-Asteroid cluster, La Grange Point 5, August 24, C.E. 71, 0700.
Asteroids spun in the makeshift cluster just beyond the reach of the PLANTs. They were of no beauty or glamor. Nothing but rocks, useless, and unimaginative. These thoughts and feelings, made the small cluster the perfect hiding place for a mobile suit. It was where Kira sat inside the cockpit of the Freedom, waiting patiently for his time to act. His weapons were disarmed, his phase shift armor deactivated. With the military satellite Boaz just a short distance away, he couldn't afford to be careless and risk detection. Although the Freedom was one of the most powerful mobile suits ever constructed, it would prove no match for anything Boaz sent against him. He'd just have to wait for now, and hope that Athrun, Cagalli, and the others managed to make it out of Boaz safely. He was only here to act as an escort in case they needed assistance in escaping. Admiral Cantarii and Colonel Namora had both emphasized total silence for Kira's mission to L5. He found himself wondering what he was even doing here in the first place.
-Flashback-
"Those I.D.'s will get you into the Boaz premises and into the main complex of the base." Josef gave the briefing with just enough finece to make himself heard. "They'll get you past the main security system, but don't get careless with them. After you pass the main security system, you'll need to find an alternate way inside the control centers to make the dump. There's a system in place that checks for specific ZAFT military I.D.'s, so if you try to get past them with the fakes, the base will know something's up."
"So we just use our instincts, then?" Jay asked, picking his 'I.D.' up from the table in front of him.
"Precisely." Josef brought up a map on the screen sitting on the table. "This is the layout of the Boaz installation provided by one of our men inside ZAFT. He's the one who will be transporting you to the outpost and be waiting to pick you up when you finish the mission."
"It's a complex facility for sure," Natarle observed. "It'd be very easy to get lost in this place."
"That's how they designed it. In fear of spies like yourselves getting inside, the Republic of East Asia designed the layout in order to have only their people know how to navigate it." Josef leaned over and pointed to a place on the map. "Our man's disguised as a transport pilot, so he'll drop you off in the rear portion of the facility, here. After your inside, you'll need to follow the path that's been programmed into your data reader, or else you'll be wandering around the base aimlessly."
"Which is why we're brining Athrun along with us," Frank said. "He's been there before so he at least knows his way around there."
"I've only been inside it about five times, but I think I've got the general layout down," Athrun said. "We'll just have to be careful once we get past the initial security system and get deeper into the compound."
"Once you reach the main computer facility, you'll make the dump using this disk," Josef said, holding it up for them to see. "It's got enough memory data to hold almost everything inside Boaz's entire network. All in all, it should take about ten to fifteen minutes to get the complete dump finished."
Josef reached across the table and picked up a small device. "We're also asking a part of your team to plant these listening and monitoring devices in key areas of Boaz. With these in place, we'll be able to hear and see everything going on there, and hopefully be able to learn what Zala's up to before it's too late. I've already given the locations to Ensign Zala and he'll guide you to the points. After your objectives have been met, you'll return to the place you were dropped off and our man will take you out. Until then, you'll have to keep out of sight from prying eyes and keep close to each other, or else you'll be spotted and the alarm will sound."
"What to we do if we are spotted?" Cagalli asked.
"Then get out of there as quickly as you can," Josef said. "However, there is also a time limit to this mission. Because of the high security on Boaz, our man can only stay inside the compound for an hour. Any later, and we risk having him discovered. So you'll have to move quickly."
"What if we take too long and he has to leave without us?" Athrun asked.
"Then God help us," Frank replied.
"In case you encounter any hostilities before or after you leave the outpost, we'll have Ensign Yamato and the Freedom out there acting as an escort." Josef indicated to where Kira stood and said, "Ensign, you'll escort the shuttle the team will be on until they get within range of Boaz's sensors. At that moment, take cover in the asteroid cluster nearby and wait there. Our man will signal you when he's left and for you to begin your escort again. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," Kira answered. "But what should I do if I'm discovered there?"
Josef smiled. "Do what you always do in that situation."
-End Flashback-
Kira sighed. I'm here to act as an escort for my friends. I can't let them down. Kira cast a glance at the rock of Boaz, sitting idle against the backdrop of space. Be careful Cagalli. Athrun. He brought the keyboard across his lap and began typing in commands. Might as well work on the systems while I've got the time. Gotta have the Freedom in the best shape possible if the fighting starts.
-Boaz, 0710.
The shuttle drifted slowly towards the Boaz outpost. Gun emplacements dotted the surface of the hollowed out asteroid, ready to unleash their fury on any intruders or hostile forces. Other ships hovered in the rock's vicinity, hauling supplies and soldiers to and from the outpost. GINNs on patrol duty flew past the shuttle, their weapons drawn. The might of the ZAFT military was demonstrated at this one fortress, and nothing could scratch its surface, short of an all out nuclear attack.
