"I-I… I can't believe we're about to do this!"
Joy couldn't even begin to describe the emotion that was coursing through Hanji's chest right this moment as she stood in the holding tent to the Mechanical Titan… no… the Gundam Barbatos…
Gaining access to the holding tent for the Gundam was no small feat, and that was putting it lightly. Being under the watchful eye of all three Military Brigades, the holding tent for Gundam Barbatos was inaccessible to practically everyone less they had the complete approval of one Military Brigade Commander at the very least alongside a written letter that stated that they were allowed to be as close to it as they were.
In Hanji's case, and by extension Moblit as he was her assistant and had probably signed a blood pact to stay by Zoe's side until he died, she was given the opportunity to perform research on the Gundam by Erwin, who had offered her his full approval and a written letter, however reluctantly. Her initial visits to the holding point for the Gundam had always been on the preface of her observing the Gundam rather than running tests on it, which meant that her interactions with it were incredibly limited… until now, that is.
The happiness that was radiating from Hanji's body as soon as she got the approval letter was rather… worrying, to say the least, and Moblit was required to drag her out of the office they were once in before she exploded with joy.
As soon as she recovered, though, Hanji was quick to flip the script and drag Moblit to grab their Maneuver Gear before they blasted off to Gundam Barbatos' holding tent. So fast was she that even the horses struggled to keep up with her, and within a short handful of minutes, the two were already standing before the tent flaps that led to Barbatos, with Hanji standing proudly with her hands on her hips while Moblit looked ready to throw up at any given second.
"Can you feel the anticipation, Moblit?! Within a few seconds, we'll be stepping in and seeing the Gundam firsthand!" proclaimed Hanji, smirking widely as Moblit doubled over and vomited onto the ground, causing several of the guards present to wince, though they didn't do much to help. Moblit knew what he was signing up for when he became Hanji's assistant, especially after how the previous one supposedly died after Zoe told him to jump down the throat of a Titan for her amusement.
That was probably just a weird rumor, but who knew with Hanji at this point…?
"I'm sorry, Captain… but all I feel is my breakfast rising up my throat…" apologised Moblit moments before he emptied the contents of his stomach, and as though she were oblivious to her poor assistant's indigestion issue, Hanji simply laughed and slapped him on the back, which didn't do much to help his poor stomach as he continued hurling.
"Don't be such a baby!" chastised Hanji, patting her assistant on the back as she motioned for him to follow her into the tent. Rather unfortunately, Moblit was unable to follow so quickly, as he ended up vomiting for a few more seconds before getting up and looking around weakly, only to widen his eyes when he saw Hanji waltz into the tent, tossing the guard who had stopped her the written letter from Erwin before she did so.
Said guard read the letter before nodding in approval, though when he turned back to face Hanji and to return the letter to her, he realized that she had already walked past him, much to his dismay, though he quickly got over it as he turned to see Moblit weakly hobble up towards him.
"Moblit, you poor poor man…" muttered the guard empathetically as the other guard looked rather worried for the most unfortunate man who stood before them. Even so, however, Moblit simply waved them off as he offered an awkward smile and straightened himself up.
"Save the sympathy for someone else, you two. Someone has to keep her in check, so it may as well be me. Unless you wish to take my place, of course," challenged Moblit with a rare cheeky grin, handing the two his written approval as he spoke. The guard who took the letter shuddered a little at that as the other raised both her hands up to signal that she didn't want to deal with Hanji on a regular basis either, and that seemed to be the end of it as they read through his letter to make sure it was authentic before handing it back to their senior alongside the letter that Hanji forgot to take along with her.
"You can keep your job, Moblit. You're clear," replied one of the guards, stepping to the side to allow the assistant to enter the tent. At that, the guy walked in, sighing as he heard Hanji scream in joy inside the tent, and though he simply rolled his eyes at that at first, Moblit was quick to unroll them when he saw why she was screaming.
