Mendel, October 8, C.E. 71, 0950.
"Hard to port!" Jackson shouted. Sera jerked at the helm, turning the Kusanagi away from a barrage of missiles, some of which grazing the ship's starboard rear fin, causing an explosion that shook the ship.
Cantarii held tight to his chair as the shaking ceased. "The Nazca's are launching mobile suits, Admiral."
"Can you identify?" Cantarii asked.
"Checking models. Twelve GINNs and seven GuAIZ models!"
"Incoming missiles!"
"Evade!" Jackson commanded. "Thirty to starboard!"
"Damn," Mayura swore. She swung her M1 past a wave of missiles and streaked toward the Valiant. "Take this!" she cried, firing her beam rifle at the ship.
"Evade! Lower bow, pitch angle sixteen!" Seymour ordered. The ship dove downwards, nose-first and the shots zoomed by overhead. "Aim Valients, fire!"
Yellow energy blasts cascaded from the guns on the underside of the ship. "Aah!" Mayura shrieked, jerking the controls to evade the shots. The shots missed and she raced away from the ship.
A Moebieus approached Orel's M1 quickly, firing two missiles at him. "Ughh..." Orel groaned. He pulled back on the stick and the M1 soared backwards in a wide arc. This gave Orel the angle needed to destroy the missiles with a quick shot from his beam rifle. "My turn." Orel withdrew the M1's beam saber and charged. The mobile armor pilot turned his craft hard to starboard to evade the slice. But just as he completed his turn, a shot from another M1 caught the mobile armor in the underbelly, its figure disintegrating in seconds.
Two GINNs made attack runs on the Kusanagi, using long range missile cannons, scoring several hits and near misses. "This is getting ridiculous, here," Wayne commented. "Follow me Anson!" Wayne flew a straight course perpendicular to the ZAFT mobile suits and fired his beam rifle at them, his wingmate doing the same.
"Watch it!" a GINN pilot warned his partner. The green mobile suits sprang upwards and evaded the shots.
"Man, these guys are all over the place," Wayne said, turning to try another attack.
On board the Relentless, Slythr witnessed the battle looming up ahead with keen interest. "The Earth Forces seem to have beaten us here," he said. "I usually don't like someone else beating me to a bounty."
"Commander?" the ship's captain turned to him.
"Prepare the Relentless' guns, Captain. Have the Hellderton and Hoisingert do the same. Our sole targets are the Orb vessels. Tell our mobile suits to leave the Earth Forces alone for the time being."
"They really mean business if they brought three Nazca's here, General," Captain Norris said through the view screen. "This may not play well in our favor."
"Have the Intrepid take up position to our starboard, Brock," Bradford commanded. "Captain McKinley, bring the Valiant to bear on the Mendel colony. We'll create a hole for our mobile suits to slip through."
"Fire sledge-hammer missiles!" Seymour commanded. "Turn bow twenty degrees to starboard. Have you identified those ZAFT ships yet, Lester? Any idea what team they belong to?"
"We've run the I.D. numbers and they all match ships under the command of Commander Tomas Slythr, Captain," Lester responded. "ZAFT 3rd mobile transport unit."
"Slythr, eh," Bradford said. "At least we're not outnumbered too badly. Where's the Orb ships?"
"They're behind one of the damaged colonies, General."
Damn. He's still got it... Bradford thought uneasily. It was going to be difficult to even come out of here with a draw. Against a man like Cantarii, he'd need to bring his best game. Luckily, he knew enough of Cantarii's classic maneuvers to be able to use that against him. But, he also knew, Cantarii could equally do the same to him.
"Incoming heat sources!" Tomer shouted. "Missiles!"
"Intercept!" Seymour commanded.
As the Valiant swayed beneath him, Bradford stared out at the lights all around them. The things battle produced and while they were definitely beautiful, they were also deadly. Men and women were dying out there, and those pretty lights were killing them.
Kusanagi took another hit, a shot from a Nazca that demolished a whole set of Igelstellungs in a ball of flame. "Grrr..." Cantarii growled, hanging on to his seat.
"Damage status?" Jackson ordered.
"Igelstellungs six through nine have been hit!"
"We've sealed off bulkheads forty-five to fifty-one," another said, her voice urgent. "The manipulator's been jammed, as well."
"Nate, fix that thing for God's sake!" Manchisco shouted.
"We're trying!" Kellhorn shot back, pushing his glasses back onto his nose. "We got fires all over the place down here Josh. You guys better watch it up there or we'll be in deep shit real soon!"
"Lower bow, pitch angle twenty degrees!" Jackson ordered. "Roll port thirty degrees!"
"Aim Gottfrieds!" Manchisco commanded, the main cannons of the ship rising from their hiding places in front of the bridge, one on the top of the ship, the other on the bottom. "Fire!"
A GINN was incinerated by the two sets of green energy that streaked from the cannons. The beams continued on and struck the Intrepid square in the starboard side, causing an explosion, fires incinerating crew that were nearby.
Jessie strained inside her cockpit, jerking at the controls of her Strike Dagger as she fought off another one of the M1s. She brought her targeting computer online and fired a succession of quick shots with her beam rifle. One shot caught the M1's rifle and destroyed it. Its weapon gone, the red mobile suit retreated. "Damn," she swore, seeing the fires breaking out on the Intrepid. "This isn't going well."
"Captain Norris?" Bradford called.
"We're fine," Norris replied, his large body mass constrained by his chair on the bridge, the crew working feverishly all around him. "We lost a lot of our missile tubes and that shot ripped a pretty big hole, but otherwise, we're okay."
"Pull back, Brock," Bradford ordered. "There's nothing more you can do right now."
"Yeah, sorry," Norris responded, dejectedly.
"Jessie, Keryuoko!" Seymour called. "Use your Daggers to cover the Intrepid while she gets out of the line of fire!"
"Roger, that!" Jessie sent back, as she turned her Dagger back towards the burning Intrepid.
"Jani-class pulling back, Admiral," a crewman reported to Cantarii.
"They're getting away while they still can, sir," Manchisco added.
"What about the Valiant?" Cantarii demanded.
"It's still approaching, sir," came the reply. "Blue delta fourteen."
"Peleuia, Capricorn!" Cantarii shouted.
"Yes, Admiral?"
"Go and deal with those Nazcas," he ordered. "See if you can draw their fire away from us. We'll take care of the Valiant."
"Yes, sir!" Her sister ships began peeling away from the Kusanagi as she headed out towards the Earth Forces vessel ahead of them. "Prepare to intercept, Captain."
"Prepare Lohengrin and main cannons!" Jackson ordered.
Her main cannons firing, the Relentless and the other Nazcas marched onwards towards Mendel. "Two of the Izumo-class ships are turning towards us, Commander."
"Concentrate your fire on them, Captain," Slythr commanded. "Have the Hoisingert do the same and order the Hellderton to aim at the colony."
The Captain was surprised and he turned his chair to face his commander. "The colony...Commander?"
"It's their base, Captain," Slythr responded. "That's where they've been holed up all these months. That's where they launched the attack on Jachin Due from. Where we lost so many good soldiers. We cannot afford to let them do that again. If we destroy Mendel, that will defeat them."
The Captain turned his chair back to the front and said, "Yes, sir. Aim main cannons. Fire!"
Green energy streaks came at the two Orb ships, but their crews evaded them like a rodeo rider taming a bull, going around the shots with incredibly maneuverability. The Hellderton meanwhile fired its main cannons at Mendel, hitting it several times on the port side of the colony, ripping large holes and causing fires.
Inside Mendel's command center, Cagalli lost her balance and nearly fell over. Kisaka grabbed onto her arm and held her upright as the colony shook. "Impact on colony's port side. Fires breaking out on decks G and H!"
"Damage control! Put those fires out! Evacuate all personnel in stations twenty-five through thirty-one!"
Uzumi scowled. "Three Nazca-class ships are on the other side of the colony, Lord Uzumi," a soldier reported. "The Earth Forces are attacking with two ships."
"This doesn't bode well," Uzumi said. Cagalli moved behind her father and heard him say, "What's status of our forces?"