Natarle saw all of these things from the window of the shuttle as it moved ever closer to Boaz. Her eyes were covered with a small pair of sunglasses to mask her face, and make her features less recognizable. She was dressed in civilian clothes for the first time in a while, a red, short-sleeved blouse and khaki pants, which were considerably more comfortable than the uniform she wore most of the time on duty. Her I.D. was tucked into the pocket of her shirt, the one that classified her as an eletrical technician working for ZAFT. Next to her, Frank was also dressed in civilian clothes, blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a denom shirt over it. His mustache was gone and he had contacts in his eyes that had turned their color from brown to hazel. Behind Natarle, Jay sat with a baseball hat covering his head and painted on wrinkles covering his face, making him appear older than he actually was. He was reading a copy of a ZAFT newspaper, that had been printed months before, and his legs were casually crossed, making it appear that he was just another person on just another shuttle. Athrun had had his hair dyed black and he also had contacts in his eyes to change their color. As the most recognizable of the quintet, the people at Mendel had taken extra precautions to make sure that he wasn't recognized for who he really was. His face was painted as well, giving him higher cheekbones and a darker skin complection. Cagalli sat between Athrun and Jay, her blonde hair tyed back in a ponytail, and a pair of thick glasses covering her eyes. She held one of the data collectors in her hands, running through the programs the device carried, silently humming a tune to herself to calm her down.
The pilot of the shuttle said nothing to them as they entered the massive dock, the steel outline replacing the brown rock in the windows. Natarle cast her glance at Frank and saw him blinking constantly and considerably next to her. "You alright, Fred?" she asked, calling him by his false name.
"These contacts burn, Natasha," he answered. "They're stinging my eyes like crazy," he added, wiping his eyes with his arm.
"Well, you'll have them in for another hour at least, so you'd better get used to them," she reminded him. "Just try to ignore them and they'll be fine."
"Right. Looks like we're coming up to our stop," he said, standing up gingerly. "You three all set?"
"Yes," Athrun answered.
"I'm O.K." Cagalli said.
"Do you have to ask?" Jay said.
"Zip it, Jay," Frank ordered.
They felt the shuttle shudder as it secured itself to one of the entranceways inside the dock and the pilot cut the engines. "Thanks for the lift," Frank said, walking up towards the doorway.
"I'll be waiting here for you in an hour," the pilot responded. "Good luck."
"Thanks." The door opened and they descended into the docking facility. Frank went first, with Natarle, Jay, Cagalli, and Athrun following. The dock was bustling with its usual amount of activity, crews floating in space suits, performing their daily routines like fixing damaged components to the systems. Two other transport craft were docked against the wall, their cargos being unloaded or loaded. A damaged GINN was undergoing repair in the rear of the dock, workmen scrambling across its surface with blow torches and saws.
They made their way through the access walkway connecting the ship to the inside of the compound and stepped into a corridor painted red with dark blue flooring. Light fixtures provided adequate illumination for the many soldiers and civilian personnel that serviced Boaz during all parts of the day. With Athrun in the lead, the group made their way through the corridor and eventually came to a bustling center with computers and other technological equipment dotting every square inch of the facility.
"This is one of the main control centers," Athrun said, leaning over the railing in front of him. "All of the information concerning activites in the surrounding airspace is communicated in here."
"It's laid out just like a casino," Jay commented.
"Pretty much. Except instead of slot machines and roulette wheels you've got computers and data processors for people to keep busy with." Athrun added, "We were told that the Republic of East Asia used the designs of several casinos as a basis for the interior of this place. Casinos are designed to keep people inside of them and make it hard for people to get out, which is exactly how this place is laid out."
"Main security entrance is this way," Natarle said, reading information off of her data reader. "Keep your eyes open."
They reached the main entrance to the secure facility a few minutes later, their I.D.s granting them access past the doors and into the complex. They passed several ZAFT soldiers and enlisted personnel along the way, who saluted them. Athrun had taught the others how ZAFT soldiers greeted one another, and they all actually were pretty good at it by now. Eventually, they reached a crossroads of corridors and were forced to go their separate ways.
"The computer terminal we need is down that way," Natarle pointed out on her reader.
"We'll go make the dump, Lieutenant. Jay, you take these two and get the listening devices planted. Athrun, you'll have to be the guide for them so they can find these places. You'll also make the placements of the devices, O.K." Athrun nodded and so did Cagalli. "Jay. Take care of 'em."
"What does that mean?" Cagalli asked.
"It means I'm stuck baby-sitting you two, while they go and have all the fun," Jay answered.
"More or less," Frank grinned. "Meet back at the dock at 0815, affirmative. If we're not back by then, tell him to go without us. We'll worry about ourselves. Until then," Frank saluted. Jay and the others returned it and they went their separate ways down their individual corridors.
-0825.
"This place is a maze," Cagalli murmured. "How do you guys know your way around this place?"
"Takes a lot of practice, I'll admit that," Athrun conceded. They stood next to one another against the wall of the corridor, close to the first place they were to plant the devices. Jay was working on the panels that covered the electrical systems which were the intended targets. Using a screwdriver he'd managed to secure, he was prying open the hatch covering the wires.
"You think they'll be alright?" Athrun turned to Cagalli, who added, "Commander Barkhesh and the Lieutenant that is?"