"Even though I've already seen it… it never gets old…" muttered Moblit, with widening his eyes when he saw the kneeling form of Gundam Barbatos, stoic and unmoving, like a powerful mountain that would not move for anyone's sake. All around them, soldiers were noticeably keeping their distance, which was understandable at the very least. Though inactive, the Gundam was very well one of the most powerful things that were held behind these walls, and none of them wished to get too close and risk having it wake up and attack them.
Of course, this principle didn't apply to Hanji, as she simply waltzed up towards the Gundam in spite of all the other soldiers telling her otherwise; she hadn't been allowed to be too close to the Gundam until now, and she was going to make the most out of this! And, despite his typically cautious nature, even Moblit couldn't resist the urge to follow, albeit a little less carefree than his Captain.
'It really is nothing more than a machine…' thought Moblit, widening his eyes as he rubbed his wrist, his eyes locked firmly onto Barbatos' optics. The senior soldier couldn't help but feel a mild shiver go up his spine as he looked into the cold, dead optics of the Gundam, though besides the mild sensation of terror, it confirmed Moblit's suspicious rather well as he nodded. 'Without Mikazuki Augus… it's nothing more than that. So we shouldn't be too wary of it-'
"A-Amazing!" proclaimed Hanji, inadvertently snapping Moblit out of his thoughts just in time to see his Captain stop right in front of Barbatos and looking up into its lifeless eyes. And as if she had just flipped a switch within her assistant, Moblit was quick to forget about almost everything he had thought about and leap up a few inches into the air. Gundam Barbatos may be nothing more than a mere machine, but knowing Hanji, she'd somehow find a way to hurt herself while performing research on it, and as her assistant, Moblit refused to allow that to happen!
"Hanji!" proclaimed Moblit, rushing towards his captain, though as per usual, the woman in question didn't acknowledge him as she raised her brow when she saw how Barbatos' optics lacked the green glow that was present during a majority of the time when it was active, though she didn't think much of it as she moved on to examine the unit with great interest, with Moblit right behind her, pleading for her to exercise caution all the while.
Many things were noteworthy about this Gundam, and though it was visually stunning, Hanji found the true beauty of the thing to come from what was not so easily seen, with an example being the 170mm Autocannons that were on the underside of the unit's forearm. Examining it closely, Hanji noticed how several parts seemed to be able to move in conjunction to one another, and the thing seemed capable of semi-auto fire thanks to an auto shell ejection slot near the back of the Autocannon. A semi-auto cannon as big as this was unheard of within the walls, and to see it for herself, well… it was certainly quite an experience.
Hanji was also quick to notice the Land Boosters that were attached to both sides of the Gundam's waist. Staring up at the one closest to her, Zoe, against the protests of her assistant, pressed her hand against its side and examined it closely. If she recalled, Barbatos used these in conjunction with five other boosters to propel itself forward at breakneck speeds, though if she had to make a guess, these Land Boosters were the main contributing factor to the immense speed of the Gundam.
Frowning as she found herself discontent with staying on the ground whilst examining the Gundam, Hanji was quick to launch both of her Maneuver Gear wires up to the Gundam's upper arm, much to the shock of everyone present, especially Moblit who damn near had a heart attack when that happened, and hoist herself up onto its arm unit.
"C-Captain! Please don't be so reckless!" pleaded Moblit, widening his eyes as he spoke, to which Hanji scoffed a little as she shook her head.
"Ah shucks, Moblit, don't worry about me! Just make sure it doesn't come to life and grab me, alright?" joked Hanji, sticking her tongue out and giving the peace sign at Moblit before turning back to Barbatos with a smile, all while ignoring all the infuriated and bewildered looks of the Garrison around them.
Kneeling down on one knee atop Barbatos' lower arm unit, Hanji brushed a hand across the white metal forearm of the unit. Hanji raised her brow rather quickly, however, when she noticed how the white paint on the Gundam felt much different from the paint used by the soldiers or even civilians. The texture was much… rougher than she was used to, and overall, it felt more resilient.
Narrowing her eyes at that, Hanji was quick to smirk as she got an idea, a horrible one at that. And, before her more sane side could stop her, the woman was quick to unsheath one of her Anti-Titan blades and swing it dramatically off to the side, much to the shock of everyone who could see her, and although a good majority of them were unsure of what she was planning at first, Moblit, being so used to her antics by now, gasped in shock as he held a hand out towards her in a panic.
