Next up, it's time for more Gundam X plot, and the introduction of a certain duo of brothers. Plus, we learn a little more about what happened during the war that laid waste to humanity...
Chapter 5 - Enter the Frost Brothers! Masakados' Power Awakens!
"You want to travel together?" Cotset exclaimed when he heard Jamil's proposal after being presented with crude, but working radios for the bridge and the Walker Machines.
"Why shouldn't we? Both of our ships are rather under-manned as it is," the shades-sporting captain replied; "Together, we'll stand a greater chance of dealing with anyone who may attack us. Besides, didn't you say you wanted to see more culture, Captain Cargo?"
"You got that right!" Elche said eagerly, hopping up and down excitedly. "Besides, I'm tired of this confounded desert! A change o' scenery would be just the ticket, I'd say!"
"But your father's business..." Cotset protested, only to get a glare from Elche, which cowed him into silence once more.
"It seems we're in agreement then," Jamil said with a nod. "Make your forces ready to depart. Though if any of them want to stay on the Freeden for a little while, they're perfectly welcome."
As it turned out, two of the Iron Gear's crew did decide to hang out on the Freeden - Simon and Yoko. The two wandered about the landship, marveling at how even more advanced it was than the Iron Gear. But as they passed a particular door, Yoko's breasts began to inexplicably jiggle.
"Huh?"
After a moment, Boota poked his head out - he had found the young woman's bosom to make a delightful napping spot. But something had caught his attention - and that something was coming from behind the door.
Simon gently turned the door latch and opened the door, just poking his head in. The room was dark, save for a desk, chair, a few beds, and a small table with a thin vase full of flowers. There was someone sitting at the desk reading a book - a blond man with turquoise eyes, glasses and a doctor's coat.
"Oh - visitors from the Iron Gear," the doctor said, speaking in hushed tones. "I would ask you to keep your voices down...Tiffa and our new guest are sleeping in here. I'm Dr. Farzenberg, the Freeden's doctor." Indeed, Tiffa and Cheiron were each in a bed – the latter's hair was no longer bound in a bun, and instead flowed freely – it was actually quite long, and glimmered a little, even in the dim light. Simon and Yoko quietly approached the younger of the two unconscious girls.
"Heh - y'know, Tiffa here is kinda cute..." the young digger said as he blushed a bit. Suddenly, Boota jumped out of Yoko's cleavage and started walking around on the bed and on Tiffa, as if trying to find a way underneath her sheets.
"Boota, what are you doing?" Simon exclaimed, still trying to keep his voice down. "You wanna wake her up?!"
As the pigmole continued crawling all over Tiffa, the girl began to smile, and even giggle a little. Yet her eyes remained closed.
"Aw, she's ticklish!" Yoko commented. Eventually, Boota found a suitable entrance and poked his head in. But he was only under there for a second before popping back out.
"Well," the doctor said; "I suppose that's an encouraging sign for her recovery. Indeed, Boota is the first to have even gotten to smile and laugh like that. The captain will be pleased."
"That's great!" Yoko cheered quietly, "I bet that Garrod guy's gonna be happy too!"
However, Boota quickly noticed Cheiron Archer and decided to investigate her. In the same manner that he did with Tiffa, the pigmole crawled underneath her sheets. This time, however, he dove all the way in and tried to wiggle between the unconscious young woman's breasts.
This triggered a very different reaction, however.
Cheiron's eyes flashed open as she screamed, sat up and frantically clawed at her breasts, trying to extract the intruder from her cleavage, which was now covered by a hospital gown. But the pigmole ended up popping out of one of the gown's arm holes. Amazingly, Tiffa only grimaced a bit from the cry, but didn't open her eyes.
"Well, that's one way to wake someone up," Yoko said awkwardly, as Boota scuttled back towards her and then dove headfirst into her cleavage, mesmerizing both Simon and the doctor for a moment.
"Where the hell am I?!" Cheiron cried as she looked around, confused. "What the hell is going on?!"
"You're on the landship Freeden," Dr. Farzenberg said as he returned his attention to the young lady from Paradigm."While seeing you awake is encouraging, you shouldn't be moving too much yet. Your injuries have barely begun to heal." Cheiron nodded uneasily and laid back down, already feeling woozy from her sudden fright.
"The last thing I remember was being surrounded by darkness...and wetness..." she mumbled.
"You were swallowed by some enormous creature called the Mountain Demon-Dragon Mohrani," Simon said. "But it puked you up after we attacked it for a while." Cheiron retched.
"It's a miracle you're alive," Dr. Farzenberg said. "But I guess we can attribute that to your Newtype abilities."
"New...type? Free...den?" the dark-skinned woman groaned as she drifted back into unconsciousness.
"Hopefully we can explain more about her situation once she's properly awake," the Freeden's doctor said. "But I think visiting time is over."
"Yeah, we should let them rest," Simon said. "C'mon, Yoko."
Musashibo Benkei had never been more terrified than he was the moment he had first laid eyes on Masakado's ghost. It was enough to scare him straight.
The day after that harrowing encounter, the bulky man returned to the monastery to give back the sword of Minamoto-no-Raikou and ask the monks to teach him their ways. They accepted him with open arms, and even let him keep the sword.
But the now ex-criminal was no longer motivated by any material things, and eagerly dove into their teachings for the sake of bettering himself spiritually. Every day since he was inducted into their order, he went down to the nearby waterfall to meditate and hone his body and mind further, even allowing the waterfall to pound his body as he opened his mind to the Buddhist teachings to the monks. He even had a run-in with a bear that day, which he was able to scare off after it had accidentally struck him with a salmon, which he gave to the kindly abbot, Master Bonze.
But Benkei was still only human, and had his weaknesses. For example, he sometimes had find a private place to deal with his sexual urges, which he had grown to become ashamed of in the face of the monks' purity. After heading down to wash his hands from one such session, Benkei suddenly heard a clatter coming from the regular monks' dormitory, where he slept.
He hurried over first, but then slowed down, carefully approaching the door even as he felt his body tense as his instincts warned him something was gravely amiss. As he crept inside, he could hear grunts, growls and chomping noises even as he lit a candle – sounds quite out of place in a peaceful monastery. Then, as he peered around the corner, he saw two of his fellow monks huddled together, greedily eating something.
"H-hey, you guys, what are you doing?" Benkei said.
The two smaller monks paused in their eating and turned around – revealing empty white eyes and wicked grins.
"Even the most rotten of us don't eat that stuff raw!" the burly monk said, still not realizing what was happening as one of his fellows crawled toward him. The smaller monk leaped at Benkei, who reflexively punched him away, breaking down the wall nearby.
Realizing what he had done, Benkei approached his fellow monk.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay?!" he said. Suddenly, the monk he had punched suddenly started grunting in agony as he lifted his head, his eyes streaming with tears and his mouth drooling. Benkei saw that something was trying to form on the monk's forehead...and then something did, causing blood to start streaming out of his bare scalp - a horn.
He had become an oni.
Benkei recoiled in horror, and soon saw that four other monks had met a similar fate – some had one horn, others had two, but all of them were converging on him.
"Wh-what's going on, you guys?!" Benkei cried, still unsure of what was happening even though he knew it was clearly a horror greater than the ghost of the kubizuka. The five Onis leaped at Benkei, covering him with their bodies. But even that wasn't enough to contain him – Benkei violently threw all of them off at once. It was only then that he understood that he and the rest of the monks were in mortal danger.
The burly monk rushed to one of the closets and pulled out the sword of Minamoto-no-Raikou as his Oni-fied pursuers clambered after him. As they tried to leap at him again, Benkei swung the still-sheathed blade, smacking the five bloodthirsty monks aside. He rushed outside, and hurried to the shrine where he knew the abbot did his nightly meditations and chanting.
"Master Bonze, we have a big problem!" Benkei cried as he entered the shrine, which house a Buddha statue. In front of it was the man in question, a small man with a gray mustache and the stubble of hair on his scalp that was just starting to grow back. But Benkei quickly noticed that his teacher seemed to be struggling even as he chanted, prayer beads hanging from his hands.
"Master...Bonze?" the burly monk said uneasily. Suddenly, the abbot's arms pulled apart, snapping the string of beads.
"Don't come any closer!" Bonze cried as he shifted onto his knees, struggling with all his might to contain something evil within him. "Run, Musashibo...don't let yourself...become..."
