Spectrophobia
Chapter 10
Chief Haro stepped forward and shook the rebel leader's hand.
"We actually just apprehended Captain Zephyranthes and took him into custody," he explained. "He tried to access our Brain World to raise an army against you. We will bring him out to you shortly."
"I apologize for any damage he may have done," Colonel Connor said.
"Don't mention it. He had us all fooled," Haro replied. The chief then turned to the guards. "At ease, everyone."
The guards lowered their weapons, but continued to stand around the mirror and their new guests. Behind them, Guneagle was peering over their heads trying to get a good look at his twin. Meanwhile, Haro contacted his Gunperry crew via a special headset attached to his helmet. He ordered them to bring Zephyranthes over to the Dimensional Transport Device.
As Captain watched, something flashed in front of his optics. It looked like a text box, but it was gone before he could get a good look at it. Was someone trying to access his CPU again? His firewalls and antivirus shields hadn't registered anything. His list of networks were not displaying any suspicious new connections. He did notice, however, that the green GM was staring at him. He quickly shifted his gaze when he noticed Captain staring back.
Connor took a few steps back and whispered something to the GM. He was trying to be discreet, but Captain clearly saw him nodding in his direction. By isolating his voice and raising the volume, it was revealed that the leader asked, "Is he clean?" The GM had replied with a simple, "All clear." Connor beckoned the old woman over and quietly asked her the same question. She said that she did not "sense the corruption on him." Captain didn't know what that meant and wasn't sure he wanted to know.
A moment later, Haro removed the headset and turned to his new guests.
"They're bringing him out right now," he announced. "I'll take you there."
The chief lead the rebels out of Lab C and into the desert. The were escorted by half of the SDG guards; the other half stayed behind to monitor the portal in case anything else emerged. Captain brought up the rear, keeping his distance. While he knew that he was innocent of any wrongdoing, for some reason he still felt responsible for everything Zephyranthes had done. It did not make logical sense; while Zephyranthes was the same make and model as himself, they were two distinct entities living in separate universes. Everything his twin did was solely his choice and his fault. Yet the guilt still nagged Captain. He'd have to ask Kao Lyn about this psychological anomaly later.
Meanwhile, Guneagle took to the air to avoid the medics trying to drag him away, and flew after the group. His flight was pretty shaky, however; his wings had been badly mangled by Zephyranthes' assault and his stabilizers were damaged, too. He still managed to catch up to everybody and landed next to his own twin. The other Guneagle gave him only the briefest of side-glances.
"Hey, other Guneagle!" the first Guneagle said. "Uh, that's your name too, right?"
"Gunhawk, actually" the other one replied, still looking straight ahead.
"Ooh, a different name! Just like the other Captain! Speaking of which, you're here to pick up Zucchini, huh? Good luck with him! Real piece of work, that guy!"
"It's 'Zephyranthes.' And yeah, I know."
"It's a real shame that Captain had to go and have an evil twin. But that begs the question..." Guneagle lowered his voice. "You're not my evil twin, are you? I'd like to think that every Guneagle is a great guy in every universe."
Gunhawk finally looked at him. "I was specifically created to hunt down and destroy an amoral dictator," he said. "I think a better question would be, are you the evil twin?"
Guneagle gasped and halted in his tracks at this revelation. This gave the medics enough time to catch him and haul him to a repair ship.
Moments later, Haro, Captain, and the rebels met up with the Gunperry crew, who were lugging the hover platform with them. Zephyranthes was still inside the energy cage, offline.
"Here he is," the chief said to his guests. "We managed to subdue him, but we don't know for how long. We'll help you get him back to your dimension before he comes back online."
"Actually chief, we'd like you to open his cage for us," Connor said. "We have a way to make sure he can't reboot at all, but we need to do it as soon as possible."
"Are you sure it's safe?" Haro asked.
"It'll only take a minute," Connor reassured him.
"Alright. We'll keep a close eye on him." The chief ordered his crew to deactivate the barrier, then told security to be on their guard. A crewmate pressed the button to dissolve the energy walls, while anyone who was armed readied their weapons. Connor cautiously approached the motionless Gundam.
"Okay everybody," he announced to the crowd, "Just so you all know, I'm about to activate a jamming frequency! For those of you machine folk, don't panic! This is just so our friend here can't potentially hack anybody! We clear?"
