Author's Notes
So, this update was a day off from "next week". Sorry, guys. :( I had a lot happen over the last seven days. I'm glad I was able to get this out, though.
On a side-note, I revised the first chapter of Little Wing a bit to make it more like 3-14 and on. I've noticed that there are a lot more views and visitors on the first chapter than the rest of the chapters. My conclusion is that the beginning wasn't drawing most readers in. I've revised it more thoroughly than on my initial pass-through to try to make it more compelling. However, there's not much that I can glean from just the stats. Please review, everyone, even on older chapters, so that I can know how to improve!
Disclaimer
Sunrise and Bandai made SD Gundam Force (and cruelly hid it after one season—or two, if you're Japanese), and they own it, not me. I made and own the OCs Aleda, Titan, Myles (who's not mentioned in this chapter), Margaret, John, Rob, and Ms. Noel.
Chapter 14: In Someone Else's Frame
"Grappler Gouf, reporting," Grappler growled to the back of Commander Sazabi.
The tall mecha turned, his single eye locking onto the blue warrior. "Grappler. You, Zapper Zaku, and Destroyer Dom have failed to bring me results in Neotopia," said Sazabi.
Grappler stepped back warily, his claws twitching.
"I have an advantage to give you that can remove future setbacks. But, I want results," Sazabi said. "If you fail this, then you'll get more than a laser beam to the rear."
Grappler gulped and lowered his claws. "What is the advantage...sir?"
Sazabi's eye gleamed. "Something that only people with a decent processor can handle." He stepped aside, and Grappler gaped at the shape in the shadows behind him. "This was a gift entrusted to me from the General himself," Sazabi snarled, "so you had better take care of it."
"Y-Yes, sir."
…
"Oh, hi, Shute!" Keiko said to her son as he slid the patio door shut behind him.
The boy grinned. "Hello, mother."
"Did you have a good time with your friends, today?" She smiled at him over the edge of her laptop.
"We had a lot of fun, today!"
A few low lights bathed the kitchen beyond the joint living room, but most illumination came from the setting sun shining through the sliding doors and a kitchen window. On the carpet next to the table where Keiko worked on the following week's science lesson plans, Nana gurgled happily in her play pen. "Hello, Nana," the boy said, kneeling to see the pink-clad infant.
Nana grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously while laughing. Her playmate's face twitched in a stiff smile, and he belted out a monotonous laugh. Nana blinked, and Keiko raised her eyebrow. "Are you pretending to be Captain?" Keiko asked.
Captain immediately put away the awkward smile. "…Yes, I was. Sorry."
The woman laughed, "I hope you can copy his work ethic just as well."
Captain nodded. "I will try, mother."
"Shute, are you alright?" Keiko asked with an anxious frown. "You don't seem yourself."
"I'm fine," Captain said, forcing a grin. "I'm going to go do homework." He about-faced but stumbled forward a step.
"Are you really alright?" Keiko said, starting to stand.
"Yes." Captain's heart pounded, and heat rushed through his limbs. This corresponds with what Shute told me about humans' adrenaline rush, he thought. He took another, more careful step forward. I still have to practice control of this body. It offers a wider range of motion but less accuracy.
"Okay. Just be careful. Dinner will be in thirty minutes," Keiko said.
"Affirmative."
…
Shute paused in the hallway to punch the air. Woosh! He punched with the other fist. Whoosh! He marveled at how the air split around his quick motion. His readouts reported to him that the amount of force in the punches was 683.29 newtons and 684.103 newtons. "Wow!" Shute turned over his hands to stare at his palms in awe. "I knew Gundams were strong, but… wow!" He poised himself and kicked, yielding 623.46 newtons. "Yeah!"
A tiny motion caught his optical sensors, and Shute zoomed his vision in to see it: a fly circled between the wall and the ceiling, every hair and every facet of its eyes clear to the peering boy-bot. "Cool!" Shute took a step forward, and his view swirled drastically from the motion. "Oh. That's a little confusing." He reeled in the focus to an average human viewpoint.
Then, Shute tuned his audio sensors to the highest sensitivity, and the energy flowing in his circuits buzzed in his hearing. Metallic clicks lightly echoed his way. Shute's software matched the sounds to the gaits of a couple of GMs, and, further down, Bakunetsumaru. Huh, Captain has our movement and voice patterns stored, Shute noted. He walked to meet his samurai friend, following the projected origins of his footsteps as projected by his software.
