Weapon's Waltz

by Strata-Assassin

(Prelude and Fugue in SEED Minor: Book 1) A unique runaway flees her world of peace to enter the chaos of war. Who knew she'd have to kill friends and forever debate what it means to be "human." Original characters in the events of Gundam SEED. ZAFT POV. (Some mature content: language/violence) (Prequel to Sibling's Serenade) (Rewritten as of January 2022)

55. Vision Impaired

Update: Tweaked/rewritten January 2022.

Vision Impaired

"If there's one thing I'll never get used to, it's waking up and still only seeing black."

Eclipse frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest, releasing a slow breath. What could she honestly say to that? "I'm sorry," seemed too repetitive and everything else was basically undermining. "You have options, Lathan. Just be happy you're alive."

There, go for pissy. Good one.

"I'm not ungrateful," Lathan responded, lifting his good hand above his face and wiggling his fingers insistently. He had done that every day and it's been nearly three days now. Given, he had only been awake for a week and a half, but she really wasn't sure what he was trying to accomplish. Unfortunately, he could never see those fingers. "Sorry to be a pain, sis, just trying to process is all."

He had good days and bad days. Some the depression hit him hard and others he was hiding behind a veil of humor and the doctor said it was probably some kind of defense mechanism. With everyone on edge about their situation in general, his humor was appreciated, but Eclipse wished he would sometimes take his injuries more seriously.

"I know," she sighed and gently picked up his right arm, putting her palm in his bandaged one before saying, "Squeeze." He made some kind of grumble, but still complied—or at least attempted. It was barely a flex by anyone's standards, but he was doing better and the doctor assured them both there was only positive things on the horizon. While the Kusanagi infirmary was equipped for little over field medicine, the Eternal had more upgraded equipment, allowing both Lathan and Erika to shave weeks off their initial recovery time. Overall, it was amazing and Eclipse was just as grateful as the two in the hospital beds.

Eclipse changed positions, linking his fingers between hers and holding his arm up in front of him. "Now, push." That one he was better at, his shoulder not as damaged as his chest, side, and upper leg. They were the most burned along with his arm and foot, but his skin was healing nicely, whispers of minimal scarring easily being floated throughout the infirmary.

She was testing his leg's strength when Kisaka walked in. The ship captain had been making cameo appearances into the infirmary since he had heard Erika and Lathan were hurt. Mostly, he tried to avoid technical talks with the two patients, but if anything, the mental stimulation was better than them sitting there doing nothing.

This time, however, he didn't turn to the mechanics and instead motioned for Eclipse to join him outside.

She nodded. "Lathan, I'll be right back."

"Take your time; I'm not going anywhere," he managed, the strain in his voice being the only indication the minimal movements were painful.

Smiling sadly, she glanced over at the sleeping Erika then left the infirmary. "Sir?" she asked once they were clear.

"How're they doing?"

"It's slow," she replied, but found it curious he had asked. He was just as up to date on their conditions as Eclipse, so maybe he had thought there was something new that morning? "Just trying to keep everyone's spirits up."

"That's all we can really do at this point," he said with a nod and they slipped into an awkward silence. Normally, she was okay with a little quiet, but Kisaka had to have come in for a reason that day. Just talking about Erika and Lathan seemed repetitive, so why did he look so contemplative?

"Sir, are you alright?" she finally asked.

"Hm?" He had turned to look at the closed infirmary door, and returned his attention to her, startled. Blinking, the echo in his mind must have helped him remember her question because she could practically see him shake off the sluggish behavior. "Sorry, lost in thought. I just got word our resource transports have arrived at Mendel."

"Any complications?" she asked, wondering if that was what had him so zoned.

He shook his head. "No, thank goodness."

"Then that's a relief, sir."

"I agree and the ships are going to be starting on a course back there as soon as we are able."

"Good." If it was such positive news, she still didn't understand why he was so tense. The past couple of days he had almost seemed back to his old self, the older man even cracking smiles around her again. After the incident in Orb, she was certain their relationship would be forever strained, so any hint at friendliness was a welcome.

"I had done some background checking on those three pilots from the EA for you."

"What?" Now that was surprising. "I never—"

"Since you had risked so much to speak to them at Orb, I thought I should at least do some digging."

"Thanks, I think," she said slowly. Ever the bodyguard, it seemed, and she gave a soft smile. "What did you find?"

"It took me a while to track them down, to be honest. I've been hearing faint hints of an accent and have been narrowing down the regions. It wasn't until recently I discovered they were from the Kingdom of Scandinavia, a neutral ally."

"Scandinavia? All of them?"

He nodded.

"Why would a neutral nation be sending kids to Blue Cosmos?"

He shrugged, a more normal gesture than what she was used to given his military background. Perhaps the other captains were beginning to rub off on him. "I'm pretty sure they were orphans and probably too old to be staying in the orphanage any longer. At that point, the kids either join the military, join gangs, or just get picked up by smugglers. Blue Cosmos must have had its fingers in it somehow."

"That's… unfortunate," she said, meaning the words even though it sounded a bit understated.

"Be grateful you had a family when you were young."

"I am always grateful," she replied instantly, but it was more of a rehearsed response than anything. Kisaka caught onto that right away and smiled while she corrected herself. "Well, not always."

"You and Cagalli were a rambunctious pair. I think I started coloring the grey out of my hair fairly early on thanks to you two."

"It might be too late to apologize so I'll just stick with, 'You're welcome,' and move on." Smiling, she watched his lips do much the same and felt a little better.

"Smugglers almost got you two once, believe it or not," he continued and she gave a slow nod.

"I remember, but vaguely."

"We never did find the culprits, but I don't think it was Blue Cosmos. At the time, Cagalli had said you went apeshit and you two escaped. I found you two huddling in the department store, eating strawberry ice cream on the floor. The store owner had called the main house—I bet you can guess how that conversation went. You had been missing for nearly ten hours." He sighed, as if the memory was a positive one, not this dramatic.

"As I recall, there was a lot of shouting," Eclipse went on, but smirked, amused that he found the memory to be a happy one among the many. "And definitely not something that deserves that smile."

"You looked a bit… ragged at the time." He paused before the word "ragged," his eyes shifting as he sought for the right term. "And you didn't really snap to until we got home. Cagalli was pretty banged up—sprained shoulder—and you're right, there was a lot of yelling. Lathan never left your side though. He was very protective of you after that."

She gave a warm smile. "Why bring it up now?"

"Just reminiscing."

"You couldn't come up with something a little more cheerful?" she joked.

"I just always admired the way you and Lathan treat each other, that's all. He's a tough guy, so hang in there."

"Thanks."

He put a hand on her shoulder then turned to re-enter the infirmary, him hurrying over to Erika's bedside when she began to rise. She had woken up about the same time as Lathan and despite her better condition, they had kept her sedated longer to help her body heal, fearing the more stress would make her susceptible to infection. Thankfully, the plan had worked and she had been out of danger for nearly two weeks so rehab was the next appointment on the calendar.

"Lexi, stop being so tense," Lathan began, Eclipse having lingered near his bedside. "The air's suffocating."

Smiling to herself, she slapped away his pointing finger playfully. "I wouldn't be so tense if you'd consider the eye surgery."

"Just leave it alone, alright? We can't even do anything right now."

"No, but we can start initial medication."

He waved his hand back and forth. "Save it for someone else. It's bound to happen to another."

And that was it.

The conversation about him regaining his eyesight never went any further.

---

"What the hell is this?" Namarra asked, flipping the book in her hands. Eclipse's fingers twitched, watching what looked like a nonchalant attempt at damaging the best, material lead they had gotten on their other halves since the war had begun and the redhead bit her tongue.

"Dearka found it," she grounded out, resisting the urge to take the book from Namarra's hands. "Some kind of creepy Bible."

"Makes sense," she said, flipping to the front of the book and the first half page. "Have you read through it?"

Eclipse nodded. "Of what I could make out. Most of the other pages are soot damaged and many are missing."

"Tell us anything of use?"

"Feel free to read it yourself, but it's more a book of myths than facts. Some of the stories remind me of what Azrael had been saying back on the Dominion."

"About throwing Berserkers into volcanoes or other nonsense?"

"Yeah, along with names and ages."

That news had surprised her, just as much as it had Eclipse herself. It was as if Dearka had unearthed a bit of information only a certain few had been privy to and now the girls had finally gotten in the loop. Namarra's antics grew more delicate as she gathered the importance of the book, her fingers turning each page slowly. Some of the information was written in a script she hadn't recognized, but most were in a language they could at least translate.

Namarra flipped to that list of people, taking a moment to look at the names. It felt like a legacy of some kind—as if they were following a list of their ancestors, but only a genealogy search would confirm that. Still, it was surreal. Was that really a list of past Berserkers or just a record of authors? Hell, maybe it was a written list of deaths from somewhere and completely unrelated.

There was really no way to tell.

"Other than those stories, what does it say?"

Eclipse shrugged because there was really no easy way to explain it. "There are some mentionings where Berserkers were revered as gods. And then there were others where kids were killed if ever shown signs of the gene. It's amazing how drastically different the two are." Namarra nodded, clearly engrossed, but Eclipse put a hand over the page before losing her attention completely. "Once Erika is feeling up for it, I wanna show her."

"Agreed. Have you started working on a digital copy?"

"Yup, but I can't put any more time in it right now. Take your time with it now and let me know what you think. Oh," she added, holding up her finger before Namarra could walk away. The Natural seemed frozen, however, too immersed in the book to even take the time to leave the room. "And be sure to put it in the safe. I've taken pictures of all the pages, but—"

"Yeah, I think we already learned our lesson." She smiled and Eclipse gave an abrupt laugh.

"A 'lesson' is a good word for it."

"So, is this a good read before bed?" Namarra asked with a smirk and Eclipse rolled her eyes.

"I had a dream, actually, that we were all standing around a volcano with grass skirts on, sipping coffee. Lathan was covered in bird feathers for some reason and Sai was trying to push him over the edge with a pike."

"Wow, what were you on before you fell asleep?'

"Apparently, something good. Waltfeld actually bragged about the brew he gave me after supper. Lacus acted quite oddly to it and it smelled like there might have been traces of alcohol in it."

"Wait," Namarra held up a finger. "Lacus was drunk?"