Before anybody could answer, the golden spikes on the rebel leader's helmet slid forward and opened up on his forehead, resembling a rack of antlers. A soft golden light began to pulse from them, and every robotic SDG officer suddenly found all of their network connections severed.
"That's rather interesting," Chief Haro commented.
"Thanks," Connor replied. "We use it to disconnect people from our Brain World." He looked at the old woman. "Prim? Check him."
"It's him," she said. "I can sense the Devil Superior's darkness all over him."
"Devil Superior"? Was that the same entity that Zephyranthes' version of Zero was talking about? Captain guessed from the name that it might be some malevolent counterpart to the Superior Dragon, but he wasn't sure if he actually wanted to know.
Meanwhile, Connor turned to his GM comrade and said, "Leto, open him up for me."
The GM - Leto apparently - hurried over to Zephyranthes while removing a cable from inside his wrist. He carefully moved the Gundam's head and slipped the other end of the wire between his neck and the base of his helmet. Leto's optic screen flashed a few times before a grinding noise was heard. Suddenly, Zephyranthes' chest compartment popped open revealing his Soul Drive.
Captain hadn't thought much about what his twin's Soul Drive would look like, but if he had to guess, he assumed it would be black, like Madnug and Sazabi's were. Instead, it was empty. A clear glass bubble with no flame nor darkness. Its rings did not spin nor make any other sort of movement at all.
Captain wasn't sure why, but its emptiness unnerved him more than if it was dark.
Connor stepped over to the motionless Zephyranthes and took some sort of tool out of his gauntlet. It resembled a large spoon with sharp tines. He bent over and, in one swift motion, scooped the transparent Soul Drive out of the Gundam's chest. Captain idly wondered if it was that easy when Zako Red did the same thing to him a year ago.
The colonel took the drive in one hand and deactivated his jamming field. The antlers folded themselves up into spines again. "We're done here, chief," he said to Haro. "We'll get him out of your hair now."
Haro nodded and turned to the SDG guards. "Alright, everyone," he announced, "we're heading back!"
The Gunperry crew returned to their ship while Chief Haro, Captain, the rebels, and their entourage marched back to the Dimensional Transport Device with Zephyranthes in tow. When they reached the portal, Gunhawk and Leto lifted the deactivated Gundam off the hover pallet and carried him through it. Connor gave the blank Soul drive to the young woman in riot gear, who followed her two mechanical comrades.
As Captain watched them leave, he suddenly felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find Prim holding a piece of paper.
"Here you are, dear," she said, handing him the note.
Curious, Captain opened it up.
Miss Primrose Marda
32329 S. 5th Avenue
"What's this?" he asked.
"This is the person who created the mirror and enchanted it," she explained. "After we leave, seek her out. She'll tell you more about it." She chuckled quietly. "She'll probably be glad you found it - someone stole it from her."
Captain recalled the suspicious vendor who sold Shute the mirror. Could he have stolen it from its original owner? Perhaps a better question would be, how does someone living in a parallel dimension know what happened in this one?
"Thanks for your help," the Gundam said. "If you don't mind me asking, ma'am, how did you find out about this?"
By the time he looked up, however, the elderly woman had already left. She made her way over to the portal and slipped right through it. Captain folded the note up and carefully placed it in his chest compartment. He created a reminder to investigate this person-of-interest later. However, thanks to the massive amount of cleanup today's events were going to need, he estimated that he wouldn't be able to do so for at least a few more days - possibly a week.
Once he saw that all of his troops were safely back in their own dimension, Connor approached the mirror. Before entering, he turned to Chief Haro and said, "I'd like to thank you again for all your help in apprehending Captain Zephyranthes. Means a lot to us."
"Think nothing of it," the chief replied. "Zephyranthes was a threat to us as well. It was our duty to prevent him from harming anyone else." He paused for a second before asking, "Perhaps you'd like us to lend a hand? After we repair our Dimensional Transport Device, we could send some of our people over to help you rebuild your city."
"Thanks chief, but I'm going to have to decline," Connor said. "In fact, it's best if you just forgot all about us."
The "ears" on Haro's helmet flapped in surprise. "May I ask why?"
