Dynamic

Whistling contently to himself, Lockon floated through the empty hallways of Ptolemy. Gazing out the occasional window, he stared listlessly at the same view he'd been graced with for the past two months; space, an oppressing darkness that sometimes even managed to swallow the radiance of its stars. The thought was quickly shoved away into a deep corner of Neil's mind as Lockon caught sight of a hostile Tieria in the distance.

"Morning partner. You're looking just as chipper as ever." He greeted the other jokingly, earning him a look that could kill. One learned to build an immunity to such things when frequenting encounters with Tieria Erde. The older man just chuckled and continued trailing behind his cold counterpart.

"Well, I suppose you could argue that 'morning' is a relative term out in space." Silence.

"I always find things like that pretty funny." Another moment of quiet. Neil sighed inwardly.

"So Tieria, about the simulation training today-" He was caught off guard as the silent boy sharply turned towards him, gaze intense.

"Lockon Stratos. Last time, your hit-point averaged at 78%. A 2% drop from previous records. Continue these backsliding results, and I'll refuse to acknowledge you as worthy of piloting a Gundam." As Tieria turned and disappeared into the hangar, Lockon sighed audibly this time. That kid will say nothing to me unless it concerns the Gundams and my performance. Neil thought sullenly. But he is right. My scores have started dropping. And that is unacceptable. Lockon then entered the hangar, only to be attacked by a floating orange orb.

"Lockon, Lockon!" The man smiled, holding the small robot in front of him.

"Well hello little partner. Ready to get started?" He asked, walking towards his already open cockpit.

"Simulations ready, simulations ready!" He lowered himself into place, Haro adjusting himself into his mini-dock.

"In that case, let's begin." The screen lit up, displaying a battlefield in some new desert landscape. His smile slowly faded as he pulled his sniping control into a comfortable position. Tieria's words from earlier echoed in Lockon's mind. He was distressed by the fall in performance, but Neil was concerned with the spiritual implications. He was losing some of his resolve. Nothing was wrong with Lockon; a lot was wrong with Neil. And there were reasons for that, from his sudden shift in environment (adjusting to space wasn't easy), to the constant silent pressure he felt from practically everyone onboard. And then there was Tieria. It was annoying to admit, but the boy's constant snide remarks and criticisms were starting to hit Neil hard. He was only human after all, he messed up. But in Celestial Being, mistakes weren't allowed. In Lockon Stratos, one didn't miss the target. And then he realized his problem. He was Neil, when he needed to be Lockon...was shooting as the broken man with a grudge, rather than the ideal Meister that can shoot beyond the stratosphere.

But, in order to truly become Lockon Stratos...what would happen to Neil Dylandy? That was it. That was the question, the realization, that had been haunting the man's mind since he first received his codename. Always there, but never clear, never manifested until now. And he was afraid. Afraid of what could, what would, become of him should he have to answer. What was the answer he would give? He forced the fears away.

Neil had given up too much to turn back now. He'd come too far to start faltering now. A reconciliation was in order, and it was now or never. Neil breathed steadily, watching his enemy's every move through the crosshairs of his scope. And he made his choice.

"Dynames, Lockon Stratos. Targeted and firing."

After simulations, Tieria sat in his dark cockpit for a few moments. He knew full well that that man would be there waiting, itching to start some meaningless banter to which he would never indulge. Regardless, the man known as Lockon Stratos unfailingly sought him out daily, under the premise of building 'team spirit'. Tieria actually scoffed in his small sanctuary at the thought.

Lockon Stratos had the uncanny ability to get under Tieria's skin like no other. When they'd first met, he associated the overtly aggravating feeling to both him and the Earth. However, even here in space, that man was simply overwhelming. His aggravation had little to do with Earth, and plenty to do with Lockon Stratos. Speaking of the devil, Lockon could be heard right outside his steel refuge, knocking lightly, asking if everything was okay. Groaning a little, he bit back the urge to scream at the older man once out of the cockpit. No, screaming would just bring him to the same level as the other. Instead, he exited gracefully, throwing a small 'I'm fine' behind to try and satiate the chatty man. But of course, that didn't stop Lockon from pursuing him, talking the entire time.

"Hey it's not a crime to be worried y'know..." He droned on.

"Oh yeah, I was just thinking about some new idea about..." Did he ever run out of things to say?

"Oy Tieria, you listening? I feel like..." Of course he wasn't listening. Did this man ever take a hint?

