Chapter 17: The plan
Athrun walked over to the study, and located a few items there he thought was odd. First, a bouquet of white lilies which looked freshly trample on. Second, Yzak's and his mother's photos. It made sense now that he had the brains to think about it, Yzak has been made a Supreme Councilor, a change of house is a must.
Perfect, Athrun thought he was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. He wanted to call Cagalli, and this room is equipped with the ideal equipment.
He turned on the computer and activated the land sweep system…
Cagalli was deep in thought about Athrun and how much she wished to see him right now, and gasped when the phone rang and she picked it up hurriedly, "Hello?", seconds later Athrun flickered into existence in her room. Startled, she gave a yep and almost fell off her chair. At the moment, she almost thought some genie just answered her prayers.
"Hello, Cagalli." Athrun greeted with a hearty smile which caused guilt to wrench her heart, his voice was coming from the receiver in her hand.
"Athrun," she said, looking at the blue laser projectile of him that flickered every few seconds, like a television set. "Is that you? You got injured again…!" she exclaimed, gazing at the bandages on his arm.
"I'm alright…" Athrun replied, attempting to hide his arm behind his back. Cagalli frowned, feeling worst than ever having to leave him just when he proved unable to take good care of himself. It remained silent as both did not to speak for the next few moments.
"How are you…?" Athrun managed to ask, then he scolded himself inwardly. They haven't seen each other in a three weeks and that was the best he could do?
Cagalli on the other hand, didn't really know how to face him. But she felt like she was going to explode if she held it any longer, she took a deep breath and declared. "I'm getting married!"
Athrun inhaled sharply and blushed as he asked incredulously, "Now?" Cagalli didn't know how to reply, he has misunderstood her statement, which made correcting the message even harder that before.
Athrun realized something was amiss, he examined her movements carefully before asking slowly, "…With whom?" His voice was slightly shakened and revealed genuine fear. His emerald eyes searched her face hesitantly, unwilling to find the answer there. She looked away, not wanting to see the disappointment in his eyes. She took five minutes to explain the situation.
"I can't allow my personal feelings to get in the way of developing Orb, our ideals, what my father gave me before he died!" She practically shouted, panicking. She knew she was justifying herself for hurting him, but there was no other solution. The only reason she could lead the men in her country with poise is because they saw her willingness to sacrifice. If she refused the marriage, it will only reverse everything the last conflict with PLANTs has created. A more united Orb, and a stronger nation. "Can't you see, with this, I can help you become Chairman…"
Athrun couldn't quite believe what he was hearing as shook his head slowly and whispered, "I don't want your help…I want to help you." Cagalli gasped, but Athrun didn't give her time to digest that sentence. "But since you have apparently decided… there's nothing I can say…"
"Athrun…Don't go…"
He had turned his back and was leaving the room, refusing to reply, refusing to look at her. He suddenly stopped short, and said over his shoulder, "I'll return your stone to you…It saved my life…" He added with a sad smile, "…and for a moment I believed that…that we could overcome anything…" he paused at this point, "But I was wrong. I was terribly naïve…"
"Athrun!" Cagalli shouted as he continued walking, just as…
Yzak folded his arms, deep in thought. He was reflecting on everything that has happened as he walked into his study. His mother explained everything, everything including what she said on the day and her intentions. Yzak didn't tell her how relieved he was. But the hour long talk gave Yzak more than he bargained for. Now he knew of the plot, the plan on their part to push the whole Supreme Council into greater power. They needed a puppet chairman, one who was young and ignorant and have not a mind of his own. The best possible candidate…will be a civilian Chairman, or even better…one along the line of the council members. The revelation was harsh but useful, the whole point that Ylie Amarfi had insisted that Yzak join the alliance was for this purpose. Butwhat he now had to worry about was how to come up with a way to use it all to his favour…But how…?
He was concentrating so much that he didn't realize there was someone in front of him till he brisk walked right into him, knocking Athrun backwards.
"Dammit! Watch where you're going…!" He began to scold as he massaged his forehead, than slowly realize who it was.
"Finally," he growled, "And who's…" Yzak frowned as he looked at the figure behind Athrun, "CAGALLIYULAALTHA? What are YOU doing in my study!"
"Your study?" Cagalli asked, totally clueless.
