Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed
Gundam Seed Purpose Renew
Chapter 12: Berserk
Athrun climbed into the Aegis, running the suit through its activation sequence. As the screens came online, he remembered the sudden briefing he had with commander Le Creuscet.
"Someone on the legged ship claims that they want to give Miss Clyne back to us, but they'll only do it if you meet with them," the masked man explained.
"This could be a trap sir, an attempt to steal back the Aegis," Miguel said.
"The possibility occurred to me, but we managed to confirm that the legged ship is on course to abandon the white machine," Le Creuscet explained.
"The white one," Miguel whispered.
"I know you're eager to engage the mercenary again Miguel, but please, this may be our chance to recover Miss Clyne, I suggest patience for now!"
"I'll go sir, I need to get Lacus back," Athrun said.
Now, he was getting into his suit, expecting to go alone to save the woman the law deemed would be his wife.
Love's too strong a word, maybe once I wanted to love her. Lacus is beautiful, kind, dutiful, 'the ideal wife', father would say. I didn't like that, his expectation that she play a role. When I got to know her, I knew she could be more than a wife. After Kira, I'd say she would be my best friend in the Plants. Someone I know will smile, someone I know won't be changed by this war. At least, I intend to make sure she isn't. I thought 'just what could that dog have done to her'.
"Athrun Zala, Aegis, launching!"
"Kira, Kira, are you all right? Kira!"
He opened his eyes and groaned, vision adjusting to the lights on the ceiling. Kira looked up and saw Miriallia and Tolle standing over him. Across from them was Yamato and his children, looks of concern written across their faces.
"He knocked me out," Kira said.
"Looks that way, and he kind of put a banana peel on your face," Mir said, obviously trying to resist the urge to laugh.
"Oh no, he's gone out there alone," Kira gasped, adjusting his position so that he was standing.
"Yes he has gone out alone," Yamato said.
"Mr Kuzunagi, Gekido he..."
"It is all right Kira, I understand what happened, both of you are alike in the fact that you both wish to do what you believe is best, Gekido...he knows nothing else but fighting, fighting for his beliefs is no different to him, let him fight!"
On the bridge of the Archangel, Natarle was hiding her anger well. Bentos and Mu both stood either side of Murrue, whom herself was angry that he had left alone.
"Has he done things like this before?" she asked the older mercenary.
"Oh he has, insubordination comes from being a mercenary, you have a certain freedom to make your own rules and going off alone is his thing," Bentos explained.
The man had a smirk on his face, and he was suppressing his usual laugh.
"If I know Le Creuscet and Thanos, they'll be planning to attack," Mu said.
"I would, the second I got the hostage back I'd hit the enemy with everything I had. Especially if it's Gekido, if both men are as smart as they say they are, they'll want the Purpose off of the board permanently," Bentos added.
"Captain, we've managed to position the camera we launched," Kuzzey said.
"Put the images on the main screen," Murrue commanded.
The room went silent as a feed appeared showing the Purpose with its arms crossed. Bentos's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets, seeing the Gundam's manipulator arms.
"Those rockets on the arms look ridiculous, I can't believe he brutalised my ship for that," the mercenary snarled, slamming his fist on top of the head rest of Murrue's chair, drawing a glare from her.
"There goes the Aegis," Mu said, drawing their attention back to the screen.
The image blurred slightly as the red G-Weapon came into view. It had its rifle at the ready, but despite this, the Purpose remained still.
"The calm before the storm," Bentos muttered.
"Yeah, this seems like the time Thanos will strike," Mu said.
"Oh I didn't mean the Black Storm, I meant Gekido...that kid knows nothing but how to fight, even when he's saving a life he has to fight for it. He's doing this because he believes he can buy time for us to escape, he may be right, I say, let him fight!"
My opinion on mercenaries is as high as any other soldier's. At least any soldier of ZAFT, I felt that if the Plants were going to waste the defence budget on hiring mercenaries, then the fleet would suffer and eventually the Plants themselves. Lacus's father and mine both feared that we would become indebted to a mercenary corporation, that in fighting to gain independence from the Earth Alliance, we would only be ruled over by another, more powerful faction.
Athrun looked at the Purpose as he approached it, placing the Aegis's rifle on the clip on its shield. He adjusted his radio, matching the frequency from the previous battle.
