The look on Talia's face was unmistakably cold and harsh as she stared at Meyrin who was standing in front of her, head hung. "The fact that the enemy knows you personally has caused a considerable amount of suspicion to be cast on you. Do you have anything to say for this, Ensign Meyrin Hawke?"

Still downcast, the said person shook her head slowly.

"I hope you do realize the gravity of your situation. If found guilty, you'll liable to the harshest remedial actions available." Offense such as betraying ZAFT and PLANTs was punishable by death. "Therefore…"

"Wait!" Lunamaria interrupted. "It's not Meyrin's fault that our enemy suddenly know her!"

Talia stared at her from the corner of her eyes. "Be quiet or you'll be charged with insubordination."

Lunamaria opened her mouth to say something but then Athrun put his hand on her shoulder in an effort to remind her not to do anything.

The captain continued staring at the older sister a little longer before shifting her attention towards Meyrin. "Now, before someone rudely interrupted me, even though this is the military, we do follow the principles of natural justice. Hence, an inquiry will be carried out and during that time, you will be confined to your quarter." She then turned the girl's guards. "Take her away."

Everyone remained quiet as Meyrin was brought out of the room until Dearka suddenly decided to say his mind, "Captain, with permission, I think that it's not fair for us to be treating her like the guilty party."

"Oh, right. I forgot that you're the Redcoats elite." Talia said while nodding slightly before suddenly banging her table in anger. "So, I would have to explain to you that this is the military and not the civilian circus. Or do you want to be reminded that it's because we didn't defeat Archangel and Prometheus, or Spectrum, or whatever they're calling that white thing, she's in the predicament. Or maybe you need to be made to realize that one of the probable reasons we lost is because she had been collaborating with the enemy?"

"Meyrin will never betray ZAFT!" Lunamaria uttered.

"Oh, do you have the proof to back your statement? Do you really know everything about your sister? Everything?" When Talia saw the woman shrunk a bit from her questions, she smirked. "See, that's just an emotional statement by you."

"But you have yet to procure any evidence to show that she is guilty of working with the enemy," Rey stated.

"True, but I never said that she is working with the enemy."

"It the same thing," Yzak suddenly said, surprising his colleagues.

"Don't insult your intelligence; we already know how low it is." Talia then looked at the display on her desk. "Everyone is dismissed."

"But…" Lunamaria attempted to attract the captain's attention once more.

"Dismissed!"

"Strike R, test mission series 651A15, start."

The mobile suit with pinkish cockpit raised its beam rifle and fired at the targets placed on the asteroids.

"Strike R, test mission series B689, start."

Strike R boosted through the testing range, slashing through structures in it.

"Strike R, test mission series X51669, start."

The mobile suit didn't move as missiles hit its cockpit one by one.

Meyrin watched the screen. It took her almost two day to do it, but she had finally breached into ZAFT's higher security clearance files. It would have taken almost infinitely longer but thanks to the security code provided by Captain Talia, she managed to bypass a lot of security measures installed in place and began her probe from a higher clearance level.

Before Aegis and the rest of the attack force even landed, the captain had taken her aside, gave her the security code and told her to dig all information on Elaine. To ensure that she would be left alone to do her job and hence not under any possible surveillance, the captain would have her confined; it also served to dispel any lingering suspicion that the two were on good term.

However, Captain Talia was taking a big risk, handing her security code even though Meyrin had an even larger risk because there was no telling what would happen to her if she was found out.

Then again, she was very good at not getting caught and the very few times that she was found out, she ended up befriending Elaine Bakhtiar. Despite more two years had passed, she could remember what happened that day. She had broken into a cluster of unknown network and found what seemed to be algorithm of a prototype network of drones. Normally she would leave it alone because doing so would increase the change of being detected. After all, she hacked systems for the thrill of doing so. However, seeing such network being littered with inelegant codes annoyed her immensely and she ended up rewriting a significant portion of it.