Just then, something burst through the wall behind the Buddha statue – a large gray Oni with two horns. Benkei quickly rushed in, shielding his master from the statue with his body as it fell. But when the dust cleared, Benkei saw that his master was in even deeper pain...and seemed to be undergoing a transformation just like those of his fellow monks.
No longer able to speak articulately and on the cusp of losing his humanity, Bonze summoned the last bit of will and tossed Benkei aside before the oni's horn violently burst from his scalp, snuffing out the kindly monk's mind forever.
Benkei, realizing that if even Master Bonze had succumbed, there was no hope for his fellows. He leaped through a window, still carrying the sword, and headed down the mountain...
Jaan worked in the Freeden's hangar, doing some fine-tuning on Masakados while the two ships had stopped to pump some more water into their tanks. Suddenly, he heard the voice of someone clearing their throat behind him. When he turn around, he saw a 12-year-old boy with an orange cap worn backwards, sky blue eyes and a mechanic's outfit, splattered with machine oil stains.
"Hey, buddy. Those are MY tools you're using," the boy said, leering at him. Jaan looked at the boy in a bewildered manner. "Don't ya know you should at least ask permission first?"
"What's with that stupid look?" the boy asked, annoyed that he was being doubted by an adult; "This is where I work!"
"You're...joking, right?" Jaan said, raising a single eyebrow in suspicion.
"No way! I'm the Freeden's chief mechanic, Kid Salsamille!" the boy replied, puffing out his chest and pointing at himself with his thumb before looking over at a fat man with glasses and thin man with a long face; "Ain't that right, guys?"
"Kid doesn't look it, but he's a genius when it comes to mechanical stuff," the thin man said; "I'm Nine, and this big guy here is Rococo."
"Now, ask me for permission!" the kid said, leaning down at the scientist. Jaan rolled his eyes.
"...Chief Mechanic Salsamille, may I have permission to use your tools to do work on the Masakados?" Kid grinned and nodded.
"Okay!" the mechanic replied. "I was just pulling your leg, anyway." He pulled up a nearby stool and sat as he watched Jaan continue to work on the Masakados' ankle joint.
"I was just on the Iron Gear," Kid suddenly said after watching him for a few seconds; "And I decided to compared notes with Cotset and Leeron."
"Mm-hm," Jaan said, focused more on his work than on Kid; "That's nice."
"I gotta say," the boy continued; "That Leeron fella's a reeeeeal weirdo."
"Indeed he is," the scientist replied, shuddering as he remembered Leeron's rather disconcerting approaches on him.
"Well, according to him," Kid said, smiling as if suppressing a giggle. "Gurren and Lagann are powered by their pilots' fighting spirit! Ain't that a hoot?"
"Actually, that's not too farfetched," Jaan replied in a sincere manner.
"Say what?" the young mechanic exclaimed. "Now you're pulling MY leg!"
"There are groups of warriors called Hanagumi that protect the domed cities," the Masakados' mechanic explained; "They ride in small, steam-driven mobile weapons called Kohbu. The Kohbu are powered by an energy known as 'Pneuma', which seems to fueled directly by the pilot's spiritual power. Of course, that means only individuals with naturally high levels of this 'Pneuma' can pilot them."
"I see," Kid said, rubbing his chin and nodding thoughtfully; "Yeah, I think I get it now."
"You do?" Jaan exclaimed, turning around.
"Yeah!" the young mechanic said; "You domers...are completely screwy." Jaan simply grumbled just under his breath and resumed his work.
The low rumbling of the Freeden as it traveled across the landscape finally stirred Cheiron from her sleep, and she wearily opened her eyes, sat up and rubbed them. Unlike before, Diana Caprice was now in the room, watching over her and Tiffa alongside Dr. Farzenberg.
"Hello there," Diana said politely and quietly so as not to wake Tiffa before she could properly awaken.
"Oh," Cheiron grunted. "Hey."
"It seems I was right," the wheelchair-bound girl said gently. "You weren't fated to die just yet. My name is Diana Caprice. I'm the assistant to Dr. Farzenberg."
"Thanks," the girl from Paradigm said awkwardly. "I think. The name's Cheiron Archer." After a moment, Diana's eyes widened as she noticed a faint green aura surrounding the dark-skinned young woman.
"You...you're like me, aren't you?" she exclaimed happily as she wheeled her wheelchair closer to Cheiron's bed.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Cheiron exclaimed, confused once more.
"You have a great deal of Pneuma, like me!" Diana said, clapping her hands together excitedly and leaning toward her. But Cheiron shook her head as she became even more confused. She also began to notice a similar green aura surrounding Diana – but it shone brightly in her mind's eye, almost like a miniature green sun.
"What the hell is 'Pneuma'?" she asked, leaning away a bit. "I see this green light around you. Did you see one around me?" Diana nodded as she leaned back in her chair, even as her expression returned to a more subdued one.
"What I was told is that Pneuma that it's based on a person's 'spiritual' power," the medical assistant explained. "and with one exception that I'm aware of, only we women seem capable of generating large quantities of it. But this energy, when harnessed, can serve to power machines."
And this Pneuma, she then thought, it's the name of what's slowly killing me...and why I can do THAT.
"Spiritual power?" Cheiron said. "Now you're pulling my leg. Are you sure we aren't just seeing things?" Diana decided that a demonstration was in order.
"I can show you what it is," Diana said nervously as she gingerly reached a hand out, "if that's okay with you." Cheiron swallowed and presented her arm, which was covered in bandages. The blonde girl reached out, gently cradled the arm in both hands, and then closed her eyes, as if focusing on something. The green aura surrounding her began to shine even brighter and grow larger. Some of this energy began to flow through Cheiron's body, accelerating her body's natural healing to the point where she could feel the injuries being repaired and her body filling with vigor.
"That was amazing!" the dark-skinned young woman said, getting out of bed. "I feel good as new!" However, she turned and saw that Diana's face had turned a ghostly white, her breathing became labored and her eyes were starting to glaze over a little.
"Not...entirely," the girl said weakly. "your body still...needs...to...rest...mo..." But she couldn't finish her sentence before she flopped out of her wheelchair and landed face flat on the floor.
"Diana!" Cheiron cried as she grabbed the girl and turned her over onto her back. Just then, Dr. Farzenberg came in. Diana weakly turned toward the doctor as he carefully lifted her up and back into her wheelchair.
"H-hello, Doctor," she said just barely above her breath, smiling feebly.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to use your powers?!" the doctor said angrily, but more out of concern for the girl's health than anger at her disobedience. "You know how it taxes your body!"
"I-I'm sorry," the blonde girl said. "I just wanted...to...help...Miss...Ar...cher...get...be..."
But she slipped into unconsciousness before she could finish her sentence, and her head lolled to the side. Cheiron looked at her nervously, then at Dr. Farzenberg.
"She's just exhausted," the doctor assured Cheiron. "I'll take her back to her quarters. You should continue to rest, Miss Archer."
"But I feel just fine," the young woman said.
"Doctor's orders," Dr. Farnzenberg said authoritatively. "I'll come back in a little while to see whether that's really the case. If there's anything you need, just hit that button." He pointed to a small red button on the table adjacent to her bed. Cheiron nodded and climbed back under the sheets, but rested her head on her hands as she stared up at the ceiling.
I guess I'm really not in Paradigm City anymore, she thought. I wonder what else I've been lied to all these years...
The Freeden chugged slowly across the landscape in order to allow the Iron Gear to keep up. Suddenly, Sara heard and saw explosions and gunfire coming from a fair distance away.
"Captain! There's enemy fire coming from over there!" she called out.
"Have they discovered us so soon?" Jamil exclaimed. "Mori, report!"
"Negative. It looks like...Gilgamesh Armored Troopers accompanied by another landship!" the navigator, Shingo Mori, replied; "They're chasing after a mobile armor!"
Indeed, a dark purple and red mobile armor with a single eye and a pair of scissor claws jetted back and forth as it dodged a large number of green mobile weapons that stood no more than twelve or so feet tall...Scopedogs.
"Armored Troopers?! All the way out here?" Toniya exclaimed. "That's not good at all. Of course, they could be scrappers that decided to use ATs instead of mobile suits."
"No...their maneuvering is too well-coordinated for them to be ordinary scrappers," Jamil said, noting the footage. "Not to mention that landship is an LS-9900." After a few moments, another six appeared on the camera, heading straight for them.