"They're grown up. I'm sure they'll manage." Athrun sighed. "We should be worrying about ourselves right now. Planting these devices isn't going to be easy, especially considering the locations Director Crue gave us."
"Yeah, some of those places seem real hard to get to," Cagalli added. "But with you here, it shouldn't be too hard. You are a Coordinator after all."
Athrun smiled. "You've got a point. But, Coordinators, in the larger picture, aren't all that different from Naturals like you, you know. We have our limitations as well, and there are things we can't do that you can do. We can accumulate more information and do things quicker, but everything else is done with the same capabilities as Naturals."
"Kira told me the same thing. I've had those same thoughts, but to everyone else, you guys are a completely different species than the rest of us. They think that just because your bodies can do so much more than ours, that you'll eventually replace us as the dominant race on Earth, as if you're a threat to humanity itself. I don't understand that kind of thinking, really. It sounds so biased."
"It's the same with Coordinators," Athrun said. "We've always been humans one in all, but to some of us, we're so different that we should be considered a new species. My father's one of them. To them, Naturals are people who should be looked down on because of their inferior bodies and minds. But if you look at the bigger picture, it was really the Naturals who created us in the first place."
"Sounds like both sides are having the same thoughts," Cagalli said, closing her eyes. "But...you know, if it wasn't for us being different, heh, we would've never met."
"Yeah," Athrun chuckled. "The island does kind of demonstrate what differences can do for individuals..." Athrun tapered off. Something had caught his ear.
"What's wrong?" Cagalli asked.
"Shh." Athrun held his hand up to stop her. He'd heard it again. Footsteps. Then he heard voices. "Someone's coming."
"What?" Cagalli gasped, but Athrun was already leaning around the corner.
"Jay! Seal that up and hide!" Jay juggled with the screwdriver and banged on the hatch to close it once again. He then leveled himself out against the corridor's wall, trying to stay as invisible as possible.
Athrun dragged Cagalli by the wrist around the corner as well, just as the two ZAFT soldiers came walking around the corner. He could hear their voices from where he stood. If they saw the two of them, they'd know they were trespassing in a high clearance zone and the mission would be compromised. He had to think of something fast.
"They'll see us," Cagalli whispered to him.
"I know...we've got to think of something..." The soldiers' voices were closer now. Their footsteps sounding on the blue flooring. Cagalli clenched her fist, her mind trying to find some way to disguise their true intentions. Suddenly, she had it. Quickly, she took Athrun by the wrists and flattened him against the wall. "Cagalli! What...?"
"Just do what I do," she said. She kissed him. Athrun's eyes shot open when her cold lips touched his. At that moment, the soldiers came within range of the corridor. They thought they heard something around the corner and turned their heads. They saw a girl dressed in a technician's uniform, holding another technician against the wall of the corridor, her lips pressed firmly against his. One guard tilted his head and turned to his partner, a confused look on his face. The other scratched his head. He'd never seen this in all his years in the military.
Athrun had closed his eyes after getting used to the kiss and had managed to wrap Cagalli up in his arms, to make it look more real. But they were running out of air. Finally, Cagalli broke the kiss and breathed deeply. Athrun's face was still in a state of shock, his green eyes wide, his mouth aghast. "Sorry..." Cagalli panted. "I didn't mean to scare you..."
"They're still there," Athrun whispered quickly, resuming their kiss. The soldiers outside looked at each other once more for an explanation, but eventually just shrugged their shoulders and left. Athrun continued to kiss Cagalli long after the guards left. He didn't know anything else to do. When they finally broke for air again, Athrun was smiling.
"Are they still there?" Cagalli asked, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"No, they left ages ago," Athrun responded, only to get a sharp punch in the shoulder from Cagalli. "Ow." Athrun exclaimed.
"Don't do that again!" Cagalli said. "Come on, we've got to move."
She let Athrun go and walked around the corner past where Jay was standing. Athrun soon followed, only to get a hard stare from Jay. "What?" Athrun asked.
"What the hell was that?" Jay said. Athrun felt bad about it now. He lowered his head in disgrace. Jay came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Why...did you say they were gone?" Jay smiled when Athrun looked back up at him. He slapped Athrun on the shoulder and said, "Come on, we gotta get this reader placed." He walked back towards the hatch opening with Athrun following. He laid a hand on his forehead, feeling absolutely stupid.
-0830.
"The entrance to the computer terminal we need is just down this hallway." Natarle was crouched on her knees, her back pressed against the wall of the corridor. Frank kneeled next to her, looking over her shoulder at the seemingly endless corridor in front of them. "The only thing is, is that it needs specific personnel identification to be accessed. And that we don't have."
"Think we can hack into the security system from the outside?" Frank suggested.
"Not possible," Natarle answered. "The system's got a high security code in place so we can't access it. We'll have to find another way in." She cupped her chin with her hand and thought. "What personnel have clearance for the computer's location that wouldn't be easily recognized by the people who usually work there?"
"People not involved with the military probably. You know, just coming in from the PLANTs. They've got to have I.D.s that will get in." Frank checked his watch. "We've still got about forty minutes until we've got to get back."
