Spectrophobia
Chapter 7
Upon re-entering the city's airspace, Captain came to a stop just above the wide building that was Neotopia Elementary School. He scanned the surrounding playground and parking lot for Shute. He wasn't easy to miss; he was near a baseball diamond jumping around and waving. The Gundam slowly lowered himself down to the ground, landing near his human friend. Other children cheered as he touched down and took video of him with their phones.
"Boy, you really know how to make an entrance, Captain!" the boy laughed.
"Really?" Captain asked. "I thought my landing was average."
Shute chuckled some more. "I'll explain later," he said. "Anyway, I hope you don't mind me hitchin' a ride. I couldn't take my jet pack to school."
"It's no problem, Shute," Captain replied. "I'll fly at a reduced speed to make the trip safer for you. Theoretically, the best way to travel would be by Gunperry, but there is not enough space for one to land here."
"It's not like it's extremely far away, right?" Shute shrugged as he walked toward the sidewalk. "So where's Zero and Bakunetsumaru? Aren't they here yet?"
Captain followed after the boy. "No, not yet," he said, shaking his head. "Bell Wood is still working on trying to make a functional portal to Captain Zephyranthes' dimension."
"Uh, speaking of which," Shute said, his cheerful demeanor becoming more serious, "is that Captain Zephyr guy at Lab C, too?"
"Yes, he is," Captain replied. "He's currently in the custody of the security officers stationed there."
Shute must not have liked his answer, because he immediately frowned and broke eye contact. "He is, huh...?" he mumbled so quietly, it sounded as if he was talking to himself.
"Is something wrong?" the Gundam asked.
"Uh...maybe?" Shute said, turning back to him. "Look, before we take off, could we go someplace where we can talk in private?"
He gestured behind him. A small group of his fellow students were following them, trying to take more pictures of Captain.
The Gundam scanned the area, looking for someplace secluded. After a few moments, he turned to Shute and said, "I've got an idea. Jump on my back."
He turned around and Shute climbed on, being careful not to get his legs too near the jet boosters. Captain then lifted off, flew a few blocks down, and landed on the roof of an office building.
"Wow! Not quite what I had in mind, but it'll do!" the boy remarked, looking around.
"So what did you want to tell me, Shute?" Captain asked.
"Well...," Shute's eyes darted back and forth. "I don't know if it's just me, or what, but...does that other Captain seem a little...I don't know...weird?"
"Weird?"
"Yeah! I...don't know how to describe it," the boy rubbed the back of his head. "But something about him seems...off." He paused to think of an example. The optics? They were creepy alright, but they didn't say anything about his character. His oddly tense behavior when Shute asked about the rebels? That could have been due to stress. The fact that he walked out of a mirror, and therefore could be an evil twin from an opposite universe? Okay, now he was getting his ideas from Space Highway.
Unable to think of anything that wouldn't make him sound paranoid, Shute instead decided to ask, "Has anything strange happened at the base while he was there?"
"Well, there was an incident with Guneagle before we arrived at Lab C," Captain said.
Shute's eyes widened. "Really? What happened?"
"Captain Zephyranthes suddenly became aggressive when meeting Guneagle, and nearly crushed his fingers," the Gundam explained. "Zephyranthes immediately apologized for his behavior afterward, and explained that it was an error with his targeting systems."
"Okay, yeah! That sounds pretty awkward!" the boy nodded. "Anything else?"
"No, that was the only incident," Captain said. He paused for a moment, then added, "He did heavily imply that he uses his Captain System quite often, especially when Control Horns are involved. It's not something I would do, but I suppose it is not strange in his dimension."
"Yeah, I suppose. Maybe I've just been watching too many cartoons," Shute sighed. "Anyway, we should probably get goin'. I'm sure everybody's wondering where we are."
"Roger!" Captain turned himself around. "I am ready when you are."
Shute climbed on the Gundam's back again, and they gently lifted off the roof. Captain flew out of the city at a slower, steadier pace so that his passenger would not slip off.
