Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam
Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty
Chapter 33: Wandering eyes
Simon pulled himself up on the bars, again and again, his legs dangling over the ground. He'd begun to work up a sweat, only adding to his frustration. Jumping off of the bars, Simon stumbled slightly, pushing his hand against the wall for support. His blue jacket hung off of a nearby chair. Ever since his unit had been transferred, he had been left to do nothing, told only to wait. Whenever he tried to ask Jeremiah or Cain about their next target, they always said nothing. Putting his jacket back on, Simon walked to the hanger. He did zip up as he entered the area, watching the mechanics work. They were continuing to make additions to the Liberty, which had had its outer armor stripped off, leaving only the skeleton like frame. Jeremiah claimed the suit needed a complete overhaul. Beside the Gundam, Windams had also been brought on board the ship, six in total equipped with Aile packs. Then there was the machine Jeremiah was having built for Colonel Euthanus, a sinister looking machine known as Fenrir.
"So many Gundams, are we heading towards a clash?" Simon wondered out loud.
The four stolen prototypes from armory one, ZAFT's Impulse and Saviour, Sensou's Kenshin, Murasama Rogue, the stolen Purpose Mark 2, Simon's Liberty, Kira and the Freedom, and finally, the Black Gundam of Dagger Thanos. Simon had no doubt that these powerful machines and their pilots, would soon clash. Four forces colliding together would result in utter chaos. Yet, Simon felt his heart thump from excitement, and a grin spread across his face. He hit a nearby wall in disgust.
"Damn it, I'm still programmed to enjoy fighting," he said. 'Or is it something deeper?' he wondered, 'Something in my genes, that drives me toward conflict?'
He looked up at the Gundams one last time. For now there would be a calm, before the raging storm shattered the planet.
Diocuia
For once in a long time, Athrun had had a relatively good sleep. Everything he'd been thinking about lately, Cagalli's abduction, the Freedom's reappearance, Vincent's scarring and Durandal's revelation about Logos, these things just faded from Athrun's mind. He woke up in his double bed, ready to face a new day, and the day was good. Diocuia was a beach city, wherever you went you could smell the fresh sea air, and the sun was shining through Athrun's window, illuminating Athrun's bed, himself, and the pink haired figure beside him.
Athrun stretched his arms out and yawned, then blinked in confusion. He turned his head, looking over at the pink haired figure lying next to him. He moved the covers aside, revealing Meer, clad in a pink nightdress that barely concealed her body. She rolled on the bed, trying to get more comfortable. Widening his eyes in shock, Athrun jumped back and screamed, falling off of the edge of the bed. There she was, the Lacus impersonator herself lying right next to him. The young man looked down, checking to see if his underwear was still on, once he breathed a sigh of relief, Meer began to stir. She sat up on the bed, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.
'What the hell? How did she even get in here?' Athrun wondered.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Commander, are you awake yet?" Luna's voice echoed from the other side.
'What time is it?' Athrun stood up, searching for his trousers.
"I thought maybe we could go to the dining hall together," Luna said.
"Ah...ah, yeah, hang on," Athrun said.
Meer looked between Athrun and the door, at first in confusion. Then a jealous look crossed her face as she got off of the bed. Athrun just finished putting on his trousers when he saw Meer walking towards the door.
"Wait," he called out to her, but it was too late.
Meer opened the door, putting on a smile as she looked at Luna. Athrun widened his eyes, seeing not just Luna there but also Mayura and Anna. They looked at what Meer was wearing and dropped their jaws in shock.
"Thank you, but please go ahead without us, Athrun and I will be along shortly," Meer said.
"Um, but...right," Luna fumbled, still trying not to look at Meer's dress.
Meer suddenly slammed the door, blowing the three girls hair back. Once they had walked away, Meer turned to Athrun, only for him to grab her arms.
"What's the big idea?" he asked.
"Huh?" Meer looked at him confused, "Well you see those girls!"
"What do you mean 'those girls', and when...how did you get into the room?" Athrun asked.
