Chapter 1: In Anticipation of Your
Future Endeavors
It was her mission.
On this sunny and cloudless day, this of all days…, she would be a ghost.
A halcyon wraith in the night…
Caerlise dared a glance around the corner of the school building, crouching and scoping out the area. If luck were on her side, she could dash inside and make it in time for first period… and if she sat in the far back, no one would notice-
"LIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!"
Caerlise's brow fell, a purely perturbed expression of exasperation crossing her "badass," yet cute, face. With a sigh, she stood up and leaned against the building, summoning all her strength to generate a semi-convincing fake smile. "Morning Kyrie! Haha, didn't think you'd be coming around the back of the school today haha!" She eyed the white haired, glasses wearing girl who hurried over to her with mixed expression of tender care and slight annoyance. "I guess what they say is true… giant main entrances don't mean a damn thing these days, am I right?" she added with a genuine grin of sarcasm. The shorter girl was toting a book bag loaded with literature of every kind known to man; or at the very least, every class subject she was taking.
Kyrie Lazon jogged up to the brunette and laughed, taking in Caerlise full attire.
Blue Biker jacket: check
Matching blue biker gloves: check
Stylish black tank top: check
White, ankle length granny skirt, complete with pleats…: check!
"Oh wooow! I thought you were just kidding about having to wear a skirt… but I must say, I am impressed!" Kyrie joked as she analyzed Caerlise from top to bottom with her deep blue eyes. It was all she could do to not explode with laughter!
"Alright can it… jeez," Caerlise muttered as she turned the corner and walked with the white haired girl. Lise's honey brown eyes blared with embarrassment, matched in intensity only by her rosy red cheeks. All around other students snickered and laughed as the two crossed the Campus green, headed towards the main doors. She could feel everyone's gossip and heckling, even though the duo was well out of earshot.
"You know it's only been a week since the first day of classes," the shorter girl started with a grin, "still plenty of time to start some new fashion trends!"
"It's only for a couple a days, got it? Once Doc gives me the go ahead you can bet your ass I'm losing this… grandma get up! Uggh…" The brunette hiked up her skirt and gingerly stepped across a mud patch
"And therapeutic shoes?" Kyrie stated with a roll of her head as she noticed the pristine white shoes her friend sported. She couldn't contain her laughter, "Nice! Very very nice!"
"Yeah well look at you-" Caerlise shot back, eying the girl.
Actually…
Wearing tan sandals, khaki shorts, and a sandy white top… she didn't look half bad.
"Hmph!" The brunette picked up the pace, her gloved hands in tight fists of anger and embarrassment "This is bullshit! Ahhh I'm goin' crazy here!" she seethed silently, her teeth grinding the mortification to dust. "All I need now is-
"Kyrie! Lise-WHOA HO HO!"
Caerlise looked up and tossed her arms towards the sunny sky at the sound of the male voice and shook her head, silently pleading to what or whichever God cared to pay attention; more so whatever God happened to be chuckling at the moment. "I swear to Christ on the Cross, Jidane! If you say one word, I will end you!" she exploded, turning to eye her lifelong friend scampering across the green, a folder full of documents in his grasp.
"Take it easy killer! Jeez… Hey man I don't dress ya-
"Yeah, there's a reason for that," Caerlise said as she crossed her arms, taking in her buddy's ever professional attire. Nice slacks, nice tucked in button up shirt… "Who're you tryin' to impress?" she questioned with a snide laugh, her eyes growing soft. She knew him, just like he knew her. Typical Jidane…
"Hilarious," the dark skinned boy muttered as he adjusted his backpack, "It's called channeling your future occupation. Might wanna try it some time?" he punctuated by handing the folder of papers to the skirt wearing girl. The boy's hazel eyes glinted facetiously, "Rockin' skirt by the way, heh!"
"Be careful Jidane," Kyrie started with a waving, wary finger, "our fair Caerlise seems to have chosen the Tiger over the Lady today!"
"Ha, ha" Caerlise said with a dry grin "I'm not really- What the…"
"Yeah, the results of our exams," Jidane started with a nod. Each Senior was required by state law to take an Earth Federation sanctioned competency exam, to best see where a student's talents would lie in a Military setting. It was thinly veiled propaganda, yet still, it was a sufficient enough exercise to find out if one had the "right stuff." It was essentially Grandfathered into the newly formed Earth Federation as a "best practice" from the former Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations
"Oh wow that was a pretty quick turn-around," Kyrie said as she stood up taller to get a good look.
"Yeah I figure even you wouldn't get angry about that! We all did great!" he said to the brown haired girl as he crossed his arms with a cocky grin.
Caerlise drew out a stapled stack and noted the name on the front. "Jidane Thoreau… …" She shook her head, absolutely incapable of being bothered to actually read whatever was written on the page. "What the hell does this stuff mean-
"It means we did AWESOME" the boy said with an annoyed twang as he snatched the Earth Federation document away and turned the form right side up. "Did you even see it was upside down?"
Caerlise only turned her head slowly and blinked her eyes once. She stared at him blankly, tilting her head. "I am not an idiot. I can read upside down. Thanks." Such attitude…
"Oh hey lemme see…" the snow head started as the trio walked on. "Says here you're best suited for Mobile Suit piloting!" She looked back at Jidane with a proud smile on her face.
"Yeah and second for MS Design and Repair!" the boy added with an enthused grin.
"Wow, hey, seems like all your nerd hobbies finally paid off huh? Haha!" Caerlise joked, smacking the stack of papers playfully on his nose. It was true, the boy was a die-hard fan of all things military, science, or engineering related. His small apartment had a "shrine", as Caerlise was fond of calling it (much to Jidane's ire), devoted to Mobile Suit model kits and other assorted aerial craft.
"Yeah well read yours, Nerdy McNerdson," Kyrie laughed as she tapped the lead sentence on the second set of papers her female friend was holding. It was right there in bold face, 24 point font. "Number one: Mobile Suit Pilot!"
"What? Shut-up…" The girl's eyes focused on the job description and in an instant her brow fell. Her angry eyes darted over to Jidane. "See what your nerdness does? It rubbed off on me, asshat!" For all 2 years of junior high and 4 years of high school, Caerlise went to MS shows and expos with Jidane, mainly just to humor the poor kid. She never pegged it for being contagious.
"I dunno… that exam is pretty comprehensive when it came to the MS knowledge and operation section," Jidane said with a shrug. "Tell ya what, I design mobile suits and you pilot 'em!"
"Right. Thanks, but I think I'll take my #2… Uggh…" Her expression fell yet again. "How, in the hell… would someone please tell me how I got-
"Medical Doctor! There is no way!" Kyrie's surprise was filled with audible laughter. The beautiful snow head took the papers from the taller girl's grasp. Her eyes lit up, "Caerlise this is amazing! Wait till Dr. Castle finds out about this!"
"She WON'T!" Lise retorted as she snatched the paper away from the shorter girl. "And do more of this schoolin' stuff? Haha, no sir. Not I, said the cat," she said with a shake of the head.
"But Lise, it kinda makes sense doesn't You're really good in math and sciences and stuff… then again…" Kyrie looked at her friend critically.
"What?" she demanded with a raised eyebrow.
"Hmm… well, you would never really guess that about you… but I suppose that's just one of your quirks!"
Lise gave a half smile, shaking her head. True, she knew she didn't exactly project a professional effervescence. She rather liked it that way, actually. Lise smiled warmly at her girl friend "Yes yes… ahh well," she started, handing the two stacks over to Jidane and keeping the third. "I always figured it'd be easier to kill people than it was to save 'em, haha!"
