Yo everybody. I'm back from my trip. Now originally, I had planned to have the rest of Mendel play out in this one chapter. But it grew too longer, so I've chopped it in two. With means, you'll wait one more chapter before I reveal the full extent of Chris's origin.
Oh, exia00, I could use your OC. But, I would prefer to be able to contact you privately, so we could hammer out the details quickly and without revealing any Destiny spoilers to the public. That's why I was insistent on you having a profile on the site. A FanFiction profile would be preferred, but an e-mail would be tolerable if you don't want to do the easy and sigh up for the site.
Phase Thirty: The Opening Door
Inside Mendel
The Buster, the Surge and the Neo Blitz landed. Across from them, the Duel landed as well. All four pilots climbed out of their machines. All of them were on edge, unsure of how this would play out. Dearka, Nicol, and Saul all hoped that it wouldn't come to violence. But before any of them could say anything, Yzak drew his sidearm and aimed it at them. His three former teammates tensed up. "Whoa there. There's no need for that, Yzak." Saul said.
"You honestly think I'd be naïve enough to just talk to an enemy?" Yzak sneered.
Dearka put his hands up. "So now we're your enemy just like that?" he asked.
"The only people I see here are an enemies and a traitors."
The trio stiffened. "We didn't choose to become your enemy, Yzak. And we're not trying to betray the PLANTs. But..."
"Then what is it?!" Yzak shouted, interrupting him. "Why are you fighting alongside the Strike? The very machine that almost killed you Nicol!"
A silence descended on the four pilots. "All of us can no longer agree with what ZAFT's doing." Nicol said, breaking the silence. "Not if it's only about senselessly killing Naturals."
Inside the Mendel Lab
"This place is like a forbidden temple." Rau said,gesturing to the laboratory around them. "It's the remnants of the dreams of fools thought they were gods." He then looked straight at Kira, staring into his eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that the people you called mother and father were in fact not your real parents?"
Kira shuddered. There had been times when he thought along those lines. But he always believed that it was because his parents had been Naturals and he was a Coordinator. But if they really weren't his parents...
"If you had truly known." Rau continued. "Then perhaps you would've turned out different. You wouldn't have been so normal. Without a trace of your tainted past. Even when Athrun first mentioned your name, it hadn't dawn on me that you may very well be the one. I had heard that both twins died, as along with your real father, Dr. Ulen Hibiki, you were at the top of Blue Cosmos' hit list."
"What?" Kira whispered.
"But you've survived, grown up, and plunged into this war, and still, you're alive." Rau said, "Now why do you think that is? Seeing you now, even I'm convinced that those fools were on to something. Perhaps their dream wasn't so far-fetched."
Kira's body shook more and more and raised his gun at Rau's head and thumbed back the hammer.. "I'm what?" he demanded. "What is it you think I am?"
Mu grunted in pain from his wound as he saw the words of that psychopath get into Kira's head.
"You are humanity's dream." Rau sneered, "Kira Yamato, you are the Ultimate Coordinator."
Kira froze, wondering what that statement meant.
"It was Dr. Hibiki who created the artificial womb, in the pursuit of that dream. Out of all the specimens, you were the only one to survive. A great many of your siblings had to be sacrificed along the way." Rau said harshly to Kira.
Kira was overcome with shock. He dropped his gun on the ground and started to tremble as he looked to the side and stared at the glass containers. If what Le Creuset said was true? What if he had been born here? Did that mean that all these dead fetuses were his unborn brothers and sisters? He felt bile rise up his throat but he managed to suppress it before it reached his mouth. Kira slumped back slightly, utterly shocked at this outpouring of truth and realizing that all of his life had been a lie. Everything he had known had been a lie...
"Shut up!!" Chris shouted, firing a couple of rounds at Creuset.
Rau ducked behind a table. Chris turned to Kira. "Don't listen to this nutjob Kira! He's trying to get into your head!" he said to his confused friend, trying to shake him from his stupor.
But Creuset hasn't done yet. "And you, Christopher Dante. How many children were born dead because of your parents' work. Born deformed. Born insane. All to give birth to you. What your parents had hoped would be their greatest success. That those lives lost would count for something." the masked man said, poking his up up from the table. "Instead, you were they're greatest failure! A failure that shattered their dreams completely! Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't kill a pathetic failure like you after you were born!"