"They've split up!" Shingo called out. "One group is headed this way!"
"Great, now the Gilgamesh Confederation is on our asses?!" Toniya groaned.
"Sara, have Roybea and Witz sortie," the Freeden's captain ordered as he stood up; "Toniya, warn the Iron Gear to prepare for enemy attack, and tell Kamina to pick up Lagann for Simon!"
"What about Tara?" Sara asked.
"She's still too inexperienced and softhearted," Jamil replied grimly. "Even with that advanced mobile weapon of hers, she'd be no match for a squadron of Gilgamesh professionals."
"And you trust the Iron Gear's troops are more experienced?" the woman asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice. "Besides, you saw how she handled Mohrani!"
"I just don't want to make that girl fight against humans if I don't have to," the captain answered as he sat back down. "I doubt he would forgive me..."
The pilot of the mobile armor, a young man with slicked-back hair, lilac-colored eyes and a blue and white jacket, dodged and weaved as the Scopedogs tried to shoot him down. Though his machine had the ability to fly, he needed to stay low for his own reasons.
Damn it, he thought; I wasn't expecting the Gilgamesh Confederation here!
A moment later, he spotted the Gurren charging in, holding its sunglasses as if ready to throw them.
"Hoy, hoy, HOY! Stop right where you are, pipsqueaks!" Kamina cried as he prepared to toss the bladed shades, only to be spun around by the sheer speed of the mobile armor. Roybea and Witz then sped by and opened fire on the Armored Troopers.
The mobile armor pilot smirked as he saw the Freeden coming in with the Leopard and Airmaster just in front of them.
"There it is," the pilot said to himself. "The captured princess awaits me inside. Time for me to begin the gambit."
He intentionally moved his controls in a manner that caused his mobile armor to flip over and crash into the ground as the two Xabungles came rushing in, with the Iron Gear close at hand. Xabungle 1 managed to catch the mobile armor and stop its skid before it took too much damage.
"Hey, Rag!" Jiron called out. "Get this no legs Walker Machine to safety while the rest of us deal with these with these rolling ones!"
Rag nodded, though somewhat disappointed that she wasn't going to get to fight, had Xabungle 2 grab the mobile armor to flip it right side up. She then started dragging it by its rear end towards the Freeden and Iron Gear, which had stopped and were preparing to provide supporting fire.
Lagann came tromping by just in time to intercept a Scopedog that had zoomed ahead, knocking it down with a headbutt attack. Rag grinned and fired a shot from her Xabungle's rifle, blasting the Armored Trooper to bits. Meanwhile, Gurren's sunglasses managed to cut two more in twain, causing them to explode. Finally, a hail of suppressing fire from the Gallops allowed Jiron's Xabungle to charge in and wallop another three. Roybea and Witz destroyed the last three with a hail of beam fire and bullets.
The mobile armor pilot watched the action from his monitors, and chuckled as he closed his eyes.
Everything is going exactly as we planned it, big brother, the young man thought, as if speaking to someone with telepathy.
Very good, Olba, a voice resounded in his mind, one speaking to him via the same telepathy; When you've secured the princess, give the word.
With the Scopedogs scrapped, several of the crew of the Freeden and Iron Gear all gathered around to meet the mobile armor pilot they had saved. Meanwhile, some of the Sandrats were working on moving Olba's machine onto the Freeden.
"Thank you for saving me back there," Olba said, expertly faking gratitude. "I almost died because of a malfunction in my control system. If there's anything I can do to repay you, let me know."
"Hey, why not work for us?" Sara suggested almost immediately. Jamil nodded in agreement.
"Yes...managing to hold off a whole squadron of professional Gilgamesh ATs on your own takes no small amount of skill," he added. "You'd make a great addition to the team."
"Please," the mobile armor pilot replied humbly, again saying exactly what the Freeden crew would expect him to say; "Just let me use your facilities to fix my vehicle and then I'll be on my way..."
"No, we insist," Elche said, eager to have another person on board; "We could use all the firepower we can get."
"Yeah, it'll be nice to have someone intelligent in our group," Toniya quipped, glancing over at the pilot of the Gundam Airmaster; "Unlike someone I know."
"Hey!" Witz exclaimed.
"You're too kind," Olba replied with a smile. Meanwhile, Kamina and Jiron stood away from the group, eying the newcomer suspiciously.
"Something about that guy bugs me," the pilot of the Gurren whispered. Jiron nodded.
"I hear ya...he's up to something," the rockman replied. Kamina strode up to the mobile armor pilot and got straight in his face.
"Hey, pal. What's your name?" he said, leering at Olba.
"My name?" the mobile armor pilot replied, not quite expecting anyone to be suspicious of him so quickly; "It's Olba...Olba Frost." Kamina took a step back and puffed out his chest as he grabbed the sword on his hips.
"Well, don't try anything funny, or you'll have to answer to THIS!" the Gurren's pilot said menacingly as he held his still-sheathed blade and held it to Olba's throat.
"That was uncalled for, Kamina!" Elche said indignantly, getting between them; "I'll not have anyone threatening newcomers!"
While all this was going on, no one noticed a young man climbing down one of the pipes on the Freeden and rushing in the direction of the woods...
Garrod couldn't believe that he had actually gotten out. Even in the middle of a pitched battle, one would think they'd leave someone to guard him. But with the greatest of ease, he had unlocked the door to his holding cell (thanks to a spare lockpick he kept hidden in his sleeves) and shimmied out a side door, and he was off into the woods.
Of course, he had no plans of actually leaving the Vultures for good. After all, Tiffa was with them, and he couldn't abandon her now...not when he had found a greater purpose to his existence.
As he wandered around, looking for some suitable flowers, he stumbled upon a damaged Armored Trooper - a Scopedog. Nearby were the embers of a smoldering campfire.
Sweet, a Scopedog! Maybe this thing has some spare parts we can sell! It might even still work!
However, he didn't realize that it was not only still functional, but occupied. As he climbed up to the mech's head, Garrod quickly found himself facing down the barrel of a very large pistol...which was being held by Chirico Cuvie.
"This is a Bahauzer M571 Armor Magnum," the AT pilot said stoically. "It's designed to pierce armor on tanks, aircraft, and even the joints of mobile weapons."
"Whoa, hey, easy there!" Garrod exclaimed as he stepped back in fright, only to lose his footing and slide down the mech, landing on some soft grass. Chirico, meanwhile, got out of his machine and approached the boy, aiming the gun at the boy's forehead.
"Talk," he said, his stoic tone unchanged. "Or I shoot."
"Look, I didn't mean to bother ya!" Garrod said frantically. "I-I'm just picking some flowers...f-for a friend!"
Chirico started to squeeze the trigger.
"C'mon, it's the truth!" Garrod cried, cowering in fear. "I had no idea you were here! I don't even know who you are!"
Something in Chirico's conscience made him release the trigger and lower the gun. He remembered the agonizing days of electroshock torture he had gone through since the incident, all because they didn't believe that he truly had no idea where the "prototype" was. If he fired on this boy, he'd be the same as the men who tortured him.
"All right," he said. "Now go away, and just pretend we never met."
"Gotcha!" Garrod said with a wide but nervous grin. "No problemo! Let me just get these flowers, and then I'm OUTTA here!" He quickly grabbed a half-dozen red flowers from the spot where he had landed and scurried off, while Chirico turned his mind to where he would head to next.
Just then, he remembered something - he had gotten a written message from someone in the domed town of Woodo, which he had recently fled. Until now, he had never opened it, let alone read it. Figuring that he had nothing better to do except watch for enemies, he climbed back into the damaged Scopedog and found the message. Using his survival knife to open it, he then unfolded it as quietly as possible and began to silently read it:
Chirico:
Me and the boys are getting together for one last mission...we're gonna take care of that dirty rat Pailsen once and for all. If you're still alive and up for it, come to these coordinates:
80.08135, 71.75
Destroy this message once you memorize the coordinates. If you're a Red Shoulder survivor like I know you are, you can't have THEM following you.
G.G.
Chirico shook his head.
You never change, do you, Galosh? he thought as he committed the code to memory, noting that it wasn't all that far. He then crumpled the paper and tossed into the smoldering embers, causing the campfire to ignite once more...