"Captain Zephyranthes didn't do everything entirely by himself," the rebel leader explained. "He had allies...some of which were worse than him."
"Well, not to sound arrogant, but the SDG has faced some pretty dire threats in the recent past," Haro protested. "Are you absolutely sure you don't want our help? We could always give your our dimension's coordinates in case you change your mind."
"Don't worry about us, chief - we've got things under control for the most part. You should be more concerned about yourselves...you do not want these guys finding your world." Connor's face turned grave. "My colleague Prim is gonna seal the portal behind me. It's best if you just smash this mirror and delete any info you have on us."
"Well...if that's what you wish, so be it," Haro said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "We will honor your request."
"Great. Trust me, you won't regret it," Connor nodded. "And thanks again for all your help today. I wish you guys the best."
With that, he squeezed his armored bulk through the portal. Seconds later, the bright glow faded out and the mirror became dark. Captain cautiously approached it and gave it a scan, noting that he could see his reflection in it again.
"I am no longer detecting any time-space anomalies nor beta decay emanating from this mirror, chief," he reported.
"I guess that's it, then," Haro sighed.
"Do you want me to dispose of it?"
The chief shook his helmeted head. "Not right at the moment," he said. "For now, take it back to my ship. I'll decide what to do with it once we get back to base."
"Yes, sir."
Captain picked the mirror up by its frame - slower than usual, as the joints in his damaged hand briefly locked a few times - and carried it away. Haro stayed behind to give the replacement security guards their temporary assignments and also clear Gunperries for take-off. As the Gundam walked across the sands to the chief's white vessel, an unpleasant feeling began to creep up on him. A sort of chill in his circuits. He recognized this feeling as "dread" - and he knew exactly why he was experiencing it. He estimated that there was only a 0.001% chance that Colonel Connor's request would actually be honored. The mirror's dimensional properties made it far too valuable; every scientist working for the SDG would want to study it. Even Captain was curious as to how it worked.
However, he also knew it was far too dangerous to keep around. As the rebel leader had warned them, Zephyranthes had allies. And they may be coming.
He was greatly tempted to set the mirror down and give it a good Captain Punch with his undamaged hand. Unfortunately, Chief Haro gave him a direct order not to destroy it. So he continued on his way across the desert, that cold feeling continuing to nag him. When he reached the white Gunperry, he dutifully handed the thing off to a couple of crew members, who then hauled it off to the cargo hold. He tried not to look back as he climbed into the ship's cabin.
As Captain patiently waited for the chief to return, he tried to minimize any further thoughts about the mirror and what might come out of it. It wasn't easy. He decided to assess the damage of his right hand - that might keep his processor from making wild speculations. The armor around his digits were badly dented and crushed. The fingers themselves were slow to respond, and its joints kept grinding and wanting to lock. Considering what his opponent did to them, it was amazing they worked at all.
Unfortunately, his memory banks began to replay parts of the previous battle, so he tried looking out the nearest porthole instead. Perhaps watching the crews at work would help. In the distance, he saw personnel picking up debris and discarded equipment out of the sand. A large group of them were hoisting Gunpanzer back on his wheels and preparing him to be towed to a ship. Gunperries were lifting off everywhere; he spotted a few of them flying away from security headquarters area. He wondered if Shute was on one of those ships...and if he would be okay.
Hours later, Captain was back at the Blanc Base, carrying the mirror into Chief Haro's studio. The chief had told him to put it in there while he made some important phone calls. He hadn't elaborated as to why he wanted it there specifically, but Captain found himself unwilling to question it.
He turned on the lights, and scanned the room for a suitable place to put the thing. All of the sound recording and editing equipment reminded him that he still had that voice analysis to do; of course, now was not the appropriate time to do it.
An empty corner on the far side of the room looked like it had enough space. As he walked over and set the mirror down, he caught a glimpse of himself in it. His systems suddenly bombarded him with warnings as it registered his image as an enemy unit.
"It's only my reflection," he muttered to himself. "My logic circuits must be glitching."
