Chapter 19: Aelan has a glimpse of the Future
Less than a day after completing the apparently fruitless infiltration of Orb, Athrun sat on his bunk on the Cousteau, going over material he'd brought back from the "Land of Peace".
The presence of Kira at the Morgenroete facility hadn't come as much of a surprise to him, and it confirmed the Archangel was still in Orb territory. But Kevin Walker's appearance had been somewhat startling, in light of his apparent demise nearly a month earlier; and something had prompted Athrun to do some research.
He'd long known that Kevin was from Orb, but after seeing him at Morgenroete, he realized how little he actually knew of his background. On a hunch, Athrun had obtained various books and articles from around the last time he was certain Kevin had been in Orb. He received his first surprise almost immediately, as he glanced at a newspaper clipping from C.E. 68.
Athrun glanced at the photo accompanying the article, and then stared at it. He recognized the two people, standing side by side. One was the girl he had met on a deserted island... and the other was none other than Kevin Walker. What was he doing standing with the princess of Orb?
The caption answered that question, identifying the two as Princess Cagalli Yula Athha, and her life-long friend Lord Kevin Onishi. Life-long friend of the princess of Orb? What on earth...?The article itself went on to say that the picture was taken during one of Lord Onishi's visits home from a school in Copernicus, on the Moon, and also that the young nobleman would be participating in a fencing tournament during his stay. Fencing?
Athrun opened a book about Orb's various nobles, and he swiftly found the name Onishi. The Fencing Prince? The world's greatest fencer? Kevin, you sure didn't mention much of your planetside life, did you? The entry went into great detail about Lord Onishi, mentioning that many thought him to be the future consort of the princess. Well, well, well. You never said anything about that, old buddy. Marrying a princess, eh?
The details of Kevin's life ended two years previously, with a note that the young man had inherited his father's title as Baron Onishi just prior to disappearing, and then resurfacing just in time to be shot dead by an assassin. The identity of the sniper's employer remained unknown, the book said; but the assassin himself was later found dead, a bullet through his brain, along with a hand-written note saying the Baron was avenged.
And that, it seemed, was the last anyone had heard of Kevin Onishi... until he suddenly appeared in Orb, under the name Kevin "Snake" Walker, aboard the Earth Forces ship Archangel. That obviously wasn't common knowledge, considering the lack of news regarding him and the fact he'd clearly been incognito at the Morgenroete factory, and Athrun wondered why he was keeping such a low profile.
Kevin Walker, a baron of Orb... That's something I never suspected. And is this idea of his marrying the princess true? Is that why he nearly killed me on that island? Maybe you're not a sociopath after all, Kevin.
Nicol Amalfi chose that moment to walk in. "Hey, Athrun," he said with a quick salute. "I figured out who that guy in black at Morgenroete was-" He broke off, seeing the material Athrun was looking over. "Oh, I guess you did, too."
Athrun looked at him in surprise. "You know the guy by sight?"
"Sure; I met him a few times, even." Nicol nodded at the brief biography. "I remember he used to accompany his parents on diplomatic visits to the PLANTs, and I guess he preferred music to diplomacy, so I saw him a couple times at concerts. Lord Onishi, I think they called him; on one of his trips, he was asked to demonstrate his fencing, and I happened to see it. He beat the guy in just a few moves."
"So he really was as good as this stuff says?"
He nodded. "At least. I think he was a Coordinator, but I'm not sure. It was weird seeing him there, though; I heard he died a couple years ago."
Athrun nodded thoughtfully. "Apparently, everybody else thought so, too. At least, those who knew his real name. But it seems he's a lot harder to kill than I thought."
Nicol's eyebrows went up. "You know him too, Athrun?"
"Yeah, we went to school together in Copernicus." Athrun refrained from mentioning that the Baron was also flying off the Archangel; just as there was no need to mention he knew Kira, there was reason enough not to mention an Orb noble and former classmate flew the Punisher prior to its destruction. Besides, Dearka thought he'd finally killed the pilot, and it would make Athrun's life a little easier if Dearka and Yzak thought they'd gotten some success against the Archangel.
Besides, what harm would it do? Even if Kevin Walker was still alive, and intending to remain with his ship, he couldn't do any real harm. Not with his mobile suit at the bottom of the ocean.
"I heard Aelan trashed her room and we had to seal it because of a water Leak after we got back." Athrun said as Nicol nodded.