"Sensou pilot, this is Athrun Zala in the Aegis, I am here as agreed upon," he stated.
He flashed the lights on the Aegis's head, attempting Morse code. The Purpose raised its hand and pointed to its chest. Then it made a motion as if pulling at something. Athrun realised very quickly that the Purpose's pilot wanted him to open his hatch. For a moment he considered consulting the Vesalius, but then he thought the delay would jeopardise Lacus's safety. He opened the Aegis's cockpit, cautiously holding the safety handle and stepping out so he was visible. Inside the Purpose, Gekido looked at the Aegis's pilot, Kira's friend.
"That your mate?" Gekido asked Lacus.
"Athrun, that is Athrun," she said.
Gekido rolled his eyes before adjusting his helmet radio. Once he opened the cockpit, he of course wouldn't be able to hear anything inside the Purpose. He opened the Purpose's chest and looked out towards Athrun.
"Confirm the identity of your prisoner," Athrun said, and Gekido saw the pilot's hand drift to his pistol holster.
'So I see Athrun's the smart one out of him and Kira,' Gekido thought. "Well, say something," he told Lacus.
"Oh, hello Athrun, it's really good to see you," Lacus waved to Athrun, the Haro she held also flapped its wings.
'Thank god that in space no one can hear the Haro,' the mercenary thought.
"Confirmed Vesalius, Lacus is in the mercenary's custody," Athrun said over his radio.
"Acknowledged," Ades said.
"Thank you for this," Athrun smiled, letting go of the safety handle and setting his feet on the Aegis's chest hatch.
It was the first time I met the pilot of the Purpose. Lacus was in good shape, and for a moment I thought I had judged the mercenary too harshly.
"Hold your horses red," Gekido raised his hand and Athrun looked at him in confusion. "Come on, you can't seriously think I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart!"
Then again, maybe I hadn't judged him harshly enough.
"What but...you..."
I don't think I had ever been that frustrated. There was fury, the kind brought on by tragedy and then there was frustration. The emotion you feel when something just rubs you the wrong way, when people do something to make your day harder. Well, my day was about to get even harder.
"You're serious?" Athrun's eyebrow twitched as he squeezed his hands into fists.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" a dead pan expression crossed Gekido's face.
"You bastard, it's bad enough you killed our comrades over the past few days, now you hold Lacus hostage," Athrun said, righteous indignation in his eyes and voice.
How dare he, I thought, how dare he. We had lost so much to him, just when he could have given something back, just when he could have done the right thing, he proved himself a mercenary. A dog of war whom cared for nothing more than profit. At least, that's what I thought at the time, how dare I.
Kira walked onto the bridge, looking towards the images of the Purpose.
"Gekido," he whispered.
Murrue and Mu looked back at the young pilot and saw confusion, pain, helplessness in his eyes. Perhaps the same conflict they felt. Natarle's face was clear, cold even as she looked down at the captain and commander.
"It is clear that this is a distraction we cannot afford to waste," she said.
"Maybe you're right, but still," Murrue paused and lowered her head.
"We owe him nothing, he took a contract that he has effectively abandoned," Natarle said.
"But all this time he has protected us, he's still protecting us," Kira retorted.
"Protecting us was all part of his contract, and if you are right then that is all the more reason for us not to waste what he is doing now. To protect the Archangel, the Strike and the people on this ship, we have to leave," Natarle explained.
"Ensign Badgiruel is right," Murrue said and Kira widened his eyes.
"But captain..."
"Gekido is giving us this chance, so we must not waste it," Murrue said, her eyes showing more determination than before. "Kira, be ready to sortie in the Strike alongside Canard!"
Kira raised his head, hope in his eyes as he graciously nodded his head.
"Thank you Miss Ramias, thank you," he said before taking the elevator to the locker room again.
I thought I had the pilot of the Purpose pegged, I had no idea just now wrong I was.
"It'll take too long to contact the Plants, just say we'll have his money wired to him later," Ades said.
"I don't think that will fool him sir," Athrun said, gritting his teeth together as he looked between the screen showing Ades and Gekido.
"Is there a problem?" Lacus asked.
"Either they pay me here, or I take you with me and we pick this up later, this isn't a charity case," Gekido said.
"In that case, why don't I just pay you?"
Gekido and Athrun both looked at Lacus, blinking in confusion. The latter pilot put a palm to his face, whilst the former laughed.
