Last month, I revised the first two chapters to clarify some things and flow better into this chapter. It shouldn't be necessary to reread them before continuing on, though.
DISCLAIMER: I own a set of the manga translations. And some of the Dragonriders of Pern books (which Athrun read in childhood). That does not mean I own the copyrights. This is for fun, not money, with no infringement intended. For me anyway. Athrun might wind up building fire lizards for profit someday, but he's fictional--And living in a time when the copyrights should have long expired, so it would be legal for him anyway.
"I thought I'd hate whoever killed my brother," Asuran said. He stared at Flay, but his eyes looked dazed. She doubted he even saw her. "But my team doesn't deserv--He was in the wrong! If it were some team I could avoid--But the mission kept coming back, and I couldn't just let Kira kill them--We're supposed to look out for each other." The blue-haired boy's rambling stopped.
And people accuse my logic of being twisted... "Kira never wanted to fight you," Flay told him quietly. "He just wanted to protect his friends."
"At the cost of mine."
"No!" Flay exclaimed, shocked at the bitterness five words could hold. "He never wanted to fight any of you! He just--He was the only one who could."
"Why?" Asuran asked. "He never hated what he was. So why join the Earth Forces? It doesn't make sense."
"Flay," Doctor Zeks returned to the bedside from wherever he had hidden the knife. "Get off my patient so I can evaluate the damage you inflicted. Besides, someone might walk in and think you tried to molest him at knife point."
Flay abruptly realized just where on Kira's brother she was sitting--and how far up her skirt had slid. Asuran's face turned as red as her hair. Flay hid her own embarrassment by rolling her eyes as she climbed off the bed. "And you wonder why you never get laid," she told the doctor as she smoothed her skirt down.
"The ladies like me fine."
Flay snorted. "What do you pay th--Torii!" Flay's eyes widened as she caught sight of the small robot lying on Asuran's mattress near the wall. The motionless green bird had a knife mark on its side, and a chip in its wing. She reached for it, only to have Asuran scoop the bird up and hold it to his chest.
"Give him back!" she cried. "Kira entrusted him to me!"
"I built him!" Asuran refused. He brought his other hand up and hid Torii from sight.
"You ungrateful, little--"
The door to the infirmary slid open. "What the hell happened in here?"
Flay whirled around to face the ship's second officer. Lieutenant Badgerial's purple eyes stared sternly at the room.
Nicol sighed as he wrote down a few more notes for Theme of Loss. When released from the base hospital, he would run the notes through his laptop's program to test the composition. It's just not the same as writing in front of my piano, he thought. He hastily scribbled down a few other variations that sounded good in his head. I'd love nothing more than to just play around and only write down what I like best...
He heard the door to the room slide open. Lunch all ready? "I'm not that hungry, coul--Dad!" Nicol hastily capped the pen and gathered his sheet music. "What are you doing here?" he blurted. "Your schedule, I mean. I'm glad to see you, but--"
"I know," his father leaned over the bed and hugged him. "It took some creative juggling, but when we heard you were hurt, we had to see you."
"We?"
"Your mother's here too. But she's letting me have you to myself since I have to lift off in a couple hours--I'm sorry, but travel between the PLANTs and Earth takes time."
"I know," Nicol replied, frustrated that his father had read his disappointment. "Mom's really interrogating the medical staff, isn't she?"
"That's a little harsh."
"Dad, when Uncle Harry collapsed, she questioned every aide, nurse, doctor and EMT that had even five seconds of contact with him. And he's just a family friend."
"You're exaggerating. And while it seems intense, she is a doctor."
"An OBGYNGS." Though between Blue Cosmos and the war, the demand for genetic surgery was nearly nonexistent. Few second or third generation Coordinators-to-be required additional modification.
"We may fall out of her specialty, but she still knows what she's asking. It's her way of showing she cares."
"It's bloody embarrassing," Nicol muttered.
"Try having her do it when you didn't tell her you injured yourself doing something stupid," his father replied dryly. "Now that's embarrassing."
I don't want to know, Nicol decided. "How is Uncle Harry?" he asked.
"Good. He was a little quick to agree to cover your mother's half of the practice, but he's good."
"I'm glad."
Losing his lover in the Bloody Valentine had hit Uncle Harry harder then they had thought. He seemed to hang in there at first, but Heliopolis' destruction had stirred things up. Nicol's last meeting with his honorary uncle had felt decidedly strained.
At least the man was taking enough care of himself that he had no incidents like his collapse a few years ago.
"So, you're working on a new piece?" his father asked.
Nicol shrugged. "Just some notes in my head that I want to hear out loud. If they work well enough..."
"I'm sure it'll be wonderful. That new piece you played on your birthday was lovely."
"Thanks," Nicol muttered. Athrun'll never sleep through my proper concert, he thought.
"I may not care much for music, but I recognize your talent," his father said.
"I know. I'm just... stuck on what I want to express."