"Off of one cup of coffee? No, of course not, but she was a bit loose."

"Geez, how much did he put in there?"

Eclipse shrugged and watched the Natural's eyes shift suspiciously. "Don't."

"What?"

"You're not getting Lacus drunk."

"Mu would help. We'd be supervised at least."

"Wow, really?"

"Wanna join?"

The redhead sighed and held up her hands. "No, trust me, it's not worth all the effort."

"Darlin', the wheels are already in motion."

"Seriously."

"I'm always serious."

And there was really nothing more that could be done. As long as Eclipse could hear the stories afterward, she was sure she could forgive one night of indulging.

---

Heine looked good. From one side of a screen at least as it was hard to tell much over the bad reception, but he looked okay. He was still a redcoat—not like she was surprised, really—but had a couple more insignias than she remembered. If that had something to do with his heroics, she was impressed, but if it was also because ZAFT was running out of good pilots, then things were starting to look bleak. For a while, with Patrick Zala as chairman, people were eagerly joining the military, but perhaps not all were as talented as they needed them to be. Elites took years to train and ZAFT was in the middle of a war now. It meant greenhorns were being sent out as pilots and given grand responsibilities when they probably shouldn't be. She hadn't actually sat down and had a conversation with Athrun and Dearka on the whole ordeal, but knew it was all either speculation or cleverly hidden if none of them had any inkling of ZAFT's current military strength.

"Leeexiii!" Heine said in a sing-songy tenor.

"Wow—damn—sorry." She tried to cover up her distraction by twisting a finger in her ear, but her finger did more harm than his perfect pitch.

"You're zoning out on me."

"Sorry, been a lot on my mind."

He puffed out an exhausted sigh. "Please stop apologizing." She opened her mouth to argue, but it shut it when he shook a finger. "So, your message was a bit vague, how's Lathan, really?"

Giving an exhausted sigh of her own, she leaned forward in her chair and rested her elbows on the desk. She hadn't told him much, basically that Lathan had been hurt in a battle and that encompassed anything from a broken nail to a broken neck. "We had a kamikaze in the last battle that decided to self-destruct right where Lathan had been stationed. He managed to close the bulkhead before the blast could get the main ship, but got burned in the process. I don't remember the exact percentage at the moment, but he's not without pain." She studied his face, but it was neutral and she was surprised. Perhaps he had been expecting the worse and she instantly felt bad. There was a good chance not knowing was eating him up for a time and she mentally kicked herself for being so inconsiderate. "We're working on his motor skills at the moment and he's able to get out of bed," she went on, "but we haven't used gravity simulation yet."

"That's manageable at least," he cut in with a sigh, looking off to his right and away from the camera.

"Yes, that is," she agreed slowly and swallowed before admitting to his other big injury. "But—Heine—he's blind."

That made him pause and his eye whipped back to the camera. "What?"

"Blind. The force of the explosion shattered the monitors and the shards punctured his eyes. Thankfully, his brain isn't damaged, but—well, it'll be difficult."

"Blind," he whispered and folded his fingers near his lips. His eyes seemed to frown with his lips and Eclipse felt her mood worsening as well. Heine rarely got stern—at least that was what she was led to believe—but lately she had only seen him upset. "So, what's next?"

Sighing, she shifted uncomfortable in the chair. The Alliance was currently on its way back to Mendel and the decision had been to turn Lathan's bedroom back to the way it had been before the attack and while he was starting to take daily trips down there. It would be another month yet before he could stay there permanently and on his own, so until then, Eclipse and Namarra were bunking in the room. Staying with Cagalli had been a good solution while it lasted, but tension was high, even among friends or would-be friends.

"Honestly, I have no idea what to do," she managed and wiped her face with her hands. "There are moments he's completely depressed and others where you'd think nothing's changed."

"Have you talked to him about his options?"

She rubbed her eyes again. "I've done quite a bit of research and have tried sitting down and talking to him about it, but he doesn't seem open to much."

"Not even the laser surgery? I can see the eye replacement, but just—"

"He's joked about how fond he is of his glasses."

"We don't have to make them 20/20 if he doesn't want to. Just enough to function." Eclipse shook her head again, but Heine continued. "I have a lot of connections here in the military. That is if I don't leave…" He trailed off into a sigh as he pulled his hands from his mouth. Setting them on the table, she got a decent look at his face and recognized the determination on his face that time. It wasn't just concern for Lathan that had him looking like that, but it seemed as if he was considering doing something drastic—joining them even. Her heart jumped to her throat and she opened her mouth, about to try and talk him out of it, but he lifted up one finger and shook his head. The redhead saw someone walk behind his chair. Putting on the brightest—yet fakest—smile she had seen on his lips, he twisted away from the screen to address the other person, his body probably trying to shield the screen as best he could.

"Marco, I didn't expect you until tomorrow morning. Didn't go well with the dame?"

"Nah, she fell for a computer geek." His voice was higher than Heine's, possibly indicating an age, but it didn't hold any kind of melody like Heine's did. If anything, she would have called it off key compared to her fellow redcoat's. "Y'know, the one who owns that repair shop in town?"

"Ouch, really?" Heine visually cringed and Eclipse found herself craning her neck to try and see upward at their faces. Unfortunately, video chats didn't exactly work like that. "Looks like you're back to dating your right hand."

Eclipse smirked and Heine got a playful punch for his comment. "Hey, long distance isn't exactly a breeze either." Marco must have pointed down to the screen because Heine looked over for a second. "No wonder you wanted me back later." They exchanged a couple more shoves and then Marco was gone.

"Sorry about that."

"Roommate?"

He nodded. "A young, pesky one."

"Ah, then I truly am sorry."

Shrugging, his smile turned more genuine, the green in his eye lighting to something almost golden, but it could have been a trick of the screen. "You look tired."

"It's not exactly easy over here, y'know." She sounded snippier than she had intended and sighed.

"It's not easy anywhere," he responded and she heard the tiredness in his voice as well. Maybe she should let him join the TSA—suggest it at least. He could help keep an eye on Lathan, they would have another strong ally and pilot, and she could finally keep an eye on him instead of always being afraid her message to him would receive a reply of "Recipient KIA." She could just ask and she opened her mouth to, but he looked at her expectantly and she lost her words. Heine's career and life would be forfeit if he came. They couldn't guarantee his safety any more than ZAFT could and at least with ZAFT he had technology and medicine to help him.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Y-yeah," she stammered, looking away for a second. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

What indeed? she thought, but she realized she did have something to talk to him about. Heine might not be able to join the Alliance, but he could still help her. And help her in a big way that might actually help his standing in ZAFT. Bringing Heine in as backup against SIN-ED might be the surprise FS wouldn't be expecting. If Heine was the plus one and Namarra there as support instead—

"Stop thinking so hard, you're making me nervous."

She smirked. Heine wasn't an elite for nothing. "Who took over the SIN-ED case when I was named unavailable?"

He thought on it for a second, but eventually shook his head. "I don't think anyone did. They were never officially named as being involved in your parents' death, but Orb did start asking questions about the organization, which makes me think there's some evidence out there that was never released to the public. Since we didn't want to glorify Tad Elsman's involvement, we let the matter go."

"Let it go?" She practically screamed the question, slamming both palms down onto the desktop. Absurd. Let FS and the others run around as if it didn't matter?

"Well, the Chairman was the one to originally appoint you, right?" he continued, ignoring her outburst. "And that was before he was elected Chairman, but he has far less free time now to be keeping an eye on a couple renegades. The last information we had received about SIN-ED indicated a large number of Naturals and Coordinators were found massacred on an abandoned satellite, so there's been no reason for a follow-up."

"Massacred? And you never argued?"

He shrugged. "Not in much of a position to."

She couldn't blame him, but even this news was startling to her. Waltfeld still had links with the intelligence community from ZAFT and he had been feeding her any information about SIN-ED, but this had never come up. It seemed big and she frowned. "How many dead did ZAFT find?"

"Basically an entire organization, I guess. It wasn't a pretty scene, to put it lightly, and we had trouble verifying a number, but had tracked SIN-ED to that last location and have every right to believe only a small few have escaped." He paused and she started biting on a nail, frustrated that she was only hearing about this now. "You didn't know?"

Eclipse shook her head. "No, but I had a feeling something was off. Our last run-in was a bit," she paused, looking for the right work, "thin."

"So, how many are left?"

"At least three, I think," she said.

"But probably no more than eight, based on our reports."

She nodded and bit on her nail harder as she thought. If it was SIN-ED work, Heine should be able to join her without much backlash and that meant they would both be able to have some pretty good back-up. No doubt Heine would like to take another shot at SIN-ED as well, especially since Eclipse had been forcing him to sit on the sidelines for so long.

"Tell me," she began slowly, "how soon can you get some time off?"

"What?" He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're sounding a bit suspicious."

"Hear me out. I've been 'formally' invited to go meet FS in one final meeting."

"How knightly," he grumbled.

"I'm allowed one guest."

"That's suicide."

"I want you to be my guest."

"Now it's homicide."

Eclipse sighed and put up her hand. "I said, hear me out." Heine flicked his hand in annoyance but didn't say anything more until she finished. "I'd bring other backup."

"He'll anticipate that."

"I'll bring more people than he has."

"Not very comforting. Who would you bring?"

Shaking her head, she sat back and folded her arms, pulling her left leg up under the chair to keep her steady. "Not on a frequency like this." His shoulders bobbed in a shrug, but he didn't argue.

For a couple more moments they stared at one another, Heine probably debating the offer and Eclipse figuring out how to make her plan work. Heine was a formidable soldier so she knew his skills wouldn't be a problem, and if she had Namarra, Athrun, and Dearka as long-range support, it might all end up a success. Let Namarra have her sniper fun and leave the other sharpshooting to the guys—

"Give me a week to work some things out."

Eclipse was already shaking her head. "I don't know if we have that long."

"A week, Lexi, we're still in the middle of a war and I have plenty of duties."

She sighed and pushed her hair behind her ear before bringing the hand back around to bite on her nail once more. She didn't want to rush him because he was actually doing her quite the favor, but SIN-ED wasn't harmless—FS wasn't harmless and suddenly a week of letting them do as they pleased made her nervous. She knew where they were and she wanted to confront them if possible.

"That bad?"

