Disclaimer: I don't own Zone of the Enders (ZOE). Konami does. I wish I did, it's a good game, albeit short. But the Metal Gear Solid 2 (MGS2) demo was a good addition. Anyway, enough rambling, time to get this fic on.
The Frame emerged before Leo, raising its large crab like arm and ready to throw the final blow into the ejected cockpit of the Frame. Leo cried out in surprise, instinctively raising his arms, even if it was no use to do so.
Fate gave Leo another destiny, however. The cockpit rocked, but was far from being destroyed in and added to the Frame graveyard this battle site was already becoming. He slowly retracted his arms, opening his eyes and gazing out of the shield that overlaid the cockpit.
The soft shimmer of light blue caught his eyes, the aura surrounding the familiar blade that Leo recognized. He followed it to its source, hoping to find if it was true or not, in such a situation. His suspicions were confirmed upon looking 'higher up' in the space battle.
"ADA!" the boy Frame Runner exclaimed, recognizing the design of Jehuty instantly. He was relieved to find that his life was saved, even more so that ADA still existed, and has not yet started a full assault into the target location as of yet.
"Your actions continue to remain illogical," ADA spoke in a matter-of-fact female tone that came from her programming. Leo smiled a bit, glad to hear that voice again. However, the reality of the situation dawned on him once more, his attitude growing serious once more.
"I have to save Celvice," Leo told ADA, gripping the useless controls of the ejected cockpit tightly, unconsciously arousing memories of his failures in the past. ADA seemed to 'agree' with Leo, ejecting her 'dummy' cockpit and attaching Leo's ejected cockpit to Jehuty. A quick download and ADA was in the computer of the 'intruder' cockpit that Leo was stationed in.
"Affirmative," ADA told Leo, the final seals hissing to a close, linking the cockpit to Jehuty. "Docking sequence complete, commencing Operation: Lion Strike."
"Lion Strike?" Leo questioned, surprised by that comment, or better said, what ADA meant with 'Operation: Lion Strike'. He glanced back towards Jehuty, as though he was talking to the massive Frame he piloted only a few days back, and here he was again, piloting it.
"Operation: Lion Strike, directive: annihilation or Mars base, Aumaan, through means of self detonation of Jehuty within the core of the base causing a chain reaction resulting in a 22.3+ giga ton explosion that will destroy the entire base," ADA informed the Frame Runner in her mechanical, yet female, voice. "Operation: Lion Strike, new directive, rescue Celvice Klein from containment, priority over previous directive." Leo remained dumb founded by the remark, as well as the change of plans that ADA instituted for her mission. "Chief Engineer Elena informed me of the problem, and, after assessing your illogical and brash actions, I decided to return and assist you in your operation. It would seem mutually beneficial for us to co-operate with each other once more." Leo still couldn't believe it, but he wasn't one to back down from an offer of help like that, especially with a Frame such as this…even if it was meant for mass destruction/suicidal operations.
"Thank you…" Leo whispered, picked up by the audio receptors in the cockpit. The pilot closed his eyes, grateful for this. "Thank you…" he repeated again, mentally this time. "ADA…and Elena…thank you…"
Energy blasted against the rear energy field that protected Jehuty from attack. Leo's eyes quickly snapped open, taking the controls in his hands and dashing forward, rotating 180 degrees, then opening fire with a barrage of laser that homed onto the closest enemy and converged. The Frame that attacked Jehuty didn't survive for long. Satisfied, Leo piloted his Frame towards the Mars installation, intent on completing what he started that was so rudely interrupted.
Elena looked onto the display, showing Jehuty fly off into the depths of combat, taking on its new passenger and pilot with it. Eventually, the Frame flew out of range of the cameras of the Atlantis, thus cutting all surveillance the engineer had over Leo and ADA.
"They're out of our range, heading towards the target," Elena informed Rock, standing back up and turning her gaze towards the larger man that stood in the middle of the bridge. Silence was on the section of the ship, aside from the clicking of buttons and the whirls of computers at work.