"Minus the ten to fifteen minutes we'll need to make the dump," Natarle reminded him.
"Right. Then add the time we'll need to get back to the dock and the ship, and we don't have much time to get inside." Frank sighed. "Any ideas?"
"Not right now," Natarle conceded. She stood up slowly and leaned against the wall, trying to think of some way to get the job done. She'd gone on simple missions for the Earth Alliance Intelligence when she'd been an officer there, but nothing of this caliber. She knew the mission was going to be tough, but she could never have expected it to be this difficult.
"What! Please tell me your kidding!"
Natarle's head snapped up. The voice had come from a pair of figures walking down the corridor in front of her and Frank. They were clad in ZAFT technician jumpsuits with baseball hats covering their heads. But they had no ZAFT I.D.s on them. Better yet, they were unarmed. An idea came to Natarle's mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
"I know it's hard to believe but it's true. Zala's calling everybody back."
The men were coming closer. Frank tugged at Natarle's arm, trying to pull her back into the access corridor, but she yanked her arm free. Although she had dismissed her earlier idea, with the guards coming closer, and time slipping slowly away, it kept coming back to her as the only way to get the mission done.
She sighed. "What?" Frank asked.
"Do you have that tranquilizer gun the Director gave to us?"
"Yeah," Frank said, pulling the small gun out of the pocket of his shirt. It wasn't much bigger than his palm, if even that, and it only carried two shots.
"Let me have it," Natarle said, putting her sunglasses back over her eyes. Frank loaded the gun with two darts and cocked it. He placed it in Natarle's hand.
"What are you gonna do?" he asked.
"Just back up so they don't see you," she ordered. She flattened herself against the wall and Frank retreated into the darkness behind her. The technicians were almost upon them now. Natarle could make out their facial features and other details about them from behind her sunglasses. She exhaled painfully, quietly. She had hoped she wouldn't have to do this, but the situation didn't leave her much choice. Casting a quick glance behind her, to make sure that Frank was a good distance away, and wouldn't be able to see clearly, she popped loose the top two buttons on her blouse.
When the technicians passed the adjacent corridor, Natarle slinked around the corner and stood against the wall of the central corridor, the tranquilizer gun concealed behind her. She whistled playfully. The technicians turned their heads and saw her. One opened his mouth to speak, but she brought her index finger to her mouth and said, "Shh." She smiled, and slowly removed her sunglasses, her violet-gray eyes coming into the men's view. "You boys look like you're looking for a good time."
They smiled. "Are we in heaven?" one asked the other.
"No, not quite," Natarle answered, abruptly firing the tranquilizers with amazing accuracy, striking both of the men in the chest, sending them tumbling backwards to the floor. The tranquilizers took effect immediately and the men were out of it before they even hit the ground. Natarle folded her sunglasses and moved towards them, making sure to button her blouse before she forgot to. She turned her head to make sure no one had seen what just happened, and saw Frank's face leaning around the corner of the corridor. He quickly disappeared behind the wall. Natarle sighed and made her way towards the unconscious men. "You can come out now, Commander."
Frank slowly maneuvered towards the sprawled out men and crouched beside them. "Not bad," he said. "Hit 'em both in the sweet spot."
"Thanks," Natarle responded, removing one of the men's I.D.s. "PLANT technician. He should be able to get us inside the room."
"We may be able to pull this off after all," Frank said. "Better put these guys in a safe place so nobody sees 'em."
"Right. And Commander." Frank turned towards her, only to have her grab a fist full of his shirt and pull him towards her. Her face was glaring when she said, "You tell anyone I did that, I will kill you. Understand?"
Frank attempted to smile a bit, and held his hands up. "Already forgetting, ma'am."
"Good." Natarle released him and picked up the I.D. "We don't have much time. Let's get this done and get the hell out of here." They scooped up the men and placed them in a nearby utility closet, locking the door. They started down the long hallway, towards their destination.
-0840.
"Where's this thing lead, Athrun?" Jay called. They were in some kind of elevator shaft, climbing their way up along the steel cables and girders that scaled the walls of the structure. Athrun was in the lead with Cagalli behind him and Jay bringing up the rear.
"Area behind the main control center!" Athrun called back. "That's the last spot where we have to plant these things." He grabbed hold of a girder and swung his legs up and on top of them. After giving Cagalli a hand and watching Jay pull himself up, Athrun stared up at a small opening about twenty feet above them. "That's our target. The main electronic systems are on that floor. We'll just have to be careful when we get the doors open."
"How are we even going to get up there?" Cagalli wondered. "The girders along the wall aren't wide enough to support us, and there's no more cables we can scale."
"Jay, you got that piece of rope with you we found?"
"Yeah, right here," Jay said, producing the long strand of rope from his pack. "What are you gonna do?"
