Author's note: Others own the rights to the G-Gundam characters. All other characters are my creations. Please do not use them without my permission.
Shadow Life – Part 5
By: Diane Maher
In a dungeon-like cell somewhere below ground, two men waited patiently for their prisoner to awaken. They were to detain him long enough for their fighter to return, collect her gundam and then leave again. The orders from above were that she shouldn't have any more interactions with this man from Neo-Germany.
Claus watched from within the shadows. He wondered why they'd not found Karla at this guy's place. Then he remembered about her ninjitsu training. Of course they weren't going to find her. If she doesn't want to be found, then she'll vanish as surely as the sun will rise.
His smug smile was invisible in the darkness, but he remembered his part in the scheme to embarrass her native country and why his superiors had asked him to do what he'd done. She was stuck in the middle, an innocent bystander. He remembered how she smelled and tasted; her soft, lithe body beneath his and how his superiors had filmed them making out that last night before he was 'arrested'. He had no regrets about any of it as doing what they'd asked had gotten him to where he was today as the Neo-Austria President's confidential aide.
When Schwarz woke, he found himself chained to a wall. Someone off to his left said, "He's awake."
"Good. We need to keep him away from Karla. She will do much better in the gundam fight without him around to bother her. You may leave now." The other person left.
"Who are you?" croaked Schwarz.
There was just enough light for Schwarz to see the muscular man smile. "I am Claus Stromberg. Karla's boyfriend."
"You mean ex-boyfriend," said Schwarz. It dawned on him then what this man had said. "Wait a minute! You're supposed to be in prison on Neo-Austria!"
Claus snorted. "I'm supposed to be a lot of things. However, a prisoner of my nation isn't one of them."
"You SCUM!!" shouted Schwarz.
Claus backhanded him for that outburst. A wicked grin came over his face as he asked, "Are you saying that you've taken Karla for yourself? You fool!! She would never give herself to such an obvious weakling runt like you! She is a viper and will stab you in the back."
"Then how come you're still calling yourself her boyfriend?" inquired Schwarz. When Claus said nothing, he realized that he'd hit the mark with his last remark. Schwarz smiled beneath his mask and chuckled softly. That got him! he thought. To Claus, he said, "I'm stronger than I look."
Another backhand from Claus sent his senses reeling. Closing his eyes, Schwarz thought, This guy's a piece of work. He's a bully, plain and simple. I don't know what Karla ever saw in this pathetic excuse for a human being.
Given his own current physical state, he saw the irony in his thought. He knew that he could never have any kind of physical relationship with her, no matter what. In his off-handed comment about Karla, this muscle-bound lame brain had reminded him of the humanity that wasn't truly his anymore.
As much as I care about Karla, I cannot love her physically. My mission is to protect Domon and help him to achieve his goal, to destroy the Dark Gundam. There was sadness in his soul when he silently finished, I will help Karla and Domon achieve their full potential and destroy the Dark Gundam!!
Opening his eyes to face Claus, Schwarz stared defiantly at his captor. "Why am I being held captive?" He pulled at his bonds to no avail.
"I'm asking the questions, runt!" muttered Claus angrily. "Why are you showing such an interest in Karla?"
"That's none of your business!" retorted Schwarz.
"Wrong answer!" snarled Claus.
This time, Claus' hand firmly grasped his jaw and slammed his head into the steel wall he was chained to several times. The pain shot through his head and Schwarz was grateful when he lost consciousness. His body hung limply from the shackles.
Karla hid amongst the shadows of the Neo-German hangar and considered the options remaining open to her. The prospects were bleak. They had gotten to Shadow Gundam before she could and secured it so she couldn't approach. She then remembered the small tracking device that she had left in Schwarz's core lander before she'd gone running off in a huff after the Neo-German chancellor had called to speak to Schwarz.
She decided to return to the Neo-Austria base, collect her gundam, and find Schwarz. Until these barbarians left, she remained hidden. After that, she borrowed another change of clothes and a few ninja weapons before leaving with a car. I'll borrow this Neo-Germany vehicle until I can get reasonably close to the base and then I'll continue on foot.
As Karla made her way to Berlin, she considered her situation. She was a pawn of the Neo-Austria government against the nation of her birth and didn't like it one bit. She remembered how they had come for her at her hotel after she'd visited Claus in prison and arrested her. Somehow, they knew of her training and decided to test her against their nation's gundam fighter. She hurt him so badly, that he was unable to fight and they then issued their ultimatum to her - fight for Neo-Austria in the gundam fight or spend her life in prison for espionage. As far as she knew, it wasn't legal for someone to fight in the gundam fight for a nation that wasn't theirs, but as she saw it, she had no choice but to accept.