"C-CAPTAIN, WAIT!"
And at that, Hanji swung her blade down, in turn causing a loud CLANG to be heard as soon as it impacted the metal of the Gundam's forearm. Everyone shielded their ears at that, not having expected the reverb from the Anti-Titan blade striking the armour of Barbatos to create such a loud sound, though as soon as they recovered, they heard another sound not too far off.
A mild ting, barely audible but still noticeable to all present, caused everyone to turn and see part of Hanji's Anti-Titan blade fall onto the ground, with Hanji herself now holding onto a snapped Anti-Titan blade with her eyes wide in amazement.
What followed were a few seconds of silence as everyone processed what had just happened, and upon acknowledging all that, Hanji was quick to gape in amazement at the durability of the Gundam's armour. Anti-Titan blades were made from a super hard alloy, with said alloy, no matter how thin, being rather difficult to break. Hell, even clashing them against each other at their weakest points wouldn't do much more than dent it a little.
Yet… the metal that was used to forge Barbatos' outer armour was durable enough to snap the blade, one that was completely fresh off the maintenance line, apart. Such durability was impressive indeed… and it was also terrifying…
"H-Hanji…! Are you alright?!" proclaimed Moblit, his worry causing him to temporarily forget about formalities as he spoke, to which Hanji replied with a chuckle as she flung the snapped Anti-Titan blade stump off its handle, with said stump landing on the ground with a mild cling, before turning to face her assistant.
"Yeah, I am. I'm just a little… taken aback by this thing is all," assured Hanji, and at that, Moblit sighed as he used that to his advantage.
"Well perhaps you'd wanna-"
"Come down?! NEVER!"
Well… nevermind…
"You think that the Captain would be tired after the latest bout of tests she did on the other two, hm?" quipped a Garrison standing guardas she crossed her arms, raising a brow when she saw the Captain in question crawled up onto the shoulder of the Gundam, standing atop it and stomping her feet onto its 'shoulderpad' out of curiosity, only to wince when said 'shoulderpad' shifted a little from the force.
"Heh, there's no telling when it comes to Hanji these days," countered another Garrison, waving his comrade off as he smiled and stared at the Gundam. "But she's seen so many Titans in her lifetime that I'm honestly not surprised that she ditched Sawney and Bean as quickly as she did for the… uh… what was it again? Gundam Barbatos?"
At that, the first soldier scoffed a little as she rolled her eyes, partially agreeing with her fellow soldier as she glanced over and shook her head.
Sawney and Bean… those were the names that were given to the two Titans that were captured during the Trost incident, with the former being a four metre while the latter was seven. Sawney was captured after Gundam Barbatos, perhaps unintentionally, sliced off all his limbs and left him nothing more than a limbless beast, while Bean had been pinned down by the Gundam's Longsword… and the Longsword was still lodged in the seven metre's back even now.
Seeing as how Bean was quite literally stuck and unable to be moved, the Military Brigades opted to build their concealment tent around where the Titan was stuck at. How they got Sawney there is beyond anyone's comprehension, though regardless, they had two captured Titans to study, so it was all good in the military's eyes.
As one would expect, with no way to perform any meaningful research on Barbatos at the time, Hanji rushed to perform experiments on the two captured Titans. No one dared stop her, knowing that her wrath would be swift and painful if they did, and besides, even if they did have a mind to stop the Titan pervert, none of them would have gotten on with it as Zoe was probably the most knowledgeable when it came to Titans. Thus far, Hanji has confirmed that Sawney seemed immune to pain whilst Bean was able to operate for extended periods of time even when deprived of sunlight, with the former discovery being rather mundane, though the latter was noteworthy enough to be catalogued by a few soldiers.
By all means, Hanji would have done more research on Sawney and Bean, though a new opportunity had presented itself before she could do so, and she couldn't resist the urge to actually run some tests on Gundam Barbatos, which led to the present, with her now standing atop the Gundam's head, holding onto its one remaining v-fin to keep herself from falling as she did so, much to Moblit's terror.