"I have no clue," Athrun answered, withdrawing his army knife from his side pocket. "The knife I was given when I was in ZAFT was supposed to be strong enough to cut into anything short of stainless steel. Judging by the quality of this stuff," he said, banging his fist against the wall, which left a large dent where his fist had struck, "This is not stainless steel." He tied the end of the rope to the knife's handle and swung it over his shoulder. Giving it a few twirls as if it were a lasso, Athrun heaved the blade as hard as he could above him. The knife struck a girder just above the opening and dug deep into the material that the girder was made of. Athrun tugged on the rope a few times to make sure it would hold and said, "I'll take the lead. Jay you follow, and Cagalli, you watch our backs."
Athrun positioned himself with his feet clanging against the wall and facing upwards. Slowly, he began making his way up the wall, firmly grasping the rope between his hands. Jay held the rope steady for him while Cagalli faced the other direction, her gun in her hands.
It was tiring work, but Athrun managed to make his way to the opening and swung his way onto the small ledge. He pulled on the rope twice, which would signal the others to start climbing. Jay instantly sprung onto the wall and grabbed hold of the rope. He removed his glasses and stuck them into the pocket of his jumpsuit and began scaling the wall. Cagalli followed when Jay was about halfway up. Athrun held the rope steady so his friends could make it up. A sound made Athrun jump and he turned to see the knife begin to lose its grip on the girder above him. "Come on you guys," he said quietly.
Jay reached the end of the rope and gingerly swung over to the ledge where Athrun was, planting his feet firmly on the floor. Cagalli grunted as she made her way up to the opening. The knife loosened a little more and the rope twitched. Cagalli held tightly to the rope while Athrun struggled to maintain control of the wildly swinging rope. Cagalli was close now, only about six feet from the ledge. Athrun leaned over and held his hand out to her, trying to keep her in sight in the glowing darkness. As Cagalli reached for his hand, the knife came loose, and went flailing down the shaft. Cagalli cried out and Athrun leaned his upper half over the edge and grasped her wrist in his hand. Jay grabbed onto Athrun's legs to keep him on the ledge. "Cagalli!" Athrun called. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she called back. "Just pull me up." Cagalli was finally able to pull herself onto the ledge, panting heavily, sweat pouring from her forehead. "Next time...try to find an elevator..."
"Hey, you were the one who wanted to come," Jay pointed out. "You said you'd do whatever it took to get the mission done."
"The mission...yes..." Cagalli panted. "But...not...committing suicide..."
Athrun helped her to her feet and said, "Come on, we've got to move. We've only got about half an hour left."
-0850.
Images scrolled across the young Ensign's screen. Words. Words. Nothing but words. He sat at the front console of the central computer's terminal, with his three fellow analysts chatting behind him. It had been a long night for him, and he was looking forward to the end of his shift, which would occur in about forty minutes. Being one of the central computer's analysts was not a flattering job. Frankly, it involved sitting at a small console, reading useless radio and intercepted traffic that came through Boaz, and all the information and data that was transmitted through the asteroid. Not a very exciting job at all.
He could hear his fellow workmen chatting behind him. "D'you see the designs for that new mobile suit they got coming out, the GuAIZ?"
"No I haven't. I hear it's a hell of a machine, though."
"They say it'll help us end the war by the end of the year."
"Not the way this war's been going, you guys. We'll be lucky if it's over by Christmas next year."
"Come on! Try to be a little optimistic about it. At least we've got something to counter those new mobile suits the Earth Forces started using last month."
"Yeah, at least there's that."
A sound chimed from a console behind the Ensign. One of the chatting workers answered it and said, "Central Computer."
"Technicians reporting from November Eight," came the reply. "We're supposed to be taking readings on all the systems today."
"I wasn't notified," the man said. "Come on in and we'll discuss it." He deactivated the comm and walked over to the door, opening it with his own authorization code. Before he could pull the door all the way open however, it was slammed back into his face, knocking him onto the ground. The other two workmen jumped and the Ensign bolted from his seat. From the small opening in the doorway, a small object soared in. It stopped right in front of the Ensign's feet, flattening onto the floor with a tinging sound. It was a coin of some sort. Then, the top of the coin rose up from the bottom and a white gas poured out from inside of it. Before the Ensign knew what hit him, he was falling onto the console, unconscious. The other workmen followed suit in a matter of seconds, the gas spreading into the entire terminal center.
After a few moments, the door once again opened and two figures entered, each one removing the gas masks that had been covering their faces. "Man, that shit really works," Frank said, tossing his mask onto the rear counter of the facility. "You sure it's O.K. for us to be in here without masks?"
"The Director said the gas would only stay in the air for three minutes, then it would dissolve," Natarle answered, moving towards the front console. She yanked the young Ensign's body off of the console where he had fallen. "Anybody who breaths it in during that three minutes is knocked out for a good hour."
"Technology never ceases to amaze me," Frank commented dryly. Natarle took a seat in the chair in front of the console and removed a disk from her pocket. She inserted it into one of the drives on the console and watched it disappear inside. Data immediately scrolled onto the screen in front of her. Typing with startling quickness, Natarle punched in command after command, getting the data ready for downloading. Finally, a bar appeared along the bottom of the screen, signaling that the data inside Boaz's computer core was being downloaded.
"It'll be about ten minutes before the full dump is done," Natarle said. "Just don't touch anything until then."