"I said, shut the hell up!!!" Chris screamed, firing at Creuset again. "I've had it up to here with your lies!! I'm not falling for any of your mind games!!"
Rau pulled his head back down. "All I've told you is the truth." he smugly replied.
"Then where's the proof?!" Chris shouted back. "All you've shown us is some photos! They could have come from anywhere! They aren't enough to back up your claims!"
"Take a look on your left then." Rau replied.
Against his better judgment, Chris turned to his left. There were several doors along the wall. The doors all had names written on them. They were offices. His eyes scanned the names until he came across one door. His body froze as his eyes locked onto the words written on that door...
DR. DAVID AND CLAIRE DANTE
His parents' names. He had tried to deny Rau's claims. Passing it off as Creuset's demented mind games. But he couldn't deny it anymore.
But it didn't make sense. His parents were doctors. They cared for the sick. Heal the injured. They strove to save lives. They wouldn't work in this insane place. Not the mother and father he knew. They would never be apart of this insanity.
Suddenly, Rau rose up and fired another round. Mu leaped up and pulled both teens down to the ground. Quickly, rising back up after that, Mu fired two rounds at Rau, who quickly retreated into an empty corridor. Chris mentally cursed himself for getting distracted in the middle of a gun fight. Now wasn't the time for this. He had to deal with this later. Mu glanced at him. Chris waved him off. "I'll be fine. We need to stop him."
Mu nodded and turned to Kira. He was in worse shape, at least mentally. Kira looked stunned and horrified. Like a soldier suffering from shellshock. "Come on kid, don't take his nonsense serious even for one second. He doesn't know what he's talking about." Mu said, trying to comfort him.
This seemed to knock Kira at least partially out of his dazed. He weakly nodded. And the three of them chased after Creuset.
The Archangel
Inside the Mendel Harbor
Back at the harbor, repair work on the Archangel was completed and now everyone stood around, waiting anxiously. They waited for the Dominion and it's escorts to make another move or for the newly-discovered ZAFT forces on the other side of the colony to move. And most importantly, for any word on the missing members of their group inside the colony.
"There are five Nazca-class vessels behind us?" Murrue asked.
"Aye." John replied from his cockpit. "Hilda's group just came back with the confirmation. This is going to be a problem for us."
"Indeed it will." Andrew said. "At the moment, we're missing a good chuck of our mobile suit strength. While I'm confident that we could stand a chance against the ZAFT forces and most of the Earth forces here, I'm not sure how we'll fair against both forces at the same time. And, I'm not sure how we'll be able to fair against those four without Kira."
John nodded. "Yes. At best, we'll be able fight to a stalemate." He sighed before continuing, "Those four are unlike any pilots I've encountered before. They're as good as any ZAFT aces. But they're wild and reckless. And those machines of theirs' are very powerful. We have to hope the Kira and the others return before either group moves in."
The Eternal
Athrun felt the most anxious of everyone. He thought that Kira would've at least contacted them by now. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to act. "I'm going to go looking for them." he said, powering up the Justice.
Suddenly, Lacus appeared on the screen before him. "I cannot permit that." she said. "Please remain on standby for the time being."
"Lacus. We're facing a situation with six of our pilots and mobile suits missing. You can't expect me to just sit here and do nothing, can you?"
"That is the very reason you must stay here." She replied. "We cannot afford to reduce our numbers any further. The ZAFT forces are nearby and we don't know when the Earth Forces will attack again. No matter what, we must press on. Even if Kira, Chris, and the others don't make it back."
Athrun felt powerless. She was right of course. They couldn't spare anyone at the moment. If the Dominion and those four attacked again or if the ZAFT forces attacked, he'd be needed here. All he could do was hope that everyone would return safely.
Inside the Mendel Lab
Down in a deeper level of the lab, Mu, Chris and Kira slowly moved through the lab. Mu's injuries were starting to affect him more severely. While his adrenaline rush numbed most of the pain, he knew he needed to get medical attention soon or he'd be in trouble. But before that, he had to kill Rau. The three entered a room filled with bottles and vials of medical supplies and medication. Mu and Kira took cover behind a lab table while Chris crouched behind a pile of debris and a fallen cabinet on the other side of the room.