As quiet as a mouse, Olba Frost snuck into the room where Tiffa was sleeping. Both Diana and Dr. Farzenberg were out, but had left the door unlocked, figuring no one would disturb her. He paused by her bedside, and stuck a short cylindrical vial of a white liquid into an injection gun.
"So this is the captive princess I've been sent to retrieve," the mobile armor pilot mused quietly as he gazed down at Tiffa. "Oh, I think I could just...love her to death."
He held the injection gun to the girl's neck and pressed the trigger, injecting some sort of drug into her just as her eyes started to flutter as if to open. Tiffa only got one quick look at Olba before passing out again. The pilot picked her up and gently cradled her in his arms.
Brother...your knight has taken the princess. Ready the pawns and rooks.
Garrod hurried as fast as he could back to the Freeden, hoping he wouldn't be caught. Unfortunately, he didn't even get within a hundred yards from it before he ran into Jamil, who was leering at him from behind his sunglasses.
"Garrod."
"Whoa!" the young scrapper exclaimed, surprised to see the captain here; "Uh...hey, Jamil." While he braced himself for a tongue-lashing and/or a beating for escaping, Jamil asked him an unexpected question.
"...Why did you come back? You could have fled."
Garrod fumbled for the words to answer this armor-piercing question, but soon found them, and stood up a little taller.
"Because...because I'm not leaving Tiffa alone!" he declared. Jamil shook his head at the boy's apparent ignorance.
"There's nothing you can do to relieve her suffering," the landship captain replied bluntly. "You can't even begin to comprehend the extent of it."
"Maybe I don't fully understand what she's going through, but I do know this - a lot of bad people are chasing her because of her powers - powers that she never asked for!"
Garrod then began to walk defiantly passed Jamil.
"Where are you going?" the captain called to him.
"Where else?" Garrod replied angrily; "I'm going back to the ship to give Tiffa these flowers!" But before he could continue walking, a massive explosion rocked the other side of the Freeden.
"An explosion?!" the young man exclaimed; "Are we under attack?!"
As if sensing what had happened, Jamil sprinted back towards the ship as fast as his legs could carry him. Garrod hurried after him, also worried for Tiffa's safety.
Unbeknownst to either of them, Diana had been watching from the window of her quarters, and even though she couldn't hear their words, she could somehow sense the strength of Garrod's resolve.
Garrod Ran, she thought, is this the strength of someone with the will to defy death?
Jaan, Kid, Nine and Rococo saw Olba Frost barged into the hangar with Tiffa in his arms.
"Hey, you! What's the big idea?!" Jaan called out angrily as he rushed toward Olba. But the pilot quickly managed to pull out a pistol from the holster on his hip and fire it while using the other arm to keep a hold on the unconscious Newtype.
The shots stopped Jaan from pursuing, allowing him to rush over to his mobile armor and jump into the cockpit. He gently laid Tiffa in the space next to him and turned his attention to starting up his ride.
Jaan and the others could only watch in dismay as Olba's mobile armor started up and took off. It paused to turn and face them, its reddish-pink eye flashing ominously. The mobile armor then opened fire with its vulcans, forcing the four to drop to the ground.
Olba then turned back towards the wall, extended one of its scissor claws and jammed a massive hole in the ship, through which it flew out.
"Now, behold Gundam Ashtaron's true form!" he declared wickedly. With that, the mobile armor transformed, re-configuring itself into the shape of a mobile suit - a Gundam with a red face.
It then extended its scissor claws and fired several beam shots on the landship, damaging it even further before finally flying away.
"I knew there was something fishy about that guy!" Witz said with an angry scowl as he watched Gundam Ashtaron swoop off into the distance. He, Tara and the bridge crew were gathered on the Freeden's bridge, watching everything as it transpired.
"We can play the blame game later!" Tara said, worried more about Tiffa's safety than the fact that they had been duped. "Right now, Tiffa's been taken!" Suddenly, Jamil burst into the bridge room.
"Out of the way!" he yelled as he pushed Shingo Mori aside and started the Freeden's engines at full power in order to pursue Olba Frost. "We have to get Tiffa back!"
However, the group was silent for a few moments. Finally, Sara stepped forward.
"Sir, I don't mean to engage in mutiny," Jamil's first officer said respectfully yet bluntly; "But we're all tired of risking our lives for Tiffa without any idea of why you want to keep her here. We've trusted you and followed your orders thus far, but now we realize that there's too much we still don't know. The least you can do is give us some answers."
"Yeah," Witz said in agreement; "Why's she so valuable to you? Why are you so goddamn persistent about her?!"
"Of course," Roybea added grimly; "The answer you give may decide on whether Witz and I stick around."
Jamil sighed. He had hoped to never reveal this to anyone. But there was no avoiding it - not if he wanted to save Tiffa. It so happened that at this moment, Garrod had made it to the door leading to the bridge, but opted to remain hidden - after all, he didn't know how the others would react.
Even as he kept his eyes on Olba's Gundam, Jamil began to relate his tale...
Twenty-five years ago, I was a soldier for the United Nations Earth Military forces - a Gundam pilot.
Back then, a single space colony, known as the Principality of Zeon, engaged in a fight for independence from the Earth. There were several smaller conflicts between the colonies and the Earth before this, six in total. But this struggle, the seventh, quickly escalated into a full-scale war between the Earth and the space colonies, led by Zeon and its ruler, the infamous ace Char Aznable.
For almost a year, the two sides were locked in a stalemate. Then one day, Zeon demanded the Federation's surrender by threatening to use their trump card, a colony drop.
To counter this, the Earth's forces deployed their secret weapon - the GX-9900...the mobile suit Gundam X. I was the pilot of one of those Gundams. As a Newtype, I was in charge of both its Satellite Cannon that would destroy a colony in one shot, and the unmanned Mobile Suit bits that would defend against the enemy mobile suits' attacks.
Their largest colony, the asteroid Axis, was the first to come at us. The initial efforts to move it away appeared to have failed...so I pulled the trigger on my Gundam's Satellite Cannon, starting the worst tragedy in history.
While me and my fellow Gundam pilots managed to destroy Axis, the rush to win forced the Spacenoids to execute their operation, while the Earth Federation counter-attacked without any sort of retreat.
You all know what happened next - the colonies fell, dealing catastrophic damage to the Earth. But even then, we Newtypes were used as tools of war. Before long, billions of people were dead...
"...And because of my hasty actions," Jamil concluded; "The blood of those people is on my hands."
Tara realized now the reason why the Freeden's captain seemed to empathize so readily with her and her dismay over killing people...he felt her guilt, only millions of times over...especially considering that he had acted before really understanding the situation.
"Captain, can you still use those abilities?" Sara asked, feeling great pity and empathy for her captain.
"No...at least not without tremendous pain," the captain replied, his concentration amazingly unbroken even after relating that long story.
"And Tiffa...she's a Newtype like you?" Toniya then inquired.
"I believe so," Jamil answered; "That's why I want to save her...and not just her - I want to save any and all of the surviving Newtypes from being used as tools of war." He paused and looked around - everyone present was deathly silent. They had never expected Jamil to have such a dark secret.
"That is my answer to your questions," the veteran pilot then said to his crew; "Is it acceptable?" He waited silently for the crew to reply.
"Of course," Sara replied with a warm smile, returning to her position. Toniya also went back to her seat.
"Let me take the helm, sir," Shingo said amicably, gently taking the wheel from Jamil; "I'll do whatever I can to keep up with Tiffa's captor."
"Count me in, too," Tara answered, her heart moved by her captain's story. "If it's to protect someone from being used as a weapon without their consent, I'll do what I have to do." She then turned to Roybea and Witz. "What about you guys?"
"Sorry, but count me OUT," Roybea said dismissively, much to the bridge crew's shock. "I'm not out to risk my life and limb for a crazy idealistic dream like that."
"Same here," Witz added. "This age isn't one where dreams like that can come to pass."
"What?!" Tara exclaimed, horrified at their rejection of such a noble cause; "You heartless..."
"I expected you'd say as much," Jamil interrupted. "I can't force you to stay. Since you fulfilled your initial contract, I'll ensure that you're paid accordingly."
"Thanks!" Witz said casually as he and Roybea headed for the hangar. "See ya round!"
"That's freelancers for ya," Toniya sighed. Jamil then turned to the pilot of Masakados.
"Tara," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder; "I'm sorry to place the burden of protecting the ship on you."
