Spectrophobia
Chapter 8
Captain huddled close to Shute while scanning the area, trying to find a way out of this situation. He was rapidly running out of options, as the brainwashed guards slowly closed in on them, their weapons pointed at their heads.
"You'll never get away with this, Zephyranthes!" Captain barked. "Chief Haro has already sent for backup!"
"Your attempt at intimidating me will not work," Zephyranthes said blandly. "I have ways of dealing with your friends. Now then..."
He put Captain's shield down and pointed at Shute. The boy suddenly spun around and with a superhumanly powerful tug, pulled Captain's beam saber right out of his fingers. He then threw it to Zephyranthes, who caught it with free hand.
"Is this the real reason why your humans are rebelling against you?" Captain growled.
"Their motives are irrelevant," his twin answered as he slipped the pilfered saber onto an empty slot on his back. "What is relevant is this..."
He glanced at Bell Wood, who tapped an icon on one of his holographic screens. The Dimensional Transport Device's rotors began to rotate faster and faster. A purple glow appeared high above the main platform. A black disc appeared in the center of the light and expanded outward until Captain could clearly see a nighttime sky complete with stars and a full moon.
"As you can see, the full-scale portal to my world is operational," Zephyranthes said. "The next step is to amass an army large enough to quash the rebellion. However, I have been having some technical difficulties with this step."
Bell Wood poked the icon again, and the portal shrank back down before completely closing.
"It seems we are not as quite as identical as we appear, and it is more than just the difference in color of our optics," the other Gundam continued. "When I tried to access your Brain World last night, my Captain System was rejected. It seems that there is a fundamental difference in our core programming that I did not account for. I attempted to find the access codes via your head operator, but she was abruptly removed from my network." He pointed at Captain. "So now, I will have to get the access codes directly from you."
"Never!" Captain shouted.
The guards simultaneously moved their aim to a point behind him. To his horror, Captain realized they were now targeting Shute.
"You would not want your human friend to be harmed, now would you?" Zephyranthes said.
Captain desperately looked around again - there had to be a way out! Unfortunately, all of his calculations showed that there was no escape route that would not require grievously injuring one or more of the humans - or get Shute fatally injured in his hypnotized state. He checked the sky; no sign of backup yet. No idea when they'd get here, either. Maybe if he kept his captor talking...
"Wouldn't the Brain World be useless to you?" he asked. "You said the rebels had a way of jamming it!"
"According to my observations, our networks are not identical," Zephyranthes answered. "Yours may be different enough not to be affected by their frequency."
Oh dear, he hadn't thought of that. Still, Captain couldn't back down.
"Giving you access would be pointless, anyway" he said. "You can't access the Brain World in this dimension without the Re-Equip Ring!"
"I had your head operator install a bypass while she was still on my network," Zephyranthes replied.
Captain was stunned - such a workaround was possible? He was snapped back to reality when a beam shot out of one of the guard's rifles and burned a hole right at Shute's feet.
"I can't help but notice that you are stalling," the other Gundam said, his optics growing paler. "Please tell me the access codes or else I will terminate your friend."
Captain's CPU was racing. Fake codes! Maybe he could buy some time by making something up! He sincerely hoped Zephyranthes would fall for it...
Thankfully, he didn't need to say anything; he was saved by the sound of propellers, jets, and a very large engine in the distance. As Zephyranthes paused to look around for the source of the noises, Captain used the opportunity to pull the patch off Shute's arm. The boy's eyes rolled up in his head, and he began to fall over. The Gundam caught him with his free arm before he hit the ground.
"Shute!" Captain cried, giving the human a gentle shake.
The boy did not respond. Meanwhile, the patch's needles twitched wildly as it tried to wriggle its way out of Captain's hand. The Gundam angrily crushed it in his palm. The thin legs snapped easily, but the glass wouldn't crack no matter how much pressure he applied.
"You shouldn't have done that."
Captain looked over his shoulder to see that Zephyranthes had turned his attention back to him.
"You could have given your friend brain damage," he said impassively.
Captain's Soul Drive burned with rage rather than determination. How could another version of himself be so cruel? How could he do something so heinous? He highly considered Captain Punching his twin right between those empty optics, but the arrival of reinforcements spared him the trouble. Guneagle swooped down from the sky and landed outside the circle of armed guards, with the Gunchoppers following his lead. Gunbike in his Gunpanzer form brought up the rear. He pulled up right in front of a bridge, but due to his weight, he did not try to cross it. Meanwhile, Zephyranthes glanced at Bell Wood, who turned away from his workbench and slowly wandered off in the general direction of security headquarters.