"C-Captain!" proclaimed Moblit, the fear in his voice incredibly apparent as he yelled. Likewise, everyone else seemed either horrified by Hanji's boldness or outright shocked that she even managed to climb up to the top of the Gundam's head without them noticing until now. Such skill…!
"What?" replied Hanji with a raised brow as she vaulted over Barbatos' head, terrifying everyone once more with that bold move, only for them to calm down a little when the woman's rear rested against the Gundam's crest, allowing her to sit down atop the unit's head with a content smile, resting her arm against the unbroken crest of the Gundam as she spoke. "I'm just performing some research!"
"The research part is debatable at best, but even if you were performing research, doing that is one thing, but resting atop the head of the most dangerous weapon within these walls is another!" countered Moblit, to which Hanji scoffed and had a good look around the place from her new vantage point, content with ignoring her assistant's warnings as she looked around with a smile.
Hanji was quick to notice how the tent didn't seem large enough to fully conceal Barbatos, however, as from where she sat, she could peek over the edge of the erected tent with little issue. It was rather nice to be as high up as she was right now, though she was quick to dismiss that when she looked down and saw… the opened cockpit of the Gundam.
"Oooooh?~" hummed Hanji, with her raising a brow as she slid off the Gundam's head and somewhat elegantly (by her standards) landed atop its collar. With a raised brow, she crouched down low to peek into the cockpit, and as soon as she did so, her eyes began to sparkly when she acknowledged all the technological doohickies that were, understandably, foreign to her within, and within moments, that sparkly transformed into literal stars as she leapt into the cockpit with reckless abandon. "Oh my!"
Landing atop the cockpit seat with a soft thud, Hanji smiled lightly when she acknowledged how comfortable the chair was; it was likely made to accommodate people of all sizes, though moments later, she flinched faintly when she acknowledged the less than pleasant stench of the cockpit. This part of the Gundam was clearly not well maintained, but that was probably to be expected, really, considering where its pilot had been prior to now. Either way, though, the bespectacled maniac was quick to scan the cockpit with great interest, ignoring how Moblit was yelling up at her in horror and worry all the while.
The numerous monitors, levers, switches and control panels, while incredibly familiar to its pilot, were all incredibly alien to Hanji, so much so that viewing them was enough to make the woman shudder a little in awe as she examined every nook and cranny of the cockpit. Leaning forwards as she brushed a hand across the main monitor of the cockpit, Hanji narrowed her eyes as she glanced at the digital screen; such an advanced piece of tech seemed so… alien to the woman, and she couldn't help but allow her curiosity to take over as she rapped the back of her palm against it. When nothing happened, the woman disregarded it and turned her attention towards the controllers and steppers within the cockpit.
Focusing more on the controllers first, Hanji extended her hands forward and grabbed onto them. Adjusting her grips on the controllers, she shifted her arms back and forth a little, in turn causing the controllers to extend back and forth in the process. Zoe blinked in wonder at that, and said wonder only grew when she noticed several buttons that were located near the controllers. The woman pressed down on them without thinking, though disappointingly, nothing happened.
With a sigh, Hanji shook her head before glancing down at the base of the cockpit, where the leg steppers were located. How they could be used to control the leg units themselves was a mystery, really, but either way, the bespectacled maniac, unsure of their true use, stepped down onto them, hoping that she'd get something good out of this… only to frown when she saw that nothing had happened moments later.
"Aw man…" muttered Hanji, sighing as she slouched a little at the lack of anything happening thus far. As she released the controllers, however, the woman found herself leaning back in the cockpit chair, and as soon as her back hit the back of the chair, the woman felt a sharp pain near her upper back, prompting her to squeak out in pain and jolt forward in shock. "Eep?! A booby trap?!"
Turning to have a look at what had poked her, the woman fully expected a booby trap to be the thing that struck her, though much to her surprise, it wasn't a spike that had hit her, but instead a strange looking 'tube' that was located near the upper portion of the cockpit seat. Extending her hand towards it, Hanji brushed it against the thing out of curiosity as she narrowed her bespectacled eyes.
