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)

56. Bitch Doctor

Update: Tweaked/rewritten January 2022.

Bitch Doctor

"She went after FS," Heine explained again, linking his arms across his chest as he pulled at his collar. Stray was bound, Dearka offering to take over as watchdog so Heine could talk to Namarra and Athrun, but there seemed to be ulterior motives to the generosity, the blond's eyes icy as they stared at the chef. Dearka had finally gotten a chance to see the face of someone who had killed his father and he was making sure everyone knew how grateful they should feel that he didn't shoot Stray outright. Heine was still in his tuxedo, a stark contrast to the three backup who wore nondescript pilot suits each, their helmets clipped at their waists and their long-range rifles slung across their backs.

"It's her personal business anyway," Heine went on.

"True, but what's the point of backup if we're not backing her up?" Athrun asked, his face contorting in frustration. Namarra had been watching him rub a line across the back of his neck for a good fifteen minutes by that time and she frowned, pulling at the strands of her own hair as she finished braiding it over her left shoulder. "She hasn't even reported in yet that little—"

"Just let her do her thing," the Natural interrupted, tired of playing referee for the two redcoats. They hadn't even been officially introduced and already they wanted to throttle each other. She knew little about Heine other than what Eclipse had briefed her on, but was certain he always had Eclipse's good interests at heart, even if that involved her going off on her own to chase a psycho killer. He trusts her, Namarra decided, her eyes drifting over to Athrun as she finished the last twist on the hairband. And he needs to do it a little more.

"Okay, I'm all against 'overreacting' as well, but it's been close to an hour since we saw her run off." Dearka repositioned himself to see the small group and Stray at the same time, shifting the rifle strap over her shoulder. "Even I have to admit that goes beyond the limits of courtesy."

Namarra nodded slowly and looked down at Stray sitting on the floor, his white jacket still stained with the blood from his nose, but Heine had clogged that wound a while ago, the bloody napkins on the floor nearby evidence of the honorable gesture. No one had second-guessed Heine and Eclipse's reasoning for keeping the chef alive, but looking at him now, she only saw him as a hindrance. Stray had never shown a homicidal streak in the past and even now he looked content with his hands strapped behind his back, but that was more curious than convenient. He had spewed everything he knew about FS's plan, which came out a bit too easily for Namarra's liking. If she was a betting person, she would bet he had ulterior motives, but that was the thing, the Natural was pretty sure his ulterior motives were to get caught and stay caught.

Still, two people would have to stay with him just in case FS circled back and Stray had a change of heart. Two on two was a fairer fight than two on one so that would leave the remaining two searching the grounds by themselves. Really, there wasn't a lot of ground to cover—seeing as most of it was leveled—but it would be unwise to split up. Knowing how long Eclipse had been gone, time wasn't exactly a luxury.

After getting Heine's attention, she gathered up Athrun as well and kept her voice low as they huddled up. "Alright, who's going to stay with Dearka?" Namarra jutted a thumb behind him towards the blond.

"Well, we've all had some field training, I'm assuming." Heine extended a hand to them and they introduced themselves. If he noticed Athrun's name, he didn't show it, most likely in the know about the Three Ship Alliance's crew after having been in ZAFT's military intelligence and Eclipse never failing to keep him in the loop.

Namarra continued, "Just a matter of picking straws, I think."

They all nodded slowly, no one saying anything for a good three seconds until Heine spoke up again. "Well, are either of you uncomfortable handling her when she's berserk?"

Each frowned in turn. The thought had most likely crossed all their minds, but Heine was the only one able to ask the query out loud. Namarra had seen Eclipse at her worse, so she knew how to handle her even if she didn't particularly enjoy the experience. She wasn't entirely sure of Heine's solidity, but if Eclipse trusted him, she could too. Athrun, on the other hand, was the iffy one. Yes, he had been on a team with her, but Namarra had yet to see what he was like around Eclipse when she was completely unstable. Bickering with the redhead was one thing, but being at the end of her wrath for real was another and she took a deep breath, ready to voice her concerns about Athrun, but Heine spoke up first.

"Alright, alright, I can take a hint. I'll stay here and you guys play hero." He held up a hand to stop any arguments and stretched as he pivoted to return and take position near Stray and Dearka, even bending down to grab his recoated pilot suit from the bag near the table.

Namarra couldn't help but smile and nodded at Athrun. "Together? Or split up?"

"Together. No point in having two people to track down," he responded then pointed to the back door and to the right.

"Just what I was thinking."

---

Eclipse felt like Lathan. Her eyes were open, but she saw nothing. Her memory was working well enough despite the throbbing pain ebbing from the right the side of her head. Given the situation, she had expected a bag or a blindfold, but she felt nothing across her eyes and her breath didn't bounce back to her in a warm puff. She took a deep breath just to make sure, but the diagnosis was the same.

Next, she tested her feet and was surprised to feel they were not tied, and with no brush of wind near the end of her dress, she knew the air was dead. In a closed space of some kind, most likely. Despite her blindness, however, she felt hollow. Or—more accurately—she felt like she was in a hollowed area. Not claustrophobic, so it was larger than a refrigerator box, but definitely enclosed.

Shit.

She knew FS wasn't stupid. After his display earlier, she may have called him a masochist but clearly smart enough to see when the Berserker was on a war path. She had gotten greedy and plunged forward without thinking of the consequences, which pissed her off. Typical of the Berserker, but it seemed so elementary she felt stupid.

Wiggling her arms, she could tell the rope was tight, but it was wrapped too many times; so much so, in fact, it felt heavy. There was one strand dangling near her fingers, which moved quite freely as she tugged on it and the whole thing just seemed half-assed. Knowing FS was cocky, but not careless, it could really only mean he was injured.

Hah, no doubts there, she mused. While his defense was smart, it wasn't painless. Most likely, he had tied the rope one handed since she had gotten in some good shots to his forearms. That boded well for her. Well, sort of. She winced, her right shoulder complaining about her struggling and she gave a quiet curse, knowing she wasn't exactly doing well herself.

"If you buried me alive," she croaked, clearing her throat once before continuing, "then I should thank you for the extra-large coffin." Her voice bounced and rattled back to her, giving the impression of a metal interior and she took note, but that was all she could do. She was gathering a lot of information from her surroundings, yet knew nothing of her current situation. "Or if you planned on just releasing me into space, go for it. It's getting a little stuffy in here."

"Even bound and concussed you're still a cocky bitch. Amazing." FS's voice didn't make her jump, which either that meant, deep down, she knew he was there or she really didn't care what happened next.

"I try," she responded, offering a shrug and hated herself for it, the sharp pain reminding her that her body wouldn't be able to hold up to the sharpness of her retorts.

"I have six other SIN-ED members in here with me. You sure you want to keep waving that tongue?"

Slowing her breath, she listened. FS shifted in the corner to her left, a droplet of either sweat or blood sprinkling to the floor with that same motion. Based on the smell, it could have been either, but she heard no other sounds. She didn't doubt SIN-ED's ability to keep still in a room, but the air didn't feel suffocating enough to have more than two people in the room and that was the information she clung to. FS had shifted against a wall and that wasn't more than ten feet in front of her. In that small of an area, she would have noticed a group of stinky predators.

"You're bluffing."

"You think so?" His tone was sharp, not as cocking as it had sounded the moment before and she took note of that as well. FS's calm and confident guise was gone, replaced by something that sounded desperate and pained. "Well, no matter how many lies you make yourself believe it only takes one bullet to silence you and a couple of my friends to kill yours."

Despite the threat, she sighed. "And why would you kill me when you just glorified my existence not too long ago? How is my dead body gonna get what you want?"

He didn't respond right away, but she did hear a distinct beep and the room shuddered. An engine whined into existence and small, yellow lights popped up around the lower edge of the room, not bright enough to exacerbate her headache, but enough to let her see FS. His arms were bloody from the recent barrage, the cuts still fresh beneath his stained white shirt. He had lost the jacket and his forehead showed the slick signs of a fever, though that could have still been left over from the rain. She still felt damp herself and a chill ran up her spine when a small, cool breeze did start circling the enclosure.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned into the corner to her left, ankles crossed as his lips slipped up into a grin. "There are many methods to getting what I want." He pushed off the wall, arms dropping back to his sides limply as he walked towards her. "Not even time is an enemy at this point."

Another shiver slinked from her shoulders to her knees, making her breathless and tense painfully before she could retort. The unnerving thing was, she wasn't scared. That cool air had brushed past again and she felt it more strongly that time.

The room was getting colder.

