The self satisifed grin did not leave Cervantes's face as the door shut. If anything, it grew wider. As the combined might of Hellhound teams Alpha through Delta slowly spread out along the perimeter of the chapel like a river of dark clad bodies, Cervantes stepped forward and looked down at Kira from on high, like a victorious conquerer staring down at his defeated foe. He contemplated the idea of placing his foot upon the boy's chest and crushing the life out of him then and there... he had no doubt he could do it. But almost as soon as the thought formed he rejected it... an abnormality in his thinking, a barbaric fantasy that while enjoyable was totally impractical and counterproductive in the long term. Cervantes instead reached down and grabbed Kira by his lapel and dragged him to his feet with only a slight grunt of effort... a vindication of the strict excercise regime he forced himself to follow ever since he had been just a low level grunt in the terror squad of the old Green Peace organization.
Once the boy was on his feet Cervantes did not immediately relinquish his grip... he held Kira in place by his collar and poked at him with his stick, ignoring the glare he was recieving from the other people present, especially Lacus Clyne, standing well within arms reach. Kira met Cervantes's stare and did not back down... his world may have taken a staggering blow but he wasn't going to show the pain and uncertainty he was feeling to this despicable man. "The Ultimate Coordinator... you don't seem so ultimate to me... you're just a kid with a bloody nose and a surly look in your eyes. Can it really be that you are such a demon?" Cervantes said contemplatively. He didn't wait for an answer... he wasn't talking to Kira. Without warning he jammed the tip of his hard wood cane into Kira's gut and released his collar, leaving him half collapsed and gasping for air.
"Kira!" Lacus cried, diving forward to catch him before he fell. Cervantes let her get close... just close enough for Kira's eyes to fully come open and become aware again. Then Cervantes flipped the cane around in his hand and brought it down in a efficient and precise strike directly across Lacus's temples, knocking her back and to the floor with a loud "crack" of wood on skull. Blood trickled from the scalp wound he had inflicted and the girl gasped, stunned. Kira's eyes bulged and then dilated... he ignored his own pain and surged forward, fist rising to strike down the man who had brutally attacked Lacus. He was still at the fist rising part when Asmodeus, standing by behind his boss, stepped forward and jammed a 750,000 volt taser baton into the exposed armpit. Electricity crackled and clothing charred... Kira dropped like a log, twitching but quite unconscious.
"All of you are nothing. Whatever you may have been at the beginning of the day, before you came here into this chapel, you are not any more. A world leader... an elite pilot... a pop singing peace idol... a commando... a normal teenager... that's who you all used to be. Now that you have given yourself into my power, you are what I say you are. And you know what I see here?" Cervantes said quietly.
"You've won, Cervantes. You have us cold... this doesn't have to get ugly." Alkire cut in, his stomach sinking. Bad enough that they were, for all intents and purposes, captured... but it didn't seem like Cervantes had much interest in just turning them over to the military to be put into jail... he looked like he was planning something a lot more screwed up than that. Alkire started to casually inch his hand into a position where he could quick draw the pistol he wore at his back. Before he had even twitched more than a centimeter he stopped, frozen. A pistol had appeared from nowhere, muzzle pressed firmly against the back of his head. Alkire tensed... he'd never even heard the other person get behind him... he'd had no idea they were there. Whoever it was was damned good.
"Don't." the man holding the gun to his head advised. Alkire looked around... Victor and Vlad and James had also attempted hero moves but had similarly been stopped dead... James by a man mountain who dwarfed him like James did most everyone else. James was a big guy... six foot six and two hundred fifty pounds easy. The guy holding James in place with a hand on each shoulder had at least six inches and a good hundred pounds on him. Alkire recognized the man dimly... Sergeant Glory. A burgeoning legend in EFSOU... Alkire had been on team Omega and hadn't hung around with the Alpha dudes much but he'd heard Glory was a behemoth... if anything the tales were understated.
"You seem to have read my mind." Alkire said softly.
"You have a file."
"You're pretty good, to have snuck up on me... I used to teach a class in EFSOU about sneaking up on people and doing what you're doing now."
"I attended."
