Author's Notes
Hey, everyone! Sorry for the large gap between chapters! I just finished up finals, and I was writing something new, so it took a while.
"Something new" means, yes, I've been writing another big chunk from scratch instead of just editing old work. The grocery store is a completely new scene from what I originally had in there. I'm hoping it will help flesh out early interactions between Zero and my OC. It contains more fun encounters with Dark Axis, so I hope you'll like it!
Thanks again for feedback, Titanic X!
And the rest of you: please give me feedback, too! I want to make this better!
Chapter 3: What's for Breakfast?
"Good morning, Zero."
"Good morning to you, Captain."
The two Gundams passed each other in the hall on the way to their respective destinations: for Captain, the training room; for Zero, the kitchen.
Zero passed through the sliding doors entering the kitchen to see that Bakunetsumaru, as always, was already there chowing down on riceballs. "Fi, Sero," Baku said between bites.
"Please, don't gabber with your mouth full of food," Zero scolded, floating over to the cabinets. "Is there anything left?"
Baku rolled his eyes and swallowed. "Good morning to you, too," he said clearer now that his mouth was empty. A bowl was next to him, empty except for a lining of milk at the bottom. "There's frozen steak and pasta in the fridge. We're fresh out of cereal."
"I wonder why," Zero muttered under his breath.
"I heard that!" Baku called.
Zero ignored him and slid over to the fridge and opened the door. "Aha! Here's where the bread was hiding!" he said triumphantly as he dragged the loaf out of the crisper near the bottom. Suddenly, his laughter ceased and he peered more closely through the plastic bag. The knight experimentally tapped the loaf on a countertop. Clack! Clack! Clack! Zero groaned. "Why was it in the freezer?" Grumbling, he stomped over to the microwave. "Now I'll eat cold spots…"
While the bread rotated in the machine, Zero walked over to Baku's table and sat in the nearest chair. Baku gulped down another rice ball. "So, what did take you and Aleda so long to get back last night?" he began deviously.
Zero raised a digital eyebrow. "I don't know what you're insinuating," he growled. "We had to calm Fenn, because he was distressed that I left him alone. And, Miss Keiko scolded Shute and me for tardiness."
"So, there's nothing?"
Zero narrowed his eyes and glanced at the samurai suspiciously. "Whatever do you mean?"
Baku looked back at him slyly. "You know what I mean." And with that, he grabbed the empty cereal bowl on the side, tipped it back, and drank the milk.
"I don't understand why you persist in that rude habit." The microwave beeped.
"No good letting the milk go to waste."
"Whatever." Bakunetsumaru failed to sense a purple rose appearing on his horn. Zero chuckled to himself as he turned to the microwave.
Baku barely heard him. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
"Nothing," Zero said. He extracted soggy bread from the microwave.
Baku stood to throw his empty bowl into the sink. But, as he passed the microwave, the reflection in its black door caused him to huff. "Zero!" He wheeled. "Get this flower off my helmet!"
"I'm busy," Zero said over his shoulder. He set down a stick of butter next to a plate of the ice-cored bread. "Go practice your poor excuse for swordsmanship."
"What?! My swordsmanship, poor?!"
"Yes, that's what I said."
"I'll show you who the better swordsman is, pansy!" Baku ripped the flower off his helmet and drew his katana.
"I accept your challenge," Zero said, raising his hand to summon his sword and shield. His trusty weapons emerged from his magic circle and lowered with familiar ease into his awaiting hands.
Aleda entered to see the knight and the samurai facing off beside the breakfast table, swords drawn and held at the ready. "Good morning?" she began hesitantly.
The Gundams blinked at her.
"Lady Aleda!" Zero exclaimed in surprise.
"Uh…hey, Aleda," Baku said nervously.
"You two aren't planning to spar in the kitchen… are you?"
The Vatras sword and the shield vanished. "I apologize, milady," Zero said. "You are right. It's very dangerous to be sparring in a kitchen. It was terribly immature of me to partake in this."