Reaching her seat, he braced both hands on the chair handles, blood dripping down onto her gown as he leaned in. His breath was hot and thick, her eyes twitching as he panted and she blinked them quickly, trying to move her head to the side every time he exhaled.

"I have in my pocket a drug that will stop your heart in minutes," he said cheerily. "And as you have probably already guessed, you are sitting in a freezer that will keep your body preserved until I figure out how to remake you. Or I get enough money to hand you off to someone who will."

Right, that answered that question, Eclipse thought slowly, using the humor to keep her focused. He was desperate then, unless this had been his end game all along. She suddenly understood why he had chosen the ballroom theme, knowing the tattered dress across her shoulders was doing little to keep her protected and she slid one foot over the other in an attempt to keep her toes warm.

"Flattering, I bet you say that to all the girls," she scoffed.

He had chosen his position well. For the most part, her kicking range was neither that high nor wide and in that kind of a dress, any kind of split kick was out of the question. Her knees could do a fair amount of damage, but she was still in no position to attack, and a simple rock proved her chair was bolted to the ground.

"Well, shit," she said, calculating her minimizing options and frowned at his cocky grin as he waited quietly during her assessment.

"Realize you're screwed?" he mocked, but she shrugged, remembering to only use her good shoulder that time.

"Hm, I vaguely remember it feeling better."

He laughed, but somehow she doubted it was from her joke. "Hah, you're strapped to a chair. Even in the limited light you can at least see that."

"Ah, and in any other circumstance that might've been romantic."

Her humor was only amusing to her, it seemed, because he didn't respond, pushing back instead of giving a following retort and standing calmly in front of her, but she noticed the distance. He was just within her range and she had to fight to keep the smirk from her lips.

"So, what are you going to do to me after you freeze me? I doubt I'd make a good sculpture." There was movement in his shoulders as if he was going to shrug, but she didn't let him. Sliding her butt forward, she slouched down in the chair and kicked out as hard as she could manage, aiming for his knees.

Unfortunately, her heels connected with air, confirming that he wasn't as stupid as he let on and she cursed. He matched her cuss then made a move towards her and his pocket at the same time. Veering to her left, she saw the syringe in his hand as he took a couple small steps to make it to her side and put a hand on her head. His cold fingers dug into her hair as he pushed forward, exposing her neck and Eclipse swallowed. She tried to resist, even pleaded to the Berserker to come back through the door in the back of her mind, but she was at FS's mercy.

"Oo-ee, Oo-ah-ah, Ting, Tang, you gotta phone call."

Both of them froze, the vibration from his phone accenting the ringtone.

"Oo-ee, Oo-ah-ah…" it began again, but FS's curse and the blood rushing to Eclipse's ears drowned out the remainder of the tune. It sounded like Stray's voice but someone else joined the chorus and another started beat-bopping in the background. She had a pretty good idea who had reprogrammed his ringtone, but not even a phone call could save her at that moment. Unfortunately, unexpected ringtones—no matter how obnoxious—didn't bother this particular psychopath.

It might have been hard to see in the dim room, but FS's aim had been true, hitting the artery no matter how she squirmed and her mouth opened in a silent cry, the cool liquid slithering down her neck. The injection itself wasn't painful, but he continued jamming the needle hard into her skin, the base of the syringe digging into the muscle and her cry changed to an audible curse. He was either trying to be thorough or basking under the fake security of the idea because the needle continued digging into her skin long after she thought the liquid was gone, but somehow that was the least of her problems at the moment.

Finally, he did remove the needle, FS making some kind of triumphant noise and laughed, throwing the syringe onto the floor. His phone rang again just as it bounced off the floor and this time FS answered the call.

She recognized Stray right away. "Y'ello, what'cha doing?"

"Did it—Jaeger, I did it!"

Shit, Stray was loose too?

Breathe, she thought, trying not to think about her poor decision in keeping the chef alive and more about the drug racing to her heart.

---

Heine held the phone to Stray's ear as Dearka remained on his perch. The chef knew he wasn't going anywhere and—to be honest—he didn't want to. Captured or no, he was still with Eclipse's party.

As long as she was still alive.

FS's words startled the other two; he could feel them tense. He had explained enough of the plan to help out the others, but that was pointless if FS had already executed it, which was what he gathered from the exclamation.

"So, now what?"

"Just get the hell out of here, I suppose. We don't have the equipment to remove this container yet."

"But we don't have a transport," Stray lied, looking at each of his captors in turn. "Lexi's comrades took it out; at least that's the only explanation."

"We—wait—what?" FS sounded upset and after a remark like that one, Stray couldn't blame the outrage. The plan was working out until that apparent hiccup and Stray started wringing his fingers together behind his back.

"We'll have to take theirs then," FS decided after further pause. "It's our only option."

"Yes, the only option," Stray repeated and looked up at Heine. He was frowning hard, no doubt a string of curses echoing in that skull of his. FS had managed to get the drug into her system and even though no one knew the exact affect it would have on a Berserker, Eclipse was still human. And a non-beating heart amounted to the same thing in every person.

Dead.

---

Eclipse took another deep breath and focused. Sticked or not, she wasn't just going to wait to rot. FS was enjoying his gloating, pacing and jumping around the room as if she was already cold and rigid. If he continued breathing so fast his lungs were going to freeze, but at the moment she actually appreciated his hyper activities. His hot air was keeping her warm.

As she had determined before, her bonds were merely tied multiple times, not tight, per se. Her hands were more towards her right side, wrapped around the chair spoke, which was uncomfortable, yes, but usable. Glancing up at FS again, she began sawing her hands back and forth, her shoulders moving with the effort and it hurt, but she had to hold out. FS already had the upper hand, but she wouldn't only be disappointing herself if she just waited for death.

Luckily, her kidnapper seemed too self-absorbed to be paying her much attention so she upped the momentum as much as she could, pulling her wrists apart at the same time and biting her lip to hold in the painful grunts as the ropes slowly loosened.

"Where are you now?" FS asked, his face still showing his frantic delight, but she noticed his injured arm lay almost useless at his side, the blood dripping a line on the floor as it followed his pacing.

Eclipse couldn't hear the response, but based on how FS reacted, it wasn't a positive answer for the good guys.

"So, you got away?" There was a pause as Stray responded. "Good. We have to get to ZAFT's weapon ASAP."

Her pace quickened when she heard the mention of a weapon because that made her nervous for her comrades. How had none of their contacts shared information on it before? Swallowing, she tried to steady her own breath in an attempt to keep her heart rate down, but she wasn't only sawing her wrists, she was beginning to shiver as well. Her heart rate was high and while she knew she should stop her antics in order to slow the drug's progression, she also knew she would be right back to where she had started.

Stuck.

The ropes finally started to loosen, her hands parting enough that one, good, dislocated thumb would get her free and hearing the conversation ending, she had no other choice.

Wincing, she pulled out her left hand first, twisting her body and shaking the fingers hard. The quick flick did nothing for her thumb, but she didn't have much time to worry about it. The other hand almost free, she twisted around the chair back and undid the rest of the tie.

Of course, FS noticed her by then.

He dropped the phone and lunged at her wildly, but Eclipse finally had both hands free and was rising to her feet next to the chair. In her left, she snagged one end of the rope, but the other end had knotted against the back of the chair and she had just enough time to curse before he was on top of her again. She fell back and groaned, her middle and neck tensing in time to save her head from hitting the ground, but she wasn't really in a great position. His knees straddled her hips and his arms were at her sides, her only saving grace being that bad right arm that had thrown him off balance.

She took advantage of that immediately, groaning as she shifted her right knee up and forced as much energy as she could into her right side to toss him off her and back into the chair. The plan had worked and his spine hit the metal, but the throw had been short, the only groan of pain coming from his already injured arm now crumpled beneath his full weight.

She didn't have long and for the first time in a while, she felt herself panic. The feeling rushed up her chest as she scrambled to get into a better position, holding the rope tight as she put her knees near his head and wrapped the roped once around his neck.

FS grabbed at the hand nearest to him, his fingers wrapping around her right wrist and she paused to look down at him. His eyes showed nothing but rabid anger and his mouth opened in a growl as he tried pulling himself up to get closer to her, but her panic heightened and she grasped both sides of the rope wrapped around his neck and shuffled backwards. The rope grew taut, one side still tied to the end of the chair and his body jerked, causing him to release a strained cry as his feet scrambled to get traction under him.

