone else did it, but I knew it was her because when she came to live with us, she boasted about it; she threatened to kill me if I told anyone. One time she actually cut my neck when she held a knife to it. I still have that scar." Her hand went up to a pale stripe of flesh just below her jaw. Shorai's hand started trembling in reflection of the incident that happened so long ago.
Kosen-teki took her hand and urged her to continue. "Go on, and don't be afraid of hiding anything, we're all here to listen, not tell."
I smiled warmly at her. "I promise we won't tell."
She nodded, sighing deeply and clearing her throat before continuing. "For my birthday, Ma gave me a cross, the one I wear today. Later that day, Shaku cornered me and asked me about the cross. I told her that it was a symbol of Jesus. She then clutched the necklace from which the pendant hung and claimed so bitterly, 'There is no Jesus, nor a God. If there was, He would have killed me a long time ago. Don't waste your time on this rubbish.'
"My parents took on the role as hers. They tried enrolling her in some of the sports I was playing, like soccer. This only went on for about seven months. One night after dinner, we were cleaning up the table and Ma asked Shaku to dump the leftovers in the trashcan before putting them in the machine. Shaku exploded in anger, claiming that she was a great mastermind and that she shouldn't be treated like a child. She said she was an adult in a child's body. Ma knelt beside her and asked her again, almost pleadingly." This time her voice crackled. "I remember every second of this like a recurring nightmare. Shaku pulled out a gun, set it to my mom's temple and, saying goodbye, she pulled the trigger. I still remember the horror on Ma's face."
She wiped the tears from her eyes and continued. "I remember calling the emergency numbers, running upstairs with the cordless radiophone because Shaku was chasing after me, shooting at me. I remember hiding in the attic as she went around the house, firing through walls and ceilings screaming utterly horrible threats. I prayed to God with all my hope that she wouldn't find me. As if answering my prayer, police cars surrounded the house and I heard the blood curdling screams of Shaku as she was being dragged out of the house, no doubt unarmed and restrained. I stayed in my hiding spot for what seemed like ages until the head of a cop poked up into the attic. The lady urged me to leave and that everything was okay. Once we were outside, she made sure I wasn't injured and then we were shipped to the colonies for training. That was the last time I saw Shaku until all of us met up. She hadn't changed a bit."
I gasped and laid a hand over my heart, feeling its beats racing. Poor Shorai, now I had even more admiration for her.
*****
Jaide's POV
We changed the subject shortly after and continued our trip back to the colony. We had an hour to spend on doing practically nothing but....PAR-TAY!
"Jaide? JAIDE! Will you take OFF that Hawaiian shirt and help us clean the shuttle! Thanks to your little episode with the burrito, we have Mexi-food all over the kitchen. NOW HELP CLEAN UP!" Adea went mad-chibi as she yelled in my ear.
I grinned and set down the maracas that I held in my hand, reluctantly leaving them on the table to fill my hands with glass cleaner and paper towels.
After taking the few short steps into the kitchen, I then noticed the huge mess the small meal made. Everything was charred and the microwave....no longer existed. I scratched my head and looked around dumbfounded. Everyone else was standing to the side, arms crossed, andshaking their heads. Rolling my eyes, I shredded my shirt off and started with the cabinets.
"You know, it isn't my fault." I complained over my shoulder.
Shorai walked up beside me, swiped a finger across the face of the cabinet next to the one I was standing at, and gasped in mock amazement at the trail of white showing through the soot. She then looked at the tip of her finger and faked crying. "Such a good burrito. Gone to waste and to Mexi-heaven. Now the microwave is a different story." She stopped down and picked up a piece of Gundalinum (a cross of Gundanium and aluminum) that was part of the face of the microwave and stood showing it to me. "Such a sad fate, don't you think?" She acted all sad, stumbling over to Kosen-teki and faked fainting into his arms, then magically waking up and whining about the microwave.