Two GMs marched down a branching hall. Finally, Shute spotted the red armored warrior coming his way. "Baku!" he called with a wave.
"Hey… Shute," Baku paused a moment, blinking, to again comprehend the identity of the robot before him. "Did… Captain already leave?"
Shute nodded. "Yeah, 23 minutes and 42 seconds ago."
"Hm. Well, I hope tomorrow works out for him. How are you doing?"
The metal-suited boy pumped a fist, squealing, "I can punch almost as hard as a cannonball!"
Baku perspired. "Yes, I guess you can."
"I can't believe Gundams are this strong!" Shute gushed. "It's awesome!" He threw some practice punches in the air. "Hyah! Hyah!" Then, he rotated his entire torso to draw more momentum. "Ha—woah!" His punch careened Baku's way, and the Musha Gundam easily palmed it.
"Be careful," Baku cautioned.
Shute pulled his hand out. "Sorry. I just want to know more about Captain and you all while I have the chance."
"I would be glad to spar with you, if Chief Haro hadn't said you shouldn't fight."
Shute sighed. "Yeah, that bums me out, a bit."
"He's just worried you'd get hurt." Baku crossed his arms. "And I can't blame him after what happened, today."
Shute flipped his eyescreens to a tight-shut expression in order to convey a wince. "Yeah… Hey, where's Aleda?"
"She's in her room, right now." Baku shrugged. "I tried to talk to her, but she seems to want to be left alone. I think she's embarrassed about the whole thing."
"Oh," Shute uttered sadly.
"Hey, do you wanna find something to do?" Baku said with a light punch to his arm.
"Oh, uh, sure."
Before they could discuss their options, speakers hidden in the ceiling blared, "Captain Gundam, please report to Chief Kao Lyn."
"That probably means me," Shute sighed.
…
The human family of four sat around a table full of riceballs and fried pork cutlets. Nana's seat, however, was a high-chair, and her plastic Tupperware contained grape tomatoes and chopped chicken nuggets. "Thanks, honey," Mark said as he cut into the pork on his plate.
Keiko smiled. "You're welcome, dear." Then, "Shute, aren't you going to eat?"
Captain jolted. "Oh, yes." He stole a glance at Mark sawing the cutlets into bite-sized pieces while he lifted his own fork and knife. Slowly, he stuck the fork into the meat until a click indicated that it had reached the plate. Then, just as deliberately, he sawed the meat, back and forth, several inches away from his fork hand. The meat strip wiggled with the motion and barely split below the surface. Keiko wrinkled her forehead.
Tightening his lips, Captain leaned into the sawing motion to apply more force.
"Shute, what are you doing?" Keiko asked. "You know how to eat."
"Yes, I do," Captain said, "but…" he trailed off.
"His hands must be tired from working in his workshop all day," Mark said with a disarming smile.
"Oh! Is that it? You must have been working hard," Keiko said. She reached for Captain's plate. "Here, let me help you."
Captain passed his dish and utensils to her. "Thank you."
"No problem." As Captain watched in awe, Keiko sliced the pork in seconds and returned his meal to him. "Here you go."
"Thank you, Miss—er, mother."
"You're welcome, Shute."
Captain pressed the fork into the meat and slid the bite into his mouth. As his lips closed, his eyes widened. So, this is why they are excited for well-prepared food, he thought to himself. The sensation of tasting, especially such a rich food, evaded comparison to any prior experience. The delicate crunch of the outer texture gave way to soft, protein-and-fat-loaded material that soaked his tongue with flavor. He scraped the fork out slowly between his teeth and then, bidden by instinct, clicked his teeth together to take his first bite. Juiciness and grease flooded his mouth.
"Is something wrong, Shute?" asked Keiko.
Captain shook his head, green eyes still wide in amazement. Mark watched him intently. The boy's chewing pace accelerated, and, finally, he swallowed. Captain felt the food slide down to his belly, where it rested and partially filled a cavity that he had not before perceived. "It's… amazing," he gasped.
Mark chuckled, and Keiko, smiling, said, "Why, thank you."