The grip on her wrist loosened briefly before he tightened it again and she gave a cry of her own, her shoulder sending a wave of hot pain up into her head and then down into her chest. It froze her for just a split second before she bit her bottom lip and shuffled her own feet out in front of her.

"L-Lexi!" he gasped, and somehow him saying her name forced her panic level even higher. Out; she needed to get out and the only way she could do that was with FS dead.

The tops of her feet scraped across the floor as she positioned them on his shoulders, her dress riding high up onto her thighs as she held tight to the rope and pulled again, this time pushing with her feet as well. He yelled, the sound deafening in the metallic chamber and she yelled with him. Her shoulder ached, her thumb ached, her head was on fire and in that moment, she felt her heart skip for the first time, leaving her breathless and weakened. She didn't have the strength to snap his neck, so she just held on, willing the grip in her right hand to hold steady as she pulled the rope tighter across his windpipe.

Her strength was leaving, her heart beating too fast, and she was starting to get dizzy, the room becoming distorted through her efforts, but she had held out long enough. FS's struggling had slowed, the gurgling coming from his bruised windpipe a mixture of blood and air that echoed in the enclosed space, turning the stale air into something a little more rancid. Coughing once at the smell, her heart skipped a beat and she gasped, but still held on, waiting for the moment when FS finally stilled.

She felt it before she heard it, his shoulders slumping against the balls of her feet. At first, she just thought it a ruse and held on for a few moments longer, but the only panting now in the room was her own.

Letting go finger by finger, she rolled to the side and shuffled forward to see him. Purple-faced and eyes bulging, the leader of SIN-ED was no more, but she had to make sure. Had to know this nightmare was finally over. Sitting back on her heels, she reached out to check the pulse at his neck and felt the Berserker's toothy grin in the back of her mind rise in triumph.

FS was finally dead.

The relief was instant, but it was cut short, another skip of her heart sending her eyes around the room to look for an exit and she found it above her, about five meters up and the ladder folded up beside it with the string dangling just out of reach from her sitting position.

If she could get to her feet, she could grab it and get out of there, but her body was complaining so much she wasn't sure she could move. Her right shoulder was numb, her head a throbbing mess, and her breath now visible in front of her face. She knew she had to move—willed herself to do it, but her eyes weren't on the hatch or FS anymore. They had slinked back to the floor and her head tilted to the side as she tried to comprehend the object on the ground.

The phone.

FS must have left the call open because the screen was glowing white, numbers counting down across the cracked surface and Eclipse reached for it. It was almost cruel that Stray would have heard what had been happening.

Her shaky fingers grasped the sides of the device, bringing the microphone up to her quivering lips as she stammered through the words, "S-Stray, you s-still there?"

There was no response, but the gentle breathing was sign enough he had been listening in.

"H-he's dead, Stray," she said and his breathing turned into a long sigh.

There was a short pause, Eclipse cradling the phone against her ear as her body began to shiver, but his words helped warm her up. "You have two coming your way. Good luck, Lexi." He ended the call.

Staring at the phone, she watched the screen go black then felt another breathless sign the medication was kicking in. Her skin dripped water, her body temperature rising even though her breath still puffed clouds inside the cold room. It seemed a poor plotline to just have her die after doing all of that work to kill FS, but there was no way she could gather up enough strength to hoist herself to that ladder and open it. Looking sideways at FS's prone body and then up at the exit, she screamed a curse and emptied the last of her energy by throwing the phone at the ceiling, having only a couple seconds to savor the falling debris until everything went white.

---

Namarra fixed the defibrillator on her back, shifting it further up her shoulder as she bent over to look at the rubble, vaguely noting that it must have rained recently. She had—reluctantly—agreed to leave Heine with her rifle as she went off hunting for her comrade and while the backpack was a comfort in its stead, she wished she had taken more firepower with her other than the one 9mm at her hip. Athrun and she had agreed to stick together, noticing the vast expanse beyond the inner city once they had left Heine and Dearka. The port they had originally come in from had much the same layout as the one Eclipse had come in, just a bit more desolate. There were frames for stores, but they were all empty. It had been an easy trek, but not even they had anticipated the vast nothingness they were now tracking through.

Sighing, she stood back up and put her right hand to her ear. "Chicabo, give me the coordinates again."

"You're standing on it. I don't know what more you need to know."

Namarra grumbled at the metallic response, but couldn't blame the CA too much. After all, the Natural was the one getting nervous. Dearka had relayed what FS had said on the phone and despite knowing Stray was still on the phone, there was no other sound of voices in their vicinity.

"Anything?" she called over to Athrun who was well within eyesight and earshot.

"There's no indication anywhere!" he hissed, a frantic shuffling in the rocks ending up in more gravel and scrapes on his pilot suit that now traversed up to his elbows.

"Chicabo!" Namarra repeated and winced when the CA shouted back.

"I said you're there!"

Bang. Rustle. Bang. Crash.

Both of them held up a hand to silence each other, their eyes meeting across the barren expanse.

Bang. Screech.

They pointed to a spot between them, under a large chunk of debris and then nodded, Namarra's heart beating fast and then rising into her throat when she heard two bloodcurdling screams.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Looking at each other, they nodded again with more conviction and Namarra cocked her 9mm, pointing down at the spot while Athrun found a metal pipe to wedge under the boulder and prop it up.

Bang. Click. Crash.

Thankfully, Athrun didn't have to put in much effort, the chunk of debris lifting and then tumbling harmlessly to the side. There was a metal shaft hidden under the debris, the cover layered under a veil of dirt that shuddered as they stared. Another crash sounded below and the screams were louder since moving the debris, but the longer they watched, the quieter the noises got. They were the sounds of a dying struggle and the two of them moved at the same time.

Unholstering his 9mm, Athrun held it in his left hand while he opened the hatch with his right. It was stubborn at first, but eventually gave and the smell hit their nostrils first as well as the breath of icy air. Dirt and smaller rocks fell over the sides, echoing off the hollow interior and despite the dim light shining up from below, he pulled out the flashlight from his side and peered it down into the hole.

The first thing the light graced over was FS's mess of a corpse, his bulging eyes staring up at them and Namarra shivered. The cold air hadn't stopped flowing out from the gap and she snorted through another shiver as she followed the light over to the other body in the room.

"Lexi!" they both shrieked, Namarra being the first one to holster her gun and unlatch the ladder hurry inside, narrowly missing the redhead when she dropped to the ground. Athrun landed near her, his heel digging into the nearby FS, but that particular corpse didn't care anymore.

She was lying on her side, a bruised a bloodied right shoulder below another bloody wound on her head, but those injuries would heal and Namarra quickly pushed her onto her back to check her pulse. Dearka had said FS had put the drug into her system, so they had little time, but the Natural didn't want to shock her if she was still alive. Her hand went to her neck, her skin moist but freezing and she slowed her panic to try and get an accurate reading.

No heartbeat.

"Start CPR," she ordered and slid the defibrillator from around her shoulder. Athrun didn't argue. Setting the gun to the side, he locked his fingers together and started pressing his hands down onto her chest.

Namarra pulled the zipper down the bag fully, exposing the device and flipping the battery on before pulling out two gel pads and paddles. She nodded to Eclipse's shoulders. "Pull the straps down to expose more of her chest."

Athrun looked up and frowned, but didn't argue, grabbing the offered pads and put them on her exposed skin, the burnt scars making her target area a little easier to find. She turned the dial.

"Clear!"

The first shock didn't work, but Namarra wasted no time in trying again.

"How long do you think she's been down?" Athrun asked, restarting the CPR as the machine recharged.

"Can't be sure, but I don't think she's been down for long. Clear!" Namarra announced again and Athrun pulled his hands back. Still nothing. She upped the voltage. "It's not like we have any medicine to counter that drug. This is all we got. Clear."

Nothing.

"C'mon!" Athrun hissed, bending over to breathe in her mouth before linking his fingers together again.

"Gods send you to Hell if you die on me! Clear!"

---

Heine tapped his foot impatiently. He had changed back into his spacesuit and despite being back in comfortable clothes, Stray had a feeling he was the most uncomfortable he had ever been. They had all heard what FS was saying on the phone and had even heard Eclipse's declaration regarding his death, but her situation was dire.

"Ugh, please stop that," Dearka groaned, sitting at the table with his right leg over his left and slouching in his seat, his fingers scraping against the tablecloth. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm sure you'd be nervous even without my twitching," Heine muttered, nodding to his hand.

"Fair enough," the blond grumbled and started tapping his fingers instead, but that wasn't much better.