His CPU, however, would not listen to reason; it kept associating the reflection with Zephyranthes. Thus, Captain walked over to another corner of the room where he wouldn't be able to see himself. It made him feel only marginally better; his emotion circuits only experienced a 1% decrease in negativity, and his logic centers wanted to speculate on what kind of allies his twin would have. There was that Zero he saw in the memory file. Was he at all dangerous? Was there an evil version of Bakunetsumaru? An evil Princess Rele? An evil Chief Haro? And what about Zephyranthes' version of the Dark Axis? Since he was hostile, was his Dark Axis friendly? Or were they as malevolent as the one Captain faced? Was it possible that they could be even worse?
And then there was this "Devil Superior"...
Captain terminated the thought processes. He was usually curious about the multiverse around him, but he found Zephyranthes' dimension too disturbing to think about. What he knew for sure was that he wanted to destroy that mirror and ensure he would never meet his counterpart's allies. But orders were orders.
Or were they? Chief Haro had ordered him not to dispose of the mirror...but not to slightly damage it. Perhaps if he chipped the glass or put a hairline crack in it, it would be enough to render it non-functional. Furthermore, such blemishes could easily be blamed on transport.
Captain was surprised at himself for thinking such things. Was the exposure to all of the dimensional conquerors and tyrants making him rebellious? Perhaps...but if it could prevent a future disaster, maybe a little insubordination was justified.
Captain slowly walked back up to the mirror, trying not to ignore the warnings set off by his reflection. He calculated how much force he would need to just slightly crack or chip the glass. Once he had the numbers, he gave it a quick jab with his undamaged hand, making sure to strike as close to the frame as possible. He figured a crack on one edge would look more "accidental."
Nothing happened.
While Captain had never been able to identify what the mirror was made out of, he now knew it was sturdier than normal glass. He punched again, with 50% more force.
Not even a scratch.
Just what was this thing made of?
The Gundam backed away and swung his arm in a wide circle, getting ready to punch it at twice the original force. But before he could strike, Chief Haro's voice yelled, "Captain, what are you doing?!"
He immediately stopped moving, his arm straight in the air. He slowly turned his head around to see the chief in the doorway, his arms crossed.
"Chief!" Captain put down his arm and sheepishly turned around. "Are you finished with your phone calls?"
"Captain, were you trying to destroy the mirror?" Haro asked sternly.
"Well...I was actually..." The Gundam tried to think of an excuse, but realized he just didn't have it in him to lie to the chief. That, and he couldn't generate anything that sounded convincing. "Yes, I was. I was trying to crack it just enough to make it non-functional. I apologize, chief, I just didn't want-"
"Then it's a good thing I caught you before you did it!" Haro entered the room, walked past Captain, and over to a filing cabinet. He pulled an electric screwdriver and a pair of pliers out of a drawer. Then he went over to the mirror and flipped it around. He took the screwdriver and began removing tabs from the back of the frame.
"You have to take it out first!" he explained as he worked. "This frame is very nice, and I would hate to see it get broken. If you put a real mirror in here, it would make a great addition to someone's house!"
Captain tilted his head. "So...you don't disapprove of my attempt to destroy the mirror?"
"Not at all," the chief replied. He paused to pop the mirror out and place the frame in a corner of the room. "After everything that happened today, I've made the decision that there is too much risk in keeping it. Captain Zephyranthes was dangerous enough acting alone, but now we've been informed that he had allies. Until we know more about this other dimension, we can't leave an unpredictable doorway to it wide open."
"Precisely," the Gundam said as relief washed through his emotional circuits.
He watched as Haro took the glass and placed it on a wheeled metal table. The chief pushed it into the center of the room and rolled up one of his sleeves. Captain noticed he had a bandage all the way up his forearm.
"Now let me show you how to properly dispose of this thing!" Haro shouted as he thrust the bandaged arm straight up in the air. He did a little spin in place before karate chopping the mirror. The sound equipment rattled against the walls and desks. The table trembled.
The mirror was undamaged.
"Oh dear," Captain remarked.
Haro stood up straight and made an embarrassed cough. "Perhaps...if my arm wasn't injured, I would have been able to break it."
"Not to worry, chief," the Gundam said as he stepped over to the filing cabinet. He opened a drawer and fished out a sledgehammer. "Maybe a tool would help?"
"Alright, let's try it," Haro replied. "Thanks, Captain."