"Look pink..."
"Actually, this is Mr Pink," Lacus said, showing Gekido the Haro again.
"I'm trying to say I sincerely doubt that you're going to have your ransom in your account, it's a lot of zeros," Gekido said.
"May I have your details?" Lacus asked.
The young man rolled his eyes, directing Lacus to the Purpose's computer. Lacus began typing in a few details, some passwords and security questions answer that Gekido looked away from. When he looked back, he saw that she had logged onto an account labelled 'Clyne foundation'. It had more than enough money in it, and Gekido again rolled his eyes. A charity organisation that made profit, it was supposed to be a paradox, but it did happen. Quite often founders of charities did skim from the pot.
'Guess we know why the Clyne's can live so comfortably in their high castles,' Gekido huffed.
Lacus put in Gekido's details and moved his payment across, showing none of the frustration that Athrun had. It was as if it was a normal day for her, a normal transaction.
"All right, that's fine now, go to him then," Gekido said.
"Thank you Mr Gekido," Lacus said.
"Call me Gekido, and don't thank me!"
"I hope we see one another again!" Lacus called out to Gekido as she floated back towards Athrun.
"Is Lacus in your custody Athrun?" Rau asked over the radio.
"Not yet commander," Athrun raised his hand to Lacus, taking her hand and pulling her into the Aegis with him. "Confirmed, I have Lacus, beginning to return to the Vesalius!"
That's when I got the text message, sent by the Purpose's pilot. It said 'Kira's fine, has friend's on ship he wants to protect'. In that moment I felt relieved, but angry too. With the Earth Alliance, with myself, even with Kira. I wanted him to bring back Lacus, I wanted him to join us. But when Gekido told me that Kira had friends on that ship, I realised there wasn't a chance he was going to come back. It just wasn't in his character, unlike mine. I didn't know what I was capable of, I thought a lot of ideals, but in actually living up to those ideals...I don't think it was in my character either. My version of justice, just didn't apply, as Thanos and Le Creuscet demonstrated.
As soon as Gekido had closed his cockpit and began flying away from the Aegis, it happened. A round slammed into the Purpose's hip, throwing off shards of armour and breaking apart the experimental Ginn rifle. He, Lacus and Athrun widened their eyes as a white Cgue and another mobile suit emerged from the Purpose's blind spot. Gekido looked over the Cgue and knew it belonged to Le Creuscet. He also knew the other machine belonged to Dagger Thanos. Painted black, it had none of the more decorative, smooth armour that the Cgue's or Ginn's had. Before the Proto-Ginn had come a concept created by an engineer named Fukuda. It was his version of the Ginn, it didn't have the wings or large head design of the Cgue, the horn was reversed and sharpened like a blade. The red Mono-eye was less visible and more protected by the smaller head. A shield was attached to the left shoulder, in one hand was a rifle and in the other was a sword.
"Take Lacus back to the ship Athrun, it's time to finish this," Rau said.
He moved his Cgue forward, firing his rifle at Gekido. The Purpose swerved to the side, and then flipped, barely dodging a flurry of rounds fired by Thanos. He moved in close with his sword, attempting to stab at Gekido. But the Purpose dropped and fired its Vulcans, creating a distraction. Gekido switched to a stolen Ginn bazooka. But Rau quickly sliced the barrel off and caught the side of the Purpose with his sword, scratching the belly of the Gundam. A smirk crossed the masked man's face as he thrust his sword forward. Gekido was barely able to dodge the blade by flipping the Purpose over the Cgue. He was about to fire his Vulcans, but Thanos's Cgue quickly flew in, shoulder barging him and throwing him off course.
Seeing the two of them fly, it was inspiring to me as a pilot. These were two of the first generation of mobile suit pilots, the first class of ZAFT graduates. They were incredible fighters, and ruthless too, to use our chance to rescue Lacus as a chance to destroy an enemy. I was appalled by the Earth Alliance's use of Lacus, but in a way, we did the same thing. We used her to achieve a goal. I was frozen in shock, but Lacus, she had a look of strength I had never seen in her eyes before. She turned on our radio and spoke with a voice I had never heard from her either.
"Commander Le Creuscet, Commander Thanos, that is quite enough!" Lacus said, her eyes firm and voice authoritative.
