Author's Notes
I did it again and pushed the deadline XD I was going to finish up this arc in this chapter, but it was getting long, so it's been shortened; the arc finale will happen in Chapter 20, which has already got a couple thousand words.
After Chapter 20, though, I'm going to take a brief break. For three weeks, I will catch up on schoolwork and work work (just started a tutoring job), work on some other fics I really want to do, and plan for the rest of Little Wing. The purpose of this is to avoid burnout, which I've been dangerously close to reaching. Once the three weeks are over, I will be back with renewed enthusiasm, ready to bring in an adventure in Lacroa and a few original characters tied into some other characters' backstories, including some important figures in Baku's past. ;) I said he had more coming up, didn't I? I've been waiting forever to bring in these characters, and I love them a lot, so I hope you do, too! :)
Thanks, Titanic X, for bearing with me in the beta-reading process. :)
Btw, that one person (I don't know who you are) who voted saying that another character ought to show up more: would you mind PMing me which character? Thanks!
Enjoy, everyone, and please review!
Disclaimer
Bandai and Sunrise own SD Gundam Force. I, on the other hand, own a few OCs that I'm not allowed to make money off of: Aleda, Titan, and... well, those are the only ones who show up in this chapter. XD
Chapter 19: Hauntings
Captain sat against the wall beside the chained Titan, and Margaret huddled on his other side. Actually, the girl shivered. "It's getting a bit cold," she murmured as she hugged herself to try to cover both her shins and her arms at the same time.
"Stay close to us if you require more body heat," Captain said.
Margaret nodded and leaned against him, which triggered a blush on the boy's face. Captain gulped down his stomach butterflies, though, and turned to Titan. "You said that your injuries were serious. Is there a way for us to treat you with our current resources?" The chains linked Titan's foot to the leg of an empty shelf and still bound his hands. Under normal circumstances, a Gundam could tear the furniture leg and hobble to freedom, but in his current state, Titan had barely enough strength to turn his head.
Titan cough-scoffed. "Ha—urk! …Do you have magic?" he rhetorically remarked.
Captain shook his head. "That, we do not have."
"My GunSoul," Titan huffed, shifting his bound hands to uncover his gem, "has a crack. A break would kill me."
"You require an adhesive?" Captain moved, and Margaret lifted her head so he could reach through his pockets. "Aha." He held Shute's super-glue shooter in the glow of Titan's eyescreens. "This is a very strong adhesive. It should temporarily prevent the crack from spreading."
Titan stared at the white hilt, then looked away. Captain could tell by mental comparison to Zero and Baku's past facial expressions that the Knight Gundam was grimacing behind his faceplate. "You don't want to?"
"…I have no choice. Do it."
Captain felt the GunSoul until he found the crack on its edge, near the dent in Titan's chest armor, then pressed the tip of the Glue Shooter against it, and triggered it. Titan winced, then shuddered. The clinking of his chains startled Margaret into a silent jump. "There," Captain said. "This should hold until Aleda or Zero can heal you."
"Thank you." Titan's tremors of disgust subsided.
Captain settled back in his spot beside Margaret, slipping the Glue Shooter again into his pocket. "Did you make that?" Margaret asked.
"My friend did. I am surprised that Grappler Gouf did not think to search me." Captain opened his mouth to say more, but then he paused, and his green eyes focused on something unseen—well, it must have been unseen, because they stared at an uninteresting blank wall. Shute.
"Shute?" Margaret said.
Captain jolted. "Y-Yes?"
"What's wrong?"
"I had the feeling that someone is here to help."
The rumble of several backpack jets sounded some distance past their enclosure. "Correct," Titan observed.
"What do you know of Grappler's plan, Titan?" Captain asked.
"No more than you."
"Your master. Was he…?"
Titan shook his head, his hazel eyes turning a mournful deep green. "Dead. For fifteen years."
Margaret frowned.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Captain said.
Titan glumly nodded. Then, he asked, "Is Aleda safe?"
Captain winced. "I don't know."
The hazel eyes flashed in alarm. "What?"
"She went to help rescue our friends."
"Hey, guys, what's going on, exactly?" Margaret spoke up, drawing the guys' attention.
