Update: Tweaked/rewritten December 2021.

Mere Accessories

"Uh, what is it?" Eclipse asked, stopping in the hall of the Archangel and elbowing Namarra next to her.

"I think it died."

"It's been dead, Namarra," Cagalli grumbled.

"Can I poke it?" Lacus bent down to reach out, but Kira put a hand on her shoulder.

"Better not."

"Oh, let the girl touch it," Dearka responded.

"You stop butting in." Miriallia elbowed him.

"Do you think it's a coffee maker?"

"Only you would think of that, Commander." DaCosta sighed.

"What does it do?" Murrue asked.

"I dunno, but I know what I'd rather be doing right now." Mu nodded slowly with a goofy grin and everyone turned to him, disgusted. Murrue rolled her eyes. "What? Eating. I'm hungry!"

"I think it's pretty impressive." Everyone turned to Lathan then, giving him much the same look as they had to Mu. "What? It's a magnetic, miniature—"

"Hey, what ye all looking at?" Murdoch flew towards them, a little too fast given his distance. Grabbing onto Mu's shoulder, his feet swung forward. "Yer blocking the hall—"

Crunch.

"Uh, oops."

The communal "Aw" rose through the group as the mechanic picked up his feet. The device wasn't totally destroyed, but some smaller pieces broke off and floated up in the circle. One gear almost flicked Kira's nose and he made a startled noise before backing away. Lacus covered up a laugh.

"Well, that was short-lived," Dearka muttered.

"The guessing game or the mini—"

"Hey!" Athrun shouted, interrupting Cagalli as he floated on down the hall. "Has anyone seen my—"

"Toe jam?" Eclipse suggested.

"Uh, no. My—" He grabbed onto Kira's shoulder and pulled himself to a halt, frowning when he saw a gear flying up to him. "Seriously guys?" He snatched the piece then bent to pick up the rest, a couple more parts disconnecting before he gathered it into his sling. "It only ran out of the hangar ten minutes ago."

"He did it." Namarra jerked a thumb at Murdoch who put up his arms.

"Hey now, just because I have more momentum to stop than the rest of ya—"

"He was speeding," Miriallia joked and a few laughed.

"How'd you make it, Athrun?" Lathan turned to the disgruntled inventor, and—despite his disappointment—seemed flattered by the interest.

"Well, I took bit of the worn-down Stealth and Decay parts—"

"You scavenged our suits to make that—uh—that?" Eclipse asked, listening in. Tapping a foot, she crossed her arms across her chest then turned to Namarra. "Should we feel violated?"

"Depends. What were you going to use it for?" She pointed to the scrap metal in his sling, tapping the opposite foot from Eclipse, but standing much the same way.

Surprisingly, neither the symmetry nor the ominous gazes bothered him. "It's just a toy."

"In the shape of what, exactly?" Waltfeld asked. "It looks like a—"

"Lizard? Precisely—well, when it's done."

"Then you have a lot of work to do because it looked like a—"

"C'mon, be nice." Murrue grabbed Mu's arm and started pulling him away.

"Snake. I was gonna say snake!" Flailing, he broke from her grip and turned around to properly follow. "Ugh, why is everyone's mind in the—"

"Shit in the toilet. Yeah, that's where I was going. Let's go, Miriallia." Dearka started reaching for her hand, but she slapped it away.

"That you can do alone. You're a big boy now." She pushed him away, but still followed, both sharing some playful grins. Although, the next look alone proved Dearka still needed to watch his mouth.

"Seriously, what por—"

"No, let's go do that now, Commander," DaCosta broke in, finishing Namarra's statement. "I need to make sure the gauges are right in—"

"—my pants. Yeah, right there." Kira poked his finger through the hole near his pocket. "Think you can fix it, Lacus?"

"Sure. I'll get some needles and you take—"

"—it all off! Can you believe he didn't consult me first?" Murdoch complained, Cagalli nodding knowingly.

"I understand; totally feeling—"

"—that deep, really?" Lathan asked, Athrun and him talking as they headed back towards the hangar. "And all that with one hand?"

Most of the conversations were still loud enough for Namarra and Eclipse to hear, but they had drowned them out by that time. Turning to each other, they held in their laughter, their surprise taking precedence over the humor. Her mouth moved as if words were supposed to come out, but it took her a couple tries before finally a half sentence was produced. "Did that just—"

"Yeah." The Natural nodded, seeming just as stunned. "That was weird."

"Now I definitely feel violated."

"I think we've all been in space too long."

"I feel like we should do something to offset that, but I'm not sure what we could do. I have to officially announce I'm doing the resource mission, but that sounds so emotionally exhausting right now. Any other ideas?"

"Let's go shoot something. But first." She held up a finger and pointed down the hall. "I need more cooling gel. I think a blister on my ass burst."

"And I feel a little itchy around my left nipple. The scab might be peeling."

"Alright, after we'll go shoot something."

"Let me shit first, though. Lunch isn't sittin' well."

The duo sped off down the hall, their conversation covering up the familiar "woosh" of a door sliding open. Sai blinked, looking both ways down the hall, but saw no one.

"What the hell?"

"Lexi, I think I need a new hobby," Namarra complained, floating up near the Decay with her arms behind her head and her legs crossed. "I feel like I've been working on this suit for months."

"More like weeks, but that's mainly because Lathan's been using them like guinea pigs." She sighed and stepped out of the cockpit, wiping her hands on a rag. "Did you try Lathan's beta system yet?"

"Not yet. I figure I'll wait for the final version."

"He needs to get data—our data—before he can start working on it."

"Why can't he get other people to do it?"

"Because, so far, he can only develop it for us." Eclipse threw the rag at her counterpart. "The system can only work if there's a direct connection to the nervous system. AKA, the CAs."

"Yeah, yeah, I was awake, y'know."

"Then your complaining's just an added bonus to my notes," the redhead grumbled. "You can always help the others on recon. For being a guest here you don't exactly repay your hosts."

"Ouch." She flipped up into a sitting position, the momentum spinning her in a circle until she stopped, staring at Eclipse upside down. "I've kinda figured out how to get to the guys, so that should make up for something."

Eclipse wasn't about to mention that was just as selfish, but withheld, interested what her counterpart might have discovered. "What'd you have in mind?"

"I have a couple ideas, but I don't think Azrael'd bring his whole crew. If anything, he'd come on his own."

"No offense, but I doubt he trusts you that much. And one Natural versus two Berserkers? That's suicide."

"But I don't think he'd have enough authority to drag anything other than a personal transport ship across space."

"We are talking about the same person, right? Murata Azrael? Leader of his own conglomerate and self-proclaimed enforcer of Blue Cosmos ideals?"

"Yeah? So?"

"He has money," Eclipse said, the finality in her voice making Namarra shrug. "Where there's money, there's a way."

"Okay, so we think he might bring more backup than a few guards if I get him to the bargaining table. Thing is," Namarra continued, hand going up to scratch her cheek in thought. "I need something juicy enough to get him there."

Eclipse hummed and tapped a finger against her cheek. "You said you had a few ideas though. What were you thinking?"

"Well, you, if I was to be blunt."

"Me?" Eclipse asked, the statement startling her at first until the obviousness of the answer began to sink in. "Ah, well, I am the 'other one.'"

"Precisely, but I'm not even sure you're a spicy enough of a temptation. At least not to have him give me the guys in exchange."

"Right…" The redhead trailed off, her mind wandering and grasping for other ideas. The Regean hangar was surprisingly empty that day, the only sound being the hum of the ship's engine and the soft piano music that wafted outward from the Decay's cockpit, Eclipse knowing that was Namarra's concentration music of choice.

There were a lot of other things the girls could offer in exchange for Namarra's brothers, but they all seemed dirty: Freedom and Justice specs, pilot and personnel counts… None of them were only connected to the girls and selling out the Three Ship Alliance in exchange for saving lives felt wrong on so many levels. Not to mention all of those options were relying solely on Azrael having a deep connection to the Earth Alliance and a willingness to cooperate for the military's benefit and not his own. From what Namarra had told her about the man personally, Eclipse doubted his loyalty to the cause was that strong.

The redhead sighed, running an exhausted hand across the back of her neck. If another Berserker wasn't enough of a morsel, what was? Her mind traversed back over the past couple of years, seeing if anything popped out of significance and her hand stopped its path, realizing they might have something after all. "Research—the research done on me at ZAFT."

Namarra's eyes widened and she reached out, using a nearby lift to flip herself upright once more. "That'd definitely get us to the table, but how do we get everyone out? Well, the guys would have to be there, that's my demand, so we meet him in an obscure region, exchange information, do enough damage to escape with my brothers, and run back here before Azrael can get his grubby fingers get on anything?"

"Might work."

"Just the two of us?"

Eclipse shrugged. "I doubt we'd get volunteers."

Namarra sighed and stretched out again. "If Azrael did come alone, killing him would be a nice consolation prize, but it wouldn't guarantee we'd get my brothers."

"Maybe we'd get lucky and he'll be vain enough to bring the guys with him into the room, thinking they'd never betray him."

Namarra laughed, trying to sound confident, but not even she could honestly say they would go with her or with Azrael. It was a notion that was both scary and depressing. If they attacked Eclipse and killed her, would she come back to the Alliance? Hell, would she fight them to protect her fellow Berserker? Or would she end up fighting her to protect them?

"Damn it," she breathed.

"It's gonna be sketchy either way," Eclipse muttered, her hand moving to rub her chin. "We need to be prepared."

"I know."

"And you need to make a decision on where your loyalties lie," she countered, Namarra jerking back with the accusation and feeling a bit exposed seeing as she had just thought about that very thing. "As much as I enjoy an unfair fight, I'd like you to give me some kind of warning."

Namarra could only frown and turn away to do some more work on her suit. She didn't have an answer yet and thankfully Eclipse didn't press the issue. Either that or she was afraid the redhead would attack her because of her real answer.

"Lathan, what's this?" Eclipse asked, pointing to her Stealth and seeing large scraps of metal along with wires floating beside the machine. She should have expected the clutter, but there was more than usual and with so many people out to find their rag-tagged alliance, she would have though Lathan would be less adventurous. "Seriously, spring cleaning isn't until next week."

"I've made some massive progress with the new cockpit system! Well, for the Stealth at least. Nam hasn't clocked in enough time yet," he added, his ass shaking outside the machine much like it had been the first time she had seen him in a mobile suit. "I'm rigging it up right now. The CA should be asking for syncing permission at this point."

Frowning, she waited for the computer voice, but heard nothing. Lathan looked back at her after a minute or two.

"Anything?"

"Bro, this suit has had a mind of its own since you gave me the damn system. Most likely you have to ask for its permission."

"How convenient," he grumbled, turning his head back to the Stealth. "Coffee Addict—"

"No," the machine replied, the voice coming directly from the cockpit instead of her earpiece.

"C'mon!"

"No," it repeated and Lathan continued the argument. Eclipse rolled her eyes and left the hangar. They could be at that for hours and she didn't feel like being the peanut gallery.

"Miss Lexi!"

"Lexi, yo!"

Eclipse looked up to see Lacus and Commander Waltfeld wandering down the hallway, the commander having to stop his momentum before he passed the intersection. With everything that had been going on recently, she hadn't had much time to sit down and talk with him properly. Seeing his smile, she decided she should change that, but—with her upcoming chat with Azrael—she quickly changed that idea. Knowing Waltfeld, he would use his crafty intellect to talk her out of it simply because the idea was insane. Technically, the plan was a bit on the crazy side, but she couldn't afford to let Namarra down so late in the game.

Eclipse met them halfway, halting her momentum just in front of Lacus. "Man, for having a ship of your own you sure spend a lot of time off it."

"And until recently you've been cooped up on the Archangel so don't be pointing fingers," Waltfeld accused, looking behind her to see the door to the Regean. "Stealth finally done?"

"For the most part." Eclipse shrugged. "My brother likes to use it as a lab rat."

Lacus smiled. "Must be nice to have a sibling aboard."

Eclipse cocked an eyebrow. "Clearly you're an only child." For a moment she looked offended and Eclipse had the sudden fear she was about to watch Lacus break down in tears or get slapped. Thankfully, Waltfeld stepped in before Lacus had to make a decision.

"At any rate, come over to the Eternal. We're having a party," Waltfeld announced, jerking his head back to the Kusanagi hangar and outside hatch.

"I have to lead that team through Mendel in about six hours or so…" Eclipse began, trailing off as she did some mental math. "Should be okay, I suppose. What's the occasion?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, just decided we should have one. Let's just say we're celebrating boredom."

The two girls sighed, but smiled nonetheless. Not the most exciting thing to celebrate, but they couldn't deny the fact that a party of any kind sounded better than whatever wall they were going to stare at that afternoon. Besides, Eclipse could use some time away from the hangar, she realized.

"Can I invite Kira and Athrun?" Lacus asked and the commander must have seen Eclipse's obvious cringe at Kira's name because he shook his head.

"Girls only."

Really? That was even more of a surprise. "So then why are you throwing it?" the redhead asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I dunno, I'm just winging it at the moment." His shoulders went up in another shrug, as if his mannerisms shouldn't need any kind of explanation by that point in time. And perhaps he was right.

She was going to argue the subject further when an Orb officer called to them from the other end of the hall. "Commander Waltfeld, Colonel Kisaka asks that you meet him on the bridge. He just received news from the approaching transports and would like to speak to you concerning the Eternal's supplies."

"Alrighty then," he responded and waved the girls off. "Feel free to get started without me."

"You mean at our girls only party?" Eclipse asked and all she received was a wink in return, the older commander disappearing around the next bend.

Eclipse sighed, wondering where the hell he came up with these kinds of things. Was he really so bored that he needed to sit around in his office planning girl sleepovers? She turned to Lacus who seemed just as confused, if not a little more amused.

"Is he serious?"

"I'm afraid so," the girl replied and smiled. "Who should we invite then?"

Eclipse groaned. "Since it's just thrown together, any females we run into, send them to the Eternal."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lacus saluted with a playful twitch at the side of her mouth and Eclipse laughed.

"Who knew you'd join the military?"

"Yes, a bit odd, isn't it? But I think I'm more in the way than anything."

"What would give you that idea? You want me to give you some military training or something?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I just feel out of sorts, I guess. Still feel a little left out," Lacus admitted slowly and Eclipse's face softened, noting her stiff salute had grown limp as she shrunk at the words. "Kind of sad that the only other people I know—besides you and a scarce few—are Kira and Athrun, huh?"

"It takes a while for people to get used to each other." Eclipse gave a small smile, but it wasn't as bright and real as her typical grin. Finally, Waltfeld's hasty party planning made more sense and she laughed quietly. When did he suddenly become the foster father? "I know some girls we can invite. Cagalli, for one. I'm sure you've met her."

"Kira's sister?"

The blunt statement threw her off at first, the fact always seeming to slip her mind. She wasn't even sure how all of that worked—not to mention they had no DNA proof—but if Kira was announcing it, they might have figured something out. Still, she cringed at the possibility of them having some kind of blood ties to each other. Bringing it up with Cagalli always seemed like a bad idea, so Eclipse always avoided it, choosing to traverse to happier topics mainly because she was still working through her father's death. Hell, even Eclipse was still working through what happened in Orb and then her parents' deaths not long after.

Yes, a girls-only party was a good idea.

"Yeah, that's the one," the redhead confirmed.

"Huh," was her only response, an unusual phrase for the person Eclipse was sure had the right words for any occasion. Her face held that light smile, but after spending so much time with her before the redhead skipped out to Orb, she had begun getting used to those facial expressions. It was a ruse. She was really upset for some reason.

"Something wrong?"

"Yes—well—kind of." She looked away embarrassed. "Her and I didn't hit it off too well and Kira talks to her all the time so it's just awkward."

"Not too well?"

"We don't have a lot in common."

Do Kira and Athrun count? she thought, but decided she should keep it a bit more subtle than that. "You're both girls." She frowned and Eclipse blinked. Out of all the expressions she remembered, this one was rare and somehow that wasn't a comforting thought. "Alright, alright, sarcasm aside, you're both strong, female leaders of some kind. And still in your teens. You should be bonding over shoes, dresses, and warship supply details."

"Yes—maybe—but she knows the nitty-gritty of war a lot better than I do despite our similar backgrounds."

Eclipse paused. Wow, was all she could think and it wasn't until Lacus had said her name that she tuned back in. "Sorry, I was trying to remember if you had ever said 'nitty-gritty' before."

Her frown deepened. "Miss Lexi..."

"Yes, yes, I know. Cagalli's—what's a good word—prickly. To be honest, it can be hard to get along with her sometimes, but her heart's in the right place and she really is a good person. She's just a bit sheltered and opinionated, which may or may not be good depending on the situation." Eclipse laughed lightly at that. "Somehow I feel like you know more about being a leader than she does."

"Really?"

Now the Pink Princess seemed surprised and Eclipse couldn't help it as her grin grew wider and more genuine. It was nice to see her let her guard down every once and a while. "You two just don't know each other yet. Trust me, you can learn from one another. Cagalli can learn manners and you can learn to not be so uptight."

"You think I'm uptight?"

Oops.

"C-c'mon," Eclipse stammered, pulling down the hall towards the airlock and the Eternal docked just beyond. "You can never stop learning."

"I agree," she grumbled, pulling her hand away so she could move on her own. "Maybe it's about time we taught you tact, Miss Lexi."

It was Eclipse's turn to be surprised.

The party wasn't much, just a little get-together with some of the girls from the Alliance. Lacus was right when she said her and Cagalli didn't get along seeing as they sat at different ends of the room the entire time. Eclipse really didn't understand it. After a while, she literally shoved them together so they could talk and that worked surprisingly well. Thankfully, they had even been chatting as they left, laughing about something to do with Athrun and Kira.

Eclipse gave a triumphant laugh when she watched them go and fled back to the Regean to grab some remaining supplies before heading back out into the port to meet the resource team for scouring Mendel for supplies. While she wasn't looking forward to venturing into the satellite once more—and so soon after her rampage—she had to admit the impromptu party had calmed her nerves somewhat and decided to thank Waltfeld later.

DaCosta was already near the main hatch when she arrived, manning the equipment laid out on crates in front of him. A clipboard in his hand, he was checking some things off and Eclipse couldn't help but shake her head at his diligence.

"Do you ever relax?" she asked as she neared, steadying herself on a corner of a crate as she scanned the equipment quickly and began grabbing what she needed.

"I do, thank you very much, but I'm also aware that if I keep busy, Waltfeld won't ask me to do any ridiculous tasks. Like rounding all you gals up for a party, for example." He looked up from his clipboard to give her a wide grin and Eclipse laughed. "Thanks for taking this on, by the way. You were the best fit, to be honest."

Nodding, her laugh faded into a forced smile and she quickly went back to gathering her things. The truth was, she didn't want to do it, but would have felt like she was letting people down otherwise. She also hadn't shared what had actually happened in Mendel with a lot of people, so if they knew she had had a harrowing experience, the probably would have taken her off command quickly. Still, her desire to keep her Berserker rampage a secret trumped her fear in returning to the colony, so there she was, swallowing hard at the prospect of going back through that door, but happy to at least have DaCosta with her.

"No worries. My plan is to get in and get out quickly."

Smiling, the older man shook his head with a laugh, the words "Hah, right," exiting his lips in a burst of sound. "Well, I look forward to watching it all go 100 percent according to plan." He shuffled through the papers on his clipboard and pulled out one at the bottom of the stack, holding it out to her.

"Thanks," she said, turning it at seeing it was a basic map of Mendel with marked locations. "You got the inventory list? Kusanagi's and Archangel's too?" she asked, storing the map in a different pouch near her breast close to the shoulder holster and the 9mm safely stored there. She was fit snuggly in a green ZAFT spacesuit, noting DaCosta had a similar one across his shoulders, but the others joining the excursion were mostly Kusanagi personnel, their Orb suits making the team look more like a bowl of fruit than any expedition group.

"I said, yes I have all the lists," DaCosta repeated, waving a hand in front of her face when she must have zoned out. "Though, I'm starting to see your point about working too much. When did I become the secretary again?"

"Oh, stop whining," Eclipse muttered, leaning to her right to knock into him lightly to accent her point.

He frowned at the gesture, rubbing the spot lightly before handing another copy of the map to one of the Orbites. "Honestly, though, I go from being bossed around by the Commander to being bossed around by you, my inferior. No offense," he added quickly, but she was already affected. "What's up with this picture?"

"You just enjoy being submissive, DaCosta," she replied with a wink. "Best accept it."

He didn't have time for a retort, the redhead seeing his eyebrow rise incredulously before her attention was pulled away.

"Miss Rymyr," another soldier started. He was an officer named Clyde, around the same age as DaCosta with dark hair over light blue eyes. He was one of the few other ZAFT members joining them and she nodded.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Everyone's equipped and ready to go on your signal."

"Got it, thank you." Eclipse turned back to DaCosta to continue her point, but the "secretary" cleared his throat and did an eye flick over her shoulder. She followed his attention, turning to see Clyde still standing behind her. Cocking an eyebrow, she started to ask a question, but changed it to, "Dismissed," instead. The soldier saluted then left without another word. DaCosta laughed.

"What?" she asked, throwing her arms out to the side.

"How do you like giving orders for a change? It seems some of the men are enjoying giving you a hard time."

"Apparently," she grumbled. "Care to take it off my hands?"

He winked and chuckled again. "I like being submissive, remember? Didn't take me as long to accept it as I thought it would."

It seemed like a typical resource mission, but since she had actually never been on anything quite like this one, DaCosta's laugh about her optimistic plan earlier kept niggling in the back of her mind. Eclipse had a team of fifteen, meaning five groups of three to scavenge about a mile radius of supermarkets, shopping malls, scrapyards, repair shops—anything that might have something the Alliance could use. There were specific things they were on the search for, but overall, anything of use was to either be grabbed or tagged and marked on the map for subsequent return missions should more people be needed. They weren't venturing far from port, but Eclipse knew of at least one area even further in that showed promise for some goodies Lathan was looking for. She had already announced to the team she was taking two others with her to go to that very location and they were about halfway when the check-ins began.

"Team Four checking in," a male voice called over the radio.

"Acknowledged. Any luck?"

"Almost done here," he continued. "Didn't find much, so we might be heading back to the rendezvous point earlier than expected."

"Copy that. Head back then wait for further instruction. I might be sending you out again for more depending on how much the other teams have found."

"Roger that."

"Another done early?" DaCosta asked, having been one of her three-member team. He walked towards her, wiping off his hands on a rag and the redhead noticed a small pile of things gathered in the car behind him. Eclipse nodded in response to his question and his hand rose to point at her head. "You know better than any of us the life system is fully functional. There's no need for the helmet."

"I'm fine," she responded, frowning at his insistence. She had very good reasons for not wanting to take it off, even if those reasons revolved mainly around her emotional trauma. Breathing in the recycled air scared her, fearing that Melanie's spirit would somehow seep in, or her other half would get overly frisky.

"The spot I was thinking of is still a few paces ahead, but if you found some good stuff here, I can just go ahead and tag everything for later."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. This turned out to be a bit more successful than we had originally anticipated, to be honest. We might not have gotten everything on our inventory lists, but I know some of the teams have found some really good stuff we hadn't even thought of."

Eclipse nodded with a smile. "Good. I'm glad my first mission was successful."

DaCosta snorted and turned to walk over to the third member of their group who had called him over for help. "Don't let it get to your head, leader. You go do your tagging and then meet us back here. We won't leave without you."

"Roger."

What she had thought was just a few paces had turned out to being longer in the distance than anticipated and she took one look behind her to see if she could still see DaCosta in the distance. The city area had become more residential, tall apartment buildings lining the road she was walking on. The buildings were skewed by the lighting, the eerie yellow, fake sun making her surroundings similar to the old photos often found in books and she had to take a steadying breath. If she didn't look into the windows of the buildings, she would be fine. Keep her focus straight ahead and on her feet, she could make it to her destination in no time, but even that courage slipped away when she heard some faint voices in the distance. She stopped, straining her ears to hear more and when nothing else came through clearly, she shook her head. Surely it was her own demons that time.

She began walking again, but stopped quickly, the voices returning and she swallowed, the glass of her helmet foggy up as she took a shaky breath. She really didn't want to be alone and the feeling was so strong the redhead planted her right foot down and then promptly spun back around, keen on returning to her party and just telling them she didn't find anything. But she did find something, she realized, her eyes passing over some shadows to her left between two apartment buildings as she had pivoted and her heart leapt into her throat. None of her teams should have been out this far; only her. Who was it then?

She cursed, leaning down into a crouch as she scurried towards the location of those shadows. They were out of sight at first, but it didn't take long to get them back into view and her breath hitched. Those weren't just shadows.

They were ZAFT soldiers.

It was a small team, three greencoated soldiers and one in a decorated elite pilot suit, the four walking in formation down the middle of a smaller walkway that seemed to be cutting through a park boxed between four residential buildings, the fake grass still green despite the age. No trees were seen, however, the expanse a wide field with some benches for decoration and the occasional, dry fountain that must have helped the space feel rather peaceful when the colony as working. At the moment, however, it looked more like a hostile meadow and the ZAFT team seemed to take it the same way, their firearms trained nervously on the windows of the buildings around them.

She waited until they had crossed the expanse before leaving her hiding spot, hurrying along the edge towards their exit and waiting at the corner until she felt it was safe to peek around. The path beyond narrowed into an alleyway and then opened up into a smaller boulevard, the residential area shrinking into a small hub for cafes and local shops, akin to the picturesque streets in the Kingdom of Scandinavia or even Orb. The party had split off, however, the redcoat being the lone one in the street as the others checked the buildings to the sides. They were all talking fainting to one another and even in the silence, Eclipse had a hard time deducing what they were saying. Still, the timbre of one voice in particular piqued her interest every time she heard it, the tone recognizable and she slid around the corner to get up closer. With the redcoat's back to her, she could easily sneak up behind him and either take him as hostage or slit his throat, depending on what was needed at the time. Despite her resolve, the sour taste still crept onto her tongue at the thought, knowing she had to keep her teams safe, but adding more deaths to this already haunting satellite seemed like a poor decision.

Eclipse slunk further down the alleyway and closer to the redcoat, pausing at the mouth to wait for her moment and break out of cover and attack the unsuspecting elite, but now that she was closer, she heard their voices more clearly.

And she definitely knew one of those voices.

"We're only scouting; take nothing with you."

It was Yzak Joule.

Now that she recognized the voice, the elite suit was the biggest give away, but the helmet was skewing any visual of his face. Still, it had to be him, remembering back on the new decorations she had seen adorning his suit and giving a light smile. It was good to see him alive, but—unfortunately—she couldn't just let his team keep walking in that direction.

Slowly, she reached up and finally unclipped the clasp under her helmet, taking it off carefully and setting it on the ground next to her. The alleyway was darker than the street beyond, so she still had the advantage and the probability of not being seen. Or at least not being seen by the rest of his team.

Finding a pebble, she tossed it out at the ground behind him, holding her hands up in surrender as she waited for him to respond. It wasn't a long wait, the faintest of sounds able to be picked up in the silent expanse and he spun quickly, pistol aimed first above her and then down to her crouching form.

"Who—" he began, but stopped, Eclipse able to see the recognition cross his face even amid the glare from the fake sun above. "Nothing," he said quickly into his radio, pistol never moving from her. "I'm gonna check something out in the park. You three complete the search here and then we'll meet back up."

Eclipse nodded slowly, hearing the command and straightening, grabbing her helmet on the way up and offering a smile as she started walking backwards down the alleyway and into the safety of the park. She was glad she had chosen to wear a ZAFT suit, knowing she could avoid any questions regarding the Alliance, but her reason for being in Mendel might be harder to fake. Her mind reeled as she thought of an answer to that very question, Yzak not holstering his gun until he was safely blanketed in the darkened alleyway and his helmet not off until they had both returned to the open space of the park.

"E-Eclipse? What the fuck?"

Her hands fell back to her sides and she shrugged. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Y-you're alive?" he hissed, continuing forward until he stood right in front of her. They had veered off to the side, unseen now through the alleyway, but they could still be heard and he kept his voice as low as possible. Though, given his shock that must have been quite a feat. "I mean, after your most recent assignment—they said at Panama—"

"Panama?"

"You were listed KIA after Panama—doesn't matter," he added quickly, shaking his head to either dislodge the grim thought or try to make sure he wasn't seeing some sort of illusion. Perhaps both?

"Orb then?" he continued, his shock not allowing her to get a word in edgewise. "I-I saw the Stealth in Orb. Was that you?"

She didn't want to admit to much, shrugging her shoulders at the question, but it seemed to be enough.

"Y-you're with the 'Legged Ship' now?" He blinked, his face paling at the thought and she frowned, watching his scar become even more vibrant across his shocked face. "B-but your uniform—"

"Let's just say there's a lot that's happened," she responded vaguely, holding her hands out in front of her to try and calm him.

He finally did slow, his breathing returning to something closer to normal and she watched him nod, a sadness entering his gaze. "Yes, I suppose we could say that." His voice trailed off and she watched his shoulders slump, a rare moment of defeat that Eclipse wasn't even sure she had ever witnessed before. At least not on him. It was so unusual she cleared her throat and tried to steer the conversation away.

"Why are you here, Yzak? Why is ZAFT here?"

Looking up, his confidence returned, the one moment of weakness gone after her question and she tensed along with his change in attitude. "I'm not about to answer that question and you know that."

She sighed. "Fine."

"And why are you here?"

"I'm not going to answer that either."

"Fine."

They both sighed that time and he ran a nervous and across the back of his neck. "I suppose, out of everyone, you were the most likely to defect."

"To defect?" she echoed, annoyance clear in her tone, but she didn't have much time to be angry, his pistol aimed at her stomach. "What the—"

"I'm taking you back with me. I don't know how you faked your death but—"

"Faked my death?"

"—if you're with the 'Legged Ship'—"

"Are you kidding me?" Eclipse hissed, keeping her voice as low as her anger would allow. "You're pointing a gun at me?"

"If I take you back with me now, your sentence might be lessened," he continued and she was slowly starting to understand his reasoning despite her denying it completely. "If you state your case for why you deserted—"

"Shut up, Yzak," Eclipse spat, not letting him finish his thought. He assumed he was doing her a favor—doing his duty and she snorted, her left hand grabbing the barrel of the pistol and pulling it closer so that it jabbed into her gut. "Just shut the fuck up. You want to point a gun at me, you might as well shoot it because I'm not going back to ZAFT willingly." She leaned in close and saw him flinch, his confidence finally faltering. "But know that I am also not alone," she added, both of their eyes flicking down to the radio at his hip when the greencoats announced their sweep was complete. "And we outnumber you."

The elite's eyes narrowed at her threat, but he didn't seem to be backing down, his comrades calling for him and their attention returned to the radio briefly again before Eclipse's lip curled up in a growl.

"You're not my enemy, Yzak. And I really don't want to make you one."

Surprisingly, that statement did the most damage, his eyes opening wide in surprise and she took advantage of the moment to push him and his gun backwards, the two now a more comfortable distance away from each other and his aim finally at the ground. He seemed conflicted and confused for some reason, but Eclipse didn't have time to digest it, the sounds of his comrades' footsteps sounding in the alleyway.

"Take whatever information you've gathered here back to your superior; I don't care. But you'd better leave, Yzak. Don't force my hand."

"Fine," he grounded out after another moment and Eclipse only had time to nod, turning on her heels and sprinting to the nearest gap between the apartment buildings, away from Yzak's team and back to the safety of the shadows behind a corner of the building. She waited a few more moments, hearing Yzak announce that they were returning to their ship and she gave a slow sigh of relief before following a distance after them, confirming their direction was indeed towards the port on the other side of the colony. She didn't stay after that, abandoning her old teammate to run the distance back to the worried, but loyally awaiting DaCosta.

Eclipse helped store all the resources once they had returned to port, feeling more accomplished after the mission than she had thought she was going to. Melanie didn't haunt her after all and other than the ZAFT party it was a rather uneventful excursion. Eclipse relayed the information about ZAFT as soon as she could, the captains meeting for an impromptu discussion while the others stored the goods they had found on their first run.

It was decided that they needed to disguise their location and a few of the other mobile suits handled that excursion while she finished hers. The Strike and the Freedom were sent to make their entrance into Mendel harder to pass through, blocking it only enough to allow a small path for people to venture in, but should any of the larger items be retrieved and returned, a mobile suit would have to be used to assist. Not the end of the world and no one threw up a fuss, knowing they were safer for it.

The next day Eclipse met Namarra on the Archangel, the two of them having decided to talk to Erika about what they should do or what they should expect when they meet with Azrael and those three pilots. Namarra said she had asked Erika to do some more research about her brothers, but given the short amount of time—even with the Natural's Earth Forces identification information—they weren't as confident as they probably should have been about the guys' predicament. Neither Eclipse nor Namarra wanted to go in blind again, but sometimes there was just no choice and timing was against them at this point.

Erika was busy when they arrived. She had told them to come in, but since she was still talking to her son it felt more like invading. Namarra and Eclipse shared glances, shrinking away from the screen as much as they could until the transmission ended.

"Sorry about that," she said, setting the headset inside a drawer. "Just wishing him goodnight."

"How's he doing?" the redhead asked, remembering a little bit about his health condition.

Erika smiled then slid over to her computer. "In the hospital, unfortunately. His flu took a turn for the worse, but he's doing well today and his genes seem to be stabilizing as well, though I don't think he'll ever live a completely healthy life."

Eclipse nodded and left it at that. Erika's son had had his genes altered to be a Coordinator at birth. The only problem was his body rejected the procedure and he has had a very poor immune system because of it. He almost didn't make it after he was born, but thanks to Eclipse's parents' funds, he managed to survive and had been slowly getting better over the past four years.

"Anything on those EA pilots we asked you to look up?" Namarra inquired, moving the conversation along, but none of them seemed to mind.

Erika nodded. "Only a little, but it might be of some use. I managed to pinpoint and analyze the drug they're being issued." She waved for them to sit as she brought up a graph on the screen. "It's called Gamma Glipheptin, AKA G-squared for the sake of not having to say that name anymore."

The girls smirked and she pointed at the monitor. "This graph is a breakdown of what's in it, but since neither of you are doctors, I'll give you the quick version. It turns your brain to squash while putting your physical body on par with Special Forces Coordinators."

"So, it heightens the nervous system without relying on the brain?" Erika shrugged and nodded, a version of "close enough" that caused Eclipse to frown. "How?"

"It relies on the muscles' memories and reflexes rather than the brain's. That's why their memories are affected. That is unless their bodies remember you and that involves physical touch."

"Will they ever recognize me again?" Namarra asked and Eclipse cringed, noticing how feeble she sounded and also knowing the Natural's pride probably didn't appreciate the desperation in her voice.

"If you see them face-to-face, not just on a monitor, you might have a chance. You'd have to time it perfectly before their next dosage as well. Unfortunately, there's no way in telling how far into the drug stages they are."

"But as soon as they are administered the dosage again, would they know who she was? Or would she have to wait for it to go through their system again?" Eclipse asked, trying to rethink the plan in her head. If Namarra got there perfectly at the end of the dosage and the plan went south, would she still be able to stick around and make some kind of imprint? If that was the case, Eclipse could stall Azrael for a day or two. Whether or not she would regret it afterwards was still under debate, but if there was a chance Namarra could finally get some closure, it could save a bunch more people at least.

Erika thought about it before answering, her finger scratching up and down on the desktop. "Possibly," she admitted slowly. "Everything depends on how deep the connection is between you and them." She pointed at Namarra who—based on the way she perked in her seat—was starting to feel pretty positive about her plan.

"And can the drug be duplicated? I mean, in some way that we can slowly weed them away from it?"

She shook her head slowly. "Unfortunately, the withdrawal symptoms would be too great for them to withstand and since their brains have already been affected, I can't guarantee they can ever be off the drug. But," Erika continued, tapping a finger against her bottom lip, "based on this data I might be able to come up with some kind of substitute."

"Really?"

Eclipse frowned, not liking how excited Namarra was getting, but despite her worries, she did try to latch onto a similar hope. She just hoped it was something worth latching onto.

"I'm sure that I could—"

"But we don't even know if the TSA would shelter them," the redhead broke in. "We agreed on secrecy so they have no idea."

"We can hide them in Mendel or in the Regean until they come to some kind of agreement," Namarra said. "I'll try and snag some doses while I'm aboard and Erika can start working on the substitute."

"Okay… but do you don't even know how to administer it? And how do you expect to keep an eye on three soldiers who don't remember you?"

"I'll handle it."

"Nam—"

"I said I'll handle it." She glanced sideways at Eclipse, the cold look in her eyes betraying her confidence before. Clearly, the Natural had her doubts, but the hope Erika had been giving her was enough to make her go through with the infiltration. "You make it sound like I haven't thought this through."

"I just want you to know what might happen."

"Do you think I don't know? Do you think I enjoy the possibility of seeing them like that? Of seeing him again?"

Eclipse sighed and Erika frowned. The redhead doubted the older woman knew much about what they were getting into, but Namarra's passion was enough to make anyone fold.

"Fine," Eclipse responded. "I understand."

"Good. Now, Erika, we're gonna need a little more. Do you mind if we get a copy of the Berserker research from ZAFT?"

That notion was surprising and she blinked. "Why do you need that research?"

"We won't be giving it away, don't worry," Eclipse cut in, uncomfortable with how Namarra's eagerness was starting to make Erika nervous. "We just want to… read it."

The vague reason didn't make the older woman feel any better, but she did agree and all three nodded. The plan was finally coming together.

"Come in," Eclipse called, finishing up a sentence in her journal as she heard the door slide open behind her. The outside light from the hallway caused her some brief disorientation over a word, but she added the period just as her visitor spoke.

"I have a question. When did we stop talking to each other?" Athrun asked, the redhead hearing him shift his sling uncomfortably across his shoulder. It had been almost a week since the injury, but she knew it was healing well. Her and Athrun had the tendency to be in the infirmary at the same time, so she knew his was only a graze, but being a pilot—and the ships being under no immediate danger—they really wanted to make sure he got back most of his movement. That meant the sling and lots of rehab.

"We just saw each other at breakfast," she said, swiveling in her chair so she could see him. It was a rare sight to see Athrun on the Regean.

"Yes, but you never told me you were on another covert mission."

"Who told you that?"

"I kinda guessed you were up to something then I confronted Mrs. Simmons about it when I saw you and Namarra leave her quarters."

She frowned. "Why would you assume it was a covert mission?"

He shrugged. "Call it a hunch."

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither backing down until finally Eclipse clicked her tongue and looked off to the side. "Look, we meant what we said on the Archangel bridge. We have many things we have to take care of."

"The last time you two did something on your own it went south." Eclipse knew he was referencing their jaunt on Mendel and she scoffed.

"Your plan didn't turn out so hot either, if I recall."

"True, but I don't plan on doing anything like that again." His face went dark, a common reaction whenever he brought up the escapade with his father and Eclipse found herself matching his expression. He hadn't told her everything about the event, but there was enough painted there that she didn't have to pry. "You, on the other hand, seem to want to repeat the experience."

"The last thing was my problem," Eclipse explained. "This one's Nam's and I'm the only one who can help her."

To his credit, he didn't argue anymore, humming in acknowledgement to her defiance and sighed, looking off to the side. "Fine, but if anything happens, I'm ratting you out to Waltfeld."

Eclipse nodded. "Seems fair."

"Good." He gave another exhausted sigh and shook his head before being the first one to speak again. "I'm really here to talk to you about Kira and Cagalli, if you have a spare moment."

"Okay. Shoot."

"If those two are really siblings, then who are their real parents? The Athhas? Or the Yamatos?"

"If it was the Athhas, then Kira would be part of a political family and he has a pretty shiny record to boot," Eclipse began. "If they announced he was an Athha, he might look like a better successor to Lord Uzumi than Cagalli."

"Orb has a full Parliament but the five, main political parties are run by prominent families," Athrun continued. "The executive committee might vote on a lot of agenda items and the Chief Representative might set that agenda, but given the state of Orb and the war, the next Representative would probably be for optics and nothing more. It's quite possible that they would choose Kira for that optics position and Cagalli would be both kicked out of a position she legitimately wants and possibly lose a voice in the family merely because of this bombshell." Athrun sighed and scratched the back of his head. "All of this is speculation though."

She nodded slowly and crossed her arms and legs, wagging her foot thoughtfully. "Your assessment makes sense, but that's if the Athhas are their parents. If the Yamatos are the real parents—"

"Then Cagalli loses everything anyway." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "She loses everything again."

Sighing, Eclipse brought a finger to her lips and started nibbling on the nail. If her parents had been alive, they might have eased Cagalli's entrance back into Orb—and even muted her possible adoption—but now they had no one else on the inside; no one to help her regain her title if word was leaked out about her sibling.

"Our only option is to put a cork on it," the redhead decided.

"If it's true."

"Athrun, remember who you're talking about. Lord Uzumi doesn't do things on a whim."

"Maybe he wanted her out of that position," Athrun argued. "Didn't want her wasting her life in politics?"

"Then why not just tell her she was—or wasn't—adopted in the first place?"

"Builds character?"

Eclipse shook her head, no matter how amusing the remark. "Who all knows?"

"Only the four of us, I think."

"And Lacus."

"Kira told her?"

She shrugged. "I doubt it was Cags. Oh, Erika and Kisaka know too."

"They won't spill."

"Probably not."

They both slipped into silence, lost in their own worries. Eclipse had never known Athrun to be so involved in politics despite his father's occupation, but perhaps his sudden attraction to the Orb Princess had gotten him more interested in what was going on.

"If Cagalli rightfully wants to take her father's place on the council, she's gonna need some kind of pitch, so to speak," Athrun began again after another moment.

"You mean something to prove she deserves it?"

He nodded. "Something only she has access to that'll be a show of strength and support for Orb. Just to get her back as Representative though," he added. "Keeping the seat will be up to her."

"You forget though, we have to survive this war first."

"We already made that pact, remember? Unless you plan on skipping out."

"Nah, you'd miss me too much." He laughed and she found herself smiling. He was right, it did feel like they hadn't talked in a while. Part of it might have been her scheming with Namarra on how to get her brothers back, or his part in preferring the company of her cousin to any other, but either way it was nice to know that after everything they had gone through, they still could converse relatively easily.

But, now there were two projects they had to work on once the war was over, getting information about the Berserker and putting Cagalli back in power. Seeing as she was a prime promoter of her father's ideas, they should make her top priority. If they didn't want the world to fall back into its same bloody routine, that is.

"Oh, I finished that lizard I was making. Wanna see it?"

"Sure," she replied with a shrug, standing and following him out when he made a start for her door. "Oh, remember the ZAFT team I ran into on Mendel?" He nodded and she continued. "Yzak was leading it."

"What?"

"I know! I couldn't believe it either."

They left the room, Eclipse forgetting all about the rest of her journal entry.

"Alright, you ready for this?"

"Depends," Eclipse began, leaning comfortably against the Decay's extended cockpit. "You're not going to do a video chat where I'm gagged, are you?"

Namarra shrugged. "He might need proof."

"I could always scream or something like you're pouring boiling water onto me. Technically, I have the healing scars to make the story plausible."

"Boiling water in my cockpit?"

"Turn on the oxygen and use a blow torch? I dunno, it's your torture."

They had opted to wear neutral spacesuits, both the dullest color of Orb attire they could muster and all insignias stripped to keep any obvious allegiances hidden, but not even that mattered if they couldn't get a meeting with Azrael and Namarra frowned.

"Maybe he'll take my word for it."

"Just be sure to mention the research."

"Yeah, yeah," the Natural grumbled, pulling out her newly refurbished phone. It was actually nice being around so many handy Coordinators. She dialed Orga's number like she had before. Knowing Azrael, he had kept the phone.

"Ah, Chicabo," a sleezy voice slithered through the receiver and Eclipse shivered. At least her main psycho had a voice worth swooning over. This one screamed pedophile. "I honestly didn't think I would hear from you again. You were quite cold before."

"Sorry to hurt your pride," she muttered, keeping up her pissed façade. It really wasn't that hard. "I've decided to reconsider your offer."

"About the other one?"

"Yes."

"And why would you even think the offer was still on the table?"

"Oh, c'mon. Two Berserkers for three drugged rejects? It's still on the table."

He paused for a moment and Eclipse had the slimy vision of a tongue licking lips. She didn't know what the man really looked like, but she knew he was doing something creepy.

"I don't believe you'll give me the other one."

Namarra laughed. "I didn't think you would, so I'll add something more. I'll send you a file." Eclipse started setting up ZAFT's research for transfer as the Natural talked. "I swiped it from one of the researchers at Orb who's buddy-buddy with a ZAFT scientist; someone who personally worked on the other Berserker."

"What's the catch?"

Namarra smirked. "There's a kamikaze program attached. Wrong password, it corrupts itself and the system it's in. Pretty powerful too."

"Tricky." That time the girls could hear him smile.

"But I won't give you the right password until I know the guys are free. They have to tell me themselves."

"Interesting, Chicabo, very interesting. I'll get back to you soon."

"You have one hour."

"I don't know about that soon."

"She won't stay sedated forever."

"Ah." And the line went dead.

"Everything's set for the transfer," Eclipse said, shifting back out of the way. "You think he'll bite?"

"I guess only time will tell." She put the phone within an arm's reach. "How's the Stealth?"

"Addict's still on standby." She looked out the camera to her left. The machine was covered in a cloaking material that wasn't as good as the Mirage Colloid, but the Colloid was of limited supply and Eclipse couldn't afford to waste all of that for the extended amount of time. She didn't know how long they would be talking to the guys so she couldn't risk the Colloid running out. The machine's beacon was disengaged, but if someone looked into space too closely, her suit would stand out. The material was good, just not as deceiving as her Colloid, and if someone did notice her suit, Coffee Addict would engage the Colloid and change coordinates.

Maybe it was nice having a smart suit after all.

"Good. Hopefully, we won't need it."

"Hah!" Eclipse laughed. "Now that's wishful thinking."

It didn't take long for Azrael to come back with a reply. The girls were starting to get a bit restless in the cramped cockpit, but his answer came swiftly a half hour after the initial interaction. He said one word, "Okay," then transferred the rendezvous point once they sent the research file. Eclipse and Namarra were a bit wary of going where he wanted them to, but they had gotten a lucky break simply by him agreeing to meet.

"What if he doesn't bring the guys?" Eclipse asked, shifting in her cramped little corner as Namarra helped zip-tie her hands and feet. "I'd hate to see this turn into some ambush and here I am hogtied."

She shrugged. "We really won't know until we get there."

"You have a lot of faith in this guy, don't you?"

"I have faith in him keeping his side of the deal. Other than that, he can go to Hell for all I care."

"A reliable devil. Somehow that doesn't have a very comforting ring to it."

Namarra shrugged again and spun back into the pilot seat, clipping her seatbelt and adjusting the controls. "Might wanna let Addict know the plan."

"Already on it," Eclipse said, reaching up to her earpiece and muttering the coordinates to her machine. She told the Stealth to follow, but not too closely, fearing the cloaking material wouldn't hold well at higher speeds. "Done," the redhead announced, the Decay jerking back to life and start moving. Namarra couldn't help but feel nervous about the encounter. Eclipse was probably hiding her own feelings, and despite no immediate attachment to her brothers, the redhead was displaying a strange amount of loyalty. It was nothing to complain about, but she kept wondering how much more she could ask of her. Azrael perhaps? The leader of Blue Cosmos? If Eclipse could take him out, no matter how much strain that might put on the initial plan, they might be a step closer to ending this monstrosity of a war, and Namarra might not even have to worry about trying to bust her brothers out of the military. If Azrael was dead, she could just waltz out the door and no one would probably say otherwise.

"If you get a shot, take it," Namarra said. "Just have some kind of escape plan before you do. I'd hate to use your distraction and then find out you were either trapped or killed."

"So, don't be stupid. Got it. I think I can handle that much." Leaning forward, Eclipse put a bound hand on her shoulder and she flinched, proving she was definitely more nervous than she let on. "You do the same. I know you're pretty close with them, but it's still three against one."

"Against one Berserker."

"Yes, but relying on that kind of power might make you regret a couple of things. I doubt anything short of all three of them coming out alive would make this mission a success."

"You think I'd kill them if I went berserk?" Namarra was offended, she couldn't help it. Eclipse may have attacked her when she snapped, but their relationship wasn't the same as hers was with her brothers; not even close. Despite all the rage, she knew she'd never attack them.

"I think you can do anything in that frame of mind. Trust me," Eclipse added, sitting back and adjusting her shoulders to the small corner as her face darkened, Namarra knowing she was thinking back to her time on Mendel. "If I had gone berserk for that long on the Kusanagi or any other ship, we'd be going to Azrael for shelter, not for this bushwagged of a mission."

"'Bushwagged'?"

The redhead shrugged. "Lathan said it once. It was the only word I could think of."

Namarra laughed and rolled her eyes. The redhead was just trying to look out for her, she knew, but even Eclipse had to have noticed how different their Berserkers were. Slowly, her confidence faded, her other half laughing at the thought. She'd never attack them.

Right?

Taking another look at her cameras, Namarra searched for the Stealth. Somehow, she felt safer knowing Eclipse had her suit too, and one that had a mind of its own to boot. Joking aside, she loved the CA system.

"I hope you know what you guys are doing," Chicabo grumbled in her ear. "If I end up scrap metal, I'm gonna suck your brain out through this earpiece of yours."

Despite it being an ass.

Surprisingly enough, the Decay beat Azrael to the rendezvous spot, but as soon as a large, black and grey warship popped up on the radar and onto the screens their early bird arrival was beginning to look more and more like an ambush.

"Lexi—"

"I know, I know. Addict—"

Azrael's voice broke through onto the transmission, no image coming up on the screen, but his words were enough to stop Eclipse's orders. "Greetings, Chicabo. Sorry for the grand entrance, but this was really the only way we could meet on such a short notice. I do hope you don't mind me bringing the rest of my friends."

Both girls narrowed their eyes as the ship's guns pointed in their direction. It may not have been so intimidating if it didn't look exactly like the Archangel and—knowing the firepower of that warship—they figured their dust particles would be floating away in space after one direct hit. The Decay brought up the classification and specs while they had the stare down, its words not much of a comfort.

"Second Archangel-class battleship, the Dominion. Weaponry, two 225cm dual high-energy beam cannons, two 110cm linear cannons, two positron blaster cannons, sixteen 75mm automatic multi-barrel CIWS, 24 count large missile launcher, and sixteen surface-to-air missile launchers along with anti-beam depth charge launchers. AKA, we're fucked."

"I think I got that by the first cannon," Namarra muttered, her eyes glancing back towards Eclipse, but she saw nothing more than her knees. The redhead was sitting too far back and even if she couldn't see Azrael, that didn't mean he couldn't see her. Any sign of camaraderie might botch the mission, so bit the inside of her cheek instead.

"Both of you come out of that suit and propel your way over here. Namarra, if that other Berserker does anything reckless, we'll shoot."

And kill us both, Namarra thought, but knew Eclipse wasn't about to do anything that stupid. It was a good thing they were in this together because despite his obsession with their other halves, she had the suspicion the captain of that ship really would fire at them merely to piss off the leader of Blue Cosmos. Funny, too, how she knew that without even meeting the person, but she knew Azrael and that was enough.

"Better do as he says," Eclipse muttered once the communication cut out. "Unless you wanna chicken out."

"Hah!" Namarra scoffed, unbuckling herself and making some quick adjustments to the CA system. "We're too far into this now."

"You're fucked," Chicabo said and both girls groaned.

"We know!"

Eight people met them in the hangar as they were pulled inside, six with weapons, one female—in a captain's uniform from the Earth Alliance—and Azrael. Eclipse didn't even have to verify it with Namarra to know who the guy in the blue suit was. "Welcome aboard—"

"State your names," the female captain interrupted, never glancing his way even though she could probably feel his glare. She was another young officer and seeing her hold her cap down near her waist with perfect posture, Eclipse couldn't help thinking she was very good at what she did. She reminded her of Murrue in some ways, but even Murrue was lax when it came to military procedure. Then again, that could have been because of their current situation, but regardless, this captain seemed to the books, primped, polished, and probably scary as Hell in most situations.

"Namarra Legund, member of the experimental team under Azrael. And this is Lunar Eclipse, formerly of the Le Creuset team."

Eclipse really wasn't sure why Namarra had introduced her as such, but she held her tongue. After all, being bound didn't exactly give her rights to flap her jaws and if it kept them away from the flying bullets, she was all for wearing her record on her sleeve.

The captain looked surprised when Namarra mentioned the Le Creuset team, but she had played her startle well, Eclipse noting her restraint. Sure, Le Creuset was a well-known ZAFT officer, but there was something more personal in how she took the news. Surprise, anger, then indifference. Hiding something, maybe?

"Captain Natarle Badgiruel. Welcome to the Dominion."

"Yes, yes, nice to meet you too. Now, come this way," Azrael interjected, holding out his hand and stepping in front of the captain. He was bold, that was for sure. Based on that gesture and his interruption before, he didn't particularly care what her rank was and whether or not he had one at all. "Captain, please return to the bridge. There's really nothing more you can do here."

The captain nodded and took three of the soldiers with her, never hesitating in spite of the unprofessional dismissal and Eclipse found it odd, but didn't have time to observe for long since Namarra was pulling her after Azrael.

"I just wanna see—"

"I know, I know, they're down another hall. I'll send one of these three with you," he motioned to the guards following, "and you can talk to them while I have a little chat with this one." He didn't have to say her name to know Eclipse was the object of that interrogation and she withheld a shiver. Was it too late to back out?

He directed them to a side room near the hangar, the three machines Eclipse had come to know on the shores of Orb standing strapped in their scaffolding, the suits tall, menacing weapons of war and the redhead looked away. If they could get the guys out of here and escape Azrael, maybe there would be enough time to sabotage those three suits as well. They were powerful weapons and keeping them in the EA's grasp was dangerous, but it was just another "if" upon the dozens of others that had been stacking up. Perhaps she should just start praying for them to leave unscathed.

Namarra left the group as soon as Eclipse was settled. They had ended up in some kind of medical storage room, the cabinets on the wall displaying different vials and prescription bottles with assorted crates in each corner, out of the way yet easily accessible if the cabinets needed to be filled.

"Oh, those restraints aren't needed. If you wouldn't mind." Azrael held his hand out to one soldier and he nodded, snipping off the zip-ties around her wrists and then her feet. Massaging the wounds, Eclipse stared at the man. Azrael was not what she had expected. Based on Namarra's descriptions, she was prepared to witness some kind of monster, but instead, this man looked to be a little older than the Archangel captain with blonde hair short and curled down near his eyes. If anything, he looked feminine, but definitely normal.

She stood in one of the corners, the weak magnets embedded in her shoes allowing her some steady footing, but not enough to be intimidating. Leaning back, she crossed her ankles. "You should tell your little munchkin to go easy on the sedatives next time."

"I'm sorry if she was rough on you. She was never really taught restraint—or even tact for that matter—so her tactics might seem a bit extreme sometimes. Then again," he continued, his fingers moving to his chin as his eyes followed her bodyline from her toes to her head, "I had always thought the other Berserker was going to be male—that is, if Namarra was telling the truth at all."

Eclipse kept her commentary to herself, but couldn't help the shiver as his gaze lingered on her. Apparently, it didn't matter what side of the war scientists were on, they all held the same look in their eye when they found out about her other half and she swallowed.

"I can't help wondering, though, what we could have done if you were male." He came closer, stopping himself an arm's length away and reached out, pushing some hair behind her ear, only hesitating long enough to gauge whether she was going to retaliate. At least that was the smart thing to do. Eclipse had no idea what kinds of thoughts surged through that mind, but somehow she doubted many involved suicide. He seemed too into himself to be the cause of his own death.

The redhead definitely didn't enjoy the attention, but jumping him then sounded stupid even to the Berserker. Namarra needed more time and she could suffer his blind confidence for a bit longer.

"Hm," he continued, "a bit more reserved than the other one. Perhaps she lied to me after all?"

"Reservation doesn't dictate whether or not I'm a Berserker."

"Maybe not." He shrugged, both hands stretching out to the sides as if he was some animated puppet. "But anger is a key ingredient to your, shall we say, genetic recipe."

"So, you think I'm a fake?"

"I have no reason to believe otherwise."

"You're too cocky if you think I'm willing to play your game in order to prove it to you."

Azrael laughed. "Honey, you've already been a part of this game. The only question is, are you going to play nice?" He touched her again, this time to brush some stray bangs from her forehead. It was only a short movement, but Eclipse tensed nonetheless. How could such a simple touch feel so intrusive?

"It's not nice to tease," she spat.

"I agree, so what d'ya say we stop this flirting?"

"Or what?"

"Remember, you're Namarra's bargaining chip. I'd hate to see her lose her precious brothers merely because her fellow warmonger was uncooperative."

"You also forget," Eclipse continued, "she has the password for that ZAFT research."

"Which is probably nothing," he said, his hand waving dismissively. "I'm not stupid and Namarra isn't that smart."

"What if I let you in on a little secret? Part of it was compiled by Erika Simmons." Eclipse felt the power slipping from their fingers and she needed to curtail it back in their direction. Erika was a well-known researcher and if she was linked with the ZAFT research, well, maybe it would be enough.

He flinched, but—other than that—didn't look too interested. "A smart girl, maybe, but her research methods aren't as—what's a good word—successful as mine." He waved his arms out to the side. "Her focus is mainly on the SEEDs—a positive force, you could say. I'm only interested in you."

"So, you admit there's a difference?"

"Let me ask you something." Folding his arms across his stomach, he leaned forward, looking up at Eclipse instead of looming down at her and she instinctively flinched backwards. Damn, this guy did not understand personal space. "Have you ever met a SEED?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't know what to look for."

"Hm, I suppose you wouldn't," he mused, thankfully, straightening back up. "From what I gather, they're not as obvious to spot as Berserkers even though there are probably hundreds alive right now."

"Hundreds?" That was a surprise. Erika had never mentioned that and her exclamation only made him cockier, his smirk returning to his lips.

"At least that's what I'm led to believe. Erika's research might say otherwise, but from what I understand, SEEDs are more of a state of mind while Berserkers are more of a state of being. But," he began, leaning forward once more, "based on your reaction I think you knew that already."

He wasn't wrong. Eclipse hadn't flinched or even felt surprised at his revelation, her head subconsciously slipping into a confirming nod the longer he spoke. Based on everything she had experienced, that made the most sense. The Berserker felt separate from her, not some heightened state of mind. "I know genes don't make a difference for SEEDs, so that distinction makes sense."

"For Berserkers, the genes are everything; it's quite fascinating really." He straightened again and paced to her right. "One, genetic mutation and—well, I'm sure you can guess the rest."

"How did the mutation come about though? Did I eat a radioactive mushroom when I was little or something?"

Azrael opened his mouth, but shut it a moment later, his smirk widening. "Curious, are we?"

Eclipse frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I take it something's come up recently. Flirt with the devil a little too much, did we?" She recalled his conversation with Namarra and cursed quietly. Of course, he knew what had happened.

"You're not going to tell me anything more until I offer to stay, are you? Which seems absurd seeing as I was brought here," Eclipse said slowly. "What not a fan of taking people by force? Or do you just take pleasure in thinking they came along willingly?" She saw the guards near the door flinch, making her a bit more nervous than she had hoped. Azrael had been baiting her and despite her accusation, she was considering his offer. If she stayed, Namarra and her brothers could leave and she might get to understand her other half well enough to keep people alive.

"I admit your cooperation is appreciated, but not required. If you were to help me, however, I can definitely help you. You want information and I want—well—the same thing, I suppose."

She shivered again at those words, but decided against saying anything. She could stay willingly or stay unwillingly, but either way she decided she was going to do it silently. He smirked and she kept her face neutral as she threaded some vulgarities together. Namarra better hurry up and get the guys because Eclipse wasn't sure how much longer she could stand watching this creep smirk.

"Currently, you are more of an accessory to this war than a necessity, so even if those three pilots were to follow their dear sister out of here, it wouldn't matter in the end." He did that shrugging thing again and the redhead had to take a deep breath to calm down. "Do you honestly think they are the only ones able to pilot those machines? If anything, their performances have been poor at best and I have a whole warehouse full of soldiers like them." He laughed. "They're gonna die—in fact, I'm quite sure they will and all I'll have to do is wait for that moment and I'll go get Namarra again."

Eclipse tensed, but didn't make a move at him. So, this was the leader of Blue Cosmos? The one Namarra had been under the supervision of until just a few months ago? Eclipse could see why she had fled at the earliest convenience and frowned. No wonder the Three Ship Alliance felt odd at times to the Natural.

"It's a pity they'll take those beautiful machines with them, but at least they'll go down with plenty of others," Azrael continued and that was the last comment, Eclipse's anger finally leaking through.

"Watch it," she snapped.

"What, that upsets you? Why? Didn't you say you were forced to come here?" His voice cooed through the words and she bit her tongue. "Or did you two spend too much time in the cockpit together?" he continued, leaning forward again with that smirk of his. "I was under the impression we were both aware I've been blackmailing her with those pilots. I was baiting her to find you and it's finally paid off." Reaching forward, he poked a pointer finger against Eclipse's forehead and she flinched, tasting the metallic blood in her mouth as she bit the corner of her tongue harder at the touch. "I now have both Berserkers, and—believe me—I plan on making you both necessities in this war."

Her other half was close now, but not threatening to take hold as it had previously. Perhaps her Berserker was curious—interested in this man's instability because she highly doubted it was following the plan to just stall Azrael so it must have been because the two of them were so much alike. Always above humility.

"Wow, your restraint is impressive. You're what, fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Oh?" He blinked as his finger returned to his chin. "Do you honestly know nothing? The oldest recorded Berserker lived to be eighteen. Back in the day that age may have been impressive, but now you're barely an adult." His shoulders bobbed as if it didn't matter. "And did you know how that Berserker died?"

Eclipse narrowed her eyes, but still kept composure, the only thing betraying her being the anxious tapping from her fingers against her side.

"It went insane and killed half its village," he continued, seemingly oblivious to her nervousness. "When it was finally caught, the villagers poured lava down its throat then cut off what was left of the head, threw it into the volcano and left the torso for the dogs. They were afraid no other way would work."

"You're lying."

"Lying? Darling, it's all been researched; the Berserker effects grow worse with age. Judging by your expression, I'd guess you haven't even read any of the work done on you?"

Her breath hitched. Another person was bringing up her ignorance and the only person she could really blame was herself. Erika had had the research from ZAFT for weeks, but she hadn't even asked to look at it. Was that just laziness or was she actually afraid of reading what was in there? Erika had never pressed the matter, so was all this just bad luck? Azrael seemed willing to share his information, but was it really worth being a lab rat again? After all, she doubted his methods were within the range of humane and even though she didn't remember much from her time with ZAFT, Erika had hinted at some unethical experiments. Did she really want to go through that again?

And for what?

"Well, you're no older than sixteen, so with what time you have left, shouldn't you want to know more? Or do you actually savor the fact that you're going to go insane and kill everyone?" Pausing, his face relaxed then arched into another grin. "I know this half of you might."

For once, the Berserker didn't disagree.

Clotho was the first one to see her—not necessarily recognize her, but he at least noticed her in the now open doorway. Namarra almost started walking over to him right away when Shani fell backwards on his bed to ignore her and Orga stood. She was so relieved to see them alive that she didn't even have the mental capacity to calm herself, probably looking like a panicked mess with her hands on the doorframe and her mouth partly open to offer some greeting.

Something.

But nothing came out and it wasn't until she mustered enough courage to enter the room fully—the gravity kicking in as her feet fell to the floor, the door sliding shut behind her—until that moment she began understanding how much danger she could potentially be in. The guard who had accompanied her had opted to wait outside and Orga looked stronger than she had remembered. He was walking closer, a saunter so cocky she couldn't believe this was the same person she used to refer to as a big brother. Had he really been the first one to calm her down after her episodes?

"What, they sending us whores now?"

Namarra gulped, more out of surprise than actual fear. He had never said such a thing to her, but—then again—he probably didn't even remember he was more of a gentleman than that.

"No," she replied simply.

"A challenger then?" Clotho asked, waving his handheld game up in the air. "These two suck."

"No, I'm—" She paused, choosing her words carefully. Saying the wrong thing could mean their instant disproval and that was hard to gain back. Say something right and she might get five minutes of calm conversation.

"You're nothing?" Shani asked, the query sounding more like a statement. She was surprised he had even heard the conversation.

"I'm your new teammate," she finished.

Orga had reached her position and she swallowed again, the older pilot slamming a hand near her head against the door and tracing his opposite fingers down her cheek. "I preferred the whore."

Instinct took place of any desire to see them free and she pushed him back, actually making him stumble over to Shani who hadn't even bothered to try and steady his teammate. Namarra could hear the music stop on Clotho's game as he pressed "Pause" and Shani's finger lowered the volume from his music player. All three looked interested at that point.

"Give me some respect, you bastards. I'm the only female, after all; that has to mean something."

"Just because you're the only one with a vagina doesn't mean you can boss us around," Shani spat, but she saw the slim hope of a smirk on his lips. He was impressed, a rare sight even when he wasn't so… different.

"Why are you here then?" Orga straightened and crossed his arms across his chest. "I don't remember getting orders about a new recruit."

"Brand new orders—something came up."

"Well, that's vague," Clotho muttered, pressing the "Pause" button on his game to get it going again. "Whatever."

Shani turned his music back up, but Orga still didn't seem convinced. Striding back in her direction he stopped inches away and glared down at her smaller form. "I call bullshit. Tell me the real reason you're here."

She swallowed, shrinking down against the door despite her resolve. "Orga, it's me—Namarra."

"Your name means shit to me."

"My nickname then—Chicabo." Her CA asked for orders, but she ignored it. "Clotho gave it to me thanks to his RPG obsession."

"Now you're just wasting my time." He leaned in closer, but her courage finally took hold and she held her ground. "Our only purpose is to kill so why the fuck would they send us a female?"

"What, females can't be sadistic? When did you become so sexist, Orga? I kicked your ass back at the—"

"And now you're rambling. Not interested."

Damn it, she thought, still not leaning away from his advances, but he definitely didn't look like any form of friendly. "You're just not listening to me. I'm—"

"So, now everything's my fault?"

"Orga, if you'd just—damn it, step back!" She reached out to push him again, but he grabbed both hands and plastered them to the wall beside her and she winced. She could have tried to get out of the hold, but her intentions weren't to start a brawl.

And, Berserker or no, she would still get slaughtered.

"I really don't know why you're getting so defensive," she spat. "You're here to kill, I'm here to kill—what's the problem?"

The side of his mouth twitched, not like he was going to smile, but like he recognized something. His fingers twitched, something in his body rippling from his head to his feet and she remembered what Erika had said about muscle memory and smirked. "You recognize me."

"What?"

"You know me—remember me."

"Uh-oh, here comes the love confession," Clotho joked, pausing his game again. Shani turned down the volume with a sigh, probably feeling he had to see what was going on more out of necessity than curiosity.

She pressed further. "We were teammates—no siblings, remember? My brother was killed—you saw it."

"Wait," Clotho began, his hands setting his game down into his lap and then finally on the bed near his pillow. His eyes narrowed in thought, but Namarra couldn't really see, Orga's body blocking her view. "Kai?" Clotho continued and Namarra felt the familiar static across her skin. Her breath shortened, but she clenched her teeth, determined to stay in control.

"Y-yes. That w-was his—" She stopped, Shani jumping up from his bed to push Orga aside. Putting two hands on her shoulders, he pulled her into a hug and she started to relax—no, started to shake, but breathed through it. The joy of them recognizing her was enough to steady any hysteria and slowly, she returned the hug as her face relaxed into relief. She had gotten there at the perfect time then—when the medication was wearing off. She couldn't believe her luck. And with just one guard outside the door, all they had to do was kill him, grab Eclipse—probably kill Azrael too—then head back to Mendel.

For once, her plan was going well.

"Wait, you said Namarra was your name?" Clotho asked, scratching his head while the name sunk in. "Holy shit, Chicabo—no—what the hell—"

"You shouldn't be here," Orga hissed, pushing Shani aside and grabbing her arm. "If Azrael finds out—"

"Orga, I came here on my own. Azrael was the one to let me back—"

"No!" he spat and she realized the word was echoed by Clotho. Orga's grip tightened, but she didn't care at the moment. There was nothing that could go wrong now. They had recognized her; they were a family again. But… She paused and looked at Orga—really looked at him. If everything had indeed gone to plan, why did he look so panicked?

"Not you too—I'm not letting him—" He stopped, his lip curling up in a growl. "You're leaving."

"Wait," Shani said, holding his arm out to stop Orga from pressing the button to open the door. "Maybe it's for the best."

"Yeah," Clotho agreed, finally standing and walking towards the small group. "She was never given the same meds as us. She'd be so much safer here. Who knows who else might be out there prodding—"

"She has to get away from us," Orga finished. "And away from him."

"No," Namarra squeaked, her voice still affected by the hysteria running around in her head. "I want you to come with me. I know people who can help you."

"We'd never get there in time," Shani replied, his face softening as if Orga's words had finally sunk in, but if might have been more than that, Namarra noticing his fingers beginning to tremble and he hid the hand behind his back the moment he saw her attention there. Her mouth went dry as she watched, Shani abandoning the trio entirely, lifting his hands to his head to take the earbuds from his ears as he headed back to his bunk. "There isn't enough time b-between—"

"Recognition and s-stability—I see now," Clotho finished, sitting back down on the bed and frantically shuffling his game into a drawer near the bed. "Shit we're a-addicted—"

"Go!" Orga ordered, throwing her towards the door and she winced as the back of her head hit. "B-before they get here."

"No!" she screeched. "I'm not leaving again!"

"Get out!" Orga shouted.

Namarra fell backwards after that demand alone, never hearing such a sound come from him. He was scared—no, terrified. But of what? Her back was against the door, but it didn't open, the Natural refusing to press the release button. She was so close.

"What's—" Clotho's yell made her stop. She glanced over at him on his bed, feeling herself panic again, but not because of her brother's name that time. Clotho was lying on his side, his arms strapped across his stomach and his fingernails digging trenches into the elbows. They grinded against his skin, as if he was digging for something and his feet twitched, his ankles moving back and forth along to a sporadic rhythm.

"Clotho?" she whispered, watching the moisture on his forehead drench his bangs. She had remembered Erika mentioning withdrawal symptoms, but could they really be that bad? No, this had to be something else. But what?

She just didn't know.

"For fuck's sake, Nam, can't y-you take a hi-hint?" Orga asked, but he had stumbled to the side against the wall, fists shaking.

"Go!" Namarra didn't have time to follow Shani's voice but the sheer desperation there convinced her he was in much the same state.

"No, I—" Reaching out, she felt herself fall backwards instead, the door behind her opening from the outside. The gravity lessened as soon as she broke the threshold, her body slipping between the two doctors standing there. She was sure at least one of her brothers had reached out to grab her, but they soon disappeared, Namarra seeing the last bit of Orga's and Shani's uniforms before the door shut.

Then locked.

"No!"

Twisting, she pushed off the wall and started pounding on the door, her brothers' painful screams louder than her own. She was so close—they were right there. How could she lose them so suddenly? And so soon after just getting them back.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she screamed, feeling her hands bruise from the abuse, but even after she let her other half take over—pray it could save her brothers—nothing changed.

Not even a Berserker could break down a steel door.

A/N: So, this is about three weeks overdue, but thanks to that lovely thing in life called the Flu Bug I've been out for the past week and was just being lazy on the other two. Yeah, weeks overdue, but life happens, I guess. I was excited to put this chapter out at least until I kept coming up with little details to add in here and there. For example, the Athrun insert was the last thing I put in and that was literally after I had sent the draft out to the Betas. Hm, it's quickly become one of my favorite sections in this chapter, but it didn't officially exist until I thought, "Oh yeah," on the Athrun front.

And this is a comment for all you fellow Gundam writers out there. Did anyone else realize how positively annoying the simple "space helmet" is to write about? There's no other word for "helmet" and just putting in that it's taken on, then off, flipped around in the hands, etc. gets downright repetitive. Ugh...

Yzak coming back into the mix was rather exciting. I'm sure she told Dearka about meeting his old friend, but I couldn't help but find it hilarious to see she had forgotten to mention Dearka to him. Out of all the things, Lexi… (sigh)

Let's see, what else? Other than the typical family drama going on in my life, things are looking rather up for my writing. I've had some good sprees lately that have produced an interesting array of pieces. I've even gotten back into short story writing and I haven't done that since I graduated a year ago!

As always, special thanks to my Betas, , Death-Scimitar, and Maderfole for being awesome and awe inspiring. Glad I can jump to them when I'm in a pinch.

Huge thank you to all my readers and reviewers and a HUGE apology for this past chapter. I wasn't as diligent in doing review replies as I have been in the past. On that note, I hope to catch a bunch of them in my Comments/Gripes section, but I know it's not the same. Sorry!

Also, I was happy to see some suggestions on a fight scene. I'll be getting to that in the next chapter, so if there are any more out there, please let me know! I haven't made a decision yet.

Corrections to the Narrative:

Not many changes to the canon in this chapter. I may have added a few twists of my own to flush out some characters (Erika's son, for instance) but it didn't do anything to the main timeline. Even Yzak's Mendel scouting was in between some downtime.

Questions/Gripes:

Darkangelsonic: Always nice to hear from you! And, yes, Stray is still alive. :P

OrangeP47: Political anything is a weak area for me. I try, really I do, but my brain just can't grasp those kinds of facts, I think. I'll work on it—and I added in a little something here too—so maybe I'll have a better feel for it in the near future. One can never stop learning! And I feel for you on the bad sunburn. I really am a redhead and we burn a lot. So, definitely get it. :P

Atlantislux: You always give such deep and insightful reviews! Then when you mention how much I torture my characters and how you get to read this chapter and hear about even more torture… Yeah, I feel like a bad author-mother.

Asmus: You make an excellent point about someone wanting her to embrace her side. That started the gears turning when I read it and like the prospect. I have a few characters who do think like that, but they all seem to be bad guys. I have to do some more brain storming, but thanks for getting the rusty wheels to turn! And Stray's psyche might be getting some more airtime coming up, don't worry!

FlawlessCowboy2552: I have a feeling Lexi's blocked out the fact that Kira might be her cousin merely because her fragile brain can't handle that kind of abuse. :P We'll—hopefully—be seeing a little more of that as the story progresses. Although, the whole epiphany thing with Kira being the "Ultimate Coordinator" is coming up soon as well. Maybe her suffering won't last much longer.

Maderfole: Y'know, you honestly got my mind spinning for some kind of harem side story. Like some rivalry frat houses with Waltfeld being the "heartthrob" of one and Mwu being the "heartthrob" of the other. Cat fights anyone? Hm, might have to explore that…

Thanks again for all the support and I'll see you next chapter!

Strata