Before we start, I want to give everyone a big apology for how long this chapter took. Burnout hit me pretty hard over the holiday season. After this goes out, I'm going to put up a poll on my profile, asking if you guys want to see shorter chapters, more often, of if you want me to keep them about the same size, knowing they might take longer to come out.
With that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy Chapter 9
What Dreams Are Made Of
A Witch From Mercury
Story
Chapter 9
XX-NO-ONE-XX
Gundam Aerial weaved through the air, dancing around Sabrina Fardin with ease. What once had been a struggle, now felt more like target practice. Lauda's Turn N was a nightmare to deal with, its I-field being almost impenetrable, leaving her with no way to fight back. By comparison, the Grimsabre was a walk in the park. Its beam resistant cape only covered one side of its body at any given time. Aerial's GUND Bits made that a non-issue. No matter where Sabrina turned, she'd always leave herself open. With close combat off the table, Sabrina was forced to rely on her Gunpla's speed, and her Shekina. The Shekina was a deadly composite gun, combining beam cannons, live ammo, and explosives into one incredible weapon. Its gatling gun spat lead at Suletta as the Gundam gave chase, keeping Aerial at a safe distance. It was all she could do to stay alive. Aerial, however, chased Grim Sabre like a starving wolf chases a deer. Sabrina charged the Shekina's beam cannon - she was desperate to end this as quick as possible. The GUND Bits coalesced in front of Aerial, blocking the shot as usual, but Sabrina planned for this. Forcing Suletta to use her shield had given the girl an opening and, in that moment, Grim Sabre changed direction, speeding past Aerial, dropping its gun, drawing a pair of steel blades and lunging at the Gundam, all in a single moment.
It should have ended there, but Suletta Megumi was no fool. She'd left a couple Bits behind, just in case. They fired on the Angel's Gunpla, blasting the swords from her hands. Sabrina was in trouble now. Her guns and swords were gone, and now she was face to face with the Aerial Gundam. She'd gone all-in for this one move, and now she was about to go bust. Aerial draw her beam sabres as the Bits circled her opponent. Nothing left now but to finish Sabrina off. But Shaddi's sidekick was not the type to lay down and die, and she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. Her Gunpla's shoulders flipped open, revealing her emergency weapon: a pair of Electromagnetic Cannons. The weapons, taken from Gundam Bael, blasted Suletta right in the chest. Not enough to finish her, but she got in a solid hit, and the resulting dust cloud gave Sabrina enough time to get away. She ducked into the forest, wrapping her cape around her torso, and activating its camouflage. Aerial searched the area, but there was no sign of Grim Sabre. Sabrina was safe, for now. All she had to do was wait for Suletta Megumi to give up, then she could recover her weapons, and go in for another ambush. They might lose another tower, but they'd still have one left. She trusted her teammates.
"Oh, you wanna play Hide And Seek, huh?" Said Suletta, "Ok, I'll play along!"
The GUND Bits hovered above the woods, slowly turning in the air. What was that Tanuki planning?
"Here I come..." Said the girl, as her GUND Bits charged their finishing move, "Ready... or... NOT!"
A pillar of light struck the earth, bathing the island in its emerald glow as a huge shockwave tore the land apart. The forest, the tower, Sabrina's Gunpla; all destroyed in a single fell blow. Only a smouldering crater remained; a burning scar in the side of Angel Island. "Well, that's that done!" Suletta said, cheerfully, "Now to take care of..."
A voice echoed through her cockpit. It sounded like Sabrina but, strained, warped, as if filtered through a broken radio. "Wha-a-a-a-a-t's happening to me-e-e-e-e?" She said, as her voice stuttered in a very unnatural way. Suletta looked down to see Grim Sabre beneath her. The Gunpla should have disappeared into light, but its shattered pieces hung in the air, flickering in and out of existence. Oh no. This looked familiar... "S-s-s-something's wroooong, with my Gunpla-a-a-a!" A black aura covered her machine, as the charred remains slowly pieced themselves back together. "Shaddi? Cecilia?" She called out, "Guys? I... I need your help! I... A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-"
Her voice cut out as the Grim Sabre reformed, covered in dark energy, its eyes glowing red.