"You aren't big on words, are you?" Alkire said, loosening his muscles. What he was planning to do was dangerous, but doable. If he could drop to the floor fast enough and roll backwards he would get inside the reach of the other man and out of gun range... for maybe a second. With skill and a good deal of luck he could use that second to dump the other guy to the ground and come out shooting... hopefully enough of a distraction to let his teammates pull something of their own, because he didn't have anything after that.
"Don't, sir." the Lt. warned Ex-Major Robert Jones. The Lt. had respect for the man... he was one of the few people the Lt. actually considered something of a threat. If at all possible he did not want to have to execute him... which is what he would be forced to do if Jones made a play, like he was planning to. The Lt. could see the muscles relaxing all over the man's body... he was planning a drop and roll ploy... dangerous, perhaps suicidal, but as good as anything when you were probably going to be killed anyway... or thought you were. "If you continue to relax I will be forced to make you tense up again."
Alkire was almost ready... just another few seconds. "How's that?" he asked. The gun muzzle lifted from the back of his head, to reappear less than a second later at waist level. A thin but steely strong arm wrapped around his neck and half lifted him enough for the man behind him to turn him away from everyone else. Alkire tried to drop but the other man held him too tightly to slip free easily. Then the gun went off, shot muffled by his flesh... blowing an appreciable portion of his right hip onto the nearest side table. Alkire couldn't help it, his muscles tensed and locked from the pain and he slid to the ground when released by the other man, who promptly pinned him to the wall by mercilessly putting his foot on the wound and applying steady pressure, while keeping the pistol leveled at his head. Alkire looked up at the grey hair and grey eyes in the pale face of his captor... the man was vaguely familiar to him as well. Alkire's pain blurred eyes caught on the rank insignia the man wore at his collar. "Lieutenant?"
"Speaking."
"The?" Alkire asked... there were lots of Lieutenants in EFSOU. There was only one "The Lieutenant".
"Affirmative."
Alkire chuckled weakly, staring to drift into unconsciousness... his wound was bleeding quite freely... the Lt. must have loaded frag rounds into his gun or something because a wound to a non vital location like the hip should not have incapacitated him so quickly. "Guess I was outnumbered from the start then, huh? You and I will have to talk later about your... strategy... who... who taught you to do that... pull and twist?" Alkire's fluttered closed.
"You." The Lieutenant replied, making sure Jones was really out before administering a pressure bandage... the entire incident had taken only a minute or so, perhaps less. Cervantes was still waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question, pausing for effect. He had ignored the scuffle off to the side... he didn't care what the TEMPEST rogues were up to, no not when there were much jucier targets at hand. As long as the Hellhounds kept the TEMPEST fools contained Cervantes could care less what they did.
"You know what I see?" Cervantes asked again. "I see vermin. You know what you do with vermin? You stamp them out." he answered his own question this time, reaching down and bringing Lacus to her feet... by her hair. As soon as she was on her feet he backhanded her across the face and knocked her down again. "You cannot imagine how long I've wanted to do that."
"Beat on a defenseless girl? Hardly something to be proud of." Athrun snarled. Cervantes smiled at him.
"You don't understand, Mr. Zala. It is precisely because she is defenseless that I enjoy it. And not for the reason you are thinking... that I enjoy beating helpless people. No... I enjoy this because the tables have finally turned... instead of you people... you Coordinators... you abominations... having the power to hold me and humanity at your mercy, it is me who holds the whip hand now. You all dance to my tune now... I cannot yet visit a similar fate on your people so you will all have to be representatives. Though if all goes as planned, in several days time I will have visited partial justice upon your fellow monsters here on Earth... a very large battle is due to commence to wipe Carpentaria off the map once and for all."
"You can't honestly think you'll be able to just take on Carpentaria." Ysak snorted. "I've looked over their defenses and they can withstand just about anything you can hope to throw at them, especially with the geosynchronous warships in low orbit for defense."
"I agree with you. Carpentaria's defenses are nigh impregnable. Thus the defenses must be removed. I am reasonably certain the three hundred and twelve one hundred fifty kiloton nuclear warheads that will saturate the area before the attack commences will do an admirable job of removing them." Cervantes replied casually. He looked over at Victor. "You're an explosives expert... you tell me how much of a hole that will make."