"... what in the world is this…?" muttered Hanji, silently lamenting how her knowledge of this thing was so limited as she brushed her hand against the small 'tube'... the Alaya-Vijnana system. She didn't know this, of course, but she intended to find out what its role in Barbatos' system was… but the question remained… how would she-
Wait a minute…
If there was one person that knew more about Gundam Barbatos than her…
"MOBLIT!" proclaimed Hanji as she stood up and poked her upper body out of the Gundam's cockpit, and from the ground, everyone seemed relieved to see that she was still alive. Primarily Moblit of course, but either way…
"C-Captain! Are you well?!" inquired Moblit worriedly as Hanji gave a thumbs up, much to his relief, though said relief was quickly squashed when she continued speaking.
"I'm pretty good, but my mind is starving for more info! And I know the one who can satiate its hunger!" proclaimed Hanji, hoisting herself out of the Gundam's cockpit as she spoke. Moblit, alongside the other soldiers present, were confused as to what she meant, though not long after, she continued, and by then, her assistant was able to connect the dots and he blinked in defeat.
"Pack your things, Moblit! We're going to meet Team Mike!"
Elsewhere, Wall Rose
He knew that he's always wanted this, though even with that in mind… Nac couldn't help but feel scared at the prospect of becoming a Survey Corp.
The things he's seen on the battlefield were… horrifying, to say the least, with the copious amount of death being enough to make him pale even now. He didn't know if he wanted to go through all that again, and yet… the young soldier knew that he was already in too deep to turn back now.
"You alright there, Nac…?"
Blinking as he was called, the tall soldier perked up as he turned to glance down at Mina, who was staring up at him with a small, uneasy smile, one that he weakly mirrored in return, though it didn't seem too genuine as he nodded and crossed his arms.
"Yeah. Just… thinking about… stuff," assured Nac, with him pinching the bridge of his nose a little as he spoke. Releasing it, the tall guy shook his head and glanced around the place they were in with apprehension. Currently, the two of them, alongside all the remaining members of the 104th Cadet Corps that managed to survive the Trost Incident, were grouped up in a large courtyard auditorium.
More of a massive field with a rather well made stage near the front, the auditorium's history dated all the way back to the formation of the Military Brigade, being the area where all soldiers were transferred to their chosen military branch upon graduation. Even now, it was being used for that purpose, though even so… things were moving along much slower for the Graduation ceremony for the 104th Trainee Brigade.
Due to the manpower that was required to be redistributed following the end of the Trost incident, the soldiers from all three Brigades that were chosen to speak to the Cadets regarding their graduation were unable to attend the ceremony or were outright killed in action. If all had proceeded according to plan, the newly graduated soldiers would've been assigned to their respective branches by now. As things were, they had to simply wait here until someone came to get the ceremony back on track.
"Oh… well, sorry about that, then. Didn't mean to butt in on your thinking," apologised Mina, smiling at Nac with closed eyes as she gestured at him with an opened palm. Nac chuckled a little at that before he nudged her shoulder reassuringly.
"Hey, don't sweat it. It's probably for the best if I didn't think much anyways…" assured Nac with a gentle smile, attempting to reassure Mina as he chuckled. At that, Mina nodded as she glanced around the place with apprehension, and though it was subtle, that already small smile on her face dropped a little more when she saw the state of her fellow soldiers.
The still lingering fear was rather apparent in their eyes, and the general atmosphere of the entire auditorium was incredibly depressing, to say the least, so much so that it was enough to make even Mina feel incredibly down as she crossed her arms sadly. She wasn't used to this… although her Trainee days weren't always the brightest, things never got this depressing. The general atmosphere of the place was comparable to a graveyard, and though that probably wasn't too inaccurate, Mina really wished that it wasn't the case.
"Hey, uh… Mina… mind if I… ask you a question?" asked Nac, to which Mina blinked in surprise before she smiled lightly at him; what sorta question was that…? Of course he could ask him a question, or even two if he wanted to; they were friends, weren't they? With a smile, the pigtailed girl nodded and gave her pal the okay to speak, and at that, he did as such with a rather uncomfortable look in his eyes. "I… really don't know how to ask you this without sounding off but…do… d-do you feel… scared as well?"