"I don't like it either, but this is supposed to be my house from yesterday onwards." He told her coldly. "This is MY study."
"Yes I know. Does it matter?" Athrun answered with disinterest. Yzak frowned, Athrun's a little out of sorts, meaning something had taken place while he was away that he didn't know about. No matter, he could always find out. Something else caught his attention…He gazed at the blue projectile of the Orb representative i standing in the center of his study.
Yzak interrupted, "Can you call Lacus Clyne? And meet her like this as well?"
"Yes, why?"
"Call her, call everyone. Even the archangel captain and Kira Yamato." Yzak ordered, as he settled down on the couch beside the full length windows. Athrun didn't ask why, for he knew when Yzak insist on something, it usually made sense. He went back slowly to the computer, not looking at Cagalli at all. "This is called the Land sweep system, it works on locating the GPS of a person, now watch. You've got to learn how to use it anyway."
He contacted Dearka, who picked up and he appeared naked and soapy in front of the three of them, and he quickly dunked himself in the bath. Cagalli looked away hastily, and couldn't help but start giggling at the rubber ducky floating around in the bathtub.
"What are you guys doing in my BATHROOM!" He shouted into the phone he was holding, his tan face showing a red hue.
"Sorry, Dearka. I'll call you again ten minutes later. It happens sometimes…" Athrun sighed apologetically as Cagalli started laughing. Yzak wasn't amused.
Ten minutes later, when the phone rang in the orphanage, Lacus studied it for a bit, and looked at Kira who was washing the dishes. "It's about time…" she proclaimed quietly, Kira nodded in reply. She picked it up and watched calmly as Athrun, Yzak, Murrue, Mwu, Cagalli, Andrew, Shinn and Dearka appeared in the room.
"Woah." Kira said as he continued washing dishes. The projectile Shinn frowned and said, "Oh, it's supposed to be my turn to wash dishes…"
"Kira Yamato, can you kindly drop your precious china?" Yzak growled.
"Just about finished…" he replied cheerfully.
"I was just about to call Lacus! This is more convenient, two thumbs up to Coordinator technology." Mwu spoke up first, "Everyone, we have a problem."
"A big one," agreed Yzak, and everyone looked at him in surprise.
"WHAT?" he said, immediately annoyed, "And… first things first…" He walked up and stood beside Athrun, who turned and gazed at him questioningly.
Without warning, Yzak send a swift punch into Athrun stomach, who was only too familiar with the three disarming techniques and blocked with his good arm. "YZAK…!" Athrun shouted in alarm, not realizing as Yzak's left hand came down and chopped him at the base of his neck. Athrun looked surprised, but soon his eyes closed and he collapsed in Yzak's arms. Shinn was shocked and ran towards the the pair, but his momentum carried him too fast and he passed right through the projectile of Athrun and Yzak, hitting the wall instead.
"WHAT did you do that for!" Cagalli shouted at Yzak, shaking with anger. "Are you out of your mind? …Or are you like one of the Council members…?" Cagalli's eyes widened at the prospect she never thought of before. Shinn rubbed his nose, which was bleeding now.
Yzak narrowed his eyes, and said coldly, "I see that his idiocy has infected you as well."
"Mr Jule," Lacus said calmly, "…would you care to explain yourself?"
"Something's going on in PLANTs, something that he's better off not knowing." Yzak replied impatiently as he lay Athrun down on the couch he had previously vacated. "Even if you cannot trust me, listen first…"
Yzak spoke first, talking about what he heard from his informants, (he filtered out the part between him and his mother, and Sedna…). Cagalli filled up the part about Athrun being assassinated in Orb and the current situation, Ramius told them about what the found from the envelope Spencer picked up. Things were looking grim at the end of it, "Sounds like loads of trouble brewing, "Dearka managed to say, "Can I tell the Hawke girls?"
"Hawk who?" Mwu asked.
"Lunamaria and Meyrin…" Shinn whispered absentmindedly, "They'll be able to help."
As all of them indulged in idle banter of sorts, Cagalli took time off her argument with Kira about the china and she asked Dearka, "What really happened? How did…"
"How did your Athrun Zala hurt himself again?" Dearka completed her sentence for her. "Two days ago, he was captured by Yulie Amarfi."
"Captured?" Shinn exclaimed, "He got captured! How?"
