Chapter 10 – Reunion with an old friend
Welcome back everyone! Today we will be introducing a new character that will be appearing in the story! She has a huge part in Nikki's life and is one of her closest friends. Everyone please welcome Echo!
Echo: Wassup!
Hello there Echo! Feel excited about finally being in the story!
Echo: You bet! It'll only get better now that I'm in it!
-chuckles- I have no doubt about that
Nikki: -walks in- Hey Echo!
Echo: Hey!
-The two girls high five-
-smirks- You guys so remind me of myself and my best friend Al
Echo: Well duh! We are the OC's for both of you!
Nikki: Even though I'm way taller than my creator
Hey! I can easily draw you as a midget you know!
Echo: Yeah…she kinda has power of you Nikki
Nikki: …damn…
-grins- Well enough of that let's get this show on a road shall we? Take it away Echo!
Echo: Everyone please enjoy the chapter! And enjoy my brilliance!
…Ok let's not get carried away
After they had left Cagalli's office, Nikki thought about the remainder of her day. She had her friend Echo to visit, an army to put together, plus she had to convince another acquaintance of hers to help her out. She was well aware that he had purposely vanished from society and that he only would come out if he felt the need to, but she had her guesses as to where he would be hiding. But right now her main concern was to catch up with a certain young mechanic.
In a large mansion on the other side of town lived the very girl Nikki was after. The reason Echo was rich was mainly because not only did she build, she invented useful tools that she sold to people that needed them. And since she lived in a wealthy neighbourhood, she was always paid a fair deal of money.
Her mechanical skills were exactly what Nikki needed for the battle that was rapidly approaching; her friend was quick minded and could very easily outsmart a lot of coordinators. Although, when generally conversing with her, people would never guess the intelligence behind the hyper girl they meet on first impression.
Which is why Nikki was interested to see how Kai would react when he met her. Although she was a little nervous herself, she hadn't seen Echo since before all the wars started when they were attending school together, and that was many years ago.
They strode up to the large gate surrounding the mansion. It was made of thick steel, which made it obvious that Echo must've built it herself. Nikki wondered what sort of firepower this gate was immune to.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hand and pressed the buzzer before stepping back next to her boyfriend to wait.
Kai turned to her, noticing her anxiety. "Why are you so nervous? You're good friends with her aren't you?
Nikki glanced at him. "Yeah, but I haven't seen her since we were attending school together, and that was years ago before all the wars started. Back then I didn't really know much about handling guns, so I'm wondering how much she's changed."
Kai turned back to the gate. "I'm surprised you know where she lives."
She shrugged. "I looked up her profile and found her address." She grinned, "I had to do a little hacking to find it; she blocked her profile from public viewing… I guess it's just as well she moved here, otherwise she would've died on that colony along with everyone else."
Before he could reply to her, a perky, yet annoyed voice sounded out.
"Who is it? Can't you people see that I'm busy?"
Nikki sighed. "She hasn't changed a bit…figures."
The voices' owner apparently heard her. "Who's there? I'll open fire on you!" A small laser gun sitting on the gate was aimed at them, but knowing Echo it probably had strong firepower.
Nikki rolled her eyes at her friend's threats. "Calm down Echo it's just me."
There was silence for a moment before they were both almost deafened by a loud shriek. "OH MY GOSH! Nikki? Is that YOU?"
Said girl chuckled. "Yes it's me, can I come in please? I have someone here I'd like you to meet."
Echo's excited tone did not die away. "Of course, of course! Come on in!"
As soon as she said that, the huge gates opened. Nikki and Kai stepped inside and the moment they crossed over the gates slammed behind them, making the two jump.
They heard a giggle from the speaker box. "Sorry about that! I don't want anyone trying to sneak in!
Nikki and Kai looked at each other in astonishment before shrugging and making their way to the large mansion. Before they could even reach the steps, the front door swung open and a young girl came out. She was rather small with blonde hair and exotic deep amethyst sparkling eyes. As soon as she set her gaze on Nikki, her face lit up and she bolted down the stairs towards her.
Kai watched in amusement as Nikki was just about flattened by the massive hug that was thrown her way by this girl. But regardless of the brutal impact, the two girls laughed happily. He smiled. He figured they were happy to see each other, considering it had been years since they last saw each other. He stood to the side and listened to them chat away; patiently waiting for when Nikki would introduce him to her friend.