Stray just stared at his captors, still sitting cross-legged on the floor. FS's death was predictable, but he never thought he would succeed at putting the drug into her system, or that the other Berserker had grabbed a defibrillator. It was a smart move and he was grateful for her intuition, but the machine was worth shit if they didn't get to her in time.

Staring at Dearka, Stray knew he would be getting the update first since he had been the one to relay the phone call, but the radio silence and their nerves were getting to him. It was pointless, he knew. How helpful would his fidgeting actually be?

He started biting on his lower lip anyway.

---

Eclipse hated the fact that she recognized the feeling. It was very similar to the time Namarra had zapped her before, the difference being she was a bit foggier, as if there was something she was trying to remember, but had no chance of recovering it.

Blinking twice, she heard voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She knew they were male and female, but despite the familiar inflections in their tone, the panic entered her system before her recognition. Where am I? she thought, the air gasping through her lips. When Namarra had awoken her the last time, she had come back to all the sadistic things her other half had done. Was this time going to be the same?

The voices increased in volume as their words became clearer, but her ascent back to consciousness was still sluggish, her body only able to focus on breathing before it could make sense of her other senses.

"Lexi!" the male voice hissed, but the exclamation was cut short, the direction of his words changing to another individual in the room. "We need to get her out of here."

"Obviously, but the only way out is through that hole. Do you think you can hoist her up?"

That voice she recognized instantly and Eclipse coughed once, interrupting the response to her query with one word. "Bitch," she croaked and coughed. Swallowing, she tried again. "You're a bitch."

"Thank you, I do think I'm liking this a bit too much," Namarra said, the grin evident in her tone. Eclipse's eyes fluttered until they finally opened, her vision blurry at first until it finally focused in on the familiar faces bent over her.

"You're alive too—oh, thank God you're alive," Namarra continued. "I didn't kill you all over again."

The redhead frowned and almost made a retort, but Athrun cut it. "How do you feel?"

She snorted, but thought about a reasonable answer to his question rather than a sarcastic remark. She flexed her toes first and while still cold, she was happy to feel them move. The assessment moved up her legs to her throbbing chest, even more painful right shoulder, until it stopped at her head and she closed her eyes in a wince. She was banged up but alive and she said as much, happy to hear Athrun give a relieved sigh.

"Thank Helmaya."

"We'll have to get you checked out when we get back," Namarra said and Eclipse had no energy to argue. In fact, she might gladly check herself in this time.

"Can you move?" Athrun began, putting a hand on her back to help her into a sitting position. "Sorry to cut this short, but we should be getting back. Who knows how many other SIN-ED members are out here?"

"None," both girls replied at the same time, Eclipse's coming out raspier than the Natural's.

"Regardless," he continued, "we should get back. Namarra, can you radio ahead?"

She nodded and pulled the gel pads from Eclipse's chest before dropping them into the bag and rose to walk a couple paces away.

Eclipse watched her for a couple moments before Athrun's concerned stare brought her attention back to him. "What happened?" she asked but he seemed out of it, his stare further off than in that small enclosure and he to snap to at her words.

Slowly color flushed into his cheeks and he smiled lightly. "Not now. Can you stand?"

"I can try."

Nodding, Athrun shifted to stand behind her and hooked his arms under her armpits. Her world began spinning immediately and they both paused, Athrun squatting at her back as her hand went to her forehead. Blinking a couple times, she tried to find something to focus on and ended up on the only thing in her line of view.

FS's corpse.

Really, she felt nothing. To her, it was just another body and a mission finally completed. If she was going to feel any kind of remorse, it would have to happen later because then she found enough energy to flick one, cold middle finger at the body and let Athrun help her to her feet.

---

It was a combination of teamwork and cursing that got Eclipse up through the hatch. Athrun led the way and would often reach down to grab the redhead's hand, pulling her up rung by rung as Namarra lingered below and helped as needed. Eclipse's problems involved her arms, not her legs, but she was cold. Her bare feet were still numb and it wasn't until her wet, chilled hair hit the recycled air of the satellite that she started to warm up.

Neither Athrun nor Namarra had brought a medical kit so her wounds would remain for the time being, but the Natural did pause to create a makeshift sling for her right arm and shoulder. She cut off the strap to the backpack, cradling and then tying the strap above her injured shoulder, Eclipse cursing through the whole affair, but she had to admit the pain began to lessen as soon as it was properly set up.

She just felt tired. Athrun had been the one to help her walk back to the ballroom, talking and shaking her each time her eyelids might have dropped too far down. They were all concerned about a concussion and she didn't blame them; she was pretty sure she had one too. Unfortunately, the nearest place to get her checked out was the Alliance and they still had a few things to work out before they could even think about returning.

The trio returned to the hall amid gasps, relieved sighs, and scolding. Athrun helped her to sit at the dinner table and Heine was there to fuss over her immediately. She vaguely noted he had changed and ran a ragged hand against her slung arm, wishing she had her pilot suit back on as well. In taters, the dress had been conservative enough to protect her honor, but the chill felt as deep as her bones and she tried to give a confident smile when Heine asked how she was.

"Fine," she responded and shook her head slowly at his frown. "Honestly, I could be worse."

The singer snorted and rose from his squat, walking away from her for a brief moment before she felt the heavy fabric of his tuxedo jacket fall around her shoulders. Her voice was weak when she thanked him, her attention having coursed from her condition and over to the bloodied chef sitting, bound on the floor. His face looked as ragged as she felt and she leaned forward out of the chair, landing on her knees and shuffling to sit on her feet in front of him.

"Y-you didn't escape?"

Stray shrugged, smiling but there was no happiness in his eyes. "Where would I go?"

"Anywhere, Stray," she breathed. "You could've always gone anywhere."

His smiled grew higher but it was sad. "This is the only place I could be, Lexi. You know this."

"What do you want to do, Lexi?" Heine asked, his voice somewhere behind her and she saw Stray's attention move to him briefly, but it returned to her with a shrug.

Despite his association with SIN-ED, Eclipse had always struggled equating him with anything they had done. Even her parents' deaths didn't seem to be resting on his shoulders and she took a long look at him, the others—thankfully—waiting patiently for her response. Stray had always been a follower, even more so than her and she couldn't help but wonder what he would be like should he have the chance to lead his own life.

But that's… naïve, she thought, knowing full well that even as a follower he was still subject to paying for the crimes he had committed. He was still part of a terrorist organization—still a member of a group who had killed others. In truth, the only difference between Eclipse and Stray was that she had been under the protection of ZAFT and she swallowed.

"So, what now?" Stray asked, puncturing her thoughts. "Am I to join Revelin?"

Her speech came sluggishly, a mixture of shock and relief about everything that had happened. Immediately, she wanted to say, "no," but stalled and stared at him a second longer. Shifting into a more comfortable position, she patted down her dress and snagged the opening of the jacket, holding it closed over her upper torso. "What do you want, Stray?"

"To eat and for you to call me Jaeger," he replied with a shrug.

"To live or die."

"Is that decision really up to me anymore?"

"It's always been your decision, Jaeger."

His smile was the same as when she had said a similar phrase previously and she frowned at how patronizing it felt. He had to have some kind of opinion and she repeated her phrase once more before the smile finally slipped down into something more honest and neutral.

"I don't think I want to die."

"So, what do you want then?"

He shrugged again and it was a slow movement, his eyes finally leaving hers to scan the others in the room. "Start over, I think. Is that possible?"

"It's worth a try," she said, nodding her head back to the others standing behind her. "That's what we're all trying to do. It hasn't been done yet, so the more who try, the more likely it'll happen, right?"

He laughed then, a quick burst of sound little more than air, but he had made his point. Eclipse smiled.

"Worth a try, huh?" he mused and his shoulders slumped. "I'd like a trip back to Januarias Four then, if you will."

"Huh?"

He smiled. "Best place to start over is where it all began, right?"

Eclipse frowned despite the promising proposition. She should be overjoyed he had chosen the healthier choice of the options, but somehow a part of her thought he would join their ragtag group. A bit too optimistic, it seemed, especially since there was high doubt the Three Ship Alliance would accept him. He must have noticed her distress because his smile grew fainter, as if he had been having the same thought process.

"You know I can't."

Without prompting, Heine walked around and unbound his hands, the chef getting to his feet and then extending a hand down to her. She took it, gathering her feet under her and catching the jacket before it fell off her shoulders.

"So, who gets to take me? I'm good company, honest." Stray held up one hand as the other made a cross over his heart. Eclipse smiled, but not all of her other comrades seemed as amused.