"Yeah, Aelan was furious, she apparently knows who the guy is and was." Nicol said.
At that moment, Kevin's new mobile suit was being loaded aboard the Archangel under Kojiro Murdoch's supervision; while Kevin himself was on the Bridge with the officers and Ledonir Kisaka. Also a Black M1-Astray was being loaded on. A mobile suit that was given to Jason Hibiki for all the tatical data he gave on defence for ORB.
"At the moment, our chief concern would be Panama," Kisaka said, pointing at a map on Neumann's screen. "Our intelligence suggests ZAFT is planning a massive operation; Carpentaria is buzzing with activity."
"That doesn't surprise me," Snake murmured. "What with Patrick Zala as the new Chairman of the Supreme Council." That news had made his blood boil; one of his personal objectives was to kill everyone involved with Project ABADON, and to his knowledge only Zala and Aelan remained from the group.
"But this might actually work in your favor," the Orb colonel went on. "After all, you're trying to reach Alaska; this should divert them."
"Besides, once we get past the Tropic of Cancer, we'll be in Alaska's air defense zone," Neumann agreed. "I can't imagine them pursuing us that far."
"How reliable is your intelligence?" Natarle Badgiruel asked.
Kisaka shrugged. "I'm not sure. You see, Orb's in a difficult position: we want intelligence, but we don't want to stir up a hornet's nest."
"Any word on the team that was chasing us before?" Ramius asked.
"No ZAFT ships have been detected near Orb for the past few days."
"Did they give up and leave?"
"I think that's a possibility," Kisaka replied. "Especially after all the discussions on the diplomatic side of things."
Ramius nodded thoughtfully, but Badgiruel had another question. "This talk about how former-Representative Athha didn't know anything about the mobile suits and this ship... Can it be true?"
The Captain started to speak sharply. "Lieutenant Badgiruel-"
Kisaka raised a hand, silencing her. "Yes, it's true he didn't know anything about the whole affair," he said, affably enough. "Under pressure from the Atlantic Federation, several Cabinet ministers made the decision on their own; Morgenroete turned out to be involved as well." He shrugged. "I can understand those who want Orb to declare itself for one side or the other, but if we were to become involved in this war, it would be our people who would suffer the most, like Heliopolis suffered. Therefore, no matter how difficult this position is, Lord Uzumi will always support it." He looked at Ramius. "It's understandable if you find that somewhat foolish."
"Not at all," she replied.
Snake, however, had a different perspective. "Colonel, this isour war. It became ours the day Heliopolis was attacked by ZAFT, the day Heliopolis collapsed. Whether or not we were in the wrong by building the G-weapons is irrelevant; if ZAFT wanted something done about it, they should have at least tried confronting Orb about it first." Aware of the looks that earned him, he raised an eyebrow. "I know, that's not exactly how I'd have done it, either, but that doesn't change the facts." He shrugged. "But it's not like my opinion carries much weight in Orb politics, so I'll do my best on my own, as Orb's unofficial representative."
Kisaka cocked his head with a slight smile. "I think you underestimate how much influence you would have here, were you to reveal yourself, but that is your choice, Baron. I hope we meet again when all this is over."
"So do I." Whatever he might think about Orb's current status, Kevin respected Kisaka, as a soldier and as his best friend's bodyguard.
"So, how are the repairs coming along?" the colonel asked.
"I'm told they'll be finished sometime tomorrow," Ramius replied.
"You only have a little ways to go; hang in there."
The Earth Forces officers and the Orb colonel exchanged salutes, and Kisaka turned to leave. "Colonel Kisaka," Ramius called after him.
He turned. "Hm?"
"I just wanted to thank you, for everything you've done for us."
"You're welcome. But you've helped me as well." Kisaka smiled. "I have no family left there, but Tassil is where I was born. I knew our victory would be temporary, but when I saw what was happening, I had to do something. And with your help, I was able to bring our headstrong runaway princess home. For that, I should thank you."
The next day, down in the hanger, La Flaga, Kira, and Murdoch were talking to Tolle, who sat in Skygrasper 2's cockpit. "I'll be fine," he insisted. "I've flown tons of simulations. I can do this!"
"You can't deny we'd be better off with two of these machines in the air," Murdoch commented. "The Strike's handicapped, flying down here on Earth. And Jason is going to be piloting that new Machine."