A grim line crossed Captain's face as he deliberated. "We can't tell you too much," he finally said, "but we're facing people who have committed many serious crimes. We are in danger." The girl quivered. "So, you must be cautious and follow our lead."
"What should we do?" Margaret asked. "Should we stay here and wait? Or should we try to escape?"
"Now that I remember the Glue Shooter—the adhesive I just used," Captain explained, "an escape attempt is possible but still risky. And, we would be unable to take Titan with us, because he cannot walk, and we are not strong enough to carry him."
"Go on," Titan rasped.
"But, Titan, together we could—" Captain began.
"—Foolish—*cough*—Go."
"I don't like the thought of leaving you alone, either," Margaret put in. "Maybe we can use a cart? I think there are some left here." Squeezing herself tighter, she added, "Plus, the ghost might come around."
"Ghost?" Captain questioned.
"They say that a ghost haunts this park," Margaret said. "It's probably just a story, but there have been sightings over the years, so I figure someone might be wandering around here." She bit her lip. "I don't want to stay here and get in trouble with a crazy person."
"That is a more likely explanation," Captain acknowledged. "But, what is the story?"
The girl smirked. "I'm surprised you haven't heard about it, already. I'll give you the short version."
…
"Magic fatigue."
Zero's eyescreens switched off, and his head lolled against an adjacent rock. Aleda quickly touched his cheek and shut her optics. Her other hand carefully met the other side of his face, and she bent low, as if to hear some whisper of his. "He's alive," she breathed in relief.
"Of course," Baku huffed. "He wouldn't die that quick."
"You need healing, too." Aleda stiffly, as in a daze, shifted to touch Baku's GunSoul.
"Sorry 'bout the rock shower," Gunbike remarked.
"You need better aim, sir," Guneagle jabbed.
"Stop drop and roll, lugnuts!" Zapper barked above them. Thuds and cracks sounded.
"Hurry up, gurl!" Gunbike ordered.
Aleda's hand glowed, and blue light infused into Bakunetsumaru's gem, erasing the crack from the inside-out. Dents, scrapes, and incisions in his armor filled and faded. Groaning, Baku climbed out of the rocks and dusted off his armor. The blackness on his side flaked away. "See? Not burnt," he reiterated. "This is flame-resistant armor."
"Guneagle, can ya get up or no?" the flier's wheel-bound senior asked of him.
"No, sir. My hydraulics aren't working so well," Guneagle answered, twitching his remaining arm and wing to demonstrate their jarring clicks.
"I see, son. Yer gonna hafta get dragged by somebody. Baku, get 'im out."
Baku nodded. "Alright," he said and stepped across the rocks to his comrade.
Illumination of the eyescreens and shifting of the head signaled Zero's return to consciousness. "Zero?" Aleda said.
"Milady...?"
"Good, he's up. Aleda, get yer boyfriend and get into my seat," Gunbike barked.
Red bloomed on her face, but Aleda slipped an arm beneath him and, with the knight's help, pulled him to his feet. He leaned weakly against her shoulder as they stumbled to Gunbike's car.
"How long was I...?" Zero murmured.
"Only a minute," Aleda reassured him.
"Searching for targets," boomed Dom's voice. Thud! The layer of rock above them groaned.
"They're coming down!" Grypapa shouted. "What should I do?!"
"Hurry an' get in!" Gunbike said as Zero and Aleda came beside him in the narrow space. "Both 'ya get real cozy: it's gonna be a tight fit! An' don't be arguin', knight," he added as Zero's vents lit to precede a protest, "We don't got time fer that!"
Zero, his frame still fragilely rattling, slid into the seat, and Aleda lowered herself onto his lap. As the clear enclosure enfolded them, the Winged Knight curled his arms firmly around his lady's waist and reeled her close. The warmth against her back seeped into her core, and, desiring to return the reassuring gesture, she, timidly, grasped his arms.
Baku carried Guneagle towards Grypapa, though his knee joints wobbled so much that he nearly fell. His charge's remaining wing knocked him in the back of the helm. "Sorry! You okay, Bossa Nova?" Guneagle asked, even though he himself had burnt nubs where his other arm and wing should have been.
"It's Bakunetsumaru!" Baku objected. After a pause to suck in air, he continued, "And I'm fine. Just need to rest, later."