"Yes, ma'am," Frank answered. He strolled all around the room's permises, taking into account everything that was inside. He spotted a coffee pot brewing in the back of the room and walked over to it. "Coffee, Lieutenant?"
"No," Natarle replied sternly, not taking her eyes off of the screen.
"Fine." Frank removed the pot from the machine and sniffed the liquid inside. He poured himself a cup full and drank it down. Within seconds, he was choking it back up his throat and making weird faces at the disgusting taste in his mouth. He slammed the cup down on the counter and coughed. "Somebody's gotta tell these guys about cream and sugar," he gasped. Natarle said nothing.
Five minutes left. Frank tossed the cup into the trash basin beside him and leaned against the rear wall of the room. He casually crossed his arms and legs while he pulled his Walther from the shoulder harness under the denim shirt he wore. He twirled it in his fingers for a few moments before something creaked behind him. A door beside him squeaked open and several contents fell scattering to the floor. Frank backed up slowly. He turned his face towards Natarle to see her staring back at him and shaking her head. Frank sighed. Real smooth, Frank... he thought.
Three minutes. He began to pick up the scattered pieces and put them back into the closet, when something caught his eye. It was plain black. A small cylinder not much smaller than Frank's palm. After examining the device more closely, Frank chuckled. "What is it now, Commander?" Natarle asked impatiently.
"Finally found one," he said.
"One what?"
"A silencer for my P99. Been looking all over the place for one of these." He screwed the device onto the barrel of his gun and heard it lock into place. A perfect fit. "These ZAFT guys have amazing resources, I'll tell you that." Natarle just sighed.
-0853.
Athrun arched his back, attempting to find the right wire to place the device. There were hundreds of the wires strewn about inside the electronic box he was now working on. Cagalli passed him equipment whenever he asked for it, such as wire cutters and a flashlight. Jay guarded the door to the room, his gun drawn and ready to fire.
"Almost done, Athrun?" Jay asked.
"Last one," Athrun responded. He pulled apart several wires before he located the right one. Gently, he attached the small device to the wire and activated the small switch on the side. The device was ready. "Readings?"
"We're getting a clear picture," Cagalli said, studying the readings on her data reader. "Mendel should be getting these images too. Looks like we're all set then."
"Now all we have to do is get out of here," Athrun said, climbing out of the box. "Let's just hope the Commander and the Lieutenant had as much luck as we did."
"Well let's get moving then," Jay said.
Athrun headed towards the door and pressed the release for the door to open. The door slid aside and Athrun peaked out. "Hey!" The voice startled Athrun and he looked to his right to see two ZAFT soldiers standing in the hallway. "You there! Stop!" the voice shouted again.
Instinctively, Athrun fired his gun into the ceiling, causing dust and debris to clatter to the floor, temporarily blinding the soldiers. Athrun leaned back into the room and yelled, "Get back to the ship!" He then fired into the dust cloud and sprinted down the hallway away from the soldiers.
"Stop him!" one of the soldiers shouted, firing his machine gun at Athrun's escaping body.
"Athrun!" Cagalli shouted, only to be pulled back into the room quickly by Jay.
"Shh! You want them to find us too, idiot!" he whispered. More soldiers could be heard rushing down the hallways beside them. "The whole base is going to be on top of us any minute. We've gotta move." When the footsteps ceased, Jay extended his head into the hallway and saw no one in the immediate area. Grabbing Cagalli by the wrist, he pulled her into the hallway and they began running. Down the hallway and into the nearby elevator, which had stopped on this floor.
Inside the main computer's room, alarm sirens began blaring. Frank and Natarle stared at the alarm for a few seconds and then realized what was happening. They'd been compromised. "Shit, we gotta move," Frank said quickly, loading bullets into his gun. Natarle did the same with the small pistol she carried as well. There still needed two more minutes to complete the dump, but it appeared that soon they wouldn't have two seconds. "Get ready to move Natarle!" he shouted, moving towards the rear of the room. "Just hope Jay and the kids are in a safe spot or already on their way back."
Suddenly, the door to the room whooshed open and a ZAFT soldier stepped in, his weapon drawn. Seeing Natarle, he yelled, "Freeze, Natural!" He didn't even know what hit him when Frank fired two silenced shots into the man's chest, sending him sprawling onto the floor. Two more soldiers replaced him, their guns already firing. Computer consoles were struck by bullets and sparks flew from damaged consoles. Frank managed to shoot one of the soldiers in the leg, disabling him, his gun clattering to the floor. The other soldier was sent flying backwards by a shot to the chest from Natarle's pistol. "Nice shot!" Frank yelled.
"You're not the only one who knows how to shoot, Commander!" Natarle yelled back. "We still need another thirty seconds though," she added, glancing at the console she had just been looking at.