After being run over, Nikki pulled her away at arms length and smiled at her. "How have you been, Echo? It's been far too long"
Echo laughed. "As you can see from your surroundings, I've been doing just fine! And look at you, my gosh I don't remember you being so tall!"
Nikki laughed as well. "Yes I see you've been quite successful." She then smirked. "Well I had a bit of a growth spurt. Unlike you, look at you! You haven't changed a bit!" She ruffled Echo's hair making her friend giggle.
It was then that Echo noticed Kai. "Oohhh, and who's this hottie? Was this the person you were talking about earlier?"
Nikki smiled and nodded. "Yes it is." She walked over to Kai, grabbed his hand and gently pulled him over. "This is my boyfriend, Kai Rodgericks."
Echo's eyes went wide. "Boyfriend? Oh my! You lucky girl!.…But wait… I thought you were dating Darren."
At the mentioning of her deceased ex, Nikki's expression turned sour. She turned her head away. "That's something I'd rather not get into right now."
Her friend slightly frowned. "Why? Did he do something to you?"
When she didn't say anything, Kai spoke up. "He's dead." Sorrow was apparent in his voice.
Echo covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widening in horror. "Oh no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject, I had no idea!"
Nikki shook her head sadly. "It's fine Echo, it was years ago. And besides…" She looked back up at her. "His death is part of the reason we're here."
The younger girl stared at her in interest. "Oh I see, well seems like we have some chatting to do. Why don't you come in and have some hot chocolate or something? Then we'll get talking."
Nikki nodded. "Sounds good, but we can't be too long. We're on a bit of a tight schedule at the moment."
Echo nodded then turned. "Well come in and make yourselves comfortable, I'll go and get the drinks prepared."
She led them into the front door. They entered into the foyer of her home, which was large enough as it was. Nikki figured that she would have to come by for a proper visit so she could tour the house properly, but unfortunately now wasn't the time.
After making sure her guests were comfortable on couches in the lounge room, which was twice as big as the foyer, Echo scurried off to the kitchen to make the drinks she had promised. To Nikki's amazement she came back barely a minute later carrying a tray with three steaming mugs.
She picked up one of the offered mugs. "Should I dare ask how you did that so fast?"
Echo giggled. "Oh just another of my inventions!" She said happily, as she sat down across from the couple.
After taking a sip of her warm drink, Nikki went straight down to business. "Well I suppose I better explain the real reason I'm here."
Her friend nodded. "Explain away Nikki, the floor is all yours."
She rolled her eyes, "Thank you. Well as much as I'd like to say this was a random friendly visit…I'm afraid it isn't under the circumstances we're in."
Echo leaned forward with interest. "And what is your reason for coming here on such short notice?"
For the next hour, Nikki and Kai took turns describing the sudden turmoil and danger that ORB was in. Nikki explained the connection it had with Darren's death and how it was his brother leading the invasion. Echo was shocked when informed Nikki was the one that killed Darren, but agreed that in the given situation she had made the right choice. Kai informed her of the plans they were undergoing at that moment and how they planned to gather forces to stop this attack.
After telling her everything, they looked to see Echo in deep thought. After a minute of silence she turned to them. "So, seeing as this is all war related you obviously came here for my help. Am I right?"
Nikki nodded. "You're the only person I know that has skills of high level when it comes to mechanical work. But this is entirely up to you Echo, if you decline I can easily find someone else to help out."
Her friend shook her head. "No it's fine, in fact I've been trying to find a good use for my daily hobbies." She then grinned. "But it also means I'll be under your command doesn't it?"
The older girl laughed. "Only on military terms you will be yes, but otherwise we'll treat each other like we always do."
Echo clapped her hands together. "That's great! Oh do you think you can do something? I want my invite to this project to be more fun."
Nikki raised an eyebrow. "Fun how?"
Echo giggled. "Give me this invite like you would to someone joining the army, like in a formal military way."
Nikki rolled her eyes. "Serious?" When she saw her pout she sighed. "Fine, whatever."
