Chapter 9: Enlisted
"This is the battleship Michael! Identify your alignment." A voice boomed over the intercom.
"Alignment? He makes it sound like we're part of some old video game." Amura joked. "My alignment is chaotic neutral." He went on joking as he charged up his beam cannon and aimed it at the Nepoleonus.
"Amura shut up and put down your gun." Akiko advised calmly. She rocketed over to Nisokoff's mobile suit and began towing it out of the way. "Get the other mobile suit and come on. That question wasn't directed at us it was directed at that ship." Before an answer could be given the Nepoleonus turned around and shot away into the darkness.
"Jacobin is such a coward." Zargus fumed as he was towed along by Amura.
"Approaching mobile suits identify your alignment." The voice boomed again.
"Tell us what happened to the meteor and we'll tell you our alignment." Akiko replied with her cold indifferent voice.
"Nice defense mechanism you there." Nisokoff thought as he reclined in his suit. "Turn into a cold hard bitch. Interesting."
"Jason!" Zargus hissed on their usually frequency. "We have to get out of here! We're going to be captured!"
"What do you suggest we do? Jacobin foolishly had all self-destruct mechanisms disabled stating he had confidence in our abilities." Nisokoff responded calmly. "Besides I'd like to meet this girl in person before a die." He mused with a half smile.
"Jason Nisokoff! Listen to you!" Zargus gasped angrily.
"I never said why for all you know I mean to kill her personally. And I do intend to kill her personally." He replied.
"Not if I kill you first." Broke over the speakers.
"What the hell?" Zargus wondered confused.
"It's not hard to hack into a different frequency." Akiko explained simply.
"Hum..." Was all Nisokoff said in response. When they got back they found that the Michael had intercepted the cannon's beam and saved the meteor and its inhabitants. Mori broke down into tears yelling at Akiko for making her worry and refused to get out of the cockpit of the mobile suit she was sitting in. Akiko eventually talked her out of it and sent her to bed. Amura was questioned for hours about the validity his statement about being a Coordinator; a blood test was finally conducted to settle the matter. He was a Coordinator. Akiko wandered down to where they were keeping Zargus and Nisokoff under heavy security.
"Excuse me Miss I can't let you through here without proper authorization." One of the guards said. In his cell Nisokoff suspected someone was coming to grill him on what he knew.
"Authorization? I have authorization." A girl's voice replied calmly. Nisokoff sat up straight out of shock.
"Well then let's see it." The guard went on agitated. There was some muffled noises that sounded like a scuffle and then footsteps walking towards the cell.
"They really should train those guards better." She mused stopping in front of his door. "Access code. Hmm..." He heard some beeping and mumbling before the door slid open and the light from the hallway flooded into the dark room. She stepped in and the door closed. She watched it knowing it was going to close. "Good it worked." Commented when it had shut all the way.
"You wanted locked in here with me?" Nisokoff wondered surprised as he tried to act casual leaning against the wall as he sat on the bed. "We're enemies I could kill you right now."
"I'd like to see you try." She replied sitting down on the floor. She stared up at his face with the same eyes she looked at him with before during the battle. He growled under his breath and looked away quickly.
"What is about my eyes that bother you so much?" She wondered with a quiet gentle voice. The sudden show of emotion caught him off guard.
"It's not just your eyes. It's everything about you that puzzles me. Especially that front of yours and why you dropped it right now." He replied looking down at a spot on the floor just in front of her.
"You've already seen me without it up so there' no point in maintaining. So you tell me what I want to know and I'll tell you what you want to know. I'll even let you ask the first question." She said stretching her legs out and getting comfortable.
"Why are you here? You're obviously not with the RPC."
---------- ---------- ----------
"Enlist? You can't forcible make me enlist!" Amura protested angrily as he slammed his hand into the Professors desk. "You can't make me do anything! I'm just here to help Akiko put her parent's memory to rest!"
