Spectrophobia
Chapter 4

"So, Captain...Zephyranthes," Captain Gundam began, "what brings you to our dimension?"

"Approximately two hours ago, I detected a small spacetime anomaly on the outskirts of Neotopia," the other Captain replied. "I flew over to investigate. When I arrived, I had difficulty pinpointing the exact location of the anomaly. However, I was able to find it when this young man's head emerged from it."

He pointed to Shute, who let out an embarrassed chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.

"Afterward, I took some time to assess the stability of the portal," Zephyranthes continued. "Once I determined that it was safe, I passed through it. And so, here I am."

"I see," Captain said with a nod. "Once again, welcome! This is the first time I've ever met another Captain Gundam."

"Yes, meeting one's dimensional alternate is quite fascinating. And very fortunate, too," Zephyranthes' monotone voice suddenly became lower in pitch. "For you see, I am also here for a much more serious matter."

"Really?" Shute raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I regret having to ask you this because we have only just met, and I would not like to be a burden," the other Gundam said, lowering his head. "However, I have no choice. I am in dire need of assistance."

"Don't worry, you're not a burden to us," Captain replied, extending a hand. "Go ahead and tell us what's wrong. My SDG is ready to help anyone in need."

"Captain's right," Shute nodded. "By any chance, are you having trouble with some robots called the Dark Axis? We already defeated them over here, so we'll have no problem beating those guys again!"

Zephyranthes shook his head. "Negative. The Dark Axis did attack my Neotopia, but they were defeated approximately one year and thirty-five days ago," he answered. "However, three days after their defeat, the humans of my Neotopia staged a coup. My SDG was overthrown, and I have been in hiding ever since." He lowered his head again.

Shute and Captain took a step back out of shock. "Wait, what?" the boy cried. "Why would they do that?!"

"I have been unable to determine the reasons behind the coup," Zephyranthes explained. "I do not know if anyone else has uncovered their motivations, as I have lost all communication with my friends and colleagues since the fall of my SDG."

"Oh, man! That's terrible!" Shute said, covering his mouth with a hand.

...Wasn't it? He scratched his chin. A sudden feeling of wrongness began to creep into his mind, but he couldn't figure out why.

"It is safe to assume that you will need help taking back your city from the rebels?" Captain asked.

"Yes, absolutely," the other Gundam agreed. "I do not mean to take up so much of your time and resources, but I must bring peace back to my Neotopia."

"Please, do not worry," Captain reassured him, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure your SDG would do the same for us."

"Yes, of course," Zephyranthes nodded and averted his optics.

"Alright. The first step would be to get you and this portal back to the Blanc Base," Captain continued. "Do you think that you may have been followed?"

"Not to my knowledge," Zephyranthes said. "The only organisms I detected on my side of the portal were the local wildlife."

Only the wildlife? Shute shivered, remembering the charred version of his house in that other dimension. He was tempted to ask what happened, but decided against it; he doubted the other Captain actually knew. It was probably burned to the ground by the rebels, or something.

The rebels. Now that he thought about it, there was something awfully strange about them besides their seeming lack of a cause...

"Good," Captain said. "I'll inform the Gunperry that we're coming." He opened up his communication link with the vessel. "This is Captain Gundam, do you read me?"

"Read you loud and clear, Captain," the pilot's voice replied over Captain's speakers. "I was starting to get a little worried - you were gone for over fifteen minutes!"

"I apologize for that," the Gundam replied. "I am now returning with the portal. I also have a refugee with me that needs to be taken to Blanc Base."

"A refugee?!" the pilot exclaimed. "Well, that explains a lot. Okay, I'll let the base know they've got company. Over."

As Captain closed the link, Shute finally saw his opportunity. He cautiously stepped forward and said, "Hey before you guys fly off, I got a question."

"What is it, Shute?" Captain asked.

The boy turned to their guest. "Uhh, Captain...Francis, was it?"

