Author's Notes
The semester is getting busy, between work, school, family, and friends, but hopefully I'll still be able to make frequent updates like this. This is a shorter but pretty packed chapter. I hope you enjoy!
Thanks to Titanic X for beta-reading!
And thanks for the review, Xzeit! I'm a fan of your art, so I feel very honored! :)
Registered readers: If you haven't already looked at the poll on my profile, please do!
Here we go! Enjoy!
Disclaimer
SD Gundam Force is owned by Bandai and Sunrise. My OCs mentioned/appearing in this chapter are: Aleda, Titan, James and Mary Vaughn, Abigail Vaughn, and Myles.
Chapter 17: Burning Memories
As orange crawled over the sky, Baku galloped down the side of the hill to Shute's house astride his faithful steed Entengo. The pounding hooves caught the ear of Captain, who left his homework and room and ran outside to see the mounted samurai skid to a halt at the edge of the porch. "Bakunetsumaru?"
Baku vaulted over the railing, and the porch creaked under his landing. "Aleda's running away!" he hollered, "And it's all that pansy's fault!"
Captain's eyebrows shot skyward. "Aleda has left?"
"Yeah, and because Zero's too chicken to go after her, it's up to us to bring her back!"
"Should we interfere? The chiefs never said that she must—"
"Of course we should!" the Blazing Samurai squawked, flailing his arms. "We have to help out our friends!"
"Yes, but—!"
"Zero's morale is falling like a poached pigeon!" Baku contended. "We have to do this for the team!"
Captain pressed his lips together as he deliberated.
The Blazing Samurai danced impatiently: his agitated fiery spirit burned every internal component and would not let him stay still. "Come on, Captain, I need your help!"
"Do you know her destination?" Captain asked.
"Some house in Colorado."
"The most efficient methods of travel to reach Colorado from Neotopia are by train or by plane," Captain stated, crossing his arms. "But, the plane tickets cannot always be purchased the same day as the desired flight, and they are more expensive than train tickets. It is likely that Aleda is traveling by train."
Baku nodded. "Okay. Where's the nearest train station?"
"Neotopia Central. However, I think that, when considering her personality, Aleda would choose the Foggy Plains station three miles south of that. It is smaller and less used, so she would attract less attention."
"Sounds like a good start." Baku climbed onto Entengo's back and settled himself. "Hop on."
Captain raised an eyebrow. "Is this wise?"
"I need your help to find everything in this city."
The skin-encased Gundam finally nodded. "I'll explain to Shute's parents."
...
Zero curled his fingers around the hilt of the Vatras Sword. He stabbed through a Zako's eye, tore out, kicked a 'bot behind him, and slashed an adjacent enemy. Two of them clattered to the ground, and the remaining one reeling from the kick received a shield ram and a cleave straight through the helm. Zero pulled back, panting, and the Zakos dissipated. "Simulation ended," a computerized voice echoed throughout the empty training room.
The troubles in his mind refused to dissipate as easily. Zero shook his head to dispel them. "Computer, restart simulation!"
"Auto scans indicate significant system strain. Unable to comply with request due to Safety Protocol 8-11a."
"Restart simulation!" the Knight Gundam growled.
"Unable to comply."
Zero grunted and wheeled, his cape flaring. His sword and shield vanished in a blue flash, and he strode to the entrance as his unfocused eyes pored over dark scenes again and again. Stone crawled up the princess's gown. Green eyes recoiled in hurt. A distant hilltop smoked under the shadow of a flying warship, and grey swept over the village of his childhood. Aleda sobbed in his arms, and an armored man took his last breaths in them. A towering enemy slammed a winged Gundamess into a concrete wall as he helplessly watched. And, his princess's frozen eyes stared through him.
Titan's warning resounded: " Should you bring her to harm, I won't give you a second chance."
This is the best choice—it must be, the Winged Knight asserted to himself. If my strength cannot promise her safety, then what right have I to keep her beside me?