Baku flung himself and Guneagle on Grypapa's long hood.
The thick, dark form of Dom broke into the chamber, kicking up a cloud of dust. His single eye, haloed by a purple-tinted hazy ring, beamed through as he straightened. "Targets acquired."
Guneagle looked up. "Ah, sh—!"
The bazooka rocket flew, and a cluster of smaller missiles intercepted, sparking a short-range blast. "Cummon, let's git!" Gunbike yelled. Grypapa behind him retreated backwards.
But, more thuds and a swarm of purple eyes in the haze signaled additional arrivals. Zapper strolled up next to Dom, smirking at the other end of his machine gun. "Hello, ladies."
…
Shute kept his beam rifle's sights trained ahead as he slowly marched through the main path of Mecha Land. He circled behind a mecha-horse merry-go-round. Its pole-less horses were designed to move via magnetic levitation. Some stood upright in the grooves that locked them to the base while deactivated, while others had toppled and lay on their sides, all staring from empty rusted eyes. Shute's arms shook, again.
"Shute—"
"Ahh!" He yelped and jet a foot into the air.
"—are you alright?"
Shute sighed and lowered to the cracked paving. It's just Kao Lyn. "Yes, sir."
"Are you sure?" Kao Lyn repeated into his audio. "It's important that we communicate truthfully during a mission."
Shute glanced around at the rusty coaster-tops and the paling Ferris wheel. "Well… this place feels a bit spooky," he admitted.
"I didn't know you were afraid of spooky things."
"I'm not, except…" Shute zoomed his optics in on a face and found, to his relief, that it was only a whitewashed statue nestled between shops. "People talk about this place."
"The ghost stories? Those are all fantasy," the scientist said dismissively. "There is no ghost there, so don't worry."
From behind a nearby storefront, Grappler grinned and stroked a claw over his chin thoughtfully.
…
"Mecha Land opened ten years ago," Margaret began. "It used the best technology, especially of robotics, for all its attractions. But, in the first year, there was an accident at the Ferris wheel. Two workers were performing maintenance, and the one on the ground accidentally turned it on for a test while the other was still standing on a car—or, at least, that was the official story. Some people said he did it on purpose," she reported grimly. "The worker on the Ferris wheel fell off and died. After that, people coming to the park kept saying that they saw him around the Ferris wheel, and weird accidents kept popping up all over the place."
"People were injured?" Captain inquired.
Margaret nodded. "Yeah. People fell off rides. Cars dropped on people, too. They tested the equipment and systems over and over again and made lots of repairs, but the accidents still happened. Three years later, they had to close down the park. There are still sightings reported, though."
"Of the ghost?"
"Mhm. They say that he's waiting for his murderer to come back so he can have revenge; they fired the guy who did it, so he never went to the park after that."
"It is an interesting story, but there is no evidence that ghosts exist," Captain stated.
"Yeah, I know. There can still be dangerous things out there, though."
"I heard," Titan grated out, "human footsteps." Fear rippled Margaret's spine.
Captain narrowed his eyes. "Before we arrived?"
"Yes."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes." He broke into a cough.
"The most likely explanation is a vandal." Captain stood. "The danger that I am most concerned about, right now, is Grappler Gouf. Let's search the room for other exits."
"Sure." Margaret felt the wall to lift herself.
Captain skimmed his hands along the wall, shimmying around Titan ("Excuse me.") to find a corner of the room, and he slid his fingers up and down the seam while Margaret pat every inch of the wall. "It is more efficient to search the weak points of a structure, first," Captain pointed out when he heard the slap of her palm against the flat steel.
"Oh, yeah, you're right." Margaret glided in the opposite direction until she touched another corner. She stretched almost to the ceiling, and then eased to the floor, feeling along for a weak spot in the decaying building. Finding none, she said, "I'll try the edge of the floor."
"The door hinges, too," Captain said.
They continued the blind search for several minutes. "Anything?"
"Negative."
"The room seems to be all metal, too," Margaret mused. "What else could we do?" A strand of escaped hair blew into her face. She wrinkled her nose and brushed it behind her ear. Then, she froze. "Wait."
Captain watched the girl intently, and Titan raised his head. Margaret raised her hand, and, slowly, she followed it to the back corner. "An air vent," she said. Her long arms teased the rusted grate. "It's not in good shape. I think I can take the grill off."