"Zephyranthes," the other Gundam corrected him.

"Right. Anyway, I wanted to ask you about those rebels..." Shute paused for a second because he swore he saw Zephyranthes' joints stiffen up. "Is it only the-"

"Hey, Shute! Where are ya?!" Mark's voice called in the distance. "C'mon, it's time for bed!"

"Aw, man!" the boy grumbled. He turned around and shouted, "I'll be right there dad!" across the yard. He then said to the Gundams, "Sorry guys, but I gotta go. I'll talk to ya later."

"Understood." Shute definitely saw Zephyranthes' body relax.

"Alright," Captain replied. "Once we make a plan of action, I'll contact you immediately. I'll also inform your parents in case you'll need to report for duty."

"Okay, thanks! See you guys tomorrow!" Shute waved as he ran off toward his house.

"Good night and have a good day at school!" Captain called as he waved back.

A moment later, the boy heard the whine of small jets behind him. He looked over his shoulder and watched as the Gundams flew into the air and disappeared into the night sky. He climbed the hill to the front deck and found his father leaning against the rail, waiting for him.

"Hey, you were gone for a long time!" Mark said. "I was startin' to get worried! Didja give Captain your rocks, or whatever?"

"Uh, yeah Dad," Shute answered as he walked toward the porch. "He's got it. He'll let me know when he's done lookin' at it."

"Okay, I gotcha," Mark said, following behind. "By the way, who was that other guy you were talking to?"

Shute froze. "What other guy?"

"You know, the other robot," Mark pointed in the general direction that the Gundams flew off in. "The one that took off with Captain. It was kinda hard to see out there, but I swear they kinda looked like him too..."

"Uhh...?!" Had he been watching the whole time? While it wasn't necessary to lie about interdimensional travelers anymore, Shute doubted his father would believe that another Captain Gundam emerged from a magic mirror. "That was just somebody who got lost in the woods! Captain's taking him home now."

"Wow, good thing you guys were out there, then!" Mark replied. "Anyway, you better get your butt to bed. It's really late!"

"Yeah...sure thing, Dad," the boy said. With that, he stepped inside the house, ran down the hallway, and ducked into his room. He quickly closed the door behind him and prayed his father didn't have any more questions.

At the same time, the two Gundams arrived at the waiting Gunperry. After having to be reassured that he was not "seeing double," and that there was, in fact, another Captain Gundam right in front of him, the pilot opened up the hatches. Zephyranthes went inside the cabin while Captain went over to the cargo bay with the mirror. He placed it in the smallest crate he could fit it into, strapped it down, and covered it with sheets. He wanted to make sure that there was no chance this thing was going to shatter, as he assumed the portal would disappear if it did. He then joined Zephyranthes in the cabin, sitting on a bench across from him. The pilot closed all the doors, and the Gunperry took off.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Zephyranthes asked, "Does your dimension have the technology to put an interdimensional portal in any household object?"

"No," Captain replied, shaking his head. "We actually don't know who created that portal or how. Shute acquired the mirror from a flea market last week, and we just discovered its interdimensional properties today. I have been wanting to identify the mirror's vendor, but I have not had the time to do so yet."

"Interesting," Zephyranthes said. His pale optics shifted around before he said, "Speaking of your human friend, may I ask you something about him?"

Captain titled his head slightly. "Human friend"? Didn't his twin know Shute's name?

"Sure, what is it?" he asked.

"You mentioned something about him 'reporting for duty' even though he is clearly a minor. Did your SDG actually employ him, despite his age? Is it not dangerous for such a young human to be an SDG agent?"

Captain paused, not sure what to say at first. "Y-yes, we did," he answered. "That is, we made him an honorary member of the Gundam Force. Did...you not do the same for your Shute?"

"Negative," Zephyranthes answered. "My SDG has not employed anyone under the age of eighteen."