"Peleuia and Capricorn are engaging the ZAFT ships, sir," someone responded. "The Kusanagi's been hit, but she's still moving."
"Losses?" Uzumi asked.
"Five M1s so far, Lord Uzumi, plus any crew on board the ships that were taken out by the impacts..."
Cagalli sighed in sadness at the loss of life on their side. "Have you been able to make contact with either the Archangel or the Eternal, Kisaka?" Uzumi asked.
"Not since the radio's were jammed, Lord Uzumi," Kisaka answered. "Eternal's last transmission told us she was in the process of retrieving her surveillance craft and she'd be heading after the Archangel shortly."
"That last hit knocked the colony's main transmitter off line as well, sir," a crewman added.
Uzumi paused. "Kisaka," he said finally. "Do you think we can pull a victory out of this?"
Kisaka thought about it and said, "Under the present circumstances we still hold the advantage in numbers, Lord Uzumi, but unless the Earth Forces and ZAFT start attacking each other instead of us, we very well likely will sustain heavy losses by the time this is over."
"But there's also the fact that even if we did win this battle," Uzumi responded, "the Earth Forces and ZAFT now know where we're located. After this they'll return, though in greater numbers."
"What are you saying, father?" Cagalli asked.
Uzumi nodded slightly and said, "Kisaka...I think it's time we began the evacuation."
"Lord Uzumi..." Kisaka began, but Uzumi cut him off.
"You've already realized by now, I'm sure Kisaka," he said, "that no matter what happens today, we've already lost. It will only be a matter of time before we fall if we stay like this."
"Our forces will no longer be safe here. In order for our cause to succeed we must remain in the shadows, watching over both sides in case things become desperate. In this current state we can do neither." Uzumi turned his head to face the scrambling soldiers working at their stations all around him. "Our ideals can not be accomplished by continuing what we've been doing these past few months. Neither of us wants any more of our soldiers to die, Kisaka. You understand that don't you? If we remain here, none of us may survive, even if we did win today."
Kisaka's face remained constant for a few moments. Then his eyes shut and he bowed his head slightly. "I understand, sir..."
Uzumi hummed in response and bowed his head in return. As Kisaka left, he glanced at his blonde haired daughter beside him and laid a soft hand on her head. Cagalli looked at him unsure of what to say in response. What did her father mean by those words with Kisaka? What was he going to do?
"Commander," Uzumi said to a man nearby.
"Yes, sir!"
"Give the order." The colony shook once again from another impact. "All Mendel personnel are to evacuate the colony's interior immediately. We're abandoning the facility."
"Lord...?"
"Initiate Code-14 as well," Uzumi added solemly.
The Commander's mouth dropped. "Code-14? Father, you don't mean...?" Cagalli didn't even bother to finish. By the look on her father's determined face, she knew that he wasn't going to change his mind. It was a done deal.
Kusanagi's remaining Igelstellungs put up a barrage of fire all around the ship to protect it from missile attacks. Missiles roared from tubes at the ship's aft and overwhelmed a Strike Dagger, blowing it to pieces. Sounds of gunfire echoed through space.
"What did you just say!" Cantarii thundered. "Code-14!"
"That's right," Manchisco reported. "Lord Uzumi just ordered Mendel completely evacuated. He's initiated Code-14 as well. He wants the Kusanagi and her sister ships to buy them enough time to complete the preparations."
"How long will that take?" Jackson asked.
"About forty-five minutes, Captain Jackson," Manchisco finished.
Cantarii watched another M1 explode in front of the ship. Another pilot lost. "Where's the Valiant?" he demanded.
"Blue sixteen, delta eighty, Admiral," came the response. "It's among the debris of the damaged colonies."
"They're busy with the M1s right now, Admiral," Jackson added. "It'd be dangerous to pursue it, Admiral. We'd be likely to get ourselves caught up in the debris along the way."
"The Nazcas?" Cantarii asked.
"Green bravo, twenty-three, Admiral."
Cantarii brought the images of the blue ships onto his monitor and looked long and hard at them. Other than Mendel, which was blocking his view of them partially, there was nothing really around them. No damaged colonies or debris. That was the only option that made sense to him. "Have the Peleuia and the Capricorn press their attacks on them," he ordered. "If we want to get out of here, we'll go through them."
"But if we head towards them, all three will fire at us, Admiral," Manchisco pointed out.
"However, if we bust through, we'll be home free then," Cantarii returned. "As soon as we're clear of this mess, Captain Jackson, get the Kusanagi over there as well. We'll see if we can find a hole in this net."
"If there is one it's going to be hard to find, sir," Jackson said.
Cantarii smiled. "Then we'll make a hole, Captain. Either way, we've got to buy enough time for them get everything ready for Code-14. There's going to be a lot of fireworks real soon."
Archangel, 0950.
You could have heard a pin drop in the hangar. No one spoke. No one moved. Those of the crew that had been huddled into the circle sat hunched on their knees, their mouths closed in stunned silence. Blood stained the deck beneath John's lifeless body, a puddle of red against the gray of the deck.
"Well then," Azrael said, putting the gun back into his jacket. "Moving on. There are some other individuals who I'm very interested in meeting, Sergeant Richards. Particularly the Captain and Combat Commander of this vessel. I've never had the chance to introduce myself to them."
"Yes, sir," Richards answered.
"I'd also like to see a few of my old school chums while we're here," Azrael added. "From what you've told me they have already been detained and interrogated. I just cannot wait to see them again."
"Dirty, son of a bitch."
Azrael raised his eyebrows and turned his head to glance at the circle of captives. He knew that voice, all too well. He'd been dreading it ever since he was younger.
"Niada..." Jay whispered to his friend next to him, trying to get him to shut up.
"He heard me," Niada responded, not even bothering to look at Jay.
Azrael sighed and turned to Richards. "Sergeant, if you please."
Richards reached into his jacket's pocket and withdrew something. "With pleasure." He raised the pistol to aim at the man with a pony-tail with startling quickness. Just beforehand, his mind smiled in delight. I've been waiting to do this for a long time, he thought happily. Then he fired.
Two shots in rapid precision. Both hit Niada square in the chest and he was sent backwards off of his knees. "Niada!" Jay called, moving to help his wounded friend.
He stopped suddenly when he felt something press against his temple. "Move and you end up like him," one of the Guardsmen warned.
Red blood was already seeping out of the two holes in Niada's chest, spilling onto his green jacket and then dripping onto the deck. His eyes were closed and the people near him knew he was dead. Blood began to trickle out of his mouth in one small burst and dripped onto his black pony-tail, turning it red.
"Oh, shit," Sai said to himself on the observation platform above the hangar. "He's just signed his death certificate."
Behind a stack of crates on the port side of the hangar, Stevy had seen it right in front of his face. His twin brother had been shot in cold blood and was probably dead now. His hands trembled and his teeth chattered as he tried to remain invisible in his hiding spot. A million thoughts raced into his mind, making it appear as if a metropolitan subway had been implanted into it. He stared long and hard at Azrael and Richards, the two who had just taken away two of the most sacred figures in his entire life. His mother and father had died when he was little. Now his twin was gone, as well as the only father figure he'd had for most of his life. His right hand tried to make itself into a fist as it held the barrel of the machine gun he held against him. Rage began to surge through his body. Towards Azrael and Richards. Those two were going to pay. His left hand reached up and cocked the machine gun's firing chamber. They were going to pay dearly.
"Stevy...?" Coop said uneasily at the other end of the stack of crates.
"You'll know when to start shooting," was Stevy's response as he got up off his knees and slowly made his way away from his hiding spot.
Above the hangar, at the entrance to one of the adjacent corridors, Mwu and Frank pressed themselves against the walls, trying to tell themselves that what had just happened was just a dream. That John wasn't really dead. Neither was Niada. Their friends. Their comrades. But no matter how hard they tried, they knew it was true and they couldn't do a thing about it.
"Stevy's gonna do something drastic, Mwu," Frank said.
"Yeah...I know," Mwu responded, trying to fight the tears back into his eyes.