Out of the dim light of the room, the sound of descending footsteps echoed. Mu peered out to see a shape proceeding down the staircase. Rau reloaded his pistol and twisted his head, searching for his adversaries. "My fellow humans, I'm now revealing a secret I have kept from all.'" He called out in a mocking tone, speaking the words of the late George Glenn. "I did not come into the world through natural birth. My genes were artificially operated on during the early embryonic stage."
He stopped. "Those were the words of George Glenn, humanity's very first Coordinator." he said, pressed a button on a wall panel.
A series of lights came on, illuminating a medicine cabinet of sorts. "Little did he realize what chaos was to follow after his announcement. He set into motion a wave of avarice unlike any before. So many parents wanted their dream children, choosing traits that fulfilled their own desires. It was as they were special ordering of some catalog." he said, his voice filled with disgust. "People paid a great price for their dream, but not everything goes as planned. Babies that weren't miscarried were born with traits different than what their parents wanted. No one wants to see their hopes and dreams destroyed! That's what drove them on!"
Rau reached the bottom of the stairs. They were close. He could feel it. "And what did people gain from this?! What did they get?! What was the result of their dreams?!"
Kira was mortified by all of this. Again, Kira found himself lost in thoughts of what he was exactly. While Chris and Mu had both had enough of his mind games and rants. "Shut up!!" Chris shouted, standing up and firing wildly at the man.
Rau dodged every shot and fired a single shot. The well aimed bullet struck his sidearm, sending it flying. He quickly dove back behind the debris. "And you're parents were no better." Rau said, aiming at Chris. "They sought to advance humanity up the next step of the evolutionary ladder. To create a new, better breed of man. Not Natural. Not Coordinator. But something greater. They used the method for creating Coordinators as the base of their experiments to create this new human. But in the end, dozens of children were dead or suffered psychical and mental deformities! How many children suffered and died to give birth to you! How many died to give birth to a failure! Children like my...my..." Rau paused for moment, seemingly lost in thought. He shook his head before continuing. "Tell me, is there anything you'd like for me to pass onto Miss Allster before I do what should have been done years ago?"
"What?" Chris quietly said. "How-"
"She talks in her sleep. And she's wearing some dog tags with the name of your grandfather if I'm not mistaken." Rau said, a sickening grin spreading across his face.
Chris's eyes widened as his face turned to a stunned expression for a second before turning to an expression of rage. "You bastard!!" Chris roared as he jumped over his makeshift cover, racing for Creuset.
But Creuset didn't shoot him. He just stood there as Chris ran towards him. Just as Chris was about to reach him, Rau struck. Driving his right foot into Chris's stomach. Chris stumbled back only to receive a punch to his face. He fell to the ground. Chris looked up. Rau was standing over him, his gun pointed at his head.
"No you don't!!" Mu shouted, moving from his cover, firing at Rau.
But Rau seemed to predict his move and was already running for cover before Mu squeezed the trigger. Rau reached the corner of a wall while Chris dove for cover. "They thirsted for knowledge! They sought to fulfill their desires! And ultimately, they forgot why they were doing it! Even when they proclaimed their reverence for human life, they toyed with it, and they destroyed it!" He shouted, more to the heavens rather than his three enemies. "No matter what knowledge humans obtain, they never learn anything! They become envious of each other! Hate each other! Destroy each other!" Rau continued to rant as his began to fire wildly at them, destroying monitors and vials of medicine. "If that's what they truly desire, why don't they simply exterminate each other?!"
"What give you the right to sound so superior?!" Mu shouted back in anger as he fired in Rau's direction.
His last bullet missed Rau's ear by a mere inch. But he ignored it and continued to fire until his clip ran dry. As the clip slid out of Rau's empty pistol, he screamed with a twisted smile, "I am the only one who's earned that right! In all the universe, only I have the right to judge humanity!"
Mu spat at the raving man. "Cut the crap, you maniac! You don't really expect us to believe that?"
Rau laughed. "I'm surprised you don't remember. We've met once before, Mu. Long ago before we ever met on the battlefield."
Something about that line, sparked a pair of long forgotten memories in Mu's mind. He was ten at the time. It was a few months before his parents' deaths. A maid had been fixing his tie when he met a boy his age. A boy with blue eyes and blond hair like him. And he looked almost like him. In fact, they easily could have been mistake for brothers. The boy didn't say anything. He just stared at him for a few moments before walking away. He remembered how unsettled he had been by the silent boy and his empty, soulless gaze.