"But, Tolle-" Kira protested.
"I'll only be a spotter and provide support for the Strike," Tolle reassured him. "I'll be above the battle."
"Are these Lieutenant Badgiruel's orders?" La Flaga asked.
"I volunteered," the ship's copilot said. "I want to help out somehow."
"You're a braver man than I, Tolle Koenig," Kevin said, walking into the hanger.
That surprised the brown-haired pilot. "Huh? But you've been going into battle a lot of times now."
"And I'm also a lot harder to kill than most people," Snake pointed out. "Besides, I'm going to be flying the most advanced mobile suit in the world; durable, powerful, and almost undetectable. But," he added, "you need to understand something: war isn't a game."
"I know that," Tolle replied, annoyed. "But I've done okay in the simulators-"
"Simulators. Not reality." Kevin shrugged. "You'll understand what I mean, after you've experienced it." He turned to Murdoch. "So, did Stormhawk get loaded okay?"
The mechanic nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. Fancy piece of work, kid."
"Isn't it just." A very good thing, too; he'd seen Athrun in Orb, which meant ZAFT knew where they were.
Before long, it was time for the Archangelto leave port; repairs were complete and it was time to move on, after twenty-three days in Orb. A restive time, at least, it had given the crew a chance to catch its breath after the numerous battles they had been through since leaving Heliopolis nearly three months before.
Kevin wasn't in the best of moods; Cagalli had told him her father had forbidden her to stay with the ship, so he was alone once more. It depressed him greatly, since they had only reunited two months ago, after a two-year separation, during which he hadn't even recalled she existed.
On the Bridge, preparations were made to move out. "Message from the Fleet, Ma'am," Kuzzey reported. "'Looks clear; proceed according to schedule.'"
Ramius nodded. "Send a reply that we acknowledge."
Sai glanced over his shoulder at Tonomura. "They're escorting us out?"
"They're helping us by camouflaging the ship," the petty officer replied. "You see, if we're surrounded by a large number of ships, it'll be that much harder to identify us."
Romero Pal glanced up. "Former-Representative Athha has just arrived at the dock," he reported. "Ma'am, he's requesting that Ensigns Yamato and Walker come to the upper deck at once."
She blinked, wondering what was going on. But she nodded. "Very well; relay the message."
Minutes later, Kira and Kevin climbed up onto the upper deck, atop the starboard Gottfried, both of them wondering what was up. Then someone called up at them. "Kira!"
Kira ran to the starboard railing, and his eyes widened in surprise as Cagalli came running toward the ship, in a blue uniform similar to Kevin's baronial garb. "Cagalli? What are you doing?"
"Wait! Your parents are here!" she shouted, gesturing. "They're right up there! Look!"
He did, and he saw Lord Uzumi, Kisaka, Simmons... and indeed his parents, watching him from an observation room. His expression turned stricken, once more confusing Kevin, standing behind him.
Cagalli climbed out of the hatch behind them, panting for breath. "Why...? Why won't you see them?" She ran to Kira's side. "Say something, Kira!" Then she saw his face, and fell silent, startled.
"Look, could you tell them sorry, but not now?" he asked, voice a little strained. "I don't think... right now is..." His voice broke, as his eyes filled.
She looked at him for a long moment. "All right."
Kira turned back to the hatch, then looked back. "Take care of yourself, Cagalli, okay? And thanks for everything."
Cagalli watched him go, swallowing hard, then ran forward. "Kira!" He turned just as she flung her arms around his neck, holding him tight and startling everyone who could see it. "Listen... stay alive."
He smiled, returning the embrace. "Don't you worry," Kira said, tears running down his face. "Nothing's gonna happen to me."
Behind him, Kevin smiled oddly and made his way down the steps into the ship once more. To think she hit him when they met in the desert. Now... She'd probably kill anyone who threatened him. He smiled fondly at the thought.
His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming up behind him; Kevin knew who it was without looking, via his empathic sense.
He turned. "Hi, tovarisch."
Cagalli came up to him, worried and regretful. "I wish I was going with you."
Kevin nodded. "Yeah, me too. And if it was me, I probably would. But I'm just an orphaned baron, not the heir to Orb. I guess your father doesn't want you going out on anymore dangerous adventures."
"Even though it's my life." She snorted bitterly. "I guess he's worried about what kind of 'influence' you'd have over me."