Kosen-teki actually laughed. "See what you did? You killed the burrito! And Shorai's precious microwave! I should hurt you for that."
*****
Continued in Part Five- Crimson Blood [Is This Peace]
Adea's POV
*****
A nearer explosion occurred, within ten yards, tore away the far part of the building, sending me off balance. I felt myself fall, and too afraid to close my eyes, I kept them open, watching in fear as the ground seemed to draw closer.
A tight grip around my waist made me get a grip of my senses and turned to see Kyoretsu, his expression grim. I looked up at him and he shook his head. "There've been problems, c'mon." Not waiting for my reply, he grabbed my arm and we hurried back to the lobby where we'd all meet.
As we reached the lobby, everyone was gathered there, old and new pilots alike. We trekked to the main control room where more soldiers and Noin was stationed.
"Noin! What are the readings?" Zechs ran over to her side as she watched the monitors.
"It doesn't look good. We've got a band of what looks like a new model MS." She pulled up the data on a separate monitor. "Ares. It's Greek for god of war, and it's not the ones we fought. These have long energy spears along with buster rifles, or substituted with heat whips."
"So they aren't the flying models from AC 195." Quatre stated, peering at the screen carefully.
Sally nodded and joined them. "By far. Somehow I think they are remodeled after Epyon."
Another explosion shook the building like a massive earthquake, knocking almost everyone to the floor. "Dispatch the troops!!!" Noin shouted over the chaos from another eruption.
*****
Shorai's POV
Everything became a blur, we were rushed to the mobile suit hangar and were there in about two minutes because we ran as fast as our legs could carry us. Zechs and Heero were ahead, guiding us.
They stopped when we finally reached the hangar. As the gate slowly lurched its way up with creaking and groaning in dispute, there were six mobile suits revealed. To Adea's obvious disliking, they weren't Gundams of any sort, they were, however, new models. Beautiful dark green and black outfitted the suit perfectly. The arms were equipped with homing missiles, rockets, and energy sabers. On the top of right shoulder was a release for a light shield. The sides of the head were armed with smaller cannons and machine guns. There were forty missiles in the chest much like the Gundam Heavyarms, as well as bombs and more missiles in the legs.
Another bomb exploded somewhere near and the wave of debris bit and tore at the hangar. We had to evacuate, leaving the suits behind or risk dying. We took express travel routes to the colonies' central park, supposedly the safest area.
*****
Adea's POV
We reached the park only to see mobile suits surrounding the rather small population of the colony. The Ares were turned facing toward the group and facing outward to warn the leader of any possible guerilla attacks. Standing on the head of a mobile suit, turned facing down at the crowd stood Shaku, hands on hips.
Before anyone could stop her, Shorai ran out toward the mobile suit circle, shouting in fury. "SHAKU!! What the HELL do you think you're doing?!"
The redheaded girl turned slightly, looking down over her shoulder at her cousin. "Cousin, what does it look like?? Kitto you are not that blind."
I ran to stand beside my friend as did the rest of the group, craning our necks up and shielding our eyes from the harsh imitation sunlight on the colony just to get a look at Shaku. Shorai growled, fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.
"Don't give me that 'cousin' crap! Get down from there and explain yourself!!!"
"But dear Shorai how you do have a point, us not being related through blood and all. You may be two years older than I, but that gives you no right to order me around." She snickered, extending her right arm and sweeping it around her, giggling gleefully. "I'm taking over the colonies and Earth, much like my grandmother had!"
"WHAT?!"
"Oh, Shorai, dear, you know. Mareimaia had once tried to fulfill our family's legacy, but failed because she was too soft and pathetically weak!! I will complete her mission! You cannot stop me, none of you can. You've dug yourself into your grave." Shaku sneered. "And sadly, no headstone."
Shorai spat at the mobile suit's foot. But before she was able to say anything else, Heero stepped in front of her. "You've got no choice or a chance! Get down from there! I don't want to have to kill anyone again!"
