Chapter XII: All For Naught
"Hey guys! Guess what I just saw?" Domon said running into the dinning room.
"What?" George asked.
"Volta was in Chibodee's bed," Domon said smugly.
"I told ya so," Haaz said childishly.
Once the impact of what Domon was saying hit him, Sai Sici let out a bray of laughter. "Yah, right! Volta and Chibodee are always at each other's throats!"
Then the spoken of walked in, talking earnestly. They sat down side by side and loaded their plates with pancakes, not breaking their conversation. Everyone but Domon and Rain stared. Then Sai opened his mouth once, twice, three times, but nothing came out. Finally, on his fourth try, Sai spoke.
"Volta.were you in Chibodee's bed last night?" Sai asked, going strait to the point. Volta blushed, looked at Chibodee, who was smiling slightly, and nodded.
"Told ya so!" Haaz said.
Everyone ignored him and stared some more.
* *
"Ugh. Where am I?" Bunny thought out loud as she blinked. Her wrists hurt and her stomach rumbled loudly-let alone the dryness in her mouth. She tried to move her hands; they were numb. Bunny looked around her once her vision had cleared. Her feet flailed in thin air. Bunny looked down. The only thing between her and the ground was one-hundred-and-twenty-five feet of nothing. She could barely make out the neatly trimmed bushes below her. Oh, god. Help! Bunny thought. She tried to look up, but had trouble stretching her neck. She saw that a rope tied her wrists to a beam on the building she was hanging from. Pain shot through her arms and up her hands. There was an even more intense pain in her right hand. Even though she couldn't see it, Bunny instinctively knew what it was: her crest. She tried to remember where she was and what had happened to her. The latter drew a blank. The last thing Bunny remembered was when Brad had left.She craned her neck to get a better view of her surroundings. Suddenly, it registered in her brain. Oh my god! I'm hanging from the Eiffel Tower! Bunny thought frantically. "Help!" she screamed. "Someone, HELP!"
* * *
"Is everybody ready to go?" Domon asked once all the former and new Shuffle Alliance members had entered their Gundams.
"Yep!" Chibodee and Volta replied.
"Sure am, Bro!" Sai Sici said enthusiastically.
"Oui, mon ami," George replied in French.
Chikori nodded, as did Argo.
"Definitely," Brad said.
"Hunky-dory!" Haaz put in, happily enthusiastic.
"Okay. Whatever that means," Domon muttered under his breath to no one in particular. "Let's go!" he said to everyone, and they were off.
* * *
"HELP! SOMEONE! CAN'T ANYONE HEAR ME? HELP!!" Bunny screamed and wriggled around, trying unsuccessfully to get her hands free from the rope. It seemed to be made of metal. "Help!" She looked down again. That's odd. Why isn't anyone here? The Eiffel Tower is usually crowded with tourists! Bunny thought, surprised. "HELP!" she screamed even louder.
"Screaming won't help." Bunny turned to see a young sandy-blonde haired man leaning against a beam on the Eiffel Tower, next to her.
"Huh? Who are you?" Bunny asked suspiciously.
"Just call me your worst nightmare," the young man said and turned towards to horizon. "Oh, look. Here they come now." He jumped from beam to beam until he reached the bottom. "Dr. Klements!" the man called.
Dr. Klements? But-but that was Brad's last name!
An old man emerged from behind a stout tree. He had grayish-blond hair and the same nose as Brad. His eyes even looked the same.It was definitely Brad's father. Everything was the same.
Bunny took her eyes away from the dim figure of Brad's father; even from that distance, she knew it was Brad's father. The princess of Neo-France looked forward at the horizon. There were ten Gundams heading her way. She recognized her father's Gundam Rose and Brad's Eagle Gundam. What are they doing? she wondered to herself. The Gundams neared.
The young blond-haired man jumped into his own Gundam. It was humungous. Bigger than any Gundam she'd ever seen before. It looked somewhat familiar, but Bunny couldn't remember from where.
The Gundams faced each other. "Give me back my daughter, you louse!" George growled.
"Maybe, if you win," the man replied as he stood on his Gundam's shoulder. "But then again, maybe not."
"Hand her over!" George said as he charged at the enemy Gundam, his Rose Bits ready to be launched. George launched his attack, but to no avail. The rose bits where sucked into the Gundam.
"Thank you for that energy boost," the man said nonchalantly.
"Huh? That's impossible! Only the Dark Gundam can." George said in astonishment.
Suddenly, it hit Bunny. From her post on the tower, she screamed to her father. "FATHER! IT'S THE DARK GUNDAM, OR-OR SOME ADVANCED FORM! BE CAREFUL!!!"