The other two stopped dead in their tracks.
"Hmm?" Lise walked on and turned to see their surprised expressions. "Jesus guys it's a joke!" she laughed. Such a genuine laugh she was capable of!
"Man, don't scare me like that!" Jidane answered back with a grin as the trio re-grouped. "And of course, there's you, Kyrie," he added, watching Lise thumb through the final stack.
"Says here you're fit for Information Technology Communications and second for-
Caerlise's eyes darted to Jidane. He only shrugged his shoulders.
"Uhh… a cook…"
"Well I figured as much for the both of 'em! I'd love to be the head of an IT firm someday… and of course you two know all about my wonderful cooking!" Kyrie said, her voice full of smile. True enough Kyrie was a computer and IT whiz kid, but a cook?
Caerlise leaned in close to the taller boy, shielding her mouth with the papers. "Hey you read this before right? What the hell?"
"Yeah I dunno… guess the system has a few hiccups or something." He said, risking a wary glance at the white haired girl who was still fawning over her results.
"So that explains my results too, right?" Lise whispered with a sly grin.
"-and perfect too because I still have some leftovers from your hospital stay!" Kyrie exclaimed suddenly.
"Yay! Heh heh!" the Lise-Jidane duo faked, exasperation written all over their faces.
"I know it's a hard pill to swallow, but you need your fiber when staying for an extended stay at a hospital!"
"Yeah maybe so, but why did I have to- OUCH!" The boy glared at the brunette who jabbed him in the side.
Lise only looked skyward and shrugged. "Hey man, share and share alike, right?"
Kyrie smiled warmly at her friends, "I even brought some for lunch today. Gotta keep up that healthy hospital regimen for at LEAST a few days after you get discharged ya know!"
Jidane and Caerlise gritted their teeth, forcing smiles. "Jeez… I crapped my brains out for that entire week," the boy started, speaking through his pearly whites.
"Nice. I watered mine out the whole time. Not pretty." Lise replied.
Kyrie smiled and wrapped her arms around her friend's elbows as the trio walked into the building just as the morning bell rang. 5 minutes until classes started! "Greenfield High school, class of 2314! We seniors'll all make fine employees of the Earth Federation, won't we? So exciting!"
_..._
-...-
"… And then I was all 'BAM!' Textbook spike! Don't tell me I dunno how to play volleyball, bitches!"
The trio burst into laughter as they walked out of the school building and down the sidewalk. School had been uneventful as usual.
Typical class work.
Typical lunch (with copious amounts of fiber).
Typical after lunch class work.
The one high point was the after school activities; typical cruel fate would have it be volleyball, Lise's best sport, but in her condition she was in no shape to play.
Typical Caerlise defied that order right off the cuff.
"Honestly I didn't think you could pull it off with that skirt but… I was wrong!" Jidane laughed.
Lise only shrugged her shoulders and draped an arm around Kyrie's shoulder. "And thanks to my number one set up person… haha!"
"Victory was ours!" Kyrie finished. She knew she was no good for spiking the ball or other power moves, but she was exact and always precise, perfect for setting up a spike for a more powerful player.
"HEY!"
The trio turned to see a male figure jogging towards them, flagging them down. He looked familiar… but the hair…
The boy huffed quietly as he jogged to a stop beside the group of adolescents. "Man that was awesome back there! I just wanted to say so but you guys took off so fast!" The kid was about as tall as Jidane, slender, and strikingly handsome. Deep purple eyes and jet dark hair…
… The hair…
Caerlise's cheeks tinged red. "Kaino S. Jenesis… look at you!" Her expression changed and her voice smiled audibly, "Uhh… nice hair. What the hell, man?"
"Eheh…" The boy scratched his now bleached green head and nodded to acknowledge his other two fellow seniors. "Yeah… It's a long story…"
Lise only grinned, keeping eye contact and lowered her head, silently prodding for more info.
"The guys at the barracks figured it'd be a good idea to haze all us Flag Cadets."
"Don't knock yourself man… looks pretty decent actually!" Jidane said with a chuckle.
Kaino laughed heartily, "If you say so! Say, so how come you weren't on the court?" he asked, tugging at his Earth Federation Flag Fighter Cadet Uniform's collar.
"Eh… physical stuff isn't exactly my forte," the boy replied with a grin, "I'm not ripped like our awesome Flag Cadets or anything!"
"Yeah right! I always get hell from the guys back at base about my "girlish" figure. I swear one day I'm gonna light 'em all up! They'll never know what hit 'em!"
"Speaking of the EF, did you get promoted to a full pilot?" Kyrie asked as she repositioned the large pack of books on her back.
"Yeah actually. I had my first full out sortie last week. There was a robbery at the downtown High Containment Weapons Facility. Guy made a clean get-away too." Kaino looked at Lise with an upward nod. "And you. Heard you had a pretty bad spill a couple a days ago."
"Hmm? Huh yeah! It's no big deal," Caerlise replied, snapping out of her star struck stupor.
"Yeah, $200,000 plus in repairs later isn't really a big deal when you're talking about the military either!" Kaino laughed. "Seriously kid… watch yourself out on that death trap of yours…"
Lise only smiled timidly, blinking rapidly as she willed herself to not look away. She challenged his cool grin with a playfully defiant one of her own. "Hey I'm a big girl, jeez!"
Kyrie took it all in, a knowing grin permeating her young face. Clearly her girl friend had the hots for the young Military Man.
"That you are, Ms. Alna!" Kaino grinned and willed himself to not look away from her honey brown eyes. He shifted the EF issue messenger bag that was slung across his body further behind him. "Speaking of all things 'grown-up,' I was meaning to ask you guys. Tomorrow there's gonna be a big party at the Shark House," he started, referring to his barrack. The "Shark Bait Squadron," as the pro pilots called any contingent consisting of rookie pilots, were always housed in the most rundown barrack on base as yet another hazing element. "If y'all aren't doing anything you guys should come! What do you say?"
"A party at the military base? How do you guys get away with that?" Kyrie asked.
Kaino laughed, "It's sanctioned by the brass. They call it a "mental" break for us newbies."
"Sounds great to me! It could be pretty fun," Jidane piped up, nodding as he looked over at Caerlise. He shook his head, taking in her uncharacteristic timid face.
"Sweet," Kaino said with a grin as he turned towards Lise. "Whaddya say?"
"Huh? Yeah yeah! Wait, what?" The girl was completely unawares.
"I said, awesome skirt ya got there," Kaino replied sarcastically as the other two snickered.
"Hey!" the girl shouted, immediately on the offensive, with a slight smirk.
"So I'll take that as a yes!" the boy replied with a grin. "Awesome guys, see you at around 7 tomorrow, okay?"
"Oh really? That's funny. I thought the party was at 7 tomorrow," a demeaning female voice interjected.
Kaino looked over Lise's shoulder to see a blonde haired, steel gray eyed girl who wore her EF Ensign uniform exceptionally well. "Zenna… I was just-
"Making plans with the losers?" the strikingly beautiful girl said as she flitted her hair and approached the group. "Certainly you didn't just invite them to the base party."
"As a matter of fact I did," Kaino replied with his voice tinted a healthy mix of annoyance, embarrassment, and anger.
Caerlise frowned as the girl stepped in between her and Kaino.