"You crazy kid…" Rock muttered finally, keeping an eye on the main display for the bridge. Fire was still being exchanged between both sides, the Atlantis trying to fire as much suppression fire into the fray as possible. The ship alone took out more then one Frame with its long range batteries.
"Hull breech has been contained," another operative on the bridge told Rock, speaking of the incident with Anubis and how it crashed into the Atlantis only moments earlier.
"Good," Rock mused, crossing his arms while still watching the view. "Concentrate fire into the battle, and advise our frames of our next coordinates for fire."
"Affirmative," the operative responded, returning back to his console on the bridge. Elena watched the view screen now, seeing the target installation behind the field of fire and battle on the screen. Jehuty would be flying there, controlled with the combined skill of ADA and Leo.
"Good luck…you two…" Elena told them silently, even if they could not hear. She wished them a successful run on their mission, as it was clear their directive would have been changed by now. Elena realized she basically set Leo up for this operation, but she hadn't counted on the 'Anubis' factor to come into play. She only concluded with three words, closing her eyes: "Come back alive."
Leo slashed the energy sabre of Jehuty downwards, cutting right through the arm of the Frame that blocked his path. With that complete, he dashed towards the left, then forward again towards the station, only his path to be blocked by two more Frames.
"Get out of my way…" Leo hissed between his lips, before opening up with a barrage of Phalanx in the direction of the two. Both Frames split up, leaving a gap between them. Leo piloted Jehuty through that, quickly turning around after passing it and throwing out a cluster of Geyser pods. The two Frames tried to pursue, only to be trapped behind the cage of lasers. Leo didn't even noticed, returning with his mission to save the girl he could not protect…
"ADA, status," Leo ordered softly, without force or anger in his tone. His mind remained set on the task at hand, but his ears heard what ADA had to say.
"Seventy-four Frames engage, seventy-four Frames damaged, zero Frames destroyed," ADA informed the Frame Runner for Jehuty. Leo nodded his approval, still unwilling to take a life of another person. He regretted losing his emotions only minutes back, blasting through everything he saw just to reach his destination. It chewed at the back of his mind, and he wished he didn't destroy anyone in his rage…if only he knew for sure his wish was true…
Leo remained silent to the report, continuing to engage Frames as he made a slow progression towards the space station, stalled with more and more Frames engaging his own as he approached the Mars station, Aumaan.
Jehuty threw the disabled Frame against the wall of the facility, creating a resounding thud against the steel wall of the space military installation around Mars. Leo manoeuvred Jehuty deeper into the base, losing hope in ever finding Celvice in the mess of halls and walls that made this location what it is.
"This is hopeless…" Leo whispered, despair beginning to overtake his previous optimism. The boy glanced left and right, trying to determine which would be the better route to take in the fork. After a brief moment of thought, he dived right, two Halberd attacks stabbing into the wall before him as he flew down, missing Jehuty. In response, Leo through more Geyser pods behind him, expending the last of his supply.
The Frame Runner then set his boosters on full, trying to get as far ahead of those pursuing him as possible while the Geyser forced them to a stop in the narrow corridors of the facility.
"Come on…lose them…" Leo muttered, taking the next turn, then another before halting dead right in his tracks upon entering the next chamber. The Frame Runner gasped, looking up, then down, at the massive spherical room with a large pillar in the middle. The center of the pillar resonated with light, flowing from the centre to each end of the pillar, shining through transparent glass that contained it.
"This is the Aumaan core," ADA informed her pilot. Leo remembered the previous objective in ADA mission, one dealing with a 22.3 giga ton explosion that would wipe out this location from Mars. With the conclusion of that thought, hail of Phalanx fire opened towards him as automated turrets situated on the pillar began to open fire on the intruder in the core room. "Aumaan core's is shield with thick armour plating. Standard weapons will not penetrate the armour of the core," the computer AI informed her Frame Runner next. Leo nodded, seeing this as a way to blast the turrets without destroying the core unintentionally. Once more, he slammed the boosters on full, diving head first into the hail of fire that guarded the core of the installation.