Zero dragged these thoughts with him to his quarters and sank with them into the bedspread. He continued to stare at the ceiling in the dark, as his processor supplied horrifying scenes in place of blackness. Distressing inner voices filled the silence.
Zero closed his eyes against the burning memories.
...
Baku and Captain interrogated the small population of travelers at the Foggy Plains station. "Where is she?!" Baku yelled, thrusting a printed photograph of Aleda into an innocent passerby's face.
The man flinched back, eyeing the swords at Baku's waist.
"Your methods are too intimidating," Captain said, reaching for the photo. "Let me question him."
"Fine..." Baku handed him the paper and stepped aside with a huff.
"I apologize for my friend," Captain said. "He is very concerned about this mobile citizen. Have you happened to see her?"
"Shute?"
Captain's heartbeat quickened, and he turned to see a certain dusty-blond friend descending the staircase to their platform. "Maggie?"
Margaret, with a rising smile, reached the bottom and walked to him and Baku. "What are you doing, here?" she asked. The man that they were interrogating slinked away.
"We're looking for a friend," Captain said. He held up the picture.
"Oh, the pretty mobile citizen! I saw her about fifteen minutes ago! She got on a silver line train heading west," Margaret said.
"Just fifteen minutes ago?" Baku readied himself to sprint.
She nodded, her smile leveling under curiosity and concern. "Yeah. You'll have to drive to the next station, or something."
"Can Entengo make it?" Captain asked Baku.
"Of course." Baku nodded at the exit. "Let's go."
The two started to move, but Margaret grabbed Captain's arm. "Wait!"
Captain blushed and turned his head. "Huh?"
"What's going on?" Margaret demanded.
The boy's green eyes burned with determination. "Our friend is running away, and we want to find her."
Margaret sucked in her lips. "I'm supposed to visit my grandparents' for the weekend... but, I still have time. Can I come help?"
"I guess you two are small enough to fit all three of us on Entengo," Baku said with a shrug. "You'll just have to squish."
Captain's ears burned bright as cherries.
"Yes!" Margaret squealed in excitement.
...
Aleda huddled in the back of the train car, in a seat beneath a broken light. She held nothing, because all of her possessions fit within her magic storage space, and her thoughts screamed too loudly for her to draw or read a book at the moment. Other passengers stole glances at her, awed and surprised by her unusual appearance, and at every whisper, Aleda cringed, wondering if they concerned her. She never raised her eyes to check. Her skirt plate splayed across the next, empty seat, the visible embossed gold Lacroan crest accusing her.
She traced her finger over the symbol's peak, from the star to the v. The farthest reaches of adjacent, working ceiling lights grazed the gold, tinting it slightly red, like a flame. And, in Aleda's mind, she saw again the flame that had incinerated her life.
…
"Show me what you can do, Ally!" a teenage girl urged the tiny white Gundamess she was kneeling in front of. Long, light brown hair framed her smooth, pale face and wide smile in gentle waves, and her chocolate eyes glinted with fascination.
The two crouched in a park on the outskirts of Neotopia. Not three feet away rose a woodpile that had been gathered in preparation for a bonfire. It nestled inside a circle of large rocks. Beyond the pile, the woods began, and on the other side of the girls, a loose smattering of log buildings partially sheltered them from the bustle of the people in the main common area. The Vaughn family had rented the park/campsite for an extended family reunion. When most of the cousins' eyes had persistently and openly followed the tiny Gundamess, her sister Abigail had pulled her to a quieter spot to reduce her stress.
Aleda, beaming, held out her white palm, and a small flame flickered above it. "Look, Abby!"
"Oh, that's so cool!" Abigail praised. "Can you do anything else with it?"
"Yeah." The flame elongated by an inch.
"Awesome! Can you light the bonfire?" Abigail gestured to the stack of kindling.
Aleda faced the pile and narrowed her emerald eyes to focus. The flame grew taller and extended towards the target, but its tendrils could not quite reach the closest protruding piece of wood. Aleda hummed in concentration.