The fact that her own father had allowed the vultures of Neo-Austria to take her without even trying to stop them galled her to no end. She felt the anger of his betrayal and the pain in her soul from her separation from Claus. As a wry smile crossed her face, she realized that it was now less of a burden than it had previously been. It had helped that she told Schwarz about some of her past. Why was she in the gundam fight? The answer was obvious, to clear her name and regain her life.
Schwarz! Who kidnapped you and why? she thought. She remembered her dream from last night and sighed romantically. The last night she'd spent with Claus was a month before the gundam fight started and the night before he was arrested. Since then, she'd slept with no one and then she met Schwarz. If he'd noticed her awkwardness when she first woke this morning, then he said nothing about it. Fantasizing about sleeping with a man wasn't her style, but she felt a pang of loneliness within herself.
Karla shook her head in amazement as she at the direction her thoughts were taking as she remembered where she was. She couldn't afford to entertain such notions if she was going to reach her full potential. After ditching the car several blocks away from the Neo-Austria base, she was making good time at her fast walking pace even though it was almost dark. As she approached the base a few minutes later, it started to rain and she hurried. At the gate, she was met by one of the guards.
"Where have you been?" he asked as he recognized her mask.
"Out," snapped Karla.
"Humph! Well hello to you too! By the way, our nation's president wants to see you."
This stopped Karla in her tracks. "Why does he want to see me?"
The guard shrugged. "I don't know."
Karla wondered why the President wanted to see her and continued inside the gate.
"He's in the main building!" the guard called.
Without turning, she waved to indicate that she heard and headed for the main building. She went inside her transport briefly to get her sword and drop off the other things she had brought with her from Schwarz's. When she entered the main building, the man who served as her mechanic was sitting there.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"It seems that I am to be replaced. I was just informed," he said.
"As you recall, I was going to ask for that. You're a good mechanic, but after I found some surveillance equipment hidden in my quarters, I felt as though you couldn't be trusted anymore," responded Karla.
The man's jaw dropped in shock as he protested, "I was ordered to put it in!"
"Yeah, right. All you wanted was to ogle me when I showered or changed clothes. I know exactly what you wanted. I'm not your woman," said Karla angrily.
"Well, you'll be happy to know that the man who is replacing me is moving into the transport as we speak. Maybe he'll have better luck with you than I did. He might be the same or worse than I was!"
Shrugging, Karla replied, "You'll never know."
Karla stepped into the elevator, pressed the button for the penthouse, the doors closed and the car moved upwards. At the top floor, the car stopped, the doors opened, and she walked into the penthouse used by the president of Neo-Austria. There were bodyguards present in the shadows as she heard several guns being cocked. They knew of her background and undoubtedly didn't like seeing her sword strapped across her back as she entered the room with the President.
The President of Neo-Austria greeted her the way that most politicians do, with a false warm smile and an extended hand. "Ah, Karla, you made it back safely! I have been keeping track of your battles and I must say that I am impressed."
Karla didn't shake his hand. Politicians made her stomach churn, especially this one. Removing the katana, she crossed the elegantly furnished room and sat in one of the plush chairs. She crossed her legs, placed the katana across her lap, touched the tips of her fingers together and replied politely, "Danke, Herr President."
The President clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you here."
With an exasperated sigh, she answered, "The thought did cross my mind. How about you tell me so I can get the hell out of here?"
"Direct and to the point, I see," said the President. "You are being assigned a new mechanic because the man we had chosen just isn't working out like we hoped."
"You mean that I've found out that he's been spying on me and now you're giving someone else a chance to do the same?" retorted Karla.
The President frowned and said, "No, you might like this one. He's from Neo-Germany, but from what I understand, he is a sound gundam mechanic." Pressing a button on his intercom, he said into the speaker, "Send him in."
The door to the office opened, and Karla watched as an attractive man in his late twenties with dark, shoulder-length hair walked through the door. He was dressed in black pants, white shirt and a black jacket over it.
The President said, "This is the fighter you'll be working with, her name is Karla Geist."
The man turned and extended his hand in greeting, "My name is Niklas Bruder."
Karla gaped at him and her pulse quickened. She recovered her wits after a moment, picked up her katana in her left hand, stood, took his hand in her right hand and politely replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Niklas said.