"I see," his father responded. Nicol doubted that. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"Yeah." Nicol transferred the stack of papers from the meal tray to the table by the bed. The corner of the stack bumped the edge of Yula's amulet, causing it to roll a little. His father picked up the talisman as Nicol pushed the tray to the side.
"When did you start wearing a necklace?"
"I got it a few days ago," Nicol replied as he took the amulet. "It's..." Nicol bit his lip as he stared at it. "What do you know about my last two battles?"
"I read your reports. Why?"
"Well, when I woke up on the Orb vessel, Agent Yula demanded I tell her what happened to the Strike's pilot--if he had bailed out, because they hadn't found him anywhere. I couldn't say for sure, as I had focused on getting myself away from the explosion. But it seemed they were acting on behalf of the Earth Forces, and I was angry at their false neutrality, so I told her that I'd watched him burn. Yula started ranting about how the pilot--Kira, I think--had no business in the Earth Forces and didn't deserve to die. I told her Athrun didn't deserve to die either. She got a little... odd at that. It's like she didn't want to believe her Kira had actually killed. But as she had been on the Legged Ship, she should have known he had before--I wound up telling her that Athrun died to save me from him. She said something about the dead not finding peace so long as the war continued and stormed out. I didn't see her again until they released me to the transport. She said that this was a protective talisman--It is. They were all over Onogoro City--and that I owed it to Athrun to stay alive.
"The Strike pilot's an enemy," Nicol continued, "and his death helps our side. But I think of Yula, and..."
"You never expected to go face to face with an enemy's friend," his father commented.
"No--Yes, but it's not just that," Nicol replied. "I can't figure out why she'd want to give this to me after what I said about her friend, and..." It felt odd confiding in his father about this, but he could never have this conversation with his mother.
And only a fool would voice these thoughts to Commander Le Creuset.
"Killing in battle is one thing, but on the trip back to Carpentaria, I started thinking, what if he did eject? Yula seemed to take me at my word, so if he was injured and they quit searching, I could have caused his death--I wouldn't want to have caused his return to the Earth Forces!" Nicol added quickly. "It's just... different from the battlefield, I guess." He sighed and flopped back. "He probably died, anyway," Nicol said as he stared at the ceiling. "I barely cleared the blast, and I knew it was coming."
"WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!?" Zeks roared the minute the door closed, sealing the small group in Kira's quarters. He paced through the room, while Sai and Kuzzey stood just inside the door. Miriallia stood on the other side of the room, and Flay sat on Kira's bed, eyes locked on her feet. "ATTACKING ANY COORDINATOR, RISKS TOO MANY QUESTIONS! AND THIS ONE WE WANT TO COOPERATE!"
Flay did not look up from her feet. "I know," she replied meekly. "I just heard what he said, and didn't think beyond it. Poor guy... his head's really messed up."
"She's one to talk," Kuzzey muttered. Next to him, Sai winced. He understood where his black-haired cousin came from, but Flay had been a childhood friend. He felt so helpless against her pain.
"That may be," Zeks replied. "But the assault--and your confinement--pose problems."
"I'll apologize--"
"You'll stay here as Badgerial ordered," Zeks interrupted caustically. "Until we make our move, anyway. The rest of us will worry about fixing the plan."
Zeks sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Is the laptop at least ready?"
Sai nodded and pulled it from his pocket. "The OS will bog down without an interface chip."
"So? That's Asuran's problem. Not mine."
"We're giving the little brother a computer?" Flay asked. "Why?"
"Because Zeks had a brainstorm," Sai replied dryly. "He said he'd explain here."
"Our plan will go far easier if he comes willingly, but he's quite uncooperative. I figured he'll be more likely to believe us, if he finds... a carefully selected piece of the truth out for himself."
"But you had meoverwrite all files related to this ship and our project."
"Of course. It has to pass inspection the minute security or the command staff discover I've given it to him. I had thought that Flay could 'accidentally' mix the right disc in with stuff of Kira's. Obviously," Zeks gave Flay a sour look, "we'll have to substitute someone else."
"I can do it!" Flay protested. "Now that I know where he's coming from, I want to--"
"The last thing we need is for the Earth Alliance Command to look at you too closely!" Zeks cut her off.
"The 'right disk' won't pass inspection, either," Sai pointed out, hoping to prevent a full-out fight between the two.
"Well, obviously we won't let him leave it in plain sight."
Flay snorted. "An 'accidentally' given disk that we hide at the first sign of someone? Yeah, that'll inspire trust."
"We just have time it right," Zeks replied confidently to her sarcasm. "It's like a well-played game of chess. Just follow my lead."
"Oh God, we're doomed," Kuzzey moaned.
As all the teens had seen Zek's chess game, none of them rushed to reassure their timid comrade.
Damn, this is depressing, Flay thought as she watched the video feed from the infirmary. The light from the images illuminated the otherwise dark room. Flay sat on Kira's bed in her skirt and bra. On the monitor, Kira's little brother sat in his bed and stared at the motionless Torii. Flay sighed and began brushing her hair. At least he's making it easy to loop the security feed... If anyone else is bored enough to watch this.