"I told the front desk that I had promised to go to your room later, but you seemed to have fallen asleep, then I was surprised to discover you really were asleep," Meer explained.
Athrun let go of Meer, pulled his head back and groaned.
"What I'm saying is, why you would do something like this?" he demanded.
Meer widened her eyes in shock, a look completely different from any Lacus would give.
"Well normally if an engaged couple haven't seen each other in a while..."
"Lacus wouldn't do such a thing," Athrun interrupted her, not wanting to hear where she was going with it.
"Never? She wouldn't? Why not?" Meer asked innocently.
Athrun slapped his forehead, groaning in frustration.
'This is just how I need the day to begin, I wonder how the others have started out?'
In a room across from Athrun's, Branden lay sleeping peacefully on his bed. He snored, a bubble gradually expanding on his nose. Not so long ago, he had achieved a state of perfect peace. His back was comfortable, he was looking forward to leave and he didn't have to worry about secret meetings. All was right in the world.
Hakanaku chitta hikari ga
Bokura wo ima yobi samasu
Kanashimi wa oto wo tate
Kieru ano basho kara
Branden fist slammed into his alarm clock, sending it flying across the room, and smashing against the wall. His teeth grit together, his eyes were white, and he growled like an animal. Whoever had put that song on his clock, was going to pay for ruining his sleep.
"KOJIROOO!"
Heine Westenfluss raised his head, pausing as he drunk his tea. He heard something in the distance, something that drew the attention of the hotel staff and other ZAFT personnel staying there. After a moment, everyone went back to their business, Heine however put his cup down and looked to the entrance. He recognized the Minerva pilots from yesterday, a red eyed boy, a magenta haired girl and a girl with very long blonde hair. All three of them were discussing the Chairman and how lucky they had been yesterday to meet him.
"Lucky? He dropped a bomb on us, I could barely sleep after that whole LOGOS thing he talked about," Nia said, "I mean seriously, we just found that there is some Illuminati merchant of death behind the scenes type shit that has been going on for god knows how long!"
"Basically every Conspiracy theorists dream come true"." Shinn added.
"Fucking Exactly."
"Oh come on Nia, you and Shinn both got such high praise yesterday, and then getting today off, things couldn't be better for you," Luna explained. Her expression darkened slightly remembering when she found Ms. Lacus and Commander Zala in a "precious" situation. Her jealousy began to rise just thinking that pink haired har-
"What's wrong?" Shinn asked unknowingly interrupting Lunamaria's thoughts.
"Nothing," Luna retorted.
"Really, cause you seem to be a bit bitchy today," Nia said," Is it that time of the month for you?"
"Oh there's a bitch around here but it ain't me," Luna muttered.
"Excuse me," Heine called to them.
The trio looked to Heine, who gave them a friendly smile.
"You three are the Minerva pilots I met yesterday right? Where's that Faith member you were with?" he asked.
"Pardon my manners, good morning sir," Luna said, raising her hand into a salute.
Shinn caught on and raised his own hand.
"Kiss asses," Nia muttered.
Heine chuckled at her casual nature. Nia's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked to the entrance.
"And then, the soldier's face turned bright red, and he said thank you in a really loud voice!" she was drawn to the loud giggle of Lacus Clyne, or rather Meer Campbell.
'The Chairman, could he really have deliberately started this war, could he be using the conflict to further his own ambitions?' Nia wondered.
"I get the picture now," Heine held his hands up.
'Athrun doesn't seem to regard Lacus as his fiancé, I used to think it was because arranged marriages were baseless and without feelings, but surely some kind of respect would have grown? His lack of regard for her, seems to make sense now,' Nia thought as he looked at Meer.
She clung to Athrun's arm like a high school girl, and she played the role of Lacus Clyne, according to Vincent like a bad actor. But there was another comparison Nia just thought of, a doll, dressed up to look pretty and to play a game.
"So you're the pilot of the Saviour, he pilots the Impulse, and I assume these two ladies and the blonde guy are the Zaku pilots?" Heine asked.