She stood up and positioned herself into a soldier like stance, before turning to Echo. "Will you accept the proposition, to help fight for the country of ORB and serve under the command of High Commander Nikki Clyne?"
Echo copied Nikki's stance and saluted her commanding officer. "Ma'am! I accept!"
Nikki saluted back in respect for her friends' acceptance, the two of them standing still for a long moment. The silence was then broken when they both burst out laughing, and collapsed back into the couches.
Kai watched with wide eyes at the sudden change. One moment they were soldiers, the next they were giggling girls. He smiled, knowing that even though one outranked the other, their friendship always came first.
When they finally calmed down, the three stood up. Nikki walked over and stopped in front of her friend. "I'm grateful you're able to help out. What I need is one more favour from you."
Echo nodded. "Sure, what would you like?"
Nikki continued. "We have about another day and a half before the invasion. Until then I want you to make whatever you can for this. I'm also going to give you the OS access codes to our Gundams." Echo's eyes widened when the Gundams were mentioned. "I want you to alternate and improve them as much as you can. Don't worry about Jason and myself figuring out what you've done, we'll manage, we're coordinators too."
A huge grin appeared on Echo's face. "It will be my pleasure, anything else?"
Nikki nodded, smiling at her excitement. "I'll also give you access to all the other machines too, such as the Murasames and the Sky Graspers. There'll be others that you can have fun with, they'll also be with the file I give you."
Echo was starting to get anxious. "When do I get the codes?"
Nikki smiled. "That's another thing I wanted to ask you. Instead of waiting for my orders around here, I want to invite you to come back with us to Head Quarters. That way instead of waiting for emails, I can just give you unlimited file and system access from there. Plus that's where all the Gundams and everything are so you can work on them first hand."
The more she spoke, the wider her friends' eyes became. She smiled at this. "So are you going to stand there and gawk all day, or are you coming with us?"
This snapped Echo out of the trance she was in. "Oh! Yes I'll go and pack my things straight away!" Before she even finished her sentence, she was already vaulting up the stairs.
The older couple stayed in the lounge room and used the time to relax a little while they were waiting for the young mechanic to finish getting ready. Nikki could already feel exhaustion weigh on her from everything that was happening…and it was still over a day until the invaders arrived.
Kai sensed his girlfriends fatigue and hugged her close to him. "You weren't kidding about her. If you hadn't told me she was an expert mechanic, I would've just thought she was a normal rich girl living off her parents wealth."
Nikki laughed while snuggling into his embrace. "Everyone thinks that way when they first meet her, even I was like that. I was quite surprised when I found out just how intelligent she was. But then again…she's constantly surprising everyone."
He nodded. "That I can most definitely understand."
It was silent for another 10 minutes before Nikki found herself becoming slightly restless. "Come on Echo, hurry up."
Kai laughed. "I imagine she probably has all these tools and what not to pack."
She nodded. "Yeah, not to mention her computer, that thing is her entire world."
He sniggered and pulled her closer so that her back was pressed firmly into his chest. He leaned down and whispered softly in her ear. "You do realize that we're completely alone right?"
Nikki shivered when she felt his hot breath but didn't say anything. She really didn't want to lose control here, if Echo found them making out on her couch there'd be the devil to pay.
But those thoughts instantly vanished when she felt Kai's lips travel down her neck. Barely suppressing the urge to moan, she leaned back and arched her neck to give him more access. Not wanting him to have all fun, she turned around and smashed her lips against his, forcing him onto his back as they collapsed on to the couch. The last time they had kissed was when they had lost control at the park. That was earlier in the late morning, and it was now reaching into the afternoon. That was too long to go without kissing her boyfriend so feeling his mouth against hers at that moment was absolute heaven.
A loud "Ahem" caused them to break apart. Nikki turned to see Echo staring at them with a mix of bemusement and annoyance.
She gave her friend a sheepish grin. "Um…hey Echo, so you all done?"
Her friend glared at her. "How long was I gone for you two to start getting all hot and steamy on my couch?"
Kai grinned at her, obviously not regretting anything. "It may be your couch, but she's my girlfriend, so I have all rights to kiss her anytime that I want."
The girls turned and stared at him, Echo glared while Nikki grinned. He shrugged. "It could've been a lot worse Echo, and you know it."