Suddenly, the flame burst wider all around, and Aleda jumped back, releasing the spell. The fire broke and dispersed. A scream pierced Aleda's audio, and she saw Abigail throw her face into the dirt.
"Abby!" Aleda, eyes wide, ran to her writhing sister.
A crowd of feet pounded around the corner. "What happened?!" "Are you okay?!" "What's wrong?"
Abigail, still wailing, held a hand over the left side of her face. "Help! Help me!" she wheezed.
Mary Vaughn, a brown-haired woman, knelt and pried her hand away, murmuring, "Let me see."
Her left cheek was wax edged by crusty black flakes that extended all the way to her lip. Tears streamed from her eyes, adding to the agony by stinging her wound. "It hurts!" she sobbed. "Help me! Please, it hurts!"
Aleda trembled and retreated, her eyescreens also pooling. "I'm sorry…!"
"It was that, wasn't it?" an aunt said, scowling and pointing at the child robot.
"It attacked a human?!" an uncle said.
"It should be decommissioned!"
"Someone call the police!"
A few started to move towards her, but a blond, tall man stepped between. "It was an accident!" he said with hardened hazel eyes.
"Daddy," Aleda whimpered, clutching his pant leg.
"I told you that thing might be dangerous!" the first aunt said.
"She's my daughter, and I won't let you touch her!" James Vaughn roared.
"Leave Aleda alone!" Mary forcefully reiterated. To her husband, she cried, "James, call an ambulance!"
"Come quick, Aleda," James urged, tugging at his youngest child's metal hand. Aleda floated right beside him, listening with horror to the screams of her sister and extended "family" the whole way to the parking lot.
James whipped out his phone and keys. He tapped the key button, and the side door slid open. "Get inside," he ordered as he dialed on his cell phone and looked over his shoulder.
Aleda and her father climbed in, and the locks clicked shut. James looped an arm around his adopted daughter as he spoke into the phone, "We're in Neotopia District 5 Park. My daughter has suffered severe burns on her face due to an accident…"
…
The next time that Aleda saw Abigail's face, bandages covered most of it—but her glare clearly pierced through. Abigail scowled at her the entire way to the stairs. After she disappeared and a door slammed, Aleda sniffled and drifted towards Mary. "Momma…!" she croaked, reaching a hand.
Mary, her face straining with the effort to hold back tears, knelt down and hugged the little robot. Aleda levitated herself slightly so that her human mother could lift her heavy frame and cradle her.
Aleda burst into tears in Mary's arms. "I'm sorry, Momma! I didn't mean it!"
Mary shushed her. "I know, Little Wing, shh. I know."
"They're not going to get me, are they?"
"No, sweetie, we would never let anyone get you. We're moving to Colorado so we can start fresh. It'll be okay."
…
At less than six years old, Aleda's differences had cost her a sister and a home. Now, her magic had cost her friends. She wriggled uncomfortably. It's getting close to summer, so Abby may come home, too, she pondered. I have nowhere else to go, though. She studied her palms. But, I learned healing magic. Maybe I can fix it. Though, curling her fingers, she further considered, Then, again, maybe I shouldn't use magic, anymore…
She faced the darkening sky outside the window. Maybe it'll be fun seeing Myles, at least.
...
Grappler Gouf surveyed the flattened soil. "Good. No one can see them."
He, Zapper Zaku, Destroyer Dom, and several Zakos stood at the edge of a clearing in a park about fifteen miles north of Neotopia, each wearing a yellow jetpack. A few small clods betrayed disturbance in the ground, but they blended in with the general terrain enough to fool casual onlookers.
"Now, you'd better not mess it up," Grappler said with a glare at his partners. "If you step on them after I told you fifty times to watch the layout, I'm gonna leave you for scrap."
Zapper rolled his eye. "Oh, sure, because I'm the one who ruins our plans."
"You are."
"Hey—!"
"—So watch it, because you would be the one to trigger a mine even when you have a jetpack equipped!"
