Dearka & Miriallia
Author's Note: Tada, I'm back on track. Here is the newest chapter. Tried to finish it last night, but my friend got a new computer with cable modem access, so we were having computer fun downloading things and using AIM. Hope you all enjoy. Hugs to all of you! Thanks again for the support everyone!
Disclaimer: It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)
Chapter 38
Going Under
Miriallia's steps began to falter as she moved closer to the entrance of the treatment facility on the Girty Lue.
"What am I doing? What if this doesn't help me at all?" she thought questioningly.
She peaked her head through the door and looked around the room. There she could see both Stellar and Sting resting in the capsule beds. The lights were dimmed with a mauve glow. As she moved in toward her sleeping comrades she caught a glance of Jeremy.
"Yes sir. I will make sure Miriallia is placed under capsule and put the memory deletion system into effect," the young technician replied.
Miriallia's eyes shot open wide upon hearing his confession.
"Neo, that bastard!" she thought.
Miriallia took a few steps backwards in an attempt to back out of the room without being spotted. As soon as she reached the door, she felt home free until she turned too quickly and knocked into one of the medical trays against the wall.
"Damn, misjudged," she thought spinning back around to see Jeremy drop the communicator.
"Miriallia, wait!" he cried out.
She smiled calmly and decided to take her chances with the young man.
"He's no match for me and he doesn't know how long I've even been here," she thought straightening her uniform.
"Sorry Jeremy. I guess I'm becoming a bit more clumsy," she replied with a smile.
Jeremy ran from his station to Miriallia's side. His dark brown hair had slight spikes and his flashing green eyes showed concern.
"You're not hurt are you?" he asked grabbing her hand and pulling her further into the room.
She looked around and tried to act unfazed by what she had overheard. The switches and dials near the control console were flashing with very bright and vibrant colors.
"What are you doing with them?" she asked innocently.
"Oh, they are just being recharged in a way. You see, I use these devices to link to their brainwaves and insert calming music and soothing sensations," he replied while pointing out different panels.
She blinked back at him with utter distrust.
"Why would he tell me the truth? I don't know what he is up to," she thought irritably.
Jeremy could sense the tension now forming between Miriallia and himself and worked quickly to rectify the situation he had created.
"I mean, they are worn out and this is a quick way to mentally heal them and prepare them for the next mission," Jeremy finished.
Miriallia shook her head slowly with her mouth slightly gapped.
"I see," she replied.
"I, uh…" he started.
Miriallia ignored his stuttering and walked away from the console to move swiftly around the capsules. Her fingers brushed the glass that encased the other two young pilots in a seductive manner.
"Stellar has been in here for quite a while, hasn't she?" Miriallia inquired.
"Uh, yes," he answered.
"Why?" she asked.
Jeremy walked around to catch up to Miriallia in front of the capsule and stood behind her with a nervous sweat dripping from his forehead.
"She was hurt. Badly, I believe," he replied.
Miriallia looked up from her fingertips and stared into Jeremy's emerald eyes.
"And what about me?" she asked.
The wide-eyed young man could barely breath now.
"What do I say? If I answer her honestly, Neo will have my head. If I don't, something terrible may happen to her and her child," he thought hysterically.
"What about you?" he asked carefully.
"Neo suggested I come down here to undergo another procedure in an attempt to regain more of my memories. In the last battle, there was a pilot I fought and he was familiar to me. I wanted him dead and I don't know why. I understood that he was the enemy, but there was something screaming in my gut that told me it was more payback than duty," she answered.
Jeremy looked down toward the ground to avoid making eye contact with her. As he took a step away from her, the air conditioning to the room kicked in and made him shiver a bit.
"Oh, is that what he said," Jeremy said sadly.
"Are you not able to do it? I figured if you could erase my memories, you could be the one to bring them back," she inquired about his technical skills with an added accusation.
Jeremy now felt as though his pride had been stepped on from her question.