The final burst attacked destroyed the last remaining Phalanx turret of the core. As ADA informed Leo, the core still remained intact, hardly threatening overload. Leo relaxed in his chair a bit, needing a break after that tense moment of weaving in and out of fire while destroying the mainline of defence for the core.
"I'm surprised no Frames have come to destroy us in that fire fight," Leo commented, sitting back up straight after a brief rest. He glanced at the pillar of the installation, reminiscent of the main shaft that carried the main flow for the EPS in his colony.
"I detect many life forms in this colony, however, none are converging on this position," ADA told Leo in her normal mechanical and female voice.
"Which means they will either send automated Frames, or they some how don't seem interested in us…despite being in the core…" Leo analysed, glancing left and right nervously. He was expecting an attack at any time now, any time…
"Leo," ADA's voice spoke through the microphones in the cockpit. The Frame Runner glanced up at Jehuty in surprise, thinking Jehuty and ADA were one, which was true, to some degree. "Does the life of Celvice Klein matter to you that much that you will risk your own life and jeopardize this mission for that goal?"
"I…I…" Leo tried to respond, at a loss of words for that one question. He remembered letting his emotions take over when he heard Celvice was captured, and decided to mount a one man rescue operation. He almost died for it, and he was surprised that this would end him paired up with Jehuty and ADA once more.
"You value the life of others more then yourself, do you not?" ADA questioned next, drawing even more confusion into the mind of the boy who piloted Jehuty. "You have told me once that you were unwanted within your family and peers. But now, you are wanted…Celvice and Elena wish you both to stay alive, and now you risk that wish with your interest of saving one of them."
"I will not die…" Leo spoke softly, almost forcefully, after thinking. "If Celvice dies, and I did nothing to save her, then it is all my fault. I couldn't protect her, when she needed to be protected, I have to save her…or I am no better then Rock and those who will destroy for their own gains."
"Leo…you are different," ADA told her pilot. "You are not like Rock, or those others who will fight for their own goals. You fight, yes, but you are not selfish in your fight. You wish to preserve life, a difficult task with a weapon of destruction such as Jehuty, yet, you have succeeded in doing so. You do not fight for your own self interests, but you fight to help others. You would not kill needlessly. You fight because you are needed, and with that need, you fight without selfishness."
"I want Celvice to live…I didn't want her to die if you destroyed this base…I wanted to do anything in my power to save her…" Leo spoke softly, barely able to articulate himself while doing so. "And…and…and…I don't want to see you die…"
Silence engulfed the two as they processed each others words and thoughts. The pillar in front of them shimmered with energy as it created power for the installation. It seemed as though the core listened to their conversation in silent contemplation.
"I am destined to die, as a life-less machine," ADA told Leo once more, though Leo still blatantly refused such a remark.
"NO!" he cried out, slamming the controls of the cockpit with his fists. "You may be life-less, and may be a machine, but you are not destined to die! We all have the will to change our destiny, we all have a chance to live, we all must. I don't want to see you die!" With those words, the boy broke down into a sob, crying as he curled his legs up towards his body.
"I do not wish you die either…" ADA responded in her own way, softly, as though emotionally, sympathising with Leo. He slowly looked up, watching the controls in front of him. Silence over took the two again, neither able to express anything to the other that would lighten the situation.
Alarm klaxons blared in the cockpit as proximity sensors detected another Frame in the vicinity. ADA quickly took the controls, flying backwards, a staff falling to where Jehuty was floating before. Leo refocused his eyes, wiping away his tears as he placed his hands on the controls of the Frame.
"You!" he shouted out, tears of sorrow replaced by the burning anger in his eyes that sparked this whole incident with himself. The Frame before him, the pilot that started it all, the one who took Celvice, the battle that would end it here. "Anubis!"
Completed: 12/26/01
Author's Note:
Just thought I'd like to give credit to Timothy L Wilson's extremely detailed FAQ which filled me in on details that slipped my mind during the game. Location: http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/zone_of_the_enders_e.txt