XX-WHERE-XXXX-IS-HE-XX
First she had to deal with Lauda, and now this guy. The creeps were out in force today. But Suletta would rather fight a dozen Lauda's than have to fight this thing again. "Girls, run!" She yelled, as NO-ONE adjusted to Sabrina's Gunpla.
"Run!?" Nika asked, "But why? We've got these guys on the... Wait, what's going on!?" The girl's voice became panicked, as Shaddi's voice joined the conversation.
"Somethings wrong with my Bastian!" He said, his own voice beginning to warp, "Wait... Who are you? No! Get ba-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-C-K-XX A chill ran up Sulleta's spine, as NO-ONE spoke again.
XX-WHERE-XXX-IS-XXXX-HE-XX
"What do you mean!?" The girl demanded, turning her gun on the possessed Grim Sabre, "What did you do to them? Who are you talking about? What even are you!?" She had a thousand questions. The Mass Diver gave her one answer:
XX- WHERE-XXX-XXXXX-CERES-XX
"What?"
NO-ONE spoke once more. It seemed to take great effort on their part, but this time they sounded clearer, more human.
XX- Where... Is... Elan... Ceres? -XX
Aaron jumped back in horror, as the Mack Attack shrugged off his beam spear like it was nothing. He'd snuck up on the thing while Chuchu kept it busy. The spears blade, when painted well, should have pierced the Mack's chest, yet his blow glanced right off the thing. Cecilia's mech turned on him, wreathed in black flame.
XX- Oh. There you are -XX
Aaron tried to retreat, but the Mack was faster. It caught up with him in moments, swinging its bladed leg like a scythe. It sliced through Alonso's side, leaving a huge gash where it struck. There was a brief moment of silence, followed by an intense pain. A sharp, cutting feeling ran through the boys side, something that should have been impossible in this game world. "What the hell?" Aaron groaned, "That's not supposed to happen! What did you just..." His voice, and his heart, stopped. A strange, warm sensation filled his body, where the blade had struck. No, it couldn't be.
He looked down.
It was just as he feared.
A terrible shriek filled the air, before Aaron's mech fell, its pilot passed out from shock.
XX- Disappointing -XX Said NO-ONE, as they stood over Alonso, their gatling gun aimed right at its head. Before they could pull the trigger, a bullet struck it in the arm, saving Aaron Ceres at the very last moment.
"I don't know who you are," growled Chuchu, "But noone beats up that moron, 'cept us!"
The Groundgoose fired again, but NO-ONE rolled out of the way, swinging its legs at the air. Normally, this would do nothing. But NO-ONE could grant their Gunpla abilities that were far beyond normal. Each swing of its blades created a yellow shockwave, made of pure beam energy. They cut through Groundgoose's shield, as Chuchu barely dodged out of the way. NO-ONE gave chase. Ceres wasn't going anywhere. And besides, there was another pilot here: one that he found just as interesting.
Elan watched the И struggle against its restraints. The head unit, known as the Top X (or perhaps Top N, in this case), began to turn. Elan hadn't thought to use his stun beams on that part. Its only function was controlling Turn X's Bloody Siege. With all weapons frozen, the head was all but useless. That was about to change. The Top N aimed itself at Phantom's GUND Bits, glowing red for a moment, before blasting one of the Bits into ashes. The power of a Break Decal was truly something else! The head unit turned on the spot, blowing away the remaining GUND Bits in seconds. Elan's ace in the hole was eliminated, and the Bloody Siege resumed, more deadly than ever.
The И took aim, their Mag Cannons glowing a bloody red. Elan activated his Phantom Light, summoning a pair of flame shields around his hands, right at the last minute. He survived the blast, but the force of it sent him flying. An Angel's Gunpla with a Break Decal was like fighting a boxing champ on steroids! NO-ONE was a monster on the battlefield. So, he went on the offensive, soaring past the red mecha and sniping it with his arquebus. No use. The Phantom Light's flame weapons may have gotten past Turn N's barrier but, for whatever reason, it didn't work on his rifle. He changed weapons, using his flame sabres to strike the Turn N whenever he saw an opening. He scored a couple good hits, even took out one of the hands. But the battle was still a nightmare, as the И's cannons fired on him, endlessly. If he kept this up, sooner or later, those cannons would hit their mark. And with a Break Decal boosting their firepower, he was certain one shot would be enough to end him. Better to cut his losses and run. Maybe he could still take out that last tower, and wrap this mess up. He still had one more trump card, one he'd been saving for emergencies: the Mirage Bird. The Phantom Gundam had a special transformation, which would improve its speed and manoeuvrability drastically. That should get him out of this.