She only laughed. "Old man! You think you could harm me? HAH! This isn't AC 196. You can't kill me! Hell, you didn't even kill Mareimaia! You, like her, became too soft. Not only that, you *won't* kill me! I'm too smart. I've studied the war of AC 196 and studied all of my grandmother's mistakes." She glanced back at the huddle of people in the center of the Ares and nodded as soldiers began escorting them away and the other MS started thundering away. "This will be a grand war!"
As Shaku's MS started walking away, Shorai began running after it. I jogged next to her and watched in curiosity as she stopped in front of the MS, daring it to step on her, skidding to a halt and spreading her arms out as if to create an invisible barrier. "Shaku, stop this! The reason Mareimaia didn't win was because she realized that wars were meaningless!"
Shaku glared at her cousin. "That war may have been meaningless, but this one certainly is NOT! Now move!"
I stood next to Shorai and grinned at her. "She's not gonna go far. We'll stop her."
"OH?! Is THAT what you think? Fools!!! I'll kill anyone who gets in my way, and you pilots will be the first to go!" The girl growled menacingly, dropping her arms and motioning her troop to turn around. At that instant, reinforcement troops led by Noin and Sally appeared behind us. Behind them were four suits I recognized only from textbooks: The four custom Gundams. But the redhead ringleader only chuckled in pure glee. "Oh my! This is too much! Six old geezers as your backups??" She peered down at us. "Don't expect them to be able to save you."
At that comment radioed to the Gundam pilots, they set their weapons, ready to attack when given the word.
Seeing their reaction, Shaku only continued to taunt. "Dear, I am frightened." Her slight British accent that carried to my ears was full of sarcasm and enjoyment. Her ruby eyes sparkled with demonic hells dancing in them. "Let's just hope your arthritis doesn't interrupt our fight!!!" With that, Shaku raised her arms, stretching them out at her sides. She tilted her head to the sky and let out high, shrieking laughs from her perch on the MS head. "IMBECILES!!!" She sneered, looking down at us with a wry, evil grin. "TROOPS! OPEN FIRE!" She threw her right hand to a dozen or so Ares suits as she called out her command.
*****
Shaku's POV (heheh...)
I watched in awe as my troops clashed and collided with the old folks. They weren't too bad. But sadly, I wasn't able to see any bloodshed. I was escorted away so as not to be caught in line of the fire. What did they think I was? Weak?? Hah! That would be a mistake. Nonetheless, I went without making too much of a fuss.
Rhamsey led me to a set of monitors and in an instant, they blinked to life and there was the battle, held from a dozen different, but marvelous angles. I grinned and eagerly leaned over the control panel, watching with happy eyes. "What's the status??"
"Stalemate."
"Huh? Seriously??" I peered harder at the monitors, praying to...who?? If there was a god, he certainly didn't listen to me. So, who was I praying to? The fates? No matter. I gazed at the screens with such intensity; hoping for bloodshed. I don't care from which side, just let there be blood so this battle will spice up a bit.
The general beside me had boredom in his voice and was gnawing at a hangnail when he spoke, muffling his words slightly. "Yes a stalemate, what did you expect?"
I turned to him, slapping his hand away from his mouth. "I expect us to WIN! What's wrong out there? Why are 50 year olds beating us??"
Rhamsey put his hands on his hips and pouted, giving him a look thirty years younger. "They have more experience. Plus the other suits are being shipped in for the new pilots." Saying this, he returned to chewing at his finger.
"What?? Dammit, you idiot!!!" I shoved him away from the control panel and grabbed the radiophone. "Troops seven and nine, depart and block the unmanned suits heading in from sector 13! And destroy the temperature control! I want these people to freeze!! No one survives!" I barked angrily. I wanted these people to freeze. I want them to die. I wanted them to suffer.
"So??" Rhamsey peered annoyingly over my shoulder.