"FS said they're working on something."

"Any ideas?"

Shaking her head, she bit down harder. "With their track record—despite their diminished resources—they're either planning another assassination or have their fingers in mass destruction."

Heine sighed and scratched the back of his head, looking off to the side as he thought on it further. Eclipse was glad she didn't have to explain why SIN-ED was so dangerous and appreciated that understanding between them, especially since he only needed a moment more before he was nodding. "You work on figuring out their plan and I'll work on that leave."

She smiled, relieved. "Thanks, Heine, I'll keep you informed."

"And talk to Lathan."

Her smile dipped into a smirk. "Okay, anything else?"

"Yeah." Clearing his throat, he leaned forward again and spoke softly, but her playfulness had fled, noting the seriousness back on his face. "Lunar Eclipse has been officially reported as KIA."

Nodding, she thought back on what Yzak had said and shrugged. "Yeah, at Panama, or something."

"Oh, it gets better. The reporting said she had died a hero, 'preserving the Coordinator genome and making it possible for us to reproduce.'"

"Coordinator genome? And last you told me, Lunar Eclipse had a warrant out for her arrest," she said, so startled she leaned in towards the screen as well. "Are they talking about the work they did on me? But they got nothing."

"Looks like the warrant was botched and you've been named a scientific miracle instead. Perhaps as soon as they realized you had fled, they panicked and tried cover it up. Oh! And, apparently, you have a research facility named after you."

"Not a planetarium?" Heine frowned and Eclipse shook her head, quickly apologizing for her poor humor. It sounded like they were trying to wrap up her military record in a nice bow, not caring that she was far from preserving Coordinators and even further from being a hero. "That's creepy."

"That's politics. Your name was listed with Athrun and the Le Creuset team so often it was harder than they thought to make you disappear."

"So, they made me a war hero?"

"Yup."

"Fantastic," she grumbled.

"So, I guess walking around with your given codename is a bad idea nowadays." Smiling, she could tell he found it more amusing than upsetting. Perhaps it was comical because it was so ironic, or maybe because it was another reason to make her go back to her birth name.

"It's not that—"

"Easy? So you keep telling me. Hopefully, after we finish up the whole SIN-ED thing you'll have a change of mind." He smiled brighter, genuine this time and she forced herself to match it, but somehow he made her changing her name sound too easy.

And her Berserker half made her a little more Lunar Eclipse than Lexi Rymyr.

---

Mu did supervise, but only for an hour. One, because he couldn't drink yet thanks to all the post rehab. And two, because he had been falling asleep and trusted Lacus to not do anything stupid. Specifically Lacus because he knew Namarra was probably going to do something very idiotic.

"So, where ya from?" Lacus asked, Namarra covering a smirk behind the bottle. Already, the songstress was loose and if her speech wasn't enough of an indication, she was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed at the ankles. Leaning back on her right hand with her drink in her left. Mu had made them promise to drink the super light stuff and since he had everything else under lock and key, there was really no choice.

"Originally?"

Lacus nodded slowly, straightening her skirt over her knees. Namarra tried to remember the last time she had seen Lacus sit so informally and realized she had no idea. It was on the verge of impressive.

"Kingdom of Scandinavia," she replied and took a drink.

"Really? Then how'd you end up in the EA? They're neutral."

"Bit of bad luck; bit of fate, I suppose." Namarra shrugged, but didn't offer anything more and Lacus reached out to nudge her with her foot. Her drink swished in a circular motion, urging the Natural to continue and the informality was so odd, Namarra couldn't resist. It was a good-natured nudge to share and she appreciated the gesture. Perhaps she wasn't as much of an outsider as she had come to believe she was. "I don't think I'm prepared to share the whole story yet, but—well…" She trailed off, Lacus's expectant and attentive stare the only thing in the room other than the sloshing drinks. "My parents died when I was seven and for nearly two years, it was just my brother and I. We were doing fine on our own, but some unfortunate events led us to getting sent to an orphanage and, well, the rest is history, I suppose."

"And you brother is…?" It was a trailing query, Lacus not wanting to insinuate anything, but there was really only one truth and Namarra hid her pain in a long drink before uttering the one word, "Dead."

"Oh… I'm so sorry."

Namarra shook her head, downplaying the clenching in her chest and lifting her drink up in acknowledgment. "Thanks, but I'd rather not talk about it."

"Don't worry; I won't pry, Miss Namarra." Her formality was back and the Natural's mask fell, the from at her lips. They had begun a sobering topic, but instead of switching to something more uplifting, Lacus looked off to the side, her eyes glossing over in memory. "For the longest time it was just my father and I. I've never had any siblings."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be," she chided, but not well enough, Namarra catching the moment her defenses were down and the pain was raw. While good at hiding her distress, not even Lacus Clyne was perfect and Namarra leaned forward to try and put a comforting hand on the Pink Princess, but she continued before the Natural could begin to move. "It worked out fine. My father wasn't around much, but the nanny would take me to see him at work often."

Ah, upper society. Namarra didn't know much about it, or could really relate to the experience, but she nodded slowly, keen to keep her talking. "When did you meet Athrun?"

"I was," she put down the drink and counted on her fingers, "eleven."

Namarra nearly spit out her drink and coughed. "You were set up way back then?"

Lacus shrugged. "It's just kinda how things were done. Athrun's parents were really close with my father and his mother had basically become my new mother within that time. Honestly, it made so much sense, even to me." She shrugged again and was going to take another drink when she realized it was gone.

"You two aren't keeping up the engagement then?"

"You know, we never really talked about it. Both of us were doing it for show and while neither of us were unhappy, I don't think, we knew what the engagement was. I suppose everything changed when Athrun's mother died." She trailed off and Namarra let her, her eyes glossing over again as she looked to the side.

"A death… does that," the Natural said carefully, drifting off as well. A part of her both understood it and felt bad for Athrun and Lacus.

"My father tried to help Athrun's father as much as possible," Lacus continued, "but they just drifted apart. Our engagement was still official, but it wasn't like it had been before. I rarely saw him and when we did speak, it was formal, not as loose as it had been before."

"Well, he was in the military by then, right?"

She shrugged and Namarra watched as one of the straps slid down her shoulder. Sluggishly, she pushed it back in place, but the grim look betrayed her lucid mindset. The serious conversation was killing her buzz.

"Everything changed when Athrun's father went after my father and I and I think Athrun felt it too. I don't blame Athrun," she clarified firmly, "but it's not easy to keep up an appearance like that when we know the truth."

That was a bit of information Namarra didn't know and she tried really hard to keep the shock off her face. There had been rumors but the Natural had never followed up on any of them to find out how true they were. Zala had ordered the hit on Clyne? It was so tragic Namarra had to look away from Lacus again. The Zalas and Clynes had been close for decades, even her minimal knowledge about the PLANTs had remembered that much.

"M-mutual break off then?" Namarra asked, clearing her throat through the stammer.

"Seems like it," Lacus replied quickly, but the conversation didn't go any further, a knock sounding on the door behind Namarra. At first she thought it was Eclipse, but DaCosta's voice reverberated on the other side.

"Miss Lacus, the commander would like to speak to you."

"Okay. Thank you, Mr. DaCosta," she said and stood. Namarra held out her hands, fearing she was going to fall over, but instead the Pink Princess smiled and waved her off. Fixing her skirt one last time, she opened the door. "Lead the way."

DaCosta looked over her shoulder and saw Namarra acknowledge him with the bottle. He sighed with a smile. "Miss Lacus—"

"Only had three; you know it takes more than that." Turning, she bowed slightly to Namarra, frozen with the bottle to her lips. "Thank you, Miss Namarra, for the lovely conversation. Shall we?" she continued to the greencoat.

DaCosta gave the Natural a blank look as they left. "Didn't Lexi mention her attempt to get this one drunk?" He jutted a thumb at the smiling Lacus before following her down the hall.

Namarra watched the door close and shrugged, finishing off her booze. She understood the benefit of ranting to someone unfamiliar or not close to the family so she could only laugh. "Well played, Lacus Clyne."

Apparently, she would have to get more serious next time.

---

"Is this really how you wanna handle things?"

Maybe Stray shouldn't have asked. FS nudged him aside with his shoulder as he fixed his tie in the cupboard's reflection. FS rarely looked angry anymore, but that was why he seemed so scary. Did Stray ever feel threatened? Sure, but where else was he going to go?

"Hm?" FS asked, centering the knot.

"Not that I don't admire the style," the chef continued, adding another slap of frosting onto the three-tiered cake. "I just think we shouldn't have to—"

Thunk.

Stray sighed. He rarely jumped anymore from FS's antics, but sometimes even he felt sick knowing the fork rattling back and forth in the wooden cutting board was far more dangerous in FS's hands than his.

Smiling, the former head of SIN-ED tweaked the fork again and walked out of the kitchen. "Just make sure the food's edible."

Stray nodded. He had been doing a lot of that lately and frowned at the thought. Maybe it was about time he figured out that other place to go to. For the first time, he nodded, knowing it was the right time to try and leave.

Somehow.

---

Heine arrived in a modified version of the CGUE, his machine stopping just outside Eclipse's borrowed transport. She wasn't sure of its firepower, but the orange exterior definitely had "Heine" written all over it and the redhead found herself smiling as she shook her head. If Eclipse had been in the Stealth, her CA could have given the full specs, but this mission hadn't involved mobile suits and it never would. It was just an innocent meeting between four people, accessorized with weaponry fit to mow down a small mob, and with three sharp-shooters as backup.

See? Innocent.

"Did you need me to disembark then we both go in together?" he asked, his face popping up on the screen to her left. He gave a mock salute and a wink when they greeted each other and she gave a nod.

"Yeah, store it in the back." She jutted a thumb over her shoulder and reached forward to press a few buttons after his confirmation. As soon as he was on, she shut the hatch and started setting in their coordinates.

She didn't even hear him come in, her mind wandering and lost amid the tasks. It wasn't until he steadied himself on the back of her chair and rested both elbows on the headrest that she noticed, the large puff of air brushing the hair on the back of her head. For once, she wasn't annoyed and gave a small snort of a laugh before finishing up the final sequence and, in a surprising move, stood to give him a hug.