"Do it, carefully," Captain said. "If rust enters your bloodstream, then you can become dangerously ill."
"Alright." Margaret gripped the edges and pulled.
...
The moonlight fled before a thick cloud, leaving the park even darker than before. Shute crept through, eyeing the distant gear-shaped Ferris-wheel and veering away from the dilapidated building labeled "Little Laboratory of Horrors." In the dim lighting, he sensed his way forward by the yellow infrared heat images of weeds. Nothing moved.
Then, a low shuffle reached his audios. Shute halted and primed his sensors. Something shifted just beyond the bend of the photo souvenir stand for a steel coaster. His beam rifle trained on the corner. The shuffling approached the edge, and then...
Clack!
Shute jolted and fired his beam rifle. "Zako..." After the shot, an unfortunate Zako smoked on the walkway.
"Oh." Shute lowered the end of the rifle. "It's just a Zako." He scanned side-to-side, then, suppressing a shiver, all the way around with his optical sensors and various scanners. After all, where there was one Zako, the rest were sure to follow. "What is Grappler up to?" he whispered to himself. Sensing no one in his periphery, Shute leveled his gun and shield and clunked forward. Between the echoes of his steps, he could hear jangling metal ahead. The sound brought amusement: this was the first time that the Zakos had ever trembled in fear of him. Even if it was caused by another's legacy.
Weeds softened his steps as he crossed the courtyard. A hiss wafted around the photo stand at the roller coaster's exit, "Ssh! Quiet, zako!"
Shute wished dearly that he could have grinned. Stepping over the unconscious Zako, he rounded the back of the small structure and pointed his rifle. Four Zakos cowered before him, their guns rattling in their stubby hands. "I have been granted special dispensation to use firearms in the defense of Neotopia," Shute smugly recited the familiar line. "Lower your weapons and surrender, or I will take forceful measures."
Four guns clattered on the ground. "We surrender! Don't shoot us!" they squealed.
"Great work, Shute!" Kao Lyn said over the comm. "Have them tell you where to find their hostages."
"Where are the hostages?"
"Th-th-they're—!"
"What's that, zako?!"
"I won't fall for that trick," Shute said. But, because they continued to stare behind him, he rotated his head to see.
A pale man wearing a long-sleeved over-shirt and pants, thick boots, and a cap ambled along a storefront. Shute zoomed in his vision to observe this out-of-place passerby. Is he a vandal? he wondered. But, he heard no footsteps, nor did he sense body heat through his infrared sensors. "Sir? Sir, you're in danger, here!" Shute called.
The man stopped and turned his head, which angled strangely. He stared blankly through broken eyeglasses. "Sir...?" Shute's calls fell to whispers as dread welled in his chest, quickening his Soul Drive's spins. The man rotated the rest of his body to face him and, head lolling, strode quickly towards him.
Beams fired before Shute registered that he had pulled the trigger. The Zakos behind him screamed and ran the other way.
Black scorches marked the man—no, the building through the man—behind the man? He continued to grow in Shute's vision, unaffected by that black patch. Another two shots landed smoking hits on the same surface, and still the man approached.
Shute's eyes shrunk, and his armor clattered against his Gundamium hide. "G-Ghost?!" He pivoted to run, tripped over a crack, fell, scrambled to his feet, then spun his heel-wheels to zip away.
"Shute!" Kao Lyn shouted into his audio. "Stop!"
He screeched to a halt. "What?"
"That's an illusion!"
Shute turned. The ghost had grown in size, but his sensors indicated neither change in distance— nor the presence of anything that could approach him. The forehead of the ghost clipped off at the top of the building. "A projection."
"Right. Go get him!"
Lowering his head, Shute charged at the figure, wheels whirling. As he closed the distance to the building, he rotated his head to follow the projection's light; it funneled to the tip of the roller coaster, where, Shute's acute vision revealed, Grappler Gouf stood beaming down the shaft of light. Shute aimed. Grappler's one eye widened.
...
Gunbike roared, "Take this, scum!" But, his missile launchers clicked to no effect. "Doggone, I'm outta ammo!"
"Night-night, Gundams," Zapper sneered. His trigger finger curled.