Azrael stared at the lifeless body in the circle and then turned to one of his men and said, "Why are these people so stubborn? It's not like they have a chance to stop us. They are under our control now. Why do they continue to waste their lives for no reason?"
The man shrugged in response, so Azrael continued. "Ah, well, what's done is done. I should very much like to see the other Barrington if you don't mind now."
"Other Barrington, sir?"
"Yes, Stevy Barrington, the twin of the one Sergeant Richards just shot," Azrael said. He folded his arms and said, "He's down here isn't he?"
The man hesitated and then answered, "Which one is he specifically, sir?"
A sharp crackle sounded and one of the Guardsmen went sprawling onto the deck. Two more sounds and another fell, their guns clattering to the deck. Azrael and the rest of his men snapped their heads in the direction the sounds came from. Azrael scrunched his eyebrows and said harshly, "That one."
On the bridge, Murrue witnessed the incidents one right after the other. Another brave soul was gone. Niada Barrington's life had been taken away in cold blood. Another death that was her fault. For trusting these murderous bastards. Now, the camera in the hangar zoomed in on Stevy's form, his body visibly trembling as he held the machine gun in his hands, his breath coming in rasping currents mostly through his nose. She could see the frustration and anger on his face over losing his brother, but she could also see the pain and sorrow the young man was feeling at the same time. "No Stevy..." she murmured.
"He's not going to try to...?" Natarle began, but didn't even bother to finish.
"Barrington," Bennett said harshly. "I thought you told me you had him under control?"
"We did, sir," Christy responded. "The one Sergeant Richards just got."
"There were twins, you dumb-ass," Bennett retorted. Then he chuckled. "No matter, though. It looks like he's just going to get himself killed anyway."
Stevy's eyes bore into Azrael and Richards as he faced them, machine gun in hand. Richards had aimed his pistol back at him, as had every other Guardsman in the hangar. Coop noticed this too. His focus was on the circle of captives, where Niada's lifeless body lay. The guards there were also focused on Stevy's form on the other side of the hangar. And many of the ones in the rear had moved forward and taken up position ahead of the circle. Meaning that there was no one watching them from behind. It was then that it hit Coop right in the head.
"Get your gun ready Mir," Coop said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a sub-machine gun known as an Uzi. "We'll have to start shooting real soon."
"What are you going to do?" Miriallia asked, taking the hand-gun into her hand and shoving in a magazine. "You're not going to try and back Stevy up are you?"
"Precisely." Coop edged around the row of crates and added, "Though not in the way you make think."
He spied Chief Murdoch and Hank kneeling at the edge of the circle to the rear. Azrael was speaking to Stevy now, though Coop couldn't make out the words exactly. Murdoch's head slowly turned itself and found Coop off to his left. Coop made a sweeping motion with the hand with the Uzi in it and then pointed to Murdoch with the other. Murdoch was puzzled at first, but then a smiled spread across his face and he nodded. He slowly reached over and nudged Hank with his elbow. Hank saw Coop as well and soon he knew the same thing Murdoch did, without even saying one word. Hopefully all these years of frisbee have payed off, Coop hoped as he took a hand gun into his other hand.
"Stevy," Azrael said. "You know you can't win. It's twenty-five on one right now. Plus all the others that are aboard this ship. If I were you, I'd stand down now and just accept imprisonment."
"You think I'm gonna listen to a slimy bastard like you, Azrael," Stevy hissed back. "If I were you, I'd start running now before I blow your twisted brains away."
Azrael chuckled. "Stevy, Stevy, Stevy. When will you learn? All those years ago when you tormented me at the academy...I've been waiting for this day for a long time, my friend."
"Mwu, look." Mwu brought his face back to face the hangar below him and he saw Coop moving from his hiding spot behind the crates. Two guns were gripped in his hands. "They don't see 'em."
"Yeah," Mwu said, his excitement growing by the second. "Bastard better say his prayers."
"I'll give you one last chance, Azrael," Stevy warned, tightening his grip on the gun. "Leave now, and I won't kill you."
Coop flicked his wrist hard behind him and threw the Uzi in a long, sweeping arc through the air. It turned a complete spiral on its side before landing softly against Murdoch's chest. He repeated the process with the hand-gun in his other hand and it too hit its mark in Hank's hands. The two men looked at each other and nodded.
Azrael smiled behind the barrel of his gun. "You people are all the same you know. John's weakness did rub off on you all. And once again, you're in no position to make demands."
Sai brought the scope of the sniper's rifle in front of his eye and cocked the firing chamber. "Say your prayers, you bastards," he whispered to himself.
"Kill him," Azrael ordered lightly. Guns were raised to aim at Stevy, who didn't move an inch.
As soon as those words left Azrael's mouth, Murdoch and Hank bolted to their feet and all hell broke loose. Bullets tore from the barrels of their guns and struck the Guardsmen whose backs were turned to them. The others in the circle were on their feet in an instant, attacking traitors who didn't react quickly enough. Many of the Guardsmen turned to face the new threat. "Kill them!" Azrael shouted. Three of them near the stack of crates brought their guns up, but Coop jumped into the action, two guns in his hands and dropped all three of them with a quick burst of fire.
Underneath the shuttle, Dearka tucked the blade underneath his arm and sprinted across the deck of the hangar, bullets ricocheting off of the walls and deck all around him. He made it across without injury and ducked behind a door and hid himself, watching the new battle as it unfolded.
On the observation platform above them, Mwu was ecstatic. "Let's go!" he shouted, but before he could start shooting, Frank grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the corridor, nearly pulling him down onto the deck in the process. "Frank, what-!" Mwu began to shout, but Frank silenced him.
"Mwu! Think for a second!" he scolded. They could hear the gunshots from the firefight below them gaining strength. "How many guys do you think Azrael's got down there? Twenty-five he said. There were a total of sixty Gyndana Guardsmen who got on back at Gyndana. That means there's about half of them not here, and knowing Azrael he's going to be calling many of them back down here to protect his sorry hide. Which means..."
Mwu's eyes widened. "The bridge is wide open."
"Exactly. Stevy and the others can handle themselves down here. Right now," he turned his head back towards the corridor beyond and said, "we gotta go save our girls."
"They better be okay," Mwu added as they sprinted down the corridor.
Two shots sounded from the barrel of the pistol and dropped the man dead in his tracks. Miriallia's hands trembled after firing those shots. That was the first time she'd fired at a real target. And she'd hit him. It felt weird for her. Her stomach turned inside of her. But it was quickly forgotten as more of the traitors began running across the deck, looking for cover from the growing number of enemy fire.
Behind her, a traitor regained his footing and spotted her, her back turned to him. He smiled and brought his gun to bear directly at the back of her head. A bullet tore through his neck before he could fire, causing him to collapse in agony on the deck. Miriallia snapped her head behind her and saw the man fall. She turned her head this way and that, looking for the source of the shot, but she couldn't find it. A little ways away, Dearka blew the smoke away from the barrel of his gun and smiled.
Many of the captives that had been herded into the circle were now running free through the hangar again. Several ran to a location near Murdoch's desk and smashed open the door to an ammo locker, retrieving guns and ammunition to fight back.
Azrael cowarded behind the shuttle's thick plating for cover as the gunfire increased. Richards had separated himself from Azrael and was now ducked behind a metal container firing his pistol at some of the crew, sending two down to the ground with bullets in their heads. "Mr. Azrael, are you hurt?" a traitor asked.
"Get me out of here!" Azrael ordered, sprinting out from his hiding spot and heading towards the shuttle's ramp.
"Wait a minute!" the traitor responded, starting after Azrael, only to get a bullet in his back for his troubles.
Bullets ricocheted off of the shuttle's plating as Azrael sprinted up the ramp and into the safety of its holds, safe from the gunfire that he'd started. He wanted no part of this whatsoever. Richards saw Azrael disappear into the shuttle, hiding in fear of this fight. Azrael wasn't a fighter and Richards knew that all too well. "Damn it," he swore, as he fired his pistol again and again. "May as well get it over with now." With that said, he got up from his cover and headed across the hangar towards a corridor.