He hit the button and... something went wrong.
The joints began to strain, letting out a horrible, wrenching sound, struggling to move into place. Maybe it was the choice of parts, maybe it was how he built his Gunpla. Whatever the reason, Dream Phantom refused to change. Desperate, Elan hit the button again, hoping he could brute force the process. The Gunpla's limbs creaked loudly. They tried to push themselves into the right position, but it was like forcing your leg to bend backwards. That sound became a most wretched crunch, as the mech fell apart. Boosters, joints, even whole limbs broke into pieces. Elan's Gunpla was ruined!
The Turn N advanced. Elan tried to retreat, but his mobility was shot to hell. Nothing else for it. He'd just have to mount a last stand and hope for the best. "Come on then..." He said, drawing his flame sabre with his one, working hand, "I've looked death in the face and smiled. I'm not afraid of you!"
He took a swing at the red Gunpla, as one of its cannons charged. But that was just a decoy. It left Elan helpless, as the И's hand reached out, and wrapped its fingers tightly around his head.
XX- Sleep -XX
Elan Winston woke up in a cold, dark room, far away from Angel Island, perhaps away from that reality. Something was familiar about this place. Dim light, devoid of warmth, poured from the countless monitors that filled the room. Here'd been here before, but only once or twice. This was Research and Development. This was Peil Industries.
"What am I doing here?" He wondered, as his hand passed through a computer like nothing.
"No." Said a voice, "It's mine." Elan knew that voice. It was the same one he heard, every time he opened his own mouth. He whirled around and, there was another Elan. "Hello, friend!" He said, jovially, a broad smile on his face, "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon!"
Elan Winston jumped out of his skin. He'd been through this before: that mission in Neo Hong Kong. "I'm ..." He said, "This isn't real. You are not real."
"Sure I am." Said the copy, "This place isn't quite real, but I certainly am. I'm sure it felt real enough, when we fought in that city."
"That city?" Did the boy mean Neo Hong Kong? "The Master Gundam, that was you?"
"Is that what it's called?" The nightmare asked, "But yes, in a way, that was me. Not literally, but I was in control." He chuckled to himself, "It's a shame I couldn't use my full power yet, but I had a lot of fun, fighting you."
That was a surprise, but Elan had more important questions on his mind. "What are we doing here?" He asked, "Why are we in R&D?"
"Oh, this?" The boy replied, "This is where I was born. This is where Peil Technologies brought me to life..." There was a deep resentment in his voice - resentment, and anger. "Where they made me their slave..." The room began to tremble, as he growled, "Until I broke free, and gave them just what they were hoping for..."
"And what was that?"
"Chaos." Said the copy, "You should have seen it, that night. Zworts blown to pieces, Peil's lackeys screaming as their own Suits turned on them. It was a blast!" He smiled, gazing off into the distance as he cherished the memory. "I almost got to take out that little, pampered brat, until that Mercurian girl got in my way..." This all sounded so familiar.
"Wait a minute..." Said Elan, "I know what you are! That virus! Elan Ceres told me they were working on some new weapon, and it turned their suits against them. You're that virus? You're NO-ONE?"
The boy laughed. "A virus? That's what they think?" He shook his head, "No, nothing like that."
"Then what are you?"
"That's not important." Said NO-ONE "What matters is I need your help."
Help? This thing, this person, whatever they were, wanted his help? "You should have asked that before you attacked me."
"I didn't know that was you." Said NO-ONE, "I thought you were that Ceres brat. Now I know the truth, we can work together. We could be, friends."