"Of course I can do it," he answered not realizing what he had admitted to.
She quirked an eyebrow at his admission and she watched as his hands flew to his mouth. As he removed them, he looked at her and tried to correct his statement.
"I mean, I…" he started again.
"Thank you for always watching over me Jeremy. I know if it wasn't for you I may have ended up like one of these mindless dolls Neo has created," she interrupted.
He blinked in uncertainty. It was true he had been looking after her and had even made it so the process wouldn't become permanent as it had for the rest of the Extendeds he had been ordered to work on, but he knew sooner or later, Neo would catch on to his deception.
"Forget it. I may not have made an effort if you weren't with child," he replied embarrassed.
Miriallia looked away from him sadly. A part of her had hoped he hadn't been as manipulative as she had just overheard.
"I had my suspicions, but I didn't know how to find the truth," she stated.
Her hands pushed down onto the glass of the capsule and she moved away and pressed herself against the adjacent wall.
"I know you have no reason to, but can I ask you to trust me?" Jeremy asked curiously.
Miriallia glanced up at him with her own curiosity now.
"Trust you?" she asked.
"Yes. I think I can help you, but it does mean you will have to continue the procedures to make Neo think you are under his control," Jeremy answered.
A fiery anger flashed into her eyes.
"How can you ask me to trust you? How do I know that you aren't just saying that to carry out Neo's orders?" she screamed emotionally at him.
His hands waved at her in an attempt to calm her down, but to no avail.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Please, calm down. It's not good for your baby," he replied.
Her own hands quickly moved to her slightly swollen belly as she pushed herself against the wall harder. Tears began to fall from her aqua eyes.
"My baby," she whispered to herself softly.
Jeremy's eyebrows furrowed with concern once again. She was in a very fragile state and he still had yet to devise a plan to save the young woman and her unborn child.
"Why don't you sit on the capsule bed that is still open? I promise you that I am not going to do anything to hurt you. I won't close the glass. You can just sit on the edge of the bed if you don't trust me," he said reaching his hand out to hers.
Miriallia looked upon him with a pained expression. Although he was one of the technicians working for Neo, she could see something different about him than any of the other technicians around the ship. It seemed like another gut feeling was telling her that she could trust him.
"I just want to know who I am and how this came to be," she answered looking down to her strategically placed hands.
"I promise you that I will help you to find out, but for now, you have to do as Neo says or I won't be able to protect you and that child," Jeremy answered still waiting for her hand.
Miriallia slowly released one of her hands from her belly and reached out to grab Jeremy's extended one. He slowly pulled her from the wall and walked her over to the edge of the capsule bed. As she was gently placed on the bed, he released her hand and walked over to the console again grabbing a syringe from the nearby medical tray.
"What is that for?" she asked feeling threatened.
"I'm asking you to trust me. I'll find out where you belong and I will make sure to stay in charge of all your procedures to assure the safety of your unborn child, but I need to do it my way," he answered moving closer to her.
Her mind screamed to run from the young man while her instincts fought otherwise. She couldn't move her body and was extremely worn out from the battle.
"Why can't I move?" she thought desperately.
"I told you, I won't let Neo hurt you and I'll find out who you belong with," he said gently with a smile.
She felt the needle move into her skin and she gave a small wince from the sharp prick of the object breaking through.
"Owww," she said softly.
Jeremy sat next to her and pushed the serum into her with the top of the syringe. When the syringe was empty, he slowly removed it from her upper arm. The tips of his index and middle fingers rested on the pulsing of her artery in her wrist in order to conduct a radial pulse check. He looked down at his watch and started his count when the new minute began. Miriallia was watching his every move as he performed her heart rate check.
"What are you doing?" she asked softly.
"Checking to make sure your heart rate isn't elevated," he replied with a smile.
The 60 seconds had elapsed and he released his gentle grip on her wrist. The injection was finally beginning to take effect and she began to feel lightheaded.