"Heh! Well I suppose the military is trying to appeal to certain classes of people more and more these days. Isn't that right? Sear-lease Alna?" She turned and addressed the brunette, condescendingly over-pronouncing her name. In an instant, the blonde took in Alna's her full attire. She didn't say a word; her haughty expression was more than enough.
"Zenna, that's-
"You'll be late if you don't hurry back to the base, Ensign Kaino." The girl didn't even look his way as she barked the veiled order flatly. The way she spoke was jarringly seductive like razor-edged glass, quite the opposite of Caerlise's own defiantly confident and spicy voice
Kaino's expression bled annoyance. He shook his head and gave Jidane a playfully rough slap on the shoulder. "Don't forget guys… 7'oclock!" With a quick upward nod, he turned and departed, avoiding the gaze of his Superior.
"We'll be there!" Jidane replied, turning his attention to the stuck up girl, "you can count on it." Zenna Renault gave a curt crooked grin of sarcasm and a nod Jidane's way, her eyes never leaving their lock on Caerlise's. Her grin quickly faded.
"All three of you should know you're not welcomed at the base. Kaino's only being polite to show the graces of the Military."
"Right and you would know all about grace, wouldn't you?" Lise challenged, stepping closer.
"Oh I definitely would. But that's neither here nor there. Normally civilians aren't even allowed on base. You know… so many dangerous weapons and… vehicles and all…"
"Go eat a di-
"Classless to the end, aren't you, Alna. Filthy-
The brunette raised a fist, quick as lightning, to plow her right in the face-
"Lise!" Jidane shouted loudly, drawing the hotshot's attention. "She's a marked officer…"
Kyrie held her hands in tight fists by her side. Deep inside she wanted to lash out and teach the uppity antagonist a thing or two… but her timid heart kept her emotions grounded. Her sapphire blue eyes darted between the three adolescents; she felt powerless to do anything.
Caerlise gritted her teeth and lowered her gloved fist.
"Hmph!" the blonde sounded flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder with a curt toss of her head. She hadn't flinched one bit. "Just to set the record straight, it was Kaino's flag that you saw that night."
"What?" Caerlise's eyes flashed wide. Just as quickly, her brow furrowed.
"Yeah… how romantic isn't it? See, I'm head point for Kaino's Flag Unit, Valiant-Garde. Looks like we'll be sticking together quite a bit from now on," she stated, slathering her words with hubristic malice.
"Well… guess that explains a lot then," Caerlise started with a cocky grin of defiance, "always chasing after people better than you… sure explains why you took off after him that night."
It was Renault's turn to fume. "Tcht!" She turned and walked away. "You're best off not showing face anywhere near the party. I swear you will regret it," she said, well within earshot of the trio. "Class means a lot in today's new-age society… and you three are severely lacking!"
"Kiss my ass, rich bitch!" Lise shouted back heatedly, watching the girl continue on her way.
Zenna's eyes darkened as she walked quicker on to catch up with Kaino. "You piece of trash… one day I'll kill you. I swear to God… I'll kill you… and your little shit friends…" Her voice had such a sinister and cold edge to it. Despite her status, such genuine thoughts of hatred and spite coursed rampantly though her core being.
Jidane watched as the stunning blonde faded out of sight, looking back at Kyrie who was visibly shaken. He put a warm hand on the girl's shoulder, his eyes softening. "Don't pay her any attention. She's all hot air! Hasn't 4 years taught you that?" Jidane looked over at the fuming Brunette. "Right Lise?"
Caerlise gritted her teeth, her gloved fists clenched tightly. The girl let loose a defiant shout of anger, turning to deliver a diamond splitting kick the boy's shin.
_..._
-...-
The threesome walked, and limped, down the dark streets to Kyrie's apartment. First stop on the Trio's walk home. For such a timid girl, Kyrie lived by herself in a small apartment in a fairly slummy part of the city; Jidane himself lived alone, just a few blocks further down. Out of the three, Caerlise perhaps had it best as she stayed with the kindhearted Dr. Rebeccah Castle in her larger apartment a few blocks beyond Jidane's modest bachelor pad. The good Doctor made a decent living working with cybernetic prosthetics. With the cybernetic market now on the slight incline thanks to increasingly expensive cellular regeneration options, Dr. Castle made sure to keep Caerlise in tip top shape… when she wasn't busy placing rush orders for the girl's cybernetic part replacements. In return, Lise would man the front desk of her small self-owned practice in the shopping plaza nearby.
The Brunette was still visibly angry about the earlier altercation with the "Blonde Bitch" she kept referring to. Kyrie still seemed uneasy and Jidane was making noble due with his freshly bruised leg.
"Goddammit!" Lise shouted angrily at no one in particular.
"Gaah!" Jidane jumped hard, only hurting his tender leg 3 fold. "Caerlise curb your freakin' rage! We're just innocent bystanders when you flip out! Jeez…"
"Yeah yeah sorry 'bout that… It's just that… GRAAAH!" She punched the air before her, "what the hell is her deal anyway? I barely knew the bitch back in middle school and she up and hated me! Grrr… that's one thing I can't stand!"
"What's that?" Kyrie asked timidly. She hated seeing her friend of 4 years like this. The trio was nearing an alley way. "Look guys, ya know, we're almost to my place, so why don't we all just-
"Ignorant fucks! You know what I mean? Small minded people who are just prejudiced from the get go! Even if they've got their own reason, they don't explain a damn thing but still just keep goin' forward with that…stupidity! I can't fucking stand that! I mean seriously, even if she'd just tell-
BAMF!
Lise tumbled backwards as Jidane skillfully dodged to the side, cupping his leg once again in pain.
"Oh god Lise!" Kyrie shouted in surprise as a dark object collided with the Brunette, knocking them both flat.
Lise was up in a flash, her eyes on livid rage. "Watch where you're goin' ya dumbass!" she shouted, kicking the mound of flesh that bumped into her. It emitted a rather emasculated yelp, only fueling Caerlise's rage. "Get up ya-
"Please don't hurt me!" the mound shouted back as it scurried backwards, by chance dodging another skillful kick from the livid brown-eyed girl. The unknown boy stumbled and fell on his backside, muttering obscenities. Caerlise stomped one foot on his chest, her face comically lacking mercy.
"I'm gonna hurt you all I want… because you're not WATCHIN' WHERE YOU'RE-
"There he is! The little PUNK!"
"C'mon guys let's kill the little SHIT!"
The trio looked up to see a gang of burly men storming out of another side alleyway further ahead, drawing guns and baseball bats.
"Omigod!" Kyrie shouted, her eyes wide in fear.
"Ahh hell!" Jidane stammered, his adrenaline coursing through him as he saw the lead hooligan with the gun point straight at him.
BAGOOM!
From behind the thugs, belching fire erupted LOUDLY, knocking everyone backwards. The heat from the blast was-
BAGOOOM! OMMMMM!
A second, and third blast!
The taller girl shielded the snow head from the heat as more and more explosions sounded vigorously all about, ripping everyone's eardrums. "WHAT THE HELL'S GOIN ON HERE-
All about, the already pot hole ridden streets buckled and cave in with a resounding tumult of one thousand earthquakes, silencing everyone's screams and shouts in an instant.
_..._
-...-
All she could see was white.
The purest white…
So this must be the afterlife. Was heaven… really this white?
"Lise!" The snow haired girl quickly pulled Caerlise's skirt from over the Brunette's own head, revealing the bright white light of the underground cavern.
Caerlise blinked hard, her dirty and scratched face contorting in the intense light. "What… the hell-
COUGH!