George nodded as be backed away from the Gundam. "You're daughter is rather smart," the enemy observed. "This is an advanced form of the Dark Gundam. It's called the Hell Gundam, the friend I was dying to let you meet. It's indestructible. Unbeatable. Domon Kasshu, I warned you that something would happen if you didn't let me train with you! And you, Brad Klements.oh, I have a score to settle with you."
"Who are you?" Volta asked.
The young man looked at his fingernails. "Oh, just a certain someone named Bersek Hamiltin. You've probably never heard of him."
"WHAT? You're Bersek Hamiltin? I-I was about to give my crest to you!" George said in shock.
"Too bad you didn't. If you had, your daughter might not be so close to dying, and Mr. Klements there might not be in mortal danger," Bersek replied.
Everyone turned to Brad as he bent down in agony and started groaning. All he could see was a purplish haze. Everything was purple. He tried to get up, to speak, to bat an eyelid out of his own free will, but couldn't.
"Brad!" Bunny shouted and tried even harder to get free. "Brad!"
"I'm sorry I have to do this, Son, but it's necessary. You should never have gotten involved with the Berserker system," Dr. Klements said.
But Brad couldn't respond. All he could do was think. Something possessed his body. It wasn't his anymore. Eagle Gundam's wings spread out. Everyone noticed that the wings looked different. Like what happened to Allenby's Gundam when she had gone into Berserker mode. Berserker mode. The words echoed in Domond's brain. Brad has gone into Berserker mode! he thought and immediately noticed the round purple disk that had fallen from the Eagle Gundam's cockpit. Brad moved to Bersek's side unwillingly. Brad tried to stop it, but couldn't. It had total control.
"Oh. Look who decided to change sides," Bersek said. "Thank you, Dr. Klements." He turned to Brad's father who had an operating system in his hands. The scientist's face was a mask. "Enough chit-chat. Gundam fight ready." Bersek started.
Slowly, Domon finished the sentence. "GO!" he growled.
Eagle Gundam attacked Hell Gundam, giving it even more power. Brad was forced by the Berserker system to do so again and again and again. He did not know why.
The others just stared. They were too shocked to do anything. Bunny watched in horror. What the hell does Brad think he's doing?!?!?!? Bunny couldn't hear what everyone below was saying to each other, as hard as she tried.
Domon figured it out first. Of course! he thought. The same thing happened the first time I met the Dark Gundam. "Brad!" he shouted at the Eagle Gundam. "Brad, if you can hear me, please listen."
Brad was all ears. He had to figure out a way to stop this new version of the Berserker system before it gained control of everything.
"Brad, the Hell Gundam is weak by itself. It needs to absorb power in order to become strong. If there's any good left in you, just try for a minute to stop yourself. I can take it from there."
Brad tried hard. Nothing happened. He tried harder. Still, nothing. Sweat was rolling down his forehead now. He gathered all his will power and focused on getting his body back. He felt the Berserker system breaking.Brad tried even harder. Finally! He did it! "Go, Domon!" Brad yelled.
Domon jumped out of his Gundam and onto the Hell Gundam, right at Bersek who was still sitting on the Gundam's shoulder. Domon was about to grab Bersek when the young man jumped away. Brad couldn't keep it up much longer. Someone had to destroy him before the Berserker system gained control again. Maybe the system only worked in Gundams.it was a chance he'd have to take.
"Haaz! Attack me!" Brad grunted.
For a moment, Haaz was too stunned to do anything.
"HAAZ!" Brad yelled again.
Haaz came to his senses and launched an attack at the Eagle Gundam. It hit true, right in the cockpit of the Eagle Gundam. The impact of the blow sent Haaz flying backwards. He slammed into a nearby building, knocked unconscious.
Brad felt his body giving. He prayed that the Berserker system would be smart enough to jump out of the Gundam. And it did. Brad felt himself jump out of his Gundam, and then he had control over his body again. He watched in anguish as Haaz's attack destroyed his Gundam. "Yes," Brad sighed in relief.
Domon had jumped back into his Gundam, seeing that it was useless to follow Bersek all over his towering Gundam.
Brad ran over to the Eiffel Tower and started climbing. He had to save Bunny.
One-hundred-and-twenty-five feet above him, Bunny's mind was completely blank. She had seen Brad attack her friends, and then stop. But how? What had happened? Bunny looked down to see Brad trying to climb up. So that would mean that he's trying to help me. But they why was he fighting alongside the Hell Gundam? Bunny drew her attention back to the battle. Please, let Domon win, she begged.
Domon was extremely close to defeating the now-very-weak Hell Gundam.
Right before Domon could launch his last attack, Bersek lifted his horrible monstrosity into the sky. And he grabbed Dr. Klements and Bunny on the way.
"Bunny!" Brad shouted as he jumped down from the Eiffel Tower.
"Brad! Brad!" Bunny yelled down. Brad couldn't move, couldn't save her.
"BUNNY!" Brad screamed. "BUNNY! NOOOOOOO!"