"How do you feel now?" he asked.
"A little groggy," she admitted.
"And how did you feel before?" he asked again.
"A little fatigued," she answered.
He smiled at her and carefully helped her to lie down on the bed.
"Sounds like your progressing quite well then," he stated.
"Progressing? With what?" she asked.
"That baby in there," he said still smiling at her.
A small smile returned to her face as she began to drift to sleep.
"Am I going to forget everything again?" she asked trying to resist the onset of a peaceful slumber.
"It won't be too much and I promise I won't let those memories disappear for too long," he replied as he watched her eyes close again.
He carefully moved her onto the bed and hit the switch to shut the glass top on her sleeping form. As she lay there quietly, he felt the guilt of his actions attacking his conscience.
"I'm really sorry Miriallia. I will protect you and that child, but I don't have the ability to save you from this fate with Neo. I'm not brave enough to stand against him," he thought as he began to alter her memories from the past battle and the conversations they just had.
He slowly began to scan her memories and went to work on his assignment to erase the surfacing memories.
"Don't worry though, I will make sure there is a way back for you in case someone comes looking for you," he thought again hating himself even more.
The ship suddenly jerked and shook Jeremy out of his seat.
"What the…" he said startled.
The communicator flipped on and he scurried to the floor to pick it up from when he dropped it earlier.
"Yes?" he called into it.
"Jeremy, we are preparing to leave the vicinity. Please make sure they are all secured," Neo's voice rang clear.
"Yes sir!" Jeremy replied.
He hit a switch to keep the young Extendeds grounded inside their capsules and went back to work on Miriallia's memories.
Back on the Eternal…"Lacus, the Girty Lue is moving from the area," DaCosta reported to the pink-haired princess.
"That's not good," she replied looking down at Commander Waltfeld.
He looked at the screen and reassessed the current power of ZAFT.
"It doesn't look like anyone is in a condition to follow them except maybe the Voltaire," he replied.
Lacus' eyes narrowed on the damage that had been dealt to the fleet of ZAFT warships in the area and shook her head.
"No, even the Voltaire can't pursue them at this point. I think we should head out and continue to monitor the Girty Lue until we can contact the Voltaire," she answered.
DaCosta's eyes widened at her order.
"What do you mean until we can contact the Voltaire? We can't talk to any ZAFT ships," he stated in concern for their safety.
"Of course we can," Andrew Waltfeld replied with a happy smirk.
"I don't understand Sir," DaCosta answered back with a look of confusion.
"The Voltaire is under the command of none other than Commander Joule. And, on that note, Lieutenant Elsman is also aboard following him around like a loyal puppy dog still," Waltfeld stated.
"Yes, Dearka will help us with anything we need and he won't turn us in," Lacus said confidently.
"How do you know that? Just because he fought with us during the last war, doesn't mean he feels the same now," DaCosta argued.
"I know he has a good heart and if he knew the whole situation, he would never turn his back on us," she said again.
"Besides, if Elsman believes in us, he is sure to get that hot-headed friend of his to go along with it," Waltfeld smiled again.
"For now, we are to follow the Girty Lue. We will contact the Voltaire later when things quiet down a bit," Lacus ordered.
DaCosta's body fell limp in defeat. His shoulders dropped and an extremely audible sigh could be heard from his position on the bridge causing a few of the other faction members to snicker.
"You heard the lady DaCosta, let's move it out," Waltfeld reiterated.
"Yes Sir," DaCosta said feeling broken.
The ship began to move from behind the debris they had been shielding themselves with. As they followed the Girty Lue, Lacus could only think of one person who could have been of great use to them at this very moment.
"I hope you are all right on Earth still Kira," she thought.
On Aprilius 1…Yzak and Justin stared each other down as Ian walked Shiho away from the standoff.
"What is he thinking?" Shiho asked Ian as they headed toward the shuttles.