He shook his head. "No, we cleared that up weeks ago. He's still not entirely happy about it -and frankly, I still don't like him very much, either- but he wouldn't try to interfere again."
"That's something, at least." Cagalli swallowed. "You'll be back, right?"
Kevin smiled. "Of course I will. And I promise, I'll do everything I can to make sure Kira is, too."
Now, out of sight of her father, she hugged her old friend tight. "Be careful, okay?"
He hugged her back. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. Three deaths are enough for me."
The Archangelfinally pulled out of the concealed dock, leaving Cagalli to watch it disappear into the fog. Aboard, all but two souls were happy to be moving again at last; those two had heavy hearts only because of the one they left behind.
In the hanger, Kira walked toward the Strike, already wearing flight gear. "Why you all dressed up, kid?" Murdoch asked, confused. "We haven't received any orders yet."
"As soon as we cross the border, ZAFT will attack us," Kira said, and climbed aboard without another word.
The mechanic spotted Kevin walking in, wearing his own black flight suit with the King Cobra patch. "You got any idea what he's talking about, Snake?"
"Yes," the super-soldier replied shortly. "They know where we are." He swarmed up into his new Stormhawk, leaving his equally cryptic statement hanging in the air.
Murdoch and his mechanics exchanged bemused looks, wondering if the two were serious, but the fact that the Stormhawk suddenly vanished into thin air for an instant gave them a clue. The Baron was not given to sudden equipment tests in the hanger if he didn't think something was really up.
But where did they get the information?
On the Bridge, Ramius was thinking ahead to the battles that no doubt awaited them across the border, though she did not know how close they truly were.
"We're almost at the border of Orb's territory, Ma'am," Neumann reported.
"Very well. Maximum combat speed once we leave the fleet."
"Message from flagship, Captain," Kuzzey reported. "'This is where we turn back. We wish all of you the best of luck.'"
"Reply," Ramius ordered. "'We appreciated your escort.'"
The mighty Orb fleet peeled off, leaving the majestic Archangel, pristine once more, to plow through the waves alone.
Just as the ship crossed the boundary, Neumann lifted it into the air, soaring over the waves on six fully-functional engines and working levitators.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and that's what worried Kevin. He always trusted his instincts, and they, like his recollection of a certain face in Orb, were screaming at him that they were about to be attacked.
His instincts were correct. Within minutes, his intercom link with the Bridge started chattering. "Something on sonar, Ma'am," Tonomura reported. "Submarine carrier surfacing!"
"Four, no five mobile suits incoming!" Pal reported.
"Roger." Ramius' voice was still calm. "Anti-air, ship and mobile suit attack."
"Deploy smoke dischargers," Badgiruel ordered. "Put out a smokescreen on both sides."
Mir's voice came on next, giving orders directly to the pilots. "Commander La Flaga and Crewman Koenig to the catapults; Strike to starboard catapult. Prepare Launcher Striker; connect power coupling when ready."That would give the Strike power directly from the ship's generator, allowing it to fire the Agni hyper-impulse cannon indefinitely. Aiming it, of course, would be a problem, but that was Tolle's job: he'd transmit targeting data to the Strike. "Stormhawk," Mir said finally, "head for the aft deck; engage Mirage Colloid and switch to mobile armor mode."
"Affirmative." The M1000 frame dropped from its storage brackets and walked to the hatch leading to the ship's aft deck, powering up along the way. Kevin wasn't worried about the power consumption; even with the mobile suit's fission reactor disabled by the N-jammers, it still had twice the endurance of a standard model.
Stormhawk reached the aft deck, converted to its predatory-looking mobile armor mode, and then seemingly flowedout of existence, vanishing from all sensors in the same manner as the X207 Blitz. Preparations complete, Snake guided the mobile suit to a position above the ship's superstructure, just inside the smokescreen. Now perfectly concealed and eagerly awaiting battle, the Sturm Falke seemed to settle in, waiting for its time to strike.
In the port catapult, Tolle sat in Skygrasper 2, feeling tense. He'd been with the ship through many a battle, but this would be the first time he got right in the thick of it.
"Don't be nervous," La Flaga advised him. "Just stay clear and provide support for the Strike from overhead."
He swallowed nervously. "Y-yes, sir!"
"Don't get shot down. Let's go!"
"Skygrasper Koenig, prepare for launch," Mir called. "Be careful."