"You watch it, you overgrown sea snail!" Zapper spat.
"Sea snail?!" Gouf repeated indignantly.
"Your armor looks like the shell of those ugly organic sea snails!"
"I dare you to say that again! Your face must have been inspired by cubist art!"
"Why, you—!"
"When will Gundams go boom?!" Dom wailed, flailing.
"As soon as we send a broadcast to that stupid Gundam Force," Gouf growled. He waved toward the forest. "Grab him."
Zakos emerged hauling a chained bulky, navy-blue Gundam. Titan moaned as his face dragged across the dirt. His torn and frayed green cape fluttered feebly in the light breeze. One branch of his v-fin had been torqued, and deep dents marred his armor. A small crack crept over his GunSoul from the edge where two dents crunched his outer armor against the gem.
Dom snatched Titan from the Zakos, who scuttled back warily. "Here's the Gundam," Dom uttered, throwing him roughly into the trio's midst. He crashed onto his back. Then, little chinks sounded as Titan tried to roll to his knees.
Grappler yanked the Gundam to his feet, and Titan wobbled. "Make yourself presentable," Grappler jeered. "We're about to say hi to your friends."
Titan tugged at the chains around his wrist joints and, hazel eyes glaring an angry lime, rasped, "You…!"
"Zapper, where's the camera?"
"Here!" Zapper waved over a Zako, who waddled forward and allowed his leader to bonk him on the head and trigger the camera. "Start!" Zapper cued.
The cobalt robot sneered into the eye-lens. "Gundam Force, we found a friend of yours!" He elbowed Titan in the GunSoul. A tiny crick sounded, and the Knight Gundam gasped and doubled over. "We're here in Neotopia District 5 Park if you want to pick him up. If you don't want him, though, we've got plenty of uses for him at the Dark Axis. You've got an hour before we take him back. Over and out."
Zapper hit the Zako's head again to cut the feed. The little Zako waddled to his comrades while rubbing his helmet.
Titan mustered the breath to say, "You won't use me."
"But, we are using you," Grappler gloated.
Titan yanked suddenly and toppled to the dirt. Grappler watched for a second while Titan crawled before he noticed his trajectory and grabbed him. "Oh, no, you don't!" Titan thrashed, but in his weakened state he couldn't wrest himself free. "I don't know whether to call you a genius or a lunatic," Grappler said, "but you're not getting to those mines, so give it up!"
The captive Knight Gundam persistently dug his fingers into the dirt while Zapper and Dom laughed at the spectacle. Grappler sighed. "Well, it's time for us to leave." He smacked the backside of Titan's helmet, and the Gundam fell limp.
"Gundam gone?" Dom asked.
"Don't think so," Grappler casually replied as he hefted the bulky unconscious knight over his shoulder. "I'm hiding him at the second site. Get into position."
Zapper snorted. "Can't wait to be through with this. I hate taking orders from a sea snail."
"You'll get a cannon to the rear when I get back!" Grappler threatened as he jet into the sky.
...
A white feather tickled Zero's faceplate, bidding him to activate his optical sensors. Feathered wings shone above him. Fangs curled in a toothy grin. "Fenn," Zero gasped, sitting upright. "Is that really you?"
The dragon lowered himself and gently placed a claw on Zero's GunSoul, rumbling.
"Fenn?"
"You lack resolve, Winged Knight," came a deep voice that Zero recognized; in those few moments they had united against Tallgeese, Fenn's thoughts had entered his, echoing in that same majestic thunder. And, like that time, Zero somehow understood his meaning.
"I'm sacrificing my own desires for her sake," Zero protested to him. "How do I lack resolve?"
Fenn snapped his jaws inches from the Gundam's face, causing Zero to flinch against the wall, his feet digging valleys in the bedspread. "Choices made in fear are no courageous sacrifice!"
"I don't understand!"
"You swore to protect her," the dragon bellowed, "so why have you lost her?"
"She chose—!"