"Scared…?" echoed Mina, with her blinking uncertainly as she spoke, to which Nac nodded. "Scared… of what?"
It was a rhetorical question. She knew what her friend was referring to when he referred to fear, but even so… be it due to pride or her wish to keep her fears in check, Mina had not commented on her woes as she watched Nac's face scrunch up with dismay, and thereafter…
"About… y'know… joining the Survey Corps…" muttered Nac, with him looking rather queasy as he said this, though he kept his concerns in check as Mina gulped lightly in response to his words. "We… we've seen a lot of shit through the Trost incident… and we've almost had most of that stuff happen to us as well… and I… if I'm being honest, I… I'm kinda horrified at the possibility of it actually happening to us when we're out on the field."
"You're… scared of dying, basically," surmised Mina, and although a straightforward reasoning, it was still more than enough to make Nac flinch as he nodded. For her part, Carolina couldn't help but nod sympathetically as she found her friend's reasoning for being so… reluctant to go through with their plans to become Survey Corps to be reasonable enough. The fear of dying was a very good reason to avoid doing anything, after all. "I… understand, really. I'm… horrified of dying too. We've seen how the Titans… do their thing, and I, for one, really don't want to be on the receiving end of any of their hits…"
"I'm sensing a but here," mused Nac, with him glancing down towards his friend as he said this, to which she smiled; he really knew her like the back of his hand, huh? Well, Nac was quite the observant fellow, so it was to be expected, but either way…
"Heh, smartass… yeah, I've got a but somewhere in the middle of my words," smiled Mina as she gently punched her friend's shoulder. Nac didn't recoil all that much as she did so, though he did pretend to do so as she continued. "It's just that… even if I might die because of this… even if all of our fighting will be for nothing, and even if we'll never get to see Mika and get some answers out of him… I just… I can't stand idly by and do nothing when I know that I can help prevent more deaths from happening on the battlefield."
"So you'd just throw yourself out onto the frontlines for people that won't think twice to leave you behind on it?"
Flinching lightly when they heard Annie, of all people, speak up from behind them, Mina and Nac both turned and saw the blonde approaching them with a steady stride. Leonhardt appeared a little downtrodden as she did so, though out of respect for her privacy, neither commented on it as they watched her stop in front of them with a mostly disinterested look on her face. Disinterested… and perhaps a tiny bit uncomfortable, if her uncertain expression was any indication.
"Just because you've got a good heart… doesn't mean that the other soldiers in the Survey Corps will as well, you know? I'm sure all of them wouldn't even bother thinking twice before leaving you behind on the battlefield…" reiterated Annie, with her narrowing her eyes at her friends as she spoke. In truth, she was still trying to dissuade her friends from joining the Survey Corps, though evidently enough, her methods were… less than stellar, as evident by how she was failing miserably at doing so.
"... maybe. If it means saving a life, then… I'm willing to make that sacrifice, Annie," argued Mina, with her seeming very much uncomfortable as she said this, but even so, her conviction remained, with her remaining steadfast and resolute, even in the face of Annie's judgemental glare. Leonhardt herself didn't seem to be happy with her response, as evident by her ever deepening scowl, but even so…
"Mina's… Mina's right, Annie," agreed Nac, with him doing his best to keep his voice steady as he said this. He didn't really succeed, as his voice quivered just enough to be noticeable, but even so… "We've seen so many people die… people that should've lived till today… all because we were all too slow or weak to help them. As newly graduated soldiers, we all have a responsibility to keep one another safe… and I… I know that those that intend on becoming Garrison or a part of the MPB will be safe… but as for those joining the Survey Corps…"
"What is wrong with the two of you…?!"
"...?!"
If there was ever a time for Mina and Nac to express any form of surprise, now would be it, as, from where she stood, Annie appeared to be very much at the end of her metaphorical rope as she glared at her friends in disbelief. She had made various attempts at being nice to them, to force them to reconsider their career path with niceties rather than raising her voice, but even so… it was very much apparent that they were not going to listen, and as such, she was quick to switch up her tune.