The other was a few years before that one. He had been walking past his father's office. The door was open slightly and he could hear his father talking to a servant. "He will be my heir. Not that woman's child. Make sure you keep a close eye on him and educate him well. Whatever you do, don't make him into another weakling." his father said.
Mu was dumbfounded. Why had these memories suddenly come back?
Rau's demeanor turned even more demented as he continued. "I am he! That arrogant fool...who thought he could thwart Death itself with his money! Al Da Flaga, your father! But I am merely that man's defective clone!"
"What?!" a stunned Mu said.
But the shock quickly wore off. "A clone. You expect anyone to believe that fairy tail."
"I don't want to believe it either." Rau replied. "Unfortunately, it's true!"
Rau slapped his final clip into his handgun and slowly moved out of his cover. "The final door is about to open! And I'm the one opening it! Then the world that we know will come to an end, this world of insatiable desires will end!" Rau said, approaching Mu's position behind the corner while Mu himself continued to breathe heavily.
Neither man realized that Kira was on the move. Grabbing a piece of debris and rushing towards the two adults.
"And then the conceited fools who struggle within it will finally have their wish come true!" Rau shouted maniacally as he raised his gun in Mu's direction, thumbing back the hammer.
"No, it won't happen! I won't let it!" Kira yelled as he threw the chuck of metal at Rau as he fired at the boy.
Rau emptied his clip. But none of the shots hit Kira. While the piece of metal that Kira threw hit Rau's mask dead on. The mask fell off, revealing Creuset's face to the trio. Mu, Kira and Chris all gasped as they saw his face. It was identical to the face of Mu's father.
"Ha! Do you think you can change what's going to happen!?" Rau said, ignoring the loss of his mask. "Nobody can do anything about it! For the world full of hatred is engulfing the universe!"
Suddenly, Rau ran off as Mu attempted to chase after him. However, due to the loss of blood of his injury, he stumbled and fell down. Both Kira and Chris rushed over to him. "We need to get out of here. Can you stand?" Kira asked as the two of them helped him up.
Mu nodded. "Yeah. I can stand. We have to get out of here."
The three pilots headed for the exit. But Kira stopped to gather the entire collection of photos. They then slowly made their way outside. Where their mobile suits were waiting.
The Dominion
Near Mendel
Back within the debris field just outside of Mendel's perimeter, the Dominion and it's escorts made final preparations for reengagement. However, Natarle was still nervous about the situation. The nearby Nazca-class ships had yet to make a move, and that worried her the most. "We'll be at a disadvantage if we make the first move." She said. "I cannot guarantee success."
"It's easy to say something is impossible." Azrael replied. "It's another to actually make it happen. That's how it is in the business world."
"This is war." Natarle sharply countered, "Failure means death."
"The stakes are the same in the business world." the Blue Cosmos leader said with a smug grin. "Is it that you're someone who'll only fight battles you know you can win?"
Natarle clenched her fists, but didn't say anything. Azrael took notice. "That's fine by me. I mean, no one wants to waste anything on a lost cause. But we can't keep sitting here forever, can we? Not if we want the prize."
The four Extendeds were almost ready to move out. Each took the vial of Gamma Glipheptin they were given. They wanted to finally defeat those mobile suits that they just couldn't seem to beat.
"You think we'll be in trouble again if we fail?" Shani asked.
"Probably." Clotho grunted. "That bastard doesn't give a damn about us. He only cares about us making him look good."
"Doesn't matter." Orga said with a smirk. "As long as we get to crush those two machines."
Kevin dropped his empty vial on the ground. "I don't care about him. I want to tear those bastards apart!" he said, crushing the empty vial under his foot.
His teammates nodded in agreement before they headed to their machines.
A short while later, the four Extended were prepped and ready to attack once more. As they took point, the remaining Strike Daggers from the three Alliance warships followed close behind.
Archangel's Bridge
Suddenly, Sai's console flashed red. "Captain, they're coming back!" he shouted
Dread hit hard for everyone. With a chuck of their mobile suit forces missing, including one of their most powerful machines, it wouldn't be easy to fight on equal footing.
"The Dominion is closing in with the two Agamemnon-class warships behind it." Miriallia reported. "Distance 50, Green, Bravo.
"All hands, level one battle stations!" Murrue ordered. "Prepare to move out!"
