The horror of the moment rolled over Rynn. The weapon had exploded,
propelling several million megatons of force into a small area. Nothing
could have survived that. And yet, a dull light shone from the detonation
site, a dull golden sphere entombing a single mammoth figure, shrouded in
darkness. It writhed a second and then stood straight.
He shrieked in horror. "This isn't possible!"
Slowly he began to backpedal, and then vaulted himself into the air, igniting his thrusters to carry himself as far away as possible. He had no chance. A lance of light gripped his systems for the engines, knocking them out of commission and permanently grounding him.
"This can't be happening! Why? Why!"
His voice held abject terror as his brain furiously tried to comprehend a situation he had just had complete control over. He turned to face the light. It had disappeared, leaving only a smoldering pile of scrap. He blinked, his fear neutralizing itself with the absence of threat. Had he just imagined the whole thing? Giddy, he laughed, a raw cackle of triumph.
He had won against the one man who had been a ceiling to his success, against the man who had said he would never go beyond what he was, against the man who had seemed invincible. The one man who could control him.
"No!" Vick launched himself into the air, the cloth streaking from his hand. His Suit was damaged, almost critically, but he did not care. The one man who had supported him through everything, the one man who had earned his trust and loyalty, that one man was dead. He could not accept that fact.
At the same time, Robyn stared in horror at the pair as they dueled, their energy weapons flashing in the sky. She had been about to report her superior for his "treachery," but the crime committed by the man who had killed his was far worse. There was nothing to do now but fight. Slowly picking herself up, she morosely grabbed the glaive and jumped to join the fray. Something held her down.
Frustrated, she threw the weapon back, its blade bursting to life as it struck. She kicked the weight and turned, seeing a stunned Gundam 02.
"Not you again!"
There was pain in the responding voice. "Don't join their fight. They are the ones who need to resolve this conflict."
"What are you talking about? That is my friend against my enemy. The task is obvious."
"Sometimes you need to look beyond what you can see, Puck. Things are not always so black and white. The world is abundant with shades of gray."
"Shades? Gray?"
"Life is not as simple as good against evil. Many of the people who first appear good are not truly so, while many of those who appear to be evil are influenced by noble causes. If you were only to look at the world as right or wrong, no compromise can truly be reached. Shades of gray are what allow actions to be accepted by many different beliefs, whether they agree in general or not."
She sat quietly and ruminated on these new thoughts. "But what the Colonel did earlier, trading the life of Rynn for yours, would that be a shade of gray?"
"Who can truly tell but those who judge these things? If you asked your people in OZ, it would be an act of black. But if you asked those who had their lives saved by his doing so, you will find that a great deal more are willing to accept the escape of a single Gundam in order to save the lives of many thousand innocents."
The silence surrounded her. Would it truly be right to turn in a man who had saved a stadium full of people from certain death? Would it be right to just let it go? A rift tore itself in her heart as she thought it over.
*****
The pair danced agilely through the streets, their short-range boosters incinerating the shrubbery as they passed over it. Their attacks rarely hit at such high speeds, often destroying a building or the property of some civilian. Neither cared. All that mattered now was the battle, albeit for different reasons.
Vick fought to avenge his friend, vengeance at the foremost of his mind.
Rynn fought merely to survive the fury of his foe, forcing him to react instead of being proactive.
They reached a dead end and Archer turned in fear, his weapons unable to come to bear fast enough. The cloth whistled through the air and split open the hand that held the Bow, then twirled around, slicing a gaping gash into Archer's head.
"I will kill you. You realize that, don't you?"
"Forget it, you'll never take me out. There's something you should see behind you."
Instinctively, he twisted, expecting nothing but surprised at the shadow of the night behind him. He convulsed, it's mere presence making him ill.
All that was visible was a gigantic outline, and for a moment they both thought, Colonel? But there was an absence of wings, and it seemed to hover several meters of the ground. The only sign of life was the pair of blazing eyes, ominous slits of red in the shadows.
"Quit your fighting."
Their weapons clattered to the ground. Slowly they backed away. It closed on them. Its arms unfolded, revealing handfuls of claws capable of ripping open any opponent. They gleamed in the starlight.
"Rynn. Give yourself up. You can't win this."
"Never! I didn't give myself up to Colonel Andarion, I didn't give myself up to Vick, and I sure as hell won't give myself up to a damn shadow like you. Prepare to die!"