Meyrin had thought that her exploits were not detected but a month later, while on the way home from her school with her sister, a girl around her age came, introduced herself as Elaine Bakhtiar, her longtime friend. She was about to deny that she knew the person but then the latter suggested that they go through to the nearest ice cream café, suggesting they go for 'Strawberry Factory' or 'Banana Tropicana'. That simple request shocked her because only Luna knew that she liked the two flavors. Realizing that the stranger was more than what she claimed to be, Meyrin asked her sister to go home first, no wanting her to be involved should something happen. Meyrin then followed the stranger to the place, not sure what going to happen.

When her chosen Strawberry Factory was being delivered along with the Elaine's order, Meyrin decided to skip over the formalities and get right to the point, asking how in the world the other girl knew her preference. Smiling before taking a mouthful, Elaine replied that she had put Meyrin under surveillance for two weeks. Elaine then complimented her work with the network she had broken into. At that statement, Meyrin felt her blood froze as she began imagining all kind of scenarios that would happen to her. Maybe she would be taken into custody, locked inside a room and the being forced to wear a collar and then being forced to calleher captor as master…

She was brought out of her daydream when Elaine shook her shoulder gently.

Meyrin blushed at what she had imagined. Sometimes, people and even she herself wonder whether she was really a Gemini rather than a Pieces; not many people managed to twist a dire situation in a masochistic daydream.

Elaine, mistaking her for being nervous, clarified that she had taken credit for the modification in order to prevent the security team from finding out about the breach of security. She then began asking Meyrin about how the latter managed to come up with such a novel approach to the drone networking and Meyrin was only happy to reply.

Two hours later, and six sundaes between the two of them, Meyrin and Elaine became very good friends.

Although it was the only time they met face to face, they kept in touch frequently. Later, Meyrin would find out or rather managed to pry out of computer system that Elaine was working as a test pilot for the ZAFT's top secret next generation mobile suit as well being its strategic analyst. When she mentioned that she knew about those facts to Elaine, remarking that Elaine was certainly a true Coordinator, she had receive a mild rebuke from the girl who insisted that she shouldn't be considered as a Coordinator. Their friendship would continue on for a few more months until one day Elaine stopped responding and any effort to contact her as well as the computer network connected to her end in failure. Meyrin finally decided to stop, attributing her failures to Elaine being involved in another secretive projects and the network security being upgraded to prevent intrusion.

Meyrin shook her head, clearing her thoughts off the memories. She pressed the 'next' button on her tablet. Then the next video started.

Elaine was explaining to the screen about the current test involving Strike R utilizing a 'Pandora' system, especially in regards to efficiency of the power outputs. That piqued Meyrin's interest as the only information she managed to get through the legal as well not-so-legal channel on Strike R was about the Phase Shift armor and the General Unilateral Neuro-Link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver operating system.

To Meyrin's irritation Elaine didn't describe about the thing was, only that she going through the test in order to determine the efficiency of the simplex configuration. That information didn't reveal anything about what it was, even though the latter commented about whatever the processing output of the simplex would be, the duplex configuration would quintuple it. Sure, Elaine was probably talking about a computer system but as far as Meyrin knew, such system would scale almost linearly, meaning a duplex system would double the processing power of a simplex system. Still, having nothing better to do, she continued watching it.

Then the screen suddenly blanked out.

Meyrin grasped the tablet with both hands and brought it closer to her face, wondering what had happened.

The image of Elaine reappeared seconds later. "Mayday! Mayday! B. Banneker is under attack by unknown forces!" The alarm was quite visible on the her face even through the helmet's semi translucent face glass. "Strike R's energy is down to twenty three percent! Request assistance! I repeat, request assistance!"

Then her image began to become fuzzy and the audio began to crackle into inaudible hiss. Elaine seemed to be talking even though her voice couldn't be heard. The test pilot made movements with her left hand, as if trying to relay something even as the alarm on her expression began to change into one of frustration before finally settling on of uncontrollable anger. Then, her image sharpened and she seemed to scream something.

Meyrin put down the tablet, trying to reconcile with what she saw. The image was clear enough that she could make an easy guess of what Elaine was saying.

"Damn you."

The question was, to whom Elaine was talking to?