The infirmary doors slid open, and Zeks walked in. "So how's our patient?" he asked, in a tone too cheerful to be real. The captured teen glared at him. Zeks set the laptop on his desk. He turned to grab his white coat and smirked. It disappeared when he turned back to the little brother.
I knew it! I knew he pulled stuff like that on purpose! As Flay continued to brush her hair, a small square inserted itself in the picture. It showed the delayed feed that security--and anyone else would see.
Zeks pulled out his penlight and shined it into Athrun's eyes. "Are you ready to work through your memories?" he asked.
Flay snorted. As Zeks had pointed out, the kid did not trust him.
The little brother pulled away from the light and closed his eyes. "It's been over a week," he complained. "There's no way I still have a concussion."
Zeks shrugged. "I like watching you squirm."
Oh, that's going to help.
As Flay mentally ranted, Zeks retrieved the laptop and dumped it on the captive's lap. "Here. Play solitaire. I'm sick of the damn sighing."
The little brother's face showed an amusing mix of annoyance at doctor's implied insult and confusion at the foolishness of handing a prisoner computer access. Within a second, he forced his face into a neutral expression and unfolded the keyboard. "The interface chip has been removed," he noted sourly after he powered the laptop on.
"Of course it has! It's bloody stupid to give a prisoner access to the ship's systems."
"The OS is slow because it keeps trying to find it."
"Then play something that doesn't time you," the doctor snapped.
"Is your ship really that vulnerable to hacking?"
"Of course not! But I'm not taking the risk. Not with a bored Coordinator. Or a bored Natural, for that matter."
The little brother sighed and turned back to the laptop. After a few minutes, he began rapidly typing. Then he just sat and stared at the monitor. Flay figured he had searched the menu, and then wrote a program to scan for fragments of deleted files. You won't find anything useful, she thought at the screen. Sammy knows what he's doing.
After a few minutes, Zeks looked over the little brother's shoulder. "We do know how to thoroughly overwrite files," he said condescendingly. "You won't find a trace of a fragment."
Athrun scowled, but otherwise ignored the doctor, keeping his focus on the scan. Just as Flay grew bored, the little brother's gaze fell upon the still bird lying next to him. He frowned at it, his eyes narrowed in apparent contemplation. Curious, Flay studied the robot as the camera zoomed in. While the cut on Torii's wing would affect its balance in the air, the knife never penetrated the body, just scored the plastic side. Either it hit its power switch against the wall, or an internal connection came loose.
The little brother reached out and brushed a hand down Torii's back. Flay focused back on his face. He wore a familiar expression. Sadness mixed with guilt, which warred with determination. Kira had worn a similar expression whenever he launched against the Aegis. Flay wondered if the little brother saw Kira when he looked at the bird. The stillness of the once lively robot did seem an eerie reflection of its owner's current state. At least Torii can be fixed.
The little brother turned his head back to the laptop and gave a resolute nod.
Flay's eyes widened. Son of a Bitch plans to cannibalize Torii! Flay gripped the brush handle until the hollow plastic cracked.
Kira's brother muttered something under his breath that the surveillance mike failed to pick up. Flay leaned forward to read his lips. It seemed to be a promise to Kira to rebuild the bird after his escape.
Oh right, he can do that. Flay pulled the sides of her hair back into a barrette and walked across the room. She tucked a small blue case into her waistband before she grabbed her blouse and undershirt.
Dearka grinned as he aimed at another of the small Eurasian ships. That's what you get for attacking a ZAFT carrier, he thought as the side of the vessel blew out and began sinking into the water. After all the difficulty with the Legged Ship, it felt good to revel in the Buster's destructive talents again. He searched for another target.
"What, already?" Yzak's complaining voice came over the radio. These guys wouldn't even have been a challenge in my sleep."
"Not all of us can be elite aces in a stolen superweapon," one of the DINN pilots responded dryly. "I'm glad these guys weren't a challenge--I want a piece of Panama."
"Is it just me or is it not a good sign that everybody and their uncle seems to know Spit Break's target?" another asked.
"If it were to be a surprise attack," the first countered, "but with only one mass driver left, even the Naturals could figure out the target."
"And have," a third pilot, this one female, grumbled. "From all the ships that have gathered there. Don't worry Joule, you'll get your challenge, if by nothing else than sheer numbers."
"Is it hard?"
"Hmm?" Nicol pulled his hand out of his hair and looked up.
"Writing songs," Athrun specified from the corner of the pilot's lounge as he gestured with a freshly caught chess king.
"I have no ability to spin words into lyrics," Nicol grumbled. "My compositions are all instrumental." He sighed at the look on Athrun's face. "Some are easier than others. When I have a strong grasp of the emotions I wish to convey, it's easier to determine if the notes I just tried out evoke the right mood--or decide which ones are likely to in the first place. I'm getting better at hearing the tones in my head, but I miss playing them as I think of them."
"Ah." Athrun now floated upside-down in the weightless room, an arm stuck underneath the sofa bolted to the lounge's floor. "Sounds frustrating. But I bet it's fun to beat the challenge."