"So? SO!?" I growled and pushed him over to another set of monitors across the room that calculated the battle stats. "Watch the fight! If anything happens that damages us, notify me at once!!!"
*****
Third Person POV
About half an hour later, one of Shaku's soldiers trotted into her doorway and saluted. "You may speak." She commanded, nonchalantly waving her hand after setting her book down.
"Shaku, uh, ma'am? The suits have reached the new pilots." He knew that sending this message might have cost him his life. He was trembling in fear as Shaku stepped toward him, her fists clenched at her sides.
"And you're here telling me this shit and not DOING anything about it?!" Her palm lashed out and caught the soldier in the side of his jaw, cutting his lower lip on the tooth.
He gingerly touched his lip, wincing ever so slightly before managing to continue. "B-but, miss, they were able to break our defenses and they're heading here."
She growled. "Leave now! Tell Rhamsey I'll be there in two minutes. Now go before I change my mind!" She watched the soldier leave with disapproval before shrugging a jacket over her shoulders.
Mumbling a string of choice words, she headed out the door to her room, slamming it behind her. She almost seemed to walk with a vengeance, arms swaying slightly at her sides in opposite rhythm with her stride, clenching and unclenching her fists. Shaku swore that man, Rhamsey, was nothing but a painful and annoying thorn in her side. "He'll need to be disposed of."
Gah, what an old cliché, but such a true one: Good help is hard to find these days, she thought. Shaku rushed into the control room only to see that none of the monitors except one was being watched. "Rhamsey! Where are the rest of our men?!" She hurried over to him gazing into the monitor screen. "Well??"
She shook his shoulder and gasped as horror struck her face. The man tumbled out of the chair. A bullet had long since been embedded into his back, soaking his tawny-colored uniform with bright red, then drying into a deep burgundy. She knelt beside him, checking for a pulse even though she already knew the inevitable: he was dead. She closed his ever-staring white eyes and shook her head slowly.
Almost immediately, her thoughts went to the soldier who had visited her no longer than ten minutes ago. Shaku jumped up and reluctantly left to search for the younger man. She scuttled around the base looking for him and just as she was walking into the control room to slunk into the chair and accept defeat, she ran right into him, revolver in hand.
She stumbled back, smoothing out her uniform as she glared at him standing in the doorway, blocking her entrance. "What did you do to Rhamsey?"
He looked slightly dumbfounded, then, glancing from the revolver to Shaku, he just nodded.
"Answer me!" Her voice demanded.
The soldier cocked the gun and pointed it at her. "This has to end. Shaku, ma'am, I've had enough of this." A look of remorse crossed his navy-blue eyes. "This isn't the way to peace." He ran one hand through his wavy black hair while keeping the gun aimed at the young girl.
"Why'd you have to kill Rhamsey?" She inquired.
"Because he killed my family, and like him, you must also die. That is the only thing I can do to avenge the people's deaths." His index finger quivered on the trigger.
"STOP!!!" A loud voice sounded from the hallway directly to their left. There stood Shorai and Adea, grenade launchers positioned one on each shoulder. Shorai spoke again. "Drop your weapon. You're out-numbered. Shaku, are you okay?"
She spat at her cousin's feet as the two advanced cautiously. "I don't need your help. You're my enemy. I wish you were dead."
The words stung Shorai's ears and she winced as she heard them. The soldier watched as the two had a stare-down, then breaking the silence, turned the gun to himself. "I won't allow myself to die at the hands of war, I'll avenge all I've killed." He whispered hoarsely.
No one had a chance to stop him as the crack of gunpowder echoed throughout the corridor.
*****
Adea's POV
It all happened too damned fast. There wasn't any scream of pain...it was the silence that got to me. The guy tumbled to the floor, the revolver clambering to the marble floor, making the silence afterward even more unbearable. His eyes...the eyes stared, unblinking. Shaku blankly stood there, gazing at the corpse.