Nana, gurgling, shoved a grape tomato in her mouth with her tiny hands.
His cavity rumbled, begging for more, and Captain found himself more than willing to oblige.
…
"So, what will I do, tomorrow, chief?" Shute asked Kao Lyn while the scientist twirled around him to study data charts and Shute's physical mechanical state from his own unique point of view. Shute waited motionless near a wall, where a white and square metallic structure stood ready for docking.
"Good question!" Kao Lyn whirled his arms about as he thought. "Captain usually recharges, trains, runs tests, and spends time with Zero and Bakunetsumaru before you leave school. However, Chief Haro doesn't want you to do any combat exercises, and he wishes me to keep a close eye on you." His perpetual motion slowed for a moment. "How about you help me around the lab, tomorrow? You're a creative tinkerer yourself, and I'd love some company!"
Shute flashed a happy emote. "Aw, yeah! That would be great!"
Kao Lyn nodded. "Then that's that!" With a spin, he pointed at the gizmo by the wall. "So, Shute, are you ready for your first recharge cycle?"
"I guess." The voice warbled out of the robot frame uncertainly. "What's it like?"
"A lot like sleeping—at least, I think," Kao Lyn said. "During recharge, mobile citizens' internal batteries are recharged, their data is defragmented, and unimportant files are deleted. Software updates are also applied. Their systems often restart a few times, but they do not usually return to full consciousness until morning."
Shute nodded. "Are you sure it'll work the same way for me?"
"I don't know. But, I think it's safe to assume that."
"Alright." Shute backed into the recharge station, jolting a bit as the plugs entered his body.
"Does it feel strange?" Kao Lyn asked.
"Yeah." Shute regretted the facial stiffness that prevented him from expressing the nuances of a nervous smile. "All of the docking feels weird to me."
Kao Lyn jumped around Shute, peering at his body anew. "I'm very curious. What does it feel like?"
"Like… a shock? It's really quick, short, and powerful." Shute laughed apologetically. "I don't know if that makes sense."
Kao Lyn bobbed his head. "No, no, that is a very illuminating description! I'll have to write that down." Beaming, he said, "But, you need your recharge, so go ahead and power down."
"O-Okay…"
"Don't worry, Shute. Captain does it all the time, and it never hurt him."
Shute nodded. "I know. I'm fine." His eyescreens dimmed to black, and his joints slackened, allowing his head to dip forward a smidgen.
Kao Lyn smiled. "Good night, Shute." The scientist turned and walked out of the lab, flipping the light switch as he left.
…
Captain marched through the school's main double doors amid a swarm of children. He instinctively slowed his movements when the children bumped against him, a protocol developed to avoid accidental injury to fragile human bodies. Not that he needed such a habit at this time. On the contrary, his hesitance limited his progress significantly; his velocity approximated 2.1 kilometers per hour.
"Class will start in 5 minutes," the intercom system announced through the poster-board-speckled white halls.
Captain accelerated to 5 kilometers per hour. Hesitantly, he slid himself in-between two clusters of chatting girls. "Excuse me," he said as he sidled through. Observing that no negative reaction—or any reaction, at all—triggered from his behavior, Captain nudged into the crowd ahead with more force. "Pardon me. Excuse me." All the while, his delicate green eyes, constantly shuttering to self-moisturize, scanned the numbers posted beside each open doorway for "6-GP01." He found the sixes on the second floor and followed them down from 6-GA01, until he spied his target two doors down from the window at the end of the hallway.
"Excuse me," he said, slipping by two boys.
His backpack snagged. "Excuse me?"
That hot, tingly feeling flushed through Captain's body, again. He met eyes with his accoster. That one had a hand on his backpack's haul loop, while the other boy sneered at him behind messy red hair. "Pardon me," Captain said, "but why are you holding my backpack?"
The flow of students reshaped to give the group a wide berth. The analog clock posted a few doors down ticked a minute to 7:30.
"I wanted to talk to you," said the blond boy gripping Captain.
"Why is that?"
"You pushed me."
"I'm sorry. I said, 'Excuse me.' I had no intention to offend you," Captain apologized. His face instinctively frowned, but his voice still projected rigidly like in his robot form. "I'm trying to report to class by the appointed time. I'll be more careful, next time."