"You're letting him go?" Athrun asked, his arms folded over his chest. Dearka stood next to him in a similar manner showing his agreement with his comrade. Namarra looked as indifferent as she normally did and Heine stepped back to join them, but made no move to either defend her decision or argue against it.

"He has crimes against both space and the Earth. Not to mention he helped kill your parents and my father," Dearka added. Despite the accusations, the bite in his tone had fled. Either he had finally accepted his father's death or understood that killing Stray would do nothing more than waste another bullet.

"Who would we hand him over to then? ZAFT? Orb? Either way nothing's solved."

"What do you mean, Lexi?" Heine asked, his fingers now drumming a rhythm on his lower lip. "If you hand him in to ZAFT he would probably be silenced and whomever took him, would most likely get his—or her—status returned." He twisted to look at the former elites and saw them glance his way. While neither outright admitted their position on the matter, it definitely struck a chord. "And if you," this time he specifically pointed at Eclipse, "take him back to Orb for sentencing you'd get your citizenship."

"There's no guarantee—" Eclipse began, but Heine cut her off.

"You think I was in intelligence merely for the fun of it? I know who's in charge of Orb now and I'm sure they will brush the mishap under the carpet. No matter what you've done in the past, you are still Lexi Rymyr, an adjunct member of the Athha family, the current ruling family of Orb. Not to mention you're the daughter of martyrs in their eyes. To any government that would be the most glorious banner to be fighting under."

"The same for ZAFT," Namarra continued, catching on and looking at Athrun and Dearka specifically. "Y'know, I, personally, wouldn't mind another set of eyes inside the ZAFT army. All of this peacefulness is making me nervous. They're brewing something."

"I could say the same thing about the EA, Nam." Eclipse turned to look at her. "Stray would be a pretty feather in your cap as well. Maybe even get you back on the team with your brothers." The Natural didn't say anything, but she did shake her head, the sad admittance on her face making Eclipse's stomach sink. Before she could press further, Athrun spoke up.

"I was thinking Dearka should take him, actually."

"What?" Dearka exclaimed, his hands dropping to his sides in disbelief. "Why me?"

"You'd get a chance to get your life back, avenge your father, and at least tell your mother yourself you're alive."

"You think I have no other reason to stay here?" Eclipse could tell he was trying not to blow up and she commended him for that, the face of a particular brunette popping up in her mind's eye. So, they all had reasons to take Stray as a prisoner of war, to kill him, or just to let him go. Each decision came with its own set of contradictions and complications, but the longer they discussed their choices, the wearier she became. Reaching to her left, she braced herself on the table and sank back into the chair.

"He's just trying to be thoughtful," Heine said after he took a moment to glance in Eclipse's direction. "It would be your decision of course, but that's an option, Dearka."

The blond didn't respond right away, staring over at Athrun for a couple of seconds before twisting his attention at the floor. "It's like we're handing off a small victory no matter whom we give him to."

"And there's actually no guarantee either side would take mercy on him." Namarra looked over at Eclipse who had started rubbing her forehead. "Lexi, I think it's ultimately your decision, no matter what the rest of us may think."

The redhead looked up and at each of them, ending with Stray. He had just admitted he wanted to live. After all of this he still wanted to try for a normal life and that was commendable if not inspirational. Why should she deny him that, especially since they were all aiming to accomplish the same thing?

"I want him to live a life in Januarias Four. Can you all respect that?" There was a delay, but eventually they all nodded and she released a slow breath. "Thank you."

"Then he'll come with me," Heine announced. "I'm really the only one able to roam space freely and not many would question my authority. We can put him in Lexi's pilot suit to avoid suspicion."

Stray visibly cheered up and Eclipse found a smile as well. "Thank you," she mouthed, catching his eye, but not wanting to distract him while he went over some things with Stray. Heine winked as he talked and put an arm over the chef's shoulders, pulling him close and leaning down to snag the bag with her redcoated suit.

"Oh, Heine," Eclipse added quickly before they could get too far away. "FS mentioned a ZAFT weapon. Do you know anything about it?"

He looked to think about it for a second, but eventually shook his head. "I'd have to do some digging."

"Jaeger?" she asked next but he just shrugged.

"Revelin had been keeping things to himself lately. We were supposed to head over there after here, but he wouldn't even tell me the coordinates. I'm afraid I won't be of much help."

She smiled despite the letdown. "That's okay. Thanks."

"Lexi," Namarra said, walking over to her and holding out a hand to help her up. "If things are done here, we should find you a new suit and get going. Since none of us have checked in with the TSA..." She swiveled to make eye contact with Athrun and Dearka who shook their heads.

"We probably should, to ease their conscious," Athrun finished.

"I will need someone to take one of the transports and drop Jaeger and I off at the rendezvous point," Heine cut in. "I can think of a good reason for an extra redcoat to be aboard my suit, but it's not exactly comfortable for long distances. Any added assistance would be greatly appreciated."

"I'll do it," Namarra offered, pulling Eclipse up and motioning for either Athrun or Dearka to help support Eclipse. "I'll even take you as close as I can just because I like you." Heine gave a soft chuckle and nodded his thanks.

Stray turned to Eclipse first, stepping back towards her and enveloped her in a one-arm hug, aiming for affection, but not wanting to injure her arm further. "Don't worry, I'll keep in touch," Stray whispered, planting a light kiss on her cheek before stepping back. Winking, he waved and walked away a couple of steps to let Heine say his goodbye.

"Man, he stole all my moves," Heine remarked, but pulled her into a tight hug nonetheless. "Thanks for keeping me in the loop," he muttered and bested Stray by kissing both of her cheeks. "Oh," he added just before they all split ways, "and the next time you want to hang out, let's just do coffee, okay?"

"Can't make any promises," Eclipse replied with a laugh and let Dearka help her walk towards the terminal, a new suit, and—finally—the Alliance.

---

Eclipse's exhaustion only worsened as the journey continued, turning her snippy on the ride back to the Three Ship Alliance, but the guys were determined to keep her talking. She needed to stay awake and she hated it, but they had good intentions so she tried her best to keep her grouchy level low.

She must have fallen asleep at one point though, because Athrun's voice awoke her from an odd dream, the redcoat speaking with DaCosta.

"Mission accomplished?" DaCosta asked while he punched something into the computer. If he was in charge of such menial things as docking, it meant Commander Waltfeld was at the helm and she opened her eyes slowly. She had drifted off then, her weightless body turned slightly to her right against the transport wall. She couldn't see much past the back of Athrun's chair and the side of Dearka's helmet, but she saw the corner of the screen on the front console, the colors changing occasionally as objects shifted across the screen.

"It was a success, yes," Athrun replied, but said nothing more and Eclipse found herself grateful. She hadn't wanted her business to be the gossip of the bridge and thankfully Athrun had caught onto that.

"Are you all alive?" It was Waltfeld that time, and she tensed, but immediately regretted it, her shoulder issuing a stabbing complaint.

Dearka heaved a heavy sigh before answering, thankfully not hearing Eclipse's hiss of pain from the back seat. "We're alive, yes, but Namarra is dropping off the remainder of our team and Lexi's banged up pretty bad."

"How bad?"

"Fairly bruised and mangled shoulder, most likely a concussion, and she was given a drug that stopped her heart for a minute or so."

Waltfeld hesitated a second before responding, but Eclipse's eyes had begun fluttering shut again, too tired to make out anything other than his words. "Make sure she stops in at the infirmary here on the Eternal," he ordered. "The Kusanagi's undergoing some upgrades right now so it's quieter here. I mean it, you two."

"Yes, sir," they both responded, the acknowledgement weary. She wasn't the only one tired and she felt the sleepy frown as her mind started slipping. Even if she had been the one in the direct danger the other two had held their own. Being back up didn't always mean they did the glorious stuff, but were still involved all the same and she felt bad then, promising herself to apologize later. She may have asked for their help, but she didn't utilize them as much as she should have.

And going off alone probably made matters worse.

Her mind finally drifted off and had a moment of deep sleep until Athrun shook her awake.

---

"We're keeping you under observation," the doctor announced, swabbing away the dried blood from the side of her head. He offered a gown that she willingly snatched before he did a few more dabs. "And I'll need you to change to look at your shoulder."

"Yes, sir," she muttered, holding as still as her sore muscles allowed during her examination.

Athrun and Dearka had already left, Commander Waltfeld ordering—no, he called it "suggesting"—they get some rest. He was still standing near the doorway, hand on his hip and wanting to hear the remainder of the doctor's assessment, but at the announcement of her getting changed he knew he wouldn't hear anymore and gave a frustrated sigh.