Eclipse wore her unmodified version of the ZAFT redcoat pilot suit so the two of them matched. She had hoped they would look similar enough that FS wouldn't know which one was her, but she had forgotten to factor in Heine's height. While her original plan—to go with Namarra—would have placed them at similar heights, Heine was just too tall and she frowned despite the warm welcome.

"Ah, it's been so long," he began, breaking the hug first and holding her out at arm's length.

"Yeah, since—what—the Freedom incident?" she asked and his lips dipped deeply into a frown. Laughing, she patted one of his hands lightly, both signaling camaraderie and that they should probably take their seats. "Sorry, bad memories, apparently."

"It was not a fun time, no. I've been offered other models after that, but figured they might have been just as jinxed, so I'm sticking with the good 'ole CGUE." He jabbed his thumb towards the back of the transport and Eclipse shrugged.

"I get that. My Stealth's still an oldie but goodie."

"I heard through the grapevine your Stealth's a couple screws away from the scrapheap."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, pushing him over to his seat as she sat back down into the pilot's seat and started the engine. "If you have a suit, might as well use it to the best of its abilities."

"I don't think killing it counts."

Eclipse frowned, but ended the matter with another shrug. Heine hadn't been the first person to remind her just how fragile her mobile suit was, but she wasn't really attracted to all the high-tech suits getting pumped off the assembly line. Besides, the Stealth had its own personality—literally—and the thought of switching it out for some newer model bothered her. Her lean towards field missions instead of piloting did influence that feeling as well, but either way, the Stealth suited her needs just fine. Even if it did have a tendency to complain.

"The CGUE isn't much of an upgrade either, Heine."

"I do more intelligence missions and group commanding than anything nowadays. I think I'm on the edge of being promoted to a commander, but no one wants to give me the position because we're low on elite pilots." This time he shrugged. "A blessing, really. As good as they say I can lead, I'm not too thrilled about being responsible for people on a battlefield. Sounds like too many restless nights."

"Hear, hear," Eclipse agreed and turned the transport towards their destination.

"So," he began after another moment, shifting to face her once more. "I'm assuming you didn't bring amateurs as our backup."

"Wow, right to the meat of the meal, huh?" She waited for him to argue, but he just urged her on. "If you must know, two of them used to be redcoats—"

"I knew it."

"—and the other one is just like me."

"Just like you?"

"Yup. She can go berserk sometimes too."

"She?"

"Yup," the redhead responded, deciding not to give more info than that. Heine didn't seem too pleased with the limited answer, but didn't press the matter further. Either he really trusted Eclipse to pick decent comrades, or he was comfortable with going in blind. Since the first reason seemed more probable, she found herself smiling. It was nice to feel trusted.

"So, I take it, we're expected?" Heine asked.

Eclipse nodded. "I sent FS a message roughly three hours ago. They responded within ten minutes, of course."

"Ever figure out what they're trying to do? You never gave me a solid confirmation on that."

"I managed to get some of my old contacts interested, but they never replied back to me either. I doubt FS has everyone paid off, so either they're really good at keeping it on the low down, or nothing serious is going on and FS is just trying to make me nervous."

"Seeing as your contacts have been reliable in the past, he might have just been throwing you a lure and seeing if you'd bite."

"No matter what I had to confront him eventually," she admitted, crossing one leg over the other as she put the transport on autopilot. "At least this way I don't have to worry about some kind of Dead Man's Switch or something."

"His big plan could still be getting you to go over to their side," Heine reminded her and she shrugged.

"There's always that possibility, but I think you're right and most of his organization is gone. If that's the case, he doesn't have enough manpower to keep me as his little pawn for long."

"Let's hope," Heine added and Eclipse glanced at him, cocking an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, c'mon, you were totally infatuated with them the last time I did this with you."

"Yeah, that was before they decided to go insane."

"So insanity is a turn off in your book, huh? Nice to know."

"Wha—"

"In any case, you can't just forget a relationship like that, Lexi, and remember, I've been watching this from the outside." Reaching out, he poked a finger on her forehead and she looked up, watching the touch before following it back to his serious expression. "Don't let them get into your head more than they already have. I'm your ally, not them."

Eclipse smiled, even more grateful she had asked him to come with her. "Fair enough, but when it comes down to it, you have to let me finish this off on my own. After all, it started with FS and I, it might as well end with us."

"Depends on the situation."

"Heine."

"I'm serious. I didn't just declare myself your ally only to stay by and watch you die."

"So, you'd get in my way?"

"If it came down to it, yes." He was serious and Eclipse found herself annoyed. She had asked him there to back her up, not get in her way and while she should have been flattered or even appreciative, she was angry with his response. In a way, the whole mess was still her problem and while she wasn't stupid enough to come alone, it was up to her to resolve things. What that "resolve" looked like, she wasn't sure, but it was still her responsibility. Even allowing Namarra, Athrun and Dearka to come was more for their benefit than her own. FS was her problem; always had been.

"I'd advise against putting yourself between FS and the Berserker, Heine."

"I know," he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and facing the front of the console. "A lot of people advise me against things, but somehow it all works out in the end, right?"

She frowned "Dumb luck and all that? Eventually, it'll run out, y'know."

"Most likely, but I have a feeling it's not today." His smile was confident, but Eclipse still felt a small shiver of fear. Not exactly a good sign, but it would do neither of them any good if she stopped trusting him now. and with the satellite edging into sight, there was really no time to think any differently.

"Oh, did you talk to Lathan?"

"I have been talking to Lathan," she said. "No change in his responses. It's still a huge 'No' for the surgery."

"Give him time," Heine responded, his smile faltering for a second, but it recovered quickly. "Let the man heal his ego before we start worrying about his optics."

"Ah yes, men and egos."

"Don't chide. You're pretty prideful yourself, you know."

She snorted but didn't argue. "Maybe you should try and talk to him then; you might be able to reach him. I'll patch you through if we get back."

"We'd better get back, Lexi."

She really didn't have a good response for that.

---

It was rather funny to see how most of the ports ended up looking similar. Either there was one architect who had made the plans for all the colonies in the L4 area, or he had a lot of apprentices who liked to copy his work. The only difference between the main shuttle docking hangar on Spemann and the one on Mendel was the size. Since Spemann was merely half the size of Mendel, that made sense, but the smaller version made Eclipse start feeling a little anxious. Perhaps it was some sort of claustrophobia, but either way her unease was not going to help with the situation.

The transport docked easily enough, the redhead setting it down in the right terminal. She had debated going towards the middle one, but it just left too much open ground for them to cover and if there ended up being more than a dozen SIN-ED members left ticking, that much time with no protection could get them all killed.

"Docked," Eclipse muttered into her earpiece. "About to leave the transport. Ending communication." A few affirmatives chimed back to her, Heine giving a nod as well as soon as his own communication was hooked up.

"We're docking in the adjacent hangar to avoid suspicion," Namarra began, Eclipse nodding as her and Heine began disembarking. "So far, it doesn't look like we're being monitored. We have a GPS on your current location, so don't pull Addict out and you should be fine," Namarra responded, her voice quieter than the redhead had thought she was capable of. Then again, she couldn't remember the last time she went on an "official" mission with her fellow Berserker. Any other time they were mocking each other and enjoying the fact that they were being a pain in the other's ass.

Eclipse nodded as she left the transport, disguising it as her ducking through the doorway. She doubted Namarra could see the movement, but it was more of a habit than anything and she caught Heine's eye. He gave a weak smile and then a wink, the gesture relaxing Eclipse enough to offer a small head shake and push off to lead them to the main terminal door.

"Where do you think he'll meet us?" Heine asked, slipping in behind her and pulling out the handgun at his side. They hadn't been given a rendezvous location and while the two of them had discussed that before meeting up, they still had no idea what to expect. It made both of them nervous, Eclipse nodding to his pistol and taking out her own. She stepped to walk to Heine's left, both keeping a sharp eye on their respective sides of the port as they abandoned their transport and made the way to the main door.

"Probably further inside the colony," Eclipse guessed. "Somehow, jumping us at our shuttle seems a little too juvenile."

"I'm sure even juvenile tactics are fair game, so don't get too confident." Since it was probably true, Eclipse didn't argue and motioned for them to move forward.

Stepping further away from the shuttle made it easier to see a wider view of the port. It was still small by many standards, but given the circumstances, she wasn't about to argue. Unlike the debris in Mendel's ports, this one was stripped bare, not even the random crate in the corner to show any kind of livability. It was almost as if the place had been originally made for people, but no one ended up moving in and despite the relief she felt at no one being able to find sufficient cover, the area felt eerie, the dim lighting casting shadows in the corners and at awkward angles. It was too quiet, too dim, too vacant and she swallowed, nodding her helmet towards the port exit and terminal interior.

Heine reached the door first, Eclipse touching him with her hand to keep him close to her as she did one final sweep behind them. After announcing an "All clear," he opened the door and Eclipse instinctively sucked in a breath.

The terminal lighting was brighter and she winced, Heine recognizing her hesitation and stepping in front of her just in case anyone should take advantage of the moment. It was paranoia alone, however, as the terminal was just as vacant as the port. It wasn't just vacant though, but pristine, the lounge sofas and seating areas as new as the tiles they were walking on. The gravity was on, so their heels clicked on the floor as more than once, Heine jumped when the automatic walkways started moving on their own.

"I kinda thought they might actually meet us here," Heine breathed, his latest curse lost to the air and Eclipse nodded.

"So did I, but maybe we just need to follow the signs to the exit?" She pointed up to the sign above their heads, indicating they were heading in the right direction, but it still felt off. The quiet was what bothered her the most. She didn't like hearing her own breath let alone the clapping of their feet and she shifted the pistol in her grip as she kept close to Heine's left side.

No one met them before the exit and still no one was seen or heard as soon as they walked out through the final glass doors into what looked like a taxi nook. The lighting was even brighter outside, but not a light yellow color at all. Instead, it was a deep orange, more red than what she was used to from Mendel, but the visibility was clear.

"Damn, these places are creepy," Heine muttered and Eclipse scoffed through a similar comment.

"Creepy or not, we don't know where to go." The two of them spared a glance at each other, the fake sunlight glaring off the glass of their helmets, but the look was the same.

Annoyance.