Tolle was instantly pressed back into his seat as the fighter, armed with the Sword Striker pack, shot into the sky, exiting the smokescreen alongside Mu La Flaga.
"This is Hibiki, M1- Heading out!" Jason called as his new M1 Machine walked out to where Kira was waiting with his Agni.
"Two of them?" Yzak Joule muttered, seeing them come. He fired off a quick shot.
"Watch out!" La Flaga warned. "Okay, not bad," he said, seeing Tolle easily sideslip out of the beam's path. "Okay, let's get them!"
At the starboard catapult, the Strike was getting ready; holding the Agni in one hand, he attached a power coupling from the deck below to the massive weapon. "Strike here," he reported. "Power conduits connected; auxiliary power online."
"Kira, do you read me?" Tolle called. "I'm sending you the enemies' coordinates."
Tolle."Roger that." The targeting scanner moved into place before Kira's eyes, and the crosshairs immediately settled on the spot Tolle's telemetry indicated.
Athrun blinked in surprise as the first hyper-impulse shot arced out of the smokescreen at them. "Everyone scatter!" he ordered, following his own advice.
"Okay, looks good," La Flaga muttered. "Hawk to Snake, anytime now."
"Snake to Hawk, roger that."
Dearka Elsman was just lining up for a shot when azure energy blasts appeared out of nowhere, "Everyone Scatter!" Aelan called as the blasts narrowly missing Dearka's Buster.
"What the?" Was all that Dearka said.
Down out of the sky, flowing into existence, came Stormhawk, firing its buster rifles at the oncoming G-weapons. Snake swept around, coming to a point above the smokescreen, and his machine swiftly transitioned back into mobile suit mode, buster rifle in one hand, while his left held a shield that easily caught the hastily-aimed shots that came at him.
"What is that?" Dearka triggered a shotgun blast, only to see it miss completely as Stormhawk dodged it... seemingly before the shot was actually fired. "What on earth is that thing?"
"Its Walker!" Alean yelled heading towards the Machine that held her enemy.
"Hello Aelan, Surprised to See me?" Kevin asked as blocked the Beam Machine Gun fire. "You will not survive this again!" Aelan called as she went after the mobile suit.
"Hell has no vacancies," Kevin said dryly. "I am the Hydra; cut off one head, and two more take its place." He raised his rifle. "There are many monsters that have been whispered about throughout the ages. But they are myth, while I am reality."
"You are right about one thing with what you just said. You are a monster!" Aelan called as she came in.
Alright, time for shot one Kevin said to himself as he put his shield away as he brought both of his buster rifles together. "DIE AELAN!" Kevin yelled as the blast fired from the rifles. Aelan on the other hand worked fast as she activated her umbrella Shield completely shielding herself. "Damn." Kevin said as he could still sense her living self.
"Nice try." Aelan said removeing her shield. "Nice Tech however." Aelan told him.
The Strike appeared out of the smoke and blasted the Busters Guul to smithereens with a hyper-impulse cannon. He promptly fell from the sky as if a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Athrun, watching the Buster go down, was of two minds about this proof of Kevin Walker's continued survival. On the one hand, despite the fact that they were enemies, he didn't want his old friend to die. On the other, Kevin had sworn to kill him, and if he remembered one thing about the one they now called Snake, it was that he never broke an oath.
Still, he had to try. "Kevin, please. I don't want to fight you. Just get out of here!"
Kevin didn't reply as Aelan began a relentless attack, and Kevin had wasted a large amount of his energy. Kevin didn't want to use his Azure beam again unless it will be an emergency Two more shots, and he'd drop from the sky; and there were still four enemy machines.
The Blitz was dodgeing attacks from a beamrifle in the smoke.
"Take this, Earth slime!" Yzak fired his beam rifle, missile launchers, railgun, and rifle-mounted grenade launcher simultaneously, trying to overwhelm the new enemy.
Stormhawk avoided the attack with contemptuous ease, deigning to return fire only on the missiles. "That the best you got, Joule? Maybe you'd try something fancier if you knew I was a Coordinator!"
"What?" Sheer rage and surprise threw off Yzak's aim. "You're lying-!"
"Hardly. Could anyone else have done this?" Snake gave a hollow laugh. "Reap what you've sown, you bastards! It was youwho made me into your worst enemy! It was ZAFT that turned me into the agent of its own destruction. It was ZAFT that created the Destroyers, and now they learn just how well they succeeded!"