"Just run me through your assessment when you're done, Doc," he said and the doctor nodded. Waltfeld turned to her next and mentioned he was returning to the bridge, Eclipse having little energy to do anything other than nod and give a weary smile.

"I'm not going anywhere."

The commander snorted. "You'd better not."

She heard him leave rather than saw, the doctor turning her head back to him and finishing up with her head wound before he offered to help her get into the gown. She was too tired to be embarrassed and welcomed the help, shimmying out of the pilot suit hissing at every moment her shoulder would turn the wrong way. Damn, she was beat up pretty bad.

"This might be more painful than injured," he said idly as he checked her movement and she nodded. That was some good news at least. "For now, just lie down and rest. I'll be right back with some medicine to counter what you were given earlier."

Again, she nodded, not really having any reason to argue. Leaning to her left, the minimal gravity helped her rest her cheek against the pillow and further shifting had the heavy blankets snugly up over her upper torso. Despite the added warmth, however, she just felt cold. And to make matters worse, she began to shiver, her brain seeming to pulse as her forehead began dotting with sweat. She was safe again, but she didn't feel like it. Her entire body ached and her blood felt like ice, but even beyond that, her mind was playing FS's death over and over, the images mixed in with the happier memories from Januarias Four and she crawled deeper under the blanket.

The doctor returned and tried to calm her shivering, mumbling something about shock, but her mind was too tired, too lost in its loop to let her pay any more attention beyond nodding.

"You need some rest," he announced again, taking her temperature and fitting her arm for an IV. "You're starting to run a fever, but with some sleep, I know that will go down. I'll run some tests while you're asleep and get your arm braced."

Nodding again, she gave one more shiver and the doctor helped tuck her in, the redhead asleep before he finished.

---

Eclipse's dreams were disjointed; jumbled in a way that made her more confused than her subconscious typically usually made her. She didn't remember much, only a bunch of pictures resembling her memories from Januarias Four. FS was the star in most of them and—unfortunately—the memories gave her good feelings about him. Not exactly something she wanted to wake up to after killing the guy.

The room was dark when she opened her eyes, but there was enough light coming from the machines to help her see, a soft humming emanating from the panel to her right. Her IV was gone and no new one hanging so it had done what it needed to do, apparently. The heart monitor beeped at a steady rhythm, but she couldn't tell if it had been like that the whole time or if she had been the patient from hell. She was unsure of how long she had been out but if her stiff muscles were any indication, she could have been asleep for days and not even have known. It was unsettling, but Eclipse swallowed through the panic, knowing she was at least back behind friendly lines.

Taking a deep breath, she stopped short, a sharp pain cutting through her ribs and seeming to bounce around the chamber before finally settling, the echo of pain traversing up into her shoulder and she hissed through her exhale. She had had shortness of breath before so it could have been anything, but she tried again regardless to the same result. Cursing, she resorted to quick breaths, keeping her eye on the monitor.

"Awake, I see," a metallic voice rumbled in her ear.

Eclipse found herself smiling, happy to hear from her permanent earworm. "And where have you been?"

"I'm always here. It's you who has been ignoring me."

If the redhead didn't know better, she would have said the machine sounded offended. "So I do tune you out then?"

"I don't think it's really to your advantage," Addict quipped and Eclipse's smile twitched. Thinking back, she probably could have used the CA to contact Namarra, but instead, she had been caught up in her need to kill FS. Still, Namarra had found her eventually, so perhaps her Natural counterpart had used her CA far more effectively than the redhead had.

Closing her eyes, Eclipse tried to take another deep breath and this time succeeded with minimal pain. She smiled. "Addict, could you do me a favor?"

"Don't I do you enough favors?"

Eclipse ignored the comment. "FS had made the remark that my parents were funding genetic research, or some such. Could you read me all of FS's emails as well as find any kind of newspaper article or Orb document hinting that what he said might be true?"

"I'm no librarian," the machine seemed to grumble, "but I was also paying attention to you even though you weren't paying attention to me. I already started looking into it and can tell you what I've found so far."

That was a surprise and Eclipse's breath stilled, the weight of the CA's words sinking down onto her already tired body. She had scoffed at the idea initially, assuming her parents who had treated her with such disdain would ever fund anything that might help her, but parents were parents, right? What had Uncle Uzumi said? For parents, their child's safety trumped everything.

Eclipse swallowed.

"Yes, tell me what you've found."

"Initial steps had been taken to begin a research project similar to what FS described. Your parents had been linked as being the main benefactors of the program, but those rumors were never founded in anything other than the growing rumors regarding your estranged relationship with them just before you went into space."

"So, a bunch of rumors chasing after rumors?"

"That's what I've concluded, though there is still a fair amount of material to go through. Also to note, your parents' personal files had been shuffled through first. The likelihood of anything of significance being found outside of their own personal correspondence is small."

"Yes—yes, of course," she stammered, her left hand slinking out from underneath the blanket to pinch her forehead. FS was chasing a rumor after all and her parents had probably been targeted for it, their deaths linked to someone else's belief in reality and Dearka's father had been killed with them. It seemed so small—an insignificant backdrop to a war that was fighting for grander, if not similar things.

"Thanks, Addict," Eclipse said after a further moment, her arm returning under the weighted blanket as she shifted, winced, and shuffled the blanket up to cover her nose.

"I'll let you know if I find anything more."

---

It wasn't a happy morning, per se, when she left the infirmary. Her past few days were a combination of recoveries, whether it be from her concussion, her bruised but surprisingly not mangled shoulder, as well as the insistent chill that left her shivering despite wrapped in more than one blanket. Her heart rhythm was a tad irregular now, palpitations common when she would get overly stressed or just at random moments when it was inconvenient to her. The doctor hoped it was some kind of adjustment period, but she was supposed to monitor her heart problems for a week, writing down when the palpitations start, end, what she was doing, etc. At night she was supposed to stay in the infirmary, but since her fear of anything medical often caused palpitations, the doctor had allowed her some restful time in her room, but that was still aboard the Kusanagi. For the sake of convenience, Eclipse was given a temporary space aboard the Eternal, Namarra switching ships as well to share the space since Lathan was now able to return to his room aboard the Kusanagi.

It was her second night out of the infirmary and still Eclipse couldn't sleep. A part of her had hoped for some kind of superpower, as if dying for a few minutes made her able to do things even beyond the Berserker in the back of her mind. Fantastical, yes, but she had been trying to find the purpose behind her war-long dance with FS. There had to be a reason they had gone to Januarias Four, a reason that place had broken them, a reason he had killed her parents, and a reason she had no other choice but to kill him. If everything in the universe had a purpose, how can one justify all of that?

The longer she thought on it, however, the longer it delayed the realization that his purpose was possibly as nothing more than a footnote, minimal impact other than the nameless terror that had killed hundreds and, more prominently, a council member and emissaries from Orb. Despite wanting to be significant, he was not, but even saying that out loud didn't ease the pit in her stomach. All of his talk about the ZAFT weapon worried her. Him at one point threatening to sell the N-Jammer Canceller technology to the highest bidder bothered her. His ability to coerce so many unstable individuals around him, even if for only a short amount of time, scared her.

She had expected to feel something after FS's death, that's true, but unease was not the one she had anticipated. Why would she, a footnote, be bothered by another footnote? What was it that she was looking for? What truth?

Her mind kept cycling back to that weapon and when Namarra tossed the blankets to the side for the third time that night, the muffled sound of the fabric hitting the floor made the redhead frown. The Eternal was quieter than the Kusangi, the girls given a room far away from the hum of the engines or the constant hissing of mechanics as they welded damaged areas of the ship or the Astrays. There were fewer soldiers needed to man the controls so fewer voices could be heard in the halls and even though she knew many aboard the ship, they had been giving her some space, letting her churn through whatever trauma she was trying to manage. She was thankful for their consideration, but the friendly face that always popped up when her mind spiraled too far was something she was far more thankful for. The night, however, was the worst. The only thing that could keep her from funneling was herself and she was quickly finding that her mind was the one enemy she couldn't muster courage against.

Namarra gave a whimper to Eclipse's left and the redhead turned to look over, already knowing this was going to be another sleepless night. The Natural's night terrors were still strong, Eclipse often reminded that while she was traversing the labyrinth of her mind, others were dealing with their own horrors.

Eclipse sighed, Namarra making a violent and abrupt turn towards the wall. The redhead twisted and stood, wincing when the blanket tugged uncomfortably on her sling. Bending, she picked up the blanket on the floor and tossed it over the Natural, not doing a great job with one hand, but it would work and she nodded, placing one hand on Namarra's shoulder before giving it a firm shake.