"Jidane!" Kyrie shouted as she looked back and motioned for Lise to "stay put," stumbling over to the recovering boy. Lise blinked hard, dust and smoke everywhere. "…What… the hell?" she muttered, gingerly picking herself up. Her lungs burst into painful fire and she breathed in. The girl coughed hard, doubling over from the pain. She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, plowing through the pain of the hard landing she must have taken. She winced and forced her body to stand fully upright. Lise's mouth immediately salivated; she knew what would come next. Mustering every ounce of mental strength she could, the girl willed away the nausea caused from the pain. The youth took several more deep breaths, finally regaining control over her athletic body. She peered about their lit surroundings, her mind fully puzzled. "Where the hell are we?" She looked forward at the prostrate boy before her, clad in black. "YOU!" With a near instant renewed vigor Lise delivered a swift kick to his crotch "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?"
With a defeated groan, the boy regained consciousness instantly. Writhing in agony, Caerlise only glared at him with disdain. In the distance she could barely make out the mangled bodies of the thugs from earlier.
"Uhh… T-Thanks Kyrie," Jidane stammered as the duo walked over to Lise and the stranger. "Just what the hell happened?" Jidane asked, sporting a walnut sized bump on his bruised head.
"No idea, but this joker must know SOMETHING!" Caerlise punctuated with a foot slam to the chest. "What the hell just happened here? Where are we?"
The boy coughed hard, catching his bearings. "I-I… I dunno nothin'!"
"WRONG ANSWER!" Caerlise shouted, slamming her foot down on his chest again.
"Lise! Calm down!" Jidane snapped as he swooned.
The bleach haired girl beside him quickly held him aloft, struggling to maintain their combined footing on the loose rubble. The short girl dug down deep, finally keeping them both steady. She looked back and forth between Jidane and Caerlise, her eyes filled with deep concern. "What are we supposed to do? What just happened!"
"Don't cry we'll get outta this mess," Lise replied confidently, looking at the boy underfoot. "Once this guy starts talking!"
Jidane's mind churned ravenously as he looked around at the lit cavern. "Fluorescent lighting? Why underground?" "Hey Lise… ever take the subway?"
"The Subway's been closed down for a couple hundred years by now. Trust me, I thought the same thing," the girl started as she bent down and hauled the black clad man to his feet. "Alrighty now. Let's start with a name. SPILL IT!"
"HEY! Ugg… Lemme go!"
Caerlise's eyes glared wide, her chin furrowing in anger.
"The name's Akio! Akio Tanaka! Jeez lemme go!"
"Aki…o?" Kyrie repeated in surprise.
"… Huh…?" Caerlise grunted flatly. Her face reared back and contorted in annoyed skepticism instantly. "That supposed to be some kinda joke? You're as white as I am!" She looked at his flaming red hair, "and you're a freakin carrot top!"
"So what? I'm Akio Tanaka! Leader of the Naraku Gang!"
Lise's expression was a semi-wide eyed mixture of pure disgust, embarrassment, and dumbfounded disbelief.
All in equal portions.
"The Naraku Gang?" Jidane and Kyrie exchanged unconvinced glances.
"…The hell? What you think you're some kinda ninja or somethin'?" Lise interrogated, hoisting the guy up higher. For a girl with her athletic volleyball build, she was even stronger than she looked.
The boy snorted in grave offense. "Please! Ninjas aren't expert pyro-technicians!"
"So you DID cause all this! Goddamn you!" The brunette reared back a fist.
"NO PLEASE DON'T!"
The way how he screamed in terror drew an almost comically blank expression from Caerlise. "…Seriously…"
"Wait so you caused those explosions earlier?" Kyrie asked, her face awash with unease.
"Yeah thanks! My eardrums are begging for more you idiot!" Jidane interjected, slowly letting go of the snow head. Finally he had collected his full bearings.
"Heh! So you liked the show, eh?" Akio looked down at the girl's attire who held him up. "Nice skirt!"
"Alright jackass, no more snide remarks, otherwise you'll be just like your buddies over there!" Lise shouted angrily. She heard Kyrie give a gasp of surprise as she herself winced. Stupid! She had hoped to spare her friend the sight…
"Heh! Those Long Island Enders didn't stand a chance! I didn't mean for you guys to get involved. Gang wars are pretty hardcore stuff, or haven't you realized?"
"Yeah, it's all over the news… LIEs and the Loose are always at each other's throats… but I never heard of this "Naraku" Gang," Jidane said as he stumbled over the rubble to take Lise's hands off the boy. "Naraku… that's Japanese isn't it?"
"Yeah man, good ear! 'Mean's 'Hell.' It's a new one I'm starting up-
"Look you don't just start up a gang. Especially with heavy explosives!" Lise shot back as she reluctantly let the boy stand on his own two feet.
Akio gave a defiant grin, his spiky red hair glinting in the light. "Listen up, Kitty Cat!" The boy thrust a defiant fist high into the air. "Once the world hears about the inextinguishable and unrelenting Fire of the Naraku gang, people from all over will be just beggin' to join up! And I'll be the leader! Akio Tanaka! The Fearsome and Immortal, Eternally Badass Boss of The Naraku-
A SWIFT punch to the face quickly quieted his tirade.
"The FUCK'RE YOU TALKIN' ABOUT?" Lise had just about enough. "Check that weeaboo shit at the door, man! YOU'RE NOT FREAKIN' JAPANESE." Her honey brown eyes glared at the boy with sublime amazement at his level of sheer idiocy. She shook her head as a threatening laugh escaped her mouth, "And I swear to God if you ever call me Kitty Ca-
"Lise!" Jidane quickly interrupted the two.
"Lise…" Kyrie saw the frustration in the girl's eyes. She could tell just how worried Caerlise really was about the situation. It went beyond the anger she displayed…
"Hey wait, w-what did you just call me?" the reeling boy demanded.
"I just called your stupid bluff! Stop being a poser and get real! You just bombed a hugeass hole in the middle of fucking Los Angeles!" She motioned to say something further but stopped. The brown-eyed girl paused and drew in closer, with a demanding, menacing look"…Just where the hell did you get so many explosives anyhow?"
The boy stood up, holding the swollen side of his face, "Man it was awesome! I hit this military depot downtown like a week ago. 'Jacked a Fed heavy truck and made a clean getaway! Haha, man shit was SO cash! I creamed some dude on a rotorcycle! Bastard's ride was totaled for sure!"
"You honestly have no problems being so damn cocky do you?" Jidane shouted. He was seriously annoyed by this "Akio's" strange antics. The dark skinned boy looked over at Caerlise, her expression reminiscent of a God of Death.
"… Lise!"
_..._
-...-
The trio-plus-one walked down the wide lit corridor in relative silence. No one had any idea where they were, let alone how to get out. Lise walked behind Akio, who now sported two swollen cheeks, with her bare arms behind her head, trying in vain to come up with an escape plan. She had her biker jacket tied about her skirted waist as sweat ran down her toned arms.
"Temp's rising… damn…" Jidane unbuttoned another step in his now untucked shirt as he fiddled with his cell phone. "Still no GPS… guess I'm not surprised…" He noted the time. "5 in the morning… how long were we all out for?" he thought. He looked over at Kyrie whose cheeks were now a bright rose. She had long lost her book bag, and her usually manageable white hair was sweat matted against her forehead and temples. He smiled at her and touched her hand. "It'll be okay… no worries, right?"
Kyrie smiled at him and pushed her small rectangular glasses back up her sweaty nose. "I'm just a little concerned that's all… this is all so…
"I know… If this IS the old subway system, it should have been cemented off two centuries ago… none of this makes sense.