"That's monstrous... that much force will affect mainland Australia as well... the fallout alone might render the continent uninhabitable." Victor retorted. Cervantes shrugged.
"Not my problem. Pestilential land anyway. But that's not the good part, you see. No... that isn't the surrogate beating. That little firework war in Australia is just a flash bang to distract the PLANTS while another fleet circles in from the back and nukes the entire Maius city line. We'll see how long the war lasts without any manufacturing capability for ZAFT."
"But there's millions of civilians who live in Maius as well!" Dearka objected. Cervantes smiled... more leered at him.
"Oh come, Coordinator. I'm Cervantes Zunnichi, Lord of Blue Cosmos. I helped engineer the attack that wiped out Junius Seven. Do you honestly think it bothers me at all, mass killing your kind? Sometimes such thoughts are all that get me up in the morning. If I could I'd burn every last one of you at the stake... or line you up and shoot you against a wall... personally. And I'd be laughing the entire time."
"Then are you planning on killing us, next?" Athrun asked, steeling himself. He did not want to die here. He wanted Cagalli to die here even less. But he didn't see any way out that ended with him being alive. Maybe he could get Cagalli out, but that was all he was going to be able to do. Cervantes lost his smile for the first time.
"By all rights I'd like to. Many have advised me to do exactly that... once you are all dead things will be much easier for me. But... no... I'm not going to kill you... though you will die. There's two main reasons for this." Cervantes replied, absently walking over to Cagalli. He cupped her jaw in one hand and looked her over contemplatively. Athrun tensed... but did not move, because he knew that would only end up in him dying uselessly. Cagalli tensed as well... Athrun could see her fists clenching so hard her entire hands turned white, but she did not move besides that. "Such a waste, that you would give yourself to such as him." Cervantes said softly, flicking his head at Athrun. "I almost regretted having to release that tape... we may have been political enemies but up until the point when I learned that you with sleeping with... that.." Cervantes indicated Athrun again. "... I did not bear you any particular ill will. If I'd had a son, I probably would have arranged for you to marry him. You would have been a welcome addition to the family... if your fiery nature could be properly channeled."
"No thanks... I'd prefer to sleep with someone as disgusting as you think Athrun is rather than anyone even remotely related to you. Hell, even a goat would be preferable to that." Cagalli snarled, wrenching her head out of his hand. "How did you find out where we were, anyway?"
"My son in law." Cervantes replied. "But don't blame him... Vanai managed to wheedle the information out of him after several nights of lovemaking... it's amazing the sorts of things a man will say when he lets a woman he loves ask the questions. That's one of the reasons I never let my women talk... never have any trouble with them. That's some sound advice to all you young lovers out there, by the way." Cervantes chuckled. He looked at his watch... he needed to get a move on... guests would be arriving soon and he didn't want anyone else to walk into this private gathering. It wouldn't do if someone saw Lacus Clyne or Cagalli Yula Attha... he'd have to account for their well being afterwards if that happened. And he wouldn't be able to do that.
"The first of the reasons why you are all going to remain alive is that Sai asked me to spare your lives. Admirable of him, no? Even as infuriated as your Kira made him, he still managed to find it within his heart to beg for your lives. His mercy is his only weakness... but I have the rest of his life to work on hammering that out of him. That is the first and lesser reason. The primary reason is that there are many fates worse than death. All of which I am going to enjoy you enjoying to the fullest. A certain project of mine is in need of new test subjects... Coordinator test subjects will be even better than naturals, my scientist assures me. And so... I will not kill you. Thus fufilling my promise to Sai not to kill you. But, if you happen to die during the course of the experiments... well... oops. He, he, he."
