-Which room ?
-203.
If the exchange could seem the coldest, it was only a one-sided sensation since in reality, the blond who nonchalantly followed the young woman in front of him was all that was most joyful. He watched her open the door quickly to enter the room and quickly joined her. When they had both entered, he locked it and checked by purely military reflex the absence of any microphones or cameras likely to betray what was going to be said here. Finally, when he was sure of the intimacy of the space, he turned his attention to the rose that had sat in front of the teaching desk, arms and legs crossed in a most closed attitude.
It'll probably going to be a complicated conversation...
He smiled : his favorite type of one in short.
So he went to the opposite seat and clasped his hands under his chin while propping his elbows against the table.
"I am very happy to be able to have this interview with you, Miss Grace."
"An interview? Wasn't that supposed to be an information of blame?" She replied in an ironic tone, without showing the slightest mental openness.
His smile firmed.
"You know very well that it is not. It is not for such a trivial reason that you have agreed to follow me".
"A trivial reason? A blame can have enough impact to destroy a very high-ranking military career, you know."
"The best elements always manage to break through. I have a fairly large number of blame myself..."
"As a master in the matter, what punishment would suit me?"
"A written report, about twenty pages, will be more than enough. In the meantime, this is not the primary topic here."
Feldt looked into his eyes, uncrossing her legs to cross them on the opposite side, her expression being more scrutinizing:
"If you want to get to the point so quickly, it only suits my business."
He narrowed his eyes a little, entertaining himself by dissecting the features of her face impervious to the slightest tenderness.
"You said you know things about my parents."
"Indeed."
Feldt forced herself to remain neutral, exclaiming:
"To begin with, who are my parents for you?"
He leaned forward a little, propping one arm to the back of his chair and stretching the other out on the wide desk. The question was one of the most cautious she could have asked as a start, because indeed, with the consciously made differences of names between her and her parents, he could very well be wrong as to their identity and therefore make his arguments worthless for her.
"Ruido Resonance and Marlene Vlady."
She had a suspicious and threatening sneer, leaning the front of her body a little towards him, while asking:
"How do you know?"
His "how" was so vibrant that he would have shuddered if he had been someone else.
"They were considered legendary Meisters."
"That doesn't answer my question."
He looked a little condescending as he said:
"How long have you thought I've been a legend myself?"
Feldt straightened and made the connection without noting his arrogance: he had therefore probably rubbed shoulders with them a minimum by rocking in the same category.
"What do you know about them?"
"They were respectively the Gundams Meisters of the Astraea and the Abulhool, the prototypes of the current Exia and Kyrios."
"But still?"
"They were endowed with a powerful thirst for justice and advocated strong ideals of peace. Their innate talent for piloting and their determination had no equal at that time... They were to be feared and had nothing to fear as Meisters. "
The rose, on the lookout for any ambiguous formulation, narrowed her eyes, noting:
" As Meisters, huh ? Am I to understand that once they were no longer under this cover, the stakes were different? "
The Ace of the Federation had a strong smile as he happily stared at the young adult in front of him.
"Your reactive intelligence is the most attractive, I swear... But before I go any further, may I ask you a question myself?"
Silence was her sign of consent, and he resumed after a few seconds:
"What do you yourself know about your parents?"
She tensed up a little and he felt the pressure go up a notch. She was looking for the trap in his question. However, not finding it but still on guard, she finally answered evasively:
"Everything a 7-year-old could know."
"Haven't you done research throughout your studies at the Academy?"
"I did. But nothing I learned seemed satisfactory..."
"Why that ?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.
Feldt controlled her emotions perfectly as an alarm sounded in her mind, finally figuring out what the man in front of her was trying to get her to say. This question was dangerous. Very dangerous. For the simple reason that her lack of confidence in the information given indirectly accused the Federation of substituting truth. To an experienced soldier like him, this could sound like a violent slander, and in the worst case, he could judge her as a potential enemy and put her on harm's way.