"Find her, knight of Lacroa! She should not be left alone in this world! Her smell and her energy are like that of the—!"
"Zero to the command deck," Juli's voice broke in.
Zero jolted and flashed his eyescreens on. Fenn was gone: only the dark ceiling met his view. He twisted and rolled himself to his feet. Fenn, what were you saying? he wondered, though the Feathered Dragon was not there to answer.
...
One Musha Gundam and two children tumbled off the mechanical horse. Captain and Margaret bolted for the wide gate leading into the train station, but a frustrated whinny caught Baku mid-stride. "Sorry, Entengo," Baku said to the heaving horse. He pat Entengo's nose, saying, "You've been a great help, buddy. I'll be sure to give you extra carrots when we're done!" With that, he broke away to join his friends.
Steel support beams propped the ceiling, and smoothed brick capped each side of the platform. From beyond the line of ticket gates, the three skimmed the crowd that disembarked from a stopped train. Baku's sharp optical sensors caught her first. "There she is! Aleda!" He jumped up and down, waved, and pointed, drawing stares from human and robot alike. Captain and Margaret winced.
Gold-edged wings stopped as Aleda followed the ruckus to her friends' shapes. Her eyes widened, and her face reddened. Glancing at a wall-mounted clock, then a backlit timetable, she bit her lip. She didn't want to encounter them, but the next suitable train would not leave for fifteen minutes. Perhaps she could hide…
Aleda ducked her head and wings and slipped through the crowd. "Excuse me," she mumbled.
"Hey!" Baku rushed to the ticket gates and crouched.
A mobile citizen behind a booth window next to the gates reached futilely. "You can't do that!"
But, Baku had already jumped over. "Aleda, wait!" He shoved through the crowd, knocking over a couple of humans in his path. "Sorry! Comin' through!" The rest of the throng began to part.
Margaret cupped a hand to Captain's ear. "Does he like her or something?"
"I don't believe so," the boy answered, blushing at the tickle of her breath.
"That's even weirder."
"Indeed."
Another mobile citizen ran around the booth to intercept Baku, calling, "Stop!"
"Aleda!"
The Gundamess peered over her shoulder to see, to her utter mortification, that Baku was wading through the crowd to her. She whipped around. "Excuse me!" she cried. The human in front of her sidled away, and she made to cut past, but a hand grabbed her shoulderplate. "Ah!" she yelped.
"Aleda, wait, we gotta talk to you!" Baku said, firming his hold.
She shook her head. "I can't!" She tried to pull away, but the Musha Gundam's grip held.
The pursuing mobile citizen reached them. "You're causing a disturbance," he said to Baku, turning slightly to reveal the police bade engraved on his navy blue armor. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Fine with me. Come on, Aleda, let's go!" Baku tugged.
"Is he bothering you, miss?" the mobile citizen asked Aleda.
Aleda bit her lip. Unwilling to land her well-meaning friend in detainment, she replied, "No. It's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Aleda stood straight and eased her shoulders. "I'm fine."
The mobile citizen nodded and ushered them to the exit.
…
Baku, Aleda, Captain, and Margaret stood outside the station. Entengo sniffed at landscape bushes nearby. The sun had set, though the moon had not yet risen. The chase had led them beyond Neotopia to the next city over. The lights surrounding the station blinded them to any stars above.
Aleda's tension had returned. The partitions of her small wings separated slightly to enlarge the whole structure, and faint red glows leaked between each piece. Margaret eyed the Gundamess in awe. Captain wore a grim smile.
"Why did you leave?" Baku demanded.
Aleda bowed her head. "I wanted to go home."
"But why?"
Her hands gripped her skirt pieces. "It doesn't matter."
Baku sighed. "Fine. If you don't want to tell us, you don't have to. But, we want you back."
"I can't go back." She trembled. The human boy in front of her was still Captain. She could tell by the straight posture and even voice. Her mistake was staring her in the face.