From his hiding spot underneath one of the Skygraspers, Stevy caught sight of the man that had killed his brother running across the deck. He tried to fire his machine gun, but it jammed. He threw it away quickly and took out his second gun, a small 9 millimeter and loaded it. Richards stopped in his tracks when Stevy shot at him from underneath the plane. He turned and fired back, his shots bouncing off of the aircraft's fuselage causing Stevy to duck his head. "I finished your brother off, Stevy!" Richards shouted over the guns going off. "Now I may as well put you out of your misery as well!" He fired two more shots and took off down the corridor.
"Bastard!" Stevy called after him as he crawled out from under the Skygrasper and took off after Richards, gun in hand. Before he entered the corridor, he saw something on the ground. Something silver that was winking at him. He realized what it was and he scooped it up in his hands and ran after Richards.
Dearka saw his friend tear off into the corridor directly next to him after Richards. Knowing what that bastard was capable of, giving what happened to all of them at Cuba, Dearka re-loaded his pistol and took off after them, heading into the darkness of the corridor beyond, gun shots ringing out from the two pistols as they fired at one another with hatred in their hearts.
The images the camera provided to the bridge weren't all that glamorous, but still, they told the entire story. "Bastards," Bennett swore. "We didn't get them all."
"It doesn't look like we're going to be able to hold the hangar, though boss," another man pointed out.
"Who cares," Fuller said, taking a vicious hold of Natarle's arm. "As long as we've got the bridge, they can't do anything."
"Let go of me!" Natarle shouted, jerking her arm free from his grip. A short cry escaped her throat as Fuller whacked her across the face with his gun, sending her flying down to the deck, unconsciousness consuming her as she landed.
Fuller pointed his gun down at her and prepared to shoot, but Bennett grabbed his arm in time to stop him. "Natarle-!" Murrue started to shout, but she stopped when Bennett whipped his gun back to aim at her forehead.
"Don't move!" Bennett ordered angrily. Murrue raised her hands in self defense but her anger was rising steadily by the second. These bastards had killed her brother. Killed members of her crew. Hurt her friend. And who knows what they'd done to Mwu? She prayed he was okay, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't be that way for some reason. Her urge to just snap and attack Bennett right then and there was greater than ever, but she suppressed it. She had to keep her cool and have faith in the people in the hangar. That they would somehow come for them and free them from these bastards.
Neumann tried to turn his head to make sure Natarle was okay, but Christy once again shoved the barrel of his gun into his temple and turned him back around. "Take your hands off, I kill you," he warned. Neumann hissed through his teeth and kept his hands on the helm. Josef was still unconscious next to him from the dart protruding out of his back. Now Natarle lay on her side just in front of the captain's chair, unconscious as well, her eyes closed, her mouth open just slightly, and her black hair a mess.
"Get us out of here!" Azrael shouted to the pilot of the shuttle. He ran into the cockpit and grabbed the man by the collar. "I said get us out of here!"
"But our men are still down there!" the pilot responded.
Azrael pulled out his gun and aimed it at the man's head. "If you don't take off now, I'll blow your head off like I did Namora's!"
Sai fired the sniper rifle, catching a traitor dead in the chest and dropping him quickly. This wasn't the first time Sai had had to kill someone. He'd done his fair share of killing during the Cuba mission and later at Jachin Due. But it still turned his stomach whenever he had to do it. But he knew it couldn't be helped. It was either that or people he cared about would die. He saw Miriallia below him, still hiding behind the stack of crates with Coop beside her. At least they were safe.
A sound distracted him from his friends and he turned his head just in time to see Azrael's shuttle lift off the deck and start to turn itself back towards the open hatch. The magnetic field protected the people in the hangar from the lack of air in space, but it would also allow the shuttle to escape. Sai aligned the scope of the rifle with the shuttle's hull and continued firing at it all the way out of the hangar. It finally disappeared beyond the hatch and headed into the black space beyond. Sai swore to himself that he hadn't taken out Azrael when he'd had the chance earlier.
"He's gone," Coop said sadly, watching where the shuttle had just been moments before. "We didn't get him."
"Coop, we've got bigger problems!" Miriallia reminded him. "There are still bastards running around this ship that we have to corral."
"You're right. Let's go!" With that, Coop vaulted over the crates and began firing his guns in both of his hands. Miriallia came around the other side and fired the rest of her bullets as well. She saw some wounded deck crew near her and she ran over to help them.
A bullet ricocheted off of the ceiling above Stevy and he fired his pistol back in that direction where Richards was. They continued to pass through different corridors as they headed deeper into the ship. "Why are you following me, Stevy?" Richards called out loud enough for him to hear. "You know you'll just end up like your brother!"
"Not before I take you down, psycho!" Stevy shouted. He fired his pistol again.
Richards ducked into a doorway to avoid the shots. "Is that what you believe? That getting rid of me will avenge your brother? You're more impervious to the truth than I thought!"
"What truth, bastard!" Stevy yelled.
"Follow me and you'll know!" Richards called, as he fired two more shots and took off down the corridor.
"Damn it!" Stevy swore, as he re-loaded his gun and ran down the corridor again.
Dominion, 1005.
The Dominion loomed large against the debris belt it was situated in. Sutherland sat on the bridge, waiting for Azrael to return. Suddenly, he saw the shuttle leave the Archangel's hangar at top speed. That was odd. "Director Azrael's done over there already?" Hal wondered.
"That's definitely not what I expected from Azrael, yes," Sutherland said. Azrael had told him that he was going over there to take care of some unfinished business, and Sutherland knew what that was. He wanted to finish off the traitors to the Earth Alliance that had tormented him in the past. He couldn't possibly work that fast. Could he?
"He told me he'd be back in about an hour, Admiral," Rutherford put in. "It's barely been half an hour since he left. If that's the case..." Rutherford was cut off by a chiming sound.
"What's the matter?" Hal asked.
"Shuttle's trying to signal us, Captain."
"Deactivate the N-Jammers!" Sutherland ordered. A series of wails and screeches followed, signaling that the radio was back on line. "Mr. Azrael?" Sutherland asked.
"Get the Dominion and the other moving, Sutherland!" he heard Azrael shout. "Have them destroy that ship and every one of the traitors on board it! The team didn't get them all under control! Blast them bits along with them!"
"Yes, Mr. Azrael," Sutherland said, ending the conversation. "Captain Omanney. Have the Dominion destroy that traitorous ship."
"Our own forces are on board it though, Admiral," Hal said. "If we attack it-."
"That's an order, Captain," Sutherland responded harshly. "The order was to destroy the Archangel. Now do it!"
Hal looked over to Rutherford who was sitting at a console to his left. He saw that Rutherford had much the same expression on his face as he did. One that seemed to say, has he gone mad? Hal sighed though. Duty called. And he had to follow the orders of his superiors, no matter how ridiculous they seemed.
A short distance away, the diagnostic board inside the Freedom's cockpit began blaring intensely in Kira's face. He knew what it was. The radio! "Athrun!"
"I've got it too!" Athrun responded from the Justice. "It's the Archangel!"
"Let's go!" Kira shouted, as he pushed the METEORs engines for all they were worth.
Archangel, 1005.
The console in front of Pal's chair on the Archangel began blaring intensely as well. "They've dropped the N-Jammers!" he shouted, only to have a gun pointed back into his face.
"Don't speak!" came a harsh reply.
"If he talks again, kill him," Bennett ordered, still pointing his gun right at Murrue's face. Murrue had a neutral expression on her face, not showing any sign of emotion in case he would see any weakness in her features. She needed to be strong for her crew and friends at this time, despite her own losses.
"Captain Bennett! Captain Bennett!"
Bennett reached into his pocket roughly and withdrew his radio. "Now what's the matter?"
"They've broken out of the hangar, sir! They're on the level below you! He's alive, he's alive!" Everyone on the bridge could hear the man's panicked voice loud and clear through the radio.
"Calm down, bastard," Bennett shouted into the device. "Who's alive?"