"Dear Lord...." Shorai fell to her knees. "See?? See what war does to people? This is even worse! This is a blind war, Shaku! Don't you realize how many people are losing their lives? While your troops are on earth massacring thousands, you stand here and do nothing to stop or promote it. Do you hear me, Shaku! You're pathetic! You are weak." She looked up at her cousin, her eyes brimming with tears. "And to think you killed Ma. Damn you..."
Shaku said nothing for a moment, then began, her voice oddly calm. "Your mother angered me, as did mine. I rid of them for their own good. Whether you decide to wish me to the flames of hell for that or not, I won't care. This step of the waltz has been completed, and though you followed through well and alive, rest assured that that will not be the case for long. Expect another attack, but for now, may I suggest you run for your lives." She pulled out a small remote and pushed a square button on its face. At that instant, hundreds of red lights flashed around us from self-detonation switches. "This base will explode in ten, taking out the bottom of the colony with it."
I gripped a radio off my belt and messaged Heero. "Seal off the lower two levels!!! They're going to explode in ten minutes! Don't worry about us, we'll take the escape shafts." Immediately I turned the radio off, giving him no option but to follow my instructions. By the time I looked around again, Shaku was gone and Shorai was tugging at my arm.
"We need to get out of here! Follow me."
Our escape pods shot out of the tunnels with about five seconds to spare before the lower section of the colony exploded in a whirl of fire and debris, hurtling our separate crafts further out into space. As I sat there waiting for the rescue shuttle to pick us up, I looked out of the small window and saw the earth.
I wanted to go there. I wanted to see the trees, drink the waters, and breathe its air, just like a close friend of mine had before she moved to the colonies. To think, my true home. It's there, right in front of me. I sigh and lean back in my small enclosure, resting my head on the back of the mattress-like cushion, closing my eyes. I'm left here to think about anything. I'm left here to wait for my rescue.
*****
Shorai's POV
Adea's and my escape pod launched right before the colony exploded, sending us further away from the colony. Since these are just for escape, they have no power source, just an oxygen stimulator and temperature control. The pods are small, about the size and shape of a bunk on the inside, with a sleek, thick, protective casing giving the pod the appearance of a giant pill-like capsule. I curled up and turned on my side, cupping my hands under my head as a makeshift pillow.
"Shaku..." The sound of my own voice startled me. I was wondering about her, hoping she was okay. I went through a series of emotional battles, hoping for her sake that she was alive, yet hoping for humanity's sake that she was dead.
*****
Kyoretsu's POV
After we destroyed the mobile suits, we headed back to the main base only to get information that Shaku had been found. Shorai immediately took the job and Adea insisted she come along, but that was it. We thought nothing of just letting them go. Now I curse myself for not going with them. We got word of their capsules being launched and now a search was being done to find them.
"Anything yet??" Kosen-teki poked his head into the room before walking in.
I sighed and pointed to the radar, which was still blank. "Nothing."
"Jaide should have found them by now!" He walked over to me and flipped some switches on the monitor, as if to see if I were lying.
"He is only one man after all, K-T, and for all we know, the explosion could have separated the pods by as much as 5,000 miles. We sent him out two hours ago-"
"Three, Kyoretsu, THREE hours ago. And we haven't seen either of the pods. We should be searching for them as well!" He growled.
I stood. "What do you think I've been doing for the past hours?? Eating chocolate cake?! I've contacted every other colony on this side of earth, contacted all earth radios, tracked all satellites, and all to see if I could use their radar to find them! So far, I have twelve satellite radar, four earth radar, and twenty-seven colony radar watching out for the pods!!! I even gave them the model numbers!!"
He grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently. "You idiot! You could have gotten them killed! Has it occurred to you that other people might be looking for them and might not care if they are alive??"
My mind suddenly blanked, then reeled in confusion and self-anger. He was right, I might have killed them. I nodded in defeat. "Alright, we look for them. Are there any radar shuttles left?"