"Destroyers?" Yzak said something obscene. "You're one of the them?"
Athrun glanced his way, startled by the sudden evidence that ZAFT truly was behind the monstrous transformation his old friend had undergone. "You knew about this, Yzak?"
The psychopathic pilot made a sound halfway between amusement and rage. "Of course I knew, Athrun! Everybody with half a brain knew about our ultimate weapons! Then some bastard blew the project-" He broke of, and this time there was no amusement in the sound he made. "You bastard! You're the one who did it, aren't you?"
"Yes he is Yzak." Came Aelan's voice, "That is why I have sworn to Kill this bastard, because he has Killed my Comrades!" Aelan called fireing her beam machine gun.
"Innocent, as charged," Kevin said pleasantly. "Now the ultimate soldier is paired with the ultimate mobile suit. Care to test me more?"
"I sure Will" Aelan said chargeing at her opponent as it vanished in thin Air. "Damn." She said activating her shield. "That much fire power and attacking you from behind will finish anyone." Aelan said to herself as she tried to sense him, but he was moving to fast. She couldn't get a lock on him.
"Invisibility games," Athrun muttered. "Watch out, guys, he's got Mirage Colloid!" Eyes sweeping the sky, trying to keep an eye on everything at once, he tried again to contact Snake; he longer really cared if anyone knew he knew the Sturm Falke's pilot. "Come on, Snake, we used to be friends! Why do we have to fight?"
Lucky for him, Yzak was no longer in a position to intercept the transmission, having just been blown out of the sky by the Strike's shoulder-mounted Gatling gun. And now a shape was appearing out of the smoke, seemingly rising to meet the falling Strike... and Athrun realized the danger just in time.
"Scatter!" he ordered, just as the Archangel's Gottfrieds opened up, sending enormous energy bolts at them. His own Guul narrowly avoided being vaporized. "Where are you, Baron?"
Though Stormhawk was still invisible, Kevin's voice came from the radio instantly, with a low chuckle. "Ah, so you made the connection, eh, Athrun? That's right, I'm a Baron... and the agent of your death."
Stormhawk flowed into view again, beam saber held in two hands, and Athrun was nearly bisected before Aelan came in between with her shield blocking the attack. "Aelan you are becoming very annoying."
"As are you coming back to life all the time!" Aelan told him as she kept her shield up. She extended her own beam sabre and let go of the shield with her sabre connected to his.
However, Snake and Stormhawk had undergone an extensive testing cycle, and he'd discovered that fencing was impractical with a mobile suit. So instead, he used kendo, a style he'd learned from one of his opponents, years earlier. "How do you like that, Aelan?" he said, sweeping his blade in a lethal arc. "What do you think of my new suit?"
"I think you've been busy," Aelan replied through gritted teeth, intercepting the strike. "What is that peace of Junk?"
"This is the most powerful piece of machinery ever to come out of Morgenroete," Snake replied, satisfaction evident in his voice.
He was actually enjoying himself. As he'd told Mu La Flaga months before, he was not a mobile suit pilot. In fact, every time he'd flown one, Snake had nearly been blown to bits, and the last time he hadbeen shot down. But his father's mobile suit fitted him perfectly, giving him abilities no other flyer had. Especially his secret weapon.
I still don't know what you were thinking, but your Zero System works like a charm, Dad, he thought. He'd been somewhat nervous, using the system in a combat situation for the first time, but the extensive training had paid off. With the firepower, durability, and ability to see where attacks would be crucial seconds beforehand, Snake was in the best position of anyone in this battle.
He darted out of the path of a beam from the Blitz and soared over the now-submerged carrier... and nearly fell out of the sky as a strange feeling filled his head. Some kind of resonance, similar to what he felt when another zoanthrope was near. But this... this was different, Snake knew.
The Stormhawk vanished from sight behind its Mirage Colloid system while its pilot struggled with his own senses; meanwhile, the Strike had just landed on the Archangel's bow deck and dropped its Striker pack.
"Commander La Flaga's approaching," Sai told Kira.
"Strike," Mir added, "prepare to convert to Aile mode. Stand by."
"You'd better not drop my presents," La Flaga called.
Kira nodded. "Commander; do it!"