"But...if your Shute is not part of your Gundam Force," Captain continued, "how do you activate your Soul Drive?"

"I was unaware that a Soul Drive could 'activate,'" the other Gundam said. "How does one 'activate' it, and what happens?"

"Well...Soul Drives activate by synchronizing with a human's mind," Captain explained. "In my case, I synchronize with Shute's mind. When this happens my energy output increases at an exponential rate."

"Can it only synchronize with a human's mind?" Captain detected sudden harshness in Zephyranthes' voice.

"I'm...not sure," Captain replied. "So far, my Soul Drive has only been able to synchronize with Shute. But I assume that it can only be activated by humans, because they are the ones that created it."

"Understood," Zephyranthes said, his voice still slightly sour. "Now that you mention it, I did experience an overflow of energy during my first battle with Zapper Zaku."

"Was your Shute with you?"

Zephyranthes paused for a moment to check his files. "Yes. According to my memory banks and face recognition program, a pre-pubescent human resembling your friend Shute was there. He was returning my shield after I had accidentally left it at his home. That was the only time this phenomenon happened, and coincidentally, that was the last time I saw the young human."

"Oh. I understand." Captain lowered his head. He couldn't help but feel sorry for his twin; not only did he lose his home, but he also missed out on a wonderful friendship.

"I suppose it was not necessary after all," the other Gundam said with a shrug. "I was able to defeat the Dark Axis without using it. It is difficult to determine how much it would have helped me against the rebels."

"I'm curious, how were you able to defeat the Dark Axis?" Captain asked. "For me, Soul Drive activation was crucial - especially during dire situations such their full-scale invasion of my Neotopia."

"Your Dark Axis managed to invade your Neotopia?" Zephyranthes asked, tilting his head.

Captain looked down at the floor. "Yes, they did."

"I apologize. I did not mean to imply that you were incompetent," Zephyranthes said. "On the contrary, perhaps your Dark Axis was much more competent. Mine largely consisted of unintelligent drones, and those few that were intelligent were very irrational. Therefore, it was easy for me to ha-"

The PA system suddenly crackled. "Captain, we are now approaching Blanc Base!" the pilot's voice said.

"Roger," Captain replied. He turned back to his guest. "Are you in need of any repairs? If you do, we should take you to see the maintenance team first."

"Negative," Zephyranthes answered. "I do not need any major repairs. However, I have not had preventative maintenance in over a year, so perhaps I should pay your team a visit anyway."

Captain found it strange that his guest was in such good shape after everything that happened, but decided not to question it. "Tomorrow, we'll gather together the rest of the Gundam Force. Then we'll make a plan of action to liberate your Neotopia."

"Understood."

The two Gundams strapped themselves in as the Blanc Base's finger-like runways became visible in the windows. The Gunperry gently began its descent toward the landing strips.

Shute lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had way too much on his mind to fall asleep. The image of his burned house was stuck in his head. It reminded him of that nightmarish false future General Zeong tried to torture him with. He sincerely hoped the other Shute survived somehow.

And then there was the other Captain...Zep? Zeffer? Uh, "the other Captain." Something was...off about him. Was it those blank optics of his? They were pretty creepy; they almost looked painted on. Or maybe it was because his story didn't really add up. Before his dad interrupted him, he tried to ask if it only the humans that rebelled. The other Captain certainly made it sound that way. If that was the case, then why only the humans? Did something happen to the mobile citizens? He debated about whether or not it was a good idea to ask the other Captain again; he acted awful tense the first time.

He realized that this was probably how his Captain felt around that strange vendor that sold him the mirror. And speaking of which, what kind of guy goes around selling mirrors with portals in them? Did he even know about it?

...Maybe he was somebody from that other dimension, and was trying to make sure nobody followed him? No, never mind...if that was true, he would have just broke the mirror.

Shute sighed. One thing's for sure, he thought. I'm gonna hafta buy Mom something else for her birthday.