"You sick bastard." Ysak said viciously. He stepped forward, fists raised. Before he could move further the Lieutenant was in front of him, just standing there. The Lt. stared Ysak straight in the face and just barely shook his head no. Ysak ignored the Natural and swung an arm to push him out of the way... he didn't care about this henchman, he wanted to pound the boss man's face in. Ysak found himself flying through the air to land on his back... the Natural had grabbed his arm and almost effortlessly tossed him. Ysak quickly rolled to his feet but by that time the Natural was all over him, leveling him back down to the ground with a snap kick to the jaw. Ysak's head spun and he tasted blood in his mouth. He started to rise again but stopped when the pistol muzzle pressed down firmly between his eyes. He focused blearily on the Natural, who stared back impassively with featureless grey eyes.
"Futile." Cervantes commented. "Admirable, in a sense. But futile. I'd advise the rest of you not to resist... I'd so hate to have to break Mr. Hibiki's little neck here." he continued, kneeling by Kira and encircling his neck with his hands. Kira, unconscious, made no move to stop him. Cervantes smiled up at them as Hellhound members approached from all sides, moist cloths in hand that wafted fumes that made eyes sting and noses itch. Cervantes adjusted his hand position and pressed up under Kira's adam's apple with both thumbs, luxuriating in the power of the moment. He could choke the kid to death right here and now and no one would know. No one would stop him. "Am I doing this right, Andre?" Cervantes called, just before Vladimir succumbed to the anesthetic fumes on the cloth being pressed to his face. Kira started to choke from lack of air flow. Cervantes pressed a little harder, prolonging the moment of pleasure.
"Please... don't." Lacus cried softly from where she lay on the floor nearby... she had not yet recovered her feet from his backhand. Cervantes smiled once more, pressed harder for just enough time to cause Kira to choke a little louder and then relented. He stood and motioned for two Hellhounds to carry Kira to the transport outside. He crouched down over Lacus and glared into her eyes with all the intent he could muster.
"Lacus Clyne, begging for mercy. Maybe not as delicious as begging for her own life... but the life of her love will do for now." Cervantes whispered. All the rest of the Coordinators and their friends had been subdued and drugged for transport... the sleeping fumes would keep them unconscious until they arrived at JIHAD in South America. Where the Doc was eagerly awaiting their arrival. The TEMPEST commando's were being taken under Asmodeus's charge to the maximum security military prison at Levansworth in the Atlantic Federation, where they would stew until Cervantes could figure some way of using them or at worst killing them off quietly. "Do tell Frost hello for me... I've heard he has a bit of a thing for you." Cervantes taunted her as he pressed a drugged cloth to her face. She barely managed a single panicked wiggle before succumbing. Not nearly as much fun as her boyfriend... he had positioned the cloth too well. Ah well, he could replace the enjoyment later, when he saw the videos the Doc would likely take of all the proceedings. Right now he was going to go enjoy his daughter's wedding. He set off, whistling a jaunty tune of victory.
-------------------------------------------------
"Why am I still awake?" Victor asked as his captor locked his wrist and ankle cuffs to a single chain, then locked that chain around the chair support in the military bulk transport plane that was being used to carry the Hellhounds and their prisoners to the mainland Atlantic Federation. The Hellhound operative just grunted and left him there, seated comfortably enough if unable to move more than a few inches in any direction. Five small barred cages rested on the cavernous floor of the cargo plane nearby... the beast of a vehicle was designed for transporting mobile suits and it looked a bit ridiculous with just people in it. The cages, which were more like reinforced kennels used to restrain attack dogs, were each filled with a zip cuff bound and drugged TEMPEST member. Vlad also sported chains around his arms and wrists... thick chains. Plainly the enemy knew well the capabilities of his mechanical arms... though how much chance he would have to use them while drugged was arguable. The fifth cage... Victor's cage, he had no doubt, was of course empty. Victor sat there and waited for nearly thirty minutes, trying to think of what to do. He wasn't an infiltration specialist... getting out of restraints and picking locks were not things he was especially good at.
He just hadn't had the training. If he could get even a small explosive he would be free within seconds, but his captors were professionals... some of the best in the business... they had searched him very thoroughly and removed all of his hidden weapons and equipment. Vlad probably could have slipped out of the cuffs in less than a minute... faster if he just burst out. Of course that was likely a major factor in why Vlad was bound hand and foot, drugged and locked in a cage and Victor was not. The enemy no doubt knew he wasn't good at escape tactics and had planned accordingly. Victor was just about to start trying his restraints anyway, out of boredom if nothing else, though his mind was also racing with its usual speed... the girls and the kids had been carried to another plane, a long range passenger jet. They were being taken to a different location... one quite a distance away. Victor hadn't heard everything Cervantes had said but he doubted the kids were being taken anywhere conducive to their continued good health. Damn it all, but he was one of the experts and a good guy, bad shit like this wasn't supposed to happen to his friends.