Karla gazed into his dark eyes and found them to be warm. She realized that she was staring at him. Karla then turned to the President and her eyes narrowed as she said, "So you decided to try a different tack. I'm surprised that you would consider allowing a non-Austrian to work on your precious gundam."
The President scowled at her. "I'm doing this to placate you. I would rather have Austrians in all posts relating to the gundam."
"How well I know," replied Karla bitterly.
The President's tone was low and even when he said, "You may leave. By the way, you now will be using Midnight Gundam Mk II. Niklas has been informed of all its capabilities and will brief you."
Karla's lips pursed into a straight line, she nodded once in acknowledgement, turned and strode out of the office. Niklas followed her.
"I don't know why you've got such a chip on your shoulder," Niklas began as the elevator doors closed behind them.
Karla muttered, "You don't know a thing about me!"
"No, but I'd like it if you would talk to me civilly," said Niklas.
Several minutes later, they left the elevator, then the building and walked to the transport. After closing the door, Karla said, "You've got nerve. Why should I trust you?"
"I could ask you the same question. You're just like my father with his mask and indifferent attitude!" replied Niklas sharply.
"I wear my mask for completely different reasons than Schwarz." Realizing what he'd said, she whirled to face him and asked, "Your father? You mean that Schwarz Bruder is your father?"
"Yes," replied Niklas with a shrug. "The man who is his doctor contacted me when he returned to his place. He also told me about you."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" inquired Karla. "Nothing is known about Schwarz or his past."
Niklas replied, "I know that you and my father went to the same ninjutsu school in Neo-Germany. The President said that much about you when he accepted me for this job."
Niklas saw that she wasn't convinced and went over to where a bag sat on the table, unzipped it and began rummaging around inside it. "I also have this," he began and then pulled a sheathed katana from the bag, turned and showed it to her. "My father gave it to me before leaving for the gundam fight. In case something happened to him."
Karla crossed the room to examine the item he held. She recognized it as the katana that was given to those who had gone through the same ninjitsu school as she and Schwarz had. Her expression softened as she looked at Niklas again. "This is real," she whispered as she handed it back to him.
This changed things drastically for Karla. Niklas apparently trusted her enough to confide in her about his father. Something within her wanted to believe that he was sincere; perhaps she just cared too much. She said, "Your father was kidnapped from his place not very far from here."
"What?" Niklas' eyes grew wide with concern.
Karla nodded. "I'm not sure why or who, but they took him and his gundam. If we get my gundam loaded, I can perhaps track the location of his gundam."
"How?" asked Niklas.
Grinning, she replied, "I planted one tracer inside his core lander and a second inside his coat pocket without his knowledge." Niklas returned her grin. She thought, This guy might not be so bad after all!
Once Midnight Gundam Mk II was secured on the transport, Karla turned on a terminal and executed a program that would search for the tracer that she left in Shadow Gundam. It gave the coordinates and when she pulled up a map, she found that Shadow Gundam was right beneath them!
"I can't believe this!" Karla exclaimed.
Niklas came over and looked over her shoulder. "What is it?"
She indicated the screen where there were two flashing lights. "Shadow Gundam is in a hangar directly beneath us! This other one must be where Schwarz is being held."
"What can we do?" asked Niklas.
Karla considered for a moment and then pulled up the base schematics. The repair hangar was beneath them and accessed via the lift in the main hangar. Until they got Midnight Gundam out of there, they couldn't get to Shadow Gundam.
"I want you to meet me at Schwarz's place. I assume you know where it is," said Karla.
Niklas nodded. "And from there, we'll leave and continue in the gundam fight?"
"Yes. I'm going to look around the lower levels and see whether they're holding Schwarz captive here."
"Why are you going back for him?" asked Niklas.
"I don't want to see him harmed because of these nitwits. Besides, he and I must fight someday," replied Karla.
One of Niklas' eyebrows rose in disbelief and he folded his arms across his chest.
Shrugging, Karla said, "Okay, okay. I don't want to see the Neo-Austrian government get the better of him because I didn't go back for him."
"He wouldn't allow that," commented Niklas.
Karla finished, "You're probably right, but he might be in a position such that he can't get out of here alone. He's helped me a couple of times and I feel that I owe him."
"Good luck," Niklas said.
"Thanks, Niklas," replied Karla. She felt at ease with Niklas already and it felt good to feel like she could trust someone again. She fervently hoped that her trust wasn't misplaced.