"Barkhesh!" Murrue gasped. Her eyes widened. She tried to stop it, but mist began to develop in them again. Frank! "He survived the blast and now he's got la Flaga with him! They're heading for the bridge!"
"Bring the camera on line!" Bennett ordered Pal.
With pleasure! Pal thought happily. He flipped through several angles before he found one of the deck below the bridge. They could hear gunfire erupting from the image and see bullets bouncing off the walls and the edge of the nearby blast doors.
Suddenly, a figure jumped backwards into the image, with what appeared to be a shotgun clutched in his hands. His blonde hair was messy and his face was enraged and blood stained his clothes. He fired the shotgun again and again at the enemy they could not see.
"Mwu!" Murrue said quietly, relieved that he was okay and raising hell. He was coming to get them, she knew it.
"Frank come on!" they heard Mwu call out. "There's gonna be more on us any minute!"
"Start shutting the blast doors then, Mwu!" came the reply.
"What are you nuts!" Mwu shouted back.
"Just do it!"
With an unsure look on his face, Mwu pressed the button near him and the doors began to slowly lower from the ceiling. Murrue could see him looking beneath the blast doors as they lowered down to the deck, calling out to someone behind the to hurry. The doors sank lower and lower. Finally, just before they touched the ground with a thump, a figure slid head-first underneath the steel doors and just barely made it through before they closed. The autumn colored hair. The matching mustache. The determined expression. Murrue knew who it was and her heart burst with happiness. Frank! You're alive...! If she could have, she would have cried right then and there, she was so happy.
"Come on, let's move, we probably don't have much time," she heard Frank say. That was his voice. The voice she remembered shouting at her mother that night...the night she was raped. Just thinking about that night made Murrue quiver and her heart sink. Frank had killed her mother and step-father in order to save her, but their real father had sacrificed himself to save them both. Frank was the only family she had left. If he died...no! He was not going to die! He was coming to save her again, so he wasn't going to die. Murrue smiled to herself. And when he sees what you did to Natarle, he's going to tear all of you bastards to pieces.
Stevy slinked his way around a corner and looked this way and that, searching for Richards, but could not find him. His trail had led Stevy deep into the ship towards the power sources of the Archangel. The massive engine room was just beyond, behind a set of closed doors. Stevy thought he heard something near him and he turned to point his gun in that direction, but there was nothing. He then heard something else. He turned back towards the doors to the engine room and saw someone dart inside. He fired several shots, but none of them hit. "You'll understand what's been happening Stevy! Why you're here in the first place! And why Nada had to die!"
"No one deserves to die, you bastard!" Stevy shouted back, his rage continuing to build as he walked slowly towards the doors to the engine room. "Except maybe you and that bitch Azrael!"
He reached the heavy doors and slid one of them open, its hinges creaking a hollow sound as he did. The door revealed a massive chamber that contained the Archangel's engines. Various lights turned the room blood red and Stevy could feel the ship's engines churning all around him. The temperature steadily increased as he entered, sweat beginning to bead down his head. It was a cauldron of metal and steel. As he moved further into the facility, he could see fires burning inside of furnaces and other machines, casting yellow and orange glows against the red. The heat became even more intense the further he moved, she he removed his jacket and tossed it back towards the entrance of the engine room and proceeded onward. He looked this way and that, trying to find some trace of the bastard that had killed his brother. "Remember Stevy," he said quietly to himself. "You're in the engine room of a warship. Many things in here won't react well to bullets." As if to verify his statement, shots rang out and struck the machine behind him causing steam to pour out of it. "But apparently this guy doesn't care."
"I'm impressed you followed me this far, Steven," Richards called out from somewhere else in the engine room, his voice muffled by the roar of the engines. "You're even more eager to find out the truth than I thought!"
"What truth?" Stevy sounded. "What the hell are you trying to tell me you ass-hole?"
"About us, Steven," Richards said. "About what we've been through. About who you are. About who I am. We have much in common Steven."
"Yeah, we each want to kill each other!" Stevy said, firing his gun at a shadow moving just a little ways away.
"Oh, we have much more in common than that!" Richards shouted. "So much more!" he cackled. Stevy groaned heavily as he pushed his way further into the facility.
The chaos in the hangar had subsided somewhat, but there were still some traitors slugging it out with the deck crew and the gunfire continued. "Come on, let's mop the rest of these guys up and get up the bridge!" Murdoch yelled. "We gotta make sure the Captain and everyone up there is okay."
"Where'd Stevy go?" Jay asked.
"He went after bastard Richards I think," Mike responded.
"Oh great," Jay mumbled. "Hope he doesn't do anything stupid."
"He won't," Murdoch reassured him. "He may have lost his brother, but he's still got the savvy to beat a guy like Richards at shoot to kill."
"Yeah...sure..." Jay said uneasily.
On the bridge, several of the traitors filed out of the rear entrance to stand guard against the two men they knew were coming. Bennett, Christy, Fuller, and two others remained inside the bridge, while the four others went outside. "Let's see the bastards get through that," Bennett chided.
Murrue sighed uneasily. She looked down at Natarle's unconscious form and hoped that she was okay. She was still breathing she could tell, and she didn't look that hurt.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted directly behind her on the other side of the bridge doors. A quick rapid succession of gunfire could be heard being exchanged outside. Murrue knew that Frank and Mwu had arrived. Bennett shoved the gun against her temple and came behind her, holding onto her fiercely. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the gunfire ceased. Silence prevailed at that time.
Bennett brought the radio to his face and said, "Manny. Manny, can you read me?"
Static came through the radio for a moment. Then..."Manny's not here right now."
Murrue gasped. That was Mwu's voice. He was here! "Who is this?" Bennett asked harshly.
"This is Commander Mwu la Flaga, bastard. Right now, I'm standing next to the bridge looking at the dead bodies of your men. The others are all dead in the hangar right now. Your boss Azrael's abandoned you. He ran away once the fighting started and got back to his own lair. Right now, it's just you...and whoever else you've got on that bridge."
Bennett looked around and got nods from each one of his remaining men. "You guys hurt me badly today," Mwu continued. "You took away the one person who was a father figure in my life. You also took away a good friend of mine. And knowing you cowards, you're probably hiding behind another person I care greatly for. As does, Commander Barkhesh. He's here also. And he's just as upset as I am."
"What do you want?" Bennett asked.
Down in the CIC, Chandra's head was turned to face the man holding his captain hostage, when he noticed something scroll across his screen. It was a message. It read: Open the door to the bridge when I start shooting. Chandra didn't know what that meant. But just then, he heard something behind him move. He smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Quite simply put," Mwu continued. "We're going to give you guys one chance to surrender. If you do, we'll go easy on you. If you don't...I can't make any guarantees."
Bennett chuckled. Murrue felt him grab her arm and pulled her close to him, cocking the pistol beside her head. Murrue tried not to look afraid, though inside she was terrified at this moment. This was the closest she'd been to death at this moment. She hoped Mwu and Frank knew what they were doing. Don't be a fool! she told herself. Of course they know what they're doing. In fact, they're going to save you.
"Why should we bother to listen to anything you say, la Flaga?" Bennett said into the radio. "If you try anything stupid, I'll put a bullet into your Captain's head. The odds are not with you. You cannot win."
"That may be," Mwu said. "But you have never faced people like Frank and me. We're two sons of bitches who don't give in when the lives of people we care about are in danger. Especially Frank. I bet you didn't know...he killed his mother and step-father in order to protect his little sister...oh by the way...did I forget to mention...that his sister...is the one you're probably pointing a gun at right now."
Bennett looked down at Murrue, a seemingly shocked expression on his face. Murrue raised her eyebrows and smiled. "I'd do what he says, if I were you," she warned.
He didn't yield. "Don't try anything funny, la Flaga. I'll kill her even if she is Barkhesh's sister."