One of his sabers glared harshly, throwing a shadow over the shadow, revealing the shape of a gleaming mobile suit, the paint shining and throwing around the light. It was the face that was somehow familiar. There was a gleam in the eyes as Archer raised the saber and plunged it down, stirring the air into a storm of angry glimmers of light. At the last second, the shadow moved, revealing empty air and the flash of claws.
Moments later, Rynn yelped and twisted under the grip of the shadow. It held his arm up, the single hand slowly twisting before quickly and violently ripping the arm from its socket, a spray of machinery and oil punctuating the air and a twisting shriek of metal resounded through the empty streets. Archer collapsed.
The shadow raised its hand, the light glinting of its razor fingers.
"Colonel, stop!"
Silence. Nothing moved and nothing made any noise. Finally, Shadow slowly lowered its arm, silent.
"What are you trying to do? What do you hope to accomplish? Have you been reduced to senseless slaughter? Where are the ideals you once held so dear?"
"They died with me."
Archer flashed up, but before he could do anything, Tobias impaled him on the razor edge of his hand, the blade ripping open the cockpit and killing Rynn instantly.
"Bastard."
*****
Tobias winced painfully at the bandage wrapped around his middle. His flight suit was tattered, but it covered the lower half of his body. The bandage covered the majority of the rest. His face bore several scars that hadn't been there previously. The most prominently displayed was the spider web that snaked its way from his right eye up to his forehead , to his temple, and down to his jaw line. His eyes had also lost their color. Instead, his brow seemed to cast the entirety of his upper face in shadows, a reflection of the darkness his soul had gathered.
Sighing at his resistance, Robyn grabbed the scissors and cut the end of the bandage and neatly hiding the end. Standing, she looked at his changed face.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. Leave, most likely. After that, your guess is as good as mine."
Vick looked up from where he was sitting. "Leave? But you just got back."
"A man such as myself has no place in a civilized society such as this one. I am better of moving far away to some remote portion on space. The moon, perhaps. Or maybe an outlying colony."
"But we can't go on without you. You're what makes us who we are."
The two men turned and looked at her.
"You can cope. I'm leaving Vick in charge. He is my equal."
Then, before anyone could stop him, he got up and left the room.
*****
This ends the first part of three. I hope you enjoyed this, as I'm still pretty new at writing long things like this. If you have any input, comments, criticism, etc., please leave me a review. Until then,
Colonel
He shrieked in horror. "This isn't possible!"
Slowly he began to backpedal, and then vaulted himself into the air, igniting his thrusters to carry himself as far away as possible. He had no chance. A lance of light gripped his systems for the engines, knocking them out of commission and permanently grounding him.
"This can't be happening! Why? Why!"
His voice held abject terror as his brain furiously tried to comprehend a situation he had just had complete control over. He turned to face the light. It had disappeared, leaving only a smoldering pile of scrap. He blinked, his fear neutralizing itself with the absence of threat. Had he just imagined the whole thing? Giddy, he laughed, a raw cackle of triumph.
He had won against the one man who had been a ceiling to his success, against the man who had said he would never go beyond what he was, against the man who had seemed invincible. The one man who could control him.
"No!" Vick launched himself into the air, the cloth streaking from his hand. His Suit was damaged, almost critically, but he did not care. The one man who had supported him through everything, the one man who had earned his trust and loyalty, that one man was dead. He could not accept that fact.
At the same time, Robyn stared in horror at the pair as they dueled, their energy weapons flashing in the sky. She had been about to report her superior for his "treachery," but the crime committed by the man who had killed his was far worse. There was nothing to do now but fight. Slowly picking herself up, she morosely grabbed the glaive and jumped to join the fray. Something held her down.
Frustrated, she threw the weapon back, its blade bursting to life as it struck. She kicked the weight and turned, seeing a stunned Gundam 02.
"Not you again!"
There was pain in the responding voice. "Don't join their fight. They are the ones who need to resolve this conflict."
"What are you talking about? That is my friend against my enemy. The task is obvious."
"Sometimes you need to look beyond what you can see, Puck. Things are not always so black and white. The world is abundant with shades of gray."
"Shades? Gray?"
"Life is not as simple as good against evil. Many of the people who first appear good are not truly so, while many of those who appear to be evil are influenced by noble causes. If you were only to look at the world as right or wrong, no compromise can truly be reached. Shades of gray are what allow actions to be accepted by many different beliefs, whether they agree in general or not."