"You're safe, Namarra," she stressed and while something so simple didn't always work, it seemed to provide some comfort then, the Natural's face relaxing and her breathing slowing as she drifted back into a restful sleep.

Eclipse, however, was still very much awake and she took a moment to look around the dimly lit room, eyes not resting on anything in particular, but she did grab her borrowed Morgenroete jacket, slipping her arm through one hole before shrugging the other up over her injured shoulder. Satisfied, she left, following the hall down towards the hangar and the Stealth snugly in the stand next to the Decay.

Thankfully, the hangar was empty and the redhead kicked off towards her suit as soon as the door had opened, her left hand steadying herself on the open cockpit door before pushing herself down into the seat.

"Coffee Addict, any mail?" she asked. She had hoped Heine would have gotten back to her by now, but she always had to bite back her disappointment. No doubt it was taking him a lot of time to churn though the information available and it was unfair to think he should be doing it any faster than he already was. It had been unfair to ask him to look into it for her in the first place, but FS being linked with that weapon… She had to know.

"Nope, nothing new," the two-tone replied, ironically not responding in its typical sneer.

"Can you bring up past messages with FS—"

"Again?" Now Addict sounded normal. "There is going to be nothing different from yesterday."

Eclipse sighed and reached off to her left, flipping the switch to close the hatch. "I'm just seeing if there is some kind of hint. Please." Grabbing the black blanket folded in the corner, she shook it once, and tucked it around her as best as she could.

If the CA could sigh, it probably would have in that moment, but instead it said nothing more and the screens to her front awoke with a blue hum. Shuffling the end of the blanket up to her nose, she stared at the screen, her eyes following the lines of text.

---

Namarra knew better than to pry open an ally's closed cockpit. While she had a tendency to disregard that unwritten rule, staring at the Stealth's hatch made her want to become the most obedient soldier ever.

"Are you concocting a battle plan?" Lacus asked, steadying herself on the railing off to Namarra's right. Being on the Eternal, the Natural had begun running into her quite a bit and since their alcohol experience, Lacus had begun dressing a little less formally. While the Pink Princess still seemed to admire the pant-less type of wardrobe, she had begun wearing jackets over her sleeveless dresses. It wasn't an unusual sentiment, however, many of the other crew members beginning to complain about the chill. Even Eclipse had gained a blanket or two within the past couple of nights.

"Somehow 'walking in blind' doesn't sound very smart."

Lacus nodded thoughtfully. "Have you tried just knocking?"

Namarra snorted. "No way; too easy."

"You are just upset you didn't think of it first, Miss Namarra."

"I have a feeling she's asleep," the Natural countered, as if the excuse would keep the Pink Princess from heckling further. "I'm not exactly the best roommate."

"If that's the case, perhaps we should let her be and have the mechanics inform us when she does awake. We're all worried about her, I think." If Lacus had not have smiled, Namarra would have been concerned, but she continued with a sad laugh. "She has put herself in a rather depressive state lately. I had been trying to find a way to cheer her up."

"Drinking?"

Lacus shook her head. "Not everyone has the same concept of 'cheer up' as you do, Miss Namarra."

"Unfortunately." They shared a knowing smile before both gazes returned to the Stealth. Namarra had a little insight into Eclipse's current state of mind, but she could offer little comfort. While she didn't know all the details, FS had meant something to her, he had killed her parents, had then tried to kill her, and—in the end—she had killed him. It was a waltz she was happy to not be a part of though her own personal trauma was the thing keeping the distance between them, not her inability to help.

Namarra's nightmares had been shifting lately, away from watching her brothers die and being unable to do anything about it, to killing them herself in an act of mercy. She always awoke in a cold sweat, her scream still scratchy in her throat and a toothy grin hidden behind a sheet in the back of her mind. How could someone as broken as her hope to help? Until she got a handle on her own fears, how could she honestly be of any useful support?

"Incoming transmission," Chicabo announced, breaking Namarra from her thinking and she put a hand on Lacus's shoulder, turning to the side as she answered.

"From?" the Natural asked.

"Encoded."

Namarra frowned and saw Lacus's face do the same when they looked at each other. The Natural wasn't expecting anyone to call her and usually an encoded message was an indication one of her contacts was calling her. If that was the case, that person probably needed help and she—honestly—didn't have much time to spare.

"Sorry, Lacus, but I have to take this." She pointed to her ear as if it said everything then pushed herself towards the Decay, catching herself on the open hatch and pushing herself inside. After settling in, she pulled the screen around to her front and across the open cockpit door, pressing the blinking red button. The screen flickered once then the colors formed into something a little more recognizable.

"O-Orga?" she gasped, her eyes slowly opening wider the longer she stared at him. It was him. He seemed no different physically, but he definitely looked weary, his eyes dark and his face wet with sweat. Judging by the purple bags under his eyes, he could have been near the end of the cycle, but that was just a guess and her heart twisted at the thought. Their "normalness" during the end of the cycle was getting shorter and shorter, but he looked at her as he did nearly a year before. "O-Orga, I—"

He put a hand up. "I don't have much time, I'm sorry," he said through thin lips. "Nam, Azrael got the schematics to the Neutron Jammer Cancellers. He has an army massing on the moon right now with new nukes arriving daily. He's going on the offense."

Namarra swallowed her surprise as her fingers dug subconsciously over the levers. She would have time to dwell on the horror of the information later. "When?"

He shook his head. "We haven't been given a date yet, but it has to be soon."

"And why tell me?"

"I have to go."

"Orga—" But he was gone, the screen blinking and then turning black. The communication had been brief, but the longing and nostalgia hit her hard, the Natural breathless for a couple crucial moments as she gave herself a moment to recuperate. She wanted to save them so badly, but… But…

Taking one final breath, she called up to the Eternal bridge. "Commander, I'm calling a meeting."

---

Namarra tapped the console impatiently. She hadn't left the Decay and most of the others had called in via nearest video terminal, including Eclipse, their individual faces dotting her main screen. The bridges of the Three Ship Alliance were clearly shown, Kisaka and Cagalli the only ones currently on the Kusanagi, but someone had gone to grab Lathan and Erika.

"What do you mean the Earth Forces have nuclear weapons?" Murrue asked, shrieking her surprise as she took her captain's seat and Mu stood beside her.

"How the hell did they get that kind of technology?" Mu continued.

"Well, they didn't get it from us. The Justice and the Freedom have been under close surveillance for a while now, but nothing's been leaked," Waltfeld assured them and the group nodded.

There was a longer pause as the bridge door opened on the Kusanagi, Erika leading the way with Lathan's hand on her shoulder. Erika steadied them on the captain's chair near Cagalli before the blonde helped Lathan sit in one of chairs nearby.

The two of them looked healthy despite everything they had gone through. Lathan had a long bandage across his eyes, opting to wear that in order to help his eyes heal and to avoid any outside trauma. Namarra had heard that his rehab had been going well, the oldest Rymyr taking swiftly to being independent without the help of his sight.

Erika looked the most physically affected the left side of her face displaying the most visible evidence of her ordeal. Much of the burned skin had begun to heal and bandages were no longer needed, but the scarring still looked tender. Her skin waved in deep red and purple ripples around her eyes and up to her forehead. A square bandage was taped across her cheek, raw skin underneath.

"Namarra, how did your brother say where Azrael got the technology?"

Namarra shook her head. "He didn't have much time to explain, but I'm positive he wasn't lying."

"Hm, I might have an idea," Waltfeld began, all attention drawn to him. "Lexi?"

Eclipse leaned back further in her seat at being called out, her eyes weary and her arm still in a sling as she scratched at the side of her neck. "FS and SIN-ED had stolen the Canceller technology around April," she confirmed and the curses were loud as they circulated. "At the time, he said he was selling it to the highest bidder, but I don't know what came of that. The only person I told was Le Creuset who was my commanding officer at the time."

"Le Creuset?" Mu echoed and Eclipse nodded.

"After that, I was whisked away to the PLANTs and assigned under new command, so I can't be sure what happened with my report."

"You don't think Le Creuset contacted SIN-ED, do you?" Athrun asked, his eyes wide on his screen and Namarra watched Eclipse wince as she shrugged.

"I'm sorry but I don't know. I… lost my ability to predict FS's moves around that time and I had learned quickly to not question a commanding officer, so Le Creuset was beyond me as well."