More ZAFT forces were mobilizing at the entrance to the room, their guns lacing bullets into the room, ricocheting off of the walls and consoles. Frank fired his gun until the chamber was empty. He desperately searched for another weapon, and quickly saw his chance. Ripping open the closet he'd knocked open earlier, he rummaged through it until he pulled out a small hand grenade. Pulling the pin out with his teeth, Frank dashed across the floor and dove for the other side, tossing the grenade through the open door. An explosion followed seconds later, sending soldiers and smoke spilling into the room, the blast drowning out their shouts. The shooting stopped then, and Frank got to his feet, reloading his gun. Natarle waited impatiently for the dump to finish, and it finally chimed in with its job done. Grabbing hold of the disk, Natarle rushed over to where Frank leaned up against the wall and said, "They'll be sending more after us."
"We gotta get back to the ship. I just hope the others are alright." He peered out into the hallway and said, "Coast is clear. Let's go!" and they rushed out into the hallway.
Inside the rear dock, the pilot of the shuttle heard the alarms blare outside his cockpit. Rushing out into the dock, he grabbed another soldier by the shoulder and asked, "What the hell's going on?"
"Intruders. Earth Alliance spies no doubt!" the man shouted, running to his station.
Damn, the pilot thought, making his way back into the shuttle. Reaching the cockpit, he turned on all the ship's systems and sat down, waiting, he hoped, for his passengers to return. From his cockpit seat, he could make out the forms of GINN's racing out into the surrounding airspace. Great, he thought, more trouble.
Outside, the alarms could be heard from all over the surrounding airspace. Kira's mouth went aghast and his eyes widened when he heard it. "Dammit, they found 'em," he cursed. He powered up the Freedom's phase shift armor and its weapons, but he didn't move the mobile suit. His orders were to stay hidden in the asteroid cluster unless hostilities presented themselves to him. He just hoped Athrun and Cagalli would be able to make it out before the hostilities reached them or him.
Athrun dodged bullets as he sprinted down the corridor. Occassionally, he managed to return fire with his own gun, but he soon ran out of ammo and threw the weapon to the floor. He kept running until he reached the opening to the shaft he and the others had climbed up earlier. He turned around just in time to see soldiers appearing around the corner behind him. Holding his breath, Athrun jumped through the opening and down into the dark shaft. He fell for what seemed like an eternity, finally managed to snag hold of a girder to stop his fall. A cry of pain escaped his mouth as he heard his shoulder crack on the hard steel. He looked back up into the darkness above him to see figures standing in the opening he had just jumped out off. He heard voices.
"D'you see who that was?"
"Patrick Zala's kid. Yeah!"
Oh, dammit, Athrun thought to himself. They know who I am. He also knew that since they knew who he was, they also knew that he was a traitor to ZAFT and the PLANTs. And anyone who betrays their own side during a time of war, was to be met only with death.
With his shoulder continuing to scream in pain, Athrun maneuvered his way over another girder and stepped down onto it. He could see the elevator inside the shaft below him, and he dropped onto the roof of the craft, just as it began to plummit into Boaz's depths.
The elevator doors opened and Jay fired his semi-automatic into the chaos of soldiers ahead of he and Cagalli, felling two of them. The two sprinted into a nearby corridor and hid behind a wall for protection from incoming gunshots. "How far away are we!" Jay shouted.
"We're one floor above the dock!" Cagalli returned. "But we've got to go back and get Athrun!"
"No way!" Jay shouted, running down the corridor towards another doorway. Uploading his data reader into the terminal, he began cycling through the codes in order to break the lock.
"What do you mean no way!" Cagalli yelled, coming up behind him. "He's in trouble right now! We have to go back."
"No. We have to get out of here and make sure some of us get back. Besides," he added, finally able to break the code and sliding the door open, "We promised your dad we'd get you back."
"I don't care," Cagalli shouted. "I can't leave him."
"Look!" Jay said, taking Cagalli by the shoulders. "Kid. He's a grown boy right now. He can take care of himself. What matters now is that you get yourself out of here alive! Would you rather throw away your life and risk having Athrun's taken away also?" Cagalli was about to cry. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Her head fell and she shook it slowly. "Come on kid. We've got to go." Jay went through the door and fired his pistol, befalling another soldier before running off into another corridor, Cagalli managing to keep up despite her emotions being shattered.
Athrun rode the elevator down the darkened shaft for as long as it went. Finally, it screeched to a halt, just above the third floor on Boaz's structure, one floor above the dock. Athrun crawled across the roof, holding onto his injured shoulder as he did, reaching the edge and slinking onto the elevator's side. Thinking quickly, he located a nearby air vent and managed to clamber into the small shaft. Dust clouded his vision as he made his way through the vent. He coughed loudly as the particles caught in his throat and choked him. His knees banged against the metal below him, starting to ache in pain the further he went. He shut his eyes in order to keep the dust out of them, held his breath for as long as he could to keep his lungs clear. Forging ahead, Athrun headed slowly but surely, towards his destination.
The pilot stood outside of the shuttle's entrance, listening to a group of soldiers beside him discuss what was happening. "I hear one of 'em is Chairman Zala's kid," one said.
"No shit! We gotta be the one's to get him then," another added.
"Just as long as we get all of 'em, we're in good shape."