"It's fine," Tara answered with a little smile. "That's why we teamed up with the Iron Gear, right?" Garrod, having heard all of this, turned right around and headed after Roybea and Witz, managing to catch them in the hallway and standing in front of them.
"Garrod? How did you get out?" Roybea said, surprised to see the young man out of his cell at all.
"And what the hell do you want, anyway?" Witz asked, annoyed at having to deal with this kid again.
"You guys...you're seriously leaving?" Garrod said, his eyes seeming to plead.
"If you want us to take you along," the Gundam Leopard's pilot quipped, "Then go ask someone else." The two Gundam pilots tried to walk around Garrod, but he continued to block their way.
"No...I want you guys to help Jamil!" the young scrapper replied.
"Out of the way, kid!" Witz said loudly, his temper rising; "Or do you wanna get hurt?"
"Please, listen!" Garrod implored to them; "With everybody..." But Witz kneed the young man in the gut, then grabbed him and tossed him down the hall the way they came.
"I told him he'd get hurt," Witz grumbled as Garrod unsteadily got to his feet.
"I should have known better than to ask a couple of freelancers..." the boy grunted, leering at them with a contemptuous gaze. He then started walking slowly back towards the bridge.
"Did you see that look he gave me?" the Airmaster's pilot said as he and Roybea continued towards the hangar.
"Typical kids," Roybea sighed; "They don't realize that there's a difference between what you want to accomplish and what you can actually achieve. They think they can change the world by themselves, and belittle themselves when they realize they're still children."
But even so, Witz thought; That look was...
Having relayed his instructions to Tara, Jamil sat down in his captain's chair to prepare for battle. Just as Tara was about to exit the room, Garrod rushed by her, knocking her over.
"Jamil! Please, you gotta let me pilot!" he cried. "Let me use the Gundam X!"
"Why should I?" the veteran pilot replied contemptuously, assuming Garrod had heard his story. Tara was just getting to her feet.
"I told you!" Garrod replied indignantly, clenching his fist. "There's no way I'm letting them get away with Tiffa! And. I'm not gonna let the burden of protecting this ship fall on Tara's shoulders alone!"
Tara gasped with surprise. She had never pegged Garrod as the kind of person who would do that, especially after he so readily fired the horrific Satellite Cannon. Hearing his words somehow roused her spirit more as well.
"You can't use the Satellite Cannon right now," Jamil warned him; "And your enemies will probably be numerous. Do you still wish to risk your life?"
"I've been willing to do that since this started!" the young scrapper answered, his words filled with vigor and hot-blooded passion; "I've been trying to protect Tiffa ever since I first met her!"
Jamil smiled, reached under his seat, and took out the control device for the Gundam X and held it out to Garrod.
"...Go, then. I leave Tiffa's life in your hands...both of you."
"Right!" the boy cried eagerly as he grabbed the device from Jamil's hand and turned to his fellow pilot. "Let's go, Tara!" With that, the two hurried off to the hangar.
"Is that really the best idea?" Sara asked, wary of the captain's decision as the door closed behind the two young pilots.
"He is inexperienced...but unlike Tara, he has a lot of natural talent," the Freeden's captain answered calmly; "It's better that he fight rather than someone like me with cockpit phobia. All we can do is support them however we can."
Nightfall was approaching, but the moon was yet to come out as the Walker Machines and Gunmen from the Iron Gear tromped out into the wastes. Immediately, they noticed that two of their teammates were missing.
"Hey! What happened to Tweedledee and Tweedledum?" Rag exclaimed when they noticed that Roybea and Witz had opted not to join them; "They didn't bail on us, did they?"
"Guess Jamil was right when he said they wouldn't be around long," Simon sighed. Suddenly, Boota started hopping up and down excitedly, pointing to two incoming mobile weapons - the Masakados and the Gundam X.
"Look, guys!" Chiru exclaimed when she saw them as well. "It's the Masakados! There's another Gundam with it, too!"
"Wait up, everyone!" Garrod called out as the Gundam X swooped down and landed.
"So, you must be the Garrod that Simon mentioned!" Kamina said in his usual upbeat manner. "Good to meet ya! I guess little Tiffa's your lady, huh?"
"Hey, it's not like that!" the Gundam X's pilot exclaimed, shocked that anyone would even think that...as much as the thought of being with her appealed to him.
"Save the introductions for later!" Elche called out over their radios. "We've got redshirts incoming!" Indeed, a sizable force of Daughtress and Jenice mobile suits was charging in, hoping to impede the progress of the Freeden and Iron Gear's forces.
"Leave these cannon fodder to us!" Jiron said as Xabungle readied its rifle. "You two hurry after Olba!" Garrod and Tara quickly rushed off after Gundam Ashtaron while he and the other Iron Gear mech pilots faced down the incoming enemies...
Amazingly, Masakados and the Gundam X managed to catch up to Gundam Ashtaron - it almost seemed like Olba was intentionally letting them keep up with him.
But before Garrod and Tara could get close enough to reach the escaping Gundam, a large red and gold claw lashed out at them, forcing them to stop. They looked down, and saw that it belonged to a red Gundam - the Gundam Virsago, piloted by Shagia Frost.
"You made a grave mistake by not waiting for the moon to come out, GX," Shagia said smugly before lashing out with the claws again. Both machines bounded out of the way, but just barely. Tara, annoyed at this new foe, readied the Masakados' medium-sized blade, which began to hum with energy.
"Garrod, you hurry on ahead!" she said; "I'll hold off this guy!" The Gundam X's pilot nodded uneasily and continued onward. As Shagia turned to attack Garrod again, Tara fired several shots from one of the Masakados' arm cannons, slightly damaging the Virsago's claw.
"Your fight's with me, pal!" Tara cried as she charged in. Shagia managed to catch Tara's blade with his Gundam's beam saber.
"Oh, what do have we here?" the elder Frost brother said with a chuckle as the two machines crossed blades; "BizenTech's secret project! I wonder if Olba and I will get a bonus for taking it down as well?"
"How did you know about my machine?!" Tara exclaimed, momentarily taken off guard. Shagia used this opening to fire a few beam shots from Virsago's claws, staggering the Masakados.
"In my line of work, you have to spend a lot of time finding and collecting information," Shagia explained smugly. "Ignorant people are doomed to perish in this world...and you, little lady, are among the most ignorant souls I've ever met!"
Tara scowled as Gundam Virsago lashed out with its claws once more...
The mechs from the Iron Gear were doing rather well against the forces of Alternative Company - the power of the two Xabungles and the two Gunmen toppled numerous enemy mobile suits with astonishing ease. However, they had yet to face the enemy's trump card.
The ground began to rumble audibly as something enormous stomped onto the scene - two gigantic, spider-like, quadrupedal mobile armors. Each had a turret on each of their knees and a single red eye peered out from the central body. Jamil, a veteran of the war, would have recognized them.
"Whoa! What're those?!" Birume exclaimed in dismay when he realized that these new foes towered over even the Xabungles.
"Those have gotta be the biggest Walker Machines I've ever seen!" Rag said in awestruck agreement, also feeling uneasy in the face of these new enemies.
"Hey, we haven't seen the Iron Gear transform yet," Jiron said dismissively; "Besides, the bigger they are, the harder they fall!"
"They looks hard to knock over, Jiron," Simon chimed in.
"Come in!" Cotset's voice came from the mech's radios; "I've just gotten word from Captain Neate - those gigantic Walker Machines are called Grandeenes...and their main weapon is something called a photon particle torpedo launcher!"
As if to show off their power, the two Grandeenes started to charge up with blue energy for several seconds before releasing light blue spheres on energy that left green trails as they flew. One of them landed near the Gurren, sending it flying into a nearby wall. However, the impact was far from enough to greatly damage it. A second one landed nearby, just missing the Freeden.
"Geez, what a cheap move!" Kamina groaned as he got his Gunmen to its feet. "Why don't they fight like men and face us head...?!" But his words were interrupted when a second volley of photon particle torpedoes began to fall.
"Scatter!" Jiron called out. The Iron Gear's mechs scattered in all directions to avoid the falling energy projectiles.
Masakados fell backwards as Gundam Virsago smashed it with its claws. Tara was clearly outmatched by the expertise of Shagia Frost - even the learning AI had difficulty keeping up with his movements.