"Even if SIN-ED gave Le Creuset the data," Namarra popped in, "there are very few situations I can see where Azrael would willingly meet a Coordinator, especially one in ZAFT. I'd also wager Le Creuset wouldn't betray his army like that."

"I wouldn't," Mu replied bitterly and Kira echoed the sentiment, Namarra looking at them briefly as they shared a knowing glance. "That man just wants to watch the universe burn."

They all slipped into a thick silence, digesting the news and each arguing a series of scenarios with themselves, no doubt. Namarra eyed Eclipse who seemed to be taking the news rather hard, her left hand running a hard line across her forehead.

"Flay did mention a 'key' didn't she?" Cagalli spoke up, being the first to break the silence and she blushed when they all looked at her. "That couldn't have been a coincidence."

Flay had been a member of the Archangel crew before Alaska, that much Namarra knew, but any personal relationships Namarra was happy to not know about. The idea that she might have ended up on a ZAFT ship had shaken many of the Archangel crew and especially Kira, Sai, and Miriallia who seemed to have known her best. Her voice had been unmistakable, apparently, and her eyes moved from the guilty Eclipse over to what looked like a guilty Kira.

"We still need hard evidence, so theorizing won't help us right now," Kisaka said, bringing the bridge back to their topic. "Perhaps what we should be focusing on now is what to do about this."

Everyone agreed and slipped into another round of silence, Namarra waiting for the better minds to come up with a plan as she began tapping her foot against the interior of the Decay. She felt a sense of clarity at knowing, or at least suspecting, the series of events that had been playing in the background, but somehow it felt useless. Why hadn't they pieced all of this together sooner? What would have been different if they had?

"The PLANTs have to be our first priority," Kisaka said first. "Even if we know the EA's gathering on the moon, we'd be severely outmatched."

"I would imagine most of the nukes are being made on Earth," Murrue continued and the others nodded particularly Erika and Lathan. "That means they have surface to moon transports probably arriving daily."

"What if we destroyed the nukes before they made it to the Lunar Base?" Cagalli suggested, but Waltfeld was already shaking his head.

"If Namarra's resources are trustworthy," he looked Namarra's way and she nodded, "it'd take us too long to figure out which transports were smuggling them. Not to mention the routes would be well guarded. We'd be putting ourselves in too much danger, especially with the forces at the Lunar Base far more numerous than anything we've run up against so far."

"Let's not forget it could be a trap. Relations aside, Nam," Mu added quickly. Namarra felt herself get heated over the accusation, but it soon fled. He was right. "You know their captivity better than anyone and how controlled they can be."

"Despite the timing, I don't think it's a trap," Namarra replied slowly. "But I'm not going to say abandon common sense."

"Lexi and I might be able to hack into their system and at least keep tabs on the shipments," Lathan said, a hand brushing against his chin. "With the CA's help, we might be able to get eyes on the inside." Everyone nodded, the heavy atmosphere seeming to lift as their plan took shape.

"So, our next stop is the PLANTs then?" Lacus didn't sound as sure of the notion as the others did in theirs and Namarra swallowed. Given Lacus's unabashed confidence in their crusade, that small wavering made her nervous.

"It's a large area to cover," Kira agreed.

"We might be able to get them a warning at least," Mu offered. "Get in touch with some old contacts."

Eclipse shook her head immediately and leaned forward, the others turning to her at that movement. "ZAFT hasn't been idle either. I don't know much, but FS was hinting at a large weapon in space. I'm not sure of the power, but I'm fairly certain they've been working on it for a while. Alert ZAFT about the nukes and space could become a nuclear wasteland."

"A space weapon?" Kisaka asked and Eclipse nodded.

"I already have a close comrade working on info and I expect his reply any day now." Namarra knew Eclipse had been talking about Heine and she started chewing on her lip. The singer was being tasked with spying on his own army and it didn't matter how good a person was at gathering information. That was some risky business.

"How confident are you that this weapon exists?"

Eclipse turned to Murrue. "FS was losing a lot of power, so he was doing anything to latch onto some. If he had his fingers in something big, he was going to gloat about it, and he had even begun gloating as far back as April when he told me about the Canceller tech."

"Then if we figure in the weapon, we don't warn the PLANTs at all." Waltfeld looked grave at the statement, but they couldn't risk escalating the war toward oblivion for the sake of rumors. Everyone else looked to be in agreement and Namarra gave a slow breath.

"We still have a lot of ground to cover and splitting up would be suicide." Mu scratched his head.

"Then we'll calculate the best position the EA would take and pray we're right," Erika announced, folding her arms over her chest stiffly. Hiding the painful wince well, she continued. "There should be enough Mirage Colloid in the girls' suits to cloak us for an extended period of time."

"You planning on combining the liquid with the atmospheric entering gel?" Lathan turned towards his comrade. Sight or no, he still knew what she was thinking. "We'd have to expand the dispersion zones."

"Each ship should be equipped with that capability. All we—"

"Sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Simmons," Kisaka cut in, "but you're going to have to explain it to us using a less scientific way."

"Ah, of course. The Colloid left over can cloak the ships so we can get near the PLANTs. Lathan and I will worry about the specifics, but avoiding the heat sensors is another matter. Shutting down the ships seems to be the most logical answer, but how are we to stop the nukes if we have to wait for a full power up to even move?"

"The catapults don't disperse that much heat and only look suspicious when launching," Athrun said. "Keeping them activated will at least allow the mobile suits to launch."

"But the distance we'd have to be at would still make it difficult—"

"Ah!" Waltfeld snapped his fingers to interrupt, craning his head back to look up at Lacus. "The Meteors."

Her face brightened for a moment until it drooped in thought. "As of right now, those additions are programmed for close-quarter combat alone."

"A simple fix," Kira said, but ended up explaining once all the expressions dipped into confusion. "The Meteors are additional weapons made specifically for the Justice and Freedom. With the added thrusters and fire power, Athrun and I could cross that distance and hold them off until you all arrive."

"But how'll you keep them charged?" Eclipse asked. "That's a lot of energy."

"We'll shuttle the Eternal's catapult energy into them. Kira and I can mask the output once we make the program adjustments."

Namarra whistled softly and watched Mu exchange a glance with Murrue. They looked both overwhelmed and impressed, which is how their fellow Natural felt. While Namarra had a long introduction to electronic mechanics, those two must have been well-versed in other skills. Not to mention, it had to be a quite daunting for Naturals to listen to Coordinators talk shop.

A beeping sounded from Eclipse's screen and Namarra turned to her, many of the others still discussing the technicalities of their new plan. Eclipse's hand pulled down the keyboard to her left and after a few keystrokes she looked at the camera, Namarra knowing she was looking at her the moment she mouthed the name "Heine."

He had news about the ZAFT weapon.

---

A/N: So, I finished NaNoWriMo again this year; finished early even. And I have some great news about this November, instead of either editing my past stories/novels, or writing a new one I (pause for drum roll) finished Weapon's Waltz! Sure, I have a lot of editing to do and at least one section to add, but I'm hoping I can just pop out the chapters and get you guys some nice Christmas and New Years presents!

I'm curious to hear what you guys think about FS's death. I wrote it and I'm a bit on edge of it myself. Was it enough? Did it need to happen? Thoughts please! It's been a bit dry lately and I know everyone's been so busy—that's not going to change with the holiday season—but I'd like to hear from people. And to those of you who have been thoughtful enough to send me PMs about updating, thank you. I've been a bit slow lately, but that's what happens when life hits you with a lot of stuff. :)

Going along with the life changes, I'd like to specifically thank, Death-Scimitar, CSSStravag, Madderfole, Asmus, and even OrangeP47. I'm not the only one busy in this world and I needed a little extra help this chapter. The extra eyes were very welcomed and I always appreciate any and every bit of advice. So, for my last minutes saviors, thank you. :D

Well, to wrap this up, I hope you enjoyed this chapter long overdue.

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Corrections to the Narrative:

The biggest correction I made was them finding out about GENESIS this soon. Something that big and powerful can't just go unnoticed and with so many people with connections in ZAFT—well, need I say any more?

Another big correction I made was Athrun meeting Heine already. Seeing as Eclipse is really good friends with both of them, it was really only a matter of time before they met face-to-face. Leave it to Eclipse to set up some kind of mission meet-up thing.

There might be some other minor things, but I just want to get this chapter posted so I didn't look too closely. Bad author, I know.

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Questions/Gripes:

CSSStravag: I haven't decided on the whole Jachin Due thing. I wrote the final battle already, but I do have some editing to do. We'll see.

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

Strata