"I think he is tired of people not treating him with the respect he has earned as a Commander of ZAFT. Then to top it all off, he feels the need to protect his best friend who can't seem to protect himself lately," Ian reasoned.
Shiho looked back over her shoulder as Ian continued to drag her away.
"Poor Dearka too. It's almost like his life is slipping away from him," Shiho acknowledged still keeping her eyes focused on Yzak's distant form.
"Yeah well, it's his own fault," Ian said with a hint of annoyance.
Shiho twisted her head around to meet his gaze now.
"Why would you say something like that?" she asked infuriated at his tactlessness.
"Forget it," Ian said now irritated too.
Shiho stopped moving, forcing Ian into a grinding halt.
"No, I want to know what you meant by that," she repeated.
"I didn't mean anything. Argh…" he said agitated and now running his hands through his hair roughly.
Shiho watched as Ian tried to regain his composure. The breeze began to pick up once again and she looked up to see the storm clouds rolling in.
"You would think they would have worked on turning those things off. It's not like we really need to add insult to injury with the addition of rain," she thought angrily.
Before she could speak again, Ian started walking forward toward the shuttles.
"Why does everyone defend him? It's not like he's anything special. Cadey loves him, Miriallia loves him, you and Yzak protect him and everyone else thinks he's this great guy. I just don't get it. He's not that great. He's selfish and he uses people. Look at what he did to Cadey and still all she wants is to remain by his side. You would think he saved her life or something the way she has attached herself to him," he said solemnly.
"But he did," Shiho answered while walking to catch up to Ian.
Ian looked up at Shiho confused.
"What are you talking about?" Ian asked with a sarcastic tone.
Shiho took a deep breath and moved ahead of him.
"I know I never met Cadey, but Yzak told me how Dearka saved her from drowning in a lake on her property. I guess she feels safe with him no matter how much he tries to push her away," Shiho responded intelligently.
Ian watched Shiho continuing to walk away from him and he now ran to catch up to her. Up ahead, he could see Cadey and Dearka.
"Why is he on the ground?" Ian thought still following Shiho.
"Why didn't she ever tell me that?" Ian asked out loud.
"How am I supposed to know? Maybe the two of you aren't as close as you think," Shiho questioned irritably.
Ian resented her statement and stalked off toward Dearka and Cadey to find out what was going on. As he approached, he saw Dearka reach for Cadey's hand as she pulled him up from his spot on the ground.
"Now what is she up to?" Ian thought irritably.
As Ian got closer, he could see Cadey smiling at Dearka. He shook his head in disgust at her antics moved more quickly to interrupt the moment.
"I don't want to help you with this stupid plan anymore Cadey. Just let him go for crying out loud. He doesn't really want you anyway," Ian thought wishing he could say that to her to her face.
"You okay there Dearka?" Ian asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Dearka and Cadey's gazes both unlocked from one another and Dearka looked over to Ian.
"I'm fine," Dearka answered seething.
"Oh good, I was hoping I didn't interrupt anything," Ian replied.
"Why would you think that?" Dearka asked still annoyed.
"I don't know, you seem pretty…confused," Ian said with an intended pause.
The girls watched the two exchange words feeling a little unsettled themselves now by the tones in their voices.
"Okay, I think that is enough. We should be heading back to the Voltaire now. Wouldn't you agree?" Shiho asked looking over in Dearka's direction.
Dearka snapped out of the glare he had locked onto Ian with and looked over at Shiho with a softened expression.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Dearka answered as he reached over to grab Annabella from Cadey again.
Cadey looked around as Dearka pulled Annabella closer to him.
"Where's Yzak though?" she asked curiously.
"Still having an animated discussion with Justin I think," Ian replied.
Meanwhile…
"I don't get how you can defend his actions! After all, look what he's doing to Cadey," Justin yelled back at Yzak.
Yzak never flinched from the verbal attacks.
"What Dearka does is his own business and not yours," Yzak replied with his temper rising again.