"Just pick a direction, I guess," Heine said at last and Eclipse shrugged, gesturing for him to do just that. Sighing, he took a moment to glance around before pointing to a stairway a short walk away. If anything, it would give them a high vantage point and she agreed, the older redcoat leading the way once more with Eclipse at his side.

To their left was the entrance ramp to a freeway, the road lifting up into the distance in what she had assumed was a road passing high over the city below it. She couldn't see much beyond the road, however, some taller skyscrapers dotting the distance, but otherwise the horizon was clear, only the inside dome of the colony curving up and over their heads. The eeriness continued when the silence continued even outside, only the occasional crash in the distance making each of their hearts jump, but otherwise their trek to and up the stairs was uneventful. It wasn't until they reached the top of the stairs that Eclipse started thinking they might have actually gone in the right direction.

They were now in some sort of shopping center, the stairway opening up into an outside mall. There were closed stores both to their left and right, the middle of the walkway housing greenery and trees that must have been a feature of the location rather than the dead attractions that they were now. Various food stalls sat boarded up and off to the sides, keeping their path clear and the duo shared a firm nod before walking forward again.

"I can't see the end of this," Heine began, "so I wager it stretches for a while."

"There's a lot of places to hide," Eclipse commented, pointing her gun around the corner of one store as she spoke. "I don't feel like we're about to be ambushed, but I don't exactly feel safe either."

"How about we go up?" Eclipse turned and followed Heine's hand as he pointed off to their right at another set of stairs. "It looks like there's even more shops on another floor."

"We'd get a better view," she commented and he nodded.

"Just what I was thinking."

They veered off to the right side of the walkway, still keeping close and aiming their pistols around each corner, but still nothing seemed overly out of place. It just all looked new, as if no one had even stepped foot in the colony after it was built. They hadn't been able to do much prior research on Spemann, but they did know the life support system was still intact. According to the data they could gather, this and Mendel were the only two stable enough for people to come back and live on. Why no one did probably came down to personal reasons, but it was quite sad to see such beautiful structures go to waste merely because of a medical scare years ago.

Sweat dribbled down into Eclipse's eyes and she shook her head. There was no reason she couldn't take off the helmet, but it felt like she would be losing an added piece of protection if she did. They had switched to venting outside air, so they weren't wasting oxygen and yet no matter how much more comfortable she would be, she couldn't take that step to unclipping it. Heine was the same, it seemed, because he was shaking his head similarly. Given the temperature inside the satellite, they shouldn't have been sweating at all, but their perspiration was more from nerves than it was anything else and the dup made eye contact again.

"You sense something too, don't you?" Heine asked before stopping for a brief moment to aim into a vacant clothing shop. Releasing his breath, he kept walking before finishing his thought. "I don't understand it yet, but I feel like we're being followed."

"I've been thinking the same thing," she responded, putting a firm hand on his shoulder to stop him near the base of the stairway they were aiming to climb. "But how, I'm not sure." Her speech slowed as something did moved in front of her view and she had to blink to make sure it wasn't some kind of trick. As Heine had described, the row of shops went on well past her view and yet something had indeed run across the walkway, taking advantage of the food stalls dotted around a water feature up ahead. It wasn't a black shape like she would have normally expected, but white and her breath slowed. If she was seeing ghosts, she would have to go back and talk to the shrink, but if it was a genuine threat she would have to thank her eye doctor. "Something's here."

"Yeah, I just saw it too."

"Ahead?"

"Yeah, near the fountain; 50 meters up."

"Cover?"

"Stairs; Five meters, right."

"Go."

Inching over towards a stairwell, they kept their eyes in front of them, trying to find that same white figure, but it wasn't that easy. It was hard to follow, the unpainted storefronts making the two practically blind to their surroundings as each shop seemed to blend into the other. Their opponent was definitely smarter than they would have thought if they had anticipated the interior.

Using the stairs as a shield, Heine crouched first, aiming his pistol around the railing and down to where they had seen the figure. Eclipse crouched next to him, far enough to not hinder his shot and did a quick check up the stairs before her eyes searched the area behind them.

"Now what?" he asked.

"I didn't think they were going to jump us, but they haven't exactly made us feel welcome either." She felt her muscles tense and her arms groaned, the nervousness of holding her weapon up for so long beginning to take its toll. She had to drop her hands momentarily to give them a rest, knowing they would be useless should that figure turn out to be a shooter and she let her eyes do the work.

"Still no one behind us," she announced and heard Heine's suit shift as he nodded.

"Lost sight of the figure as well."

Namarra announced their arrival in her ear and Eclipse finally felt her muscles relax. It wasn't just the two of them anymore and that had boosted her confidence. Even if they were at least 20 minutes behind them, they were still within amicable distance and she took comfort in that at least.

Heine relaxed at the same time, but their relief was short lived. The echo of steps alerted them first, but those steps were deliberate and their attention whipped back to the stairs and up it.

"Hiya."

Eclipse almost fired at those words alone, but had to hold off when she saw Stray comically stomping on the ground at the top of the stairs, wide open to take any bullets should their nerves pull the triggers. He must have been the white figure they had been seeing because he was dressed in a chef's coat and white shoes, his silver hair only adding to the ghost-like appearance as he held his hands out to the sides.

"Both of you have steady hands, I see," his voice chimed, the soft tone filling Eclipse with a rush of both cold and warm memories. Had it really been that long since they had last spoken? "We're surprised to see who's accompanying Lexi," he began again, slowing his feet to stand quietly at the top of the stairs. "She normally travels with another lady friend. You're very much male."

"You should know not to trust rumors, Stray, and you've met him before, though a lot has happened since we last saw each other," Eclipse began slowly, lowering her aim. "Including the fates of your most recent victims."

The only word Eclipse had for the emotion on his face was "regret" and the look did calm her slightly.

"You're right, a lot's happened," he said slowly, his hands dropping down to his sides. "I did not come up with the plan, but I was involved."

"Where FS goes, you go," Eclipse responded. "I understand this very well."

"He wanted your attention."

"He got it and this will be the last time I meet him."

"It will be," Stray responded and his expression had shifted, but she had no words for it. He knew something, but wasn't going to tell them and that made her heart sink. She had hoped his attachment to FS had lessened, but perhaps he was a lost cause as well.

"Come," Stray said after a further pause, turning on his heels.

"Where we going?" Heine asked, but he hadn't lowered his gun like Eclipse had, his head on straighter and the redhead was thankful.

"We're going this way." Stray pointed to his front, but neither could see where his attention was and they shared a look. This was what they had come to do after all, meet SIN-ED for what they had assumed was the final time. Heine didn't like it and Eclipse placed a hand on his forearm before holstering her pistol, leading the way up the stairs. If Heine didn't want to come, he didn't have to, but she did release a relieved sigh when she heard his feet follow a couple steps behind hers.

"And where does this way lead?" Eclipse asked, ascending the final steps to stand next to the chef and finally seeing where his finger was pointing. They were all standing next to a bridal shop, the large window in front already broken and a lamp inside lighting a row of dresses and tuxedos. Eclipse didn't have to think too hard to know who had done the preparations and she arched an eyebrow, turning to meet Stray's innocent grin with suspicion.

"You two need to change."

"Change?" both asked, Heine slinking up the stairs to stand on Eclipse's right.

"Oh, c'mon, you should know the drill by now. We like ballrooms."

Heine and Eclipse shared a look. It was true their last meeting had involved a similar location and even truer that Heine had been her plus one at that time as well. Were they planning on recreating that setting then? It seemed odd and Eclipse did another once over of Stray and his outfit.

"Yes, I'm providing the food," Stray said as if it was the most logical thing in the world and reached up to grasp Eclipse's upper arm, tugging her lightly towards the shop.

"Stray—" she started, but the chef did something rare and she took note. He still held his warm smile, but his grip had tightened around her arm, almost to the point of being painful and her complaints stopped. Heine couldn't have witnessed the change in pressure, but he had noted Eclipse's behavior and didn't attack Stray for his daring touch. She was again, thankful for that and released a slow breath as Stray's smile grew brighter.

"Don't worry, Lexi, the heels won't be too tall."

---

They had been known for their grandeur, but a gown and tux meant for a gala seemed even beyond the word "overkill." Clearly, it was a smart move because Stray had been present as they stripped down, pulling off weaponry as he saw it. As she stood there in her undergarments and nothing more, she cursed herself for not finding a comfortable way to hide a knife in panties. Heine stood next to her in boxers, but the two of them had seen worse corpses to feel any kind of embarrassment. Perhaps the only discomfort was the temperature, the colony a stable temperature of "cold" and Eclipse gave an involuntary shiver before finally addressing their guide.

"Is this really necessary?" Eclipse asked and Stray nodded grimly, the redhead not missing such a solemn expression.

"Boss's orders." Reaching to the hook next to him—no, Stray was smart enough to make them dress on the main floor instead of the dressing rooms—he pulled off a long, silver evening gown. Handing it to Eclipse, he turned back and grabbed the tuxedo before she could make any kind of comment. No, it wasn't going to enforce any sort of comfortable gathering, but it was better than meeting FS topless.

"And here," Stray added after they slipped on their shoes. He tossed a gun and holster to Heine and three knives at Eclipse. "Just keep them out of sight."

"Things that bad?"

Stray didn't answer and Eclipse didn't press.

Shit.

They left the store and elevated shopping area, Stray leading them to a separate, down stairwell and to a banquet hall further up the street. He had gathered their spacesuits with him and had them stuffed in a bag dangling at his side, the rest of their weaponry taken apart and the pieces stored in their helmets. The sound of them jangling around was even louder than their fancy heels and the echoes made Eclipse nervous. The only comfort was from the random chatter in her ear, Namarra announcing she was thankful for their clacking as they now knew exactly where they were.

The hall wasn't large by any standards and only two floors, but it was convenient for any small gathering. Next to the building were some smaller restaurants and clothing shops, but they were all stripped bare, nothing like the elevated shopping area they were just in, which enforced Eclipse's suspicions that this colony had been barely developed when they had decided to abandon it. Beyond the hall there didn't seem to be much of anything, a strange, long expanse of gathered concrete in places and flat in others amid partially constructed buildings.