She growled. "How could it have been worse? My poor couch has been contaminated by hormonal teenagers that's can't control themselves!
Nikki sighed. "We're not hormonal."
Echo turned her glare to her. "If not that, then would you explain why you were sprawled out on my lounge with your lips and limbs attached?"
Nikki smiled, not at all bothered by her temper. "We're in love Echo, that's all."
Whatever response it was Echo expected, it certainly wasn't that. She was waiting for Nikki to lose her temper and explode back at her like she normally would. But when she didn't, it made her realize that her friends' height wasn't the only thing about her that had drastically changed. This realization stunned her into silence, making her unsure how to respond. But when she turned her attention back to the couple, she was amazed by what she saw.
After giving the very straight and serious answer, Nikki had turned to gaze lovingly at her boyfriend. He in turn gave her the same soft expression and was currently caressing her face as they became lost in each other's eyes. In all the years she had known Nikki, Echo had never seen that look on her friends' face. She was either normally happy, downright angry about something or just simply didn't care. Even while dating Darren she had never seen so much love and emotion shared between Nikki and her boyfriend. But here she was now, staring with such love and intensity at a boy…no, a man that had most obviously stolen her heart, and in turn had whole-heartedly given her his. Suddenly she wasn't angry any more, there was no way she could defend her couch when these two were so obviously in love. So for now she'd let this one slide.
As much as she was fascinated with this new discovery of her friends' expression, she remembered the tight schedule Nikki mentioned they were in.
So stepping forward she reluctantly spoke. "Ok, I'll forgive you this one time Nikki, but don't you think it's time we got going?"
Nikki broke her gaze and turned to her friend. "Oh…yeah that's right we better get a move on."
Very begrudgingly, she pulled away from Kai's arms and stood up. "Thanks for reminding us Echo, we probably would've sat there staring at each other all day if you hadn't said anything." She stated while she stretched her arms above her head.
Echo rolled her eyes. "Yes I realize that, which is why I broke the connection. Now…did you guys bring a car?"
Nikki grinned at her while pulling her boyfriend off the couch, though she didn't let go of his hand once he was on his feet. "Of course I brought a car, how do you think we got here?"
Echo grinned back. "Excellent, I shout shotgun!"
Nikki sighed. "Alright, just as long as you don't mess with my car while I'm driving. I like it just the way it is."
Her friend pouted. "Aaaaww! You're no fun!"
She chuckled. "If you behave during the next couple of days then maybe we can organise something."
That put Echo right back into a good mood as she cheered loudly, causing the couple to laugh.
They each held some of Echo's luggage; the girl obviously had many plans up her sleeve. Nikki prayed that it would not be anything that would literally explode in their faces…that was the last thing they needed at the moment. They paused briefly while Echo spent a good couple of minutes locking up the house and turning on alarms and traps in case any intruders tried to break in. With some of them, Nikki decided that if she was an intruder, she'd rather keep living then try and break in… some of those contraptions looked lethal. "Echo has way too much time on her hands."
After making sure everything was secure with the house, Echo then spent the same amount of time on the gate guarding her home. Nikki felt very sorry for whoever was stupid enough to try and break in. She tried not to think about the outcome for the poor victim. Once Echo was happy with the security, they then made their way to Nikki's car, which was parked a few blocks away.
Echo raised her eyebrow at this. "Why did you park all the way down there?"
Nikki grinned. "Because I know you Echo, if I had parked in front of the house you would've been very suspicious and set one of your 'inventions' on me."
Echo blushed, knowing she was right. "Well you can never be too careful these days."
Nikki just laughed. "I know, but we wanted to enjoy the walk. We don't get much time to ourselves."
Echo grumbled. "Obviously not, from what I saw earlier" This statement just made the brunette laugh harder.
Kai, who was walking on Nikki's other side holding her hand, listened in silent amusement to their conversation. He had learned from Jason to never speak while girls, especially old friends, were having conversations. He didn't fully believe it, since the only reason Jason got hurt for interrupting was because he purposely said something to annoy Nikki. He smiled slightly; his best mate will never learn. But even though he knew better then to put his foot in his mouth, he decided to stay silent anyway just to be polite.