"Your tactics are predictable, girl," Shagia taunted; "For all the power that your machine possesses, it is useless in your hands. Now, I shall end your existence with my Virsago's trump card. It will take a minute to charge, so that will give you time to reflect on the pointlessness of your life."
The Gundam extended its claws and jammed them into the ground, then opened the plating on its chest, revealing a powerful-looking weapon not unlike the Grandeene's main cannon that started charging with red energy. At the sight of this, Tara's body became frozen with fear. After a few seconds, she heard an all-too-familiar phrase in her head.
Pilot interference to own survival detected. Initiating AI Override...
The same electrical pulses worked their way into her brain, threatening to shut down her higher reasoning. But this time she resisted. She didn't want to die as an animal, after all.
Masakado, watching her struggling to stop the takeover, suddenly remembered something - as an spirit of the earth, he had the ability to control anything derived from it; and computers were simply made using various metals.
Concentrating a little, he melded into the walls surrounding the machine.
Warning: Unknown program detected. Initiating maLiCiOuSzZzZz...
Suddenly, Tara felt her higher brain functions return as a voice resounded in her head.
"Tara Amakuni!"
"Masakado?!" she exclaimed, looking around but not seeing her ghostly companion anywhere in the cockpit. "Where'd you go?!"
"I have managed to prevent the artificial intelligence inside this metal giant from controlling your actions! Allow ME to guide your actions instead! Do not fear...we shall defeat these foes without slaying the pilots!"
"O-okay...I trust you," Tara replied. At this point, she would try anything...even Masakado had a conscience, after all.
By this time, the weapon on Gundam Virsago's chest had finished charging.
"Now...perish," Shagia said. "Megasonic gun...fire!"
The blast fired a massive blast of red beam and sonic energy with such power that almost nothing could survive that at such close range.
But Tara, her body guided by the master samurai, quickly selected the sword and sharp-edged shield on the mech's weapon selection – the nodachi morphed into the shield while the tachi shortened slightly, forming a European-style long sword. She managed to raise the shield just before the energy struck. Upon striking the heavy shield, the concentrated energy blast scattered into much smaller bursts, spreading it across the landscape, with a few parts of it landing in the nearby wooded ruins.
"What the?!" Shagia cried; "Impossible! Only the Satellite Cannon is stronger than Virsago's trump card! How could a mere physical shield deflect it?!"
"It's no ordinary shield, pal," Tara said, her confidence restored as Masakados' joints and eyes began to glow brightly. She then thrust the sword into a gap in the shield, and used both hands to grip the sword as it mechanically morphed into a long-handled ax. "Now, I'm gonna kick your butt all the way to three months ago with this...my Charge Blade!"
One of the scattered blasts from Virsago's megasonic gun landed in the woods near where Chirico was resting. The blast was close enough to send his Scopedog tumbling away, but not nearly enough to cripple it - another incredible stroke of luck on Chirico's part.
"Lousy scrappers," the AT piloted said to himself as he got his bearings; "Rochina must have sent them."
He walked over to the Scopedog and climbed in, allowing the mask on his pilot suit to integrate itself directly into the robot's scopes.
"Even if they aren't Rochina's goons," he then said grimly; "I can't let them live, no matter who they are."
"Come and get me if you can, GX!" Olba laughed as Garrod finally managed to catch up to his Ashtaron; "I'm right here!" Much to the young man's surprise, he turned his Gundam around and started firing on him with the beam cannons on its scissor claws, forcing the Gundam X to back off.
"Damn it all," Garrod grunted as he struggled to target one of Ashatron's limbs with his Gundam's beam rifle; "If I hit the cockpit, I'll kill Tiffa! How am I supposed to beat this guy without harming her?!" He fired several rounds, only for the bulky Ashtaron to roll out of the way with the greatest of ease.
"Why don't you just give up?" Olba taunted him over the communicator as he counterattacked with several beam shots. "You'll save yourself quite a bit of agony if you simply let me take Tiffa to my client."
But this mockery only served to turn Garrod's frustration into righteous resolve.
"...Never!" he cried as he switched to the GX's beam saber. "I won't give up!" He rushed in to try and sever some of his foe's limbs with the saber, only to be met with Ashtaron's own energy blade.
"What's the matter, GX?" the younger Frost brother taunted; "You're hardly worth calling the ultimate Gundam! You can't even save one little..."
Suddenly, Olba felt a wrenching pain in his gut, causing his attack to falter. Garrod managed to jump back and ready his beam rifle one more time. But this time, Olba switched Ashtaron to its mobile armor mode and started flying back towards the main battle.
"Get back here!" Garrod cried as he took after Tiffa's captor, not realizing why his foe had retreated.
As Lagann scurried about to find safety from the Grandeene's photon particle torpedoes, the pigmole in Simon's coat suddenly popped its head out and started hopping up and down in front of him.
"Huh? You have an idea, Boota?" Simon asked. Boota then began to make scratching motions on the dashboard.
"Oh, right!" the digger said as he realized what the pigmole was suggesting. "We can just dig down and hit it from below!" He then opened a channel with Kamina.
"Big bro! I have an idea!" he proclaimed, hope filling his heart. "Can you and the others distract these things for me? I'm gonna aim for the one on the left!"
"You got it!" his big bro said, giving him a quick thumbs-up. "We're counting on you, little bro!" With that, Lagann extended its forehead drill and dove underground.
"Hey, you idiots - over here!" Kamina then called out as he spurred Gurren straight toward the enemy. He was soon joined by Xabungle 1.
"Kamina, think you can help me destroy one of these things?" Jiron asked as the two machines ran side-by-side. "We'll show them the combined manly powers of Xabungle and Gurren!"
"Sounds like a plan, my man!" the blue-haired undergrounder replied excitedly; "Simon's already got dibs on the left one, so we'll take out the one on the right!" Jiron nodded as the red Gunmen and the blue Walker Machine started to charge in unison, steam and smoke pouring from the grill on the latter's face.
As another photon particle torpedo started to fall near them, Kamina got an idea...a crazy idea only someone like him could come up with.
"Hey, Jiron...let's use the explosions from those photon thingies to jump way high!" he called; Jiron grinned and prepared to initiate Kamina's impromptu plan.
"Are you two crazy?!" Chiru exclaimed as they neared the projectile's apparent point of impact. With incredible timing and luck, the two machines managed to jump just as the torpedo struck the ground. Using the force of the displaced air to assist them, Xabungle and Gurren managed to leap above the machine. They then stood back to back and performed a simultaneous diving kick, both of them becoming wrapped in red and blue energy.
Meanwhile, Simon managed to get directly underneath one of the Grandeenes and turned Lagann upward, the tiny Gunmen engulfed in green energy.
"FATAL BLOW!" both Simon and Kamina called out simultaneously.
"XABUNGLE AND GURREN'S..." Jiron cried.
"LAGANN..."
"...SUPER DELUXE DOUBLE..." Kamina called out.
"...IMPAAAAAAACT!"
"...KIIIIIIIICK!"
In a display of amazing timing, the three robots managed to strike their foes simultaneously from below and above - destroying both gigantic mobile armors in one massive blow...
Tara seemed all but untouchable with the spirit of the master samurai pulsing through her nervous system. As Shagia tried to grab with Gundam Virsago's claws, she effortlessly dodged them while hacking and slicing away with her Charge Axe, effortlessly swapping between the sword & shield mode and the axe mode. But over time, the shield began to pulse with red light – subtly and slowly at first, then ever brighter and ever faster.
Once the shield's light was pulsing as brightly and as fast as it could, Tara knew she could unleash a new supreme attack. As Virsago lashed out with its claws one last time, she held up the shield as flaming butterflies like the ones the ghost Masakado had summoned appeared around her machine as she blocked the attack. She then quickly morphed her weapon into axe, reared back and swung it with all her might. Virsago jumped back to avoid the initial slash, but was struck by several small waves of glowing kinetic energy that seemed to be made of a swarm of the luminous insects she had spawned. This attack was enough to send her foe crashing to the ground.
"Well" the girl said proudly as Shagia's machine lay there; "Who's the ignorant one now?!" Masakados switched to the nodachi and prepared to strike, its pilot taking aim at Virsago's legs.
"Don't worry, pal," Tara assured the Virsago's pilot; "Killing isn't my style. What I AM going to do is make sure no one can use that mobile suit ever again!"