"If you're sorry, then make it up to me," the boy said, scowling beneath blue eyes.
Captain bunched his brown eyebrows together. "How should I do that?"
The boy released his backpack. "You could let me see your homework so I can double-check my answers."
"Is that permitted by the teacher?"
Their eyebrows rose, and other boy, the redhead, scoffed. "Are you serious, Shute?"
"Of course." Captain eyed the clock's second hand. "Can we discuss this at lunch time? Class is about to begin." The throng of students had thinned to only one or two.
"But, we're not done talking, yet," said the blue-eyed one.
"I know, which is why I'll talk to you at lunch." Captain backed toward his classroom. This body automatically senses hostility, he internally marveled.
A woman poked her head out the door. "Shute, John, and Rob, class is about to start. Come in."
John and Rob lowered their faces to hide scowls. Reluctantly, they followed Captain into the classroom.
Several rows of single synthetic resin desks held the middle of the room. A large electronic touch board displayed morning routine tasks at the front of the class, while in the back, behind all of the students, the teacher's desk, labeled "Ms. Noel," brimmed with papers and folders. Captain spotted the name "Shute" on a desk in the third-to-last row and approached it. Observing the behavior and posture of the other students, he set his backpack on the floor space in front of the desk and sat down.
"Good morning, Shute."
Captain blinked at the familiar purple-eyed girl sitting beside him. "Good morning, Sayla," he said back.
The girl gave him a sugary smile and returned to her morning work: a sheet of geometry problems. Captain read the message on the electronic board: "Complete the morning math work. Read a book when you're done."
What is morning math work? Captain wondered. He surveyed the other students to see if their behavior could suggest the answer to him. Some already pored over books. Most were working at their seats. And the girl on his opposite side was drawing on a sheet of printer paper. Captain squinted. The rough marks formed scattered doodles of robots—including three familiar ones: one with two swords, one with a cape, and one with a beam rifle. Captain raised an eyebrow.
Ms. Noel passed by Captain's row and said, "Margaret, if you are finished, please read."
The tall, broad-shouldered girl blushed. "I'm sorry," she quickly muttered, sliding the sheet into her desk and pulling out a comic book. Her cheeks glowed red over the edge of "Rockman" volume 9.
Behind him, Captain heard a familiar voice hiss, "Nerd girl got in trouble." He glanced back to see John and Rob snorting two rows behind.
A knock came at the classroom door, and Ms. Noel maneuvered the grid of desks to open it. "Mrs. Baker? Oh, yeah, sure." She turned to the class to say, "I'm going to talk to Mrs. Baker for a few minutes. Keep working. I'm going to be right out here, and I expect to hear diligent sounds while I'm talking." She ducked outside.
Margaret's eyes wandered to her desk cubby, and she tugged the edge of her drawing sheet.
"Don't do that, Margaret," blond John scolded. "You heard what Ms. Noel just said." Arrogance carved a smirk into his face. "You need to be learning."
Margaret protested, "I was just looking at it. Mind your own business."
Rob spun a ruler on the tip of his pencil. "It's not much to look at. You should stick with math," he commented offhand.
The girl's blue eyes scrunched in hurt and anger.
"It is good to be concerned for your classmate, but insulting her artwork is not necessary to correct her behavior," Captain said.
John and Rob glared. "Shute, are you trying to pick a fight with us, today?" John growled.
Captain knit his brows. "I am not. My goal is to follow the rules and to help others do the same. It is against the rules to detract from your classmate."
John rose. "Shut up, Shute." Bystanders gawked nervously.
"I don't understand why you would want to say such things to your classmate," Captain continued. "Some of her drawings are based on existing mobile citizens, but others are completely original designs. She should be praised for her creativity."
Margaret's ears, protruding through her dirty blond hair, burned red.
John started towards Captain, and the skin-laden 'bot tensed. But, the blond suddenly veered and snatched the paper from under Margaret's arm. "You mean this trash?"
"Stop!" Margaret jumped from her seat. He ripped it in half.
Captain sprang up and grabbed the boy's wrist.
The door opened. "What is going on, here?!" Ms. Noel barked.