On the other end of the radio, Murrue heard Mwu sigh heavily. "Okay if that's the way you want it. But let me tell you...Frank isn't one to cross...he can do things that nobody else can do...he's got the best shot of anyone on the Archangel...he can get through places that seem impossible to get through...hell, he may even be on the bridge right now...oh wait..." A cry of anguish came from the CIC and one of Bennett's men came floating up with blood streaming out of his chest. "He is." Two soft sounds echoed through the bridge, bullets tearing into Christy and Fuller, the latter flying backwards onto the deck, his gun toppling out of his hand and onto Murrue's chair. The door to the bridge opened with a whoosh and Mwu fired his shotgun, taking down the only other men besides Bennett still on the bridge. Murrue smiled when she saw his face. Bodies lay crumpled on the deck behind him. The effects of what these people had done to him were evident in his expression, one of sorrow, anger, and frustration, all put together.
Bennett turned her towards the CIC, where another figure emerged. Silenced Walther in his hand, Frank stopped on the stairs and pointed the gun at Bennett, who held Murrue in front of him. His eyes darted to the deck and saw Natarle sprawled out on the floor, her eyes closed. When Frank looked back at Bennett, his eyes looked even more terrifying than they had been. They burned with a passion that could burn a hole through Bennett now if he wanted to.
"I'm warning you," Bennett said uneasily. "I'll kill her!" He turned Murrue back towards Mwu and that was when Murrue saw her chance. She didn't want to do it, but the situation called for it. "I will..." Bennett said. "I'll-oww!" he cried out, when Murrue drove her elbow into his crotch, his hands releasing her and covering himself up. Murrue raced to her chair and grabbed the gun that had landed there. She spun quickly around and fired two shots, the first hitting Bennett in the stomach, the second right between his eyes. His body stayed erect for a few seconds, then fell backwards onto the deck, its essence completely drained.
Murrue panted heavily as she sat down in her chair, the gun falling from her hand to the deck. "That's what happens...when somebody touches me..." she panted.
It was done. The bridge was once again safe. Frank made his way up the steps, Chandra, Tonomura, and Collin following him, each a little worse for wear. Neumann stood up from his chair as well and went over to check on Josef, Pal joining him. Murrue relaxed into her chair and breathed heavily. She shut her eyes and told herself that it was over. Bennett and the bastards who had betrayed them were gone. She felt something soft and warm touch her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up towards Mwu, who had joined her. "You okay?" he asked.
"Yes," she responded, standing up gingerly and turning to face him. She saw the blood on his face and she touched it with her fingers. "You're hurt," she said.
"It's okay," Mwu responded, taking her fingers in his hand and squeezing them. "It's just a cut. I'll be fine."
Behind them, Mwu saw Frank lift Natarle up in his arms, her eyes still closed from when Fuller had hit her across the face. It appeared that Frank looked just like any other soldier at that time, but deep down, Mwu knew that he was deeply concerned for Natarle's safety. That was why his expression had changed when he had seen her unconscious on the deck. "Is she okay, Frank?" Mwu asked.
"Yeah, she just got knocked out it looks like," he responded. He brushed a strand of black hair away from her eyes and stared at her face. Her dark red lips were parted and her eyes were closed. She looked so peaceful. "Nothing damaged or anything, it doesn't look like," he added quietly.
"What about Josef, Ensign Neumann?" Murrue asked.
"It's just a tranquilizer dart, Captain," Neumann responded, holding the dart in his palm, while Pal helped Josef out of his chair. "He should be out for a few more hours, but he should come out of it okay."
"We better get him down to medical right away, though," Pal added.
Murrue let Mwu go and went over to her chair. She picked the phone up and rang the hangar. "Chief Murdoch?" she asked. No response. She repeated the phrase.
Finally, Murdoch's scruffy voice came on the line. "Captain Ramius?"
"Oh good, you're okay," Murrue said, relieved. "Is everything stable down in the hangar?"
"Yeah, we cleaned out the rest of 'em," Murdoch responded. "They did something to the bombers while they were down here, but we can't figure out what. Whatever it is, they wired some explosives to them and we don't want to touch them in fear that we'll send this entire ship to hell."
"Where's Stevy? He should be able to disarm 'em," Mwu said.
"He ran off after the shooting started," Murdoch responded. "From what I've heard, he went after Richards and they're in some part of the ship right now."
"Richards is still loose?" Murrue gasped.
"Yeah, and Stevy went after him, like I said. Who knows where they are now?"
"We probably should take inventory of who made it out okay before we do anything else, sis," Frank advised. "It's better if we know who's alive and who's not before hand."
"You're right," Murrue responded. "Let's get to it then."
"Here, I'll take her down to medical," Frank said. Before anyone could answer, he was heading out of the bridge with Natarle's body in his arms.
Murrue watched him go and smiled at her brother. That confirmed it to her. Frank liked Natarle as well. "Mr. Affione. Take Director Crue down to medical as well. Get the doctor and the nurses."
"Yes, ma'am," Collin responded.
"Right now, what we need to decide is how we're going to get away from the Earth Alliance ships," Murrue said. "There's a total of eight of them and hopefully they don't know we've taken back the ship. So then..." Murrue cut her speech off when a console started beeping continuously.
"What now?" Mwu asked.
Tonomura ran down into the CIC to his console and typed in several commands. His eyes widened with what he saw. "Captain!"
Dominion, 1020.
Sirens blared on the second Archangel-class ship as well. "Admiral!"
"What's wrong?" Sutherland demanded. "What's the matter?" Hal and Rutherford both turned with concern towards the CIC.
"Heat sources, Captain! Outside the debris belt!"
"All the way out here?" Rutherford gasped.
"Can you identify?" Yeardley asked.
"Nazca-class, blue delta nineteen. Laurasia-class, green alpha sixty-four. Confirmed launch of mobile suits from enemy ships!"
Sutherland hissed angrily. Why now Coordinators? "Captain Omanney!"
"All hands, level one battlestations!" Hal ordered. "Get the mobile suits into combat!"
Down in the hangar, the call for battlestations blared loud and complete. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Orga wondered out loud. "We've got company fellas."
"Wow," Shani said. "It looks like we will get to see some action today."
"'Bout time," Clotho put in. "I've been waiting to shoot some people for quite a while now."
"Let's go kick ass, boys!" Orga called.
Outside the debris, the Vesalius and the Ziegler deployed their mobile suits into the debris belt. Yzak sat in the cockpit of the Duel as it moved onto the catapult. "Yzak Joule. Duel launching!" he shouted as the catapult activated and he went roaring into space.
Behind Yzak, Rau brought his CGUE onto the catapult. "Ades."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm heading out," Rau proclaimed. "As soon as I return, release the pod. Keep the Vesalius as far away from the debris as possible."
"Yes, sir."
"Rau le Creuset. CGUE, taking off!" The white CGUE launched into the blackness of space beyond, a smile spreading across Rau's face.
Back in Vesalius' hangar sat a lone, green escape pod. Huddled inside, holding tight to herself, was Flay. Clutched in her hands was the disk that Rau had given her. The final key that would open the final door of the war. Outside, she could hear several of the deck crew conversing. "I hear that we're going up against that legged ship again. You know, the Archangel."
Flay's breath left her and her eyes widened. "Great. Maybe this time we'll actually get it."
Flay trembled inside the cramped pod after hearing those words. The Archangel she thought. My friends...
"All hands, level one battlestations! All hands, level one battlestations!"
Frank stopped dead in his tracks as the call for battlestations came over the intercom. He jerked himself to a stop and looked up at the speaker above him. "Damn it," he swore to himself as he continued on, Natarle still cradled in his arms.
At that moment, unbeknownst to Frank, Natarle regained her senses and her eyes opened slowly. What they saw, she couldn't believe. The autumn-colored hair and matching mustache. That determined expression. Those eyes. The strong arms supporting her body. She felt her heart becoming whole again at the sight of him, and with the brightness of the lights above her, it made him seem even more special. Making sure he didn't notice, Natarle slowly closed her eyes again and laid her head softly against his chest, directly above his heart, which she could feel beating gently against her temple. His body was warm and it provided her with a security that she hadn't had in years.
"Is it just those two ships?" Murrue asked.
"Yes," Tonomura responded. "One Nazca and one Laurasia."