"This is the end of the road, Zeke...uh, Zefron...whatever your name is!" Guneagle growled.
"Captain Zephyranthes, you are hereby under arrest," Gunchopper One announced.
"Put down your weapons and surrender at once," Gunchopper Two added.
"You arrived just in time," Zephyranthes said to them, peppering his sentences with odd emphases for reasons Captain couldn't fathom. "Zephyranthes just took Shute as a hostage."
Captain stepped backward, flabbergasted "That's not true!" He turned to the other Gundams. "Geneagle, Gunchoppers...you recognize me, don't you? Look at our optics - we're not identical!"
However, the flying mechs just looked back and forth in confusion. Captain looked over at his twin and quickly saw why - Zephyranthes had adjusted the color of his lenses to a medium blue. He then realized that Zephyranthes' strange way of talking earlier was meant to mimic emotions.
"What the heck is goin' on over there?!" Gunpanzer barked. "Arrest the varmint already!"
"Uhh...we're trying, but..." Guneagle stammered, "we kinda can't tell which is which!"
"Even if you can't readily identify us, could you please take Shute to safety?" Captain pleaded. "He lost consciousness after I removed the patch from him. I'm afraid he might be comatose."
"Do not listen to him," Zephyranthes said, raising his voice. "He is controlling these human guards. The second you approach, they will open fire."
"Does anyone have any suggestions about what we should do?" Gunchopper One asked his comrades.
"Perhaps we should ask a question that only our Captain would know," Gunchopper Two replied.
"Perhaps," One answered. "However, how similar are our dimensions? We may have to ask several questions until one of them answers incorrectly."
"You guys are overthinkin' it," Guneagle interrupted. "I'll just shake hands with 'em! Whichever one tries to break my fingers again is the fake! And don't worry about little ol' me, I don't mind takin' one for the team!"
"To do that, you would have to go inside the ring of guards," Gunchopper Seven piped up. "If what one of the Captains said is right, they may shoot you."
"Uhh...good point."
"Gosh darn it, do I gotta do everything around here?" Gunpanzer shouted from across the bridge. "Just arrest them both! We'll get our culprit either way, and I'm sure the real Captain won't mind!"
The Gunchoppers nodded to each other in agreement, and Guneagle just shrugged. As they debated on the best way to approach the guards, Captain saw Zephyranthes' optics flash white. Immediately, the humans turned and aimed their rifles at the other Gundams.
"What the-?!" Gunpanzer sputtered. "Was it somethin' I said?!"
The sound of laser blasts rang out as guards fired upon them. The flying mechs took to the air while Gunpanzer drove off. The two Captains ran off in opposite directions. Zephyranthes searched for the best vantage point, while Captain searched for a safe place to take Shute.
He ran up to the largest pillar he could find and ducked behind it. It wasn't the best cover, it would do for now. He carefully lowered his still-unconscious friend to the ground and gave him a gentle shake. Still no response. Captain did a quick scan of his vitals. Body temperature was normal, but his pulse was only 50bpm and his breathing rate was only 10 breaths per minute. He needed medical attention as soon as possible.
Captain scanned the battlefield for potential exits. Right now, the guards were focusing their fire on the Gunpanzer, who had changed into robot mode. He was just standing there, shouting insults and letting them shoot him. The lasers couldn't pierce his thick armor, but it still seemed odd that he would just sit around and take all that punishment. A moment later, Captain saw the reason why - a couple of Gunchoppers swooped down, and each grabbed a distracted guard from behind. More Gunchoppers swooped by and removed their control patches. The guards fainted, and the mechs that were holding them air lifted them off the battlefield. Captain became concerned, as Zephyranthes mentioned that method could cause brain damage - but what choice did they have at this point?
The strategy didn't work for long, however, as the hive mind's master quickly grew wise to it. The guards switched targets, and were now trying to shoot down the Gunchoppers. Gunpanzer yelled some more insults and even fired a few warning shots into the air, but they simply ignored him.