"Hey guys! Guess what I just saw?" Domon said running into the dinning room.
"What?" George asked.
"Volta was in Chibodee's bed," Domon said smugly.
"I told ya so," Haaz said childishly.
Once the impact of what Domon was saying hit him, Sai Sici let out a bray of laughter. "Yah, right! Volta and Chibodee are always at each other's throats!"
Then the spoken of walked in, talking earnestly. They sat down side by side and loaded their plates with pancakes, not breaking their conversation. Everyone but Domon and Rain stared. Then Sai opened his mouth once, twice, three times, but nothing came out. Finally, on his fourth try, Sai spoke.
"Volta.were you in Chibodee's bed last night?" Sai asked, going strait to the point. Volta blushed, looked at Chibodee, who was smiling slightly, and nodded.
"Told ya so!" Haaz said.
Everyone ignored him and stared some more.
* *
"Ugh. Where am I?" Bunny thought out loud as she blinked. Her wrists hurt and her stomach rumbled loudly-let alone the dryness in her mouth. She tried to move her hands; they were numb. Bunny looked around her once her vision had cleared. Her feet flailed in thin air. Bunny looked down. The only thing between her and the ground was one-hundred-and-twenty-five feet of nothing. She could barely make out the neatly trimmed bushes below her. Oh, god. Help! Bunny thought. She tried to look up, but had trouble stretching her neck. She saw that a rope tied her wrists to a beam on the building she was hanging from. Pain shot through her arms and up her hands. There was an even more intense pain in her right hand. Even though she couldn't see it, Bunny instinctively knew what it was: her crest. She tried to remember where she was and what had happened to her. The latter drew a blank. The last thing Bunny remembered was when Brad had left.She craned her neck to get a better view of her surroundings. Suddenly, it registered in her brain. Oh my god! I'm hanging from the Eiffel Tower! Bunny thought frantically. "Help!" she screamed. "Someone, HELP!"
* * *
"Is everybody ready to go?" Domon asked once all the former and new Shuffle Alliance members had entered their Gundams.
"Yep!" Chibodee and Volta replied.
"Sure am, Bro!" Sai Sici said enthusiastically.
"Oui, mon ami," George replied in French.
Chikori nodded, as did Argo.
"Definitely," Brad said.
"Hunky-dory!" Haaz put in, happily enthusiastic.
"Okay. Whatever that means," Domon muttered under his breath to no one in particular. "Let's go!" he said to everyone, and they were off.
* * *
"HELP! SOMEONE! CAN'T ANYONE HEAR ME? HELP!!" Bunny screamed and wriggled around, trying unsuccessfully to get her hands free from the rope. It seemed to be made of metal. "Help!" She looked down again. That's odd. Why isn't anyone here? The Eiffel Tower is usually crowded with tourists! Bunny thought, surprised. "HELP!" she screamed even louder.
"Screaming won't help." Bunny turned to see a young sandy-blonde haired man leaning against a beam on the Eiffel Tower, next to her.
"Huh? Who are you?" Bunny asked suspiciously.
"Just call me your worst nightmare," the young man said and turned towards to horizon. "Oh, look. Here they come now." He jumped from beam to beam until he reached the bottom. "Dr. Klements!" the man called.
Dr. Klements? But-but that was Brad's last name!
An old man emerged from behind a stout tree. He had grayish-blond hair and the same nose as Brad. His eyes even looked the same.It was definitely Brad's father. Everything was the same.
Bunny took her eyes away from the dim figure of Brad's father; even from that distance, she knew it was Brad's father. The princess of Neo-France looked forward at the horizon. There were ten Gundams heading her way. She recognized her father's Gundam Rose and Brad's Eagle Gundam. What are they doing? she wondered to herself. The Gundams neared.
The young blond-haired man jumped into his own Gundam. It was humungous. Bigger than any Gundam she'd ever seen before. It looked somewhat familiar, but Bunny couldn't remember from where.
The Gundams faced each other. "Give me back my daughter, you louse!" George growled.
"Maybe, if you win," the man replied as he stood on his Gundam's shoulder. "But then again, maybe not."
"Hand her over!" George said as he charged at the enemy Gundam, his Rose Bits ready to be launched. George launched his attack, but to no avail. The rose bits where sucked into the Gundam.
"Thank you for that energy boost," the man said nonchalantly.
"Huh? That's impossible! Only the Dark Gundam can." George said in astonishment.
Suddenly, it hit Bunny. From her post on the tower, she screamed to her father. "FATHER! IT'S THE DARK GUNDAM, OR-OR SOME ADVANCED FORM! BE CAREFUL!!!"