As they flew over farmland and approached the edge of the desert, Captain suddenly received an alert from the Blanc Base. It was from Chief Haro himself, and it was marked as urgent. Concerned, the Gundam quickly answered it.
"Cap...undam, thi...ee...ro," the message skipped around and sputtered. "Can you...ear me? We...you to...det..."
The audio degenerated into static. Captain adjusted his position as carefully as he could to find the signal, but ultimately lost it. It looked as if he would have to wait until he reached Lab C to get in contact with the chief.
This worried him; why was the message urgent? Had there been an accident at the base? Did rebels from Zephyranthes' universe actually show up? Whatever it was, he hoped it could wait for a few more minutes; speeding up would be dangerous while still carrying Shute.
Grass gave way to sand and the spires of the Dimensional Transport Device came into view. As he approached the outdoor lab, Captain slowed down and lowered his altitude. He landed next to the closest bridge.
"Lieutenant VT1965 is the head officer on duty here," he said as Shute jumped off his back. "If you find her out here, let her know that I have arrived as well. I will catch up with you later."
"Huh? Where ya goin', Captain?" the boy asked.
"While we were mid-flight, I received an important transmission directly from the chief," the Gundam answered. "However, I couldn't answer it because we were out of range. I must go over to security headquarters and get in contact with the base first. I will join you after that."
"Wow, okay!" Shute replied, blinking. "I hope it's not an emergency!"
"I hope it isn't, either," Captain said gravely.
He lifted off again and flew over the sand-covered road to the security offices. Meanwhile, Shute crossed his arms behind his head as he sauntered across the bridge.
I wonder how Bell Wood's doing? he thought. I hope he's almost done so I can see Zero and Bakunetsumaru again. I haven't seen them since-
Shute came to a dead stop when he reached the main platform and slowly put his arms down. Something was dreadfully wrong here. For one thing, all of the guards were human. He didn't see a GM nor an assistant ball anywhere. During the previous year, the SDG made sure to station both mechanical and organic guards as often as possible. This was a safety precaution due to having so many enemies that could either hijack robots or petrify humans. So why the sudden non-compliance here?
And why were the human guards standing so perfectly still? Why were they all staring blankly into space? They almost looked like zombies...
"Welcome!" a monotone voice suddenly said.
Shute jumped a little and whipped around to find Zephyranthes walking toward him. He stifled a shiver. He told himself to stop being so unfair to the Gundam, but he couldn't help it; those dead blue optics were so creepy! The fact that he was carrying a beam rifle and shield didn't help anything.
"Your name is Shute, correct?" the other Captain asked.
"Uh...uh, yeah! That's right," the boy stammered. "So, uh...how have you been?"
"I am doing well, thank you," Zephyranthes replied. "I also am pleased to report that Dr. Bell Wood is almost finished creating a dimensional portal to my dimension."
He gestured to the young engineer who was typing away at the myriad of holographic screens. He was strangely quiet and had the same glazed-over stare that the guards did.
"That's great, that's great," Shute nodded awkwardly. "Hey, umm...have you seen the head of security around here?"
"I believe she is currently in her office in the security building," the Gundam answered. "I should ask the same about my counterpart."
"Oh, you mean Captain?" Shute rubbed the back of his head. "Well, right now he's..."
He stopped himself when he glanced at the human-only guards out of the corner of his eye. They barely seemed to be breathing. Bell Wood wasn't even looking at what he was typing. The whole thing stunk to high heaven.
"...He's calling my mom to tell her we made it here safely," he finished.
"Understood," Zephyranthes said. "In the meantime, I have something to give you."
"You do...?"
Shute watched the Gundam with suspicion as he leaned his shield up against a short column and reached into his chest compartment. He handed the boy the piece of purple glass.
"It is an anti-Bagu Bagu patch," he said. "Technology exclusive to my dimension, it seems."