Kai was broken out of his thoughts when he felt a tug on his hand from his girlfriend. He turned to see the two girls staring at him.
He smiled at them. "Yes ladies?"
Nikki smiled. "Would you mind running ahead and unlocking the car? I just want to have a private word with Echo."
He nodded, not asking why. "Sure thing."
She handed him the keys, gave him a quick kiss then turned back to Echo while her boyfriend ran ahead of them.
Echo arched a curious eyebrow at her. "Oh and do tell what you must say to me that Mr. Perfect Boyfriend over there is not allowed to hear."
Nikki couldn't help but laugh at her nickname for Kai. "Well, you remember earlier when you caught us…making out on your couch?" She said with a slightly embarrassed expression.
Echo rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, I swear I'm scarred for life now. That couch will never be the same again. Do you want it? I'll sell it to you for a good price."
Nikki chuckled and waved her hand. "Nah it's ok, but thanks for the offer anyway." She then looked curious. "I was wondering… you changed your mind rather quickly. One moment you're chucking a fit, the next you're all forgiving. Why the sudden change of heart?"
Echo wondered if she should tell her friend about the change she saw in her and figured it was harmless enough. Besides if anything, she'd be giving out a huge compliment.
With her mind made up she turned to Nikki. "Well I realized how much you've changed over the years."
Nikki was slightly surprised by this. "Changed? What do you mean by that? Changed how?"
Echo took a deep breath before speaking. "Well normally if I shout at you, you'd shout back. You used to get pissed off really easily if I lost my temper. But instead you just calmly said that you were in love, rather softly I might add."
Nikki stared at her friend with wide eyes. "You noticed that with me just saying one sentence?"
The younger girl laughed. "Well it's been years since I've seen you, and the last memory I have is of you exploding at Jason because of some small stupid comment he made."
Nikki chuckled. "Well that hasn't changed much, I still explode at him from time to time. He just knows what buttons to press to get on my nerves."
Echo smiled. "Sounds like Jason hasn't changed much either. Any way there was also something else I noticed after you said that."
Nikki stared at her. "Something else? What more changes'
Echo's eyes dazed slightly as she thought back to only a little earlier. "You're expression."
Nikki was confused. "My expression? What about it?"
Her friend turned back to her. "This wasn't a change, it was something I'd never seen before…the look you were giving Kai."
It was then Nikki understood what her friend was saying. "Oh you mean the staring competitions we have?"
This comment caused Echo to laugh. "Does Kai know you call it that?"
Nikki grinned. "Sure he does, he's the one that made it up…now what about our loving gazes?"
Echo went into deep thought again for a few seconds. "Well…it's the first time I've ever seen that look on you before, I've never seen you stare at a guy like that. And because it was so obvious how in love you two are, I just couldn't stay mad about the couch."
Nikki smiled while thinking about her boyfriend. "I'm glad you noticed that, because Kai has changed my life more than you realize. It didn't take me very long to fall for him and my feelings have just grown stronger over the years." She turned to Echo, a dreamy and happy smile showing very clearly on her face. "I love him so very much, I want nothing more then to spend the rest of my life with him."
Echo was overall just amazed at how happy Nikki was, she could see her eyes practically sparkling of the love and affection she held for her boyfriend. But it was Nikki's last statement that caught her attention. Not only did she straightforwardly proclaim her feelings for him, but she also wanted to spend her whole life with him. Echo felt the need to talk to this boy about taking things further; she didn't like it when boyfriends were too chicken to propose to their girlfriends, especially when it was obvious that that was what Nikki was waiting for. This boyfriend of her friend was up for a stern talk when they arrived at Head Quarters.
Nikki noticed that her last sentence gave her friend a lot to think about, so she let her be and continued to walk beside her. She wasn't sure why, but even though there was a war threatening to break out with a brutal army, she felt strangely happy. She was reunited with a close friend she hadn't seen in years, and she was practically swelling with her love for Kai. As of that moment, things couldn't have been any better. She felt that her life was finally taking a turn for the better.
Both girls' daydreams were broken once they reached Nikki's car, Kai patiently waiting for them in the back seat. Nikki sat in the drivers' seat, while Echo excitingly jumped into the passenger seat beside her. Nikki smiled at her before switching on the ignition and driving off.