As Tara swung the long blade down, something suddenly got in the way and caught the sword mid-swing - Gundam Ashtaron and its scissor claws.
"Big brother!" Olba called to his brother, his voice filled with relief of having arrived in time.
"Olba, why didn't you return the girl to our client?!" Shagia exclaimed as Virsago managed to get to its feet.
"I felt your pain, big brother," Olba replied; "I couldn't let you suffer against this girl!" He then turned back towards Tara in anger.
"For the crime of harming my big brother," he declared; "I'll destroy you and that prototype!"
But before Tara could reply, she suddenly felt the spirit of Masakado leave her as its eyes dimmed and the lights on its joints went out entirely. After looking around, she saw the ghostly form of the samurai floating near her once more. What was more, her entire body felt like it was made of lead, and she dropped to her knees.
"Masakado, what happened?" she said, horrified at this turn of events, wondering if Olba's own cries had somehow dispelled her power boost.
"I'm sorry," Masakado replied profusely; "I could only maintain control for a short time...and it seems it takes a toll on your body."
"Well, it seems the shoe is on the other foot now, big brother," Olba chuckled as he threw Tara's sword aside.
"Indeed, Olba," his brother said smugly. But they were soon interrupted as well when the GX rushed in with its beam saber.
"Found ya, scumbag!" Garrod roared. But Gundam Ashtaron managed to dodge the slash. Still, it was enough to get the attention of both brothers.
"We can deal with this girl later," Olba said as he turned to face Garrod. "Let's destroy the GX together, big brother."
Shagia simply nodded and spurred Virsago towards the GX. Garrod tried to counterattack with his saber, but the red machine suddenly dodged and flew behind him. When Garrod turned around, Ashtaron rushed in and grabbed the white mobile suit's arms with its scissor claws, holding it in place.
"Big brother! Let's finish it off!" the Ashtaron's pilot called out.
"Indeed," Shagia replied as Virsago readied its beam saber; "Hold him so I can kill the pilot. That way we can take the GX for ourselves." The elder Frost brother pointed the tip of the blade at the Gundam X's torso. "Now, this is goodbye, GX!"
Garrod clenched his teeth and waited for the end.
But then a hail of bullets struck the Virsago, stopping it dead in its tracks. Ashtaron was hit a second later with another salvo, causing it to drop Garrod's machine. When it landed, the young man looked around...and saw a rather beat-up looking Scopedog swerving around.
"You there," the pilot of the Scopedog said over his machine's radio. "I'm trying to get some sleep." His voice that Garrod vaguely recognized.
"...You've got some nerve, challenging us with one broken Armored Trooper!" Olba said, appalled that they would be foiled by such a tiny opponent; "We'll squash you like the bug you are!"
Ashtaron tried to attack directly with its scissor claws, but the Scopedog easily avoided the attacks, dodging and weaving with incredible grace - a testament both to its pilot's skill and to the machine's capabilities.
With equal ease and grace, it began a counterattack - it started by firing its machine gun, peppering Olba's Gundam with bullets crafted to puncture the armor of mobile suits, which towered over five times a Scopedog's height.
Not all of the shots struck their mark, but it was enough to let it get close and approach from behind. By using a nearby hill as a launch ramp, the Scopedog took to the air. It then punched at the Gundam with its fist, the force multiplied greatly by the inclusion of a hydraulic cartridge. The force was enough to critically damage Ashtaron's flight pack, causing it to plummet to the ground.
Chirico wasted no time - he rushed up to the fallen Gundam, hopped out of the Scopedog, then opened the hatch using its external mechanism. As soon as he saw Olba, the Gilgamesh ace drew his pistol...and Garrod recognized the man - Chirico Cuvie.
"Hey - that's the guy from before!" Garrod exclaimed. "Did he really come to save me?"
"This is a Bahauzer M571 Armor Magnum," the AT pilot explained stoically. "It's designed to pierce armor on tanks, aircraft, and even the joints of mobile weapons."
"Wait! Please, don't kill my brother," Shagia suddenly pleaded desperately; "He's the only family I have! I'll do anything! Anything! Just please, don't take him from me!"
Garrod grinned when he heard the genuine anguish in Shagia's voice. This was his chance.
"Okay then, pal," the Gundam X's pilot said with a chuckle. "Tell him to give back Tiffa Adil...and make sure she's unharmed! Do that, and my buddy here will let you two off easy." Unbeknownst to him, the Newtype girl was just starting to come around, the drug that Olba had injected her with finally wearing off.
Brother, please, just give her back, Shagia pleaded to him and with his voice telepathically; The pay isn't worth it if I lose you!
"Yes, big brother;" Olba replied vocally with a sigh. He extended the atomic scissor claws from his Gundam's back and into the cockpit. With the greatest of care, he made the claw grab Tiffa and lower her to the ground a few dozen yards from the GX. Garrod sighed with relief when he saw that the girl was just fine.
"Good," Garrod said as Chirico got off Olba's Gundam. He was surprised that the AT pilot decided to go along with Garrod's plan so willingly, but maintained his defiant tone.
"Now, SCRAM! I don't want to see you two ever again!"
Virsago stumbled over to the damaged Ashtaron, which switched to its mobile armor mode, and stood on it. Ashtaron then took off in the other direction, carrying its brother with it as Tiffa's grogginess started to wear off, allowing her to finally stand.
Excitedly, Garrod made the Gundam X kneel down while extending its right arm and hand downward, so he could slide down.
"Tiffa! Tiffa!" he called out as he opened the cockpit. He slid down the Gundam's arm, only to accidentally land on his tailbone. He yowled a bit and rubbed it, which somehow made Tiffa smile and giggle a little bit.
"Garrod...I knew you'd save me," she said in her usual subdued tone, though she was probably happy enough to leap into his arms.
"Come on," the young man said excitedly as he held his hand out to Tiffa; "Let's go back - Jamil and the others are waiting for us."
Tiffa nodded, but started back toward the landship on her own, completely ignoring Garrod's outstretched hand. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to see Chirico approaching them.
"Your name is Garrod?" he asked.
"Yeah - I'm Garrod Ran...and this is my friend, Tiffa Adil," the GX's pilot replied.
"That man...I would have killed him if you had let me, Garrod Ran," the AT pilot said stoically, which astonished Garrod.
"Hey, I didn't necessarily want to kill that guy!" the boy replied, flustered by Chirico's blunt and morbid statement; "I just wanted to get Tiffa back."
Chirico squinted at him with only the slightest hint of contempt in his eyes.
"You're too softhearted," he said. Without another word, Chirico turned back towards his Scopedog. But Tiffa ran over and grabbed him by the hand, causing a twinge of jealousy in Garrod.
"Wait. Please, come back with us," the Newtype pleaded.
"Y-yeah," the GX's pilot added, not wanting to go against Tiffa's sincere wishes; "That Scopedog of yours is looking kinda beat up. At least let us repair it for you on the Freeden."
Chirico pondered this offer. He had no idea when he'd find supplies to repair his machine, and he didn't want to risk getting caught out in the open without a way to defend himself from scrappers and/or demons.
"...If you insist," he replied and continued on his way to the Scopedog. "I'll follow you to your Freeden." Garrod smiled. He grabbed Tiffa's hand and took her back to the Gundam X's still-lowered hand. Automatically sensing the weight of its pilot, the machine raised its hand up and let Garrod and Tiffa go inside.
"Um...what is your name, anyway?" the GX's pilot asked over his mobile suit's radio. "It would be awkward to let you on board without you telling us that much."
After a moment, Chirico answered.
"Chirico...Chirico Cuvie."
Tara and Masakado, having witnessed all this, couldn't help but be in awe at Chirico's skill.
"That man...he is truly a warrior without compare," Masakado said.
Back at the Freeden and Iron Gear, Jamil and the others watched as the Gundam X, Masakados, and Scopedog returned. Garrod helped Tiffa back to the ground while Tara and Chirico got out of their own machines.
"You did well, you two," Jamil said proudly.
"Yeah, but Chirico here saved our asses before we got killed!" Garrod replied.
"If there's anyone responsible for getting Tiffa back, it's him," Tara added with a nod. Jamil nodded and turned to the blue-haired pilot.
"I am deeply in your debt, my friend," he said, extending his hand to shake Chirico's. The latter, however, made no move to do so.