"And we're going on a decline… but it's getting warmer," Kyrie added. "Maybe this is an underground military base?"
"Hmmm… if it is, the EF sure did a good job of keeping it secret. What's that up ahead?" Jidane looked to see a solid metal wall a few meters in front of the group. "This is definitely Military or something."
"What the heck? Is that a door?" Caerlise stepped forward, brushing past Akio
"Hey lady… I seriously didn't know that was you on that bike-
"Shut it!" she punctuated with a sharp elbow to his bruised (and perhaps broken) ribs. The boy only yelped in response.
The group neared the giant blast doors with collective awe.
"No EF markings anywhere…" Jidane started as he looked over the massive door. "There're aren't even old Union identification markings either..."
Kyrie moved over to a dusty control panel. "The power to this terminal is still on… Wow…"
"What's up chick?" Caerlise asked as she walked up to the white haired girl. She looked over the panel, recognizing a few of the possible command strokes.
"This is so old! Look at the technology… physical QWERTY keyboards... Super basic retinal biometrics…
"Yeah it looks like it…" Lise met the girl's surprised look. "Hey now, I use computers too ya know!" she laughed with a playful shoulder shove.
Kyrie smiled, her heart slowly returning at ease. There was something about Caerlise that always calmed her. Sure she was as hot-blooded as they come… but when it came down to protecting her friends, there was no surer, no more dependable friend than Lise.
"Think you can get it opened?" Jidane asked as he looked over the keyboard layout.
"I can try," Kyrie nodded.
"Uh… hey guys? I don't think this is Earth Federation stuff here, guys…" Akio reeled backwards as he took in the full height of the door.
"Yeah we know!" Lise retorted. She turned her head back to Kyrie. "Let's see you work your magic!"
"Okay… hmmm…" the girl thought for a moment. "Since it might not be military, lemme start with a zero format code…" She reached out for the key panel and thumbed a few key strokes. "Looks like the monitor's toast." She looked up at the retinal scanner. "Maybe I can-
Multiple shots to the body and arms.
A single gunshot to the abdomen.
Opening a large door.
The battle field… Space.
Dappled enemies.
Large beam blasts.
The battle field… Earth.
Numerous explosions.
That man's coolly sinister look.
Pointing a gun at the man.
A fancy banquet.
"Kyrie!"
The girl snapped conscious at the sound of her name by a female, the acrid odor of burnt ozone drilling deep into her nostrils. "…Wha…"
"Thank god you're okay!" Jidane said with relief. "You took one heck of a system shock!"
"… Wha…"
"Stop talking now. Jesus don't you ever scare me like that again!" Lise said with a sigh of relief. "Good news is you got that door opened!"
"Man she okay? That's good…" Akio's face popped into her field of vision. "Man, you were out for like, 15 minutes!"
Kyrie's eyes swam over to the boy. She could tell from the look in his eyes, he was honestly concerned… he just showed it in his own strange way. Her vision floated over to noted Caerlise's perturbed expression.
"We're down here because of you, so back the hell off alright?" Lise shook her head and pursed her lips
Kyrie watched Lise's angry eyes burn with fire. She loved it. It was something she so badly wished she could emulate. Not the anger… but the passion… She watched as Caerlise looked away from the redhead and met her gaze, with softer eyes. Cradled in her arms, Kyrie felt a genuine sense of care and protection. One day…
One day, she hoped to return such kindness and dedication, in her own little way.
Kyrie stirred and slowly sat up, Lise helping her along the way. "Ya got it?"
"Y-Yeah… I'm okay…" Kyrie eyed the fried control terminal on her ascent. "Well I knew I was a decent hacker, but… haha wow!"
"Yeah, you're definitely alright!" Jidane said with a chuckle as the group continued on through the now cracked doors and into a large underground hangar.
Their collective exclamations were out of this world. Everywhere there was a fine layer of dust and debris from times long forgotten. In the very center of the hangar sat a majestic carrier ship. White and silver yet adorned with dust and sediment.
"What… the hell?" Caerlise stopped in her tracks and took in the sheer size of the aerial ship. Long and arrowhead in shape the rear conical thruster nacelles screamed of an odd blend of archaic yet modern technology.
"No way! This is a… oh WOW!" Jidane dashed forward taking in the ship's dimensions. "It can't be! This looks like a stripped and scaled down model of… oh my god! This-
The boy continued about his awestruck tirade as Lise looked around the room, her eyes falling on a white and silver giant, propped against the far wall slumped over on its side. "What the hell… That's-
"A mobile suit?" Kyrie finished. It definitely was.
"Holy shit! That ain't no normal Mobile Suit!" Akio shouted in surprise as he dashed over towards the fallen 18 meter tall machine.
"That's-
"A Gundam… huh…" Caerlise's eyes slowly narrowed as she tried to keep her awe in check. Why the hell was a mobile suit like that down in a strange place like this?
The girl blinked rapidly. She remembered well the TV splashes and the articles about the "Gundam" mobile suits used by the "anti-conflict" group "Celestial Being." It was little more than a year since Celestial Being seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth.
"Heh…" Jidane was caught in his own world. He read the dust encrusted nameplate on the side of the ship "Pythagoras?" He grinned wide, taking it all in. Without a doubt, the ship design, the canonical drive array in the rear… everything… "I can't believe… HEY GUYS! I THINK THIS SHIP BELONGS TO CELEStial…" his voice trailed off as he looked back at the trio who was gathered about the fallen Gundam Mobile Suit. "No way!"
"Man would you take a look at this thing? SO SWEET! Oh WOW!" Akio scrambled atop the mobile weapon, checking out its silver and white color scheme.
Caerlise stood her ground, shaking her head in disbelief. "What the hell is this all about? This place looks like it's been abandoned for years… centuries even!"
"I… I-I don't understand any of this…" Kyrie started, taking it all in. "This… we shouldn't be-
A young boy. A fist that must have been hers, punched him.
A confident man's kind gaze.
That man's lips mouthing words of advice.
"Whoaa Kyrie!" Lise caught her friend who stumbled forward. "Babe, what's going on with you?" the girl asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
"I-I… I-
"Kyrie! What's going on?" Jidane shouted as he placed his hand on her back. He grinned "Yeah it's a lot to take in at once, isn't it?" he asked, assuming she was just overwhelmed. "Guys I think all of this stuff, I mean all of it, is from Celestial Being!"
"Yeah I sorta got that what with there being a huge-ass ship and a Gundam sitting in here," Lise replied back sarcastically.
In a clearly conditioned response, Jidane only looked at her in the way a sibling would, to call out another sibling on their unnecessary attitude.
"No seriously. It's literally sitting down. Like, right here, on its ass." She motioned behind her with a flick of the thumb. Her sarcasm was on full blast, but it was because of the tense situation. She couldn't care less about a ship, or even the Gundam. The big issue was that her friend wasn't 100% healthy.
"Well first we need to get K and ourselves outta here," Jidane started. He looked up to see Akio still fawning over the mobile suit. "C'mon we're leaving!"
"LEAVING? This is a freakin' Gundam man, we can't leave it! Imagine what this thing'd do for Naraku's image!"
"We'll come back dumbass! We need to get outta here first and contact the EF later! This is a super important find-
"Dude YEAH? The Feds'll just take this all away from us! This is officially no longer Celestial Being's stuff! I, Akio Tanaka of the Naraku Gang hereby claim that Space Ship and this Mobile Suit as property of Naraku!"
