Hi!!!! Welcome to another chapter!!! Well, my rants are useless, since you probably want me to get to the fanfic. So I'll shut up and get the show on the road!!! ^_^
Disaster
Noin sighed and looked out the window. It was really coming down to it. Soon, there would be the ultimate examination. But before that, there was to be an examination like the ultimate one, but cut down severely. This would determine how a trainee sat with OZ.
"Nervous?" asked someone behind her. Noin hardly turned as Zechs came up to stand next to her. "Well, this one will require concentration."
"I guess," said Noin. "I know I'm gonna try very hard."
"To beat me, right?"
"Yep."
"As usual, you're very stubborn. But stubborn people make great soldiers."
Noin didn't give a retort to him. Since he had introduced her to Treize, they seemed to be on better terms. She still wanted to be better than him, but now they could have a conversation without her screaming in his face.
"They'll be assigning specific Leos to the trainees," said Zechs. "They are fresh models, and have not been used yet."
"You'll be piloting one too, right?"
"Against my better judgment, yes. I'd rather pilot an Aries; at least those can come off the ground."
"No kidding. But we're just trainees. The superiors will be piloting the Aries."
"This examination will be nothing. The final one will be the toughest."
"I know."
Later that day...
Zechs narrowed his eyes at the Leo he was to pilot. He had piloted one in the past before, and he didn't like it. But he was a trainee, and he didn't deserve any exceptions.
"Hey!" called someone. Noin ran up to him and looked his Leo over. "Wow, this is the one you will be piloting?"
"Yes," said Zechs. "What one will you be piloting?"
Noin turned and pointed at a Leo not far away. "That one. It looks slow, though."
"Leos are land Mobile Suits. They are meant to be slow. If it were up to me, I would pilot an Aries during the examination. I would let you pilot an Aries too."
"That would be nice. Aries are a better model. But that will have to wait 'till we graduate."
"No problem. I know we both will graduate."
"And you can count on this!! During the examination tomorrow, I will do better than you!! I will get the top!!!"
"..."
That evening, the Victoria Base was quiet, and nothing seemed to disturb it. However, the silence in the hanger was disturbed.
Three trainees snuck around in the darkness, shining a minor flashlight on Noin's Leo.
"There it is."
"I hope we don't get caught."
"We won't. After all, she has it coming."
They climbed into the Leo and opened the control panel.
"So you can set it so it'll malfunction at a specific time during the examination?"
"Yes. With the way this goes, she'll be kicked out of the base."
"Good. That bitch has it coming. The way she acts like she's better than us, and making sure we feel like we're nothing. And the way she kisses the superior's asses..."
"I know. This is what she deserves."
Morning...
The trainees were nervous as hell. Noin was no exception, but she didn't let it show. She climbed into her Leo with confidence. As she was settled in, she heard a superior's voice over the intercom.
"The examination starts now. You're first task is to move your Leo outside."
Noin grabbed the controls and her Leo started moving. She directed it outside, feeling a strong adrenaline rush.
I can do this. I'm great at everything else, so I know I can do this...
The examination was going smoothly. She was one of the first people outside. Zechs was the first, but points would be taken off if she started screaming at him over the intercom.
Once all the trainees were out, the superiors in Aries spoke again,
"Remember, this is just an examination, not a battle. This is where you'll just be piloting your Leos. You won't be firing your guns until the final examination. Understood?"
"Yessir!" the trainees answered.
"If you fire a gun at anyone, you automatically fail the test. Now go on!"
Noin felt great. She had total control of her Leo, and she was directing it skillfully. Zechs was moving even smoother than she was, but it was expected since he had piloted a Leo before.
I probably won't beat him at this, but I'll put in my best effort to show I'm as good as...no, I'm better than him!! I will prove it!!
A Leo bumped into hers, nearly sending her tumbling. She heard the superior's voice over the intercom.
"That's points off, Banor! You shouldn't screw up like that at this stage!!"
"Sorry, sir. My controls slipped." The voice was mocking, and Noin could tell he meant to bump into her. But at least he lost points and not her. She knew he had a strong dislike for her, as did his friends. But she tried her best to ignore them.