"Usually, I find it relaxing, even if none of the combinations sound quite right. If I do get frustrated, it's usually because I was too stressed anyway."
"Is--Damn! Where is that last Rook?" Athrun pulled his empty hand out from underneath the sofa.
"Why do you keep playing Yzak?" Nicol asked.
"He's the toughest challenge." Athrun's hand clenched around the king as he floated over the floor. "I will get him next time!" he vowed.
"But--Wait. You lost?" The sour look Athrun shot him provided all the answer Nicol needed. "I heard Yzak cursing and throwing the pieces. He always does that when you win."
"He's no happier when he wins," Athrun grumbled. "Last time, he got upset that I congratulated him before he could say checkmate. This time he didn't like the way I said it. Asked if I thought I was better than him."
But if Athrun lo--Oh. "You know, you are a better loser than Yzak. And he hates when you beat him at anything."
"Of course," Athrun murmured, a smirk on his face. "Who likes losing?" Suddenly, the smile vanished and Athrun bit his lip thoughtfully. "Maybe he thinks I'm giving him pity wins," he said sounding a little too innocent. "That'd piss me off. Perhaps I should try to sound more subdued..."
"Athrun..." Nicol closed his eyes as empty space passed by the shuttle window.
Romia watched her son as he sat quietly in his seat, leg stretched out in front of him. She liked to flatter herself that she was closer to Nicol than Yuri was, but Nicol gave no sign of confiding the thoughts that kept him so preoccupied.
Unlike whatever he said to Yuri that put her husband in that mood before his lift off...
"The war's changing on him," Yuri grumbled darkly. "We knew it would, but I don't have to like it."
This ship, Asuran decided, is one giant, floating madhouse.
First they had a guard on him when his memory loss had him thinking he was ten and his physical injuries left him about as strong. Then they removed said guard as he began to recover, and some violent bitch attacked him. She nearly amputated half of his ear. Then they failed to properly lock in said bitch for the punishment she claimed she had received. And the guards that the amethyst-eyed lieutenant had ordered back to the infirmary's door had no problem letting his redheaded attacker walk in to see him--with sharp, pointy objects in hand.
What followed justified his stupid childhood fear of haircuts.
Flay's shears looked more than capable of snipping off half an ear or two--or gouging out an eye. When Asuran initially tried to decline her offer to 'fix the damage', she had waved and gestured with them in a manor that defied any sense of personal safety. At the same time, she advanced across the room while she ranted.
Asuran had to admit that Flay knew what she was doing. While she had to climb on the bed and around him, she cut each lock with a sure and steady hand. Except for the section she had hacked with the knife, Flay took off consistent amounts. She gave his bangs only a minimal trim, though. Flay also maneuvered so that her shears stayed out of his hands' limited reach with an ease he had never seen in a mere ship's barber. The casual strength displayed when she used a knee to further restrict an arm, reminded Asuran of what else she could do with those shears.
As her nonstop chatter reminded him that she could attack without warning.
She started talking about Kira's kind heart and somehow segued into his skill in bed. ('Not the greatest, but far, far from bad', which Asuran did not need to hear about his brother. Ever.) Then she moved into her grudge against the Vesalius for sinking her father's ship. After she responded to Asuran's query with 'Of course! I'm not a fool!', she continued talking as if the Vesalius were a person instead of a ship:
"...Really, its not like hesold Vesalius to Blue Cosmos," Flay continued as she combed up another lock of hair to snip, "so why should Vesalius get his death?"
And her rage over the man's death was not grief-fueled.
"Daddy wasn't that important to the efforts against ZAFT--"
"Wait," Asuran interrupted as her previous statement registered. "Blue Cosmos?"
"Uhm-hum. When I was six," Flay combed through his hair. "He made some deal for financial support of his political career and chose not to pay attention to the 'boarding school' he sent me to--Or what favors might be asked later. Next thing I know, I'm dragged off to some godforsaken lab run by lunatics." Flay climbed off the bed and walked to her kit. "I escaped last year." Flay whirled around and smiled as she held a pink-framed mirror in front of her. "So, what do you think?"
Asuran blinked at the question. "Huh?"
"The haircut!" Flay snapped, as she waved the mirror. "Do you like it?"
"Oh." Asuran blushed as he studied his reflection. His navy bangs looked the same as he last remembered--parted near the middle where he had a natural cowlick and falling just above his eyes--but more than an inch had come off the sides. His hair now stopped mid-earlobe, though it tapered to be a little longer behind his ears.
"I had to layer it to compensate for the damage." Flay sounded nervous. "But I gave it my best--"
"It's okay."
"Okay!?"
"Good actually," Asuran added hastily to placate her. "I just need to get used to the change."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CREWMAN ALLSTER IS GIVING HIM A HAIRCUT!?" The black haired lieutenant from the other day stormed into the room. Her amethyst eyes quickly ran over Asuran's form. As soon as she ascertained that Flay had not harmed him, she seized the arm of the girl in question. "How did you get out of your quarters?" she demanded.