"Oh, of course. Now you try to cover it up. A woman comes and you go to any length to make yourself look good. So stupid," Baku spat.
"It's not stupid. Chivalry is a sign of civility," Zero countered.
"Do you two fight all the time?" Aleda asked. Zero glided to her as Baku sheathed his swords.
"Bakunetsumaru and I only fight in jest. Our seemingly harsh words conceal our deep respect for each other," Zero said. Baku snorted. A purple rose appeared at Zero's fingertips, and he held it before the Gundamess. "Though we promise, milady, that we shall not spar in the kitchen from now on."
Aleda grasped the rose and took a deep whiff of its fragrance. She grinned at Zero's words. "So I can be sure you won't cause fires in here?"
"Never, milady," Zero promised.
"At least until he cooks," Baku interjected.
"Oi!" Zero protested, throwing him a sharp glance.
Aleda looked past them to the kitchen table. "Speaking of cooking, what's for breakfast?"
"Er..." Zero began.
"Mushy bread," Baku answered.
Aleda flew to the fridge and searched inside. "There are some eggs."
"We always burn them when we try to cook," Baku said with a casual shrug.
"Oh. Well, I could cook them for you."
"Really?" Baku grinned excitedly. A gurgle came from Zero's belly, and he turned away before they could see his embarrassed blush.
"Sure. How would you like them?" Aleda asked. She removed the egg carton.
"Sunny side up!" Baku answered enthusiastically.
Zero turned back. "Deviled is my favorite."
Aleda scanned the fridge. "I don't see anything to mix the yolk with for deviled eggs. I could go to the grocery store," she offered.
"No need to go to such trouble, milady," the Knight Gundam said quickly. "Scrambled is fine."
"I guess I'll cook some scrambled now so you can eat, and then I can get groceries, later?"
"You don't have to run errands for us!" Zero fretted. "You're a guest."
"Well, I thought it would be a good way to return the favor," Aleda said, her voice trailing off into a mumble. "For saving me, you know..."
"That's fine," Baku said. Grinning, he clapped the Winged Knight on the shoulder. "Zero can go with you. It'll make him feel better if he carries everything for you."
Zero turned his head to shoot a glare at Baku. "Yes, I'd—" He morphed his expression into a smile as he looked at Aleda. "—be happy to help."
So, Aleda started the eggs on two skillets, while Baku and Zero waited at the table. "What are you trying to do?" Zero hissed at the Arkian.
"Nothing." Baku grinned.
Zero huffed at the wall. "Bakanetsumaru, Bakanetsumaru..."
"What is that?" Baku said.
"Nothing," Zero said with an equally mischievous grin. Then, the two fidgeted silently as they waited for their food.
After a few minutes, the Gundamess switched off the stove. "Here you go," Aleda said with a shy smile, handing a plate of eggs to each Gundam.
Baku immediately scarfed them down. "Mmm! That's good!"
Zero forked a bite into his mouth, and his eyes widened in surprise. "They are good," he gasped. Looking at the Gundamess, he said, "These are the best eggs I've had in Neotopia, Lady Aleda!"
She blushed. "Thank you. I used lots of butter."
"Ifur lookin fur a gai, I'll hafoo," Baku said between bites.
Aleda giggled.
"You need better manners, first," Zero scoffed.
...
After the small breakfast, and after Zero woke and fed Fenn, Zero and Aleda visited the grocery store with an SDG credit card in hand. Aleda picked up a grocery basket at the entrance.
"May I carry that for you, milady?" Zero asked.
Aleda blushed. "It's okay. You don't need to."
"Please allow me. I want to be useful to you, and I, well..." Zero scratched his helm. "I don't know much about grocery stores, so..."
"Oh. Well, sure, then," Aleda said.
Zero, beaming, took the basket from her hand, accidentally brushing her fingers as he did so. "Thank you, milady."