Talia hated being left in the dark. After all, her obsession of needing to know all available information in a situation combined with her leading ability were what led to her rather meteoric rise through the rank of ZAFT to lead its flagship. Therefore, she really hated the current situation she was in at the current moment.

No, it wasn't about Elaine Bakhtiar. When she read the report Meyrin had provided, she had found out something that the SCCS operative missed. Elaine Bakhtiar, according to Meyrin's description, was around fifteen to seventeen years of age. If the development of Strike R, the predecessor of the five prototypes started around four years ago, that meant Elaine was involved in the project around eleven or twelve years old. Becoming a test pilot at such a young age and then managing to develop various mobile suit tactics were quite incredible feats, even for a Coordinator.

No, she neither care about that girl's ability nor the fact that ZAFT employed someone that young to become as part of the military; desperation tends to drive everyone to do the extreme. One need only to remember that nary six years ago the first mobile suit for combat use was being conceptualized and at the present time, ZAFT had fielded quite a number of ships carrying mobile suits that are able to protect the interest of PLANTs; six years ago, Coordinators were mostly engineers and technicians, but at that short of time, they had become solders and tacticians.

Now, having the full picture behind the development of the five prototypes, Talia became concerned about the circumstance surrounding their development. She was given a high level access as a member of FAITH yet according to the information that she had seen about the project, Strike R had been destroyed in a testing accident. There was no mention about B. Banneker, which Talia guessed was the prototype's mothership, and no mention about the attack that lead to both Strike R and the ship in the official record. If such information was hidden from someone with a clearance level on par with the ZAFT's high council which presided over matters such as development of GINN as five years ago, there was no telling what other skeletons lurking inside ZAFT's closet.

She hated the feeling of not knowing what happened. And she also hated the fact that she was beginning to become suspicious of ZAFT.

No matter how much she wanted to, the ship and its force were totally outmatched. Talia had no doubt that Elaine could defeat all of them rather easily. As such, she couldn't understand why the elaborate way of forcing the attack force to retreat. Was it because Elaine was still part of ZAFT? If so, then it was possible that she went through all of the trouble just to appease those onboard Archangel while at the same time not having to destroy Minerva and its mobile suit force. If that was the case, then how should she react in return? Should she continue to pursue Archangel or should she rein back the pressure? What if Elaine wasn't working with ZAFT anymore and instead betrayed it?

Question would lead to more question; that was why she really hate being in the situation.

Even before the door opened, Flay somehow knew who it was. "You're annoying, do you know that?" she said, seated inside the cockpit.

"Oh, sorry. I asked Murdoch for permission to have a brief look and didn't expect you to be here."

"Yeah, right. Like he would allow you of all people to come here without any people watching, even if you saved the ship. In fact, he probably allowed you because I'm here which is quite convenient for you since you wanted to see me anyway." Flay pressed a button and the cockpit turned until the other seat faced Lacus. "Well, you block the way out so but at least I don't have to see your face."

"Thank you," Lacus said as she took the seat and then closed the cockpit. She fiddled with control, humming merrily.

"Do you know that I was part of ZAFT as well?" Flay suddenly asked.

The pink princess's hands became stilled and she stopped humming. After a long time, she finally answered. "To be honest, I'm surprised by what you said just now. I have some suspicion about that since you can easily pilot a ZAFT mobile suit, from what I heard from Murdoch, Mir and Tolle. Even if you're part of that so-called secret laboratory team, you wouldn't be allowed to practice on it unless you're the test pilot so the chance of you piloting it to Marshall Island safely is rather small. But I have to admit, with all the 'love' you professed for Coordinators, it is still hard to believe."

Flay sighed. "It looks like I blundered and exposed myself, to you of all people."

"Well, it's not good to hold it inside."

"And since when you became my psychiatrist?"

"Running from the problem isn't the answer."

Flay snorted. "Yeah? What the hell… I might as well humor you. So, what am I supposed to say to you? Maybe I'm not sure what to do since I've been hating something all this time and then one day, poof, I remember the fact I'm part of it at one time, until they decided to erase my mind?