"I just wanted to apologize for my rudeness yesterday."
"Assaulting a prisoner is a serious offense!" One of the guards by the still open door exclaimed in surprise at the lieutenant's statement. "Now who let you out?"
Flay looked insulted. "I'm capable of getting through a lock on my own!" she snapped as she pulled her arm free.
The lieutenant glowered as she grabbed Flay's shoulders and spun her around. "Escort her to the brig!" she snapped to one of the guards. "Then report back here." As the door shut behind Flay and the guards, the lieutenant pressed the intercom button on the wall by the door. "Dr. Zeks to the infirmary. NOW!"
While her back was still turned, Asuran noticed that one of the clips Flay had used to separate sections of his hair had fallen on the bed. He moved a hand over it, thoughtfully running a thumb over its metal tip. A second later, he slipped it into his pocket.
Asuran sat cross-legged on a bunk in the ship's brig. He faced down the length of the bed, into the empty cell across the hall. Torii laid on the mattress in front of him. Asuran ran a finger along the still bird's back. "The only piece of Kira I have," he murmured, repeating the words he had blurted when Badgerial demanded he hand the bird over.
The words had caught him by surprise. However as he reflected on them, he realized that as well as a distraction against boredom, the bird had provided comfort as the loss of his brother sank in. It made him regret that he had never built any pets for his ZAFT comrades. But with the possibility of death at any time, he had found the thought of ownerless robots depressing.
It's not like I have anything better to do than decide which robots I should have built.
He could easily picture Nicol with a pair of dragon-cousins from those books he read as child. As the little lizards were singers, he would alter birdsong to sound more reptilian. Once he finished the 'voice', Asuran would give them the ability to learn melody and harmony for the songs Nicol liked. Maybe he could even give them a mode where they could read and synthesize piano music.
The white haired Duel pilot--whose name he still could not remember--proved more of a challenge. Asuran had decided to use the guy's love of exotic cats and build a tiger or leopard cub. But he had gotten stuck on the desire to use the Duel's color scheme and pattern instead of stripes or spots. A move he doubted his comrade-in-arms would appreciate, as his creations tended to be cute--whether he wanted them to or not. While What's-his-name might or might not have a high tolerance for cute things, Asuran reckoned said tolerance would plummet when it came to his mobile suit.
Certainty Asuran did not want his... red suit's features deformed into a plush doll to or morphed fit on some bunny's head.
As Asuran shuddered at the thought, he reflected on one of the memories he had recovered: The white-haired youth had snapped at Asuran over a horseback riding competition, and Asuran had felt exasperation and a desire to get back at the guy. Asuran frowned and bit his lip. He also remembered silently vowing to win a subsequent chess match while pretending that he did not care that the Duel pilot had just achieved checkmate. The resulting explosion had proved satisfying.
Okay, so I'm stuck on the Pet Duel theme because I want to push his buttons. But I want him to keep the pet...
Asuran turned and slumped against the wall as he stared at the ceiling. Perhaps he could go with an adult house cat. They could act quite dignified, which might overwhelm any inherent cuteness enough to appeal to the guy's ego. Asuran smiled. The thing would, of course, act up randomly.
Rusty was crazy about fox terriers, so his pet was a given. Miguel--
Automatic gunfire filled the warehouse dock. Athrun and the rest of the raiding team slowly advanced into the dock with the last two mobile suits. On top of a suit an Earth Forces soldier returned their fire. The bullets cut down the red suited soldier to Athrun's right. "RUSTY!" Athrun cried as he continued firing at the enemy soldier. He hit the woman's shoulder, causing her to drop her weapon--
Asuran stared into empty air with wide eyes. "Rusty... Dead..."
A shadow fell in front of him. Asuran blinked and focused on the source. A sandy-haired crewman with glasses stood holding a meal tray. "Here," he handed the tray through the slot.
Asuran shoved his new memory away as he went to take the meal: canned beans, rehydrated fake potatoes and something that tried to pass itself off meat. "Thanks," he said flatly.
The crewman nodded and pulled the laptop from a pocket. "Zeks asked me to bring you this."
"I thought the Lieutenant confiscated it."
The crewman shrugged. "After it checked out okay, Zeks changed her mind."
Asuran frowned as he studied the crewman in front of him. The enemy soldier looked around his age. His glasses had a light orange tint that made his blue eyes look brown. "Why would your doctor go to so much trouble?" Asuran asked.
"He loves to argue. Especially with Lieutenant Badgerial. And… partly for your brother's sake." The crewman wore an uncertain look. "I think. Look, you don't have to take this. But it's got to be a better way to pass the time than shredding your mattress with your teeth."
Asuran stared at the other teen.
"Trust me, it's happened," he replied dryly. "Granted, Smith was a head case experiencing withdrawal. Nothing we'd have allowed in with him would have kept him sufficiently distracted, but if you'd rather sit and stare…" The crewman turned to leave.