He moved the table over to give himself some room. He then took the hammer, swung it high over his shoulder, and slammed the mirror with the force of a Big Zam stomp. Captain felt his endoskeleton shake. The table bent down the middle. Small office supplies on the desks bounced into the air and fell into the floor. One set of blinds over a transparent wall fell off its rod. The hammer's head snapped off.
The mirror was undamaged.
"I just bought this thing, too," the chief sighed as he looked at the broken tool.
"Why don't we take it down to the shooting range?" Captain suggested. "I'm sure something in my arsenal could break it."
"Let's save our ammo for now," Haro said. "There's a reason I wanted to bring the mirror in here."
After leaning the mirror up against the nearest wall, the chief gripped the opposite ends of the bent table in each hand, and with a quick jerk, completely straightened it out. Then he placed the glass back on the table and rolled it in front of several large stereos. He walked over to a desk with a tablet on top of it and touched the screen. Holographic images appeared, showing a variety of sound editing applications. Captain could see a list of recent projects with names like "September 1 vibe" and "07Jan3346 Song." Was the chief into making music?
Haro pressed the play button on a screen labeled "Tune," and the speakers emitted a continuous middle C. He then poked at a sliding bar, adjusting the pitch up and down. Eventually, a particularly high frequency caused the mirror to rattle around on the table. The chief immediately paused the sound, made the Tune holoscreen larger, and stared at it thoughtfully.
"Interesting!" he said.
Before Captain could ask what he meant, Haro opened a desk drawer and removed a microphone. He connected it to the tablet and tapped it a few times to make sure it was working.
"Testing, one, two, three," he said into it. Satisfied with the result, he cleared his throat and sang, "Mi mi mi!" a few times. He hummed a few bars for good measure.
Captain tilted his head. "Chief, if I may ask, what are you-"
Haro suddenly let out a bloodcurdling screech that caused the Gundam's security systems to automatically mute his audio receptors. The mirror shook violently before shattering into dozens of pieces. Captain turned his audios back on to hear the chief coughing.
"You did it!" he said. He then politely added, "I didn't know you could sing."
"Well...sort of. It's...a hobby of mine," Haro sputtered nervously adjusting his necktie. "To be honest, I did that on a whim. I recognized the frequency as a note I could hold. I'm surprised it actually worked!"
"What should we do now, chief?" Captain asked.
"Right now, I'll get this broken glass cleaned up and give it to the research labs," Haro answered. "I'm sure they'd like to study its dimensional properties. After that, I'll send the cleanup clew to immediately begin repairing the Dimensional Transport Device. The coordinates to the other Neotopia will be archived for research purposes. And...just in case we need them later." He sighed. "I'm still uncomfortable leaving them alone like that. I wish they'd at least let us help the citizens...I'm sure there's a lot of them that need medical attention or a place to stay..."
Not knowing what to say, the Gundam just nodded.
"But I digress," the chief continued. "We should also investigate who built that mirror and why."
"I have part of that covered," Captain replied, taking out the piece of paper he had received from Prim. "One of the rebels gave this to me. She claims it's the creator and original owner of the mirror."
"Excellent work, Captain," Haro said, taking the note and looking it over. "Hmm...I think I've heard of this person. I believe she runs a psychic reading business downtown..."
"I've also heard the mirror was actually stolen," the Gundam added. "Whoever sold it to Shute may be our suspect."
"Interesting...the plot thickens," Haro mused rubbing the "chin" of his helmet. "We'll have to look into this ASAP. In the meantime, you should report to Kao Lyn for repairs."
"Yes, sir," Captain said, saluting. He turned to walk out of the room when he remembered something and stopped himself. "Chief, would you mind if I used your sound editing equipment later?"
"Not at all, Captain," Haro replied. "What do you need it for?"
"It's related to the mirror investigation," Captain explained. "I have a voice clip that I've been meaning to analyze for awhile now..."
Shute slowly opened his eyes to find himself in some sort of dark grey void. After a minute or two, his vision finally cleared, and he realized he was staring at a blank ceiling. He became aware of a huge headache, and pain in both of his arms.
As he slowly sat up, he immediately realized this was not his room. The place was dimly lit, but he could make out handrails on his bed. He was covered in a thin blanket, his arms placed on top. One of them had a bandage halfway up his forearm. The lack of a cast told him it wasn't broken, but he couldn't remember getting injured in the first place. The other arm had a needle in it, and was hooked up to what he assumed was an IV pump. His red shirt was replaced with a white gown. Obviously, he was in a hospital, but why was he here? The last clear memory he had was when Captain picked him up from school.