This was why, finally remembering how Graham Aker was superior to her in terms of abilities and was only an unknown without known goals, her coldness turned into a kinder tone, shaded by a cautious hypocrisy:
"It was a bit too concise. I want to know more about them than I can learn from military archives."
"It's true that it's not by staying in official information that you could know the history of your parents..."
His tone seemed to soften in favor of more indolence, and she bits her lip. She had to learn more, make him tell her more! She couldn't let him have the dominance of the exchange!
"Mr. Aker... I—"
"What if we stopped acting like two soldiers for a few minutes and talked between human beings? Of course, this moment will never be considered to have taken place."
She did not think to be cut off, surprised by the intense gaze of the Meister. She frowned, and understood from the strength emanating from his green pupils that he was handing her the opportunity to know the truth, or rather a part of it. Then she nodded, to which he had a joyful expression.
"Ok. So let's get to the core of the matter frankly..."
She strained her attention when he resumed in a voice that she would consider wiser and serious:
"Let's be clear, I suspect, with your level and your degree of determination, that you hacked the Federation's security systems to know all the details of what you were talking about before... And I tell you you're right, Feldt. "
A flash of incomprehension passed through the rose's gaze:
"What you mean?"
"The Federation hides the truth about the death of your parents."
The Coordinator's expression became more serious and cold than ever, as he continued:
"How did you realize it?"
"Everything seemed too banal. Everything we could know about them, from their background to the speculated reasons surrounding their murder... Each event seemed too "normal"... Too simple and predictable."
"Your sensitivity is very relevant. It would touch his ego..."
Feldt looked at him with strong defiance:
"Touch his ego?"
He nodded, looking away from the window, an indecipherable emotion transcribed on his face and his following words:
"Yes. I am friends with the man who was ordered to concoct this excuse. But before any speculation, you must know that he is not involved in this case and simply ended up with this thankless task. He had also experienced it rather badly..."
"Graham Aker. "
He was alerted by the firmer tone and observed her again:
"Answer me clearly, please. What do you know about them and their deaths?"
A slight silence set in, as he clasped his hands on the table and thus sat straight on the chair:
"I am sorry to tell you that I don't know much. However, I always know more about the truth than you know."
"I'm listening."
He nodded, then took a breath before explaining :
"As I told you, your parents were considered invincible, and therefore represented very important elements for the Federation in more ways than one."
Feldt held her hands under the table to shake them tightly: she felt more and more that her speculation was proven but forced herself to remain neutral as he continued:
"When you were born, they realized that their professional situation could harm you. On the one hand, they didn't want you to be forced to live in combat. On the other hand, putting themselves in danger as Meister, just as much as the workload of this job, may have left you alone and neglected. Things they refused to do to you."
If the rose had been more insensitive, she would probably have let out a slight laugh at the irony of the situation. They had worried about leaving her alone and eventually accomplished exactly that fact.
"So, they chose to resign."
Feldt let out a groan. The thought she had wanted to revoke for lack of evidence taunted her violently.
"Being yourself a Coordinator who will bond with a Meister, you know what this implies..."
"A Meister who decides to flee the fight indirectly forces his partner to do the same since the sentence of a Calling is irrevocable... As a result, to resign was the same as withdrawing two Gundams from the military forces. "
Graham nodded.
"I think you suspect what will come next... To tell you the truth, I think you knew it all along without ever being able to make sure."
Feldt closed her eyes: deep down, it hurt her to have to accept this. According to the data, her parents had been murdered as a result of an isolated terrorist act. They would have been symbolic collateral damage, weakened by their resignation but victims of their prestige...
Yet the lie of this information was very real.
"Even if they have the legal right, the Federation could not accept it. Since they were excellent pilots, it probably tried to force them to stay. But they continually refused, and it judged that two Gundams were more important than the desire of two citizens... So it plotted their murder so it could free their partner. "
"However, the partners in question knew this."
Feldt looked at him, surprised by the intervention and the meaning of speech.
"Knew what?"
"That your parents were going to be murdered. So the Federation decided that it was also necessary to get rid of them."