Shute warily held the purple square at arm's length between two fingers. He spotted something metal inside it, but wasn't too keen on bringing it close to his face for a better look.
"So I'm guessing this thing wards off Bagu Bagu, huh?" he asked. "But y'know, I think we deactivated all of the Bagu Bagu a long time ago."
"In my dimension, however, they are still active," Zephyranthes explained. "Therefore, it is important that any human visiting my dimension or in the vicinity of its portal should wear one."
He walked over to the nearest guard. She did not respond at all as Zephyranthes held up his free hand for her. Shute spotted a purple square attached to her sleeve.
"I have given it to all the humans who are currently working here," the Gundam continued. "Would you like me to show you how to put it on?"
"Uhh...maybe later," Shute said as sweat rolled down his forehead.
"Understood," Zephyranthes said, letting go of the guard's arm. "Let me know when you are ready and I will demonstrate. In the meantime, I will be assisting Dr. Bell Wood with the Dimensional Transport Device."
He picked the shield back up and headed over to where the teen physicist was still calmly typing. Shute waited until he was far away enough to let out a big sigh of relief. He immediately felt guilty afterwards. Sure, Zephyranthes might be a little eerie, but he didn't seem to be such a bad guy. He did seem like he was sincerely concerned for everyone's safety. Shute wondered if it really was just paranoia on his part.
But on the other hand, why was everybody so zombie-like? What happened to all the robots?
And why was his patch shaking? Did it have some sort of vibrate feature?
...Were those needles?!
Lab C's security headquarters was a squat, one-story building a few hundred meters away from the outer perimeter of the Dimensional Transport Device. It was also locked up tight and cordoned off with yellow tape. Even the windows had all their blinds drawn. Captain knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. Fortunately, he didn't have to go in; he found that if he stood with his back to the wall, he could still get a WiFi signal.
"This is Captain Gundam reporting in," he said over his radio. "Do you read me, Blanc Base? Over."
"We hear you loud and clear, Captain," Chief Haro's voice answered. "We're relieved to hear back from you. We contacted both you and Lab C, but didn't receive a response from either one of you."
"My apologies, sir," the Gundam replied. "You see, when you called, we-"
"No time for that now, Captain," the chief interrupted him. "We need you to bring Captain Zephyranthes back to base immediately."
"Yes, sir, right away," he said. He thought that the chief had changed his mind about allowing Zephyranthes to stay at the lab.
"I'd advise you to take extreme caution," Haro added. "Those anti-Bagu Bagu patches that he was handing out earlier are actually mind control devices."
It took Captain a few extra milliseconds to process that last sentence. "...Mind control, sir?"
"Yes. One of them latched onto me, but I was able to remove it before it connected me to its network," the chief explained. "Another took control of Juli and was forcing her to give Brain World access to an unauthorized third party. She reacted violently when we tried to stop her. If Captain Zephyranthes has given his patches to any of the guards over there, they may do the same to you."
Captain froze. This couldn't be right...
"Perhaps he doesn't know about their harmful effects?" he suggested.
"Perhaps. While I do not want to judge him prematurely, I have to admit that the evidence it stacked against him," the chief continued. "That third party was another Captain System, one slightly different from yours."
Captain took several more painful milliseconds to process the implications. There had to be some sort of mistake! Zephyranthes was a Captain Gundam - another version of himself! How could another Captain Gundam do something like that?
But then again, why should he be so surprised? It was as Shute said - Zephyranthes' behavior had a bit "off," and Captain had not wanted to acknowledge it.
And besides, there had been a Captain Gundam who had done unspeakably evil things before, now hadn't there? He may have been a different model, but...
A creaking noise snapped Captain out of his painful memories. The front door had slowly swung open, but no one was coming out.
"Captain? Is everything alright?" Chief Haro's voice suddenly asked.
"One moment, chief," Captain replied.
He rushed over to the door and looked inside. His CPU nearly crashed when saw what was within.