"Patience, little one…" Dearka replied smugly and as Shinn started raving, he continued his tale, "Let me finish up the story, Yzak and Athrun's bodyguard went to rescue him. And after that the sent a team of assassins after their car, they had a gun fight, bang bang. And their car fell off a cliff."
"Fell. Off. A .cliff… ?" Cagalli whispered as her eyes widened in shock.
"Yeah, but he was lucky. Yzak said (Dearka folded his arms and tried to look pissed), 'He didn't need to fall, he was stupid enough to throw himself off.' But he sustained minimal injury in comparison to being squished between the car and the fence. And then behold, me and Meyrin the heros of the episode came to their rescue just in time! A valiant rescue effort on a helicopter!"
"…Where did you get the helicopter from…?" Kira asked after thinking for a while, "Don't say you bought it, I wouldn't buy it this time…"
"You had to ask, don't you?" cried Dearka in an accusing tone, "alright, we borrowed one from the ZAFT soldiers on duty at the mountain range."
"With or without permission?"
"Without."
"Figures."
"Yzak came to get us out of trouble later on…"
Lacus and Yzak were silent, both deep in thought, a plan formulating in each of their minds. In a small voice, Yzak told Lacus, "Lacus Clyne, whatever comes out of this discussion…let me handle the assassin." Lacus widened her intelligent blue eyes, and asked just as quietly, "Someone you know…or even care about?"
Yzak looked up in shock; he never realized why he said the sentence in the first place until she put it this way. Renewed with respect for the songstress and humiliated at the same time for being cornered so easily, he had no choice but to give a straight reply, "Yes…"
"I have a plan just for you then…" she muttered, smiling, "but I don't think they'll like it."
"I'm all ears." Yzak declared, taking a seat beside the computer and leaning back on the chair. Lacus got their attention and told them, and they didn't like it one bit.
"It makes sense, it is exciting, challenging, not to mention risking all our behinds. But for the whole thing to work, he mustn't be told at all…" Dearka muttered, gazing at the unconscious figure resting on the sofa.
"Why?" Cagalli asked in shock, isn't the whole point to let him know so he can make the best of the situation?"
"Representative," Yzak said coldly as he cast Cagalli a side glance, "You're overrating his intellect, and not to mention his acting skills. He'll be the first to get himself killed and give us all away."
"He's right," Shinn said, Yzak glared at him. "No offense, Supreme Councilor whoever…" he replied as he saluted half-heartedly, "I want to see ho far he could go…to prove everything you tried to tell me about Naturals" He said, giving Cagalli a hard look.
"…I wouldn't insist." Lacus declared, "It's his own choice he has to make, I believe he has the right to be able to fully grasp and analyse the situation."
"What you don't know can't hurt you." Muttered Dearka.
"I forbid anyone to tell him." Yzak said, it was a statement, a command, it was an order to be left unquestioned. Shinn glared at him with his crimson eyes and he glared back with his azure ones with equal ferocity. "If I'm to participate in this, it will be my only condition."he continued in a low and dangerous voice... And no one made a sound, Shinn wanted to, but he actually agreed with the guy with argent hair. Shinn promptly decided that he liked him better when he was unconscious aboard the Acrhangel as he brokeup the glaring match.
"Very well," Lacus sighed after a moment of thought, she gave Cagalli and Kira a look, "Even you two, I need your word. I think it's harsh, I think it will be difficult for him. But if he can't overcome this, he cannot hope to overcome anything else."
"I understand…" Kira answered as he looked at the floor, guilt starting to do him in. Cagalli held Lacus's gaze for a few more moments, repeatedly pleading, "No…Don't do this to him…Not now."
"Your word, give me your word. Believe in him enough to do that."
"I do, I really do…but…" Cagalli hesitated some more, she couldn't explain without telling Kira and everyone else about the situation between her and Athrun. "Alright, I promise."
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Yzak was not a team person, he really wasn't…This chapter feels like Harry Potter, 'Tink' an everyone appears where you are, this system works like the typical star wars projection, can see cannot touch. It's function is to facilitate meetings between Senators, and they usually will have a fixed time (Just so no one is in the bathroom when the call comes…) They have a plan, it is everything Dearka says and more, so stay tuned!
Oh ya…HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL!