Update: Tweaked/rewritten October 2020.

Chaotic Freedom

"Breck, jump now!" DaCosta ordered, his thumb lingering over the trigger in his BuCUE. His hand twitched in anticipation—however not hard enough to actually fire—but still the newbie's suit sped just ahead of him and taking a few hits from the enemy machine. "I said jump!"

"I-I can't, sir. Eclipse knocked out my controls."

"She what?" In response, a different BuCUE—one painted red for "enemy"—appeared on DaCosta's right. The greencoat was only able to fire once before the machine leapt over his unit, slicing the main cannon off with its mouth blades.

Landing on the other side of the stunned soldier, it continued on to find cover behind a sand dune. Damn, DaCosta has some nice reflexes, Eclipse thought, pulling up the suit's OS to reconfigure booster output and balancers. The shot had hit the belt on her back-right leg, making it nothing more than smoking debris on the field. While the redhead knew the remaining three legs could pick up the slack, she had lost a considerable amount of speed. Not only that, but she couldn't make such a risky jump again. Increasing the pulling rotation of the front two belts and the back left, she took one more second to check the balance before the greencoat rounded the dune in front of her. He shot a round of bullets, three nicking the red machine's armor before its pilot put it in reverse.

"You're getting sloppy, Eclipse!" DaCosta yelled and switched on his blades. He tried leaping towards the retreating BuCUE and turned on his boosters just as the redhead was about to fire. Her bullets flew harmlessly under the unit.

"Shit!" she cursed and pulled her machine to a dead stop. Knowing sand didn't have the greatest traction, the move was risky, but—for the most part—she managed to control the BuCUE well enough to stop four yards after braking.

She was really beginning to like these mobile suits.

The greencoat passed just over head, but had hit his boosters too hard and flew well over his opponent. Saying some colorful words of his own, he tried shifting his blades sideways to clip a part of Eclipse's unit, but the redhead proved to be the quicker. Having gained some solid footing, she focused all her weight to the front of the suit and kicked with the hind legs, sending DaCosta's suit flying. It landed a ways away in a heap of metal, not exploding, but not moving either.

"And Eclipse finally gets a win!" Waltfeld announced into the frequency from his position in the control room, shutting off the simulation. "Perhaps we should switch up the teams again to keep things fresh, but for a while there, I thought you had her, DaCosta."

"Yeah, didn't we both," the greencoat muttered before pulling off his headset and setting it on the console in front of him. They had already done three practice runs and it was only noon. Either that showed how fast the fights went or they had all woken up ridiculously early. Well, Eclipse was out on a morning jog by 0500 and the commander was probably up making coffee by that time too. DaCosta had been doing his rounds, but somehow the name Breck and the phrase "early bird" didn't seem to go together.

The simulation machine wasn't set up like others Eclipse had seen previously. This one was a program that was fed directly into the mobile suits through cables, connecting to the OS and the pilots' helmets. Each individual was sitting in a BuCUE and using the controls of the machine as they trained, both adjusting and getting used to the quirks in their new units as their minds, essentially, were battling. The system was still limited in that the pilots were restricted to their cockpit controls and any sort of power surge could cut the transmission, but it was a nice way to make adjustments without having to do drills outside.

"So, Hall, what happened to you this time?" Waltfeld asked, smirking at the boy as he walked over. "Something about controls?"

"Yeah, yeah, jest all you want, sir. She had one helluva shot," the pilot remarked, setting his headset next to the others. He seemed pretty comfortable with the commander now and even his language proved the point. It could have been the training sessions, but Eclipse figured it was just Waltfeld's personality. He could get to know a person quickly and make him just as comfortable. Quite a gift. "I didn't even think they could get damaged like that," Breck continued.

"Thank my mechanic classes for that one. I had to learn how these things ticked before I could even get behind the controls of one." Eclipse walked over near the group and took a deep breath. Training had taken more out of her than she thought.

"Sounds like a good program then," DaCosta commented, receiving a rather unpleasant look from Eclipse. If he didn't know any better, he had made her angry. But, since he did know better, he braced himself for the retaliation, however, she didn't say anything more. Perhaps she was finally exhausted about the whole thing.

"On that happy note," the commander began, clearing his throat and stepping between the two officers. "What d'ya say we grab some lunch?"

"And a shower," Breck muttered. "Who knew virtual reality could cause you to sweat so much?"

The redhead sighed, for once agreeing with the young man. Waltfeld just laughed. "It doesn't have the word 'reality' in it for nothing, y'know."

"Yeah, but 'virtual' has to stand for something."

"That it's—uh—virtually impossible to—uh—go through lunch without a cup of coffee. Now let's grab some grub." Clapping an arm around the newbie's shoulders, he led him away, only a small hand wave indicating Eclipse and DaCosta should follow.

They just sighed. "Is he ever serious?" she asked.

"When lives are at stake, yes. However, he's been extra chipper lately. I blame your addiction for that one; people need to stop encouraging him," the man groaned.

"Sorry… I think."

"DaCosta! Eclipse! Let's go!" Waltfeld yelled, sounding a bit testy about the situation. Maybe Breck had tried to bring up his own addiction.

Not very wise.

"Yes, sir!"

Lunch lasted rather longer than anticipated. Much of that could have been because Waltfeld was pounded with status reports, supply sheets, personal requests, and even a sexual harassment charge for an officer from Rika. The claim was liable, but it wasn't something to be talked over so lightly over lunch. The commander listened patiently, promised to take care of it and then waved her off so he could grab another bite. He had only finished half his lunch by the time another soldier came up to him.

"Remind me never to become a commander," Breck muttered to Eclipse who merely shrugged in response. She had never thought about it before, but that kind of power had to be appealing to some people. Ordering people around didn't sound all that bad, but when the responsibility for their lives is thrown into the mix, things tended to get complicated.

"Why don't you guys relax for a few hours," Waltfeld suggested when he walked over a few minutes later, issuing a frustrated sigh. "I'll let you know when we can start the simulations again. Dismissed."

The three of them nodded, saluted, and then left the cafeteria and their overwhelmed commander behind. "I'll go find Aisha," DaCosta announced turning right at the first corner. "She can help him out with the basics."

"The basics of what?" Breck muttered, elbowing her with a goofy grin on his face.

She just rolled her eyes. Juvenile.

"So, what do you plan on doing the rest of the day?" the greencoat asked, starting to walk down the hall.

I plan on staying as far away from you as I can get, she thought, but just shrugged. She could have told him how she was going to research her homicidal friends, but that seemed a bit out of place to.

What's a girl to do?

"After freshening up, I was debating between the shooting range and a nap. What'cha think?" he continued without waiting for her to respond.

"Well," the redhead began, walking about three feet behind him. Unfortunately, he slowed down and waited until they were side by side. "Since you woke up around 0800, I'm thinking you have enough energy to last for the rest of the day. Then again, we've been in simulations the entire morning and I can see how you'd be tired."

Breck paused and cocked an eyebrow. "Y'know, that didn't answer my question in the least."

"Alright, how's this; given the amount of work the commander seemed to have, we probably won't start training until well after dinner. That being said, you'll have enough time to freshen up, go to the range, and take a nap."

"Oh, well did you want to join me?"

"For the shooting range, fine, if you wanted to go now instead of showering. As for the sleeping thing, I tend to see it as more of a personal achievement."

"Well—uh—sure, but—"

"The range is this way. C'mon."

The rest of the day passed by rather slowly. Dinnertime came around and still Waltfeld was stuck with reports and most of them concerning the attack in the city. The facts showed Blue Cosmos was involved, giving more weight to their dramatic declarations like, "Blue and pure world." However, what the organization was doing in Banadiya was still under debate. There was no other record of them buying or selling any merchandise in the market and not even that small of a band should have been able to do that much damage. If it wasn't for the commander's lackadaisical approach to his tour of the city, they probably wouldn't even have gotten off a shot.

"Andy's not entirely to blame," Aisha commented, throwing the reports down on the coffee table. "But I'm not happy with him either."

Eclipse could only nod. The female pilot had asked to talk to the redhead personally as soon as it was obvious simulations would have to wait until the next morning. Not really understanding why, Eclipse had gone along with it and before she had taken her first sip of coffee, she had learned everything about lovers' squabbles from three months ago up to three years. She even learned a few intimate details giving her good reason to avoid the commander for a few days. Perhaps I'm easy to talk to, the redhead thought, sipping at her glass again.

They were in a side room that looked to be more of a location for receiving guests than an office. A pair of blue sofas sat across from each other, a coffee table between them. The walls were a strange color of olive green and a wall of windows were letting in the evening sun. The green carpet matched the walls, but despite the tacky choice of shade, the fireplace on the far wall added a homely touch that Eclipse found comforting.

"We had discussed the possibility of something like this happening, but he just brushed it off," Aisha continued, standing and looking out one of the windows. "Yes, everyone likes his easy-going nature—and seeing him so well liked is very alluring—but he has to remember his military position. Plenty of people are after his head and he doesn't necessarily blend in well."

"You think he should stop going into town then?"

"No, he needs to know what's going on, but maybe he could take a few more guards."

"And have everyone know he's the commander and start freaking out?"

Aisha sighed, scratching the back of her head as if it made her think harder. "No, you're right, but there has to be something…"

"He's basically the dictator here, so people wanting him dead isn't unusual. Don't worry, he knows what he's getting into and—like you said before—can take care of himself."

"So, it's wrong for me to worry?"

"Judging by the conversation we've been having for the past hour, I'd say you couldn't stop worrying even if you tried. It's not a bad thing, but it still messes with the mind after a while." Eclipse took another drink, realized the cup was empty, and went to get more. That was the good thing about this base.

Always an endless supply of coffee.

"I've been meaning to ask you, where did you run off to yesterday? Those two kids came in and you bolted."

"I didn't think you needed my help," the redhead responded, startled by the question. She was so surprised she missed putting the sugar into her cup, having it fall into a nice heap on the counter.

Lovely.

"No, but I'm still curious. Afraid I'd be mad about him getting into the fight?"

"It crossed my mind," she said, meaning for it to be a blatant lie, but once she thought on it a while, it was a good possibility. Her fight or flight response had a tendency to react on its own. Lately the "fight" had been kicking in more often, but perhaps the "flight" had finally come through. Well, it was a smart move anyway.

Aisha laughed, enjoying the thoughtful expression on Eclipse's face. At least someone's happy, the redhead grumbled, walking back over to her place on the couch. "Honestly, I knew the girl personally and didn't want any drama."

"Really? She was a pretty little thing, that one, and didn't look too uncomfortable in the dress either. Care to share where you've met?"

"Well," Eclipse paused. Cagalli was the princess of Orb—that she knew—and sharing such information could mean instant danger for her. Despite their fall out, the redhead wasn't about to let that happen, but what else could she say? Outright lying to a superior was never a good thing to do and neither was withholding information. A lose, lose situation.

Damn, she was getting into a lot of those lately.

Cagalli's appearance was a mystery, to say the least. She seemed to be by herself—except for that guy she was with—and being so far away from home suggested she either ran away or was forced out. Lord Uzumi was a tough man, so the "kicked out scenario" was plausible, but Cagalli had always been unpredictable and her flying the coop could make sense as well. The only way to really find out would be to ask and that, unfortunately, wasn't something the redhead was prepared for at the moment. She just sighed.

"Eclipse?"

"Oh—uh—the girl. She's sorta a relative. Second cousin, really."

"Cousin? Well, isn't that curious. How much do you know about her?"

"We haven't talked to each other in a couple of years—so I don't know what she's getting herself into right now—but she's always been of the adventurous sort. I guess I was just surprised to see her here."

"I bet that would be unnerving," Aisha said. "What about that boy who was with her? Know anything about him?"

Eclipse shook her head. "That's the first time I've seen him."

"Oh, well Andy seems to have taken a liking to him."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not really, but there's something about that boy that makes me pause."

"Did you talk to the commander about it yet?"

"No," she admitted, setting her empty mug on the table. "There's an air of eagerness around him I haven't seen in a while. It's not exactly a bad thing, so I think I'll let it go for now."

"Is that really a good idea?"

"Sometimes it's best to just let people follow their instincts. Given, you're still there with a gun to save their ass if anything goes wrong, but—for the sake of their sanity—you have to appease their better nature."

"So, that's why you've let his coffee addiction go so far?"

"After a while there was no choice. Tell me, who would Andy be without his coffee?"

"You're right," Eclipse said, "and his withdrawal symptoms would be downright terrifying."

You have got to be kidding me, the redhead thought, staring at the man across from her. How the hell did I get sucked into this one? I know I like to follow orders, but this is ridiculous.

"May I help you, ma'am?"

Ma'am? What, do I look middle aged? Eclipse grumbled, glaring into the brown eyes of the salesclerk with a thick English accent. It was about 2000 hours on the 22nd of February, and the rendezvous time with Envy was approaching fast. She had the rest of the evening planned—a nice relaxing time of information gathering—and despite all of that, the commander had come to her personally, handing her what looked like a harmless slip of paper.

"Uh, excuse me, do you need any help?"

Yeah, harmless my ass, she thought as she clenched her fists. I'm going to kill him.

"Ma'am?"

Mentally slapping herself for being so stupid, she brought up her right hand, flashing the piece of paper at the man. This is embarrassing.

"Uh, yes. Everything on this list then? Right, let's see: one bag of Kona coffee blend, two French and Italian Roast blends, goat's milk—why this is for Commander Waltfeld isn't it?" Eclipse chose not to respond, frustrated by the amused smile on the clerk's lips.

I'm a damned errand boy.

"Well, isn't it?" All he got was a slight nod, but that was enough to send him running to the back of the store, leaving one very pissed redhead. Out of all the people in the base, he had chosen her to do his "special task," even giving it the title "Operation Java Time."

Pathetic.

"You're the only one I can trust with such valuable merchandise," he had said, going on and on about how her own addiction would guarantee the coffee would get to his hands safely and then turning right around to say it was her fault the beans were running low in the first place. In other words, it was her duty to go get some more.

He had said that all with a straight face too.

"Here it is." The clerk came back with two brown bags, each stuffed to its maximum with spices, coffee beans, dried milks, and the like. Even to Eclipse it looked sickening. "Someone must've called in ahead of time because it was already packaged up."

Figures. Fishing out some money, she handed it to the man and took off, not even worrying about the change. After all, Waltfeld was paying.

The trek back wasn't as grueling as the one to the shop. Her anger could have had something to do with it and, the redhead had to admit, watching people jump out of the way as she plowed down the street was quite fun. However, it would all have to be cut short. Just as Eclipse was thinking of her payback plan to hide the coffee beans—burying them was quickly moving to the top of the list—a young woman ran by trying to get the attention of her husband on the other side of the street. She looked hysterical.

"Shooting—south part of town—warehouse—screaming—" she stammered, falling into the man's arms as she began to cry. Either she had seen some of the action and was replaying the images or she was just so afraid the tears came automatically. Eclipse didn't take the time to figure it out. Dropping the bags, she spun around and headed south, pushing aside anyone who got in her way. Many glared and a few shared some unpleasant words, but there was one thing none of them realized; Al-Jairi's, the rendezvous point, was in the southern part of town.

And the redhead had a feeling she was given the wrong time.

A shot ricocheted off the wall in front of him, going at a wide enough angle to miss both him and Roan sitting a foot away. Stray smirked.

The night looked promising.

"Who the fuck is that?" Roan yelled, slipping a fresh magazine into his pistol. "I thought Eclipse was the only one tracking us." Another scream erupted from behind their cover, causing an involuntary shiver to crawl down Roan's spine. While their assailant may have lost the advantage before, as soon as the two SIN-ED officers bailed to reload, he had found another good sniping position. That was if he was even a guy. Roan had caught sight of a black ponytail on his last attack, but hair alone wasn't enough to distinguish sex.

Either way the assassin was good.

"We have to get out of this corner or we're dead for sure," Stray said, reaching up and over the crate to fire blindly. He wasn't expecting to hit anything, but—judging by the sound of the shots—he had the gist of the enemy's position. The whole thing was quite unprofessional—then again when had he ever been professional?—and nothing more than an upside down shot over his head and then a few more to empty his magazine.

Well, it got the job done.

"It's only one, damn person!" Roan growled and bolted out of his position. Pistol up, he caught sight of the assassin fleeing to the other side of the warehouse. Apparently, the chef's instincts weren't too far off. Steadying himself, Roan took aim and fired, grazing her left shoulder. This time he knew it was a girl. She had let out a soft grunt after the hit and flashed the ponytail again. If he didn't know any better, Roan would've said Eclipse and this assailant were twins, even if his basis was on skills alone.

Stray had noticed the sound as well and smirked again. He knew it couldn't be Eclipse because not only had he told Roan the wrong time—and thus informing the redhead incorrectly—she wouldn't be so reckless as to be standing out in the open and waiting for her prey like this assassin was. If a blind shot in her general direction was enough to make her bolt for better cover, she had been way too exposed. Not something his redhead would risk in a situation like this. Impressive though, he thought. She has to have a lot of skill and confidence to be standing so open and still kill most of our men.

Roan was going through much the same deductions in his own mind, however, he was smiling. Damn. We're an elite group and there's only two females who are obviously trailing us. How the hell could we be losing men so quickly? Either we're not as good as we thought we were, or they're just that impressive. Chancing a shot, he pivoted and reached around the three crates protecting him to fire. His bullet grazed the crate she was hiding behind, and despite it missing, it was enough to draw her attention. Not exactly a wise move. He twisted around to fire again, but she got her shot off first, a bullet burying itself into his upper thigh and sending him crumbling to the ground.

Shit, Stray thought.

"G-Gluttony?" A soft voice sounded to the chef's right, reminding him of the young stowaway who had tagged along. It had been a sloppy overlook on his part for not checking and double checking who had boarded the aircraft. Children weren't needed on something like this.

Wholesale slaughter.

Before, Stray was angry at the careless move, but now he was worried about the 8-year-old and his trembling hands holding a gun much too big for his fingers. The quivering eyes and blatant horror on his face didn't help matters—especially when a bullet-ridden corpse fell between them—but what was he to do? He had never been good with the children, despite his own juvenile tendencies, and this definitely didn't fall under his job description.

Wait, that's it.

"Tylan, it'll be fine—" he started, taking a few steps towards him.

"No, it won't!"

"Tylan, relax."

Roan groaned again, but it ranged more on the edge of a scream. Stray risked a look behind him and actually cringed. He had seen a lot in his day, but this was downright inhumane. The assassin had a lot of nerve, actually walking up to where Roan was hiding. He saw her head above his own cover, instinctually pulling the boy closer to him. Her walk was mesmerizing, and when she rounded the corner, he noticed the combat knife in her right hand, the sniper rifle strapped around her back, and the stream of blood down her right arm from the graze. At some point, she had put another shot into Roan's right shoulder and he was breathing sharply, his eyes shifting over to Stray and then up at the newcomer.

The assassin had long black hair, tied back in a ponytail with the ends brushing against the small of her back. Her face was fair and young, probably no older than him, and her thin physique was accented with leather pants and a black halter top. Why she wore leather in this heat was beyond Stray's comprehension, but she didn't look the least bit fatigued or uncomfortable. He just swallowed nervously.

Roan's gun was discarded on the ground to his right and he was leaning back against the crates. Tylan was a whimpering mess in Stray's arms, his eyes buried in the chef's cotton shirt as they crouched not far from Roan's position. They seemed to be the only ones left moving which was a testament to this newcomer's skill. The assassin made eye contact with Stray once and his breath stopped. He couldn't tell for sure from that distance, but there was definitely something familiar about that look and he knew better than to intervene.

Bending down and only a few inches from Roan's face, the girl whispered lightly in his ear, although, Stray was unable to hear the words. "Who are you?" she demanded a moment later, her lips still inches from his face. Roan couldn't respond, for the first time frozen in fear. The first statement must have been meant for his ears alone and whatever she had said, had stolen his nerves. Cold sweat tricked down his brow and his mouth went dry.

Not a good sign.

It was almost like a lover's caress when her hand snaked his jaw line, but the knife's role was much more sadistic. Resting on the underside of his left knee, one quick swipe tore through the flesh and tendons. Only the assassin's hand clamped to his mouth saved the world from his agonizing cry as the blood could be heard sloshing onto the ground. Taking it away, she whispered once more. "I'll ask you again. Who are you?" The other leg was next, but by then Stray had looked away, Tylan's whimper drawing him back. The poor boy wasn't immune to the sounds however, his hands rushing to cover his ears when Roan's leg dropped to the blood on the ground, no more tendons to hold it up. Tylan's quivering shriek was loud against the silence and Stray heard the gun click as it turned on them.

Shit.

"Maybe you're in the mood to talk?" she cooed, her head turning to them next as she rose and slinked in their direction.

Her eyes came in focus as she neared and Stray couldn't help give a wry chuckle. "This makes so much more sense now. You too? Ironic. You're what he's so obsessed with."

"Quit babbling. Are you a Sin? You look a little weak if you are."

"And you look a little young to be doing such torture."

"Shut up," she growled, firing a bullet through his left foot. The chef bit his bottom lip through the pain, but refused to move. Tylan's face came in focus then as a rare sense of heroism—or was it desperation?—bubbled in his small body. He dropped his gun in Stray's lap and moved to kneel in front of him, staring down the barrel of the gun and straight into the eyes of the assassin.

She smirked as her aim shifted and Stray saw her finger twitch. "Stop," he started, putting his arms around the boy and pulling him back towards his chest. "He's just a kid and never even attacked you. You're going to kill him for having a bit of guts?"

"I should," she said matter-of-factly, even offering a shrug as accent. "But I guess I'm in a good mood today."

Stray almost started laughing again, still overwhelmed by the irony of it all. He had seen only glimpses of Eclipse's "talent" and now that he was staring right into the eyes of her could-be twin, he was glad he never had to face her gaze before. It was all so unnerving. Cold, pupiless green eyes stared at him stoically. The black dot had never seemed so human until that moment, and Stray knew he'd never take his colorless eyes for granted again. At least they held something—warmth; the blazing fire of life that this two-toned girl was lacking. Yes, two-toned. He hadn't noticed it before, but her green eyes were actually separate shades. Her right was a deep forest green, while the other had paled to a few tones shy of white.

"Stop staring."

"Gluttony, kill—"

"And you shut up," she ordered, pointing her gun back at Roan sitting against the crates. His skin was such a sick shade of white they were all surprised he was still conscious. The rank smell of vomit proved he was human enough to feel pain, but with the barrel of a gun aimed at his forehead, he probably wished his nerves wouldn't react to what was coming next.

"Tylan, run and never look back. Call the reinforcements in," Stray spoke to him, pulling the boy's eyes to his own as his right hand took Tylan's gun from his lap. "Now go." He fled and did as he was told, never looking behind him as he disappeared.

Not even when he heard the gunshot.

The assassin stared down at Roan's prone body and then over to Stray. At first, she had no idea where he had even gotten the gun, but remembering how the boy had one in his hands, she whispered an, "Oh," and turned her weapon on Stray instead. "What did you do that for?" she asked, but was more amused by his antics than angry.

Too much bloodshed can do that to a person.

Roan was as good as dead, Stray's accurate shot to the temple enough to leave no doubts. It was a bloody mess, but one that made the chef feel a little better about himself. "I've been waiting to do that for a long time."

Her stature changed then, standing straighter as she sheathed her combat knife. "Sure, and that was the plan all along, but you can't go back unscathed. They'll accuse you for sure."

"The boy saw enough."

"And you think they'll trust the word of a pipsqueak?" she scoffed, slipping a new magazine into the handgun before putting it back in the holster. Actually, she had been out of bullets, so she couldn't have killed Roan even if she wanted to.

Perhaps the whole thing had turned out after all.

"Every voice is valid in SIN-ED, just like every child has seen enough to upgrade them into adulthood. They'll believe him."

"You still can't go back like that."

"What, a busted foot isn't enough?"

She still wasn't convinced and she shrugged. "I can do it for you." Bringing out her handgun once again, she took aim. "Would that make things easier?"

"Perhaps, but I don't trust your aim."

"Huh? I'm always dead on."

"Exactly," Stray said, "and I'm too juicy of a catch to pass up, so, we'll do things my way." Cocking the gun, he pressed the barrel to his right side, careful to have it perpendicular to his body so the bullet would travel from the front and out to the back, not to the inside where the damage would cause a slow death. It would hurt either way but—even though he wasn't that great with the medical side of things—he was hoping it would look worse than it actually was. Without hesitating, he fired, gasping as he felt the bullet tear through his body. It came out cleanly on the other side, embedding itself into one of the crates. Gut wrenching agony hit him immediately, allowing only a few faint words to escape his lips. "H-how's that?"

The assassin shrugged, admiring the handwork rather than caring about his well-being. After all, he was the one who wanted to shoot himself. "That might work."

"Stray!" Eclipse had arrived on the scene at the worst possible moment. Not only was the other female pointing her gun at the SIN-ED member, but there was blood staining his T-shirt and seeping down into the waistband of his pants. Like the chef had hoped, the wound looked atrocious, and if he wasn't so breathless from the pain, he would have liked to say hello to his fair friend. Instead, he gave the faintest of smiles and fell onto the wounded side. "Stray!" the redhead screamed again and began running towards him.