"Wait!" Asuran quickly placed the meal tray on his bunk so he could take the laptop. "If you're trying to keep me distracted, I--" Asuran took deep breath as he nervously tapped the laptop against his leg. "Could I have a few small tools? Nothing that could do anything to the door! It's just that I built Torii--that bird there--and I'd like to check him out, see if anything got jarred loose."
The crewman's eyes narrowed as he looked from Torii to the laptop. "Try the power switch," he replied coldly. "Because even if you get Torii's interface chip to work in the laptop, the brig's shielded against computer signals." The soldier walked out.
Asuran scowled as he sat on the floor between the front of his bunk and the cell's bars. "Like I could do anything if Torii doesn't power on," he muttered as he slumped against the wall. After glaring at the opposite wall a few minutes, he sighed and grabbed his meal tray off the bunk. As he started eating, he frowned. How'd he know I didn't try the switch?
After few minutes, Flay called from the opposite end of the brig. "Oi, Little Brother!"
"What?" Asuran snapped. The girl had been silent since the guards had escorted him past her cell. He preferred the silence over his previous encounters.
"They put you in the far cell to the right, right?"
Asuran tilted his head to the right. "Why?" he asked as he looked down the row of cells. The cells' walls jutted out beyond the doors, so the only cell he could only see into was the one across from him. However, he did see her pink arm waving something blue near the floor at the far end of the hall.
"Just answer before Spencer comes back from his potty break!" Flay hissed.
'Potty break'? Asuran blinked at her phrase. Wait. The guard left!? "Right," he answered curtly. What is up with this ship?
"Good. Then get to the door and catch."
"Catch what?"
"JUST STICK OUT YOUR ARM!"
"Fine!" Asuran hissed. As soon as he did so, Flay slid the blue object along the floor. Asuran barely caught the soft case before it slid past him. He pulled the case in and unzipped it. Inside he found a set of small tools. "How?"
"They didn't check me before locking me up. You can do whatever you want first, but if you don't fix Torii in the end, I'll hurt you. Got it?"
"Got it," Asuran replied as he slipped the tools under his pillow. It's hard to believe a ship that's been so hard to sink could have so many internal security issues, he thought. Better watch my back.
"Good." Flay responded. Asuran resumed his meal. After a few minutes, Flay spoke again. "Little Brother?"
Asuran sighed. "Yeah?"
"Would you like to see some of Kira's computer files? I can get someone to bring them." Asuran frowned down the hall. "I'm not asking for anything, just--It might help with any questions you have."
"Sure." Asuran's eyes narrowed as he stared toward her voice. Oh yeah, someone's laying a trap. If I'm careful, I may be able to use this to my advantage, though. He scooped up a bite of potatoes--
"SHUT UP YOU COWARD!" the voice roared through the Aegis' cockpit--
Asuran frowned. Another memory of the silver-haired pilot and still he could not drag even a hint of the guy's name from his brain. Since the guy was an ass in so many memories, it was tempting to say White-hair did it deliberately--
Kira stood on the other side of the fence, Torii cupped in his hands. Yet they stood kilometers apart. Athrun wanted to ask why Kira was doing this, beg him to stop...
Leap the fence and break his hands so that he could not pilot the Strike.
Behind him, his teammates climbed into an automated cab. "COME ON!" Duel's pilot yelled--
"Screw it!" Asuran growled, dropping his fork onto his tray. Pet Duel's going to be a dainty, mewling--no 'dewling'--annoying little kitten with cutesy little wings…
"It will have to be reported as well," Lieutenant Badgerial stated. The black haired woman stood in front of the captain's desk.
Captain Murrue Ramius sighed as she stared at the surface of the desk. She could feel a headache coming on. "I know. I've all ready put official reprimands in Bean and Meyer's files." First thing she did after she woke up from her off shift was check the ship's logs. As they had less than twenty-four hours before they docked at the JOSH-A base, she had expected relatively mundane reports. Instead, the security log had anotherincident. One which clearly indicated that at least two crewmen had failed to check the log as regularly as they should.
And, of course, her second-in-command had to have her say as soon she got the chance.
"We should not have left him in sickbay after the knife attack--Should have moved him before the attack."
"I know, Natarle."
"I'm not unsympathetic to the doctor's position, but amnesia and Foreign Accent Syndrome aren't life-threatening."
"No, just symptomatic of brain injury, which sometimes is," Murrue replied dryly. She held up a hand before the younger woman could speak. "I agree that he's obviously out of danger, though I believe Zeks is more concerned with giving a prognosis than afraid the boy will keel over in his cell."
"Keeping Zala in the infirmary won't suddenly give the doctor a working scanner," Natarle countered. "And whether or not the damage is permanent, he clearly remembers something of this war and his training. That makes him a security threat, and he should be treated as such, not coddled like a civilian refugee--no matter how bad we feel about his brother."
"Is that what you think I'm doing?" Murrue asked sharply. "Risking our safety to sublimate feelings of guilt?"
"We did lay into Ensign Yamato when he brought his brother onboard," Badgerial responded. "Then he went MIA before the prisoner was out of danger. While I stand by what I said--withholding his connection to the Aegis' pilot was foolhardy at best--Yamato still did a lot for us. It's natural for us... to regret how things ended."