"Go ahead... do your best. Surprise me." a somewhat weary voice said from nearby. The transport loading door started to close with an immense hydraulic whine and the Hellhound member who had spoken moved over to sit within easy speaking distance of Victor, but still well out of even normal reach.
"Why am I still awake?' Victor asked again, resolving to relax. He wasn't going to escape while being watched so he might as well conserve his energy.
"You don't recognize me, do you Victor?" the Hellhound said, removing his headset and brushing back his greying hair. It wasn't until the man almost unconsciously fingered his salt and pepper moustache that Victor realized who he was looking at.
"Asmodeus. Long time, swordsman."
"Very, fencer. I'd thought about you, you know." Asmodeus admitted, stretching out. He was glad that the scenario in the chapel was over. It may have been a victory for his side and for him personally... the person who had killed Ray was now within his grasp and all that remained was to exact his revenge... which he would do after fufilling his current mission. But it had still left a bad taste in his mouth... Cervantes's conduct had not been very professional, using his son in law and daughter as tools, taunting his enemies, beating helpless teenagers... such things did not sit well with the old soldier in him. His logical side acknowledged the wisdom of such scare and intimidation tactics... but he was human enough to also acknowledge he found them distasteful at some level. He was pleased he had won, but he did not need to humiliate or torment his enemies to wring every last drop of pleasure from the event like Cervantes did. Even his revenge was short and to the point in its execution. A life for a life. It was that simple.
"I can't say I returned the favor. But I imagine I was a bit busier than you, 'Deus." Victor replied. He was surprised to see his old dormmate again... he'd known that Asmodeus had been a soldier during their time at college together and that Asmodeus had returned to that career after his stint at school, and that Asmodeus was the man in charge of security for Blue Cosmos... but he hadn't expected to meet him in such a way. Much less talk to him... they were enemies... enemies did not talk... they shot each other and blew each other up.
Asmodeus sighed heavily... he hadn't been called by his nickname in a very long time... Cervantes never bothered and few others knew him well enough to be comfortable using it. "That's debatable, Victor. It's astounding how much work there is to do working Intelligence... maybe not as hair raising as planting bombs and laying mines, but it has its perks... fewer people shooting back at you."
"Suppose that's a good thing for an old man like you, 'Deus. Me... I kind of like it. Not exciting... but it's fufilling to know the enemy doesn't like you enough to want to kill you... we all have to find our importance somewhere." Victor said with a shrug. He was joking of course... he liked little less than getting shot at.
Asmodeus chuckled, recognizing the dig for what it was... a front line grunt insulting a rear echelon desk fighter. "Been keeping your sword hand in?"
"A little. You?"
"Not as much as I'd like. I'm even less spry than I used to be."
"So you wouldn't be up for a duel right now then? How about these terms... I win and my friends and I go free. I lose and I let you lecture me on my lack of respect for my elders."
Asmodeus chuckled again. "That's pretty funny, Victor. I'm not as easy to provoke now as I was at college. While I would love a duel I am far too busy... I have this mission to take care of. Maybe I'll drop by your cell sometime and we can have a bout... once the war is over I should have a lot more time."
"Been wondering about that. You cannot honestly think your boss's apocalyptic plan to nuke Carpentaria has any merit, can you? How could you condone the unrestricted planetary use of strategic nuclear weapons?"
"It is not my place to condone them. I had no hand in the planning of that phase of the operation. But between you and me and these walls, I expect the Coordinators will come up with some way of neutralizing the nukes... they're damn clever like that. The Australian Manuever will degenerate into a massive brawl of mobile suits and fleets and conventional weaponry... I still think we will emerge victorious... the BCPU's are being committed to the front and they should be more than sufficient to kick the door wide enough open so that the conventional forces can finish the deal off. It doesn't really matter... the Australian Maneuver is just a giant feint, distracting the PLANTS from the space fleet coasting in to attack Maius... I don't think the PLANTS will be able to stop all those missiles... certainly enough to preserve some industrial capacity but not enough to prevent the losses from crippling their military. By this time next month the war should be all but over."
