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Hey peeps! So, another update. Thanks a lot to all the reviewers! You guys are the best!
Chapter 6: Escape
Sai stared as Athrun's shoulders slumped slightly. It was amazing how much of a differance that made to his over-all appearence. But now was not a good time to waste time. He ran forward and grabbed Athrun's arm, staring at the damage in disgust. The normally white skin was stained varing shades of blue and purple. Athrun followed his gaze, and shrugged. The cut on Athrun's cheek stopped bare millimeters below his left eye. Sai smiled, they had been in time. Though he'd never seen eyes that could empty out so fast, they really were the most beautiful shade of green he'd ever seen. And they were definitely the saddest. Not tearful, just...sad. They were...simply beautiful, like the ocean. So deep, sad and deceptivly empty.
Athrun met his eyes and jerked his head towards the door. Sai nodded, and pulled the the younger boy to the door and out into the corridor. Athrun glanced up and down. The place was empty.
'Where...where are the three men?' he asked, his voice coming out a croak. Sai smiled. 'When you give a royally pissed off Mirella Haw a gun and let her off, there are few survivors.' Athrun smiled as well, causing his face to soften. And then he was the prince again.
'So where do we go now?' Sai chuckled nervously, looking down. Athrun sighed. Sai glared at him. 'But I think it's this way...' he said and then pulled the ZAFT pilot down the left corridor before the boy could protest.
Sai was stunned. Athrun was way stronger than him. If the younger boy wanted to stop him and make him explain, then he could, and easily at that. But Athrun didn't put up a fight, he just went where Sai pulled him with no complaints. The ZAFT pilot trusted him, the boy who'd caused his best friend to turn on him. The boy who'd helped push him to attempt suicide. An EA soldier who'd spouted accusations at him without knowing both sides of the story.
He clenched his fist around the dog tags, so hard that it cut into his palm. And then Athrun's shoulder rammed into his back. He stummbled forward into a doorway. Athrun staggered past him and fell with a barely surpressed groan. He glared down at the pilot. Tiredly, the boy jerked his head at the corridor. Footsteps sounded all to clearly a few feet away from him. Startled, he yanked Athrun to his feet and pressed the boy to the door, concealing the enemy soldier...and hopefully hiding himself as well.
Athrun's hair tickled his cheek. Well, this probably looked weird. Athrun was staring at him with slightly widened eyes. They were so close, their lips bare inches apart. No wonder Athrun was nervous. Sai felt the same way. But ... for some reason, it didn't feel bad, just strange.
'Wasn't Athrun in that room we caused the diverson outside of? Well then I've no idea where he is!' A female voice said, sounding worried. Sai looked around. Milly was standing behind him, gun in hand. He sighed in relief and stepped out of the doorway. Athrun stayed where he was, apparently to stunned to move. Milly's jaw dropped. Sai blushed slightly.
'We heard someone coming. I had to hide him,' he muttered, in explanation. The girl nodded, still gazing at him in stunned amusement. Athrun pushed himself out of the doorway, grunting in pain. Sai grabbed his arm again, and began pulling him down the corridor, Milly behind them. The corridor only went for another few meters, before the three teens skidded through an open door.
The room was enormous. A high ceiling, made completely from metal and with a few odd planes scattered around. And there, standing next to one, was a tall blonde man in obvious panic. Mu le Flagga spun round when they entered, his eyes widening when he saw them. He then ran over to them.
Sai opened his mouth to explain when Mu reached them, but the man ignored him. Instead, he grabbed Athrun's shoulder and spun the boy around, using his free hand to take Milly's gun. The two young soldiers instantly began to protest, and again the man ignored them. The shot rang around the hanger.
When Sai opened his eyes, Athrun was standing in front of Mu still very much alive. His hands were free, one of the rings of the hancuffs was still on his wrist, but the chain was gone. Metal littered the ground under Athruns feet. Sai felt his jaw drop, and he glanced at his superior. Mu was still gripping Athrun's shoulder.
'Can you fly one of these things?' he barked. The younger pilot stared at him, his eyes blanks once again. He nodded. Mu looked relieved, and then turned to Sai and Milly. 'There is a bomb planted in this base that will take out everything within a ten mile radius. We gotta get back to the Archangel and warn them. Skygraspers can take a max of two people. So Sai, you go with Zala, and Mirella, you come with me. Clear?' They nodded, stunned.
Athrun didn't move. Instead he glared at Mu. 'How do you know you can trust me? I might simply decide to run and take this boy hostage.' His voice help no threat, it was just a blank nothing like his eyes. Mu spun, towering over the ZAFT pilot.
'Do that and I'll take you down,' he snarled. Athrun continued to stand. 'And kill Sai, I don't see you doing that. And also, what makes you think you can shoot me down? You never could take any of us down, and I'm much better then Dearka.' Sai put his hand on Athrun's shoulder.