"Us?" Murrue asked. As she remembered it, her second in command had come down on Kira the hardest.
"All of us," Natarle replied. "And it's making us go easy on the Zala kid. We're clearly unprepared for dealing with prisoners in the first place, but Yamato's brother is something we never conceived of."
"I know," Murrue replied. "But such things aren't unheard of in a civil war."
Natarle's face darkened. "Perhaps, but Yamato was a citizen of a neutral party." The tough lieutenant bit her lip. "It's no secret he only enlisted to protect his friends who did--especially Ms. Allster. But the way he reacted to Zala was rather protective as well. As cold as it sounds, he may be better off MIA. There are individuals at Alaska that will likely suspect him of espionage."
"Is that your take on things?" Murrue asked. To her surprise, Natarle shook her head. The woman disagreed with her on nearly everything.
The normally composed lieutenant sighed as she finally sat in the chair across from Murrue. "I think it's as he said: he never expected it to end the way it did. If we had made our intended descent to Alaska, the odds were they'd have been assigned to different fronts."
"I agree," Murrue said, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin on her hands. "However, I got the same impression for the subsequent battles with the Aegis. I think he just didn't want to believe he might kill Zala."
"I suppose that's human nature," Natarle replied. "However, it looks bad. And it's not the only problem this revealed."
Murrue frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The Heliopolis volunteers were thrown straight into battle out of necessity. They, especially Kira's circle of friends, have learned their regular duties so well it's easy to forget they've never had the benefit of formal training. But there are basic rules and regulations that they're unaware of--Crewman Argyle was caught off guard when I asked him to pack up Koenig and Yamato's effects, for example. Yet because they have been competent at their posts, the rest of the crew seem to think they're qualified for everything. Aside from their laxness in keeping up with the log entries relevant to their duties, Bean and Meyer should have realized that Ms. Allster was not trained in safely giving prisoners haircuts--which they should not have allowed unattended, anyway. Also, when I went by the brig to check on things, I discovered that Spencer had left Crewman Argyle in his post so he could take an unscheduled break."
"Oh, great," Murrue groaned. "What did Argyle do?"
"Actually, he seems to have a better head for monitoring prisoners than some of our security staff," Natarle replied dryly. "He sounded almost experienced. But the fact remains that that group's only half-trained. It's one thing when they're just temporary volunteers until we offload refugees, but they're soldiers now and we have no idea what they really know. Once they officially enlisted and we failed to make Alaska, they should have received tutoring and testing in basic procedures, hand-to-hand, and firearms use and maintenance. This will need to be reported as well."
I don't remember this occurring to you at the time, either, Murrue thought furiously. "Very well," she said. "Go ahead and add it to your report." As if you wouldn't anyway.
Natarle blinked and pulled back in her chair. "Captain, please understand, I'm not doing this for personal reasons. But it's important to maintain order. And while some allowances can be made for emergency situations, regulations must be restored as soon as possible."
"I'm well aware of that," Murrue replied. "However, in the field, commanders are always allowed some leeway. And while hindsight shows room for improvement, I stand by what I've done. Now it's up to Alaska to decide if they will as well."
Natarle frowned and looked down. "Captain..."
Murrue sighed. "I'm well aware of how things may turn out. And that I'm not the most suited for this position. However, I've no doubt you'll make an excellent captain someday."
Natarle Badgerial sighed as the door closed behind her. Once again, the captain was too damn lenient, even with her. It's not like the captain never made some good decisions, she grumbled. Even some Natarle had disagreed with at the time proved sound. But the woman seemed acted as if Natarle had a vendetta. Did she not understand the value of a Devil's Advocate in making proper command decisions? And then there was her low opinion of some basic regulations...
Natarle turned and walked briskly to her quarters. As it was, she had recorded the major issues, and final judgment rested with those more experienced than her.
Patrick Zala smiled with satisfaction as he skimmed through the report Amalfi handed him. "The new suits are coming along nicely," he commented as he looked up from readout of the XGMF-X11B Virtue. Next to the monitor sat a framed photo of Lenore and their son, taken shortly after they brought Athrun to the PLANTs. To the upper left corner, Patrick had taped Athrun's Shooting Star, a medal that ZAFT awarded him posthumously.
"Yes," Amalfi agreed. "I noticed you assigned a pilot to the Freedom."
"Yes, just this afternoon." Patrick smiled. "Did you want to be the one to give Nicol the good news?" A grimace flashed across Amalfi's face. "Is there a problem?"
Amalfi sighed. "No. He's more than qualified. I just have mixed feelings about Nicol fighting, especially after nearly losing him."
Patrick slammed a fist onto his desk, toppling his photo of Lenore and Athrun. It fell onto its back. "HAD HE DIED, HE WOULD HAVE DIED A HERO!" Patrick spat. "WE CAN'T ASK THE PEOPLE TO RISK THEIR SONS WHILE SHIELDING OUR OWN!"