"Maybe the hatred you harbor for Coordinators is because you have been denied being part of it?"

"I think I've been going over this matter with you as well as others. I'm not one."

"Denial is not a river in Egypt."

"Thinking about a Coordinator cracking such a crappy joke makes me really want to step and then grind the ball of my feet on her back."

"Oh, your inner child is being repressed. Are you an 'S' type?" The mirth in Lacus voice was as clear as a cloudless day.

"Now you're just being annoying."

"Hey, Flay…"

"Since when we get that close? Refer me to Miss Allster."

"So, why didn't you tell everyone about your history, Flay?"

"If I still couldn't come to term with the facts, what makes you think everyone else would? It's not like I would be believed if I tell the truth; after all, who would believe that I regained my memory due to this," Flay knocked on the console, "Besides, I have my reputation as a Coordinator hating Blue Cosmos member's reputation to uphold."

"So, you don't really hate Coordinators, do you?"

Flay made some noise but didn't answer, probably remembering their earlier conversation involving a certain brown haired one.

Despite being inside the deactivated cockpit, their conversation was not in private as what they said was being transmitted to the room of the ship's captain.

"It looks like Red is talking the truth," Mwu said, arms crossed. "She's not a Coordinator."

"Yet, she was with ZAFT."

Mwu shrugged. "Well, we have to find out how that happened, don't we? I have to congratulate you for thinking up such a plan. Who would have thought that she would open up to Clyne?"

"Indeed."

"Is Clyne in the know about this?"

"No," Murrue, who was sitting neat the speaker answered. "She would never agree to this."

After Lacus Clyne was rescued from the attack, Murrue was worried for her safety from Flay Allster seeing that the latter seemed to hate Coordinators with vengeance. To her surprise, the self-confessed Coordinator hater not only interacted with Lacus; they got along rather well. From time to time, Lacus would approach the redhead to talk and the latter would push the former away, but underneath the brusque manner it was done, it was halfhearted. In fact, to Murrue, they were too close to be a mere acquaintance.

Then an idea came to her: use Lacus to gain more information on Flay. The method would have to be through runabout way, since Lacus seemed to be the type that would never betray her friends. Plus, Flay seem to have an uncanny sense to detect her plan if she was to intervene directly as was shown by how the redhead handled the DNA challenge; even discounting that Flay h as a good dose of paranoia. Therefore, the only way was to bug their conversation. Through observation of their behaviors and habits, Murrue predicted correctly where Flay would be that day and that Lacus would be coming to talk to her. Hence, she got Mwu to install the listening device earlier that day before Flay arrive at the hangar to help with the maintenance of Spectrum.

It was a pity that the listening device would have to be removed later in the afternoon after Flay had left. If Spectrum was fully activated and operational, its electronic and sensor suites would have revealed the equipment's radio transmission. Attaching in a more permanent device inside the computer or modifying the software to transmit the cockpit's signal to another source apart from the black box seemed like viable alternatives but with Murdoch not really knowing the innards of Spectrum's OS, the person who would probably know about it is Kira and Flay; getting Kira to cooperate would be impossible and it was a stupid idea to ask Flay to bug herself because that would cause her to be on guard all the time.

It would have been good to know what Flay would be doing whenever she co-pilot the mobile suit.

"So," Lacus continued, "You have recovered all of your memory,"

Flay examined a tiny piece of equipment held between her thumb and fore finger. She then put it back where she found it: underneath the seat of her chair. "Somewhat."

"Since when?"

"It began when Spectrum's neural interface forcibly activated for the first time in Marshall Island. Since then, bits and bits of info come from time to time. At least they didn't come back immediately or else I would have been left slobbering and drooling."

Lacus giggled, as she seemed to picture it with her mind. "Even so, you would still look beautiful."

"Hush with the attempt to butter me up."

"So, are you really with ZAFT?"