Ten minutes later, Captain, John, and Margaret waited in the main office with anxious stomach butterflies for their sentences. They had each given their stories: John had been unable to counter the hard evidence of a ripped paper and the eyewitness testimony of Ms. Noel, but Captain-Shute had also been seen grappling with him. The heavy wooden door to the principal's office opened. "Shute, come in."
"Yes, sir," Captain replied as he obediently stood and followed the man. He and the principal sat themselves on opposite sides of the man's thick desk.
The principal learned forward. "Shute. I understand that you were trying to stop bullying behavior," he began. Captain nodded. "But," the principal continued, "physical contact is not permitted in school. Because you, according to Ms. Noel and John, grabbed John, you will have to stay home from school for a few days."
Captain gaped. "But, sir, I refrained from harming him. He suffered no abrasions," he protested.
"I understand. The rules mandate, though, that any student who instigates a hostile physical exchange must be suspended for at least three days," the principal stated slowly, apologetically. "It is regrettable that John ripped Miss Margaret's drawing, but it did not require a physical intervention."
Captain dropped his eyes to his soft hands. "I see." Then, he raised his head. "What will the long-term consequences be for this suspension?"
"It can affect your record, but there is leniency, depending on the circumstances." The principal eked out a regretful smile. "Just remember to keep your hands to yourself, and I'm sure this will be off the record before you reach high school."
The boy nodded, green eyes clouded.
"Alright. Your father is on his way to pick you up, so please wait in the main office until he arrives."
"Yes, sir."
…
Aleda idled in the enclosed biome of White Base, sitting under the shade of a tree, one of several scattered in clusters over the park-like lawn. She lightly teased the grass with a white finger as she frowned at the turf. SDG staff occasionally chattered in the background as intermittent groups passed by on their way to scheduled breaks, to meetings, testing sessions, etc. Their boots clunked across the straight walkways breaking through the park.
"So, this is where you were."
The Gundamess blinked her green eyes and lifted her gaze to a red-clad musha.
"What are you doing?" Baku asked.
She shrugged. "I came to see if Chief Haro would reconsider taking the book, but he left a while ago for something important." Her voice sank under the weight of her heavy GunSoul.
"Ah. Well, you don't really need it, right now."
Aleda sighed.
"I-I mean, well... it'll all be fine!" Baku sprouted a cheerful smile. "You'll get to start training, again, when Zero gets back."
She nodded, but her inner voice whispered, Only if Zero wants to keep teaching you.
"So, what are you going to do, now?" Baku asked.
"I want to at least practice with my sword, but it uses magic energy."
"Hm..." Baku's gaze passed over the park. "Aha!" He walked to a nearby tree and twisted off a loose branch from its lowest tier. "Here." He threw the straight branch at Aleda, who clapped her hands around it. Green eyes curiously followed him as he snapped another loose member from the tree. "Alright!" Baku turned to her, rolling his shoulders. "Let's get started!"
Aleda climbed to her feet, eyes alight with determination.
…
Guneagle rested on the lab table while, a few feet away, Chief Kao Lyn and Shute pored over his detached wings. Shute peered closely, nearly touching his red chin to the platform that the device rested on. "So, it has Gundamium, too?"
Kao Lyn nodded. "Yes, precisely! The flexible and durable traits of this material allow for very slight adjustments, which translates to sharper steering capabilities!"
"I can turn on a dime," Guneagle bragged.
"Not quite. If there were no wind resistance, then it would be possible," Kao Lyn corrected him.
The flier shrugged. "It's hyperbole."
"It's really cool, Guneagle," Shute said, fingering the wings' segments.
"Thanks."
"There are a few loose parts we need to tighten," Kao Lyn said, "and then Guneagle will be ready for a safe flight, again. But~" He whirled. "Before we do that, I have to hit the head. I'll be right back!" He bounded through the doors.
"The old chief can't keep still," Guneagle chuckled.
"Yeah," Shute laughed.
"Are you keeping up with him okay?"
"Yeah. I kinda wish that I could try some of Captain's moves, though."
"You mean fists-leading, guns-blazing, sorta moves?"
Shute nodded.
Guneagle stretched his arms back and cushioned his head with his hands. "Yeah, it's a bummer that Chief Haro won't let you try combat, isn't it?" He turned his visual receptors to Shute and added, mischievously, "If you did try to train, you'd get in trouble if he found out, right? And then he'd probably keep you locked in here all day if he knew what you were doing."