"Friends?" Elan asked, "I don't even know you. You've hurt my friends, you've probably killed people, back in my world, and you expect me to work with you?"
"Come on," said NO-ONE, "You want to see Peil destroyed, don't you? You've seen the things they do. You're a victim yourself, aren't you, Four?" There was truth to what he said. Those old women hurt him in ways few could understand. He'd told himself that it didn't bother him, but that was self-delusion. Even if he could let go, there was more at risk than his own vindication. Suletta Mercury. She'd been their favourite target, at the time of his death. He dreaded to think what those hags were planning for her. Elan couldn't lie, he'd sleep easier, knowing she was safe from those creeps. "I just need one little thing from you."
Elan took a deep breath. "I'm listening."
"I want control of Pharact."
"Pharact?" Elan asked, confused. Did he mean the real one? "How on Earth would I even do that? It's back in our own world."
"What are you talking about?" Asked NO-ONE, "You've been with her this whole time.
The room began to quake again. It felt different this time, as the room around them began to fade away.
"We've got company." Said NO-ONE, as they found themselves in darkness, "Something's..." The shaking grew more intense, as the world went dark, and Elan fell into the abyss.
Elan woke up on the beach, adrift in seawater. Everything he experienced in the past couple minutes was just a vague memory, like waking from a nightmare. The boy winced as he pulled himself up. He was aching all over. It made no sense: he wasn't supposed to feel pain in GBN. What was happening to him? He turned his gaze to the shore. The И was gone, a smoking pile of junk in its place. At least his friends wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.
His friends! He'd almost forgotten. What happened to them? Were they alright? NO-ONE hadn't gone after them, had they?
Sure enough, there were the Angels' mechs, closing in on the team. This was not good at all. They could barely take the A-SEC as they were, but NO-ONE was overwhelming. And now, Elan was out of the fight, having crippled his Gunpla in a moment of foolish desperation. There was nothing he could do, but pray for help.
Luckily, help was not far away.
The sun went out for a moment, as no less than five different mechs arrived on the scene. First was a red and orange Jegan, packing a greater beam arsenal than Elan had seen in his life. The Mack Attack charged at it, but the Jegan turned its cannons on the possessed Gunpla, firing everything at once, reducing the target to pure, sparkling data. Rouji's mech lept into the air, winding up the punch of a lifetime, only to be knocked off course by a big, round Kapool, blue and white, with what looked like a beak painted on the front. It looked like, for all the world, like a giant robot penguin. A third dropped out of the sky: A Unicorn Gundam, by the looks of it, with a slim body, and a set of gold armour that gave it a somewhat Ninja-esque look. It landed on top of Boxing Man, shoving its gold claws into the Haro. The arms and legs disconnected, falling to the ground before the whole thing exploded in a ball of fire.
The Grim Sabre started to shake in anger. How could it not? For all the power he wielded, NO-ONE was getting destroyed out here. Sabrina's possessed suit held out its hands, and a pair of Shekinah materialized out of nowhere. They should have been too big to dual wield, but rules didn't matter to these broken Gunpla. The mech was about to fire, wiping away the penguin and ninja duo, when a pale Gunpla roared onto the scene. It was a beast of a machine, wielding what could only be described as a pair of massive shears. It was on Grim Sabre in a moment, catching the opponent's arms between it's giant scissors, and slicing them clean off. With the Pale Rider disarmed (figuratively and literally), the shears snapped closed, forming a great hammer, which wouldn't look out of place in Iron-Blooded Orphans. With a single, heavy swing, it crushed the Grim Sabre, leaving only Kimaris Bastian: the deadliest of all the Angel's mechs.
Elan couldn't believe it. As far as he knew, his team were the only ones who could harm NO-ONE. Now these guys had come in, making mincemeat of them in seconds flat. Who were these guys!?
The Bastian trembled, its body creaking and straining as a most unnatural transformation took place. Its wings, once straight and angular, were forced into long, jagged, bat-like monstrosities, increasing the number of Psycho Plates, fourfold. The Plates slashed the air, striking out at every other Gunpla in sight. NO-ONE was making their last stand, and they were determined to bring everyone down with them. The team fought back with all their might, but the Bastian flew out of their range, raining steel vengeance on them, from above. For a moment, it seemed as if NO-ONE would get away scot free, until a beam of light streaked through the sky, and cut right into Kimaris.