"… God, whatever," Jidane muttered as he and Caerlise gingerly helped Kyrie move forward.
"Atta girl!" Lise encouraged with a smile. She met her friend's timid, sickly gaze, "Just a little more then we'll rest once we're out of this pla-
RATTA TATTA TATTA-BAGOOOOOM!
The hangar doors pimpled from machinegun rounds and exploded inward with a sudden hot rush of fire.
A blue and white Earth Federation Flag swooped inside the hangar and transformed into MS mode with a resounding symphony of gears and struts moaning and groaning.
THIS IS THE MILLITARY POLICE! LAY DOWN ALL WEAPONS AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!
Kyrie shouted out in surprise, the sudden explosion and presence of the menacing Flag was too much for her. The girl's terrified expression quickly faded when her eyes rolled back and her body fell limp. She was out cold.
"Shit! What the HELL'S GOING ON NOW?" Lise shouted angrily as the Flag flashed its blinder flood lamp on the quartet. The deafening roar of the Flag's power plant ravaged their ear drums.
Jidane cursed loudly as his vision blanked out. He stumbled, accidentally dragging Kyrie down with him. "KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!" he shouted over the noise as a second Flag Fighter boosted loudly into the bay, already in MS mode.
"Guess we got 'em cornered now!" Kaino said with a grin. "Damn gangs… they're getting awful brave to wipe out an entire city block…"
"Ensign Jenesis! Is that what I think it is?" the com squawked. Kaino took in the white and silver mobile suit with a sense of awe. A smaller dedicated video-window popped up on the cockpit monitor screen, showing a magnified image of the silent white sentinel. "A… Gundam!" he whispered.
"Is that a Gundam Mobile Suit?" the female co-pilot started in surprise. Kaino looked over at Ensign Renault who sat in the cockpit pod beside him.
"No mistake about it," he replied. For some reason he wished the new redesign of the Flag retained the single-seater cockpit type, especially in the presence of this hotly discussed Gundam mobile suit type. "So this must be where Celestial Being's been hiding out… what?"
He zoomed in his monitor to see the group of gang members with astonishment. "Is that… Caerlise? And Jidane and Kyrie too? Why are-
"Shoot them!" Zenna said flatly, her eyes widening. Her mind was elsewhere at the moment…
"What? They're just innocent civilians-
"I SAID SHOOT THEM, THAT'S AN ORDER!"
The first Flag leveled its bull pup machine gun at the group.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE ENSIGN!" Kaino shouted into the com, he eyes in pure shock. "Zenna what the hell's gotten into you-
"Ensign Jenesis, you are violating a direct order from your superior officer! I was given lead, and my orders are what you are to follow! I said SHOOT THE RENEGADE GANG MEMBERS NOW!"
"I will NOT! Those are our classmates-
"Ensign Spencer!" Zenna glared at Kaino while she spoke over the com channel.
"Yes ma'am!"
"… Open fire on Ensign Kaino's Flag."
"What? What are you-
"Do WHAT ma'am?"
"I said… open fire and destroy Ensign Kaino's mobile suit. Follow the order or I will have you court marshaled!"
"B-but ma'am I-
With a stern look, Zenna switched off the communications link. "Well?"
"You're insane!" Kaino retorted, his eyes full of shock and awe. He had no idea Zenna's hatred towards his fellow classmates would ever go this far.
"Your evaluation means nothing to me, Ensign Jenesis. I gave you a direct order and you disobeyed. Must I remind you that the cockpit recorders are always running?"
Kaino set his glare, stealing a glance out his monitor at the Flag Fighter leveling its gun at the Flag's cockpit.
"Unlike you, I'm unafraid to die for my ideals. Either you kill them, or he kills us. And I'm sure I don't have to paint a picture… but "us" includes "you." Which is more important?" Her beautiful grey eyes had a far off, sadistic darkness to them, "Your life, or your ideals?"
Kaino's sweat dripped down his temples. "Life or ideals? Are you serious?" The cockpit was suddenly awash with red photons indicating a lock on.
Zenna only glared back, shaking her head as her hand danced across the auxiliary control panel. "Now I have control." With that, the separating blast door snapped shut between them, leaving him and her to their own devices.
The flag signaled an optical "Stand down" command, to Ensign Spencer, and turned to the civilians crowded around the mobile suit. "I said I would kill you," Zenna whispered, her hands shaking on the control sticks.
She could see her beloved father, just as he always was. Kind… gentle…
"I said one day I would kill you all…" she whispered.
She could see the funeral procession. The casket draped with military decorations and honors…
"I'm gonna kill you… and those little SHIT friends of yours…" she whispered. Her fingers trembled on the trigger. Her eyes blinked instinctively as the pounding on the blast door beside her fought to draw her attention. Kaino was trying desperately to dissuade her any way he could.
She could see her father's face at the military wake. Just as he always was. Kind… gentle…
"I swore… I'D KILL YOU ALL!" she shouted as she closed her eyes and pulled hard on the trigger.
"GET DOWN!" Caerlise shouted as a rain of machine gun fire cascaded upon them like hellfire from heaven. Unrelenting, the kids could feel the swathing vacuum of air caused by the careening shells overhead. As round after round ripped through the ether, the entire room heated up quickly.
After what seemed like an eternity, the rain stopped…
Kaino saw in horror the bullet riddled far wall.
No casualties.
He swallowed hard, unable to comprehend the actions of his commander. With a loud shout he punched the blast door repeatedly "ZENNA! IS THIS SOME SICK JOKE? ZENNA!"
Caerlise raised her head slowly, hearing the oversized bullet casings rolling around on the dusty ground. She looked to her side to see Jidane quaking with fear. The still unconscious Kyrie looked as if she could be dead. Lise motioned to shout but no words came out.
"Go to the ship! Take cover inside it if you can!" That's what she wanted to say.
No words.
Too much fear…
Too little courage…
Her eyes were moist. Moist with tears.
She was crying.
The girl gritted her teeth, seething in anger. She was so angry. Angry with herself. It was like she was back in middle school all over again. The terrorist attack; the explosion.
The look of fear on Jidane's young face.
At the present moment in time, she was lacking something. She lacked courage.
The courage she felt all those years ago.
That burning, hot-blooded surge of power.
The Guts to do what she knew she had to.
The determination that even if she were to die… she would still somehow find a way to live.
She needed that feeling. Right there, right now.
She lost nearly all her limbs that day, many years ago.
She lost them because she had that "courage."
She had that "guts."
She had that "hot blood."
She had it?
She STILL had it.
"JIDANE!" Caerlise let loose a powerful shout, barely audible above the roar of the twin Flags standing before them. She looked over at her lifelong friend. "MOVE YOUR ASS! GET KYRIE OUTTA HERE!"
The boy was startled by the shout, but looked to see the burning vigor in her eyes. Instantly he recalled that same look from years ago. He remembered the energy that look gave him to press on and to survive.
"L-Lise-
"MOVE!" she shouted as the ground beneath her shook and trembled.
With almost psychic timing, the hangar was awash with blue particles of light, swarming all about like billions upon billions of blue fireflies. The unrelenting swirling typhoon of blue particles stirred up her sweaty hair and skirt. Caerlise stood up defiantly, her confident gaze locked sternly on her most precious friends.
It was the Gundam.
The mobile suit's legs budged and started to bend at the white knees as it tried to stand up.