"The war will be over... what about the Coordinators... will there be any left alive?"
"That's not for me to say. With any luck they will see the futility of the war after Maius goes down and they'll surrender to us before we are forced to annihilate them."
"Cervantes will just let it go if they surrender? I find that hard to believe, given the scene I witnessed in that chapel. He hates Coordinators on a very deep level. He won't give up his genocide just because they do something foolish like surrender."
"That's not for me to say." Asmodeus repeated.
"Why am I awake and not in a cage?" Victor asked after a brief pause.
"I wanted to talk with an old acquaintance. I may not have liked you but I always valued our debates, even if you had a tendency to settle things with your blade back then."
"I still have that tendency, though now I use claymores... as in the mines..." Victor replied. He waited a few beats. "Why are any of us alive at all? Common sense would dictate putting two or three grams of lead into each of our heads and dumping the bodies in the ocean on the way home. You collected the files on us... Levansworth isn't going to hold us for long, no matter what your boss thinks."
Asmodeus looked at Victor and shook his head. "Special precautions will be in effect to better contain you five... like you said I collected your files personally, so I'm not going to underestimate you. It won't be nearly as easy to escape as you think it will be. As for why you are still alive... orders. I'd prefer to kill you and dump the bodies, like you suggested. However, Cervantes seems to think we can use you somehow... convert you to our side, use you as hostages or scapegoats perhaps. He's dreaming if he thinks you'll work for him, but the idea of scapegoats has merit... if we ever need to knock off a public figure we have a ready supply of dupe corpses to take the heat in the freezer, so to speak." Asmodeus leaned forward. "I've answered some of your questions... answer one for me. Who killed Ray? My sources tell me it was Ysak Jule. Can you confirm that?"
Victor considered what to say... he knew it was Chanel who'd actually capped Ray Sark, but he wasn't going to admit that... Asmodeus was a cold hard snake... he'd think nothing of killing her back in revenge. Of course, saying Ysak did it wasn't a good fix either... Chanel would never forgive him if she found out he'd sicced Asmodeus on Ysak. Especially if Ysak ended up with a few grams of lead in his head as a result. Of course, Chanel might already be dead and Ysak too, Blue Cosmos was not known for being kind to captive Coordinators and Coordinator sympathizers... there weren't a lot of options. "I wasn't there and I never bothered to ask." Victor replied... true enough, since he hadn't been there when the shot was fired and he hadn't had to ask, Chanel had blurted it out of her own will.
"I see. Oh well, so much for the easy way... I'll have to use plan B. But that doesn't concern you, Victor." Asmodeus said, disappointed slightly. He hadn't expected Victor to say anything useful... it would be a death sentence for the boy if he did... of course it was already such, but Victor didn't need to know that. The Doc may have dibs on the rest of the Coordinators, but Ysak Jule was reserved for him and him alone... Cervantes had promised him that.
"Where did they take the kids?" Victor asked intently. Asmodeus considered telling him... but thought better of it. Operational security needed to be maintained. Victor couldn't use the information from his cell, but there was the faint chance of an escape or other unforseen event... best not to risk it.
"I'm done talking, Victor. It's been fun. It's time for you to go to sleep now."
"Damn you, 'Deus! Where are my girls? Where did you and your scabarous boss send them? Where are they?" Victor cried, straining at his bonds as Asmodeus brought up a dart pistol and aimed it with deliberate care.
"Dead... in as much as you'll never see them again, Victor. You have my condolences. I know what it's like to lose a child." Asmodeus said sadly and shot Victor in the side of the neck with a tranq dart. The fast acting drug knocked Victor out like a smashed light... he didn't even manage another syllable. Asmodeus stood and holstered the pistol before walking up towards the cockpit, humming a few bars to an old song about revenge and sadness.