Suddenly, he felt a pressure on his forearm and was surprised to look down and see that Lockon had taken hold of it. Yanking his limb out of the man's (rather strong) grip, Tieria spun around and dealt him the strongest glare he had yet to muster. At least that's what he'd intended to do. But when he turned, Lockon wore an expression so stern and unlike him that Tieria had to stop himself from gasping in surprise.

It wasn't like he'd never seen the other man serious before. There'd been many times he'd caught glimpses of Lockon looking out windows, looking pensive and rather serene. But, this wasn't one of those looks. It wasn't pensive. Wasn't worried. Wasn't even angry. He didn't know what to label it as; all he knew was he couldn't stay in the range of those bright green eyes (had they always been so bright?). Recovering quickly, he looked away and stated firmly, "Lockon Stratos, refrain from laying your hands on me under any circumstance." And without looking back, Tieria fled. He would never admit that in that small moment, he was afraid. Afraid of what he'd see if he looked at that man's face again. Afraid that he'd find the words to describe his expression.

"Lockon Stratos...what are you..."

Change was one of the more beautiful parts about humanity. No matter how low one got, how lost, how ugly, hope was never exactly completely gone. With enough strength of will, anyone could change, could adapt to their surroundings. Change to avoid pain. Change to embrace it. Change was a double-edged sword. Once one changed, they didn't have to stop. Transformations continued for the entirety of life. As long as there was humanity, there would be advancements, revolutions, innovations. Nothing ever stayed the same. There were no constants. That was the dynamic nature of mankind. And it was beautiful.

It had taken him a few weeks, but finally, he'd gotten a grip. He knew when to be Lockon and when to be Neil. During training, simulations, and combat, he was Lockon Stratos. Right before a battle and right after, alone in his cockpit, lost in thought, he was Neil Dylandy. Lockon liked to joke with Sumeragi and relax with a carefree nature. Neil preferred to stare out windows when no one was around and get lost in space. Lockon had a partner named Haro, a pink haired follower, and a Gundam suitably named Dynames. Neil was alone and wanted to stay that way.

Lockon Stratos belonged to Celestial Being.

Neil Dylandy belonged to his past.

And everything was right.

The world was in a constant state of evolution. Institutions were built to be broken down. Minds set to be changed. Visions created to be distorted and destroyed. It was pitiful. Humanity would come within arms reach of perfection one day, and then revert to barbaric ways the next. Too much diversity. Too many opinions. Too much complexity. Consistency was perfection. Consensus was consistency. Perfection was consensus. Yet humans differed, fluctuated, ran in circles. History being copy and pasted for generations to come. There were no constants. That was the dynamic nature of mankind. And it was repulsive.

Tieria noticed Lockon's change in behavior since day one. After his unsettling encounter that one day, he'd begun to act differently. And he was positive that he was the only one to notice. Yes, Lockon would still pester him nearly everyday, but it was more restrained. Almost unsure. Of course, he had no basis for this assumption, and the explanation of intuition being at work was ridiculous to Tieria. Also, there was the noticeable improvements in statistics.

Since that day forward, Lockon's accuracy rating increased steadily and was already breaking into the upper 80s. This was nothing to complain about of course. And he wasn't. Tieria was rather satisfied with the results. But still...it was strange. Outwardly, nothing had really changed, but there was something very different about Lockon.

"This is ridiculous..." He muttered to himself one day, stopping in the middle of some hallway he'd been wandering down. Why was he thinking about this so much? What was wrong with him? Lockon Stratos' behavior shouldn't, didn't concern him, and that was that.

"What's ridiculous?" Tieria tensed at the sudden presence behind him. Damn, he'd been so lost in thought that he'd even failed to notice the obnoxious man approach. Then Tieria did something that surprised even him. He turned around to face the other, greeted by a confused yet amused smile.

"Lockon Stratos" he began, noting a slight shift in the other's eyes, "you've changed." He stated this after some thought. It wasn't a question. He didn't mean it as such. He simply asserted what he'd observed. Why he felt compelled to do so was beyond him, but it was done, and there was no turning back now. He watched the other as Lockon's eyes widened slightly before he broke into a chuckle.

"Well whaddya know. Tieria does pay attention to me!" He smiled gently, Tieria now somewhat perplexed. So he didn't deny it? Did...did he want him to deny it? Why would he want that? Lockon seemed to have noticed his confusion and chose his next words carefully.

"Yes, I have changed. Tieria...", he made sure to grab the younger man's attention before continuing, "people are always changing. It's how we grow stronger, how we manage to survive."