He looked around to find walls that were bare as the ceiling. There was a row of cabinets with a sink along one of them. Across from him was a stand with a modest-sized TV, and the only source of light, a small lamp. Seated in a chair next to it was his mother. She was leaning back against the wall, asleep. In her arms was Nana, also asleep. He considered waking them up to ask what was going on.
Fortunately, he didn't need to. Nana must have heard him moving, as she suddenly woke up. "Shoo!" she shouted and quickly began trying to climb down from Keiko's lap. The sudden disturbance woke his mother up. She rubbed her eyes with one hand while holding onto the toddler with the other.
"Nana, what are you-?"
"Um, good morning, Mom?" Shute said, not actually knowing what time it was.
Keiko took her hand away from her eyes and gasped. "Shute, you're awake!" she shouted.
She held onto Nana's hand as they rushed over to his bed. Keiko then gave him a big hug while trying to avoid his IV line.
"Oh, Shute! I'm so glad you came to!" she cried, tears in her eyes. "We were so worried!"
Nana giggled and jumped up and down, clapping.
Shute hugged back as best he could with one sore arm. "It's good to see you too, Mom," he replied. "How long was I out for?"
Keiko let him go and stood up, taking hold of Nana's hand again. "Captain said you went unconscious sometime around three this afternoon. So that's about..." She paused to take her phone out of her pocket and check the time. "...Twelve hours."
"Huh." That didn't sound too bad; Shute had heard of people being in comas for years. "Did Captain tell you what happened? I don't remember anything!"
"No, and it's driving me crazy!" Keiko's raised her voice, practically shouting. "He said the incident was currently classified, and couldn't tell me anything except that you were unconscious!" She sighed and paused to shoo a curious Nana away from the IV cord. "I-I know you've been through worse, and that I shouldn't panic...but when I got a call from the SDG telling me you were in the hospital..."
She put her hand over her face, but Shute heard her stifled sob.
"I'm sorry. I better go tell your father you're awake." Her voice was cracking. "And Captain, too. He's right outside."
Shute saw a tear roll down his mother's cheek as she led Nana out of the room. A second later, Captain entered in his Mobile Citizen mode.
"Hello, Shute!" he said, switching his optical display to the "happy" mode. "It's good to see that you have regained consciousness! Your parents and I were very concerned."
"It's good to see you too, Captain!" the boy smiled back.
Captain's optics went back to normal. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Well, my head really hurts, and my arm does too. But other than that, I guess I'm fine," Shute replied.
"No difficulty with speech or motor skills?"
"Uh...I don't think so?"
"Great!" Captain's optics became "happy" again.
"Well, I guess we should probably get down to business," Shute said. "What happened? I can't remember anything after you picked me up from school!"
The Gundam's optics reverted back to their default display again. Despite not having flexible features like a human, a shadow passed over his face. "One moment, Shute," he said as he closed the door.
His optics became glassy, and a wide green beam poured out of them. It scanned the entire room, top to bottom, side to side, before shutting off.
"Confirmed. No transmitting devices detected," he announced.
Shute blinked. "Whoa, what's with the cloak-and-dagger stuff?" he asked.
"It's because the incident is still classified," Captain explained, keeping his voice modulator's volume low. "You have to make sure not to tell your parents for the time being, okay?"
"Uh, okay," the boy shrugged. It wasn't like he hadn't kept major events secret before. "I'm guessing whatever happened was pretty bad if it had to be classified!"
"Yes, it was," Captain said. "You and twenty-six other humans were under mind control."
"Say WHAT?!" Shute's jaw nearly hit the floor.
The Gundam told his human friend all about Zephyranthes' plans to build an army to take back his own Neotopia. How he passed out cybernetic patches to humans, claiming they warded off the Bagu Bagu - but in reality, they hijacked the wearer's mind. How he tried to use Juli to gain access to the Brain World, and when that didn't work, how he tried to force Captain into giving up the access codes by holding Shute hostage. How he used an unknown power to change forms and defeat most of the Neotopian Gundam Force. How he was ultimately defeated with Captain activated his Soul drive and overpowered him. And finally, how a small group of rebels took him back to his own dimension, and how the mirror was disposed of afterward.