The Cgues continued flying around the Purpose, both commanders pausing.
"Do you intend to continue this battle in the presence of a memorial committee representative?" she asked.
"Troublesome," Rau whispered.
For a moment I thought, that this new side of Lacus would be enough to stop the fighting, that we could get her home. That we would be as honourable as we were supposed to be. But, not everyone agreed with Lacus.
"Miss Clyne, this is a military channel and operation, do not interfere, Zala, get Miss Clyne back to the ship and confine her to your quarters. If she persists in her interference I order you to put her in the brig," Thanos explained.
A smirk crossed Rau's face as Thanos cut the communication feed.
"We'd both be embarrassments if we allowed a silly little girl to keep us from destroying the white devil," he said.
(Baki OST-Maximum Attack)
Both Cgues suddenly rushed forward, knocking the Purpose back. Lacus widened her eyes as the attacks of the ZAFT suits became more ferocious. Rau moved to the left, and Thanos to the right. Gekido fired his Vulcans at one, but was hit with rounds fired by another. The Purpose ignited one of its beam sabres, only for Rau to kick the weapon out of its grip. Thanos then took a hold of the weapon and swung it towards Gekido, dragging it across the side of the Purpose. Athrun gripped Lacus's shoulder as she gasped. The Purpose's left belly armour had been ripped off, revealing the grey endoskeleton and sparking circuitry.
"I never actually thought we would fight in formation," Rau said, shooting the Purpose from behind, damaging the armour of its makeshift flight pack.
"It isn't a pleasant surprise," Thanos said.
The Cgues moved side by side, Rau firing his rifle, hitting the Purpose in the leg and shoulder. Thanos then swung its beam sabre horizontally and Gekido yelled, pulling the Purpose back. It was a desperate but successful attempt to keep the Purpose from being cut in half. But he didn't see Rau's Cgue flip over Thanos's, rifle aimed at the Purpose's head. Rau fired, the round breaking off the right side of the Purpose's helmet and knocking it backwards.
(End OST)
"No," Lacus whispered.
Thanos looked at the beam sabre, studying the blade.
"It has its own battery, impressive, a good weapon. You have been an obstacle in our way mercenary, curse your bosses for sending you for this contract," he explained.
"No," Gekido whispered.
He sat in his seat, gripping his controls tightly.
"This was my choice," he said.
"Very well, then know that this was a battle of your choosing," Thanos said before aiming the beam sabre at the Purpose.
He activated his boosters, sending the Cgue on a collision course with the Purpose. Gekido grit his teeth together, his head shaking as he snarled.
"This wasn't my choice, not this battle, not this fight," he said.
The Cgue got closer and closer, sabre burning through space. Lacus put her hands together as the Aegis docked with the Vesalius and Rau smirked.
"Not here," Gekido whispered.
The Purpose's head shook as it looked up at the approaching Cgue. Gekido breathed harder, gritting his teeth and snarling.
"I won't die here, I'm gonna LIVE!"
The inside of the Purpose darkened, screens taking on a red haze as Gekido's pupils narrowed into slits. Just as the Cgue was about to hit him, Gekido rotated the Purpose, just enough for the Cgue to miss him. But he didn't stop there, he swung out the Purpose's arm, slamming it into the Cgue and knocking it off course. Thanos quickly recovered, gripping his control sticks for extra support. Gekido's shoulder were slouched, his head shaking, and Thanos could hear him snarling like an animal. But that wasn't what made him smirk.
We all saw it, from the bridge, from our mobile suits, or from the observation cameras. We saw the Purpose's armour black as space itself, but lines across it glowing blue. Some kind of field glowed around it, pulsing out of its generator, shining blue on its chest. Then we heard the roar, the roar of a man possessed.
(One Punch Man-Seigi Shikkou)
Gekido roared and the Purpose raised its arms, its body tensed as if it too was roaring. Thanos rushed at the same time the Purpose did. Both machine's collided, recoiling from the impact with one another. Then the Purpose slammed its right fist into the Cgue's head, throwing it backwards. Thanos replied with a kick, striking the side of the Purpose's head. Gekido then punched the Cgue in the chest, throwing it off balance. They flew upwards, slamming their heads together, the fingers of their mobile suits linking. The two machines grappled, each trying to throw the other off course.
"Incredible," Rau whispered.