The Vesalius
The Other Side of Mendel
The ZAFT forces were in a state of confusion. There had been no contact with the Commander, Zane or Yzak for quite some time. Ades, Shiho and Saya stood on the bridge, waiting. "Captain Ades, the Earth Forces ships are reengaging the rogue vessels again!" a controller shouted.
Ades cursed under his breath. "Where is the Commander?" he muttered. "What could be happening inside that colony?"
"Should we go and check on them?" Saya asked.
"No. Not yet." the captain replied. "The Commander told us to wait here for them. And for now, we will wait for them."
Inside Mendel
Dearka, Nicol and Saul had taken turns explaining some of the recent transgressions involved with their defection. Things were tense with Yzak still aiming his gun at them. They liked to believe that he wouldn't pull the trigger. But it was a dicey situation at best.
"So you're saying that's why Commander Walfeld and the 11th Fleet joined Lacus Clyne?" Yzak asked. "And the same goes for Athrun as well?"
The three ZAFT pilots nodded.
"But why?" Yzak demanded. "What justifies this treason?"
"I've learned some things." Dearka explained. "We all have. The Freedom's pilot is the same guy who piloted the Strike. He's a Coordinator. And it turns out that he and Athrun have been friends since they were kids."
Yzak was surprised. Was that why Athrun had hesitated during their earlier battles with the Strike. "What are you saying?"
Nicol sighed. "I'm not quite as devoted to the cause as the others. I just wanted to protect the PLANTs. But at this point, I simply can't go with ZAFT's methods anymore."
"Nicol, that's enough!" Yzak shouted.
"He's not the only one." Saul added. "I never really wanted to be in the military. I was forced into it by my family. Even with the war, I still didn't desire to be a soldier. But ever since Orb, I've felt like what I'm doing has a real meaning. A real purpose. For the first time, I've felt like I should be a soldier."
"But that's treason!"
"Think about it Yzak! What is ZAFT even fighting for now?" Dearka said. "Alaska, Panama, Orb, this war is getting worse by the day! And for what?"
Yzak couldn't come up with an answer. It didn't make sense. Just then, the entire colony shook heavily.
"Yzak! Zane! are you there?" Le Creuset's voice came from Yzak's wrist comlink, "We're leaving at once." With that, the channel went silent.
Dearka, Nicol and Saul turned and headed back towards their machines. Yzak raised his guns at their backs. Nicol glanced back. "If you think we're your enemies now, then go ahead and shoot us."
Yzak couldn't stand it. Someone had gotten into their heads, filling them with strange ideas. "You're being deceived!" he shouted, half-pleading.
Dearka glimpsed over his shoulder. "I wonder which one of us is really being deceived. None of us have anything else to say. We're going now. I speak for all of us when I say that given the choice, we'd rather not fight you."
They climbed into their machines, powered them up and took off. Leaving Yzak behind, confused and alone.
"Yzak! Zane! Are you there? We're leaving at once." Creuset said over the comm.
Zane sat in the cockpit of his GuAIZ, near the building Rau, Chris and the others entered. He could have taken a shot at Chris as he left the Raven. But that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to defeat Chris in combat. Picking him off when he was defenseless like that, was meaningless. He wanted to prove he was superior to him regardless of the mobile suit.
Creuset rushed out of the building, towards his crippled GuAIZ. Zane out of his hiding space as the Commander entered the cockpit. "Zane, take me back to the Vesalius, now." he said, his voice becoming strained.
"Yes sir." he said, scooping up the headless and legless torso.
At that moment, the Duel appeared. "Yzak, I have the Commander. We're heading back."
"Right." Yzak responded before the two took off.
Outside Mendel
As the Archangel, the Kusanagi, the Eternal and three Nazca-class ships launched, Athrun took the lead, flanked by the Athena and several Astrays. "You all hang back and protect the ships." he ordered
"Roger that." Asagi replied as the Atrays pulled back.
"Are you kidding? Those four will tear you apart if you go it alone." Liz argued.
"Yeah. But your brother would kick his ass if something happened to you." John said as the Farsight launched from the Odin.
"He doesn't need to treat me like a baby." Liz said with a scowl.
"He's your older brother. He's suppose to worry about you." John replied as he pulled along the two mobile suits. "You lead the Astrays in the defense of the ships. I'll help Athrun out with those four punks."
"Fine."
The Athena pulled back as the Justice and the Farsight rushed forward, ready to engage the closest enemies.