"I WASN'T SUGGESTING I WOULD!" Amalfi snapped back. "I WAS NEVER MORE PROUD OF MY SON THAN WHEN VOLUNTEERED TO DEFEND THE PLANTS! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE TO LIKE THE THOUGHT OF HIM DYING!"
Patrick froze with fury as he stared up at Amalfi. "Get. Out."
Amalfi blinked. His eyes flickered to Athrun's medal. "I didn't mean--"
Patrick slumped back into his chair. He suddenly felt old and exhausted. "Just leave," he said quietly. "I know," Patrick added as Amalfi looked ready to say something. He righted the picture and ran his fingers over Athrun's face. "I know. I just wish I'd... We'll finish this up this afternoon," he said brusquely as pulled up an economic report.
Amalfi stood and studied him for a moment. Patrick thought would push the issue, but he just nodded. "Very well." He turned and left.
Patrick sighed and rubbed his forehead. Things should not have ended like this. Athrun was part of Hibiki's project; nothing should have touched him. "It's that damned Kira," Patrick growled under his breath. No matter he how tried, Patrick could not get Athrun to release his past. At least Amalfi's boy avenged him.
Yet it was not enough. Other husbands and fathers--like Amalfi, how he envied the man for the brat's survival--risked his pain. He had to create a safe world for the PLANTs. Patrick brushed his hand over Athrun's face again. "I'm sorry I wasn't in time for you," he whispered, "but I swear I'll get them all."
And he would. It was all he had left.
Asuran lay sprawled on his stomach, the open laptop before him. In the few hours after they picked up his supper tray, he had dissected Torii and carefully removed its memory. With luck, the bird had recorded something that would prove useful should an escape opportunity arise. Torii's programming allowed for it to automatically overwrite events and conversations related to imputed key words, symbols, or locations--A provision Asuran added after the head of Pele House decided to 'call the bird as a witness'--however, depending on the thoroughness of Kira's update, little pieces could slip through.
The fact that the Earth Forces allowed the robot to flit freely suggested that someone with authority had double-checked the parameters, though.
The laptop finished booting up. Asuran smiled as he saw Torii's memory registering as a new drive...
And wanted to kick himself a moment later when he looked at the memory filter and realized the bird wasn't programmed to block anything related to the Earth Forces. The details had some fuzzy edges, but Asuran knew that he had let a chance to take bird slip away. Well, he tried to console himself, at least I'll find something.
Asuran skimmed through and randomly opened a file. Torii peered down at a lunch tray. The bird sat on someone's shoulder, probably Kira's.
"Hey, Kira," a male voice spilled from the laptop. A teen with short brown hair approached Kira's table. The boy held a meal tray and wore a version of the OMNI Enforcer uniform similar to Flay's. However, his miniskirt and leggings were baby blue. His unbuttoned pink blouse revealed a slate gray tank top underneath. As the Earth Forces were supposedly stricter on military proprietary than ZAFT, the outfit left Asuran flabbergasted.
"Hey, Rick," Kira replied absently as he looked up. "Why're you wearing that?" he asked as Rick set his tray down in front of him.
A wide grin spread across Rick's face. "To piss off Badgerial, of course!" he replied as he crushed some crackers and stirred their remains into his stew. "Wearing the 'wrong'," Rick made quotation marks with his fingers, "uniform always got those bastards in charge of SOCIUS."
"And Professor Kato," Kira added dryly. "But why an OMNI uniform?"
"First off," Rick replied after his first bite of stew. "A little black dress in the classroom--while entertaining--is nothing compared to the ire of those who hold their uniform sacred. And second, why are you wearing one?"
"They said to wear it if I'm going to pilot the Strike." The tone of Kira's voice made Asuran wish he could see his brother's face. Unfortunately, Torii had turned to look at the table to the right.
...Sideways.
He heard Rick snort. "They'd let you drive it in a Speedo, so long as you do it. Still, it's a good way to know who's helping out. But since we're civilians, they can't dictate how we wear the uniform."
Asuran sat up at that. Civilians? he wondered. Wh--
"Why are you with the Earth Forces?" Athrun demanded.
"I'm not!" came the reply. "But on that ship are people I have to protect!" The Strike--
The sight of a child running down the right side of the laptop's monitor drew Asuran out of his memory.
"...The bridge, Kim and I are helping out with maintenance, and Flay's determined to annoy her way into one of the torpedo crews. Hopefully, we'll reach Artemis without trouble. But if not... We may not be able to go out there with you, but we're not letting you do this alone."
"Yeah," a new voice piped up. A teenage boy and girl in properly worn OMNI uniforms joined them. "But don't you think the ZAFT uniforms are way cooler?" the boy continued as he set his tray down and reached out to tap Torii's head.
Asuran's jaw dropped at the face that filled the monitor. Like Rick, he had brown hair and green eyes, but completely different facial features. Features that Asuran knew well. "Tolle!?"
"I mean, even if we had rank badges, these'd still be kind of lame..."
Next: Nicol visits Lacus, Athrun strikes a bargain, and Patrick announces Spit Break.