"This way," Stray prompted, grabbing Eclipse's hand to pull her forward. She was probably dawdling too much, but the sight was just so strange. The cobblestones under her feet made her feel like she was in Europe, but despite the amount of detail they had put into that confined area, it didn't expand out past this hall. It was as if the three of them were walking in a snow globe, just without the glass barrier. Overgrowth rained down the lampposts and poked through the cracks in the sidewalk, some weeds strong enough to cause bumps and holes, which meant they had been expecting people to come in and tend to the wildlife and also indicated this satellite might have been equipped with a weather cycle. Nothing alive should have been that green for that long in such a dead place.

So, someone had grand plans, but they had just all fallen flat, leaving the colony half-finished and a large waste of solar energy. In fact, that little amount of energy made the area look eerie, as if Eclipse had entered a ghost town, but it wasn't until Stray had opened the front door and stood to the side, ushing them in first, that she felt a chill of fear.

She nodded slowly, took a deep breath of the stale air, and stepped through without a fuss, Eclipse instantly noticing the change in light and looked up to admire the high ceiling with dim, but elegant chandeliers dangling low into the room. The chairs and couches looked brand new to her left and based on the number of liquid-filled bottles, the bar in the corner seemed fully stocked. The only way to tell anyone had even used the hall was the carpet. There were faded foot imprints within the fibers, the triangle and circle patterns faded in one, distinct path from the main door to the set of double doors across from them.

Glancing to her right, she made eye contact with Heine. He seemed just as spooked, so she stepped towards him and he put his arm around her waist. If anything, it was like they were covering all the areas again. Eclipse glancing to the left and Heine to the right.

Even though they were practically unarmed, at least no one could sneak up on them.

Stray led them to the set of double doors, walking them past the bar and down the same, worn path in the carpet. The entryway was baron of any decoration, the only elegance in the room being the three individuals themselves and the carved wooden designs on the doors.

Stray paused for a second, both hands on the door and made another, grim look with Eclipse, but instead of being surprised, she nodded slowly. Moment of truth.

The doors opened to what the redhead was expecting: a ballroom. After their first encounter on Mendel, Eclipse was afraid there was going to be some kind of theme with these two, but she never thought they would be able to find such establishments so easily. Call her naïve, but she didn't think every one of those satellites had one just lying around.

FS was standing with his back to them, arranging some silverware on a table with white cloth dangling over the sides and nearly touching the floor. He was humming softly to himself, but the expanse was so quiet, any sound was picked up and the notes echoed off the wooden interior. Unlike the one in Mendel, however, this one was considerably smaller and actually warm, the shivers across Eclipse's shoulders now from the haunting melody FS was humming and not because of a drop in temperature. There was no balcony, merely the one floor with about four tables scattered around a wooden floor. She knew it was a dance floor because there was a small lip around the edge, setting it off from the carpet and tables. Conceptually, it was probably intended for wedding receptions or large gatherings, but now it was going to house two known psychopaths, a Berserker, and a ZAFT redcoat.

Ironic.

"Revelin, our guests have arrived," Stray said, motioning the two of the forward, but they really needed no introduction. Not only had the opening door been almost deafeningly loud, their shoes announced their presence long before Stray's words.

Turning, FS's eyes narrowed. At first, she wasn't sure why he was suddenly so angry, but as his eyes followed the grace of her body and then Heine's arm, she got it. The guys were probably just playing some kind of possession game with her, but she was way over being considered a part of FS and Stray's posse, so she took a step closer to Heine as they walked, filling any gap that opened while they moved. FS wasn't pleased and she smirked. Childish, sure, but damn it felt good.

"How lovely to see you again," FS cooed, his expression still flat, but somehow he managed to make his voice inflection sound terribly happier than his body displayed.

"Sorry, I can't say the same, but you called, and I've answered," Eclipse replied, her lips curling into a fake smile. "And so formal. Really?"

FS was wearing a tux of his own, a little more high end than Heine's and white. While Heine was wearing a white vest under his black tails, FS was wearing a deep cobalt one. She knew he had done it to accent her evening gown and was exhausted by the thought, finding herself thoroughly unamused by his antics, but his enthusiasm was only beginning, it seemed.

Spreading his arms out wide, FS did a little twirl as they neared. "I thought it was a grand idea and you look stunning." Not both of them, just her, and she felt Heine's grip on her side tense.

"Please, join us for dinner," Stray said, hurrying in front of them to pull out one of the high-back chairs for Eclipse. "I can assure you it's edible."

"From you, that means a lot," the redhead replied with yet another smile and veered towards the offered seat. Heine matched her steps and while she was thankful for the support, she was worried about his own safety instead of her own.

"Please, sir, you can sit right next to her." Stray motioned to Eclipse's right, but Heine merely nodded and it wasn't until the singer was close to the table that FS finally did move towards them. FS grabbed Heine's arm from around Eclipse's waist, his fingers tensing before he pulled it from her side and pushed it towards Heine's body.

"Please," he started with an unnerving smile, "sit."

This was going to be one hell of a dinner.

The food did taste good despite the awkward silence. Stray had left for a moment and soon some soft classical music drifted through the room, but the table was completely silent. If the company had been anyone other than FS and Stray, Eclipse would have been annoyed by no one talking, but since she didn't want to hear anything they really had to say, she welcomed the silence and picked at her food. In between the first and second course, she debated bringing up the whole, "killing her parents" issue, but thought better of it. FS already seemed agitated and not even Stray was acting like himself, so she waited for a better moment. She had been expecting Stray to be pouring the pepper in his tea or slopping salsa on his potatoes, not sugar in his drink and gravy over the spuds. It all seemed too—

"Normal," Heine finished, setting down his fork next to his plate and leaning back in his chair. "This is all too fuckin' normal."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Westenfluss," FS began, his lips sliding into a calm smile. "I rather thought this was the time for civility, not quarrelling."

Heine frowned at FS's smug remark. "I just think it's impolite to force us to come here, wear monkey suits and then make us sit in awkward silence throughout the whole food exchange."

"I rather thought it was delightful."

FS was being so formal and Eclipse tensed. Mocking? Perhaps, but there felt more to it than that. She had almost expected him to gloat about killing her parents—do something to rile her up even. But, he just sat there all meal, even passing her a grin or two. What did it all mean? Heine was right, it was odd and she looked at him, but he wasn't matching her look that time. He was staring daggers at FS who was returning the look with the cheeriest smile Eclipse had ever seen on his face.

"You guys killed Lexi's parents and then called her here for—" Heine stopped, FS's smile flipping swiftly into a thin line and the air seemed to shift. Eclipse's knee moved under the table, knocking against Heine's thigh in both warning and familiarity. Their backup hadn't announced they were in position yet and that made her nervous. The dinner had taken a long time, so what was their hold up? Until they had that confirmation, however, Eclipse didn't want to rile them up.

"Please, we were just enjoying a nice dinner with friends," FS continued, the word "friends" not falling off his tongue as smoothly as the others. "And your attire is just dashing, don't you think?" FS turned to Eclipse as he spoke, his inflection high in interest, but she couldn't match the intensity in his eyes for long. No, it was a bit more than that. She didn't recognize those eyes anymore and her attention shifted to his forehead, focusing anywhere else on his face rather than that stare.

"Please," he continued, setting his glass down on the table along with the napkin from his lap. "Let's do a little dancing before dessert." He leaned forward, one hand to hold back his jacket from getting over the plates, but the other he held out to her.

The redhead hesitated, looking at his offered fingers before daring to look into his eyes again. He was serious and she tensed, finally ending up with the answer, "No."

"No?"

Of course not, she thought. Heine would be separated from her and sharing an eloquent moment with the man who ordered and most likely performed the hit on her parents made her nauseous. "You said it before, we're enjoying a pleasant dinner. Let's not ruin it with my terrible dancing."

Picking up her glass, she started sipping the water, but stopped when she heard the noise to her right and turned. Stray had jumped up from his seat and had an arm under Heine's throat, pulling the skin tight and to the side as he put the turkey fork against tendons.

She frowned, her fingers tightening around the glass just as Heine swallowed hard. "Threatening me to dance, FS? Really?"

She heard the smile in his voice rather than saw it, his hand entering her peripheral vision once more. "Please, come dance with me."

If Heine and she had been holding hands, she knew he would have squeezed a warning. Hell, she wanted to reach for it just to offer him a warning in return, but while Stray had him at fork-point she didn't dare show any kind of open friendship. If FS had gotten hostile merely because Heine had an arm around her waist when they walked in, she didn't want to imagine any other kind of touching.

"Why are you hesitating?" FS asked, his hand still held steadily in front of him. "I remember a time you'd never fail to come to me."

He wasn't wrong and she released a slow breath, finding his gaze once more and not failing that time to keep the shiver from running down her spine. It was no longer the intense stare of an enemy, but the sensual look of a lover and she shivered again, the memories from Januarias Four returning in a rush. He had been collected and kind when they had been at the facility, not as rabid as he was now and her frown deepened, but she still failed to respond.

"C'mon, Lexi, it's just a dance," Heine said and her legs twitched, her mind easily lost to her memories and she scowled. "Maybe the song'll be short."

Maybe it'll be shot short, she thought, focusing on their mutual communication line, but still not hearing anything from their backup. She had been so focused on her past, perhaps she had missed them calling in and found Heine's forced confidence before she stepped into some forced confidence of her own. She would trust her team and she nodded, placing her hands in FS's and letting him pull her to her feet.

The song was a waltz, but not one she was familiar with. Eclipse was no stranger to formal parties thanks to her upbringing and dance classes had been mandatory despite her dislike for frills. The difference between then and now, however, was that while it was customary to let the male lead, FS wasn't leading so much as improvising. He had had no formal training and it showed, but she didn't dare say anything and kept her strained smile on her lips at all times. The steps weren't hard, so she let him take control, picking up the one corner of her dress as they twirled along the floor.

"Have you figured out yet why I brought you here?" he began, Eclipse stuttering once through a step and her clacking made him smirk, her scowl being the only appropriate response.

"To piss me off, surely."

He chuckled, a slow rumble that began in his chest and stayed in his nose. "No, that's what the dress is for. I thought this was a good time for me to enlighten you on the current situation in Orb."

"Orb?" Despite her surprise, she kept up the steps. "Go on."

"I know your current status is exile, but that can easily be changed once the government's gone."