Orga grinned. "Hey, there they are."
"That white one's missing." Clotho commented.
"Then we'll just have to capture that one." Orga replied.
Kevin growled at the sight of the Farsight. "That one. He's tricky coward. He's mine."
Charging forward, the two sides clashed. The Raider, the Forbidden, and the Calamity circled the Justice like a pack of sharks circling their prey. While the Massacre fired it's missiles at the Farsight.
Aboard the Eternal, Lucas watched and wished that there was more her ship could do to support the forward units. "Can we use the METEOR?" she asked, hoping they were ready.
DaCosta turned his head "Negative, the unit is still charging."
Lacus tensed, knowing that Athrun would have to make due with just the Justice.
On the Archangel, Murrue had to make a snap decision for the ship's next move. "We'll use the debris for cover." she ordered. "What about the ZAFT forces?"
"They still haven't moved." Sai answered.
"Captain, it's the Freedom!" Miriallia shouted. "No, it's everyone! They're coming back!"
Murrue was relieved. "Alert the hanger crews. Tell them to do a rush resupply job on the machines that need it." she ordered.
Kira opened a channel to the ship. "We're all here but Mu's been wounded."
Murrue gasped when she saw the damaged Strike being pulled along by the Freedom. The six machines landed in the hanger. Kira quickly secured the Strike before heading out again. While the Raven, the Surge, the Neo Blitz and the Buster secured themselves and powered down as the crews quickly connected their power cables so they could recharge their batteries.
Athrun threw his beam boomerangs at the Calamity and the Raider. Both machines dodged the boomerangs and their rebound. Suddenly, the Forbidden fired it's cannon at the Justice. Athrun as he frantically dodged the wild, curving beams.
"Shani! Watch it!" Clotho shouted at his teammate. "We have to capture this one! Remember!"
"I know that!" Shani yelled back. "That's what I'm trying to do!"
"Knock it out!" Orga said, firing at the Justice. "We have a job to do!"
Both pilots grumbled and focused on Athrun again. The Raider's hammer flew at him. Athrun ducked under it. Only to have the Forbidden bring it's scythe down on his head. Athrun pulled up his shield, blocking the hit. He pushed the Forbidden back.
Elsewhere, the Farsight dove behind a piece of debris as the Massacre fired wildly at him. "Quit hiding!!" Kevin roared. "Fight me like a man!!"
He was getting annoyed. The machine had pulled away from the red one and deeper in the debris field. The coward was constantly moving in and out of the debris. Hiding like a rat.
"Why should I fight like a man when my opponent is little more than an animal?" John asked, firing from behind a large chuck of metal.
The Massacre sidestepped and fired back with his Gatling guns. But the Farsight was already gone. Kevin howled in frustration. "Damn you!! Quit hiding rat!!"
Suddenly, a barrage of beams struck the Massacre. The missile pods on it's right leg were blown. The left Gatling gun exploded. And the Ragnarok beam cannon was destroyed. "What?!!"
The Freedom appeared. "Mr. Alaric, are you alright?" Kira asked.
"I'm fine. Athrun's the one that needs help. The other three are fighting him right now." John replied, leaving his hiding spot.
"Alright. I'll help him." Kira said as he took off. "But be careful."
"Don't worry. This feral dog will never be able to catch a flying hawk. No matter how hard they try." John said turning to the Massacre.
The Vesalius
The Other Side of Mendel
Flay was startled by the sound of the opening door. She stood back as Rau rushed in and over to his desk. He was panting and groaning and moaning in pain. He opened the drawer, pulled out the bottle of pills and swallowed down a handful. He then pulled out a spare mask and put it on. Flay cautiously approached the quivering man, unsure of what would happen next.
Rau slowly recovered enough to where his body had stopped shaking. He pressed down on the intercom. "Ades! Have our forces move out now! Send out every mobile suit we have, the same goes for the Nion, the Burton, the Heusinger and the Helderton!"
"Commander?"
"Just do it!" Rau shouted. "We didn't come out here to just sit back and watch! I'll be going out again as well, so have my CGUE ready!" With that command, he turned off the intercom. He let out a shuddering gasp, his breathing labored. He turned to Flay, predatory grin returning. "And I'll need your help too, my dear."