With the enemy preoccupied, the path right in front of Captain was clear. He could carry Shute out of Lab C on foot before flying him off to somewhere that was relatively safe. Hopefully, no one would notice him.
He carefully picked the boy up in his arms, engaged the tires on his feet, and sped toward the nearest bridge. Just as he started to cross it, however, something dropped down from the sky directly in his path. Captain slammed on his brakes and skidded to a halt centimeters away from the thing.
"Hold it right there, Zeke! Or whatever," it said.
Captain took a few milliseconds to process the situation before crying, "Guneagle! You really surprised me there!" He held up his friend's limp form. "Please, help me get Shute somewhere safe! I took his patch off, and-"
"Save it, pal!" Guneagle snapped. "I gotta know if you're the real Captain first!"
He held out his hand.
"There's no time!" Captain cried. "We've got to-"
Guneagle responded by stretching his hand closer.
Captain sighed and, after carefully shifting Shute, shook the younger mech's hand. Afterward, Guneagle looked over his undamaged fingers and nodded.
"Yup. I kinda figured you were legit," he said. "Your evil twin doesn't exactly care about human lives as much." He hovered a few feet off the ground. "C'mon, let's get the kid outta here! I'll cover you!"
The two Gundam took off into the desert, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the battlefield. They thankfully managed to stay off the enemy's radar, as not a single beam was fired their way. After flying a few meters, they ran into Gunchopper Seven who was on his way back from dropping off his own human cargo. Seven spotted Captain and immediately flew into his path much in the same way Guneagle did.
"Halt!" he shouted. "I apologize Captain, but I must place you-"
"Save it!" Guneagle interrupted. "I got it on good authority that he's the real thing. Besides, we got something more important to worry about." He pointed at the motionless boy in Captain's arms.
"Yes, I remember what you said about him earlier," Seven replied. He reached out and gently took Shute off of Captain's hands. "We are currently placing the unconscious humans at security headquarters. More reinforcements are on the way, including medic Gunperries."
"Thanks Gunchopper Seven," Captain said. "And while you're out there, could you look for Bell Wood, too? I saw him wander out of the lab, but I don't know where he went."
"Already done, Captain," Seven explained. "I found Dr. Bell Wood heading to headquarters on his own. I picked him up and carried him the rest of the way. He did not resist, and he is not currently trying to leave."
"Excellent."
"Well, now that that's finished, I'm gonna go back and rejoin the party!" Guneagle announced. "I got a bone to pick with that Zack guy!"
"Guneagle, wait!" Captain shouted.
Before his vocalizer could even finish those words, however, the younger mech had already flown several meters straight up into the air. In seconds, he was already above the battlefield.
Captain sighed. "I'll have to go after him," he said to Seven. "For now, tell the other Gunchoppers to try to knock the humans unconscious if they can. Zephyranthes said that removing the patches could cause brain damage."
"Right away, sir," Seven replied.
"And if you have time, check on the GM guards back at headquarters" Captain continued. "See if any of them have come back online."
"Roger."
Gunchopper Seven then lifted off and carried Shute down the desert road to safety. Meanwhile, Captain flew off in the opposite direction, back into the fray. He needed to find Guneagle before he walked straight into a trap.
Zephyranthes had made his way the other side of the Dimensional Transport Device, and had taken refuge in an alcove inside of a tall pillar. From here, he commanded his network of human drones. He estimated that the battle would only last a few more minutes due to all of the tactical errors his opponents were making. None of them were actively searching for him; they only concerned themselves with trying to knock the guards offline. They were refusing to terminate his servants, instead opting to have the Gunchoppers manually detach his control patches. This required getting very close to his units while being greatly outnumbered; as such, they were mostly unsuccessful. Finally, Gunpanzer, who could have posed a great threat, was permanently sidelined due to mobility issues.
Zephyranthes decided to end this fight faster; the more they fought here, the more damages the Dimensional Transport Device would receive. He selected three guards to stand slightly apart from the others. He didn't have to wait long; a Gunchopper swooped down behind one of them, taking the bait. The Gunchopper proceeded to disarm and hold down the human as he waited for a comrade to come help him. Meanwhile, Zephyranthes moved another guard directly behind the enemy mech.
His drone aimed their beam rifle directly at the Gunchopper's head...
"Hey there, Captain! I finally found you!"
The rifle veered to the right, causing the shot to completely miss its target. The Gunchopper, now realizing someone was behind him, escaped with his captive in tow.