"You see we have you in a bit of a jam here. You're in our territory now and so long as you are we hold your life. Besides, you were made for this, after the blood tests I'm sure of it." The Professor explained rather crudely. He seemed to enjoy the fact that he had Amura and Akiko right where he wanted.
"You bastard... What the Hell are you talking about? You think I'm one of your Naturalized Coordinators?" He hissed leaning in closer.
"No. I know you are. You have the same genetic modification signature as the first batch of the new configuration established 25 years ago." The Professor went on with a broad smile. "Of course we can't be absolutely positive since a lot of that information was lost in the second revolt 10 years ago."
"If you can't be one hundred percent sure then you have no right to me. You have to right to me even if you can prove it! I'm a human being! You can't just own a human being!" He yelled slamming both hands on the desk and bolting out of the chair; it fell over as he got up. He leaned in close to the Professor and stared him down with a look that could kill.
"Boy. Are you familiar with history?" Amura nodded. "Then you're familiar with slavery. You see slavery has existed for thousands and thousands of years. So as long as I can justify it, you're mine." He quipped amused as he leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap.
"Justify it." The boy hissed in a low angry tone.
"How much do you love Akiko? You see if you don't stick around, I kill her. If you do, she goes free." Amura clenched his fists and got off the desk. His eyes were clamped shut in desperation as he mustered up a reply.
"Where do I sign?" He whispered angrily.
"That's a good boy." The Professor replied as the smile broadened.
---------- ---------- ----------
"So you came out here to find out what really happened to your parents and to avenge their deaths? You couldn't careless about the fact that you're going to attack and destroy everything you love? You just want to destroy the pirates who killed your parents?" Nisokoff pondered as he looked at Akiko and recalled the story she had just given him. His blonde hair had dropped in front of his blue eyes but Akiko knew that this had sunk in. "So I guess it's your turn to ask a question."
"What's your name?" Was all she asked.
"Alexander Nisokoff Zara... Call me Zara and I'll kill you with my bare hands. What's your name?"
"Aka Akiko..." She responded hesitantly.
"Now tell me your real name."
"Mattaki... Mattaki Kikagi..." She whispered. "Call me that name and I'll kill you with my bare hands."
"Akiko t is then. Well Akiko. I think it's in both of our interest if you leave now before we get anymore acquainted. You've already made it hard enough to kill you as it is." Alexander said leaning his head back and resting it on the wall.
"You're safe." She said getting up.
"What?" He wondered looking at her.
"I always protect my friends. So as long as I'm around you're safe. Stop acting like you're going to die in this place..." She replied as she pried off a piece of the metal casing of the wall.
"Friends?" He wondered to himself looking at her funny. A minute later the door slide open and she stepped out. "What did you mean?" He blurted out without meaning too.
"You and I are just alike when it comes down to it. I can tell. So what other word should I use to call this bond of ours?" She replied holding the door open.
"You know you just succeeded in making it impossible for me to kill you." He replied looking back down at his bed.
"You wouldn't have done it anyway." She replied with a sly smile. He looked at her confused. "If all the people like me die what will the people like you fight for?" The door slid shut as he leaned forward to say something else.
"Mariah... Have you sent me a reason to believe again?" He whispered as he slumped down on the bed. He pulled a woren picture out of his coat and stared at it for a long time.
---------- ---------- ----------
"Akiko!" Mori shouted running up to her. "We get to leave now! They just told me she beamed excitedly.
"No... You get to go..." Akiko replied looking at her resolutely. "I'm going to enlist."
"Akiko..." Mori looked like she was going to protest but she stopped suddenly. "I understand." She went on with a nod. "Then can you please program our ship to autopilot to some random point between here and the moon and have it blow up?"
"But Mori... you're staying?" Akiko asked confused.
"I have my reasons Akiko and when I can prove them, I'll tell you." Akiko simply nodded. She couldn't really say anything she had her reasons for staying and Mori didn't question her.