Most of the ride was silent. Echo had her laptop out and was furiously typing away, while Nikki was fully concentrated on the road. Kai was entertained by just staring back and forth between the two girls, although a lot of his stares lingered for several minutes on the driver.
The silence was broken when Echo had finished whatever she was working on and she closed her laptop, a content yet mischievous smile on her face. Nikki glanced at her quickly before averting her eyes back to the road. "What were you working on just then?"
Echo's devilish grin grew wider. "Oh just something I've been planning the last few weeks."
Her dangerous smile made Nikki nervous, but she didn't comment any further. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know what this project of hers was anyway. She decided to ignore her schemes and looked into the review mirror to see how her boyfriend was doing. "How about you babe? How are you going back there?" She ignored Echo's gagging when she called Kai 'babe'.
He smiled at her. "I'm fine, I was surprised how quiet you two were, I thought I'd have to endure through girly talk the whole way."
His girlfriend shot him a playful glare. "It's not all just girly talk, besides us two barely have conversations like that."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then there must be a reason I was sent away earlier, it was obviously something you didn't want me to hear."
She blushed slightly. "It wasn't girly, it was a private chat about a serious matter. There's a big difference between the two."
He grinned. "Sure Nikki, whatever you say."
Echo was enjoying this playful banter. So far since they arrived at her door, they were always acting all lovey dovey in front of her. Now she was experiencing a lover's spat between the two, oh she was enjoying this immensely.
But the banter was cut short when Nikki pulled up in front of a large building. Echo's eyes bulged out of her head when she realized where they were. "This is where the Representative lives!"
Nikki stared at her as if she had just sprouted an extra head. "Well…yeah I did say we were going to Head Quarters. We call it that because we've been staying here for the last couple of weeks."
Echo gawked at the building for a moment, before she scrambled out of the car to get a better look at 'Head Quarters'. "This place is amazing! I've never been up close to it before!"
Nikki chuckled at her friends' excitement. "Well come on inside and you can have a look around. But we'll have to save a proper tour for later, I'm going to introduce you to the Representative of Orb Cagalli Yula Attha, and the Chairwoman of the PLANTS Supreme Council, Lacus Clyne."
Echo's eyes grew to the size of tennis balls when finding out she was going to meet the two nation leaders. But then she turned to Nikki curiously when she heard Lacus's name. "Lacus Clyne…does that mean you two are related or something?"
Nikki sighed. "Here we go again." "Yes we're sisters. We were separated at toddler age and just properly met again about a year ago."
Her friend gawked at her. "Wow, you must be really well known in the PLANTS then."
She smiled grimly. "More than you know. Lacus made me High Commander of Zaft, only a rank under Kira Yamato who's just under her. So technically speaking, I'm the third highest ranking officer all of PLANTS and the ZAFT Military."
Echo's jaw dropped. "How on earth did you manage to become so highly promoted, it can't just be the fact that you're Lacus Clyne's sister right?"
Nikki shook her head. "No, she promoted me because I share equal, if not more, skill with the pilot of the Freedom."
By this point, Echo was close to passing out. Not only was Nikki well known, but she was also the third most respected figure in the PLANTS, not to mention she was a highly skilled pilot.
She couldn't contain her excitement. "So does that mean you have your own Gundam?"
Nikki chuckled. "Yes I do, the ZX15 Vengeance. Remember? I drew out the design while we were at school."
Echo's grin grew wider. "Oh! Those blueprints we made for the class assignment! No way you had that machine MADE?
Nikki grinned and nodded. "Sure did, in fact once we're done with Cagalli and Lacus, we'll head down to the hanger and I'll show you."
By this point Echo was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, a clear sign that she couldn't wait to see the machines she would be working on.
Once again, Kai was silent while he walked behind them. He didn't mind not being included in the conversation; Nikki hadn't seen her friend in a long time so they had lots to catch up on. Besides he found their perky chats entertaining to listen to.
The three reached the Representatives door, pausing for a moment before knocking. Nikki turned to Echo, "Are you ready?"
When the younger girl nodded, Nikki turned and knocked loudly on the door. There was a moment of silence before Cagalli's voice was heard. "Come in."