"One."
"Alright then, we'll get them back and radio to Jaide if and when we do." We rushed to the shuttle's hangar and almost pummeled down a redhead in the process. Her eyes glowed pinkish-purple with anger and hatred.
Kosen-teki stood rigid, jaw clenched. "Shaku."
She smiled with a fake innocence. "Hello, Kosen-teki. How are you?"
"Where are they?"
"Where are who?"
"You know very well who I'm talking about. Where are Shorai and Adea?"
"I don't know, somewhere floating in space." She waved her hand around at the wrist, placing the other on her hip and looking impatiently up at the ceiling. "But that's not important. I'm going to give this virus to you. It'll freeze the colony within minutes and give me all the data that you collected within the past seventy-two hours." She held up a small disk.
I narrowed my eyes at her, unbelieving. "Why do you want to freeze the colony? What kind of childish prank are you trying to pull here?"
She looked right at me, crossing her arms. "I want them to feel the cold that I've felt in my heart for my whole life." She spread her hands almost apologetically. "I know it's childish, but it makes me feel better. And it's no prank."
"And that's your reason for wanting to kill almost 1,000 people?!?! 'It makes me feel better'?!" I almost laughed.
"You know, the oxygen stimulator in that model of escape pods only last about seven hours, may I suggest you continue your search?" She smirked.
"Go on, I'll take her from here." Noin startled the girl by jabbing the barrel of a pistol at the side of her neck.
Kosen-teki bowed gratefully. "Thanks Noin."
*****
Adea's POV
It's so quiet...I yawn and hum to myself the tunes of my favorite heavy metal band, gently drumming my fingers to the imaginary beat on the wall of the capsule. I draw my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I'm so tired and cold.
*****
Shorai's POV
I look at the illuminated digits on my watch. It's been about six and a half hours since we were launched. I've napped, thought, sang, cried, and yelled in that time. I'm tired again, I think I'll sleep.
*****
Kyoretsu's POV
I piloted the shuttle while Kosen-teki checked radar and watched by eye. We were running out of time.
*****
Adea's POV
I woke up with a start. I couldn't breathe, my lungs burned and choked for the precious air they needed. I felt sick. My mind reeled with pain that I could never before imagine. I had to think about breathing.
My vision clouded and everything started blanking out. Suddenly, a loud metal clang shook the capsule almost flipping me against the wall. Without the strength to fight, I closed my eyes, slowly losing consciousness.
I now know I was praying to God for guidance, because just as I was about to give up, the capsule split open and buckled inside a shuttle, allowing new air to flow into it. My chest stung as I drew in breath, but each one afterward became increasingly easier. A blanket was draped around my shoulders and I turned to see Kyoretsu, then looking to my right, saw Shorai's capsule.
Jumping up, I ran over as the pod split like mine had. The girl instantly started coughing, then sat straight up, taking deep breaths. She grinned weakly. "I'm alive." She gripped the cross dangling around her neck from its small golden chain. "I'm alive." She whispered again, almost in disbelief. Shorai coughed a few more times before looking over at me. "And you're alive. That's good. Very good."
Kosen-teki walked over to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I've radioed Jaide and he's going to be here in a few minutes. Are the two of you alright?"
I nodded. "Where are we?"
Kyoretsu almost laughed. "The explosion knocked you into Deimos and Phobos' orbits. The magnetic fields of Mars' moons kept us from locating you on radar. Actually, all the credit of finding you can go to K-T. He was the one who suggested we use the old method of searching: the human eye."
"What about Shaku? Did she escape?" The green-haired girl looked up at Kosen-teki, her brow furrowed in confusion.
He sighed and laced his fingers behind his head. "More than that. She managed to infiltrate the base. Thankfully, Noin got hold of her so we could search for you two. Speaking of which, it'll take us about two hours to get back, so we might as well start now."