"Well, that would solve some problems, yes," she agreed, not sure where he was going with the comment. Orb was in a current state of instability; anyone with two eyes could see that, but if he was planning on overthrowing the entire government by force, he might find it a bit harder than he had anticipated. Orb, while neutral and currently weakened, was no novice to war. They had shown that when the Earth Alliance had attacked, so why would he even say something so crazy?

"They are very weak right now."

"Obviously," she replied, stepping with the rhythm.

"So, if there's any other way to gather an army again and officially own you, that'd be it."

"Excuse me?"

"Hm?" He looked down at her face and slowed the steps, brushing some hair away from her eyes. Flinching, she made herself keep that eye contact as her feet still tapped anxiously to the waltz.

"You said, 'own me.'"

"I did, didn't I?"

"What do you mean by that?"

He shrugged as if it was obvious. "Why wouldn't I? Darling, I know what you are, you know what you are and knowing that other one would follow you wherever you end up means I would have both of you." She blinked slowly and his expression changed again. It swerved away from confident and further into intrigue, and his steps picked up pace once more. "You don't get how important you are, do you?"

"Important for what? To whom?" She tried to step back, but he kept his hold on her, swinging them back into the waltz. "What's so important about having both of us?"

"With you under my watchful eye, I can keep you safe."

"From whom?"

"Them, I suppose."

"Them?" He nodded as if it made sense, but she couldn't understand, her anger rising at his vague words. "Why would you want to keep us safe?" she asked instead, her fingers curling into her dress as she held it aloft.

"For a chance to be like you."

He leaned in close, his nose brushing against hers and his breath hot, but not even that felt as threatening as her other half that woke up at the words. The shiver was there instantly and she swallowed, a bright, toothy grin curling upwards in the back of her mind. "T-that's not possible," she stammered.

"They haven't tried the right methods yet and we both know how much talent Orb has."

"You think you're the one to figure it out, huh?" she hissed, pulling her hand from his grip and pushing him away. "What happened to world domination, huh? Or whatever craziness you were spitting before?" She was breathing heavily, her nervous clear and she gave a soft curse, slowly stepping out of her shoes. She definitely felt threatened now and being in heels made her unbalanced. If anything should happen, Eclipse wanted to be in full control.

"You assume this is not part of the same plan," he cooed, unperturbed by her brashness.

"What can it do? No one knows what it even is aside from rumors. What makes you think you can control it?"

"I don't need to control it," he corrected, holding out his hand to her again as the music rolled around them. "I just need to harness it. Unlike SEEDs, your gene can be copied and I just need to find the right people to figure it out. With you under my protection, our only enemy is time."

SEEDs? she thought, recognizing the term and her eyes narrowed. "What do SEEDs have to do with anything?"

"What, you don't know about them either?" he asked and his arm began to fall back to his side. "SEEDs are an advanced state of consciousness and while impressive, you can't copy a thought or belief."

"But you can't copy my genes either," Eclipse countered, her bare feet shifting on the wooden floor. "ZAFT tried and failed many times."

"You're right, they couldn't figure it out, but Orb has some technology even the PLANTs haven't heard of. Your parents had been—"

"Parents?"

"—funding a project that would split and preserve genetic strands, leading to either the ability to create more stable clones or to rid an individual of a specific gene strand, perhaps curing them of an illness or even saving their life." His eyes were intense again and she swallowed. Were her parents really looking into that?

"This project, should it be completed, would be groundbreaking, paving the world for an even more perfected version of a Coordinator. And cloning? The possibilities would be endless should it be used for that research. I know of one failed clone walking around—wait, two?" He waved the thought away. "But no one has tried anything since."

"My parents were funding this?"

Shrugging, he started a bobbing walk, circling the redhead as he continued. "It wasn't hard to figure out why. There's a rumor that their daughter suffers from a genetic anomaly, but the tough thing about rumors that not a lot of people are willing to search out the truth before taking action."

That was a telling line and she grit her teeth. "Someone ordered you to kill them?" He shrugged again, but she couldn't tell which was a lie and which was truth. She felt like he was stringing her along, pulling at her emotions and playing with them as he spun the story. Erika was a researcher at Morgenroete. If they were working on anything, she would have said something. Hell, it could help her son so she might even be a head researcher on the project. But FS seemed so sure of himself, his shoes tapping against the floor as he circled her. He was confident and as he passed near her right side, the realization hit her, her reaction surprising her. Instead of fear or anger, her stomach convulsed, the muscles cramping into the only other thing she could possibly feel.

Laughter.

It was small at first, just one little spittle that turned into outright hysteria the moment her hand went to cover her lips. Her parents? Funding genetic research? But why? They had disowned their daughter a long time ago, locked her away for over year and then did nothing when she ran away other than exiling her from her own country. Those rumors held no facts, surely, but they were juicy; juicy enough for FS to believe them and believe them to the point where he was willing to kill them and take over the research. No, take over the country and that was the most absurd thing of all.

"S-seriously?" she stammered, her psyche probably the only one in the room with any idea about why she was so hysterical. FS was one individual with a dead organization in his wake. Eclipse had yet to see anyone else from his team and FS was someone who flaunted his control, but there was no one around except Stray—the one person who followed him no matter what. Everyone else was gone. FS was none other than a man. Not special and not impressive, but he wanted to be and the laughter bubbled up through Eclipse's lips again.

"Your parents' death is really that amusing?" FS asked, his feet slowing at her outburst.

"Oh, Helmaya help me, you're just so delusional!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "For the longest time, FS, I had seen you as a friend who had lost his way—even a threat. You had your little organization, your crusade for stopping this war under your guise of self-importance, but now I see you for who you really are." She straightened as her laughter slowed, her fingers brushing another tear from her eyes. "Januarias Four didn't shape you; it broke you just like it broke the rest of us. You were nothing there and you're nothing outside of it, but you really want to be something, don't you?"

His lips slipped into a frown and the redhead could see his confidence falling off in flakes. The laughter may not have been enough to strip him of everything, but it had definitely twisted a knife into a sore spot.

"My parents weren't working on anything," she continued. "You can't copy my curse or control it. You're nothing more than someone who felt important, but was proven wrong at every turn and now you think this is your way back—the moment to prove your worth and bring me back under your spell in the same breath." She snorted, her feet starting to trace his same path along the floor, FS now in the middle of her own circle and she smirked.

"There was a time, Revelin, that I needed you—I revered you, and you loved it, didn't you? If the special girl wanted you, that must've meant you were special as well. But you've realized it, haven't you? Your organization is gone, your status in the war rising to nothing more than an annoyance or a footnote to either army. You haven't aspired to anything and you're only play is mind games with me—hoping to spark that spell again."

"Is it so hard to believe your parents might have been wanting to save you?" FS spat, his demeanor chipping away at her words. "That project could have destroyed the Berserker as easily as copied it. Why do you think your parents were really going to see Tad Elsman? He has just as many ties to ZAFT research as the chairman himself. Going for Orb resources was a good cover, I'll give them that much, but it wasn't their real reason."

"You're bluffing."

"Am I?"

She smirked. "Yes, because even though you want to be special, you don't want to do it alone. You're stepping up and trying to show me that I don't have to be alone in this either—that you could even solve it for me, but it's not that easy. It's not even that probable." She gave an abrupt laugh, the sound echoed by the Berserker in the back of her mind. "I may have been infatuated with you in the past, but you've stopped being that person for me a long time ago. If I am to be saved, Revelin, or even need to be saved, it won't be by you."

She added some spite into the final "you" and even after he tackled her and wrapped both hands around her throat, she didn't regret it. He had been so swift she didn't even have time to react, but she wasn't so much surprised as she was disappointed. Is this all he was? Someone so desperate and ruled by his emotions?

They struggled on the floor, Eclipse's fingernails digging into his wrists as his legs straddled her hips. Heine was most likely still tied up with Stray because there was no way he would have let her struggle so long with FS, let alone let him even tackle her like that. She had neither the ability nor the desire to look back and find his position, but she did worry about him briefly before FS's tightening grip reminded her that she had to think of herself first. The pain from her nails was doing little against his grip. She hadn't found the right tendon and her strength was being sucked from her muscles quickly, so she had to switch tactics and reached down under her left armpit, freeing the knife hidden there against her skin underneath her bra strap. Cutting at his right arm on the way up, Eclipse watched him flinch and fade backwards, ready to let go and apprehend the knife.

Bang.

The sound was unfamiliar at first, and it wasn't until she saw the quick blip in her vision and hear the thud into the floor nearby did it finally register. Backup had arrived. Her defensive move must have thrown off the shot, calculating the bullet's trajectory to have either gone into FS's left shoulder or through his neck and she cursed. A damn good shot if she had chosen to be a damsel instead of a fighter, but because of her intervention, the bullet merely grazed the knot on his tie and took rest under the floorboards.

"Lexi!"

"Revelin, reinforcements!"

Both Heine and Stray yelled at the same time, but they sounded distant, the blood rushing back to her head as quickly as her breath. FS had released her at the shot, pushing off her and taking one final look at her before bolting towards the door in the back, left corner of the room in a zig-zag pattern. The sniper shot twice more before he disappeared through the threshold.

Her initial reaction was to start chasing after him, but Heine had reached her side, helping her to her feet and gripping her arm. Turning, she followed his fingers on her arm to his face and then down the length of his arm to the gun pointed at Stray. The chef was still near the table with a bloody nose, the red liquid still bright as it stained the front of his white jacket. His tongue went up to lick some from his upper lip, but his nose was definitely broken. Giving a short laugh he held up his hands and shrugged.

"What do you want me to do?" Heine asked after he let go of her arm and gave his full attention to Stray.

She thought it over for a moment, but, in the end, didn't have much time to referee the argument between her conscience and common sense. "If he tries anything, shoot."

"You mean I get a free pass?" Stray asked, but Eclipse was already running off barefoot after FS. She had just enough time to hear Heine's answer echo off walls, the classical music still playing softly in the background

"You'd better hope she gets him. I'd hate to be you if she comes back empty handed and berserk."

---

Eclipse felt blind. Not only had she been forced to rip off most of the gown's bottom half, but running around barefoot didn't exactly give her the gold medal for speed. If she had thrown on the shoes, she would have twisted an ankle by then, but at least she wouldn't have had to worry about the assorted debris littering the back alley.