Nikki and Kai entered first. They wanted to formally introduce Echo first before she was shown to the Representative. Echo quietly hid behind the two older teens, doing her best to calm the knots that had suddenly decided to appear in her stomach. Her ears perked up when the others in the room started talking, so she waited for the moment when Nikki would reveal her.
Nikki was disheartened to see that her sister was not in the room. "Evening Cagalli." She spoke casually, like she was speaking to a citizen and not the Representative of ORB.
Cagalli slightly growled but nodded her head politely in Nikki's direction. "Nikki."
Nikki grinned smugly but didn't comment; instead she focused on the actual reason she was here. She stepped forward slightly, but not too much to reveal the girl behind her. "I have a small update on our preparations. I was hoping Lacus would be here too, because this concerns her as well."
Cagalli leaned forward. "Her and Kira are out having dinner. While they're gone I've been taking care of the evacuations, but they should be back soon. They left not too long after you two did."
Nikki smiled. Well she wasn't about to interrupt a time out Lacus deserved. "That's ok Cagalli, I'll tell you now and inform her later." When the blonde nodded she continued. "I went to see an old friend of mine. I used to go to school with her so I thought I'd go pay her a visit."
Cagalli was starting to get impatient. "What's your point Nikki, why are you taking me on a trip down memory lane?"
The brunette grinned. "Hang on, I'm getting there. You see this is no ordinary friend." She paused. "She's an expert mechanic, one that could help us with this fight."
That caught the Representatives attention. "Expert mechanic? How good is she?"
Nikki's smile grew. "The best, she can do just about anything. I'm going to have her in a control room with access to the Gundams OS so she can add any sort of alternation she wants during the fights. We can even have her make equipment that could be of use, things that are uniquely made and are designed according to how she wants them. For example if she had explosives made, she would be the only one that would be able to set them off when the enemy least expects it. "
Cagalli stared at her with wide eyes. "That's incredible! Well where is she? I want to meet this girl!"
Nikki looked at Kai who grinned, and they both stepped to the side revealing the silent girl behind them. Echo stared blankly as the Representative looked her over.
Cagalli stared at her then Nikki. "This is her?"
Nikki nodded. "I know she doesn't seem like it, but whatever you do don't underestimate or annoy her. She'll throw deadly weapons at you. Not to mention those explosive mice." She shivered, remembering the last time she accidentally set of the small bombs. That was an experience she'd rather live without.
Cagalli turned back to stare at Echo. It was hard to believe that this harmless looking girl could build destructive weapons, but Nikki was obviously serious about her so she had no choice but to believe it.
She walked around the desk and stood in front of the young mechanic. She stretched out her hand in a friendly gesture. "Hello Echo it's a pleasure to meet you."
Echo stared at her hand as if it was about to explode. She put her hand in Cagalli's and shook it. "Yup you too." She said bluntly.
Cagalli smiled. "Not nervous are you?"
The young teen raised an eyebrow. "Should I be?"
Cagalli laughed pulled her hand away to place it on the girls shoulder. "I like your attitude, that's the kind of confidence I want to see during the battle."
Echo grinned. "No worries. I won't let you down, I have plenty of plans up my sleeve for those nasty buggers."
Nikki smiled. She was grateful that the two were getting along, she'd give it another few weeks before Echo would tease Cagalli the same way she did. She grinned to herself; now that was something to look forward to.
She remembered that she promised to show Echo the hanger, so she stepped forward. "I'm sorry to cut this meeting short, but I promised to show Echo around."
Cagalli nodded. "Of course, and I will inform you when Kira and Lacus are back from their date."
Nikki smiled. "Thanks, tell her I'll meet her back here. See you later Cagalli." Before she walked out, she gave her a playful salute, which the blonde glared at. Kai saluted her properly before following his girlfriend out the door. Echo quickly saluted her as well before bolting out the door after her friends.
Kai quickly strode up to catch up to Nikki, with Echo trailing behind him. Nikki turned and smiled at them. "Come on slow pokes."
Echo glared. "You got a head start, that's not fair!"
Kai sighed. "Plus you walk fast Nikki, we had to almost jog to keep up."
Nikki sniggered. "Well, we'll show Echo here the hanger then take her to where she'll be staying."