"Right. You two hungry?? We got a fridge on board with all kindsa junk." Kyoretsu grinned.
By the time we got to the main deck, Jaide was standing there happily gnawing on a sub sandwich overflowing with tomatoes and mayo. He informed us through a mouthful of food that he had just docked his ship and was absolutely famished.
*****
Shorai's POV
The five of us sat at a round table with the shuttle on an automatic course to the colony. Adea was busy with trying to get her watch to cooperate, apparently the "little bitch" as she called it was messed up from being in a magnetic field for so long. Sadly, she wasn't handling it as well as I explained....
"Dammit!" Adea pressed the buttons on her watch, struggling to get it to work. The shrill beeps of protest from the watch only seemed to frustrate her further. She unclipped the watch from her wrist and continued fussing with it. "You little piece of shit....I spent almost 60 WNM on this!"
[WNM stands for World Nation Money, one WNM is the equivalent of about 5 US dollars. This new money was adapted in AC 198.]
The others and I couldn't help but chuckle. She scrunched her face up and got so angry she pulled out a pocketknife and started picking at the back of the watch with the blade. "I've got you now...Hahahaha...." My comrade laughed evilly as she pulled off the back of the watch and started twitching the wires inside.
"Why are you so concerned about a mere watch, girl?"
She sat back briefly and chuckled. Her voice was low and smooth, menacing. "Oh, dear friend Jaide. You have no idea do you?" She held up the watch by its band. "THIS is *not* just a watch. This watch is programmed for projectory visuals, records data, has a tracking system, and runs completely on the CO2 in the air!! Therefore, I could just breathe on it and it would work! AND it's water, shatter, force, anti-gravity, and crush proof!"
"Then why's it break so easily?" Kyoretsu leaned forward innocently taking a big bite of his sandwich.
"THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW!!" She hunched back over the watch, pulling and straining the wires until they snapped, sending a buzz of electricity up her arm.
I smiled as she looked up from the charred piece of metal, her long hair frizzed from the shock. "That's what you get."
She stuck her tongue out at me then tossed the piece to the middle of the table. She sat back in the chair and crossed and arms. "What a waste. Piece of junk. Nothing but scrap."
Kyoretsu reached for it. "May I?" He motioned to the knife in her hand. She tossed it to him. He took it and the watch and started working on it.
Kosen-teki, who was silent through the whole episode, turned towards me. "What exactly happened between you and Shaku?"
*****
Adea's POV
Her eyes, brimming with the smallest amount of tears, were locked on the table. Her voice, strong, but trembling slightly. "It started a long time ago. When I was five and our families were together, I was assigned to baby-sit her. She was kind and polite then. Then a wave of battles hit, you know them; we all went through it."
I noticed Shorai almost in tears, her face in her hands, Kosen-teki's arm around her shoulders, listening to her talking. I as well as Kyoretsu and Jaide listened in.
"She wasn't the cute little girl everyone loved. She changed. Whenever our families would go to a little get-together, she would always stay away from everyone, and when someone would come near her, no matter what reason, she growled and spat at them. As we got older, I noticed smaller things a lot more. When she was about four, she started reading. Everyone seemed to be proud of her, but it was a fake pride. Shaku was reading war, weapon, and mass-murder books at that age. She would craft deadly weapons out of any material she could get her hands on and threaten to kill anyone who came near her with them.
"As she became older, her sense of combat increased. She started asking a lot about Mareimaia. Whenever a stranger would comment about our grandmother, she would immediately come to her defense, but point out her weaknesses. Her parents would, like any others, try to get her to make friends, to have fun, but every time, she turned them down, claiming that war WAS fun. Soon, the nagging of her parents became too aggravating. She murdered them." Her voice almost broke. "She made it seem like someone else did it, but I knew it was her because when she came to live with us, she boasted about it; she threatened to kill me if I told anyone. One time she actually cut my neck when she held a knife to it. I still have that scar." Her hand went up to a pale stripe of flesh just below her jaw. Shorai's hand started trembling in reflection of the incident that happened so long ago.