"You're welcome," she said. Then, quickly, she shook her head and amended, "Er, th-thank you!"
Zero chuckled. "Let's begin, Lady Aleda. "Where to, first?"
"Um... The dairy."
"Lead the way."
Aleda floated towards the back, and Zero followed. As she went, Aleda pondered again the strange effect the Knight Gundam had on her. "Pardon us, madam," Zero said as they wove past an old woman.
A memory drifted to the fore of Aleda's data processor, of another male ushering her through gently through a crowd by the hand while politely saying, "Excuse us, excuse us." Oh. Is it because he reminds me of him? Aleda wondered a little sadly.
"Is there something the matter?" Zero asked, coming beside her.
"No." Aleda tucked her frown under a smile. "Here's the dairy."
From the dairy, they collected more eggs and milk, and then they browsed other aisles for fresh bread, cereal, and, at Aleda's insistence, green beans, lettuce, onions, and spinach. Zero was, indeed, happy to carry everything for her, and it was no effort for his gargantuan Gundam strength. But, once the extra vegetables were added, it was too much for just a basket, and they had to find a cart.
"I'm sorry," Aleda said as she placed the clusters of spinach in the cart, on top of the eggs and cereal. "I didn't think we'd get this much."
"Milady, may I ask what all this is for?" Zero said, eyeing the spinach in the cart nervously. He set a bag of onions next to it.
"I was thinking of putting it with steak," Aleda said, smiling bashfully. "Most guys like meat, but I wanted everyone to eat a balanced meal, so..."
Zero perked up at the word "steak." "It sounds scrumptious."
"I hope so."
They pushed into the frozen meat section. Aleda moved along a line of packaged T-bone steaks, sizing them up for plumpness and redness. She found one that looked appealing and picked it up to inspect it closer. A strange buzz reached her auditory sensors. Down, under where the meat had been, a Bagu-Bagu skittered over a rock. Or what was now a rock.
Aleda nearly dropped the meat. "What's that?"
Zero dropped the basket, jumped in between her and the mechanical bug, and in a flash of blue, his sword was in his hand and through the fiend. "A Bagu-Bagu," he said grimly. He withdrew his sword, leaving a crack in the stone meat underneath. "It turns any organic substance into stone. These are the tools Dark Axis used to petrify Lacroa." He looked at Aleda. "There may be more nearby. Pardon me, milady, but our shopping must wait. I must hunt the Bagu-Bagu down before they reach the humans."
"Is there a way I can help?" Aleda offered.
Zero nodded. "The humans must be evacuated from the area. Could you relay this to them?"
"Yeah. And then I'll come help you."
Zero shook his head. "You mustn't, Lady Aleda. While they're foolish brutes, they're still strong enough to kill a Gundam. I'd rather you gather reinforcements at White Base."
Aleda's wings drooped slightly. "Okay."
"Alright. I'm off. Be careful, milady." Zero's cape swished behind him as he turned.
"You, too," Aleda said.
The Winged Knight rounded the corner out of sight, and Aleda left the cart of groceries and beelined for the front of the grocery store. She came to the customer service desk and said, "There's an emergency! Everyone needs to get out, now!"
"What is it?" the GM at the counter asked.
"There are... bugs that are turning things into stone!" Aleda said, wondering at how ridiculous her own words sounded. "All the humans need to leave before they get bitten!"
"Is this a joke?"
"No, it's—"
A heavy and jarring crash echoed from the back. Surprised shouts sprang up all over the store. "What?!" the GM exclaimed. He pressed a button on the counter. "Inventory to customer service! Inventory to customer service!"
Crack! The back wall began to split, and the customers, screaming, flooded to the front.
Guessing the correct course of action, Aleda moved to the doors and called, "Everyone, get out, now!" A stampede flowed her way, and she pounded the handicap assistance button. The doors on her side of the store swung open wide. She waved the customers out. "Keep moving!" The GM at customer service stopped gawking and moved to help usher customers.