Echo stared with curious eyes. "Where am I staying?"
Nikki turned to her. "One of the rooms near ours, just a few halls away from Cagalli's office."
Echo's eyes sparkled. "You mean I'm staying in this building?"
The older girl chuckled, "Yes you'll be staying here until the fighting is over."
By now her face was lighting up the entire building. "Oh awesome! I can't wait to see my room!"
Nikki and Kai both chuckled. She was such an intelligent girl but she also had the fun side of her that one would experience with a hyper child.
Several minutes later they entered the large hanger that held all their machines. Echo gazed in wonder at everything around her; she couldn't wait to start working on everything.
Nikki placed her hand on her shoulder. "Come over here, I'll show you mine and Jason's Gundams."
She led her friend over to another door in the corner. "We keep our machines in a different and more secured hanger. We don't want the risk of anyone stealing them since they're the best weapons that our two nations have."
Echo grinned at her. "And you're the pilot of one of them."
Nikki laughed. "Yes that's very true."
Kai spoke up. "You girls go in, I'm going to head back to our room and take a shower."
Nikki nodded then led her friend inside the large door while Kai turned and walked the opposite direction.
The two girls entered the second hanger, which was pitch black. Nikki felt her way along the wall until her hand came in contact with the large lever. She gripped the cold metal bar and pulled it down. Instantly all the lights brightened the room, revealing the two Gundams.
Echo gawked at the two mighty machines that stood before her. Nikki smiled bemusedly at her expression. "As you can see they don't have their Phase Shift Armor on at the moment so we're unable to see their colours."
Echo turned to her with pleading eyes. "Oh turn them on please? I want to see their colours!"
Nikki laughed. "Alright, but I can only show you mine. If you want to see Jason's then you'll have to ask him."
At the sound of the blonde's name, she turned to Nikki. "Where is Jason anyway?"
Nikki turned to her. "Him and Jenny have gone to a recruitment colony up in the PLANTS. They're finding soldiers to help us fight against the rebellion."
Echo nodded. "Fair enough, I'll guess I'll see him when he gets back…but who's Jenny?"
Nikki grinned. "His girlfriend, and my current best friend."
Echo smiled. "Oh he has a girlfriend! Oh my never thought I'd see the day! Oh and your best friend? Hmm I'm going to have to definitely meet this girl then."
Nikki nodded. "Well you wait here while I go start up the Vengeance."
Echo nodded and waited while Nikki made her way to her machine. She watched as she hoisted herself up before climbing into the machine. She wrung her fingers together in anticipation, waiting for the Vengeance to show its magnificence.
Well there we have it! Echo's first official appearance!
Echo: Could've been better
Nikki: Why do you say that?
Echo: Um…hello! Someone was playing tonsil hockey with their hubby on my precious furniture!
Nikki: Well you took your sweet time getting ready!
Echo: It's still my couch!
Ok girls time out, let's calm down before blood is spilt…where are all the others?
Echo: Jason and Jenny are out on a date somewhere… I think…
Nikki: And Kai's not feeling well…once we're done here I'm going to check on him.
Aaww poor boy! I didn't know he was sick! Maybe I should draw him a sexy picture of Nikki to cheer him up!
Nikki: -blushes- I'M RIGHT HERE YA KNOW!
Well yeah…what's your point?
Echo: -pulls out laptop- I'm bored I'm going to do some hacking, see you all later! –wonders off-
-sweat drops- How much time does she spend on that computer?
Nikki: Who knows…can we wrap this up now? I have a sick boyfriend waiting for me.
-groans- Fiiiinne, well here's the preview for the next chapter! Thank you all for coming! Bye bye! See you all next time!
Nikki tilted her head curiously. "Kai? Are you ok?"
Kai averted his eyes slightly; whatever he was about to say he decided to hold in at the last minute.
He let his arms drop from her waist and turned away, "I'm fine, feel free to use the shower."
She knew something was bothering him, so she gently grabbed his wrist and turned him to face her. Seeing he was trying to avoid eye contact, she reached up and gently pulled his face back to look at her. When their eyes met, she saw nothing but uncertainty staring back at her.
Her eyes softened in concern. "Kai…sweetie what's wrong? Talk to me."