Zephyranthes already knew who it was before his head swung around. It was Guneagle, nonchalantly standing next to him. Somehow, this one managed to be more smug than the one from his dimension. Zephyranthes felt a great urge to rip his faceplate off, but restrained himself from doing so. He had a much better idea in mind.
"Guneagle! Am I glad to see you!" he said.
He ordered one of his troops to sneak around to his side of the Dimensional Transport Device. He made sure to pick a well-covered path so as not to attract the Gunchoppers' attention.
"You're not still going to arrest me, are you?" Zephyranthes added.
"Nah, it's okay," Guneagle replied. "We caught that Zeffy guy."
"Oh, really?!" Zephyranthes asked. "Did you lock him up, too?"
"We sure did!" Guneagle leaned in closer and looked him straight in the optics. "We got Shute to safety, too. Bet you're relieved, right?"
"Oh, of course!" Zephyranthes didn't miss a beat, but he didn't like where this conversation was going. Not that it mattered, his sniper had just rounded a nearby corner and was ready to be placed into position. He had her duck between two pillars one hundred meters away from his and Guneagle's location. It was the perfect spot, as there was nothing in between his sniper and her target.
"Anyway, the guards are still shootin' at us, so we better get back and do something about them." Guneagle held out his hand. "Here, let me help you outta there!"
Zephyranthes tried not to narrow his optics or stare at the hand. He had to admit, he didn't think this Guneagle was smart enough to act nor attempt a ruse like this.
He had his sniper take aim. Unfortunately, that "perfect spot" wasn't as perfect as his calculations suggested it was. His sniper's feed screen was only showing Guneagle's wings and back.
Thankfully, Zephyranthes knew how to fix that.
He took Guneagle's hand. "Alright, let's go!" he said, trying his best to sound cheerful.
Before the flying mech had a chance to respond, Zephyranthes shoved him hard, causing him to stagger right into the path of the sniper's aim. She immediately fired.
Her energy bolt flew through empty space and scorched a rock in the far distance. Guneagle had shot straight upward before she had even pulled her trigger. He was now hovering high in the air, wagging his finger at Zephyranthes below.
"You're gonna hafta get up earlier than that if you wanna catch me, Ziti!" he taunted.
Though his rage did not show on his face, Zephyranthes was furious. Without a word, he drew Captain's beam rifle and opened fire upon the younger mech, ordering his minion to do the same. Guneagle swooped around, dodging the shots before firing his own blaster at Zephyranthes. The latter jumped out of the way, but stumbled upon landing and fell face-down. Captain's rifle and shield clattered to the ground and skidded a few feet away.
Zephyranthes immediately picked himself up and reached for the gun, but Guneagle swooped down and snatched it away, along with the shield. "Not today, pal!" he shouted as he flew off.
He then hurtled toward the brainwashed guard, using Captain's shield to block her fire. He stopped right in front of her, threw Captain's gun down, and then used his newly-freed hand to knock the guard's rifle out of her grasp. The disarmed guard lunged at Guneagle, making a grab for the cables in his neck. In the process, she accidentally revealed her mind control patch on her wrist. Guneagle plucked it off with a quick jerk, and she instantly dropped to the ground, unconscious. The Gundam floated down, dropped the shield, and dragged her to safety behind a larger column.
"Not bad, if I do say so myself," he commented as he admired his handiwork. "I'll hafta get a Gunchopper over here to pick her up. But first..."
He turned around to face Zephyranthes.
"Okay Zeff, this party's over!" he shouted. "Your unconditional surrender will be-"
Guneagle froze. While he had been tangling with the guard, Zephyranthes had somehow set himself on fire. The blaze surrounding him had flames of pitch black and produced neither heat nor smoke. It suddenly extinguished itself, revealing Zephyranthes in his Hyper Captain mode.
Guneagle wasn't given any time to wonder how he did that; Zephyranthes immediately rushed him, his speed enhanced by his new jet boosters. He punched Guneagle right in the midsection, sending him sailing through the air. The young Gundam managed to activate his thrusters and catch himself in midair, but a V-shaped beam from Zephyranthes caused him to crash down to the ground anyway. Before he could even make a move, the other Captain stomped down on his chest. Guneagle struggled to get out from under him, but he could barely move - it was like being sat on by a Big Zam.