"But... There was the risk of post-mortem self-destruction!"
"That is why they were tortured to force them to revoke this action if it had been done, before being killed."
Feldt widened her eyes, as he grabbed a lock of her hair to play lazily with it despite the significance of his words:
"You are also a Gundam Coordinator, Feldt Grace. Are you aware of the turning point you gave to your life the moment you accepted the obligation of your Consecration? You will not be able to flee the fight, nor flee a painful death if you think of rebelling... This will also be the case for your Meister, if you make your Calling just now."
He could feel the tension hidden in her, as she exclaimed in a gloomy voice:
"What are you trying to tell me?"
He literally crushed his pink lock, while he clearly stated:
"Are you going to impose this burden on your partner?"
She let him pull his hand up under her chin and then bring their gaze closer to each other as he continued to speak:
"I see in your eyes that you no longer believe... No, that you probably never believed for a moment that the Federation was the justice as you conceived it. One day or another, you will betray it. That's what my instinct tells me, and it never cheated on me once."
"I won't give up."
This quick answer left him stunned for a moment, and it was only when he met her cerulean pupils and their deep glow that he understood the importance of this statement in the young woman's mind.
"Don't you revoke my claim about your betrayal?" He finally asked, in a calm voice and without a smile on his face for a rare time since the beginning of their conversation.
"No one knows what will happen in the future. But if I had to project myself, my current goal is not to betray the Federation. "
"Why ? It is the very reason for the murder of your parents. Isn't it your motivation to avenge them?"
Feldt took his intrusive hand and put it on the table, a faint smile on her cold features:
"This is where you are mistaken."
With a glance, he invited her to continue more than impatiently.
"The premeditation of the death of my parents is not an official act but an isolated one from the Federation. This means that only some high-ranking officers made this choice, and if I were to act out of revenge as you explain, it would be them that I would have to judge, and not blame the entire military organization."
"But still?"
"My motivation is not to avenge my parents. Understanding their deaths and being able to feel closer to them by going on a similar path is. Moreover, without any connection with them but simply for myself, I want to be able to change this world with my own hands for the benefit of something better."
"What if you ever had the opportunity to avenge them? If their murderers one day come face to face with you? Would you manage not to let yourself be dominated by your hatred? "
Feldt watched him cautiously as he seemed to have lost some control of his arguments, questioning her almost hastily non-stop. Thus, her answer was softer, having more than time to resume a form of dominance in the exchange:
"If these people are enemies of my values and their elimination turns out to be in accordance with my previous objectives, I recognize that I would like to be the one who would shoot them down."
"Then you would collaborate with them if they were allies?"
"To be honest, it would surprise me if people who allow themselves to kill innocent people for the benefit of war could one day be considered allies for me... But..."
"But? "
"... But it seems that you have been trying to set me against the Federation since just now."
He had a slight shudder, seeming to suddenly catch up with reality :
"I'm just trying to understand more about your motives," was his only justification as he stood up to face the blackboard, showing her his back.
She scanned him for a few seconds, before allowing herself a small sigh and asked:
"So what? Is that all you can teach me?"
"As you said, the murder of your parents was fomented by a silent minority on your scale. It represents those who act in the shadow of the Federation and has the most consistent control over it. "
Feldt took a moment before reacting to the sudden information, but recovered vividly:
"Are you saying that the Federation is controlled by third parties?"
He turned back to her, all his condescension back and nodded:
"They are members of the Federation, but have more power than ever in it. Even more than those around them think."
"Do you rub shoulders with them? "
"It happens."
"You won't tell me anything more about them then."
"As always, you understand quickly."
"Out of desire or spite?"
He smiled smallly, amused by the question:
"When one is high-ranking at my level, spite or desire are quickly replaced by responsibility and protection of his back."
"You don't seem to be the type of people who is very manipulative in this sense."
"What you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. It's hard for me to imagine you licking the foot of administration."
He let out a slight laugh.
"It's true that I'm more in the rebel category..."
She watched him without a word as his sharp pupils pierced hers.
"... But I remain a responsible adult."
They gauged each other for a long time after this retort. Feldt began to grasp easily that he would not proclaim himself an ally to her if the turn of events ever became unfavorable to her, even if he could agree with her, clinging to his own status. And it was quite evident: he didn't have to take care of her, and she would instead find it strange that he could take this risk for the stranger she was to him.
"Feldt Grace."
The Coordinator offered her attention.
"I take your current statements as truth. Nevertheless, in my personal opinion, your refusal to give up will somehow lead you to meet these people. When this is done, I do not know what will result, but if I can assure you of one thing, it is that you will embark on the most dangerous path possible. And this, whatever the conclusion that looms. "
Her smile was icy and ironic as she got up from her chair and leaned on the table:
"You think I didn't realize it all along? I may go for a utopian goal, but I am not so naïve as to choose a bellicose future where those who offered me life have been eliminated without suspecting that I risk very big. Just today, the danger around me is certainly constant and palpable."
He let out a satisfied sneer: he really liked this inaccessible and reckless facet of this pretty pearl.
"Then I would only allow myself to add one thing."
Her clear eyes invited him to develop.
"We will probably become enemies one day, Feldt. If this ever actually happens, then know that I would have no mercy."
She stiffened perceptibly, crossed by the intensity approaching the passion of his deep green eyes. Even more than predicting it with his super-instinct as he boasted, Feldt could very well perceive that he wanted it. He wanted to be able to cross swords with her, fight against the Exia and her Meister... It was palpable and the tension in the air did not hide how bloodthirsty his thirst for this could be.
If she truly became a traitress, this man would undoubtedly be her worst enemy and the first to follow her.
She frowned, then swallowed her saliva with some difficulty. It would be a lie on her part to say that she felt no fear: on the contrary, anxiety was growing more and more in her in front of this man with imposing charisma.
Seeming satisfied with the effect of his statement on her, he walked to the door to get out, but was stopped by the voice of the rose:
"Mr. Aker."
He turned in half to give notice of her attention.
"Why did you reveal all this to me? You did not even ask for something in exchange, and I would not accept such an unjustified answer as the fact that you simply wanted to entertain yourself with my reactions."
"Oh. The answer is simple."
A flash of incomprehension shone in her cerulean pupils as his visible green eye plunged into her, soaked in a strange satisfied gleam.
"It was that very minority that ordered me to inform you. "
His heart stopped dead in its tracks.
She had finally understood.
In reality, the young woman had never had the slightest dominance. From the beginning, everything had been calculated. Her very identity was already uncovered by those who should not have learned it. This conversation, as relevant as it was to her understanding of his parents, had only been a manipulation to understand better about her way of thinking and her goals, even her degree of deviance.
"I will wait for you in the hall," he exclaimed in a voice whose emotion she could not judge, too seeded in her mental fright.
Her eyes widened as she lost control of her legs and crashed to her knees on the ground with a thud, unable to hold back any longer now that she was alone.
As suspicious as she would have been until now, she had been totally fooled by this too miraculous information taking. Graham Aker was not an ally, but not a neutral either. He was squarely and completely a relative of those who had killed her parents. A deeply personal enemy but a public superior to be respected. She had just been tested... To pass a most difficult judgment, fomented by the minority who had wanted to gauge its dangerousness or usefulness, in what she had perceived only as a common and affordable conversation of a serious nature.
Her fists clenched, to the point that his knuckles turned white, her locks of hair hiding her slumped face to the ground.
Talented strategist? Powerful and highly intelligent coordinator? Mature and charismatic young woman? So many compliments that, in reality, had only been intended to make her wallow in her achievements, to believe that she was more than capable of facing the world easily while she remained only a vulnerable child in a universe of experienced beasts. Despite her heavy past, she knew nothing more than the other 18-year-olds. Perhaps the most humiliating part of all this was the arrogance she had in thinking she knew a minimum.
She still had a lot to learn before she was able to make a difference, not to be manipulated.
Really a lot.
This truth had never struck her as much as at that very moment.