A purple beam hit him just below the chest. "Agh!" Zapper recoiled.
"You missed!" Guneagle scolded Baku. The two leaned on Grypapa's hood, Baku propping Guneagle's beam rifle in the crook of his arm. "Go for the center, Bossa Nova!"
"I did! This is the first time I've used a gun!" Baku snapped.
"Go, go!" Gunbike shouted above them. "Grypapa, retreat, now!"
The giant blue box of a robot jerked backward, yanking his clawed arms out, as Gunbike reversed. Tumbling loose rocks at the edges of the pit dragged some Zakos down with them, though a few remembered their jet packs soon enough to stay above the danger.
"Hold it!" Zapper yelled as he and Dom primed their weapons.
Aleda lifted her hands. "Oh, Mana...!" She brushed her hands across the air, spreading a sheet of shining blue in front of Gunbike's retreating form. Zero's arms squeezed, and she felt heat trickle into her—not from his normal charming aura, but from an influx of energy. Like stilling waters, the barrier sharpened and deepened in hue.
Blasts and bullets slammed into the barrier, but it stood, unwavering. "I'll protect you," Zero muttered into Aleda's audio. "I'll protect..." His feathered v-fin tapped the back of her helmet as his head tipped forward.
"Zero!" Aleda gripped his arms, which remained stiff and taught around her even in unconsciousness.
Zapper and Dom spluttered in frustration: "Why can't we hit them?!" "Dom will destroy Gundams!"
Baku rocked unsteadily on his feet; his recovering body could not quite stabilize him. But, he managed to cross his swords in a familiar stance. "Tenkyoken!" His slash sent a flaming x blazing to the Dark Axis 'bots.
Zapper dove. Dom wheeled out of the x's path. Baku groaned in dismay when his flames passed them.
Aleda lifted her hands, staring intently at the fire, and tugged an imaginary line. Baku's x turned and barreled back, toasting Zakos on the way. Zapper gasped, "What?!" and scrambled, but too late. The attack swept him up. "Owowow!"
Dom skittered around the small cavern space, but the flames chased him into a corner. "Ahhhhh!" The cave came down.
The Gundam Force and Grypapa rotated in the tunnels and barreled to safety amidst the screams and crashing rock. "Did you do that?" Baku called to Aleda as they rumbled along.
The Gundamess blushed and nodded. "Yeah."
Baku grinned. Guneagle gave a thumbs up with his remaining hand. "Nice!"
Aleda smiled for a moment, but then turned her head to try to see the Knight Gundam behind her. "Zero?" His eyescreens blinked on, and he curled his arms tighter around her before they blinked off, again.
Baku laughed at Aleda's bright red face. "He missed you!"
She touched Zero's hand, eyes moistening. His desperate grip clutched her GunSoul more tightly than any physical bind.
"Welcome home, babe!" Guneagle chimed.
Inside the muffling effect of Gunbike's cabin, Aleda sucked in a sob. Home. The nest of warmth surrounding her couldn't be anything less than that.
...
Grappler jumped aside, and the beam rifle's purple shot grazed the tip of his curved shoulder-spike, leaving a rising wisp of steam. The ghostly projection vanished. Shute's infrared sensors traced Grappler's form as it dodged down a couple of rickety maintenance steps. He took another shot. Bang! A rusted plank snapped under Gouf's weight, and he fell out of the beam's path. "Aw, man!" Shute grunted.
Gouf's jetpack flared and caught his fall. "Whoa!" He rocketed under another loop to evade more purple shots.
Each firing of the beam rifle smattered bright dots across Shute's infrared vision. "I can't see him," he hissed.
"Get closer to him, Shute." This time, Chief Haro spoke. "Try to corner him so that he'll tell us the location of the hostages."
"Right."
Shute activated his own jets. Drips of a burgeoning rainstorm began to tink on Shute's rising frame. The track of heat signatures led him past the rusted rail coaster to a row of low buildings that had once housed less jarring attractions. Shute landed in the lane, his heavy feet squelching in the mud. A set of fresh, triangular prints led into a building with the faded letters: "Laser Light Maze."