Caerlise watched as Jidane gingerly rose as fast as he could, and half dragged the unconscious Kyrie over towards the hull of the Pythagoras. "That's it Jidane… take care of her!" she whispered. Through the spiral storm of blue, the girl turned her head towards the moving giant with an unshakeable look of conviction on her "badass," yet cute face.
THOOM!
The Gundam's foot crashed hard into the ground, nearly toppling her over. Lise flailed wildly as she grabbed hold of the foot's front which rose again and extended. The poor girl tumbled along the leg's hard smooth surface and crashed hard onto the "pelvis," grabbing hold of one of the white fin-like protrusions, hauling herself up and tumbling into the cockpit.
"HEY! OUTTA THE WAY DUMBASS!"
"THE HELL?" Caerlise barely righted herself as the cockpit blast doors slammed shut, throwing the duo into total darkness, save for the brightly glowing blue control panel. "Akio! You idiot you were in here the whole time?"
"Hell yeah, what'd you think it was moving on its own- OHH! GODDOMMOT!"
Caerlise would admit to anyone that it felt great to sock the idiot one good, right in the nose, at a time like that. The boy cupped his hands about his face, muffling his stream of obscenities. Both of their attentions were drawn to the lit view screens which provided a near 270 degree field of vision before, around, above, and below them. "It's standing up!" the boy shouted in awe.
Lise kept a cool head. "Of course it is. It's all controlled by the software!" she replied. She actually did know a thing or two about mobile suits.
Jidane knelt below the front entry hatch of the Pythagoras, cradling the gradually coming-to girl in his arms. He looked back through the bevy of blue particles at the slowly rising white Giant with wide eyes..
Kyrie's eyes slowly fluttered open to see the white giant hoisting itself to its feet. The swarm of blue light particles caused a slight undulating headache behind her eyes, yet even so, her gorgeous blue eyes opened up wide to watch the Gundam's pressure regulators belch loudly with air, further swirling the torrent of blue scattered light. "I can't… believe it…"
The Gundam slowly rose to its full 18 meter height. Its head skillfully lifted up to face its enemies as the swirling hum from the canonical power drive connected on its back brimmed at critical power. With a resounding call of duty, the Gundam's eyes sweltered a deep azure.
"My God!" Spencer shouted. He leveled his gun at the white bastard as the flood of blue particles continued
Kaino stared at the white and silver mobile suit with reverent awe… as if he were staring into the eyes of God himself.
The Brunette girl's eyes flashed open wide. "Shit he's gonna shoot-
"OUTTA THE WAY LADY! LET A MAN HANDLE THIS!" Akio shouted as he shoved Lise out from the seat.
"HEY!" She was cut off by the sudden hail of bullets to the MS they were both in. The jarring vibrations dug deep into her teeth and gums painfully as she felt every microsecond of every vibration sear through her bones, prosthetic and all.
The Gundam faltered back as its body splayed bullets left and right, the hellfire striking it hard in the face and torso.
RATTA TATTA TATTA TAT-click click click!
Akio managed to right himself up with a determined laugh. "Haha! He's out! Now it's my turn! Not a scratch on me!" The boy depressed the foot pedals and grabbed the control sticks as he…
…
There were no foot pedals.
There were no control sticks.
Only exposed wires and circuit board where the implements SHOULD have been.
"W-what the Hell?" the boy shouted in surprise "W-wha wha I-I dunno what to do! WHAT THE HELL DO WE DO?" he asked the girl hysterically.
"SHUT THE HELL UP FIRST OFF!" the girl shouted as she punched him in the nose yet again and grabbed him by the collar of his black shirt. She rudely ejected him from the seat to take his position and quickly buckled herself in. The entire time she had done a quick scan of the control panel.
No movement input whatsoever, but everything else was 100% intact.
Random repair tools strewn everywhere.
Barely out of sight near where the sticks should be and below near the absent foot pedals were two I/O sockets for repair machines to perform diagnostic testing and direct hardware control.
The girl grabbed a Phillips head screwdriver and hoisted up her skirt. She gritted her teeth smiling in thought "Sorry Doc…!"
Caerlise stabbed herself HARD in the thigh repeatedly in a line, fighting back the nauseating pain. Lucky for her, the girl's cybernetic parts were equipped with an automatic nerve deadening system in the event of catastrophic failure. It had spared her quite a bit of grief from her bike spill the week before, and this certainly wouldn't be the last time.
She stuck her hand deep into the perforated incision, past the artificial organic muscle and blood and pulled out an I/O connector cable. "Plug this in down there!" she barked to Akio who starred in horror. "JUST DO IT!"
She stabbed the back of her right hand and drew the screwdriver hard across the flesh to rip a decent sized rough incision as the boy plugged in the socket below. She pulled out another I/O connector from the back of her exposed hand and plugged it into the socket near the control panel.
"Alright!" She eyed the Flag as it reloaded and took aim once again, raining bullets on the duo. With just a thought, the Gundam's left arm swung up and deflected the bullets with the hard-mounted medium tactical shield. "I think YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH!" Lise shouted as the Gundam boosted forward with a haze of blue particles. "HANG ON!" she shouted as the two mobile suits collided with each other, the Gundam slamming the Flag hard into the opposite wall. The Gundam's white finned head crashed hard into the Flag's own, cracking the enemy's main monitor.
"DAMMIT! It's fighting back! I need help!" the Flag pilot screamed.
Kaino slammed his control panel. There wasn't anything he could do! All control was taken by his co-pilot. "DAMMIT ZENNA!"
The Gundam's eyes flashed as it drew back in a swarm of blue. Caerlise eyed the weapons readout on the far left side of the forward wrap-around monitor. "Forearm Vulcans…!" The girl raised her right arm and with gritted teeth formed a tight fist with her mangled right hand. "EAT THIS!" From a streamlined canon mounted on the arm, Vulcan fire rained on the hapless Flag, riddling its slender body relentlessly, shredding holes clean through the cockpit. Defeated, the once proud Flag fell limp against the crater in the wall.
Lifeless.
"ONE DOWN!-
"GUNDAM!"
Caerlise's eyes widened at the sound of the enemy voice across the com channel. "… Zenna?"
Zenna's eyes widened in anger and astonishment.
That trash!
That lowly… TRASH!
How was it she was in a superior mobile suit?
That…
"TRASH!" the com shouted as the flag bolted forward and made a short aerial hop, kicking out a slender leg at the white mobile suit.
The Gundam's head racked up hard as it staggered backwards, its precision auto balance systems doing their job well. The conical drive behind it belched more blue particles as the machine regained its composure, eying the UN Flag toss aside it's ranged weapon.
"I'LL KILL YOU SO HELP ME GOD!" Zenna shouted as the Flag ignited its plasma-progressive knife and blasted forward, colliding hard with the Gundam.
Lise swore and barely commanded the Gundam to grab the Flag's wrist, keeping the dual beam and physical weapon at bay high in the air. "HEY!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM ANYWAY? YOU JUST SHOT AT-
Zenna shut off the communications link once again. Even her hair seemed on livid end. "Daddy I'll kill them, Daddy I'll kill them, Daddy I'll kill them, Daddy I'll kill them, Daddy I'll kill them, Daddy I'll kill them, Daddy I'll kill them…
Daddy…
"I'LL KILL THEM ALL!"
The Flag swung it's free fist at the Gundam's cockpit-
In mid-swing, a blazing pink pillar of plasma sliced clean through the Flag's arm as the Gundam blasted forward, pinning the one armed Flag against the remains of its comrade. The Beam saber it held crackled ravenously down at its side and gently extinguished.