Several crunching noises sounded outside, though, and they turned to see Zakos stomping towards the store and the escaping human and robot customers. Aleda's GunSoul plunged.
...
Zero floated alongside the frozen meat as he inspected the food with his eyes and listened for Bagu-Bagu with his audio processors. As he neared the back doors leading into the inventory and loading space, the dreaded sound of buzzing reached him. He touched his hand to the door and then cautiously, slowly entered.
The space was unlit. He could only see two shafts of light coming from the slats on the double doors. But, the buzzing dinned close by, along with other mechanical sounds.
The Winged Knight looked left to see a cloud of little purple lights—all Bagu-Bagu. "Filthy vermin!" He raised his sword, and his mana circle appeared at the ceiling. Little tiny glowing swords slashed at the Bagu-Bagu swarm. It looked like a war between fireflies—a very one-sided war. The Bagu-Bagu started to scatter. The purple and the white illuminated the room. Zero followed the rising sparkles up to an imposing face.
It scowled at him from a hulking form with tank treads. And, it was rumbling toward him, one huge arm raised.
Zero side-flew the arm as it came down, and it widely missed, hitting a stack of loaded boxes, instead, that tumbled down and spilled heavy bags of rice. Up on the machine's head, a Control Horn was locked and glowing. The logo on the side of the machine read "Preston" and below that was the label "Packer Model 8003." It's the machine that packages the food, Zero noted. I shouldn't destroy it unless absolutely necessary.
"Ack!" He dodged when the arm curved its course to follow him. A loud crack sounded; the machine had punched the wall behind him, creating a deep vertical line that leaked light from the outside, snaking from top to bottom like a glowing stream. Panicked cries sounded out there, accompanied by the rumble of many feet. "Quiet! Don't frighten them!" Zero rebuked the possessed packing machine.
"They should be scared."
Zero glared behind the machine at a single glowing red dot. "Gouf—wah!" He barely evaded a swipe from the giant Preston machine's arm.
Grappler Gouf stepped into the light of Zero's magic swords as the two tangled. "Yeah, it's me. Welcome to our new Bagu-Bagu production line!"
Zero caught the Preston Packer's swinging arm with his shield. "You've been creating them here? Where are the workers?!" he demanded.
Grappler turned around, and the red glow of his eye illuminated the faces of powered-down GMs slumped on the floor. "All here. No humans, sadly. I was looking forward to petrifying people. Though I guess we'll get around to it, soon."
Metal clicks and clinks emitted as Zero clenched his sword and shield tighter. "You won't succeed this time, Grappler."
"Oh, really? I've already petrified all the food that was shipped here this morning. Give it a bit longer, and we'll cut off the entire city's food supply. All humans will either be petrified or starving." Then, Gouf smirked. "And, to make sure the Gundam Force can't interfere with our operations, we have a perimeter around the building." Zero's digital eyes widened. "No one's coming in or going out."
Author's Notes
I just couldn't resist making a cliffhanger here! So, Grappler's got his plan, Zero has his work cut out for him, and Aleda—well, she hasn't been in a fight with Dark Axis, yet, so this is bound to push her out of her comfort zone. I've got the whole scenario almost finished, so it won't be long before you can find out how well they fare. :)
This chapter, you got a hint of some yet unspoken parts of Aleda's backstory. I'll let you speculate for now about who/what the "male" in her memory is. Next time, I'll include another hint for another aspect of her background that should be really interesting. This latter aspect is something that I didn't touch on much originally but that I think I should really expand in this second version. If it's done right, it will tie together my OC and a key unanswered question of the SDGF universe. If it's done badly, well, I'm sorry, and I'll fix it if you let me know.
Please give me some feedback so I can get a grasp on how well my fic is jiving for you all! There's only so much I can glean from the traffic stats and favoriting stats.
-Penelopi