Here's the fourth chapter! Hopefully, dear reader, you'll find it satisfactory. Keeping Setsuna in-character is one of the biggest challenges ever, I swear.
Truth
Feldt found out that being shot in the arm really hurt.
She and Marie often holed up in their dorm rooms, watching movies. Marie was soft-spoken, sure, but she practically glowed in delight every time she watched a decent action film.
Feldt remembered how the actors would dive out of the way like acrobats to dodge bullets. Even if they were shot, they would continue running, swearing, and retaliating. It had seemed simple and painless enough.
But this wasn't a movie. This was reality, and Feldt was living it.
Well, hurt was an understatement. The pain was so intense that tears were threatening to spring from the corners of her eyes. No, she wouldn't cry – she vowed not to, especially not in front of Setsuna.
He was still supporting the most of her weight as they hurried on forward. Feldt realized that exhaustion was taking over. Would she faint and end up embarrassing herself? Dizziness overwhelmed her, and all sorts of irrelevant thoughts rushed into her mind. Would she ever be able to stop the taunting from others, the malicious looks they shot at her way? Jeering, jeering…at her pink hair, the hobbies she had, everything she did...
She giggled. Setsuna towed her along even harder, and Feldt finally felt her knees give way.
"Stop laughing. You'll asphyxiate."
Hearing him say that in all seriousness just made Feldt's inappropriately-timed giggles continue. She paused, gasping for breath. "It's just a shot to the hand, Setsuna. This shouldn't be a big deal, but I guess me being a first-timer and all…"
He didn't bother replying her. They had reached a medical room of some sort, and it was white, with a sterile smell to go along with it. Setsuna set her down on the bed and moved around quickly, shifting medical tools with efficiency.
Something cold touched the wound and Feldt jumped. It was medical alcohol. Setsuna was cleaning up the wound.
"Is it...bad?"
"Regular gunshot wound," Setsuna said brusquely. "The bullet inside has to be removed."
He put on a pair of medical gloves and reached for a pair of tweezers. Feldt bit her lip as she felt the tweezers move through layers of damaged skin and muscle before retreating along with a shiny blood-stained bullet.
"You...you seem very familiar with this."
"Quite. I've been through some rough times, and have learnt a lot since then."
That was probably the first complete sentence she had heard from Setsuna and she wondered what that meant.
"Ouch."
Setsuna was now stitching her wound meticulously. He paused at her complaint. "You need it," he said, continuing without any other reassurance.
Feldt bit down hard on her lip as the final stitches were made. Without wasting a moment, Setsuna wrapped the wound carefully with bandages, his fingers light and movements precise. She shivered a little as those fingers danced across her arm in deft, swift motions – calm, patient and controlled.
She was still alive, at the very least.
"So…what exactly is going on? Where is this place?" Feldt, in all curiosity, stood up to inspect the room.
Setsuna laid a hand on her shoulder. "You shouldn't be moving."
She looked up into his dark eyes, remembering that he had saved her life. How could thanking him slip through her mind? "I…okay. Setsuna, thank you for..."
He waved off her thanks and extended a hand.
"Wait, Setsuna, you just told me that I shouldn't be moving."
"I will watch over you," was his simple reply. She blinked, surprised at the intensity in his voice, the determination in it. Feldt hesitated. Finally, she took his hand, and they moved forward at a slow, steady pace.
Feldt decided to try again. "What is this place for?"
This time, he told her.
"All my work is done here. Few know about it."
That explained it. No wonder Setsuna's room was abnormally tidy – he had another place that belonged to him. Feldt gasped as they entered a long hallway that resembled the university's hangar. Multi-colored mobile suit components were scattered everywhere, and a few fully-built ones stood magnificently, glinting under the glare of lights.
It was a fully functional lab. Feldt had no idea how Setsuna had managed to conceal this secret for such a long time. She didn't even know how he managed to get this place up and running in the first place.
She gestured to the mobile suits. "Did you…make all these?"
"Yes."
A particular suit stood out with its flamboyant colors, one that looked further equipped than the others. Feldt ran her fingers over the smooth metal, murmuring as she did.
"Beam sabers, recoil-less cannon blasters, excellent for long ranged combat…rocket launchers…" She looked up in awe. "Setsuna, how…? I mean, it's impossible to fit this many weapons on a regular mobile suit. There's just no way. Even a high-powered power source wouldn't be able to support this, not to mention the amount of coding needed to invent a proper operating system for it…"
Setsuna waited patiently, knowing that Feldt Grace would come to an understanding soon. And of course, she did.
"Wait a second…a new power source. That was what they've been praising you on about, and that was the reason why you all were so interested in what I was working on. I told you all that I was looking for a new power source, and you actually found one…which was able to operate this suit you invented." The gears in Feldt's mind spun frantically as she rattled on. "There's people out to kill me, that much is obvious…but...why? Was it because of my work? Assassins sent by people against Billy Katagiri and Graham Aker? Someone that wanted to stop me from developing advanced Flag machines? Someone that has a personal grudge against me?"