"Wow, sounds like you guys accomplished a lot while I was out cold!" Shute said.
"Actually, you helped out as well," Captain replied.
The boy raised an eyebrow. "I...did?"
"I do not have a explanation as of right now, but my Soul Drive was still able to sync with your mind despite your unconsciousness," Captain explained. "In fact, I even heard your voice. You said that you were having a dream."
"Wow, that's pretty awesome! Too bad I can't remember any of it!" Shute chuckled. "So I guess that's it, huh?"
"Not entirely. We still need to investigate the mirror's creator," Captain explained. "We've already identified the original owner. Interestingly enough, it was not the person who sold it to you."
"Oh, yeah...," Shute said, remembering that odd vendor from the flea market. "So how'd he get it? Did he also buy it from a flea market and end up fighting his evil twin?"
"Actually, they stole it."
"Uh...really?" He blanched at the idea of accidentally buying stolen goods. Were the cops going to question him for that?
"I finally performed a voice analysis on that vendor," Captain continued. "They were a match for Kuchi Kuchi, the Da Scar space pirate."
Shute had to rack his brain for a moment, as the name didn't sound familiar at first. "Oh yeah! The talking starfish! They survived the Dimensional Halo blowing up?"
"Somehow they did. The original owner reported the item missing a week before our trip to the flea market. The SDG will begin searching for them, and local authorities have been notified to report any unusual burglaries."
"Yeah, I guess with the Halo destroyed, they've gone back to the old fashioned method of pirating."
A knock on the door interrupted them. "Hey guys! Can we come in?" the voice of Shute's father asked.
"Sure thing," Captain replied, opening the door.
Keiko walked in first, carrying a cup of coffee and looking a lot less upset. Mark followed her, carrying Nana in his arms. The Gundam noticed that one of his forearms was bandaged up.
"Hey there, Shute!" Mark said while bouncing the toddler a bit. "Glad to see you awake! How're you feelin'?"
"I'm okay, Dad," the boy reassured him. "Just got a little headache...that's all."
"Good to hear," Keiko said. "So what were you and Captain talking about while we were outside? You two seemed awful quiet."
"Oh, um...not much," Shute shrugged. "Captain was just telling me about what happened while I was out."
"Well, not much has been happening, so no wonder they were quiet!" Mark laughed.
"Was any of it sensitive information?" Keiko asked.
Captain and Shute exchanged looks before the Gundam nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Some things we discussed were classified," he answered. "I am sorry. Once it becomes declassified, however, I will let you know if Shute doesn't inform you first."
Keiko sighed. "I understand. I'm just frustrated, I guess. I mean, you're not even allowed to tell me how my son lost consciousness in the first place..."
"Well, if it makes you feel better Mom," Shute said, "I can tell you that I was not whacked on the head by something!" Captain gave him a blank look. "Hey, it's okay to tell her what didn't happen, right?"
"Okay guys, lets not get Captain in trouble," Mark said. He then turned to to Gundam and asked, "So anyway, you gonna stay the night with us?"
"I wish that I could, but now that Shute has recovered, I should be returning to base," Captain said. "However, assuming I do not receive any new assignments, I can return tomorrow at regular visiting hours."
"Sounds like a plan," Mark said. "Anyway, we won't keep you." He gently held up one of Nana's arms and said in a higher-pitched voice, "Say goodbye, Nana!"
The toddler was watching her mother drink coffee as her father waved her hand.
"See ya tomorrow, Captain," Shute said, slowly waving his bandaged arm. "Have a safe trip back!"
"Goodbye, Captain!" Keiko added, waving to him. "And good luck! We'll keep in touch."
"Thank you, everyone. Have a good night," the Gundam said, waving back. He then turned to the boy and said, "And remember to get plenty of rest and fluids, Shute."
"Uh...yeah!" Shute replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll do that!"
With that, Captain stepped out of the room, cautious of any hospital staff that might be walking by. He then headed over to the nearest elevator. As he waited for the next lift, he suddenly realized that Mark's forearm was bandaged up in the same manner as Chief Haro's was.
He was sure it was just a coincidence.