Flay took a step away, frightened for her safety and the safety of her unborn child. She placed a hand on her abdomen. Rau didn't seem to notice it. If he did, he didn't care. He took out a familiar disk and held it out to Flay. "Please deliver this for me. If this key is brought to the Earth Forces, then this terrible war can come to an end."
Flay looked up, surprised. Slowly, she accepted the disk. She could only guess what sort of information it contained. "If I do this, The war will be over?" she said, more to herself than to Creuset.
This war had already taken her father. She desperately wanted it to end before it claimed Chris's life. She didn't want her child to grow up without a father. Like how she had with her mother. If this would end the war, than she would deliver it.
"Yes. Now let's get you ready." Rau answered, taking her by the hand.
A short while later, Flay was in a locker room, putting on a spacesuit. Once she was suited up, two ZAFT soldiers took her to an escape pod and motioned for her to go inside. She climbed in, strapping herself into the seat. After the hatch was sealed, one of the soldiers turned to the other. "Any idea what the Commander has in mind?"
The second only shrugged. "Who knows. But he must have some plan for her."
The pair left, leaving her alone in the pod. Flay clutched the disk in her hands. She kept telling herself that she just had to take it and pass it along to the Earth Forces. And then, the war would finally be over.
The Dominon
"The six Nazca-class ships are moving towards us!" the radar operator shouted as the ship shuttered from a barrage from the Archangel.
Natarle froze. Had the ZAFT forces waited for her group to engage the Archangel and its allies so that they could attack while they were in the middle fighting each other?
"They're hailing us!" the comm officer said.
"What?" a stunned Natarle said.
This was a move that she had never expected.
"Attention, Earth Forces." the voice of the ZAFT Commander said. "Before we engage, I'd like to take this time to return a prisoner to you."
Both Natarle and Azrael exchanged confused looks. What was the enemy doing? What prisoner were they talking about?
The Archangel and Dominion kept at their closely matched battle. Almost every move was countered and then any counter was met with yet another maneuver. As was the battles between their allied ships. Even the various mobile suits of the two respective groups had no clear advantage against over the other. Murrue gritted her teeth as she tried to think of something to try and deal a critical blow to Natarle and her ship. Of course, she did notice the other ship seemed to be lagging at the moment.
"Captain, the ZAFT Nazca-class ships are moving in!" Chandra called out.
Murrue and most of the bridge crew gasped. If the ZAFT forces were making their move now, there was the chance that the Archangel and the other ships would be boxed into a pincer attack with no way of escape.
"All mobile suits! Form up around the ships! We need to punch out of here now before we're pinned between ZAFT and the Alliance!" Samuel ordered.
The Vesalius
Yzak waited for his turn to launch again. Zane was in front of him, in his GuAIZ and the Commander in his CGUE. Behind him, Shiho sat in her CGUE DEEP Arms and Saya in her purple GuAIZ. As he sat, Yzak thought about what had happened with him and his former teammates. What had Dearka meant when he said, "I wonder which one of us is really being deceived?" Was there something happening within the ranks of ZAFT that he couldn't see? He had never worried about politics before; he had only focused on fighting and winning battles. Like any good soldier should. But now he was beginning to wonder.
"Yzak? Yzak!"
Yzak was brought back to reality when he heard Shiho.
Her face appeared on the screen. "Is there something wrong Yzak?"
He hesitated. "No." he lied as the Commander launched, followed by Zane. "Nothing's wrong."
"Remember, we are to concentrate on the Eternal and the rest of the traitors. The Burton and the Nion will focusthe other ships." Creuset reminded them.
Yzak stepped onto the mobile suit catapult and then launched into the battlefield. Once the last of the ZAFT mobile suits launched, Rau opened a channel to the Vesalius. He had taken the first step in his plan, now all he needed was to ensure that everything went the way he wanted. "Ades, send out the pod."
"Yes, sir."
Flay felt the pod shake for a brief moment as it was launched into space. She closed her eyes and silently prayed for her safety, the safety of child, and that the war would soon end as the pod headed for the ongoing battle.
Now, a couple people have asked if I would do a naming contest for Flay's child. And I've decided that I will. I'll be hearing suggestions until the next chapter. As a result, I'll delay it abit so everyone who wants to, can submit their suggestions. The next chapter will have the list of names from my fans and my favorite of the names I can up with, so you can vote. Two things. First, it's a boy. Second, both suggestions and votes must be on logged in reviews. As someone can cheat with anonymous reviews.
Now, as always, review!