"No, don't," the assassin ordered, catching her by the wrist. Not a good move. Eclipse—already pissed about the ordeal—grabbed her hand and twisted the arm awkwardly. The black-haired girl stifled a yelp before landing a kick on the redhead's exposed knee. Eclipse buckled and let go. "Quit it, you don't know the whole story."

"Like hell I don't!" Eclipse shrieked. Remaining crouched down, she kicked out wide, swiping her opponent's feet out from under her. The assassin reacted purely on instinct, bringing her gun around fired at where Eclipse's head was supposed to be. The redhead had dodged slightly to the left only seconds before, the bullet grazing the top of her right ear instead of hitting the eye socket directly. That mishap would have cost her, but Eclipse was too pissed to care. Taking a second to recuperate, the Berserker brought her own handgun up and aimed straight ahead. The other girl by this time had put some distance between them and was on her feet, locking gazes at the end of her barrel.

A "movie moment" was the best way to describe it. They stood there, two trained assassins with semi-automatics pointed at each other's forehead, fingers lightly on the trigger. They were breathing hard, but not from exhaustion; if anything it was from excitement. Time trickled away and no matter how bad Eclipse wanted to run over to her fallen friend, the greatest threat was standing across from her.

Eclipse didn't know what to make of it. Two-toned eyes matched her grey ones, the coldness in that stare seeming to freeze the air around them. It was merciless, fearless, and most of all, lifeless.

"So that's what I look like," the assassin mused.

"What are you," Eclipse asked, trying to mask the smirk curling up her lips. Ironic how the Berserker half found this all so amusing.

The girl chuckled. "Funny. Tell me, why did you say, 'what are you' instead of, 'who are you'? Am I really that unusual?"

Eclipse didn't reply. Why had she said that? Perhaps the whole thing was unnerving, even now when she was staring at her mirrored half. Or maybe it was because she was staring at her mirrored half.

It all made sense.

"You're just like me," Eclipse said.

"Or maybe you're like me. It all depends on perspective, really. At any rate, where do we go from here? We're both after SIN-ED."

"You shot Stray."

"Who, Gluttony? No, he did that to himself," the assassin corrected, blinking a few times at her counterpart's curious gaze. "What, didn't you know? This whole thing was staged and he performed beautifully, did he not? Think about it. Not only was Al-Jairi a weapon's smuggler, he had great connections with the Earth Forces and now SIN-ED has them. A perfect situation, really. They ordered me to kill their rat—which Gluttony did by the way—and found a valuable spot all in the same night. They have a pretty foot in the pool of chaos."

"How poetic," Eclipse spat, feeling her arm grow tired from the strain, however, she was too stubborn to let it fall. Not until this other Berserker did it first.

"It was, wasn't it? And even more true."

"So, you're telling me Al-Jairi's dead?"

"Well, he's not as alive as he used to be."

"Did you play a part in that?"

"No," the assassin admitted. "SIN-ED took care of that themselves. I was just sent in with the clean-up crew."

"So, who did you 'clean up,' then?"

She nodded her head down at the body near her feet. "Envy."

Eclipse's heart stopped. If Envy had been FS—like she originally thought—that meant he was the body on the floor near the girl. Someone had shot him in the head so a firm identity was hard to make and she felt her heart race at the thought. So, she had arrived too late. Did a coup already happen? But wait, why would Stray join in to kill FS? That's one thing he would never do and from what she had been hearing, this whole thing was a huge set-up of some kind. But not for FS, right?

"Do you know Envy's real name?" she asked.

"Uh, Reon? Rain? Rune? Something like that."

"You're sure—" Eclipse paused. Others were coming their way, noticeable by not only their stampede-like nature, but by the sound of vehicles. Eclipse would have guessed the ZAFT army had arrived, but the assassin claimed otherwise.

"SIN-ED back-up. We'd better get out of here."

"How d'you know?"

"I don't, but either way we can't be caught in this bloodbath."

"Fine, but tell me something first. Who the hell are you?"

"The name's Namarra Legund. You?"

"Lunar Eclipse."

"Well, Lunar Eclipse, it was a pleasure to finally meet you face to face. Maybe next time we'll actually work together."

"Maybe, but if you screw up, I'll kill you."

Namarra smirked. "Spoken like a true Berserker. Y'know, I think I may be able to tolerate you after all."

"Quick question before our little party's crashed."

"Hm?"

"Bob?"