"You have proven yourself to be more irritating than my own Guneagle," Zephyranthes said, his voice unwavering. "I will take great pleasure in dismantling you."
Desperate, Guneagle fired one of his wing missiles at Zephyranthes' face. He knew he'd damage himself in the explosion, but something was better than nothing. However, with a remarkable display of reflexes, Zephyranthes snatched it out of the air and threw it off course. It went careening out of the lab area and blew up a sand dune.
The vile Gundam unsheathed one of his beam sabers and activated it. "Perhaps I should start by removing these ridiculous wings first," he added, reaching down and grabbing one of Guneagle's wings by its fins.
But just as he was about to start cutting...
BAM!
A fist came out of nowhere, striking Zephyranthes right across his faceplate. He dropped his saber as he was thrown off Guneagle and rolled several meters away. As he staggered back to his feet, he found his twin standing beside his damaged comrade.
"Don't lay a hand on my friends ever again!" Captain shouted.
Behind him, Guneagle groaned as he slowly got up. "Thanks, Captain," he said.
"Are you alright?" Captain asked while keeping his optics locked on his double. Zephyranthes stared right back him with those blank eyes, not making a move. Captain had no idea how he had suddenly changed into his hyper mode, but now was not the time to ask questions.
"I'm okay," Guneagle replied, "but I think I lost your stuff somewhere."
"That won't be a problem," Captain said, still watching his alternate self. "I may not need them." He had fought an evil duplicate before. Of course, Duel Captain was a mindless automaton; Zephyranthes was more comparable to Madnug but with different goals. And far more manipulative.
"You sure? 'Cause I gotta warn ya, this guy's got a really weird special move!" Guneagle continued. "It lets him change modes!"
"It what?"
It was then that Zephyranthes finally made his move. He pumped his fists and a black fire ignited all around him. Captain's sensors informed him that not only were these "flames" not producing heat, they were actually ten degrees colder than the surrounding air.
"There! There it is!" Guneagle shouted. "It's that thing I was talking about! He's gonna change modes again!"
Captain braced himself. The darkness surrounding Zephyranthes had a different energy signature than the one produced by General Zeong and the Dark Axis. And yet...he had seen it somewhere before.
The flames abruptly extinguished themselves to reveal...
...Zephyranthes wearing a duck-shaped inner tube and colorful arm floaties.
Captain and Guneagle's optics went wide, and they almost fell over. Zephyranthes muttered to himself about some sort of "devil" being unreliable as he burst into black flames yet again. A second later, he was in his Option Z mode.
Captain swung his arm in circles, readying another punch, but never got the chance. In a flash of black, Zephyranthes created two beam rifles out of thin air and opened fire on the two Gundams. Captain was forced to wheel himself out of the way while Guneagle took to the air. The younger mech fired off his remaining missiles, but Zephyranthes countered with his own. The latter's barrage not only destroyed the former's salvo, there was enough left over to blast Guneagle out of the sky. Hearing the explosion, Captain skidded to a halt and turned around just in time to see his comrade plummet into a column.
"Guneagle, no!" he cried.
Zephyranthes then turned his attention back to Captain and started shooting at him with his beam rifles. With no long-range weapons on hand, Captain tried his best to dodge the beams on the ground. He noticed that his counterpart seemed to be aiming at his feet. Was he being routed?
A second later, he was suddenly bombarded by laser bolts from straight ahead and both sides. He was forced to stop and to take cover. Brainwashed SDG guards came out of the woodwork and surrounded him, their weapons trained on him. Yes, he was being routed.
Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about his predicament for too long, as the sound of rotating blades filled his audio sensors. Six of the seven Gunchoppers floated onto the scene in V-formation and began swooping down on the humans, airlifting them out of Captain's way. They created a path for him that led out into the desert.
"Let us take care of them for you, Captain!" Gunchopper One called to him. "Gunpanzer is en route with your upgrades."
"Roger!" Captain called back. "I'm on my way!"
He ignited his jets and left the lab area, flying low to avoid attention. Once he out in the sand, he began scanning the area for Gunpanzer. Suddenly, he heard a series of explosions behind him. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed Zephyranthes shooting down a Gunchopper with his V-Attack. Captain couldn't tell if the unfortunate mech was still carrying a human.