"Confirmed mobile suits approaching, ma'am," Chandra put in. "Eleven GINNs, a CGUE, and the Duel."
"That makes this an even more sticky situation," Mwu said. As he thought about it even more, he felt something strike him in his brain. A sensation. One that jolted his senses and made his eyes widen. He knew who it was!
Inside the cockpit of his CGUE, Rau smiled. So it is you, Mwu. We meet again.
This feeling. It's him! Mwu thought. Rau! "How long until we get full power, Ensign Neumann?" he asked.
"About twenty minutes," Neumann responded.
"Okay. Tell the deck crew to get the Strike ready. I'm heading out."
He turned to leave, but something restrained his arm. "Mwu, you can't go out there," Murrue told him, getting up from her chair. "It's too delicate a situation. If something goes wrong-."
"We'll all end up dead," Mwu finished for her. "I don't want to either, but we've got no choice. It's either that or we let them destroy us. And I'm not about to lose any more of my friends today."
Murrue paused and averted her gaze. Mwu was afraid he'd hurt her, but he knew he had no choice. He had to go out there. Otherwise they'd be sitting ducks. "Okay then," Murrue said at last, looking back up at him. "Be careful." She kissed him firmly on the lips and went back to her chair. Mwu smiled at her back and quickly headed out of the bridge.
The Dominion's starboard hatch opened upwards and prepared to launch its mobile suits. "Course clear for launch. X-131, take off!" Orga sealed the visor on his helmet and pushed the Calamity off of the catapult and into space, jerking it to the right to miss a piece of debris that floated in front of him. "X-252, you're next." Shani followed in the Forbidden and Clotho brought up the rear with the Raider.
"All vessels are to assume attack formation and begin to intercept," Sutherland ordered. "Deploy all mobile armors and Strike Daggers. Concentrate your fire on the ZAFT mobile suits and the Archangel."
"Taking in the shuttle now, Captain," Yeardley reported.
"Ready Gottfrieds and Valient," Hal ordered. "Load all missile tubes with Korinthos."
Frank finally reached the infirmary and ducked inside. He located an empty bed and carefully laid Natarle's body onto the soft mattress. The doctor and the nurses were already there, administering Josef who was just now coming to from the effects of the tranquilizer dart. "She's unconscious. She got hit in the face, I think," Frank told the doctor.
"We'll do what's best for her," the doctor told him.
"You better," Frank said, turning to leave. "Because if you don't," he added, "I'm gonna make it so you're the one that's in that bed instead of her. So you better not let anything happen to her while I'm gone." As he left, Natarle felt her heart melting inside of her chest.
The APU system brought the Strike out of the hangar and onto the starboard catapult. Mwu sealed the visor on his helmet and powered up the systems. "Connected to catapult," he heard Miriallia report.
"You okay kid?" he asked.
"Yes, we're fine," Miriallia said, now from her post on the bridge. "Coop's down in the hangar still I think. Sai's just come up onto the bridge."
"Roger, that." The hatch swung open in front of him and he saw the black space beyond illuminated with the remnants of spaceships and other destroyed objects.
Above him, the container with the striker packs opened up. "You sure you're okay with just the Aile?" Murdoch asked.
"Yeah. In the debris field, I'll need more mobility," Mwu answered.
"Copy." The red backpack attached itself to the Strike's back and the wings folded outwards. The beam rifle and shield came onto its arms as Mwu made the final adjustments.
"Course clear for launch. You may proceed, Commander."
"Mwu la Flaga, Strike taking off!" The board went all green and the Strike rocketed off of the catapult and into the debris field.
Through the debris field, Yzak led two GINNs into the battle. "Target the Earth Forces mobile units," Yzak ordered. Then he added, "Let's see you dodge this." He brought his targeting computer over his eyes and fired the Duel's beam rifle at the incoming mobile suits. He caught a Strike Dagger in the abdomen and it blew apart quickly. The GINNs split off and attacked the ships in that area, while Yzak took on more mobile units. He destroyed two more with his beam saber and jumped away just in the nick of time to avoid being skewered by a red beam of light. "What?" he gasped.
"What do we have here?" Orga challenged, streaking right at the Duel. He fired his Schlag cannons on his back which caused Yzak to dodge and go on the defensive. "I've got this one, you guys. Go and get the ship!"
He fired his cannons again and added his bazooka to the mix.
Yzak soared above him and back flipped, firing his rifle as he completed the maneuver, but Orga dodged. "This guy's a real challenge," Yzak commented. He withdrew his beam saber and charged.
Inside the Archangel's hangar, Frank brought the Zero onto the port catapult and heard the connection being made. "What's the enemy's battle strength?"
"From ZAFT, eleven GINNs, a CGUE, and the Duel," Miriallia told him. "From the Earth Forces, about thirty Strike Daggers, thirteen mobile armors, and those three machines we fought at Argentina."
"Great," Frank mumbled. "Don't get killed before I return." The hatch opened and he powered up the systems. "Frank Barkhesh, Zero taking off!" With that, the orange mobile armor roared off of the catapult and into the fight.
"Twenty to port!" Murrue ordered. "Aim Valients, fire!" Yellow rays of energy cascaded from the cannons and obliterated two mobile armors before they could evade.
"Incoming missiles!" Tonomura warned.
"Evade!" Neumann turned the helm hard, but a number of missiles got through and struck the ship on the port side.
"Igelstellungs four and five have been hit!" Sai shouted. "Sealing off bulkheads nineteen through twenty-four."
"Incoming mobile suits!" Miriallia reported.
Shani and Clotho came in close. Clotho fired his Zorn mouth cannon at the ship and struck it just below the bridge. The ship shook violently and Murrue groaned, "Hang on."
"Game over," Shani commented, preparing to fire his plasma cannon. Suddenly, a streak of light hit him right in the face and knocked the Forbidden backwards, the plasma beam shooting upwards and hitting a destroyed spaceships, causing a brilliant explosion. "What?"
"Archangel!"
"Kira!" Murrue called.
Kira and Athrun zoomed in with the Freedom and Justice. They each disengaged themselves from the METEORs and headed into the debris field. "Are you alright?" Kira asked.
"We're fine," Murrue answered. "We just need to get away from the debris belt. The Earth Forces and ZAFT are both here."
"Athrun."
"I've got it," Athrun responded, throwing the Justice at the two mobile suits below him. He unleashed a beam boomerang from the Justice's shoulder and tossed it at the Forbidden.
Shani deflected it away with his scythe. "Well, well, well. Look who's here."
"It's those hot-shots we fought in Argentina," Clotho added. "Today we're going to finish you guys off!" He fired his hammer out of its socket and Athrun had to dodge. Kira took up position behind him and fired his Balaena cannons at Clotho, who transformed into his flight mode and soared below the shots.
"Kira?" Mwu radioed. "It's about time you guys showed up!"
"Sorry we're late, Mwu," Kira responded.
"Yeah, we got little held up back there," Athrun added. "We got here as quick as we could. Eternal's on her way here too."
"Great," Mwu added. "Until then, let's kick ass!"
The ship vibrated underneath his feet as Stevy climbed up a ladder onto a gangway above the main level of the engine room. His pistol was still enclosed in his fist and sweat trickled down from his forehead and shirt. Richards was nowhere to be seen. As his feet clanked on the metal gangway below his feet, Stevy heard and felt the hum of the massive engines churning below his feet. He could see the main output tanks and massive turbines below him, casting out yellow and orange blazes of fire into the red colored room. His eyes darted quickly from side to side, trying to find where Richards had gone.
The gangway ended and he came to a solid structure above one of the engine turbines that turned below him. A railing enclosed the circular piece of structure that held several computers and mechanical devices. Lights blinked on and off and steam hissed through the room. Suddenly, Stevy heard gunfire. He threw himself behind one of the machines and pressed his back against it. The machine was hot against his back and it scalded him. He came around the machine and fired his pistol, but a shot from his foe sent the gun flying out of his hand and over the railing. Stevy grabbed at his hand and threw himself behind the machine. As he did, he heard footsteps approaching.