George nodded as be backed away from the Gundam. "You're daughter is rather smart," the enemy observed. "This is an advanced form of the Dark Gundam. It's called the Hell Gundam, the friend I was dying to let you meet. It's indestructible. Unbeatable. Domon Kasshu, I warned you that something would happen if you didn't let me train with you! And you, Brad Klements.oh, I have a score to settle with you."
"Who are you?" Volta asked.
The young man looked at his fingernails. "Oh, just a certain someone named Bersek Hamiltin. You've probably never heard of him."
"WHAT? You're Bersek Hamiltin? I-I was about to give my crest to you!" George said in shock.
"Too bad you didn't. If you had, your daughter might not be so close to dying, and Mr. Klements there might not be in mortal danger," Bersek replied.
Everyone turned to Brad as he bent down in agony and started groaning. All he could see was a purplish haze. Everything was purple. He tried to get up, to speak, to bat an eyelid out of his own free will, but couldn't.
"Brad!" Bunny shouted and tried even harder to get free. "Brad!"
"I'm sorry I have to do this, Son, but it's necessary. You should never have gotten involved with the Berserker system," Dr. Klements said.
But Brad couldn't respond. All he could do was think. Something possessed his body. It wasn't his anymore. Eagle Gundam's wings spread out. Everyone noticed that the wings looked different. Like what happened to Allenby's Gundam when she had gone into Berserker mode. Berserker mode. The words echoed in Domond's brain. Brad has gone into Berserker mode! he thought and immediately noticed the round purple disk that had fallen from the Eagle Gundam's cockpit. Brad moved to Bersek's side unwillingly. Brad tried to stop it, but couldn't. It had total control.
"Oh. Look who decided to change sides," Bersek said. "Thank you, Dr. Klements." He turned to Brad's father who had an operating system in his hands. The scientist's face was a mask. "Enough chit-chat. Gundam fight ready." Bersek started.
Slowly, Domon finished the sentence. "GO!" he growled.
Eagle Gundam attacked Hell Gundam, giving it even more power. Brad was forced by the Berserker system to do so again and again and again. He did not know why.
The others just stared. They were too shocked to do anything. Bunny watched in horror. What the hell does Brad think he's doing?!?!?!? Bunny couldn't hear what everyone below was saying to each other, as hard as she tried.
Domon figured it out first. Of course! he thought. The same thing happened the first time I met the Dark Gundam. "Brad!" he shouted at the Eagle Gundam. "Brad, if you can hear me, please listen."
Brad was all ears. He had to figure out a way to stop this new version of the Berserker system before it gained control of everything.
"Brad, the Hell Gundam is weak by itself. It needs to absorb power in order to become strong. If there's any good left in you, just try for a minute to stop yourself. I can take it from there."
Brad tried hard. Nothing happened. He tried harder. Still, nothing. Sweat was rolling down his forehead now. He gathered all his will power and focused on getting his body back. He felt the Berserker system breaking.Brad tried even harder. Finally! He did it! "Go, Domon!" Brad yelled.
Domon jumped out of his Gundam and onto the Hell Gundam, right at Bersek who was still sitting on the Gundam's shoulder. Domon was about to grab Bersek when the young man jumped away. Brad couldn't keep it up much longer. Someone had to destroy him before the Berserker system gained control again. Maybe the system only worked in Gundams.it was a chance he'd have to take.
"Haaz! Attack me!" Brad grunted.
For a moment, Haaz was too stunned to do anything.
"HAAZ!" Brad yelled again.
Haaz came to his senses and launched an attack at the Eagle Gundam. It hit true, right in the cockpit of the Eagle Gundam. The impact of the blow sent Haaz flying backwards. He slammed into a nearby building, knocked unconscious.
Brad felt his body giving. He prayed that the Berserker system would be smart enough to jump out of the Gundam. And it did. Brad felt himself jump out of his Gundam, and then he had control over his body again. He watched in anguish as Haaz's attack destroyed his Gundam. "Yes," Brad sighed in relief.
Domon had jumped back into his Gundam, seeing that it was useless to follow Bersek all over his towering Gundam.
Brad ran over to the Eiffel Tower and started climbing. He had to save Bunny.
One-hundred-and-twenty-five feet above him, Bunny's mind was completely blank. She had seen Brad attack her friends, and then stop. But how? What had happened? Bunny looked down to see Brad trying to climb up. So that would mean that he's trying to help me. But they why was he fighting alongside the Hell Gundam? Bunny drew her attention back to the battle. Please, let Domon win, she begged.
Domon was extremely close to defeating the now-very-weak Hell Gundam.
Right before Domon could launch his last attack, Bersek lifted his horrible monstrosity into the sky. And he grabbed Dr. Klements and Bunny on the way.
"Bunny!" Brad shouted as he jumped down from the Eiffel Tower.
"Brad! Brad!" Bunny yelled down. Brad couldn't move, couldn't save her.
"BUNNY!" Brad screamed. "BUNNY! NOOOOOOO!"