"That's right," Nia said, using the conversation to take her attention away from Meer.
"Then there's Joe Daigoji, and apparently members of Bagal's team will be stationed on one of the subs accompanying the Minerva from now on," Heine put a hand to his chin as he spoke. "You already have so much power, I wonder why I'm being transferred?"
"You'll be serving on the Minerva?" Athrun asked.
"Yes, Durandal has put a lot of faith in the Minerva, then there's the Sensou team, a competent engineering corp, the grand commander of the Sensou forces, and two elite Gundam pilots. Where are they by the way, I was looking forward to meeting them outside of official meetings," Heine explained.
"Branden and Kojiro are both competent and well-disciplined soldiers, working with them is an honor," Luna said.
"KOJIROOO!"
All eyes turned to the entrance as Kojiro ran through, wearing his Sensou uniform. He slid to a halt near one of the tables, and looked towards the man chasing him. Branden pounced like a wild animal, clad in his casual clothes. Kojiro ducked, resulting in Branden sliding across the table, drenching his clothes in wine and cake.
"What the hell," the ZAFT pilots muttered.
"What's going on here?" Athrun asked, walking up to the two men.
"This ass hole programmed my alarm to play a J-Pop song, it ruined my lie in," Branden snarled," Now I got that damn song stuck in my head for Allah sake!"
"It was a joke," Kojiro said.
"Bastard," Branden squeezed his hands into fists as he approached Kojiro.
Suddenly, someone grabbed Branden by his ear and yanked him back. Sheryl kept a hold of Branden's ear, gritting her teeth together as Branden squirmed.
"Branden, have you been making a mess of this perfectly good hotel?" she asked.
"For a good cause," he growled back.
"Well, Kojiro's J-pop song may have woken you up Branden, but guess what woke me up from my peaceful and if I don't say so myself, well deserved lie in, on my day off?"
"Ummmm…What?"
"YOU YELLING AND RUNNING AROUND LIKE AN ANIMAL!"
"So these are the Sensou pilots?" Heine asked, "They seem be quite an…. interesting group."
The pilot grinned, whilst the trio of Luna, Nia and Shinn hung their heads back, letting the sweat drops fall.
An hour or so into the day, and the pilots of Sensou went about their separate ways. A press conference outside the hotel gathered, with Vincent the centre of its attention. Reporters from most networks had gathered, to see exactly how bad the damage to Vincent's face was. The helmet he was wearing, was all the proof they needed. Zack Tempest felt the pity and disgust the reporters and other observers felt. Similarly he too felt sympathy for Vincent, despite how his tenure in Sensou ended. He also wondered, if Vincent would become unstable as other masked men had.
"Commander Rach, what kind of treatments did you undergo?" one of the reporters asked.
"Most of the skin that could have been used for grafts was damaged, my burns were treated with disinfectants and pain relief, as more time passes the pain won't bother me," Vincent explained.
"How frequent is this pain? And do you intend to reduce the time you spend on sortie?" another reporter asked.
"The pain doesn't affect my performance as a pilot, and as I said the pain will get better in time," Vincent said.
"Are you in pain right now?"
"Yes," was his simple answer.
Zack half chuckled, he could tell Vincent was uncomfortable, and not because of any pain he may have been in. He had been put into a very personal situation, people wanted answers, and to know if he was still a competent commander. Another reporter raised her hand, and Zack narrowed his eyes at the familiar style of her brown hair.
"Miriallia Haw," he identified the woman.
"Commander Rach, is it true that Chairman Durandal oversaw your treatment?" she asked.
"Yes, he oversaw much of it, in fact he'd previously invented a machine that would pump pain relief and other drugs to assist with the retaining of my memories," Vincent explained.
"And you are refusing to use those drugs?" Mir asked.
"Yes, they would impede my ability to continue fighting," Vincent said.