The younger man could feel his eyes widen a bit in response, and cursed himself mentally for being so taken aback. For some reason, those words struck a chord in Tieria, prompting him to look away before rebutting.

"Change is for the weak." Lockon furrowed his brow at this.

"I have to disagree. Change is one's greatest strength." He replied gently. Tieria narrowed his eyes.

"To want change is to acknowledge weakness, when weakness should never be present." This shocked Lockon slightly. He'd known Tieria to be a cold person, but to say something like that...

"Tieria, to acknowledge weakness is the first step to true strength. One can't exist without the other. That's the balancing act of life. Perfection...isn't possible. Perfection isn't human." He stated firmly. The way Lockon emphasized that last word (or so he thought) made Tieria look up in shock before turning sharply and gliding away.

Lockon didn't follow him.

Neil turned the other direction.

Sumeragi stretched lazily in her bed, empty beer can floating above her head. It'd been about four months since Lockon became their newest Gundam Meister. Things were a lot less tense nowadays, namely due to the soothing effect the young man brought on board. She wasn't sure exactly how, but Lockon managed to bring a little bit of Earth with him wherever he went. There was something about his movements that reminded them of seasons, something in his voice reminiscent of atmosphere. It was a strange, but very welcome sensation to everyone.

And then there was the way he handled Tieria. It was...amusing to say the least. Everyone usually tried their best to stay out of the violet boy's way, preferring as little contact as possible. Any normal person would've done the same. But Lockon wasn't everyone else. Oh no, he sought out Tieria on a daily basis, to talk to him, on purpose. The crew expected his persistence to die eventually, as all of theirs' had; hell, some of them had even placed bets to see how long it would hold out. But a month passed. Then another. Then two more. Not once did Lockon miss a single day talking to Tieria. It was rather impressive. Admirable. More so because it seemed to be working.

Well, it's not like Tieria was suddenly talking to everyone, cracking jokes, smiling...that would just be ludicrous. But, there seemed to be something a little different about the young boy. He'd become a lot less snarky lately. She guessed many of his snide remarks were swallowed away by his increasingly pensive state. It was obvious to her at least that this thoughtfulness was brought about by Lockon's presence. Something about that man had thrown a wedge in Tieria's clockworkings. She guessed it was that same something that put the others at ease. The way Lockon radiated Earth.

Sumeragi was snapped out of her reverie as an alert beeped from her handheld. Sitting up, she opened the screen to see Feldt's patient face.

"Miss Sumeragi, I think you should come to the bridge. I've just received a message from Wang Liu Mei." Sumeragi was startled.

"I'll be right there." She said hurriedly and quickly launched herself out of bed and down the hall. Wang Liu Mei? That could really only mean one thing...

"I'm here." She announced, floating into the control room. Not surprisingly, Feldt and Lasse were the only two there. They had the late night shift, Christina and Lichty already long gone.

"I'll play the message then." Feldt greeted, and opened up the video on the main monitor. Wang Liu Mei's pretty face smiled at them.

"Hello everyone, it's been a while. I'm here to inform you on the status of your next Gundam Meister. As we speak, he is enroute from Lagrange 1 to your current location. Be expecting him within the next few days." This caught Sumeragi a little off guard. So, this one had already been in space?

"Also, I understand that you are all reaching your limit there in space. Once you've claimed your new comrade and gotten settled, I'll be glad to make arrangements for a surface repose. I await to hear from you. Until then." The transmission ended and Sumeragi breathed a small sigh. A new Gundam Meister and a trip to Earth? That's something that could lift anyone's mood. She smiled playfully.

"Well, it seems like things are gonna get pretty busy around here again." Lasse chuckled. Feldt smiled slightly.

"You got that right."

A/N: Yaaay another chapter! I really enjoyed writing this one (do I say that about every chapter? yeah probably). But anyways, I seriously love writing for Lockon and Tieria, their views and styles are so different in my opinion, and I love every minute of it. And before anyone comes to conclusion, no, there aren't going to be any pairings in this fic because it's meant to be as realistic as possible. I don't care how hardcore of a TieriaxLockon shipper you are, it's not gonna happen. Anyways, yep, that's all I've gotta say for now. Next chapter will be up in a few days...and I hope to keep it consistent after that (since I don't actually have the last few written out or planned or ugh OTL). Okay, BYE~!

Oh wait, big shout out to StormyMonday and Naishu, for all their awesome reviews of my story! Thanks guys, making me feel all loved and stuff *sniffle*.