Kosen-teki took her hand and urged her to continue. "Go on, and don't be afraid of hiding anything, we're all here to listen, not tell."
I smiled warmly at her. "I promise we won't tell."
She nodded, sighing deeply and clearing her throat before continuing. "For my birthday, Ma gave me a cross, the one I wear today. Later that day, Shaku cornered me and asked me about the cross. I told her that it was a symbol of Jesus. She then clutched the necklace from which the pendant hung and claimed so bitterly, 'There is no Jesus, nor a God. If there was, He would have killed me a long time ago. Don't waste your time on this rubbish.'
"My parents took on the role as hers. They tried enrolling her in some of the sports I was playing, like soccer. This only went on for about seven months. One night after dinner, we were cleaning up the table and Ma asked Shaku to dump the leftovers in the trashcan before putting them in the machine. Shaku exploded in anger, claiming that she was a great mastermind and that she shouldn't be treated like a child. She said she was an adult in a child's body. Ma knelt beside her and asked her again, almost pleadingly." This time her voice crackled. "I remember every second of this like a recurring nightmare. Shaku pulled out a gun, set it to my mom's temple and, saying goodbye, she pulled the trigger. I still remember the horror on Ma's face."
She wiped the tears from her eyes and continued. "I remember calling the emergency numbers, running upstairs with the cordless radiophone because Shaku was chasing after me, shooting at me. I remember hiding in the attic as she went around the house, firing through walls and ceilings screaming utterly horrible threats. I prayed to God with all my hope that she wouldn't find me. As if answering my prayer, police cars surrounded the house and I heard the blood curdling screams of Shaku as she was being dragged out of the house, no doubt unarmed and restrained. I stayed in my hiding spot for what seemed like ages until the head of a cop poked up into the attic. The lady urged me to leave and that everything was okay. Once we were outside, she made sure I wasn't injured and then we were shipped to the colonies for training. That was the last time I saw Shaku until all of us met up. She hadn't changed a bit."
I gasped and laid a hand over my heart, feeling its beats racing. Poor Shorai, now I had even more admiration for her.
*****
Jaide's POV
We changed the subject shortly after and continued our trip back to the colony. We had an hour to spend on doing practically nothing but....PAR-TAY!
"Jaide? JAIDE! Will you take OFF that Hawaiian shirt and help us clean the shuttle! Thanks to your little episode with the burrito, we have Mexi-food all over the kitchen. NOW HELP CLEAN UP!" Adea went mad-chibi as she yelled in my ear.
I grinned and set down the maracas that I held in my hand, reluctantly leaving them on the table to fill my hands with glass cleaner and paper towels.
After taking the few short steps into the kitchen, I then noticed the huge mess the small meal made. Everything was charred and the microwave....no longer existed. I scratched my head and looked around dumbfounded. Everyone else was standing to the side, arms crossed, andshaking their heads. Rolling my eyes, I shredded my shirt off and started with the cabinets.
"You know, it isn't my fault." I complained over my shoulder.
Shorai walked up beside me, swiped a finger across the face of the cabinet next to the one I was standing at, and gasped in mock amazement at the trail of white showing through the soot. She then looked at the tip of her finger and faked crying. "Such a good burrito. Gone to waste and to Mexi-heaven. Now the microwave is a different story." She stopped down and picked up a piece of Gundalinum (a cross of Gundanium and aluminum) that was part of the face of the microwave and stood showing it to me. "Such a sad fate, don't you think?" She acted all sad, stumbling over to Kosen-teki and faked fainting into his arms, then magically waking up and whining about the microwave.
Kosen-teki actually laughed. "See what you did? You killed the burrito! And Shorai's precious microwave! I should hurt you for that."
*****
Continued in Part Five- Crimson Blood [Is This Peace]