"Yeah, it would take someone sneakier than me to pull it off." Inwardly, Shute grinned.
"I'm glad you got the picture," Guneagle said, blinking one eyescreen off momentarily to wink.
…
"What happened, little buddy?" Shute's skinny, rough-shaven father asked as he and Captain drove out of the school's parking lot. "It's not like you to try to fight someone."
"I didn't try to hurt John," Captain pleaded, "I was only trying to restrain him so that he would not continue to deface the property of his classmate, Margaret."
"You were sticking up for her, huh?"
"Yes, sir."
"Was she in danger?"
Captain hesitated and scrunched his face to think. "No."
They paused at a stop sign briefly and then drove on.
"I think it's great that you were sticking up for your classmate," Mark said with a smile, "but even just grabbing someone can have bad results, so you shouldn't do that unless someone's going to get hurt, okay?"
Captain frowned. "I understand."
A few minutes passed as they coasted down Main Street. Then, they slowed to a brake at a stop light. "Hey, son?" Captain met the man's green eyes. "I'm proud of you." Captain stared at that genuine, affectionate smile, stunned into silence. "I mean it," Mark said. "You care a lot about other people. I admire that."
The green light blinked on, and Mark returned his eyes to the road. The image of his smile lingered, though, leaving a warm feeling in Captain's chest that spread to his throat. "Thank you… Dad," Captain said softly.
"Not at all, little dude."
To Captain's dismay, the liquid film over his eyes thickened and pooled at the corners, blurring his vision. He turned his face to the window to discreetly wipe his tears. He hoped, in spite of his momentary lack of digital precision, to commit those few minutes to memory, every visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory input—even the strange sensation known as taste, which sensed an odd flavor from the stickiness traveling down the back of his throat—because that was the first time, in the five years he had been operational, that he had ever heard those treasured words.
…
After Guneagle's tuning, the flier departed for a test flight, and Shute begged Kao Lyn to leave the lab. "I'm feeling stir-crazy, sir," the metal boy pleaded.
"Well, I guess you have a tracker, anyways, so it can't hurt," Kao Lyn said.
Shute's eyescreens blinked. "I do?"
"Of course! After losing him for several hours that day when he first met you, we had to make sure we'd never lose track of him, again!" Kao Lyn waved him out the door. "Go on, go on! I have exciting high-security-clearance work I can do while you're out!"
Shute turned his head around, drawn by the temptation of top-secret tech, but the door shut in his optics. So, Shute, regretfully, tore himself away to explore White Base, wandering to the biome where the huge dome window allowed a view of Guneagle peeling through the sky. He heard clacking and smacking sounds from the lawn and looked to see Baku and Aleda swatting at each other with sticks. He wanted to smile, but his mouth couldn't widen. "Hey! Baku!" he called.
Baku sidestepped a stab and shouted back, "Hey, Captain! –I mean, Shute!" He held out a hand to stop Aleda's next jab, and the girl diverted the blow and caught her footing before she could fall. "Weren't you with Chief Kao Lyn?" Baku asked Shute as he walked toward them.
"I asked him if I could get a breather. Hi, Aleda!"
Aleda flashed a quick smile before guilt dragged her eyes to the grass.
"Are you and Aleda training?"
Baku twirled his branch. "Yeah, I'm filling in for Zero."
"Can I join in?"
The Musha Gundam stuck the stick in the ground. "I already told you that I can't do that without Chief Haro's permission."
Shute sighed. "Alright." He raised his gaze to the skies and found them absent of a certain flier. He must have finished. I'm gonna go find him! Shute thought. "Well, I guess I ought to let you practice, then." His stiff face never betrayed his plotting mind.
"Sorry, Shute," Baku apologized.
"It's fine." Shute turned to clunk away.
"Shute," Aleda spoke up. He rotated his torso to view her. She clenched her unarmed fist. "I'm sorry for all of this."
"It's okay. Captain and I should've known better, too," Shute said, flashing his happy expression.
"I'll fix it," the Gundamess stated. "I promise."
"Don't worry. We'll all fix it," he replied. He realigned his torso to his legs and walked.