There were of course other questions to ask from that. But Miriallia didn't ask them, she knew better than too. Some part of Vincent was suspicious that Durandal had tried to use his kindness, to mask the fact that he wanted to control Vincent in some way. Zack didn't trust Durandal himself, that didn't mean he wouldn't take his money though, and for so long as Durandal didn't demand he do wet work, or fight people he respected, Zack was comfortable with fighting alongside ZAFT and Sensou, at least for now.
"Commander Rach," a man in the crowd called out.
Vincent pointed to the man, and the focus shifted to the man in his late thirties. He held a PDA, a digital notepad. The look he had in his eyes spoke of his lack of respect for Vincent.
"Tell me, do you intend to one day retire to New York?" he asked.
"Retirement? That's never a guarantee in Sensou, maybe I'll pick a beach in Greece somewhere," Vincent said, causing a few people to chuckle.
"I'm being serious, without that mask, do you really think you'll be able to live a normal life, with wife and kids because of the things you've done, and how you look now?"
Everyone went quiet, most shocked by the question. Vincent squeezed his hands into fists under the table, and calmly stood up.
"This press conference is over, I have a shore leave to enjoy," he said, walking off of the stage.
Once the reporters began to clear out, Zack caught the ignorant man's attention.
"Excuse me, I'm a former member of Sensou, I believe I'll be able to provide you with some details on the commander," Zack said.
"Sure, the network would love to know more," the man smiled as he followed Zack.
Once they were backstage, clear from any passerby or onlookers, Zack dropped his smile. Grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt, he drove his fist into the man's gut. Punching him several times in the face, Zack dropped the reporter to the floor and pushed his PDA against his mouth.
"Now you go home to your wife and kids, and ask them how you look, prick!" the Newtype growled, before hitting the man one more time.
Once Zack got back outside, he wiped he blood off of his knuckles, and put on his usual smile. Which only deepened when he saw Athrun walking about. Walking up to the man, he put his arm around Athrun's shoulder and grinned.
"Zack," Athrun said, raising his eyebrows.
"Mayura told me a funny story at breakfast this morning," Zack said.
"Oh no," Athrun groaned, burying his face in his hand.
"Listen it was not how it looked like!"
"Don't be like that, I'm not here to tease, harems are actually pretty common in deep space, there was that one guy with multiple wives and several children," Zack explained, causing Athrun to blush.
"I don't have a harem," he said.
"Let's see we've got Cagalli, 'Lacus', whom you're technically still engaged to and the Hawke sisters, Kira wasn't that lucky on the Archangel," Zack said.
"Cagalli's his sister."
"In their defense they had no idea, not that it would have mattered, this is the Cosmic Era after all!"
Athrun grit his teeth together, then widened his eyes as he heard a voice behind him.
"Athrun," Meer called out to him, rushing to grab his arm again.
Zack waved at the girl as she ran over. He leant towards Athrun's ear, whispering into it.
"In all seriousness though Athrun, you'll want to be careful, something tells me Meer's starting to want to be Lacus a little too much," he said.
Athrun looked at Zack in shock, the mercenary put on his smile again and walked past Meer, leaving her to latch onto Athrun's arm. Zack continued walking onwards, reaching into his pocket and removing his phone.
"Tempest," he said.
"Zack!"
"Cloud, nice to hear from you, how are things in Beowulf, Tiberius must be really old now," Zack said.
"You had a request for Mayura, transports begun, I'm sending you the coordinates, better finish up whatever jobs you have on Earth and get to space, if this is your anniversary gift to her I don't think she'll fully appreciate it," a blonde haired mercenary pilot explained.
"Our partners both have different tastes Cloud, anyway, what about that other request I had?" Zack asked.
"It'll be with the Double Impact, you sure about it though?" Cloud asked.
"Yeah, my skills are getting too good for the Neo Raptor, and I don't know if the Wild Raptor will help me to fight evenly with Dagger Thanos," Zack explained.
"I see, Thanos is the greatest pilot on Earth right now, whilst in space, the greatest pilot there has begun making a mark, you remember that mute guy Casvall?"