Just then, two figures came sprinting into the docks, not dressed in any type of ZAFT or PLANT uniform. The soldiers spotted them and raised their weapons. This was the chance the pilot had been waiting for. He crouched low and cut the legs of one of the soldiers out from under him, sending him sprawling to the floor. His shocked comrades were met by a hail of gunfire from the two figures ahead of them. The three remaining soldiers fell with blood seeping from their wounds, hurt, but not dead. Picking up a downed soldier's gun, the pilot raked it across the face of the soldier he'd knocked down, knocking him out.
The two figures ran towards the pilot, their guns in their outstretched arms. "Is the shuttle alright?" Frank asked, catching up to the pilot.
"She's fine, but they're locking down the base. We've gotta get out of here, now!" The pilot led the way as they entered the shuttle's insides. "How'd it go?"
"We got the dump," Natarle said, brandishing the disk she had brought with her. "All the data you need is on this disk."
"Any word from Jay or the others?" Frank asked, taking a seat behind the pilot.
"Nothing," was the answer.
"We're right hear!" came Jay's voice from outside of the shuttle. Footsteps could be heard running up the entrance ramp to the shuttle as Jay and Cagalli came aboard, panting heavily. "Damn guards chased us all the way around the place..." Jay panted.
"Where's Athrun?" Frank asked.
"He's stuck back there," Cagalli said, breathing hard. "We have to wait for him to get back."
"How much time until they lock the dock down?" Natarle asked the pilot, coming into the cockpit.
"About a minute!" the pilot shouted back.
"Start the engines up then!" Frank ordered. "We've gotta get out of here while we still can."
"But Athrun's!" Cagalli began.
"I know!" Frank returned. "But unless we leave now, none of us will get out."
Above the docks, Athrun plunged into the dust clouds ahead of him in the vent. Reaching a ventilation window, he managed to look down into the dock and see the shuttle below him. He saw it's engines fire up and white flames came sprouting from the turbines in the rear. Groaning heavily because of his injured shoulder, Athrun removed the window, and swung his legs over the edge of the vent. He only had one shot at this. He either made it, or he died trying. Either way, he had no choice.
Pushing off with his hands, Athrun dropped into the dock's atmosphere, plummeting down towards the shuttle below. He landed with as much grace as possible on the roof of the shuttle, causing a loud bang to ring out on the inside. He rolled twice on the roof to break his fall, landing on his injured shoulder in the process. He cried out, but still kept going towards the top hatch. He banged on it several times.
Inside, the people heard the clanging on top of the shuttle. "What the hell is that?" Jay said.
"Someone's at the top hatch," the pilot answered. "We've got forty seconds."
"Hey!" Athrun shouted. "Can you let me in!"
"It's Athrun!" Cagalli gasped, running towards the hatch. She climbed up the ladder to it and unscrewed the hatch, letting thin air glide into the shuttle, which blew her blonde hair all over the place. Athrun managed to gingerly lower himself through the hole and close the hatch behind him, locking it in the process. As soon as he touched down on the deck, Cagalli threw herself at him, holding him for dear life. "You are such an idiot!" she yelled into his chest. "How could you do that to me!" Athrun didn't respond.
"Strap yourselves in, we're getting out of here!" the pilot shouted. He activated a switch and released the lock on the shuttle. There were only ten seconds left, and the doors to the dock were closing. Pushing the thrusters to their limits, the pilot steered the shuttle towards the opening, soaring through it just before they closed.
The blackness of space once again surrounded the shuttle, though this time there were dashes of yellow and green laser fire all around. The spies had been seen boarding the shuttle and it was now the target of the patrolling GINNs as they unleashed their firepower at it. Since the shuttle was not a combat craft, it maneuvered clumsily, taking shots from weapons as it desperately attempted to escape from the melee. A group of six GINNs approached from the rear, their guns firing wildly at the evading shuttle. "We're gonna need some help here in a minute," the pilot groaned, grasping the control stick fiercely.
His prayers were answered when the GINNs had their weapons explode in front of them. "I think we just got it," Athrun said, as he saw the Freedom glide down towards the shuttle, its beam rifle still firing.
"Get out of here, now!" Kira shouted over the radio. "I'll deal with these guys! Just get yourselves to safety!" More GINNs approached, firing at the new target. The Freedom's phase shift armor easily withstood these shots. Kira withdrew one of his beam sabers and charged at the approaching mobile suits. He chopped and sliced, parried and swung, decapitating arms and heads, disabling every mobile suit in his path. A total of seven GINN's were disabled by these maneuvers. With still more coming, Kira activated his targeting reticle, and red square surrounded his targets. A seed exploded before his eyes. Activating his thrusters, Kira soared backwards and fired all of his guns at the GINNs, destroying their weapons and limbs before they could even fire a shot.
His work done, Kira turned the Freedom and spread its fins for maximum speed. He soared after the shuttle as the two craft raced away from Boaz, the data they'd come for safely tucked away inside of their bellies. GINNs that had not sustained damage continued to fire at the escaping craft even after they were out of sight. Safely out of range, the shuttle and the Freedom didn't cut their speed until they were safely out of L5. The people inside didn't breath easily again until they were safely inside Mendel a few days later.