Karla went into her quarters, opened a closet and pulled out her black mask and some additional tools she might need to get to Shadow Gundam. According to the tracer signals, Schwarz was nearby too. As she put on the black mask, she pulled up the schematics on the computer again. The second signal wasn't as strong as the other one. She knew there were other levels deeper below and assumed that was where he was hidden.
The transporter's engines started and Karla jumped off just as the vehicle left the Neo-Austria hangar. She ran over to a door that led below and quickly went through it and down the steps.
This part of the base was not used frequently. As she recalled, she had been told it was mainly for replacement part storage. She put on her infrared goggles and pulled out a small light, which was covered with an opaque infrared filter. The only thing that others might see is a dull dark red light, if they saw anything at all.
Continuing down to the very bottom, Karla found various doors which when she opened them, the rooms beyond did indeed contain spare gundam parts. At the bottom, she found a truly old door with a skull and crossbones symbol on it.
Karla shivered inwardly and thought, Seeing a symbol of death isn't good! She swallowed nervously and pushed some other disquieting thoughts out of her mind. She tried to open the door, but found it locked. Pulling out her small tool kit, she removed the tools that would pick the lock. A few minutes later, a click echoed in the darkness.
With a grim determination, she opened the door and went through into the darkness beyond. As she came to the first intersection, there were lights and this area was clearly used. What is going on here? she wondered as she pushed her infrared goggles up onto her forehead.
A man walked by and Karla silently followed him after making sure that he was alone. He went to an area that looked more like a prison than anything that was gundam related. The lights were dimmer and she was able to continue after him until he reached a well-lit area where there was a security guard.
She watched as the man went through a door on the far side of the room. Frowning, she thought, I can't lose him! In a flash, she was gone. The next minute, she materialized beyond the door briefly before becoming invisible again.
In front of her, the man said, "I'm here to see the prisoner." The guard on that door unlocked it and allowed him to enter. After the door was closed again, Karla materialized in front of the guard. With a single strike, she knocked the guard unconscious. She moved him to the shadows and bound and gagged him.
Taking the guard's keys, Karla hid in the shadows until the man she had followed left the cell. She then silently entered. She could just make out Schwarz's form shackled to the wall in the dim light of the cell.
Karla crossed to him and quickly unlocked the shackles. "Can you walk?"
Schwarz replied, "Yes."
"Good, let's get out of here," said Karla.
Soon, they were making their way up the stairs toward where Shadow Gundam was located. A few minutes later, as Karla climbed into the cockpit, the alarm klaxons sounded.
In a darkened room far above, Claus watched the security cameras. "Well, well, well. What have we here? An intruder has gone down below to rescue that German fighter," he muttered as he flipped another switch. The picture on the screen now showed the inside of the cell his underling had just locked a few minutes before. It was empty.
"WHAT? How can this be?!?" Claus shouted to the air. He balled his fist and slammed it down onto the alarm button. The klaxons began blaring and troops were running everywhere in response to the alarm.
He activated all of the screens and soon found the object of his search. Schwarz Bruder was climbing into his gundam.
Claus grabbed a microphone, flipped on the PA system's power and commanded, "Stop that gundam!!"
"Where to now?" Schwarz asked as he burst through the hangar and made his gundam invisible.
"We'll return to your place and I'll leave. My new mechanic is meeting me there with Midnight Gundam and our transport," replied Karla.
When they arrived at his place, he would quickly gather what he needed. Schwarz said, "I'm going to the Guiana Highlands, in South America. I'd like you to help me get the other members of the Shuffle Alliance there and then come yourself. They need to train in order to defeat the Dark Gundam. I've already gotten Domon Kasshu and Chibodee Crockett headed there."
"Why?" asked Karla.
"So I can help both you and Domon train. We need to have peaceful surroundings. He and Rain have gone there already."
Karla considered this. "We have a little less than two months before the final tournament in Neo-Hong Kong is scheduled to begin. Is that going to be sufficient time?"
Schwarz was silent for some time as they flew. When he finally answered her, he said, "Yes. It will have to do." Changing the subject, he continued, "Karla, why did you come after me?"
Karla looked at him. "I came because I felt that I owed you for helping me."
"But how did you find me?" inquired Schwarz.
"When they took you, one of them ordered that your gundam be taken so as not to leave any evidence behind. They put it on a transporter and took it away. I had previously put a tracer inside your core lander and inside your coat pocket," replied Karla with a wink.
"You sneaky devil!" commented Schwarz.
"Be glad I did, or else you'd still be in there," responded Karla.
Schwarz nodded. "I am. Thanks for coming after me."