Zack narrowed his eyes, as Cloud gave him an update on the red pilot.
"NO YOU'RE WRONG! ITS A LIE I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT!"
Hotel staff looked towards the Sensou table, drawn to Branden's yells. Sheryl put a hand on his shoulder and hushed him.
"This is information straight from Durandal's intelligence unit, the Rampager battalion members confirmed it too," she said.
"Quite frankly it doesn't surprise me, Casvall shouldn't have been sent on that kind of mission, he has too much sympathy for the colonial rebels," Kojiro explained.
"He'd never shoot down an ally, the report said he was disabling suits before, why would he suddenly kill one of our own, it doesn't make any sense," Branden explained.
"It was a ZAFT pilot, and Durandal's not too happy about it," Sheryl said.
"But we all know that Durandal has his own agenda," Kojiro added.
Sheryl and Branden both nodded their heads. Across from them, Joe sat eating a breakfast. He sipped from a glass of scotch before Noah Bagal came over to his table, taking a seat in front of him.
"Myself, Ruther and Sochiro, three members of my team on Earth, and three more in space," Noah said.
"Sounds like a good deal," Joe said.
"Well, it's mainly Sensou's idea, along with two gifts they have for Yzak and Dearka, they're keeping it all hush, hush though. It's almost like we're going to be made into Durandal's vanguard for his invasion against the Earth Alliance. I'm betting he's going to rally people, get everybody on his side so that Djibril will have to flee major cities, and unlike Thanos we won't have to attack them," Noah explained.
"Yeah but have you read the reports about Thanos's movements, he moves from one nation to the next, leaving a small border patrol force, leaving government appointment to a new government put in place without Atlantic federation involvement. Britain just called for a referendum from the AF, the votes apparently next week," Joe explained.
"Meanwhile the Eurasian Federation is beginning to side with Heiwa Hunter, or Jaeger or whatever he calls himself, CEO of Anaheim Electronics, whom are predicted to be the lead providers of energy and technology across Earth," Noah added.
"Two years ago, the entire world was driven to war, and we can both attest to just how brutal it got, in fact, a lot of people seem to forget that it nearly destroyed the Plants and Earth," Joe said.
"Records were sealed buddy, can't have the world knowing exactly how far their leaders took their damned war," Noah grinned.
"Yeah, they're all so idealistic aren't they?" Joe asked, looking over at his team mates from the Minerva.
"We were young once," Noah muttered.
"Not like them, we didn't have heroes to look up to, they've fought well, lost friends, but they haven't even begun to scratch the surface of just how bad war can get. It makes me laugh how Luna pines for Athrun and the hero worship we sometimes get, when if they took a look back at the things we've done, they'd know we aren't heroes," Joe explained.
"Just a bunch of old killers," Noah said.
"We don't qualify as old yet," Joe smiled, before continuing to eat.
Later that day, shore leave kicked off full flare. Athrun was stuck spending time with Meer, badly keeping up the appearance of an engaged couple, hanging his head as Meer ranted about her tour. Joe and Noah sat at a bar, and were soon joined by Sheryl. She ordered a drink and sat away from the two men. Other members of the crew were across Diocuia, Kojiro was reading at a library, Nia was listening to music at a store and Branden was kicking a bag in the Minerva's gym.
Two specific people however, were clearing their heads the only way they knew how. By driving incredibly fast, Vincent hadn't yet been cleared for piloting, but he could ride a motorcycle. He had no idea Shinn was also on the road, mounted on a red bike as opposed to his black one. Shinn's was a Japanese make, Vincent chose American muscle. He topped a speed faster than Shinn's overtaking him, turning corners with less grace, but still far ahead of Shinn. The red eyed boy grit his teeth together, before increasing speed.
'Has he taken that as a challenge?' Vincent wondered.