Suddenly, everything went wrong. She heard a tiny explosion within the controls, and her Leo stopped.
"Taking a breather, Noin?!" the superior asked sarcastically. "No time for that!! Get your ass moving!!"
Noin grabbed the controls, but nothing happened.
"If you don't get your ass in gear, you'll start losing points!!!!"
What'll I do?!?! She wondered. This Leo won't move!!
Then it did start moving. But she wasn't directing it.
"That's better! Now get back on...hey!!!!"
The Leo started moving through the thick tropical forest on its own. Noin struggled with the controls. But it was like it was on autopilot. The controls weren't obeying her.
That small explosion must've fried them!! She thought. Now they're not doing anything but going in this direction!!!!
The intercom system was also screwing up. She could hear faint words, though.
"Back...lost...order...stop..."
Oh god I lost points!! Noin buried her face in her hands. She couldn't open the hatch until it stopped moving. What'll I do? I'm tarnishing my own reputation!! This isn't fair. It isn't...
"Come back here Noin!!! You just lost points!!! This is an order, so stop!!"
Zechs turned his head. Something bad was going on...
"What's wrong?" asked a superior nearby.
"One of the trainees wandered off!!!" answered the other superior.
"Well, don't worry about it!!! We'll question them when they run out of fuel and we find them!! But right now, concentrate on the examination!!"
"...Fine."
Zechs turned his Leo around. The superior turned to him. "Marquise?"
"I'll go get her," he said, and started off.
"You can't!! That's against the rules!!"
"Screw the rules. Something weird is going on. She was looking forward to this examination. There's no reason for her to wander off."
"Marquise! If you don't come back, I might have to take points off!!"
"Fail me, for all I care!!"
Zechs continued walking, ignoring the superior's pleas. He hated how the superior's always kissed his ass. Just because he was friends with Treize, and were afraid of losing their jobs if they did anything bad...
He walked up to the other superior's Aries. "Which direction did she go in?"
"Marquise?! I can't tell you, that's against the rules!!"
Zechs felt strong anger flood him. "Tell me now!! She may need help!!"
"Okay, okay!! That way!!" the superior motioned. "But if you go...you could lose points!!"
"Do you think I give a shit?!?!" Zechs hurried off in that direction. He ignored the superior's pleas, but heard snickering. He recognized Banor and his friends.
I wouldn't be surprised if THEY had an involvement with this, he thought.
Noin stared aimlessly off into space. She knew by now she had lost enough points to fail the examination.
It really isn't fair, she thought. Why is this happening to me...
She heard a voice over the screwed-up intercom.
"...Noin...what..."
She grabbed the intercom. "Marquise?!"
"What...doing..."
"I don't know!! My Leo's malfunctioned!!"
"Why...who..."
"How should I know?! It..." her voice trailed off as realization dawned on her. The direction she was going...a cliff was there.
Shit a cliff?!?! Does Marquise know?
"Stop!!!" she screamed. "Cliff!!!!!!"
She was too late. The forest ended, and she was met with a steep cliff that had a one hundred foot drop. She screamed as her Leo walked right over the edge, but something grabbed its arm.
"Hold...on!!!!!!"
Zechs. He had a hold of her Leo's arm, and grabbing a tree with the other. But she knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
"Marquise just let me go!!! You'll fall too!!!!" she screamed.
But he didn't let her go. Even as he lost his grip on the tree.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from there. Noin had never fallen like this before, and Zechs still held onto her.
Shit, how can this happen?! She thought. I'm dragging HIM down to his death too!!! What have I done?!
At that rate, they would both have a rough landing. Her controls seemed to work for a microsecond as she got a firm grip on his Leo's arms, keeping him above her.
I'm just a trainee, she thought. He'll obviously make a better soldier than I ever will.
She didn't think anymore as their Leos fell the full one hundred drop. He seemed to be yelling about something, but she didn't listen. He was gonna live through this.