She realized she was babbling and quickly shut up, pink spreading across her cheeks.
"You're wrong on the last few parts."
"I am? So…you're saying that these assassins are sent by people that work with Billy Katagiri and Graham Aker?" She paused. "Wait, so it isn't someone who just hates my pink hair?"
Nod.
Her verdant eyes went wide and round. "Eh? But I'm on their side!"
"Not anymore. You are now seen as a threat."
Feldt was becoming impatient. None of these was making any sense. The stitches on her arm were stinging, and all the exhaustion of the past hour was creeping up on her. "Come on, Setsuna! Please, you have to start telling me what's going on. I'm never going to figure things out if you continue giving me cryptic messages!"
Setsuna stared at her, his expression unfathomable.
Feldt sighed.
"I could have died out there, but here I am. Can't you at least tell me a little?"
Instead of answering her, Setsuna popped open the hatch of the well-equipped mobile suit and motioned for Feldt to follow him inside. She had no idea what he was up to now, but followed him nevertheless. The cockpit was tiny, but large enough for two people to be in. She sat down and observed in silence as Setsuna powered up the engine, hearing the familiar bleeps of machinery and watching colorful control lights glowing.
"What's this new power source you discovered?"
"GN particles," Setsuna answered. "Disrupts enemy radar, provides barriers, used in propulsion and also for weight reduction. The beam saber itself consists of GN particles, and it cuts through even the most durable battleships and mobile armor. I haven't finished exploring what else it can do. The possibilities are endless."
Feldt mouthed that word silently, contemplating what he had just said.
"Many have been intending to use us for twisted purposes," Setsuna said quietly. "I realized something was amiss when they refused to let me go public with my discovery of a new power source. When they contacted you to build a Flag Machine, I knew they intended your work to be used alongside with mine. They wanted to build a perfect Flag Machine with the succesful sequence coding you wrote, powered by the GN particles I discovered. They did not want us to meet and correspond. Now that we have, they have decided to eliminate you."
Feldt stared, dumbfounded by this new information. "That's stupid. We're in the same university, and we even share the same classes! Of course we would meet!"
"Feldt Grace. Understand that your elimination wasn't in their original plan. They have just realized that I know what their true intentions are, and they know that I would do anything to stop them. To stop their plans, I would have to stop you, and to stop you, you would have to know the truth. They decided that it would put them at too much of a risk once you knew. They cannot kill me yet as I have not served their purpose, but they can kill you. A replacement to continue the coding you have started wouldn't be hard to find. I built this GN particle powered mobile suit, and they would do anything to get their hands on it."
Feldt gaped, firstly because of this so-called "truth", and secondly due to the full sentences he had used. It was a lot to take in, and she didn't know what to make do with it.
"What if you're lying? What if...what if you're the one who wants me dead instead? You could be the one s-setting this up…"
His gaze was hard. "It is your choice to believe or not to believe, but know that I will kill you if you stand in my way."
Feldt could sense the truth behind his words. Being shot by Setsuna, she decided, wouldn't be comfortable at all – though she knew that many females would gladly allow him to do so if they could have a chance to have a close-up glimpse of his face before they died.
It looked like she had to change the topic. She didn't want to die, not when she was just saved.
"What do they intend to do with this…super…Flag Machine?"
Setsuna stared at her as if the answer wasn't obvious enough.
"Domination."
Domination.
The word rang in Feldt's head repeatedly. She knew that humans often fought wars to attain power in the past, so why should she be surprised now?
It had just been too sudden. Up until now, Feldt's life was considerably…boring. Her life was a constant routine. Classes, library duties, hanging out with Marie, meeting an official or two, getting requests from important figures, completing those tasks…and that was it. Meeting Setsuna had signified a huge turning point in her life, and she didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse. Strangely, she felt no fear – only a strong resilience. Feldt wouldn't let them get to her so easily, and Setsuna…what was he going to do?
As if reading her mind, Setsuna spoke up. "Feldt Grace. You are not to be alone at all times. You shall be escorted to classes and any extra-curricular obligations you have, and you will reside here instead of your dorm room from now onwards. You shall not speak about this to anyone else. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes."
"Rest here. Your belongings can be moved later."
"Setsuna…uh…may I ask you a question?"
He waited.
"Why…why are you doing so much for me? It would have been much easier if I was killed off by those assassins in the b-beginning…"
"Feldt Grace. There is nothing wrong with your pink hair."
Feldt gaped as she watched Setsuna walk away, feeling unusually shy even in a crisis like this. She patted her pink hair dolefully, knowing that it was in a ragged mess right now.
Life from now onwards was never going to be the same.
If you're confused about this "pink hair" sentence from Setsuna, then you'll have to look up at the part where Feldt says, "Wait, so it isn't someone who just hates my pink hair?"
:) Please, read and review. I hope Setsuna didn't seem OOC or anything. He had to speak in full sentences, otherwise no one would ever be able to understand! :D
-Anne