He shrugged his shoulders, matching Shinn's increased speed. The bikes were almost touching as their drifted around the corners. It was a far less bloody duel than the kind they would have had with mobile suits. Vincent got ahead, then Shinn overtook, both stole the lead from one another multiple times. Their shoulders touched once, then they drifted apart from one another. Shinn's eyes had darkened, his seed had become active. A truck suddenly came around the corner, Vincent remained on the right side of the road, Shinn however, drove between the truck and the wall of the cliff. His body didn't shake, he didn't even seem to acknowledge that he could have been crushed. Vincent copied his manoeuvres, matching his speed.
'This man,' Shinn's train of thought began as he looked at Vincent.
"STOP FOR SOMEONE NOT SOMETHING!"
The Freedom preparing its weapons, Athha making his speech, the Earth Alliance invading his home land, the Strike Dagger's arm falling.
"No my phone!"
'He was there that day...but he...he didn't kill them.'
The Freedom fired, beams flying across the forest. The Strike Dagger raised its arm, blocking several shots with each shield. Another beam flew at the mobile suit, searing through its armor, breaking its shield arm off. The arm fell, Shinn screamed horrifically.
Vincent's eyes grew wide beneath his helmet, those images, they flashed before his eyes. He remembered, and Shinn remembered. Both slowed down, their heads were clear, at peace.
Lain was conflicted, and she knew Thanos knew that. It was impossible to think he wouldn't know. The man was observant, a good judge of character, but one thing he didn't know was how people would act, what choices they would make. So he gave choices, and Lain struggled with the one he gave her.
"You don't have to do it," he told her.
'I have a choice, I don't have to do this, I have a choice, I don't have to do this,' she kept thinking, over and over again.
She looked at herself in the mirror, thinking of how far she had come. Her parent's deaths, her separation from her sister, joining Thanos's fleet. She wasn't the girl she was, she was stronger now, and this wouldn't break her. But there was something wrong in that, at least Lain thought so.
"Lain, Lain have you finished in there?" Alistair asked from the other side.
"I'm finished," she said.
She opened the door, and Alistair's jaw nearly dropped. Having used hair extensions, Lain's hair was longer, as long as Nia's was.
"Did you read the files?" he asked.
"Thoroughly," she said.
"Are you sure, you need to know the crew as well as Nia would, otherwise they'll see through you," Alistair said.
"Ali, don't worry, I've got this," Lain tried to put on a smile, but a tear trickled down her cheek.
Alistair wiped the tear away, taking Lain by the shoulders.
"You can't show weakness like that Lain, remember what Thanos said, you don't have to do this. We can figure something else out, I technically am Athrun so..."
"No, we'll never get close enough to Zala for it to work, that and the Admiral will need you on the battlefield, this..." Lain lowered her head, drying her eyes, but the tears kept coming. "This is how I can best help him, I can fight alongside him, but I would just be another soldier. I want what I do to matter as much as what Marcus, Michelle and Cairo do for him," she explained, letting out all of her tears.
"Thanos sees you as more than just a soldier, that's why he's asked you to do this, but...if anything, he'll respect you more if you choose not to do it," Alistair explained.
"I know that, but it doesn't matter, I'm going to do it, for him, because this is how I can make a difference to his efforts," Lain said.
"I see, I guess I suppose I can understand that, Dagger Thanos is a great man...but, don't get yourself killed following him, simply because you believe in the man himself, believe in his dream too," Alistair explained.
"I will Alistair, good luck to you!"
"Good luck to you too."
Lain dried her eyes, and took a deep breath. She was going to do something she knew she couldn't go back from. Her loyalty to her family and the Storm would be put to the ultimate test.
The pilots parked their bikes near the edge of a cliff. Shinn himself sniffed the salty sea air, watched the gulls fly and the waves, and lost himself to it. This moment helped him to escape the memory of Onogoro. For Vincent however it was a reminder of it though, but he didn't say as much to Shinn.
"You said that my family had been avenged right?" Shinn asked.
"There's no one left to kill Shinn, it's over, whether they rest is up to you," Vincent said.