"Then why are you involved?" Justin asked curiously.
Yzak looked away in disgust. He began to notice a few soldiers slowing down to notice the newest disturbance. To them it was like a car crash that sparked their curiosity.
"You're causing a scene," Yzak said through gritted teeth so none of the spectators could hear.
"I don't think I'm the one causing the scene," Justin copied Yzak's speaking style in an attempt to silence his voice from the onlookers.
Yzak moved forward and grabbed Justin's arm pulling him with a jerk toward the building in the distance.
"We'll finish this in there," Yzak said pointing to the building.
Justin shrugged Yzak's grip off forcefully and turned to walk to the building. He couldn't stand how superior Yzak was acting now. They were all friends and graduated from the same class at the Academy and now over something so trivial to Justin, they were at odds.
"All I want to know is what the hell is going on," Justin thought angrily.
Justin's fists were clenched by his side in irritation. All he wanted was to wipe away that smug superiority complex Yzak was suffering from. As they entered the building Yzak moved to an empty room with Justin following.
"Who do you think you are? You call yourself a friend?" Yzak screamed at Justin.
Justin's face was turning redder as his own temper began to rise.
"Of course I'm his friend. But, he can't just blurt out information like that and not expect someone to question him about it," Justin yelled.
"So what if he did. If he doesn't want to tell you anymore about the situation, then he shouldn't have to. He gave you every signal that he wanted you to drop the subject, but you just have to keep pushing, don't you?" Yzak continued arguing.
"But he'll tell everyone else about it and everything that's going on and that's okay?" Justin pointed out.
"He didn't tell everyone else what was going on. You did!" Yzak stated still upset.
Justin faltered on that note. He hadn't realized that the people around him might not have had as much information as he had thought.
"But I thought…" he started.
"Well you thought wrong!" Yzak said furiously.
Justin stood quietly for a moment. He felt like a complete jerk for searching out Dearka like that to corner him.
"I didn't know," he answered now in a daze.
"If you would just take a hint once in a while, you might have noticed," Yzak cursing his intrusion.
Justin looked around the room and saw the door they had just shut was now open. He looked behind him after feeling a presence. Yzak could see him flinch in pure terror when he noticed who had entered.
"What the hell is going on in here?" came Lucy's booming voice.
"Uh…well…" Justin started to explain.
Lucy looked over to Yzak in hopes that he would fill her in.
"I've been searching everywhere for you and I find you here with Yzak," she replied looking over to him.
"We had some things to sort out," Yzak answered her questioning look.
"Things? I hope they aren't related to Dearka," Lucy dug.
Justin flinched again at that statement.
"Oh Justin, you didn't. I told you not to interfere!" she shrieked.
"At least one of you has some sense," Yzak said brushing off his uniform and heading toward the door.
Lucy watched as he began to leave and quickly smacked Justin in the back of the head for his stupidity.
"Hey!" he cried.
"Serves you right. Let's go already," she answered his cry with her own annoyance.
Yzak stopped where he was and turned back around. The look on his face was still plastered with the ferocity of the fight.
"What I said before Justin. Stay out of it or I won't hesitate to take you out," Yzak threatened and then turned on his heel to head toward the shuttle.
Lucy looked back at Justin and shook her head in disappointment.
"I can't believe you made an enemy of Yzak Joule. I would have thought you were smarter than that," she tisked as she headed toward the door now herself.
End
Author's Preview: Lacus contacts the Voltaire and then offers to help Athrun locate the Archangel. There may be more, but I don't want to jinx it (sticks out tongue) Please read and review for me so I can continue on my happy way.
Reviewer Response: Hello to all my wonderful reviewers. Thank you so much for all your support and reviews on all my chapters thus far. I love you all so much! Unfortunately due to possible changes in TOS (which is still unconfirmed) all responses are now located on my personal website. Please click on my profile page to link to the website. Thank you.