The Strike leapt into the air once more, as La Flaga's Skygrasper dropped the various components of the Aile Striker pack. In a display of coordination Snake would never even have attempted in a mobile suit, the Strike caught each piece perfectly, in exactly the right places. And now, the mobile suit was once again capable of independent flight.
"He changed his equipment in midair," Nicol said, awed.
While the Strike engaged in an aerial duel with the Aegis and the Blitz, Tolle and La Flaga circled the battlefield, each searching for an opening.
La Flaga was also searching for the Sturm Falke; he'd not seen the Snake simply disappear like that. C'mon, kid, where are you? Don't tell me you just took off and ran for it?It was a preposterous idea, of course; as far as anyone could tell, Kevin was utterly fearless, at least when it came to his own safety. So he was lurking here somewhere, waiting... or possibly driven out of his mind by the Zero System, which La Flaga had never trusted.
Tolle was worried, seeing the Strike under persistent attack by the Blitz. "Kira," he muttered. His grip on the stick tightened, and he nodded to himself. "Let's go!"
The Blitz was setting up for another shot at Kira when a hail of small missiles struck it, forcing him to evade. "What the?"
"Tolle, no!" Kira, seeing Nicol trying for a shot at his friend's fleeing Skygrasper, drew a beam saber and slashed, a chopping attack that lopped off the Blitz's right arm. He followed up with a body-check, knocking the black G-weapon off its Guul... which Kira promptly appropriated.
"Nicol!" Athrun shouted, seeing his comrade drop into the sea. He snarled, a sound of pure anger as he brought his own beam rifle up.
The next few moments were a blur, the Strike exchanging fire with the Aegis and Hyperion... until the Strike put a beam straight through Athrun's Guul, causing a collision the two mobile suits barely escaped. Then Twisting in the air blew Aelan's own Guul Away and a leg of the Hyperion.
Frustrated, the Aegis transformed into its mobile armor mode and fired two quick shots from the Scylla hyper-impulse cannon, forcing Kira to dodge swiftly or be destroyed. Athrun, of course, then had his own surprise coming: someone on the Archangel was evidently displeased by the attack, and he was promptly grazed by a shot from the port Gottfried.
Athrun cursed, dropping from the sky; his verniers were damaged, and now so was his hyper-impulse cannon. And with no Guul, he was trapped on the ground.
The Strike landed back on the bow deck, and once again his radio spoke up. "Kira!" Tolle called. "I'm sending the Sword over to you!"
"Tolle?"
On the small island he'd come to rest on, Athrun considered his options. There weren't many; Dearka and Yzak were both in the water, Nicol had disappeared completely with an arm gone, and now he was in grave danger himself. It appeared that Kevin had been right: there was no do, and there was no try; there was only die.
Then I'll die, he told himself fiercely. Better to try and take them with me than to surrender!
"Athrun!"
The Aegis dodged backwards, raising its rifle just in time to have the energy weapon's barrel cut off by the descending Strike, now wielding a fifteen-meter ship-killing blade... the very weapon that had killed Miguel Aiman, months earlier.
"Athrun, stop it!" Kira shouted. "I don't want to fight you anymore!"
"It's too late," Athrun replied. "Come on and shoot me!" Aegis charged forward, deploying a pair of beam sabers. "Just like you said you would!"
No, Athrun, please, Kira thought, barely catching the blow.
"Isn't that what you said before?" Athrun went on. "That you'd destroy me?"
The Strike reared back, then threw a punch at the Aegis' face, knocking it over. The blow knocked out the phase-shift armor. "Athrun!" Kira shouted, raising his giant blade.
Then both pilots turned to look as a shape took form from the air. "Athrun, get out!" Nicol yelled, the Blitz's remaining arm holding a penetrator dart.
Time seemed to slow for all involved as the Blitz neared the Strike, Kira began dodging to the side... and then an azure column lanced down from the sky, engulfing the Blitz and blasting the Strike and Aegis backwards. The huge blue beam shone for an apparent eternity, but faded at last... and nothing remained of the Blitz but very, very small pieces of shrapnel.
Above, a great winged figure like an avenging angel hung for an instant, before vanishing from sight.
A/N: NICOL! I wonder how Aelan will react as his name was so clos to being Nicola's name. Well only time will tell, and only time will allow us to see what happens.
Well with the new feature of Fan fiction, there is actually no true reason to post review responses.