"With ZAFT... I myself wonder about that. What kind of ZAFT would get me to believe that I'm a Blue Cosmos member? Then again, maybe whatever it is, it has connection with both." Flay's eyes drifted in the direction of her seat for the briefest second. "It's rather troublesome to hide the my suspicion that rather the attack on ZAFT base was arranged so that Spectrum can be given to Alliance; Murrue would throw a fit I even suggest that her sugar daddy had been manipulated in such a manner before being killed off."

"Why would someone go through that trouble?"

"You're aware of SEED?"

"I've heard about it. Superior Evolutionary Element Destined-factor."

Superior Evolutionary Element Destined-factor or referred to as SEED was a theory about humankind's eventual evolution into a new species. It was proposed that the carrier of the genetic factor would be able to enter a state of heightened cognitive awareness and peak physical ability. However, such theory had yet gain widespread acceptance throughout the scientific community and its proponents had been derided as drug junkies due to the fact that the state described them seemed somewhat similar to the state induced through drugs.

"But do they exist?" Lacus asked. "After all, aren't they just myths?"

"I'm talking to a two-legged version of unicorn right now,"

"That's rather mean of you."

"Don't expect me to grovel in apology to you."

"But what that has to do with Spectrum?"

"Who has the highest pool of people highly trained and skilled people, people who most likely to be SEED carriers?"

"The military."

"Correct. And while we're at it, why limit it to only one side? One had landed in Africa, an area ZAFT mostly controlled and the other one in South America, one that represents nations that are neutral to Alliance and ZAFT."

Lacus really didn't like what Flay said. If that was the case, then the real reason behind everything, the attack on Carpenteria base and whatever happened between that period of time and the time they picked her up, was in order to locate probable SEED carriers which meant.

Perhaps, she shuddered to think, the war broke out in order to search for SEED carriers.

Being a politician and having study economics on the side, Lacus had reluctantly accepted was as one of valid, albeit ethically and morally wrong, economic tool. Even from the earlier history of mankind, war had been waged not really because of hate and prejudice but because of economic reasons: to gain resource, to reduce competition for the resource usage or even to move the economy when it stagnated. If she was to look the current conflict from the view of an emotionally-detached economist, she would come to the conclusion that it broke out because Alliance wanted to maintain control PLANT's economic resources while ZAFT was fighting to prevent that from happening.

The possibility that the war was orchestrated in order to gather people with a probably non-existent genetic factor, was totally unbelievable and wrong to an unbelievable level.

"Good thing Murrue's sugar daddy screwed back those that used him by keeping Spectrum out of Alliance's hand and instead in Orb's." Flay remarked. "Attha certainly understands its danger in escalating the war even further."

"All of that trouble just to locate someone who may not even exist?"

"Like I said just now, I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

"I still don't get what you're saying, and you're still being mean."

Flay let out a very long breath once more. "Look, Glenn in that speech of his, had said that Coordinators' purpose is to coordinate the next step of humanity's evolution before he went off and gloat that he was a regulator… a coordinator. If we really examine his speech in literal sense, achieving 'Coordinator'hood is not the real target."

"And you're probably a Coordinator because what you're doing may inadvertently help to bring it the humanity's evolution?"

"If I really want to go with the flow, I have to say I'm more of a vampire, you know, preying on other people, sucking their bloods dry and stuff. Even have the hair to go with the theme." She remained silent for a while. "Hey, Lacus."

"Yeah?"

"Let's say you're a cow…"

"I thought I'm a unicorn?"

"Okay, a unicow, then. A thinking one at that, with consciousness and conscience. You know that you're being reared for to provide milk and meat to people. You're there to serve their needs, their wants. Would you feel satisfied with that kind of life?"

"I'm not sure, since I'm not one. But some people say that to fulfill your destiny and existence is the key to happiness."

"I see," Flay said solemnly. "I guess you're right. Maybe it's not meant to be…"

Talia had been pouring over the information that Meyrin was streaming into her personal computer, searching for any strand of clue that would tell her what was going on to the extent of leaving Arthur in charge for a significant period of time. Already, rumors were flying that she was brooding over her failures and she had picked Meyrin as a convenient scapegoat in order to preserve her FAITH rank. She didn't do anything about the rumors as it would be better for others to believe them. As for her rank, she didn't really care for it because the rank itself carry tremendous responsibilities instead being just a privilege. It was similar to being a Coordinator...