She sat quietly and ruminated on these new thoughts. "But what the Colonel did earlier, trading the life of Rynn for yours, would that be a shade of gray?"
"Who can truly tell but those who judge these things? If you asked your people in OZ, it would be an act of black. But if you asked those who had their lives saved by his doing so, you will find that a great deal more are willing to accept the escape of a single Gundam in order to save the lives of many thousand innocents."
The silence surrounded her. Would it truly be right to turn in a man who had saved a stadium full of people from certain death? Would it be right to just let it go? A rift tore itself in her heart as she thought it over.
*****
The pair danced agilely through the streets, their short-range boosters incinerating the shrubbery as they passed over it. Their attacks rarely hit at such high speeds, often destroying a building or the property of some civilian. Neither cared. All that mattered now was the battle, albeit for different reasons.
Vick fought to avenge his friend, vengeance at the foremost of his mind.
Rynn fought merely to survive the fury of his foe, forcing him to react instead of being proactive.
They reached a dead end and Archer turned in fear, his weapons unable to come to bear fast enough. The cloth whistled through the air and split open the hand that held the Bow, then twirled around, slicing a gaping gash into Archer's head.
"I will kill you. You realize that, don't you?"
"Forget it, you'll never take me out. There's something you should see behind you."
Instinctively, he twisted, expecting nothing but surprised at the shadow of the night behind him. He convulsed, it's mere presence making him ill.
All that was visible was a gigantic outline, and for a moment they both thought, Colonel? But there was an absence of wings, and it seemed to hover several meters of the ground. The only sign of life was the pair of blazing eyes, ominous slits of red in the shadows.
"Quit your fighting."
Their weapons clattered to the ground. Slowly they backed away. It closed on them. Its arms unfolded, revealing handfuls of claws capable of ripping open any opponent. They gleamed in the starlight.
"Rynn. Give yourself up. You can't win this."
"Never! I didn't give myself up to Colonel Andarion, I didn't give myself up to Vick, and I sure as hell won't give myself up to a damn shadow like you. Prepare to die!"
One of his sabers glared harshly, throwing a shadow over the shadow, revealing the shape of a gleaming mobile suit, the paint shining and throwing around the light. It was the face that was somehow familiar. There was a gleam in the eyes as Archer raised the saber and plunged it down, stirring the air into a storm of angry glimmers of light. At the last second, the shadow moved, revealing empty air and the flash of claws.
Moments later, Rynn yelped and twisted under the grip of the shadow. It held his arm up, the single hand slowly twisting before quickly and violently ripping the arm from its socket, a spray of machinery and oil punctuating the air and a twisting shriek of metal resounded through the empty streets. Archer collapsed.
The shadow raised its hand, the light glinting of its razor fingers.
"Colonel, stop!"
Silence. Nothing moved and nothing made any noise. Finally, Shadow slowly lowered its arm, silent.
"What are you trying to do? What do you hope to accomplish? Have you been reduced to senseless slaughter? Where are the ideals you once held so dear?"
"They died with me."
Archer flashed up, but before he could do anything, Tobias impaled him on the razor edge of his hand, the blade ripping open the cockpit and killing Rynn instantly.
"Bastard."
*****
Tobias winced painfully at the bandage wrapped around his middle. His flight suit was tattered, but it covered the lower half of his body. The bandage covered the majority of the rest. His face bore several scars that hadn't been there previously. The most prominently displayed was the spider web that snaked its way from his right eye up to his forehead , to his temple, and down to his jaw line. His eyes had also lost their color. Instead, his brow seemed to cast the entirety of his upper face in shadows, a reflection of the darkness his soul had gathered.
Sighing at his resistance, Robyn grabbed the scissors and cut the end of the bandage and neatly hiding the end. Standing, she looked at his changed face.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. Leave, most likely. After that, your guess is as good as mine."
Vick looked up from where he was sitting. "Leave? But you just got back."
"A man such as myself has no place in a civilized society such as this one. I am better of moving far away to some remote portion on space. The moon, perhaps. Or maybe an outlying colony."
"But we can't go on without you. You're what makes us who we are."
The two men turned and looked at her.
"You can cope. I'm leaving Vick in charge. He is my equal."
Then, before anyone could stop him, he got up and left the room.
*****
This ends the first part of three. I hope you enjoyed this, as I'm still pretty new at writing long things like this. If you have any input, comments, criticism, etc., please leave me a review. Until then,
Colonel