"Don't be...I only did what I thought was right," the AT pilot replied as he started back towards his Scopedog so he could wheel it into the hangar; "Just let me repair my AT on board, and I'll be on my way."
"We could use someone like you aboard the Freeden on a long-term basis," Sara commented. "All of our pilots are amateurs, so we could benefit from having another professional like you on board." Garrod and Tara grumbled a bit at being called amateurs.
Chirico stopped and glanced over at Sara.
"No...you don't," he said.
"Why not?" Toniya asked, astonished that this man was so insistent on fighting alone. "You took on two Gundam-type mobile suits in a beat-up Scopedog! How could we NOT benefit from having you around?"
"I'm wanted by the Gilgamesh Confederation's military," Chirico explained. "I'd bring you nothing but trouble. Besides, that Olba Frost fellow got on board because you trusted him too readily."
"This whole group is a magnet for trouble, really," Leeron chimed in. "It's been one battle after another for us lately, and I bet we're probably gonna piss them off sooner or later anyway."
"Also, I won't make that mistake again," Jamil added. "From now on, we'll only trust those willing to put their lives on the line for someone like Tiffa, just as you did."
Suddenly, Chirico remembered the note. He figured that it was worth seeing if they would go to where his Red Shoulder buddies were meeting.
"...Fine. I'll go along for now," he said. "But there's one thing I want you to do before I make my final choice."
"And that would be?" Jamil asked.
"I need to rendezvous with some people for a mission," the AT pilot answered; "I want you to take me to the rendezvous point. It's far northeast of here; I'll give you the coordinates when we set out."
"Fine," Jamil replied; "But until you make your final decision, we're keeping you under surveillance."
Chirico simply nodded. He knew that Jamil was no fool.
"That was humiliating, big brother!" Olba cried out as he and his brother worked on repairing their damaged Gundams in an old abandoned hangar; "I can't believe we lost to those kids and a solitary Armored Trooper!"
"Don't take it so hard," Shagia said as he fiddled with some of Virsago's wiring; "Gilgamesh's AT pilots are legendary for their skills. If he had killed you..."
"Damn them," Olba growled, slamming his fist on Ashtaron's armor. "Damn them and their crazed obsession with Newtypes! If only we had more power..."
Humans are truly puzzling creatures, a bewitching female voice suddenly said - seeming to come from nowhere. Capable of such love and such hatred at the same time.
"Who's there?!" Shagia called out. "Show yourself!"
In a puff of black smoke, something appeared just behind him: a sexy-looking woman that seemed to be in her mid-twenties. She had long black hair, and wore flowing white robes with a vermilion lining that seemed to just barely hold back a substantial bosom; around her waist was a sash around her waist with a blue border, depicting a midnight blue sky dotted with stars that seemed to twinkle like the real thing as her wide hips swayed; and she wore a mask similar to the one Masakado's ghost form sported.
"Who are you?" he asked, astonished that someone could appear out of thin air. Olba approached as well, gazing in wonder at the beauty.
"I am the Princess of Demons, Takiyasha," the woman answered, bowing in a rather seductive manner; "I have heard what your hearts desire, and I have come to grant your wish."
Big brother...she's a demon! Olba said to his brother telepathically, concerned about being approached by such a being; A real, live demon!
Even demons can be manipulated, Olba, Shagia replied confidently; Let me handle this.
"Fine," he then said, looking at Takiyasha coldly; "But what's the catch? Do you want our souls or something?" The masked princess suddenly burst out laughing in response to this inquiry.
"Your SOULS?!" she said as she composed herself rather quickly; "My, my, you humans are so quick to assume...all I desire is that you grant MY wish in return."
"And that would be?" the elder Frost brother asked, prepared to gauge the demon based on the nature of her desire.
"...To plunge the human world into endless war and chaos," she said with a wry smile, licking her lips. A wicked smile crossed both Shagia and Olba's faces.
Hear that, Olba? the Virsago's pilot said to his brother via telepathy; She wants the same thing we do.
Yes, big brother! Ashtaron's pilot replied; With her help, we can make them all pay for rejecting us!
"All right," Shagia said confidently as he extended his hand to shake hers; "You have yourself a deal." But to his surprise, the woman leaned in and gently kissed Shagia on the cheek. She then turned to Olba and did the same thing.
"The covenant is sealed," Takiyasha said with a seductive giggle. "I look forward to working with you two." With that, she took a step back and disappeared in another, much larger cloud of black smoke.
When it cleared, the Frost brothers saw that their Gundams had somehow been magically repaired...
An armored police van drove through one of the seedier parts of Tokyo towards the police station as the full moon rose into the sky, its light softened by the glass of the dome. Two policemen sat in the front of the van, one of them driving.
"Lobelia Carlini...who would have thought she'd show up here in Tokyo?" the driver said. "And who would have thought we'd capture her?"
"They say she's a demon in human skin," the passenger commented, shuddering a bit; "I mean, she can manipulate flames! No human could do that! Good thing the ambassador to France is such a good shot."
Suddenly, they saw a man in a gray trenchcoat walking out into the middle of the road. The man stopped and swayed a bit as if drunk, his stances hunched over. Not wanting to run the man over, the driver slammed on the brakes, stopping just inches from the man, having turned around completely.
"What the hell are you doing?" the driver said angrily at the man as he and his partner got out. "You got a death wish or somethin'?"
"Must be another drunken vagrant," his partner said, shaking his head. "The eighth one tonight." The driver suddenly turned to his fellow policeman with a rather unnerving smirk.
"What do ya say we throw him in the back with Carlini?" the driver said with a twinge of sadism in his voice.
"What kind of sicko are you?!" the passenger exclaimed, understandably horrified at the idea.
"C'mon, it oughta make for a fun show," his partner said, gently elbowing him in the chest. "It's not like they're gonna kill each other."
"Don't bother," the drunken man suddenly uttered, causing the driver to turn around.
With a wild, sadistic grin, the man in the trenchcoat jammed his fingers, with nails sharpened to deadly points, into the driver's eyes. He then stabbed at the man's ears, sending them flying off, causing blood to start spewing everywhere. Finally, he jammed his fingers into the driver's mouth and tore out his tongue. The driver dropped to the ground like a rag doll, bleeding out of every orifice on his head.
The passenger looked on with gut-wrenching horror as he finally got a good look at the man in the trenchcoat. He had thick black hair with bangs that extended several inches out from his forehead and bushy two-pronged sideburns. His eyes were such a dark brown that they appeared black...like blood-soaked earth.
"Y-y-you're that terrorist...H-Hayato J-Jin!" the cop cried out as numerous armed thugs started to come out of hiding. The next thing he knew, Hayato grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him against the rear door.
"Could you tell me the combination?" the terrorist said with unnerving politeness as he squeezed the cop's throat; "You know...the one for the lock." But the policeman gagged and retched as Hayato's grip around his throat slowly tightened.
"Tell me if you want it to be painless!" Hayato roared. Finally the cop relented as one of the thugs approached the lock, which was a series of ten metal wheels with the 26 letters of the alphabet engraved each one.
"C..."
The thug turned the first reel to C, and turned each successive reel to the letter the cop uttered.
"...U...T...I...E...H...O...N...E...Y..."
Hayato heard a click from within the doors. With a grin, he severed the policeman's jugular vein and crushed his spinal cord through his neck, killing him instantly. He then stepped back and allowed two of the thugs to open the heavy doors.
Inside, in the corner closest to the passenger side, was a single person - a young woman of European descent probably no older than twenty. She had thick, wild silvery-blue hair with matching eyes that gazed out from a pair of thin but large round glasses while a collar with a golden padlock rested around her neck. The remainder of her body was covered by a thick straitjacket that tightly bound her. Sensing that it was safe enough to approach, Hayato hopped into the van and approached the woman.
"Lobelia Carlini, I presume?" he said, with a wicked smirk as he gently ran his nail across the smooth skin on her face.
"Who are you?" the young woman asked contemptuously.
"I'm Hayato Jin," the terrorist said; "I've been looking for someone of your...talents."
"Why should I help you?" she asked with a sly smile. "If you're going to court a potential recruit, it's only proper you remove their bonds first."
Hayato smirked.
The Flaming Demon of Paris was proving to be everything he had imagined her to be.
Next time, we'll once again be taking a break from the adventures of the two ships in order to focus on the events of New Getter Robo, and continue with Sakura Taisen's plot! See ya next chapter, mecha fans!