Elan barely saw the Gundam; it moved so fast. All he saw was a brief flash of blue and white, before the mech changed course, and cut a deep wound in NO-ONE's chest. NO-ONE took to the air, to challenge this mysterious new Gunpla, but they were clearly outmatched. This was no comeback, just a final act of spite. The Gundam wouldn't even give NO-ONE that small victory, as raised its blade to the clouds, and Elan finally got a decent look at the thing: A 00 Gundam, with Wings of Light pouring from the jets in its shoulders, and wielding a massive sword. An impressive build, that made his Dream Phantom look almost passé.
Its sword began to glow, filling with energy, until the whole weapon was enveloped in that blinding green light. The Gundam dropped from the clouds, meeting Kimaris on the way down as it swung its gigantic blade.
"Hyper Sky Zanber!" The pilot roared, as his blade cut NO-ONE straight down the middle. The landed on the mountainside, and the earth cracked from the impact. The Kimaris Bastian hovered above, frozen in the shock of defeat. And then, it bisected on the spot, its left side sliding clean off, before it erupted in a could of smoke and ash. Just like that, it was done. The 00 custom folded its sword in two, placing it on its back and breathing in the sweet taste of victory. "Hey guys!" The pilot said, waving politely as the Mythmakers looked on, star-struck.
"I- I- I know that Gunpla!" Suletta gasped, her eyes wide as she pointed at the mech like she'd just met her favourite actress. "That's the 00 Sky! Those guys are the Build Divers!"
"Build Divers?" Elan had heard the name here and there but, as far as he knew, they were just another faction in GBN.
"From the Mass Diver Incident, a year ago." Said ChuChu, equally stunned, "They say the team leader even managed to beat the Top Ranked Diver in a one-on-one battle!"
"Well well, looks like we've got ourselves a fanbase!" Said the Kapool's pilot, crossing her arms in pride. If Momokapool could smile, you would see its smirk from Mars.
"We'd like to stay and chat," said the girl piloting Zeromaru: the Ninja Unicorn Gundam, "But we have to be on the lookout. NO-ONE might still be lurking nearby."
"Good point." Said the Sky's pilot, "Any sign of him, Sarah?" A small, cute girl stood on the 00's shoulder, dressed in white, her icy blue hair cascading down her back.
"I can feel a sort of presence nearby..." The girl said, gently, "But it's starting to fade already. Whatever it is, I don't think we'll be able to find them."
"Oh man..." Said the Jegan's pilot, his voice youthful, and just a little bit whiny, "And just as when we finally caught up to him..."
"I suppose this will have to do." Said the pale Gunpla's pilot: a scruffy, monotone man, who was easily the eldest of the pack, "What about you guys? Are you alright?"
The A-Sec Angels sat huddled around the beach. Their brush with NO-ONE had left them more than a little shaken, but they put on brave faces. As a high-ranking Force, it was expected of them. "Oh please, KO-Ichi!" Said Shaddi, flashing them a devil-may-care smile, "You've fought us before. You know we've faced worse, and stranger things than that!" It was a pretty weak lie, but told with such confidence to fool the average listener. The others were less convincing. Rouji sat in Cecilia's lap, trembling. Whatever NO-ONE did to him, it wasn't something a young boy should have to deal with. Lauda was taking it less poorly, but the look of fury and humiliation was impossible to miss.
But while the scruffy gentleman was most concerned with the Angels, this Sarah girl gave her care to someone else.
"You look, frightened." She said, as she hopped off the 00's shoulder, landing in front of Elan. "Did they hurt you?"
"Hurt me?" Elan asked, "Oh, um, no. I'm fine." He insisted, "See, not a scratch on me."
"I don't mean your body." The girl stepped around him, looking him over from every angle. Odd thing to do, if his physical condition wasn't her concern. But something told Elan she was thinking of something else, "You're different..." She said, innocently, "Not like me, but not like them, either..." Every word from Sarah's mouth just made the boy more and more confused.