Baku clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, you c—"
"Let go!" Aleda jerked away. For a split second, the startled samurai received a green glare before she turned her face away, again.
The Musha Gundam sighed, murmuring just below her hearing range, "They're the same." Then, aloud, he said, "Zero wants you to come back."
Her wings twitched. "Then, why isn't he here?"
Baku shifted his feet. "He…" He glanced down. "He should be here, soon."
With a peek at Margaret, Aleda said, "I'm leaving."
Baku planted himself between her and the entrance to the station. "No, you're not."
Her fingers curled. "I'm tired of being a freak show!" she yelled.
Margaret averted her eyes.
"Then come back with us!" Baku said.
"No! No one needs me, there!"
A shrill ring stopped the reply on Baku's plasticy tongue. Captain fished Shute's cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open. "Yes?"
The group watched the boy's jaw tense and his eyes narrow. "Yes, sir." He folded the phone shut. "Bakunetsumaru, there's an emergency. They need you at Neotopia District 5 Park."
Aleda's wings shuddered.
"Now?!" Baku moaned.
"Zero and Guneagle are already deploying. Titan may be held captive there."
Baku straightened. "Where's the park?"
"Approximately 24 kilometers north of downtown. You should see Guneagle once you're close."
"Okay." Baku marched towards Entengo, who perked up and spat out a leaf. "Captain!" Baku yelled over his shoulder. "Stay here and keep arguing with her! Don't let her get away!" he said as he swung himself onto Entengo's back.
"Alright," Captain said, though frowning.
"Aleda!" Baku jabbed a finger at her. "I expect more riceballs, tomorrow!" He clicked his heels. "Let's go, Entengo!"
The Blazing Samurai galloped down the street, weaving his steed expertly between clusters of pedestrians. "Excuse me! Comin' through!" The clack of hooves gradually disappeared in the distance.
"Shute, why did he call you 'Captain'?" Margaret asked.
Captain's gaze swayed as he formulated a response. "…It's another name of mine."
"Oh, it's like a nickname?"
"Yes, it's like a nickname." Captain briefly chuckled in relief that Margaret had allowed him to escape without a lie.
Aleda took a step back, jerking the humans' gaze to her, but then paused. "Captain… Zero says he can handle my mistake," she said, so quietly that they could barely hear her. "And, I know I'm not much help to everyone, so I think it's better for me to leave."
Captain stepped within chatting distance. "On the contrary, I have observed many qualities you possess that benefit us." Aleda peered at him as he continued, "You feed many of our valuable teammates, you repair Zero and Bakunetsumaru's injuries, and you provide pleasant company that boosts morale. Those contributions would be missed."
"But, I…" Her eyes slipped. "I cause a lot of trouble, too, so…"
"We consider the benefit of your friendship to far outweigh the detraction of your mistakes," Captain said, smiling.
"Um," Margaret interjected, "I feel like I'm intruding on something, so I'll wait over here, okay?" She pointed around the corner of the station building.
Captain nodded. "Alright."
Margaret trotted out of hearing distance.
Once she had disappeared, Aleda timidly asked, "I'm really helpful? I feel like I should do more."
"Yes, you are helpful as you are now, and I think that, in the future, you will be able to contribute even more. Zero often boasts of your growing magical skill. Although he worries about your safety, I think that, with the abilities he has described, you could also participate in battles, someday."
"Zero thinks I'm strong?"
"Yes, he does."
Aleda bunched her digital eyebrows together. "Then why doesn't he say that?"
…
Zero hovered low to the ground, sword in hand, while Guneagle circled overhead. The moon, having finally emerged, illuminated the clearing but cast shadows beneath the trees edging it. Zero raised the Vatras Sword. "Oh, Mana! Light the way for me!" The blade shone, brightly lighting the shade.
"Bossa Natsu is coming!" Guneagle called down.
"Aye!" Zero shouted up.
"See anything?"
"Nay!"
Zero returned his gaze to the grass and trees. He glided past a sign that read, "Danger! Sinkholes! Stay out!"