The assassin blinked. "Bob… Bob… Uh… Oh! Yeah! Good one huh?"

"So that was you?"

Namarra smirked, her Berserker eyes squinting in delight. "I think you'll find I'm always up for a little fun. Aren't you?"

The Berserker found herself matching the grin.

"How'd it go?" Stray asked, wincing as he attempted to sit up in bed. It had been a long and painful couple of days, most likely involving blood transfusions, needles, anesthetics, and some very colorful cursing. Or was it prayers? He had no idea anymore. At any rate he owed Miato big. Not only was he a skilled mechanic, he could work just as well with humans. Maybe he would buy him a drink later.

FS just pushed him back down onto the bed. "Lie still," he ordered, but a slight smirk was on his lips. Apparently, everything had gone smoothly. The officer's meeting had taken place the day before, almost immediately after Stray was stable. Tylan had come in to be a witness, and the final verdict had just been passed. That's why FS was in the room. Not only to check on his comrade, but to celebrate.

"Did they buy it?"

FS nodded and suddenly burst out laughing. His orange eyes glowed and even sparkled with amusement, but there was something behind that pleasant smile. "It was so easy," he gasped. "No one is even sorry that jackass is gone. In fact, they had been waiting for us to knock him off!"

"So, you're telling me we wasted all that time worrying for nothing?"

"Exactly! And the best part about this is we can finally do what we please. No one is going to question us and—seeing as most of them are going insane from boredom anyway—they're so eager for some action, any order would suffice."

"What're you planning on then?" Stray asked, fiddling with the IV in his arm. It felt weird under his skin and even weirder when he would pull it back and forth.

Fascinating.

"I dunno, a ZAFT base? Carpentaria? Gibraltar? How about a PLANT? Should we go straight for Aprilius 1?" He laughed again, slapping at the teen's hand when he tired messing with the IV again. "This is perfect! If we took some troops to Aprilius, we can sneak into a council meeting and slaughter them in a matter of seconds. How well would the army be organized after that? Hell, if that's too risky, we could help the Earth Forces recapture Victoria and then as soon as we gain enough supporters and weaponry, we can rebel and have a base all to our own. That's a lot better than the shack we've been living in for the past few months."

"What do you plan on doing about Lexi?" Stray asked, a bit unnerved by his friend's outburst. "Does she fit in anywhere?"

"I'm not going to have her killed," FS replied. "I'd be pissed if she killed more people, but I'd never be able to pull a gun on her."

"But you wouldn't have to do it."

"Ah, but I would. The only way she's dying is if it's either you or me putting a bullet to her head, you understand?"

"But you can't—"

"Yes, Jaeger. Can't you see? We have ultimate control over SIN-ED. There's no holding back, no more hesitation, and definitely no more anxiety. This is the closest to freedom we've come to in a long time."

Stray couldn't reply. What was there to say? He had never seen his comrade like this and, frankly, he didn't want to see it again. "Eager" wasn't the right word and even "excited" seemed to downplay the look in his eyes. Sure, they could finally start destroying people without Roan looking over their shoulders and contradicting everything. They could even play it smart by working on the small fry, creating minor panic, and then going right for the finale. Despite the mania in FS's eyes, he was right.

They were finally free.

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so proud of myself to be pushing these chapters out so quickly. Impressed, actually, and somewhat scared. I never knew I had it in me. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Namarra will be interesting, I'll tell ya that much, and I'm hoping she won't be a disappointment for you all. Well, I'll just say she'll be sticking around for a while. After all, two Berserkers on a rampage are better than one. :)

On that note, I've decided to change the rating to mature because of both the language (that may get worse as the story goes on) and the details. I didn't think my writing would turn so graphic, but I can't say I dislike it. Description's my friend and reality's everyone's enemy, so I just thought I'd give you all a heads up.

Special thanks to my Betas Death-Scimitar and CSS Stravag for all their hard work. I've been putting them on overtime lately so they deserve huge hugs and lots of coffee. I'd give them a raise, but hey, I'm cheap... Heh.

Gripes/Questions:

CSS Stravag: Yeah, I understand about SEED falling short in some battle scenes. It was quite unfortunate, actually. All that fire power and no consequences. Tsk, Tsk. I realize I probably could've gone a little more into that and might on my rewrite. Hopefully it was good enough for now and I'll try to remember that for future events.

Over and out! Thanks for the reviews and readings guys!

Strata