The small lobby was crammed with dozens of offline GM guards and assistant balls. All of them were battered and dented with the occasional spark flying out of a few of them.
Suddenly, something grabbed Captain by the ankle. He jumped backward and looked down to find Lieutenant VT1965 lying in the floor, her arm outstretched. She had a large, deep dent in the side of her head and was staring up at him imploringly.
"Ca-ca-cap...tain...?" Her voice crackled with static. "Are you...th-the-the real...Captain...?"
Captain knelt down and held her hand. "Yes, lieutenant, it's me. I'm not Zephyranthes," he answered. "Please don't try to talk. I'll call for help immediately!"
"Yes...I can see...i-i-it in your eyes," the lieutenant continued. "Y-you're the...re-re-real Captain! You have...have to...watch out-out-out for-"
Lieutenant VT1965's optics went dim and her arm went limp as she suddenly shut down. Captain gently put her hand down and slowly closed the door behind him.
"Captain! What's going on over there?!" Chief Haro's voice demanded over the radio.
Instantly, the Gundam was brought back to reality. "We've got multiple officers down, chief!" he shouted. "Requesting backup immediately!"
"Copy that," the chief replied. "We've already launched-"
But Captain was no longer listening. He ignited his jet boosters and flew as fast as he could back to the Dimensional Transport Device. Shute! He had left Shute there alone! He hoped beyond hope that the boy didn't receive one of those patches.
Upon reaching the airspace above the main platform, Captain circled around and scanned the area for signs of his friend. The scan showed what remained of the guards, and that there were only humans left. He found Bell Wood still at his computer, and Zephyranthes standing next to him. Captain felt the urge to fly down there and shake the truth out of his twin, but he managed to stifle it.
His sensors finally picked up a small human figure on the main platform standing off by themselves. They were on the side opposite of Bell Wood, and was hidden under several tall spires. That had to be Shute; there wasn't anyone else at Lab C that fit those parameters.
The Gundam dived down and landed hard on the platform, denting the floor. Normally, Bell Wood would be ranting and raving at him for damaging his equipment, but he remained strangely silent. Zephyranthes welcomed him back, but Captain ignored him as he hurried over to where his sensors picked up the lone figure.
Sure enough, the figure turned out to be Shute. He was standing perfectly still, his back turned to everyone. Captain ran up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Shute, are you okay?!" he cried.
The boy gave no response, not even after the Gundam gave him a gentle shake. His eyes were glazed over and staring into the distance. Captain looked him over and found the patch embedded in his wrist.
"Is something wrong?" a monotone voice suddenly asked.
Captain spun around to find Zephyranthes standing a few feet behind him. His pale optics were wide, and he was tilting his head. He was still clutching Captain's beam rifle and shield.
"What did you do to Shute?!" Captain barked at him, glaring.
"I only gave him an anti-Bagu Bagu patch," Zephyranthes replied innocently. "You are upset. What is the matter?"
"I know your patches have a mind control function," Captain retorted. "And I found the robot guards. I saw what you did to them!"
Zephyranthes' optics flashed white. "I do not understand," his voice sighed as if trying to imitate sadness. "Are you accusing me of something?"
"Please don't try to play innocent!" Captain snapped. "Chief Haro told me what one of your patches did to Juli. She was forced to give Brain World access to a Captain System - one that was different from mine!"
Zephyranthes' wide optics narrowed into a glare. "That chief of yours...," he said with a forceful edge in his voice. "He is just as much of a nuisance as mine was."
Seeing the change in attitude, Captain stepped defensively in front of Shute. He gripped his beam saber in case things got ugly.
"Captain Zephyranthes - you are hereby under arrest," he said. "You are to drop your weapons, deactivate all of your patches, and surrender immediately!"
Loud clicks were heard in every direction. The Gundam looked around to find all of the guards pointing their beam rifles at him. Zephyranthes was also had his gun – Captain's gun that is, which had been so trustingly loaned - trained on him.
"I will do no such thing," the other Gundam droned.