The thud of hooves came near, and Entengo and Baku clattered to the entrance of the clearing. "Hold!" Zero warned, and Entengo reared to a stop.
"What's wrong?" Baku yelled back.
"Sinkholes!" Zero pointed to a sign next to the samurai. "Be careful where you step!"
"Ah..." Baku slowly panned his gaze across the clearing. "Entengo, wait at the road for me." His horse neighed in answer and trotted away.
Guneagle's jet engine roared as he descended toward them, his visor covering his eyescreens. "I can see where all the unstable cavern pockets are with my sensors," he said, "so I'll tell you where you can move."
"It is troubling that we've seen no one, so far," Zero commented. "I cannot sense any magical energy from Titan."
"They must have hid him somewhere and planned for us heavy 'bots to crack the caverns. I don't understand, though," Guneagle said, as he neared the dirt, "why they thought that would work when two of us can fl—"
BOOM! Their world abruptly erupted in fire and pain. Consumed with the roar, glare, and burn of the explosion, they couldn't tell they were falling until they smashed into a rock floor.
Zapper, Dom, and the horde of Zakos rose from the surrounding trees, levitated by their jetpacks, to cackle at the rubble-filled hole. Zapper tapped the side of his helmet. "We got them!" he cried over his comm. "They're buried thirty-five meters underground!"
Grappler's nasally voice came, "All of them?"
"All three of 'em that showed up. Captain Gundam wasn't here!"
"Tch! They must've kept him in reserve in case the others all got offed. I'll find a way to force him out. You and Dom make sure those other guys are scrap. Dig out their shells to show the commander! Grappler Gouf, over and out."
Zapper restrained a snarl. "Zapper, over and out." He turned to Dom. "Arrogant blue pinecone told us to dig 'em out and make sure they're dead. Let's delegate it to the grunts."
The Zakos moaned. "Zakoooo..."
...
"SDG Base to Guneagle! Do you read? SDG Base to Guneagle!..."
Author's Notes
Yes, yes, I will torment you—I mean, entertain you—some more!
I hope Aleda's backstory all makes sense. Some of it has just popped into my head on the fly. In Chapter 16, during Aleda and Zero's sweet little moment in the kitchen, it just sort of came to me that Aleda was super upset with herself for switching Shute and Captain not just because she's shy, timid, and lacks confidence, but because she made a bad mistake in her past that hurt someone and the social consequences had been very high. I found myself writing out her confession to Zero that she'd burned her oldest sister on the face by accident. But, I wasn't liking the flow of their interaction, which was intensifying a little too quickly to be realistic. Plus, it was getting dangerously close to a kiss and/or love confession, and it wasn't yet time for that. So, I cut that out during my revisions and instead had it explained in flashback form during this chapter. The accident will likely come up in a future conversation between those two, though.
In case I wasn't clear with it, Chief Haro and Kao Lyn studied Aleda's physiology when she was about five, and less than a year later, the accident happened, and the Vaughns moved from Neotopia to Colorado, cutting off contact with everyone they knew so that Neotopia authorities couldn't find them if they possibly wanted to press charges. They were legitimately worried for Aleda, because the mobile citizens that assault humans are, by Neotopian law, to be either reprogrammed or destroyed. I'm pretty sure none of that contradicts what I already wrote, right...?
As you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun with Baku this chapter. The Blazing Samurai makes a persistent wingman. XD Daaw, Zero doesn't know how good a friend he's got! And, if anyone was wondering, when Baku was trying to ask around at the first station for sightings of Aleda, that Batman line did pop up in my head because my boyfriend likes to mimic it all the time, and so I just laughed and went with it because it does sound like Baku's straightforward and direct personality.
Thanks again to Titanic X for beta-reading this chapter the same night I sent it!
The next chapter won't be up as quickly as this one, but I'll try my best to get it up in a timely manner. Please check out the poll on my profile in the meantime!
Lots of things will happen next chapter, so everyone sit tight!
-Penelopi