"Except it isn't up to me, if the same thing happens again, then their deaths are pointless," Shinn said.
"Their deaths are pointless whether the world changes or not," Vincent retorted.
"What do you know about it?" the red eyed boy demanded.
"I know what it's like to lose someone you love, to be powerless to stop it. What Athrun said, he had a point, his mother died at Junius Seven, and he did the right thing by burying his pain, not losing himself to it like those people during break the world. But there is another point of view, a reality that Cagalli and Athrun haven't acknowledged. Sometimes, revenge is just revenge, it won't lead to a cycle, and though it does change the person, that person won't necessarily lose himself to it. As sick and twisted as it sounds, revenge can feel good, and it can bring a person closure. If Sensou and ZAFT never allied with one another, and Sheryl killed Noah, she would have felt good about it...and I'm sure that the next day she still would have been chewing our asses out," the Sensou commander explained.
"What are you telling me this?" Shinn asked.
"I'm just letting you know, revenge isn't a good or bad thing, so long as it's taken on the right person."
The two pilots remained silent as they continued looking at the ocean. Shinn's eyes crossed over to the opposite cliff side. A blonde haired girl was dancing along it, carefree, humming a tune as the windswept over her hair and her dress. She wasn't alone, a man in a red business suit, used his jacket as a pillow and laid with his hat covering his face. Shinn closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
SPLASH!
The three men quickly opened their eyes and collectively gasped. One moment the blonde girl had been on the rocks, the next she was struggling to swim in the ocean. Shinn and Vincent got off their bikes, the former immediately rushing to the edge of the cliff.
"Oh shit, she doesn't know how to swim?" he asked.
"No shit," Vincent muttered.
Shinn cast Vincent a glare and took off his shoes and jacket.
"Shinn what are you doing? It's a miracle she missed the rocks!" Vincent said.
"You wait up here if you'd like, I'm going down there," Shinn retorted.
He dived, leaving Vincent frustrated and slapping his helmet.
"God damn it," he said.
Vincent looked across the cliff, noticing the girl's companion was running towards him. Reaching into his pocket, Vincent dialed down his emergency number.
"This is Commander Vincent Rach, authorization code 45912...no, 438039, a pilot, he's with...what is it called? Damn it, Shinn Asuka, he was going down the B5 road by the beach, him and a blonde haired woman need a...what is it called, they search for people and make sure they're okay?"
Vincent's hands shook, his right hand so much that he dropped his phone, leaving it to clatter on the floor. He gripped his head, trying to remember the things he was forgetting, and to fight the surge of pain spreading across his body. His vision was actually beginning to blur as he stumbled. He would have gone over the cliff if the girl's friend hadn't stopped him.
"Are you okay?" the man asked.
"Yeah, thanks Mr.?"
"Yuridate, Jone Yuridate, that's my sister down there, I think if we work together we may be able to..."but Jone stopped as he noticed Vincent looked at him.
The Sensou commander's eyes grew wide underneath his helmet. In place of Jone's suit, he saw an Earth Alliance uniform, and also in place of his kind smile, he saw a sadistic grin. They quickly faded, and Vincent saw only Jone, yet still, his face.
"Maybe we should get the emergency services, you look like you're in a lot of pain," the man's voice was full of sympathy.
But something in Vincent snapped, he grabbed Jone by the collar of his shirt. He swung Jone around, holding him near the edge of the cliff. Even Jone's look of shock wouldn't stop Vincent, he saw who he really was, or at least who he looked like far too much.
"That's strange," Vincent growled. "I thought you enjoyed seeing people in pain," he bought his helmeted face up close to Jone's, and spoke the name of the man he saw:
"Saint Yuri!"
Next Chapter 34: Fakes
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, little reference, and spoiler to how my unpublished chapter of Lion's Silence will go.
Yep, Jone's identity, or at least who he looks like has been revealed. Wandering eyes continue next chapter with Shinn and Stella enjoying a tranquil moment, whilst Jone fights for his life against a wrathful Vincent.