On the Vesalius, the crew were left speechless by the display of power both machines and their pilots displayed. Miguel was closest to the window and looked at the Purpose in particular. He was gripping the chest area of his shirt tightly.
"This feeling," he muttered. 'I feel so excited, I have to fight him again!'
In the hanger, Lacus watched the battle alongside Athrun. She still had her hands together, her eyes focused on the Purpose.
"Gekido Jaeger," she whispered.
That glow from the Purpose invoked so many feelings. I thought about Kira, how afraid I was for him, but also how happy I was to have seen him again. And for a moment, I think we all felt the rage and the fury from the Purpose. As if it hated battle, yet that was the only Purpose it knew. For a moment it made me feel sad, it made all of us feel sad. But Lacus most of all, I think she was close to crying. Her hands weren't linked out of fear, she was praying.
The Purpose and the Cgue slammed their fists together again, this time the Cgue's right arm was shattered by the blow.
"YES!" Dagger yelled. "Finally, after all this time, someone who can damage me, someone who frightens me, a battle that exhilarates me," he laughed.
He was gritting his teeth together in a feral grin, whilst Gekido had been driven feral. Both machines slammed their heads together, as if the pilots themselves were grappling. Thanos thrust his legs into the Purpose, knocking it back. The Purpose quickly altered its course, flying around the Cgue, increasing its speed. A halo of blue light came out of the Purpose's back as it rocketed towards the Cgue. Rau moved in front of the Purpose, having grabbed the beam sabre that Thanos had earlier taken.
"Sorry to interrupt, but this battle stirs feelings in me as well, but still...we should end this," the masked man intended to time his strike just right.
At the moment the Purpose reached him, he would drive the sabre through the exposed target on its chest. He would obliterate that machine and the pilot, and put an end to the machine and the feelings it was invoking in others.
"As I said before, TIME TO END THIS!" Rau yelled, thrusting to sabre forward as Gekido roared.
Suddenly, a white and red beam came out of space. Rau widened his eyes as he pulled the Cgue back, the beam burning its arm and blowing up the beam sabre. The explosion knocked the ZAFT machines and the Purpose away from one another.
(Gundam Seed OST-Strike Shutsugeki)
The Purpose looked up, eye flashing as it focused on the new arrival. It was the Archangel, but more importantly the Strike and the Hyperion. The ship had left Thanos's vessel damaged, using the distraction that the duel offered to hit it with a long range bombardment. Then Murrue had Neumann pass the Archangel by the battle. The Strike stepped towards the edge of the ship, lifting the Agni cannon up.
"GEKIDO!" Kira yelled.
"What are you waiting for you idiot, get out of there," Canard said.
"Biggs, transfer...transfer," Gekido snarled, slowly regaining his sanity. "Whatever this new power is, transfer it to the thrusters from the Kutai!"
The glow left the Purpose, the vents of its flight pack charging before the thrusters activated. Gekido swerved the Purpose from left to right, performing a barrel roll before moving in a straight line.
"Full speed ahead, get us out of here," Murrue commanded.
"Yes ma'am," Arnold said.
(End OST)
"Ma'am, communication from the Purpose," Miriallia said.
She smiled as an image of the Purpose appeared on the main screen. It showed the Purpose passing by the, the fingers off its new arm raised into a salute. Both the Hyperion and the Strike performed salutes as well before the Purpose passed them. The footage was followed by a piece of text.
Thanks
Next time you need some help, I'll offer a discount
GJ
The Archangel and the Purpose flew their separate ways, leaving behind the damaged and shocked ZAFT forces. Inside the Archangel's observation lounge, Flay looked at the blue light the Purpose had left in its wake. She gasped slightly as Yamato came up behind her.
"Will we...see him again?" she asked.
"This is only the beginning, he's beginning to bring out the Purpose's true power, and his true feelings. I have no doubt that we will see him again," Yamato explained.
"I'm glad," Flay smiled. 'He has to fight like Kira, he has to fight until he dies. It is the only way I will forgive him!'
That light that came from the Purpose. It wouldn't be the last time we'd see it. That light, what we considered a threat, would become the world's salvation.
Next Chapter 13: Awakening sword
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, the Cgue that Thanos was piloting, is based on some of the original concept art for the mobile suit. Next time the Archangel fights without the aid of the Purpose and Gekido begins repairs for the Purpose.