OMG, how compelling!! Any die-hard fan would know that they both live, so I guess no one's really on the edge of their seat. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this!! Just wait 'till the next chapter!! ^_^
Disaster
Noin sighed and looked out the window. It was really coming down to it. Soon, there would be the ultimate examination. But before that, there was to be an examination like the ultimate one, but cut down severely. This would determine how a trainee sat with OZ.
"Nervous?" asked someone behind her. Noin hardly turned as Zechs came up to stand next to her. "Well, this one will require concentration."
"I guess," said Noin. "I know I'm gonna try very hard."
"To beat me, right?"
"Yep."
"As usual, you're very stubborn. But stubborn people make great soldiers."
Noin didn't give a retort to him. Since he had introduced her to Treize, they seemed to be on better terms. She still wanted to be better than him, but now they could have a conversation without her screaming in his face.
"They'll be assigning specific Leos to the trainees," said Zechs. "They are fresh models, and have not been used yet."
"You'll be piloting one too, right?"
"Against my better judgment, yes. I'd rather pilot an Aries; at least those can come off the ground."
"No kidding. But we're just trainees. The superiors will be piloting the Aries."
"This examination will be nothing. The final one will be the toughest."
"I know."
Later that day...
Zechs narrowed his eyes at the Leo he was to pilot. He had piloted one in the past before, and he didn't like it. But he was a trainee, and he didn't deserve any exceptions.
"Hey!" called someone. Noin ran up to him and looked his Leo over. "Wow, this is the one you will be piloting?"
"Yes," said Zechs. "What one will you be piloting?"
Noin turned and pointed at a Leo not far away. "That one. It looks slow, though."
"Leos are land Mobile Suits. They are meant to be slow. If it were up to me, I would pilot an Aries during the examination. I would let you pilot an Aries too."
"That would be nice. Aries are a better model. But that will have to wait 'till we graduate."
"No problem. I know we both will graduate."
"And you can count on this!! During the examination tomorrow, I will do better than you!! I will get the top!!!"
"..."
That evening, the Victoria Base was quiet, and nothing seemed to disturb it. However, the silence in the hanger was disturbed.
Three trainees snuck around in the darkness, shining a minor flashlight on Noin's Leo.
"There it is."
"I hope we don't get caught."
"We won't. After all, she has it coming."
They climbed into the Leo and opened the control panel.
"So you can set it so it'll malfunction at a specific time during the examination?"
"Yes. With the way this goes, she'll be kicked out of the base."
"Good. That bitch has it coming. The way she acts like she's better than us, and making sure we feel like we're nothing. And the way she kisses the superior's asses..."
"I know. This is what she deserves."
Morning...
The trainees were nervous as hell. Noin was no exception, but she didn't let it show. She climbed into her Leo with confidence. As she was settled in, she heard a superior's voice over the intercom.
"The examination starts now. You're first task is to move your Leo outside."
Noin grabbed the controls and her Leo started moving. She directed it outside, feeling a strong adrenaline rush.
I can do this. I'm great at everything else, so I know I can do this...
The examination was going smoothly. She was one of the first people outside. Zechs was the first, but points would be taken off if she started screaming at him over the intercom.
Once all the trainees were out, the superiors in Aries spoke again,
"Remember, this is just an examination, not a battle. This is where you'll just be piloting your Leos. You won't be firing your guns until the final examination. Understood?"
"Yessir!" the trainees answered.
"If you fire a gun at anyone, you automatically fail the test. Now go on!"
Noin felt great. She had total control of her Leo, and she was directing it skillfully. Zechs was moving even smoother than she was, but it was expected since he had piloted a Leo before.
I probably won't beat him at this, but I'll put in my best effort to show I'm as good as...no, I'm better than him!! I will prove it!!
A Leo bumped into hers, nearly sending her tumbling. She heard the superior's voice over the intercom.
"That's points off, Banor! You shouldn't screw up like that at this stage!!"
"Sorry, sir. My controls slipped." The voice was mocking, and Noin could tell he meant to bump into her. But at least he lost points and not her. She knew he had a strong dislike for her, as did his friends. But she tried her best to ignore them.