What's that? Shute wondered as he stalked through the doorway. His infrared sensors detected nothing in the pitch black ahead, but his proximity sensors did. Shute mentally prompted his UI to switch to night vision. In the pale green glow, he saw an approaching, boxy shadow and halted. The stranger simultaneously stopped. Shute aimed the beam rifle, and the shadow's parallel motion made him—and the opponent—jump. Shute froze and studied the shape: no heat, no contours measurable by his proximity sensors, and no sound came from it. He sighed and straightened. "It's my reflection."
The passage led sharply to the left. Shute peered around the corner and spotted a similar shadow mirroring him a few meters down. A glance up showed patches of murky light where the wear of time and looters had torn the roofing. "This isn't good, Shute," Chief Haro said. "This is a difficult place to navigate. Grappler Gouf must have deliberately led you here."
"What do you think he's going to do?" Shute asked, creeping forward warily.
"All we can tell is that he wants to confuse you. You may be headed for a trap."
"Roger."
The next junction was also bordered by mirrors, but it widened. Shute turned on the headlights embedded in his helmet and swept his scope across the open space. Bright light glared back in his optics. And, a glint of light blue.
He jerked his focus back to the blue, but Grappler's huge shoulderguard horn moved in a thousand mirrors and vanished. "Get back here!" Shute shouted, running into the middle of the kaleidoscope.
His enemy's laughter carried over the maze—and even that echoed. Shute spun wildly to locate Grappler, but all he could see were endless repetitions of himself.
"How does it feel to be cornered, Gundam?"
Zzzt!
Shute jumped at a gleam of red. His internal diagnostic system alerted him to damage in his torso armor. He glanced down to see a simmering scorch on his side. A large shape darted out of the many panels.
"Your reaction time is good, Captain Gundam," Grappler sneered, "but even you can't dodge at the speed of light."
"The lasers!" Shute gasped.
"Bingo!" the voice echoed. "I've intensified the lasers used in the attraction. I can fry you before you even see me."
Shute ducked behind his shield and scanned the area warily. "Where are the hostages?"
A nozzle flashed into view.
Zzzt! He stumbled forward from a shot ricocheting into his back.
"You'll never know, Gundam!" A laugh reverberated through the maze. "I don't negotiate with an enemy who's lost!"
Shute, standing, aimed his beam rifle into a branching passage. "Mirrors bounce both ways, Grappler!" He fired, and the beam cracked the mirror, scattering tiny purple lines in each direction.
A stray branch nicked Shute's foot lining.
A million reeling Grapplers tumbled in sight. "What the—?!"
"No one uses this place, so I can just destroy it all, can't I?" Shute taunted, walking into the pathway that he had partially shattered. I didn't expect it to break, though, he silently admitted.
Grappler scampered out of the mirrors' range, again. "Wait! You don't want to do that! The hostages are in here!"
Shute paused in his step. "You're lying!"
"Are you willing to risk that? They're tied up and gagged just out of sight. You'd never know unless I told you."
"I know you're bluffing. Come out, or I'll make you come out!" But, what if he's not lying?
"You'll regret it!"
If I make him think I'll shoot, then he'll surrender, even if the hostages are here, right? Shute tried to reason. He cocked the rifle. "I'm going to count to three. One."
No sound or movement.
"Two."
A clack echoed.
Shute stood still, listening to every drum of rain and swish of dust. "Last chance, Grappler!"
A clatter sounded above him. "Too late!" The purple eye descended with a glinting blade.
Shute rolled, heard the blade crash into the floor, and whipped his rifle around for a bayonet slash. The two sharply met. Clang! They pressed, testing each other's arm hydraulics and joint stability.
"Impressive as ever," Grappler said. "I was starting to think that you'd lost your touch." He shoved, and Shute slid.
Shute moved the shield as if to swing, but Grappler jumped back, and, when Shute hesitated, snatched it in his off-hand claws. "I take it back," he scoffed. "You're definitely off, today."
"Let go!" Shute growled with a tug.
"No." Grappler dug his claws into the shield and yanked. It clattered to the floor ribbed with long gouges.
Shute fired, and while Grappler danced aside, he tossed the rifle to his other hand, reached back, and pulled out his beam saber.
"Oh~" Grappler flexed his claws. "This should be interesting."
Shute poised himself. Here goes nothing, Guneagle…
...