Her eyes widened. Coordinator?

She quickly tapped some commands on her computer to establish a secure and private line to the one she had put under arrest.

"Captain?" Meyrin questioned, puzzled by her action. "Isn't it dangerous for you to be contacting me even through the secure line?"

"Just answer me one thing. Elaine admitted that she is not a Coordinator, isn't she?"

"Yes... but..."

"Get me all of her data, anything, as long as its regarding her. If she picks her nose, I want to know when and where. Also I want you to conduct a search on her current name... 'Flay' or 'Fllay'. Limit your search on those being born in North Atlantic, to a prominent person or being an orphan."

"Yes, ma'am," Meyrin said as she signed off.

The information she requested only came in a few hours later, after she returned from her station. It seemed that the rest of the bridge protested her treatment of Meyrin by being quiet and direct to the point, unlike being their usual self. However, it was also within her calculation. Talia opened the files, starting with Elaine Bakhtiar. She noted that in the personnel file, the redhead test pilot was listed as a Coordinator which was as she expected. Talia then opened the files pertaining to 'Flay' or 'Fllay', skimming through them until she came to the family name 'Allster'. She opened the file and was greeted with the image of Elaine, in a civilian dress. She then quickly searched for a thesis written by a thesis written by a geneticist by the name of Albert Randall almost a century before. A prominent and well-respected scientist before his thesis caused him to be debunked and ridiculed by the scientific community, it had been proposed that he was behind the Coordinator project that gave birth to the first Coordinator, George Glenn. She read through it until her eyes stopped at an important point in the text.

Talia slammed her fist on the table, cursing. It was as she had feared; the whole puzzle had began to unravel and Minerva was caught up in the middle of it. She sat down and took a deep breath, thinking about what to do next. Unconsciously, she bit her finger nail, an unsightly habit she stopped doing, or at least thought so.

She recalled Sherlock Holmes saying that when all which was impossible have been eliminated, then whatever remains, despite being probable must be the truth.

However, what should she do with the truth?

It was interesting how his plan had deviated so much that Gilbert simply doesn't know how it would turn out. If he had to admit to himself, its progress was rather deplorable being that it wasn't supposed to be that way. He swirled the champagne glass he was holding, staring at the bubbly liquid inside it. One interesting fact about vintage wines, they were made from the same harvest and then processed at the same time being bottled, tiny variance and imperfections led to a difference of taste in each bottle.

Similarly, it seemed that a tiny imperfection in his plan had caused it to change so much.

When he arranged for the 'key' to steal Prometheus away from its laboratory, he had been expecting it to end up in Alliance's hand. Instead, through his sources, he indeed found out that Halberton had another plan thought out, one that would cause the mobile suit to end up in Orb. Despite the setback in the plan, Gilbert felt that it could be continued because PANDORA system had activated, meaning whoever the person piloting it a likely candidate of being a SEED carrier.

However, he began to notice that even though the PANDORA system was activated, the system's progress to unlock the pilot's potential was slow, too slow in fact.

He began to 'guide' the mobile suit and its mothership through trials and tests, so that the mobile suit's pilot would grow in strength more and more. When he baited one of ZAFT's submarines to attack the daughter of Clyne's shuttle, it went successfully with the whole force being wiped out. Because of that, he deemed that the pilot was ready to destroy Minerva and its complement of mobile suits.

Minerva and its mobile suits remained undestroyed.

He wondered what went wrong.

The key had been carefully selected by the computer from a vast database of talented individuals, one that includes even children of the current council members. One in particular, Athrun, the scion of Zala had even shown the possibility of being a SEED carrier, the possible bearer of humanity's destiny. It was also the main reason why it was arranged for his transfer to Minerva in the hope that should he possessed the gene, he would awaken in through the fight with Spectrum's pilot.