Wincing, she slowed as she neared the end of the alley, having stepped on another unfortunate stone and she braced her hand against the wall as she leaned to the side, wiping the bottom of her foot against her shin to remove the pebble. If FS had moments of cowardice, it was because he knew there was no other way out. In those moments he would probably name his disappearance a tactical retreat, but somehow she doubted he would flee the satellite entirely, especially since he had gone through all the trouble of having her come there.

Flexing her fingers, her sweaty palms slipped against the metal in her right hand, the movement reminding her she still had one weapon in her hand. She had two others and she outright cursed, knowing she should have grabbed more weaponry. Too late now, she thought and slinked back against one wall.

She was able to see more than she expected, but it wasn't a pretty sight. With such a long alley, she had anticipated seeing skyscrapers and abandoned vehicles just beyond the exit, much like in Mendel. Instead, there was nothing; a layered cityscape grounded down to pebbles no bigger than her head. This was the end of the colony's civilization then—the end of the snow globe, as it were and she frowned. She had figured there was barren landscape beyond the hall, but her mind never fathomed nothing and she flinched, the artificial rumble of mimicked thunder sounding above her head. So, the weather systems were still functioning then. Some colonies spun circles, end over end in order to keep the gravity consistent. So, looking up to see buildings in the sky was normal. This one, however, spun sideways to accommodate the fake weather. There was another rumble and she felt the first raindrop among many, the colony raining down on her with its dirty, recycled water and she shut her panting lips, doubting the water to be as clean as it would have been in a fully functioning satellite.

Her ears seemed to shrink as she strained to listen, knowing FS couldn't have gotten far. The raindrops increased within seconds, deafening her to any potential footsteps and she tensed, holding her blade out in front of her as she walked sideways to peer out around the wall and still keep an eye on her weak side. She didn't want to lean out too far, but she wasn't left with much choice, the rain now reducing her visual distance as much as her hearing. Still, it didn't take much and her instincts had been solid, the black shape waiting near where she had poked her head out.

Bringing the knife up high, she tried blocking the attack to her face, but such a small blade was no match for the hand-sized rock leading the punch. Her knife slipped across the stone's surface, forcing her right arm across her body and throwing her off balance. The punch continued its path, however, scraping across her forearm and up into her shoulder. The pain was instant and she twisted as much as she could to roll the punch away, spinning her left leg around to catch her attacker in the right side. She hit body, but couldn't judge the severity of the wound with her own body groaning.

Regaining some footing, she jumped back, quickly switching the blade into her left hand before her numb fingers made her totally weaponless. Her back hit the wall again and she felt the rain stop, but the sound was deafening and she shook her head once, hair flapping away what rain she could to help focus. It didn't take a genius to know she had just stepped under an overhang, but it did take one to try and decipher the creative string of swear words flipping behind her teeth.

"Glad to see you've gotten better."

FS's voice had startled her despite her knowing it was him all along. He was in front of her, still standing in the rain and his tuxedo all manner of soaked. His hair was plastered against his head, but one thorough swipe from his free hand wiped it out of his heated, manic eyes after he also took refuge under the overhang. The rock was missing from his right hand and her eyes flickered to the empty hold briefly, the sight making her shoulder throb, but she breathed through it.

"Really, it's more of a testament to the Berserker. Did you know your eyes faded just as you parried?"

"A trick of the rain, most likely."

"You believe that?" He took a step closer and was well within range of her knife. Despite the attack being obvious, she took advantage of his closeness, stabbing out and aiming for his abdomen, but he caught her wrist and twisted, pulling himself closer. "I wonder what it'd be like to have that kind of thing inside of me."

His wording made her shiver and it had nothing to do with the chill against her wet back. "You know nothing about it; you're romanticizing this way too much."

"Am I?" he asked and leaned in, his fingers digging into the soft tendons of her wrist, but she still held onto the blade and his confidence flickered into a short growl, pulling her arm back across her body and pinning her arm against the wall. She winced, her right shoulder still throbbing and her left now out at an awkward angle, but the hiss of pain had helped his grin return, FS shifting to her right side and leaning his elbow against the wall, just above her head. His face was there, centimeters from her nose and she felt his breath hot against her cheeks.

If she could, she would have forced him back, but his right hand still gripped her left and with one side of her body still banged up, she didn't have good enough footing to swat him away. She really wished she could, however, because his balance was even worse than hers, legs staggered as they continued shuffling closer to her against the wall. A headbutt might do the job nicely, but if she couldn't follow through, he had a clear shot at her.

"Alright then, you tell me what it's like. Better yet," he continued, leaning in and her breath caught. Thanks to his height, his hipbones cradled her abdomen and one thigh brushed on the outside of hers, but it didn't arouse her so much as piss her off. He was looking down on her and she felt every bit of weight from that sensual stare, but not even his coo of, "Show me," could seduce her to do anything more than retaliate.

"Back off!" she hissed, chancing the headbutt and aiming for his left cheekbone, but she clipped his jaw and nothing else, the one act of defiance being rewarded with a gurgling laugh. The move had forced him back, but only just, his body still connected with hers, but she no longer had the surprise of a headbutt and she cursed, changing strategy.

"I said," she stressed, spitting at his face, "back off!" The saliva had worked as a distraction and even though it didn't hit anything of significance, FS flinched. Swinging her dead arm in his direction, she aimed for his ribs, and while she had little feeling in the limb other than pain, she knew there was enough strength there to at least wound him so her fingers balled into a fist. She made a solid hit on his lower ribs before the arm fell back down to her side and she grunted. The pain was almost enough to make her lose focus, but the adrenaline was beginning to numb her, the Berserker opening the door in the back of her mind and taking over in a triumphant laugh.

"You want me to show you?" Eclipse cooed and she spit again, this time hitting him in the eye as he was trying to recover from her punch to his ribcage.

The grip on her left wrist loosened and she shook off the hold, repositioning the blade and stabbing it upwards into FS's right forearm. It wasn't deep, but it was crippling, the blade angling down his arm and cutting a line from just below the wrist to his elbow. His cry was glorious and the Berserker laughed, ramming her bad shoulder into his chest and forcing him stumbling backwards.

For once, she didn't gloat—didn't say anything and advanced on his struggling form, pulling the blade back across his body near his chest and catching the edge of his jacket. Her right arm was swinging uselessly, the first attack having done far more to the nerves in the limb than she had originally thought. The left one was all she needed, however, bobbing around his poor defense and stabbing once into his shoulder then his side. Her aim was for his chest next and he brought both arms up to block, his right still a bloody mess and she smirked. His form was poor and he knew it too, the frustration evident on his face even before it was skewed the moment they stepped back into the rain.

His body entered the downpour first and she followed swiftly after, but he had used what was supposed to be a small distraction as a much bigger one. While her attention was focused on her killing blow, his forehead shot forward and met her right cheekbone. The blade still slid forward, puncturing his chest, but not deep enough to stall him. His poor defense had been enough to elude her stab and now he had turned the advantage, the blow to her cheekbone leaving her staggering and reminding the Berserker that being too ambitious was dangerous. FS's right elbow came in high from her left and she managed to bob, but the mixture of rain and blood had flown onto her face and she hesitated a moment too long. By the time she had regained her footing, FS had grabbed his piece of concrete and was already mid-swing.

Not even the Berserker could defend against unconsciousness.

---

A/N: Hey guys, I'm so exhausted… I'm not entirely sure why because I know I've been working a lot lately, but I shouldn't be this down. Posting this chapter is a huge relief and a huge weight off my mind. I don't know why I was so nervous for this chapter, but I think it had a lot to do with the whole FS vs. Eclipse thing. I have to finish that up soon and I was getting ulcers just thinking about it. (Pretty image, eh?) Anyway, it's finally out. There is an area or two I felt myself cringe and roll my eyes (maybe you all felt the same) but—whether we like to admit it or not—it needed to be in there.

Heine came back in this chapter! (Just in case you didn't read it all and noticed him in there.) It was fun to start writing him again, especially since Eclipse and he get along so much better now than how they used to. He doesn't feel the need to be overly flirtatious or his blunt silliness. Sure, that probably has something to do with exhaustion and the war effort, but I like to think it's because of their developing friendship.

Originally, I was going to have it be Namarra and Eclipse vs. FS and Stray, but I'm glad some people pushed me toward a different group of people. While Namarra is included in the gang, it's nice to see another tag team on the attack. If anything, it's also refreshing to see the soldiers interacting and working together with so many different people. Flexibility on the battlefield only adds to the idea that they can all work together. Adds to the "peace" idea, I guess.

Oh, funny thing too. I doubt anyone here read/reads my "Other Worlds" story, but I have gotten a huge craving to start writing that again. I think it has to do with the audio books I found on three books in one of Pierce's quartets. (Hm, did that make sense?) Anyway, that probably has something to do with it. Going back to reading it, however, now I just want to rewrite it! Probably gonna end up like my Beyblade story. Gah, I have to start writing that one again too... Ugh, how do you people handle writing so many stories at once? Must have a lot of time on your hands.

And now I'm babbling. So, thanks for all the support, especially from my own killer teammates Death-Scimitar, CSSStravag, and Maderfole. I'd hate to meet us all in a dark alley at once.

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Corrections to the Narrative:

As far as I can tell, there are no corrections or timeline alterations at the time. Most of what I added to the story is speculation of what I assumed was happening at that time in the SEED world.

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Questions/Gripes:

Tristraim: Thanks for the Heine idea. To be honest, I wasn't going to throw him in until near the end, but I like this idea better. Score one for reviews!

(This is kind of in response to Orange, but I'm sure others have had similar concerns.) Deciding when and where to have the Berserker come out and make havoc is hard. There are some moments, that the second personalities might seem justified, but—at the same time—I don't want to keep reiterating the drama that goes along with it every time. That being the case, I also don't want to make it look like neither Namarra nor Eclipse can take care of herself in battle without the Berserkers' help. As we should all know by this time, that's not the case. So, a little creativity goes a long way for those girls even if they don't have their insane halves dictating their every move. I love writing the two both in and out of Berserker mode mainly because they're so resourceful. That might come down to the fact that I know little to nothing about military machinery so the basic things in life have a little more of an "umpf" in this story.

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Thanks again for all the support and it's great to see new reviewers popping up from time to time. All comments are appreciated, so keep it up! See you next chapter.

Strata