Captain wiggled to steady his footing on Margaret's thick shoulders. Hugging the wall, he, straining, raised himself to eye level with the open vent. "You got it?" Margaret gasped.
"I found it," Captain hoarsely replied. He felt the insides of the vent. Slippery dust congealed on his fingertips. "Hold on. I'm trying to find traction." He rubbed back and forth to wipe the dust, and then he brushed his hands together to dust them. Margaret coughed and sneezed below him, shaking his stance. Captain grabbed the edge of the vent and called down, "I'm sorry, Margaret!"
"It's okay—*cough*!"
Captain peered into the dark, square tunnel. "Alright. I'm ready. 3, 2, 1..." Taking a deep breath and bracing his hands against the sides, he hefted himself up while Margaret pushed his legs. He slid in on his belly nicely: the sweatshirt glided easily against the smooth steel. However, the initial push was not enough to bring his legs in, and he grabbed, kicked, and flailed like a drowning fish to propel himself further in. After a few seconds, he announced, "I'm inside!"
"Great! Hurry! Go!" Margaret urged.
Captain crawled. The sides rubbed his elbows as he swam though the blackness. Instinctively, he called forth his headlights—and in the next second, he remembered that he lacked that function. Human visibility is very limited, he observed.
He extended his hand to pull himself another inch forward, but he grasped empty air. He tipped. With a cry, he smacked his hand on the ledge face below and caught himself. There was that tingly adrenaline surge, again. Captain's panting echoed forward and downward. He steadied his breaths and shimmied a few inches back from the ledge. There is a drop ahead. Should I take it? he wondered. Could I make it across if I tried? He clenched his sore knuckles. What would Shute do?
A memory came to him, of Shute and himself poised on the roof of Shute's workshop, Shute holding a paper airplane at eye level. "Which way?" the boy had hummed, peering across the white edge of his creation. Next, he'd licked his thumb and held it in the air.
"What are you doing?" Captain had asked.
"Feeling the wind. It's blowing this way." Shute had said, pointing to the right. Then, with a thrust, the plane had sailed down the hill, jumped up another, and dipped out of sight all the way on the other side, as the boy cheered it on.
Captain scooched to the ledge, dipped his thumb in his mouth, and then held it in the open air. After a few seconds, a breeze cooled his wet finger from below. "Down it is," he muttered.
Author's Notes
So, next chap will be the wrap-up of this fun little arc. That also means Maggie's going to lose her buddy, doesn't it? :( But, I don't want this to be the last time we see her, so I think she'll show up, again, someday.
Magic healing did weird stuff this time, didn't it? The next chapter will explain it some more, so for now, I'll refrain from elaborating here. And, for Baku's armor, I thought it would make sense for him to have fire-resistant armor, considering what he likes to play with. Sure, Fenn was able to scorch him like a black marshmallow, but… eh, Fenn had hotter fire, I guess? I just can't imagine that Baku wouldn't have something to protect against fire.
I feel bad for making Guneagle lose an arm, but like Captain, he can get a replacement pretty easily. I figured someone would have to lose a limb from the mines, and it would be tougher on Baku or Zero, whom Kao Lyn can't repair.
In the Author's Notes of Chapter 20, I'll post a preview of what's going to happen after my little break, so you all can have something to look forward to ;) Stay tuned!
Reviews of this chapter would make my day. :) Seriously, guys, whenever I see in my e-mail that someone reviewed one of my stories, I get really excited and grin like an idiot. That e-mail is opened like 3 seconds after I see it XD So, please review!
Thanks for beta-reading, Titanic X!
-Penelopi
P.S.: I just finished watching After War Gundam X, and it's one of my favorite main Gundam series, ever! I wasn't much of a fan of Gundam Wing (*le gasp!* I know, and my fic centers on a chibi Gundam based on its titular suit XD), but this is like Gundam Wing with more relatable characters. Well, another main difference is that it doesn't have many space scenes, in comparison, but I didn't really mind. I think Gundam X was unfairly discarded. It has great character development, interesting world-building, great story and presentation, a very relatable main protagonist, and one of the most adorable romances in any Gundam series! And, if you liked the aesthetics of Gundam Wing, it has the same art style and sound effects. Give it a shot if you haven't, yet!