Still, computer decided that the present key was superior than any of them because one trait: immensely powerful feeling of hatred for Coordinators. As a Coordinator himself, Gilbert didn't like putting the success of his plan in the hand of his possible destroyer but he could see the reason why the choice was made. PANDORA system's efficiency would very much depend on the emotional state of its human 'processors' and if having 'her' ensures the Destiny plan succeeds at the cost of few hundreds or even few thousands Coordinator's life, it would be more than worth it.

At that time, though, it seemed that something had happened to the key. Was the key destroyed? It would be a pity if that happened because it wasn't easy to secure such a sample; another reason why he had be hesitant to use it.

No matter, the seeds of future conflict had been sown. Alliance had gotten their own prototypes ready to escalate the war to a new level having procured the necessary technologies from benevolent 'sources' while ZAFT was surely ready to respond in kind. And right in the middle of it is Prometheus and its ship.

Now, how would the Prometheus pilot react?

Gilbert took a sip of the alcoholic drink he was holding, fully savoring the fruity note it imparted. While some may not like it, he preferred the Brut Natural level of sweetness.

He looked at the large screen showing a mobile suit silhouette. Humankind was a very strange creatures. Even though they could think independently, they would always be influenced by impressions made on them when they were small. For example, the mobile suit that he was looking at was designed in an image that would elicit trust from all people; the intended savior. To be honest, he wasn't sure how it would end up being used; it would be used anyway.

What really mattered was that it would further his own plan.

"If you're in my place, Glenn, what would you do?"

"Come on, you're just being cowardly. Just decide already." Shinn prodded.

"It's not that easy." Kira insisted.

"What do you mean it's not easy? Just follow your heart and make your choice. Would you like to be with a childhood friend with whom you have lost contact with only to meet her recently? Or will you try to reach out for the mysterious one who seemed to harbor hatred for humanity, hoping that you would be able to heal her heart? The choices are already there laid out for you, clear as a day."

"What if I choose wrongly? What should I do? What if I hurt the other one?"

Shinn put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Look, when you make your choice, whoever you don't choose will be hurt; that's something you cannot escape from. However, if you don't make your choice, everyone will end up getting hurt."

"But... "

"Just make your choice, damnit!"

"But..."

"Look!" Shinn said as he wrestled the tablet from Kira's hand. "Why must you make easy things difficult? You saved the progress already! Just choose one and finish the story line. If you feel bad, then you can finish the other story later!" He pressed on a portrait of a girl on the tablet. "Here, the God of Dating Sim, G-O-D-S, Shinn Asuka has decreed that you select this story path," he said as he handed the tablet back.

Kira took the tablet and looked at the choice and then back at Shinn. "But I thought that you're the Invincible Marksman of First Person Shooter!"

Shinn laughed. "That too."

Kira still didn't understand how playing the game would help him in his dilemma. He had been feeling some attraction to both Flay and Lacus but didn't know what he should do next. Shinn Asuka happened to pass by at that time and caught a little bit of their conversation and offered to help. Thinking that Shinn would guide him on how to deal with his feeling, Kira accepted. But in the end, what Shinn did was to ask him to play a Dating Sim game where the protagonist's main objective is to choose among several characters and then try to develop a romantic relationship with that chosen character.

He looked at the character on the tablet once more. If only the real world permits replaying or reloading if ones screwed up.

1

Author's note (1 April 2011)

1. To the nation of Japan, my heart goes out to you and I pray for everyone's safety and good health.

2. Although short, this chapter is a critical junction part of the story. It also provides the explanation on many (not all) of Flay's actions in the previous chapters.

3. Actually, if I'm to split the story, it would begin at next chapter. However, I received a good number feedbacks that are partial to KxF pairing or KxF&KxL. If that trend maintain, perhaps, it would be best for me to simply concentrate on just one story branch. I will try to split the story into two branch, MSGS Spectrum Dawn for KxL and MSGS Spectrum Twilight for KxF to see how it goes first. I will update both almost simultaneously.

4. I tried to update this story almost two weeks ago but was unable to do so; something to do with error no 2. But in a way, there's a silver lining since I changed around 10 percent of the whole chapter.