Suddenly, everything went wrong. She heard a tiny explosion within the controls, and her Leo stopped.
"Taking a breather, Noin?!" the superior asked sarcastically. "No time for that!! Get your ass moving!!"
Noin grabbed the controls, but nothing happened.
"If you don't get your ass in gear, you'll start losing points!!!!"
What'll I do?!?! She wondered. This Leo won't move!!
Then it did start moving. But she wasn't directing it.
"That's better! Now get back on...hey!!!!"
The Leo started moving through the thick tropical forest on its own. Noin struggled with the controls. But it was like it was on autopilot. The controls weren't obeying her.
That small explosion must've fried them!! She thought. Now they're not doing anything but going in this direction!!!!
The intercom system was also screwing up. She could hear faint words, though.
"Back...lost...order...stop..."
Oh god I lost points!! Noin buried her face in her hands. She couldn't open the hatch until it stopped moving. What'll I do? I'm tarnishing my own reputation!! This isn't fair. It isn't...
"Come back here Noin!!! You just lost points!!! This is an order, so stop!!"
Zechs turned his head. Something bad was going on...
"What's wrong?" asked a superior nearby.
"One of the trainees wandered off!!!" answered the other superior.
"Well, don't worry about it!!! We'll question them when they run out of fuel and we find them!! But right now, concentrate on the examination!!"
"...Fine."
Zechs turned his Leo around. The superior turned to him. "Marquise?"
"I'll go get her," he said, and started off.
"You can't!! That's against the rules!!"
"Screw the rules. Something weird is going on. She was looking forward to this examination. There's no reason for her to wander off."
"Marquise! If you don't come back, I might have to take points off!!"
"Fail me, for all I care!!"
Zechs continued walking, ignoring the superior's pleas. He hated how the superior's always kissed his ass. Just because he was friends with Treize, and were afraid of losing their jobs if they did anything bad...
He walked up to the other superior's Aries. "Which direction did she go in?"
"Marquise?! I can't tell you, that's against the rules!!"
Zechs felt strong anger flood him. "Tell me now!! She may need help!!"
"Okay, okay!! That way!!" the superior motioned. "But if you go...you could lose points!!"
"Do you think I give a shit?!?!" Zechs hurried off in that direction. He ignored the superior's pleas, but heard snickering. He recognized Banor and his friends.
I wouldn't be surprised if THEY had an involvement with this, he thought.
Noin stared aimlessly off into space. She knew by now she had lost enough points to fail the examination.
It really isn't fair, she thought. Why is this happening to me...
She heard a voice over the screwed-up intercom.
"...Noin...what..."
She grabbed the intercom. "Marquise?!"
"What...doing..."
"I don't know!! My Leo's malfunctioned!!"
"Why...who..."
"How should I know?! It..." her voice trailed off as realization dawned on her. The direction she was going...a cliff was there.
Shit a cliff?!?! Does Marquise know?
"Stop!!!" she screamed. "Cliff!!!!!!"
She was too late. The forest ended, and she was met with a steep cliff that had a one hundred foot drop. She screamed as her Leo walked right over the edge, but something grabbed its arm.
"Hold...on!!!!!!"
Zechs. He had a hold of her Leo's arm, and grabbing a tree with the other. But she knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
"Marquise just let me go!!! You'll fall too!!!!" she screamed.
But he didn't let her go. Even as he lost his grip on the tree.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from there. Noin had never fallen like this before, and Zechs still held onto her.
Shit, how can this happen?! She thought. I'm dragging HIM down to his death too!!! What have I done?!
At that rate, they would both have a rough landing. Her controls seemed to work for a microsecond as she got a firm grip on his Leo's arms, keeping him above her.
I'm just a trainee, she thought. He'll obviously make a better soldier than I ever will.
She didn't think anymore as their Leos fell the full one hundred drop. He seemed to be yelling about something, but she didn't listen. He was gonna live through this.
OMG, how compelling!! Any die-hard fan would know that they both live, so I guess no one's really on the edge of their seat. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this!! Just wait 'till the next chapter!! ^_^