…
Guneagle pulled Shute by the white mechanical wrist. "Come on, come on! Over here!" They sped around a corner to behold tall double-doors. Guneagle slapped a button next to the entrance, and it slid apart to let them into a dark, spacious room. "Let's go!" He dragged his partner inside.
The doors shut behind them, leaving only their eyes as a source of illumination. "Where is this?" Shute asked, skimming a myriad of boxes and metal parts revealed by the glow of his eyescreens and his night vision.
"It's an old storage room." Guneagle put his hands on his hips. "Cool, huh? They didn't install any security cameras in here, so we can practice without anyone finding out. And—" He plucked a stand plastered with a red target circle. "—this place has old training equipment from back before Captain was around."
"Awesome!"
"It's not as great as the stuff we use now, but I figure it's something."
"This is great, Guneagle! Thanks!" Shute bounced excitedly, sending loud, echoing clacks.
"Ready to get started?"
Shute crouched, eyes locked onto his mentor. "Yeah," he eagerly said.
"Then, let's start with your aim, since it was a little scary, last time." Guneagle slapped the base of the target board on the floor. "Back up 152 meters and shoot this." Shute rolled backwards by the wheels on his feet. "…And wait for me to get outta the way," Guneagle added, scooching behind some barrels.
Shute, guided by proximity sensors, twisted around stacks of boxes until he reached the correct distance. Only a narrow window through the boxes revealed the target, just left of its center. "Am I using the Vulcan cannons?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure!"
He shifted to find the center. A box blocked his way here, a barrel obscured his sights there… Aha! There, in an opening 5 centimeters in diameter, loomed the red dot. The green scanning lens slid over Shute's eye. "Alright…" The crosshairs in his vision wiggled left, then right, then up, and finally… "Gotcha," Shute breathed.
Banging noises rattled the storage room, accompanied by bright flashes. The target trembled, and boxes recoiled. "Stop, Shute!" Guneagle frantically cried. "Stop!"
The bullets subsided. With a clack, the target fell. "Huh?" V-fins poked over the boxes as Shute tiptoed to see.
Guneagle walked to the steaming target, shaking his head, and hoisted it. "You got it, but you got the crates over there, too." He thumbed at smoking stock behind him.
"Oh. Sorry!"
"I don't think anyone will miss it—much—but how about we clear some space for you?"
"Sure!" Shute skipped around the box stack and ran to help.
…
Baku carried the branch over his shoulder as he strolled. "Zero's taught you well," he said to the Lacroan walking beside him. "Your form is developing well."
Aleda hugged her branch in the crook of her arm and offered a small smile. "Thanks."
"He'll be proud of you."
Her smile faltered. "Even after this?"
"Well, he'll be a little mad, but he'll forgive you." Baku grinned. "You two are pretty close, after all."
Aleda blushed. "I guess. But, I need to get Captain and Shute back to normal."
"Don't worry about it."
"I don't want to be annoying to Zero…"
"The first thing you have to know about Zero is that I'm the only one who can annoy him," the samurai bragged. "Plus, it's impossible for him to think a girl's annoying. And finally—" He clapped a hand on her wing-tipped shoulder. "—it's okay if you can't fix a mistake by yourself. That's what friends are for."
Aleda blinked. "I…"
"Stop worrying." Baku sauntered on, and Aleda pumped her short legs to keep up.
In spite of the Musha Gundam's warning, the Gundamess continued to silently fret, I have to fix it before Zero gets back.
Author's Notes
So, one of the important things that happened this last week is that I got another part-time job! Whoo! I'll try to get Chapter 15 up before the end of next week, because come the start of September, I have both classes and more work. So, unfortunately, Little Wing will probably soon be slowing down again to 1 and a half to 2 weeks between updates.
Btw, someone had a laugh on the Gundam Wiki by putting a new category on Zero's profile, "Love Interests," which has Princess Rele listed. Nothing like that is on Shute's or even on Princess Rele's profile, just Zero's. And I'm pretty sure, from all the times I've perused the SDGF-related pages on that Wiki, that that was not there before. Go see it for kicks before they edit it out. XD
Please review and let me know your thoughts/criticisms/feelings! If you don't feel like logging in to comment, just comment as a guest, please! I want to know what my audience thinks!
And, again, thanks to Titanic X for beta-reading this chapter!
-Penelopi