The sound of a loud engine rumbling caught his attention, and he looked away from the horrible sight behind him. In the distance, a huge dust cloud churned in his general direction. Amid the swirling sands, he saw a familiar blue and white vehicle driving as fast as it could.
"Over here, Captain!" Gunpanzer's voice called out.
Captain immediately took off toward the old Gundam, hoping his twin wasn't right behind him. He dived down and landed in Gunpanzer's trailer. Various firearms and pieces of armor were in there as well, ready for use.
"Glad to see the real you, Captain!" Gunpanzer said.
"Good to see you too," Captain replied.
"I'll keep ya covered as ya change forms," the vehicular mech continued. "Just pick one ya want and blast that phony outta the sky!"
"Right!"
Captain briefly glanced around at the equipment. They belonged to the forms he used in the Dimensional Halo, all of which were compatible with his default mode. Since Zephyranthes' was currently equipped with missiles, it made sense to have missiles of his own. But just as Captain was about to change into his Destroyer Form, a bright gleam caught his eye. In the sky was a shiny metallic object. With a smoke trail. That was headed right for them.
"Incoming!" he yelled, grabbing the nearest weapon. It wasn't the Destroyer's micro-missile launcher like he wanted, but instead his Assault Form's long-range laser cannon. It would have to do.
Gunpanzer veered hard to the left, nearly knocking Captain off of his feet. He was still able to shoot the missile down, which exploded harmlessly in the air.
"Hang onto something, Captain!" he shouted. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"
Captain used his eye piece to scan the sky and shoot down any new projectiles that appeared. Meanwhile, Gunpanzer zigged and zagged, avoiding the ones that Captain missed.
"Dagnabbit, where is that varmint?!" he grumbled. "I wanna help ya, but I can't fire back if I can't find him!"
Captain remained silent as he continued scanning for any sign of his alternate self or any more missiles. When he couldn't find anything, he carefully put his beam cannon down, hoping to finally change modes. It was then that a shadow whipped over him. He looked, but it was gone. In its place was a missile fired at point blank range.
Before anyone could react, it collided with Gunpanzer's side. Captain's optics were flooded with bright light as he was hurled through the air. He crashed into a sand dune seconds later.
He slowly climbed out of the sand. Error messages filled his field of vision. His optics' contrast had been knocked off-kilter by the flash; objects he could see around the text boxes appeared white with a thin outline of washed-out colors.
"...Gunpanzer?!" he called as he tried to clear his optics. "Are you alright?!"
The old mech was eerily silent. After Captain finished adjusting his vision, he quickly found out why. The old mech was a few hundred meters away, lying on his side. He trailer had separated from his cab. Smoke was pouring out of his body, and he wasn't moving. Captain's equipment had spilled out onto the sand all around him.
"He is not," a voice that definitely wasn't Gunpanzer answered.
Captain looked up to find Zephyranthes hovering over him, arms folded and soulless eyes glaring. He glared back; he refused to be intimidated.
The other Gundam lowered himself to the ground, right in front of Captain. "Now that your friends have been taken offline, I may extract the Brain World access codes from you in peace."
"Don't speak too soon!" Captain barked. "I'm not beaten yet!"
He watched his alternate self closely. He planned on waiting until Zephyranthes made his first move, then running over to Gunpanzer to grab his weapons. If they were too damaged to use, he still had his fists.
The hyper-mode Captain just shook his head. "You still insist on being irrational," he replied. "Very well, I will have to do this the hard way."
"What...?"
Lines of static began to interfere with Captain's vision. New error messages appeared alerting him to an unauthorized program that had slipped past the SDG network's firewalls and was now invading his processor.
"Though it may be more difficult," Zephyranthes said, "I have no choice but to download them directly from your memory banks."
"No!"
Captain desperately tried to contain the invading programs, but they kept moving themselves to different folders every time he was about to quarantine them. He considered tackling his twin; perhaps it would shock him enough to sever the connection. Unfortunately, something commanded his body to lock up. He couldn't even move his optics let alone his limbs. His voice modulator was shut down as well to keep him silent.
Videos of previous memories began to involuntarily pop-up and play in front of him as the other Gundam began digging around in his memory. Captain found himself unable to close any of them. In one last ditch effort, he tried to shut himself off. Unfortunately, his shut down and reboot options turned out to be compromised as well. There was nothing left to do.
Zephyranthes had total control of his CPU.