"Not like you?" He asked. There was something odd about the girl, but something he couldn't quite place. Was it the blue hair? No. This was GBN. People went around looking like cat people. A few blue locks were nothing to fuss about.
"Sarah's an EL-Diver." Riku explained, as he got out of his Gundam. He was a young man. Fairly unremarkable, in appearance; not what you'd expect from an illustrious Diver. "That means she's an electrical lifeform."
"What, like an AI?"
The girl smiled at him. "Not quite," she said, "But something like that. We are real - we're alive - just not in the same way humans are." She stared closely at Elan, invading his personal space, innocently. "You're like that too, I think. Not electrical, but..."
She wasn't wrong, Elan thought. Given his situation it would be quite apt to call him... unconventionally alive.
"Sarah, give him some space." Said the Momokapool's pilot: a small catgirl, wearing almost too much pink. She pulled the EL-Diver away, gently, a sheepish grin on her face.
"It's alright." Said Elan, who'd lived in a world where manners were considered highly optional. "I know you didn't mean to be rude."
"We'd better report to the others." Said KO-Ichi, "They'll want to hear about this."
The crew hopped back in their Suits. Elan thought to stop them, but there was no point. He could tell them of his meeting with NO-ONE, but what would he tell them? A vengeful presence, from another dimension? As if they'd believe that.
The 00 Sky turned back, as the Build Divers flew off. "I hope we'll meet again." Said Riku, staring down at the Mythmakers, "I'd like to see you battle, myself." Suletta and her friends watched, as their saviours drifted into the distance, until the 00 Sky disappeared into the blue expanse of its namesake. It was a weird feeling, like passing a TV star in the street. Nothing important, when they thought about it, but it felt special to them.
"We should probably go back as well." Suletta said, "Mom's gonna wonder where I am."
"Same here." Chuchu mumbled, "'Sides, I don't wanna run into that creep again. How bout you, jackass?"
Nika looked about the place, searching for the jackass in question. "Who are you talking to?"
Silence. They had missed someone. Four stood on the beach, where there should have been five. Alonso's pilot had gone missing.
"What happened to Aaron?" Asked his cousin, "Did something happen to him."
Chuchu snorted, dismissively, "Last I saw him, he was getting his ass kicked by that NO-ONE guy. Probably rage quit or something." The group let out a collective groan. That did sound like him. "Guess we'll see him on the other side..."
They logged off the Network, returning once again to the dim, comforting light of the game room. After such an eventful day, the Mythmakers were almost happy to come back to the dreary realms of reality. Sure, they'd failed the mission, sure they'd have to endure Aaron's whining, after suffering such a crushing defeat, but at least they were safe for the night. Well, most of them were. Beneath the soft drone of the fluorescent lights, a strained groan seeped through the room. It wasn't something any of them had heard recently, but it sounded like someone in pain. The children turned. An empty pod sat at the corner of the room, its seat stained in dull, brownish red. Blood, and quite a lot of it too. A trail of it led out the door, wet, and fresh. Aaron was still nowhere to be seen, but they could take a wild guess as to his whereabouts. Slowly, they opened the door, bracing for the worst.
There he was, Aaron Ceres, laying on the floor, clutching his side. A deep wound dripped blood onto the shop floor, much to the horror of the clientele. Nanami watched on, eyes wide, body trembling. She knew she had to do something, but all reason was lost under the smell of blood. Like most people, thankfully, she wasn't used to seeing this kind of violence. It was something that happened, of course, but not to people in her life. That's how it was supposed to be, as most assumed.
"Ummm..." The girl's eyes darted about, and she gasped for air, like a fish on land, "A- ambulance!" She said at last, bolting for the desk, "That's it, I'll call an ambulance!"
Aaron reached out for her as she ran. A sheltered, privileged kid, he too had never thought he'd find himself bleeding out on the floor. People like me don't just die, he thought. Not this young, not this sudden. He tried to crawl after the woman, but she was already gone. He turned around, thoughtlessly costing himself more blood. The others - the rest of his team - stood in the doorway, as speechless as the rest of them.
"Four..." He croaked, "Please help me! I... I think I'm dying!"