Mwu fired the beam rifle at a Strike Dagger and blew it to pieces. He turned towards another one, but before he could fire, he sensed something. Something that hit him straight in the mind. le Creuset! He's here! Mwu quickly changed directions and took the Strike further into the debris belt.
"Mwu, where are you going?" Kira asked through the radio. "There's nothing out there."
"Yes, there is," Mwu responded. "ZAFT is out there."
Kira gasped a little and then turned the Freedom outbound to follow the Strike into the debris.
"Kira!" Athrun radioed.
"We're going to check something, Athrun," Kira responded. "Stay here and protect the Archangel until the Eternal gets here. We'll be back soon."
"Are you sure?"
"We'll be fine."
Athrun sighed. "Okay then. Make sure you do, Kira."
He watched his friend go, the Freedom disappearing into the debris. Athrun had little time to lament on the situation because the Forbidden consistently attacked him. Shani sliced with his scythe, narrowly missing the Justice's torso. A seed exploded before Athrun's eyes. Athrun withdrew his double sided beam saber and activated it. In a flash of sparks, their weapons connected, the beam cutting the scythe in half. Shani cried out in anger as he fired his plasma cannon at the scarlet red mobile suit.
Frank dislodged his barrels from the Zero and set them to stutter fire. A GINN turned to evade his top cannon, but walked right into his port one, taking two direct hits to the torso. A shot from the bottom cannon blew its head off and the GINN retreated. Frank breathed heavily and quickly inside the cockpit, sweat beginning to trickle down his forehead.
"Ready Korinthos missiles," Murrue ordered. "Fire!"
"Intercept!" Hal commanded. Igelstellungs put up a barrage of fire and destroyed all of the missiles before they hit the Dominion. "Gottfrieds, fire!" Green laces of light streaked from the cannons.
"Evade!" Archangel turned hard to starboard and the shots soared overhead. "Where are those ZAFT ships?"
"They haven't moved, Captain," Sai reported.
"Watch them," Murrue ordered. "They could make their move any moment."
Vesalius, 1028.
"Any word from the Commander?" Ades asked.
"Nothing sir. The N-Jammers are screwing with our signals as it is."
"Damn it," Ades swore.
Inside the debris, Mwu and Kira searched for something. Only Mwu knew what that was though. He could sense him somewhere. He was nearby. He knew it. But where was he? Just then, Mwu's diagnostic board starting beeping like crazy. He tried to get it to shut up, but it wouldn't. It was detecting something. Something huge. And it was just up ahead. "Kira, you getting this?"
"Yeah, I am..." Kira's voice trailed off and Mwu could hear him breath in sharply. He turned his attention forward and his eyes widened. Staring them right in the face, covered by tons of ice, was the looming hulk that had once been the PLANT called Junius Seven, sight of the Bloody Valentine tragedy. This was the place where hundreds of thousands of innocents lost their lives in the nuclear attack that had ignited the war. Kira and Mwu had been here once before, taking away some of the ice that had frozen over on it in order to help re-supply the Archangel after the Artemis incident. Mwu said nothing. He continued staring at that giant hour-glass shaped object. The tomb of thousands of people. The reason that this long and terrible war had come about. He ignored the growing feeling in his mind and tried to take his mind away from thinking about what had happened to this place only the year before.
"Mwu, watch out!" Kira's warning came too late as a shot from a beam rifle tore into the Strike's shoulder, severing the ligament completely and blowing it to pieces. Mwu was rocked inside the cockpit and part of his diagnostic board short-circuited and blew up in his face, causing a piece of shrapnel to enter his shoulder and tear into his skin. Blood spurted out of the wound as Mwu struggled to regain control of the Strike. "Mwu, no!" Kira shouted.
Mwu saw Kira put the Freedom in front of the Strike in order to protect it. "No, Kira!" Kira fired the Freedom's rifle in quick succession. Then he grabbed the Strike's remaining arm and dragged it behind a piece of debris.
A short distance away, inside the cockpit of his CGUE, a puzzled expression came over Rau's face. A puzzled expression over that name. Kira Yamato He's alive? The further time slipped past, the more Rau became excited. A smile spread across his face and he began laughing insanely, loud enough for his two foes to hear.
"le Creuset," Mwu grumbled, removing the piece of shrapnel from his shoulder which stung in pain.
"How delightful it is that you could join us, Kira Yamato!" Rau shouted into the radio. "Ah, now I see. You're the Freedom's pilot!"
"Psycho!" Kira said. "Mwu. Are you okay?"
"Who would have thought it?" Rau continued to shout. "The three of us meeting here. In the place where this conflict all began! What are the odds?" Kira looked out his viewport and saw the CGUE emerge from its hiding place, its rifle pointed directly at him. Kira pointed the Freedom's rifle at the white mobile suit while shielding the wounded Strike as well. "You know, I would've preferred we meet somewhere else, Kira. Somewhere like your secret base at Mendel. But this works just as well."
"Mendel?" Kira said to himself.
"You don't know! Hah! Of course you don't! You don't remember that Mendel was where you were born!" Kira's eyes widened in shock.
"Don't listen to him, kid!" Mwu said weakly, still holding onto his shoulder which was continuing to spurt blood.
"Don't be so surprised, Kira!" Rau shouted. "For you see, I was born at Mendel too!"
"What does that mean!" Kira cried. "What are you saying!"
Inside his cockpit, Rau smiled. The time had come.
The footsteps echoed inside the engine room as they came closer and closer to Stevy's hiding place behind the machine. He clutched his injured hand in his other palm and waited. "Well, well, well," he heard Richards say. "I must say that I'm not surprised Steven. You couldn't defeat me. Even with your mind full of rage over your brother's demise."
"Shut up!" Stevy yelled.
"Feisty, aren't we," Richards said. "You're just like your brother you know that. You both were stubborn little idiots who couldn't even take care of yourselves. I can see where you got that from as well. You're just like your mother."
"What!" Stevy thundered. A short distance away, below the gangway, Dearka heard the conversation going on above him. He could see that bastard Richards on top of the platform above him, with Stevy crouched behind a machine for cover. "How dare you talk about my mother that way! You didn't even know her!"
Richards chuckled. "You don't know who I am, do you, Steven?" Stevy hissed through his teeth. "Well, then," Richards continued, reaching into his coat pocket and withdrawing something. "I think it's time I introduced myself."
Something clattered onto the hard floor and slid towards Stevy. It was square. Stevy squinted down at the object in the faint red light and saw what it was. A picture frame, with a photo inside. His eyes widened. It held a photo of a woman holding two babies. He recognized the woman. It was he and Niada's mother. The mother they'd lost when they were little. He assumed the babies must be him and Niada, because those were the only kids their mother had. Then he looked beside his mother. His lips began trembling. His mouth went aghast. His chest caved in. Standing beside his mother, was a man. He recognized him too. But he didn't want to believe that it was him. Couldn't believe it! It couldn't be!
"It's true!" Richards said. "A child is never able to defeat their father!"
With Junius Seven lurking in the background, Rau held his CGUE in position with its rifle pointed at the Freedom and Strike which were huddled behind a piece of a destroyed spaceship. "I'm not going to finish you," he said. "After all, I made you come all this way." He took something out of his pocket and placed it on the monitor in front of him. "So I'll let you live long enough to hear the whole story."
Kira watched the monitor above him turn on. On it was an image of a woman holding two babies. One had brown hair. The other blonde. "What?" Kira thought uneasily.
Mwu's monitor displayed an entirely different image. This one, he knew entirely well however. "My dad..." he wheezed. It was a photo of him at a young age with an airplane in his small hand, perched on top of his father, Al da Flaga's shoulders.
"Aren't you the least bit curious," Rau continued. "About the full extent of humanities insatiable desires? About the fools who pursued their insane dreams in the name of progress?" Kira tightened the Freedom's grip on the rifle and his ground his teeth together. "Because after all, Kira...you're a child of this too!"
Author's Note: Because of circumstances beyond my control, I will not be able to update this story next week. Look for the next chapter, Fire, Buster Fire!, in approximately two weeks time. I apologize for the inconvenience. Bondfan.