Lise's eyes were wide at the sheer destructive power that was literally at her fingertips; her breathing was fast and shallow and the adrenaline high was purely intoxicating. She couldn't even recall fully how the Mobile Suit deployed the beam weapon in the first place. Such… power…
Caerlise's sudden awareness of her breathing rate slammed into her. The girl blinked hard and closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. She knew she had hotblood, but she also knew how to keep her wits about her when it truly mattered.
The girl's gaze snapped back up and forward at the 270 degree monitor. She couldn't have cared less even if she had been behind the wheel of a go-kart at this very moment. She still would do whatever it took to keep her precious loved ones safe.
Gundam or no Gundam. It made no difference, and she wasn't going to back down.
The white bastard slammed its crowned head into the Flag's own, gentler this time, opening static touch communications.
"Zenna! I know that's you, don't hide! What the hell's going on? You opened fire on us! We're civilians! We're your fellow CLASSMATES!"
Kaino could hear every word Caerlise spoke, but he was unable to respond. "I can't believe that hotheaded girl is behind that thing!" he exclaimed. "… So I'm gonna die at her hands…" he grinned despite the situation. How ironic, considering how he felt about her…
"You're my FELLOW classmates?" Zenna retorted irately. "That implies we're EQUALS!" her bared teeth seethed with a near genetic hatred. "You all are nothing but TRASH TO ME!"
Lise sneered as the Gundam clamped its hand tighter, snapping the Flag's metal bound wrist. The melee weapon it held died out and clattered to the ground. "Awful big words coming from someone who's beaten!"
Zenna's brow furrowed, her anger and frustration reaching their climax. "Nothing but TRASH! Do you realize the sheer quality of life that was WASTED ON YOU? YOU AND YOUR LITTLE SHITS?"
Communications ended abruptly when the Gundam buried the reignited beam saber, to the hilt, in the Flag's head. Before the beam even touched metal, the Flag's head warbled and sagged from the intense heat with a cowardly grace. In a swarm of blue, the Gundam slid backwards and leveled the forearm Vulcan once again-
BARZAMM!
Lise's eyes snapped over to the far left of the wide view monitor at the ship whose conical drives were brimming the same color blue as the Gundam's own. There was a rather large blast hole near the end of the hangar where there once stood twin shutters.
"Lise! They've got a swarm of Flags headed down below here! We're toast if we stay!"
"Jidane! We're civilian they'll understa-
"I really wish you thought that through BEFORE you destroyed TWO of their suits!"
Jidane's hands danced across the flight control panel of the Pythagoras. He was amazed at how old-school, yet up to date the technology was. It was remarkably easy for him to pilot. He looked over at Kyrie who sat with a semi frightened look on her face at the Navigation and Communications station. "Hang tight K, we'll get outta this mess!"
"I know!" she responded with doubt in her voice. "This is all so much though-
She felt emotion. Embarrassment and anger at a botched mission.
She felt emotion. Confusion as to what to make of new comrades.
She felt emotion. Determination to achieve the mission objective, no matter what.
"Just… try not to think about it!" he said with a forced, reassuring laugh, turning back around to the control deck.
Caerlise eyed the two wrecked MS and uttered a guttural sigh. Sure enough on the enemy counter numerous red blips were peppering the screen. "Time to husky-daddle outta here," she said as the Gundam turned and boosted over towards the opening rear hatch of the ship. She stole a glance back at the totaled Flags.
"…"
Her expression wasn't anger. It wasn't frustration.
It was worry. Worry and concern.
Not for the situation, per say...
It was for the pilot of that Flag. All that rage she heard in the person's voice. All that rage in her heart…
"…Zenna…"
Lise looked forward as the Gundam stepped hard into the large docking bay and walked forward. "Whoa!" she exclaimed as the Auto Systems took over and docked the MS in the center of the vast bay. She stole a look using the video monitors. Everywhere there were what seemed to be spare parts on automated assembly racks along the walls and floor. Green parts, red parts… up above was a weapons rack with long and short range weaponry, all sporting either a red or green color scheme. "Heh… I wonder…" the girl muttered as she pulled her hand I/O out of its socket, the action jarring her memory. "Hey Akio get that one from below would ya-
The dazed boy was out cold… his face right in between her legs with what could very well be a mouthful of her exposed periwinkle pink panties... and the goods behind them.
Caerlise's typically attractive, turned up nose flared widely as she breathed in deeply; her adrenaline high reignited in an instant.
"DUMBASS!"
_..._
-...-
The duo walked onto the bridge of the Pythagoras, both sweaty and bloody. Lise had ripped up her skirt and used the remains for a makeshift bandage for her leg and hand. She didn't extend the same hospitality to the bleeding redhead however.
"Caerlise! God what the hell happened?" Jidane exclaimed as he ran his fingers through his hair. His wide eyes took in the sheer sorry state his lifelong friend was in. "Ahh-
"Are you serious? Man you shoulda seen me right after I had that spill on my bike haha!" She punctuated her lighthearted joke by punching the redhead beside her hard in the back on the head. She was all smiles.
Jidane sighed heavily as he turned to look out the front of the ship. Plowing along the length of the dark tunnel, the map readouts listed them as being just past San Diego, headed west. "This entire ship is just crazy… everything about it is so intuitive and runs like a dream." He looked back her way. "And how did you learn to pilot a Mobile Suit like that? Not from me!" the boy laughed. The situation was so tense… it actually felt good to laugh.
"Yeah it's a long story, believe me-
GWOOOSH!
"And now we're in the Pacific Ocean… this is just unreal…" Jidane said as he turned to the map screen, eying the side windows of the bridge. All around was pitch black water… the pristine waters of the Pacific Ocean at early morning. All he could to was just shake his head. It had all happened so fast, it seemed second nature at the time… now the enormity of it all was finally settling in for the boy.
"The hell? We're under water?" Lise asked aloud as she peered out the side, taking in the black sight. The only illumination came from the Ship's powerful forward search lights.
"Hey man wow! This is super sweet isn't it?" the Redhead exclaimed with glee.
"No, it's not," Jidane said, ever the voice of annoyed reason. "For one, we're in a Celestial Being ship. Two, WE'RE IN A CELESTIAL BEING SHIP." The boy shook his head and ran a hand down his sweaty face. He paused for a moment, looking back at the duo. "Three, we're now enemies of the Earth Federation because we totaled two of their Mobile Suits." He turned to look at Akio, "So you know, I take that back. Yeah, this is pretty super fucking sweet," he finished, dripping with sarcasm.
"Four."
The trio looked over at Kyrie who leveled a small gun at the group.
"You've tampered with items and circumstances you have no business with," she said as a matter of fact.
"Kyrie! What the hell, chick?" Caerlise started as she took a step forward. "Stop playin' around-
The way Kyrie's deep blue eyes now glistened an eerie, otherworldly iridescent gold made everyone's heart stop.
"The only ones who have been playing are you three."
Jidane's brow twitched. She was acting so… cold… Those eyes…
Akio slowly raised his hands in surrender. He didn't know how crazy that woman could be…
"You there," Kyrie started, leveling the gun at Caerlise. "You were not authorized to pilot that mobile suit. State your name!"
Caerlise's honey brown eyes narrowed as she slowly held her hands up. Something wasn't right. Whoever that was pointing a gun at her… it wasn't Kyrie. She uttered a guttural sigh, answering with attitude. "The name's Caerlise Alna. Just who the hell are you?"
Kyrie's gaze never faltered. "My name is-
Tieria Erde."