'You won't run. You owe us. And besides, you don't want to, do you?' The boy glanced back at him, eyes like chips of green ice. And then he turned to a skygrasper. Mu handed Sai the gun. 'Keep him under control,' the man whispered, before heading to a skygrasper as well.
Sai crouched behind the pilot's chair, feeling the machine power up beneath his feet. A feeling of uncontrollable fear ignited in his stomach. This was not going to go well. Mu was taking off ahead of him, the beautiful plane sweeping out into the sky. And then it was their turn. Athrun slammed the accelarator and Sai fell back from the force. Pushing himself up, he glance out the window. The battle going on around him was nothing but a sea of explosions and light. He winced, he had never been this close to the fight before. He glanced at Athrun. The boy looked completely at home behind the controls of a weapon. And again Sai felt that fear.
Murre Raimus did not like the way this battle was going. They were being completely overrun, despite the size of their forces. They needed a miracle to save them. Sighing, she glanced at the empty chairs belonging to Sai and Mirella. Those two stupid teenagers. Didn't they realise they were needed? And then she saw the young face with bright green eyes. The small chain in Sai's hand. That boy had needed them as well. And probably more urgently. She sighed again. Just as long as the two made it out of this alive.
The door of the bridge opened suddenly. Murre took her eyes off the screen, looking around in surprise. 'Well speak of the devil,' she muttered, as Sai and Mirella ran onto the bridge, hurridly saluted, and took their places. And from behind them came the ZAFT soldier and a man she thought she'd never see again.
'Mu...' she gasped as he ran up to her. He looked worried and angry. 'Take this thing outta here!' he shouted. She stared at him, opening her mouth to reply. But he waved her into silence. 'Look, there's a bomb planted in the base. If it goes off then everyone within a ten mile radius is dead. The EA betrayed us! They're using us as bait for ZAFT,' Mu broke off as Athrun yelled, 'What?'
Murre glanced back at him. The slender frame was rigid with surpressed anger, the sleeves of his tee-shirt stretched tight as his muscles tensed. She felt guilt swell in her gut again. Her race was bent on driving this boy's people to extinction, and she was helping them. She took a deep breath. She was not going to let her crew die, nor was she going to participate in murder any longer.
'Turn the Archangel around, we're getting outta here!' she yelled. The pilots nodded and the ship gathered speed. It didn't get more then two feet when a familer MS appeared in front of them. The Duel. 'This is for Athrun and Nicol,' the pilot yelled. Murre bit her lip, knowing her death was coming. The crew all looked so disappointed, crestfallen. She sighed.
Athrun collapsed to his knees with a thump. She spun to stare at him. Small drops of blood were dripping onto the floor. 'Damnit Yzak!' he yelled. 'Why the hell are you doing?' She stared at him, watching his dark hair spill haphazardly around his face. He looked so helpless. The explosion caused them to stare at the screen. Athrun's jaw dropped as the Duel fell off its support craft.
She winced as his startling eyes filled with tears. 'Y..Yzak?' he whispered, watching another commrade fall. Then intense relief filled his face as Buster flew by holding the Duel. She couldn't help but smile.
But her face changed to shock as a familer voice sounded through the bridge. 'Cpt Raimus, are you alright?' Murre stared at the screen where a new MS had appeared. She could feel Athrun move up to stand beside her. 'The Freedom? I didn't think it had been completed yet...it was only blue prints when I last saw it...' he muttered. Murre didn't spare his words a thought, instead she contacted the pilot.
'Kira,' she asked disbelievingly. A face appeared on the screen, wearing the ZAFT flight suit, brown hair framing the slightly baby face of Kira Yamato. All of the crew on the bridge smiled. Athrun didn't, instead an ugly frown marred his features. No-one noticed. Kira didn't even glance his way.
Kira took the information in his stride, and contacted all the soldiers in the area. Athrun shook his head, still scowling. 'You can't play the hero all the time, Kira,' he growled, his green eyes blazing. He clasped a hand to his arm, trying to ease the pain. 'In fact, for most of this war you haven't been anything but a tool to destroy. And you were so caught up in trying to be a hero that you didn't notice. And now your army's betrayed you.'
Murre glanced at him, shocked at his bitter tone. This was his best friend, right? She shook her head as they ran headlong from the explosion, Kira behind them dragging a ZAFT MS behind it.
The pilots soon brought the Archangel down. The shocked crew turned to run to the door, Kira's friends in the lead. She ran after them herself, after grabbing Athrun, causing the boy to wince.
Kira watched his comrades pile out onto the ground, dust rising at their feet. And he smiled. But then he saw the boy standing behind Murre. Dark hair, usually well kept, hanging in a mini explosion, framing a face caked with blood. The familer green eyes gazing so bitterly at him. 'Athrun,' he gasped as Sai moved to catch the boy as he fell.
Well, any good? Please R&R?