"Annie…?"
"Why can't the two of you just be selfish for once…? You're always going on and on about protecting others, keeping others safe, looking out for others… being willing to die for others! What the fuck is with the two of you?!" snarled Annie, with her not quite shouting, but still raising her voice just enough to strike fear into the hearts of her friends as she spoke, and as she said this, her aforementioned friends all recoiled in shock as she continued. "You both keep thinking about protecting others but you never think about protecting yourselves. Don't you care what would happen if either one of you died out on the field?!
"I don't want to wake up one day and read that the two of you died out there… and I don't want to tell mother about it either. Neither of us want to mourn your deaths, and I'm sure as Hell that Mikazuki wouldn't want to either… so why?!
"Why can't either of you just be selfish for once and have some self preservation… some sense to join a group that isn't the Survey Corps…?!"
The genuine pain and hope in Annie's voice made for a sharp contrast against her usually stoic self, and hearing it did make the other two tense up in surprise. The blonde was rarely ever this passionate about anything, but even so, just as she was passionate about keeping them alive…
"I… I don't know, Annie," admitted Mina bluntly, with her looking away meekly as she said this, prompting Annie to flinch in shock as she heard this, but even so, she said nothing as the pigtailed girl continued. "I really don't… but I just… I want to protect those around me. It's just as simple as that… I… I just can't stand idly by whilst knowing that I can do something, anything, to stop the deaths of our comrades… and I'm sorry if it sounds selfish… but I… my mind is set. I'm going to join the Survey Corps… and when I do… I'm going to fight out there… with Mika, and I'm going to do my absolute best to keep everyone safe."
"..."
No comment from Annie, who just appeared… dead inside, really, as she stared over at Mina with a frown, and moments later, she turned to face Nac with an expectant look on her face. It was evident that she had hoped for him to take her side, but alas, luck was not on her side on this day, as, after a brief moment of consideration, he too sighed heavily and responded in an awkward fashion.
"I… I'm sorry, Annie. But I'm with Mina on this. I just can't stand idly by while people are dying for the sake of humanity either…" admitted Nac, with his words seemingly killing somehting within Annie as he spoke. Noticing this, Tias flinched as he quickly added on to what he had said, with him blurting out his next few words all the while. "S-Still though, you should consider how we didn't have Barbatos on our side until now, y'know? We didn't have a weapon as powerful as that within our ranks… and now that we do… we can win this war, Annie. With Barbatos fighting with humanity, we can win this war against the Titans and stop all the suffering that they'll bring to us… and I myself want to be with Mika when he inevitably brings us victory."
"Having a powerful weapon does not guarantee you victory," pointed out Annie, with her narrowing her eyes slightly as she said this. Mina and Nac both flinched at this, with them frowning a little as they acknowledged the truth behind her words, though not long thereafter, Leonhardt's gaze softened just a little as she looked between her two friends, crossing her arms tightly as she sighed and shook her head. "You two… are idiots, you know that. Are you both so willing to risk your lives just for this lost cause? To… to die for an impossible goal? Just because we have Barbatos doesn't guarantee us victory, you know?"
"I… we…" began Nac, only to trail off when he realized that he had no proper answer to that. His heart told him yes, but his brain said otherwise. He didn't want to die… but at the same time, to perhaps contribute even a little to mankind's victory whilst also saving many a life in the meanwhile… that was something that he would, perhaps reluctantly, sacrifice himself for.
Annie was quick to narrow her eyes at Nac, with her shaking her head after some time. The guy really was a naive piece of work, with a heart of gold but a childish mindset stuck within the body of an adult. Four years of ruthless training and a district-wide catastrophe didn't change his heart one bit, and for as good as that was off the field, she doubted that he'd last a full minute against a horde of Titans, even when assisted by Barbatos.
As for Mina, however…
"What if we do?" inquired Mina, and at that, both Nac and Annie perked up and glanced at their friend in varying levels of shock, with neither having expected her to say what she had just said. Hell, even Mina herself seemed surprised that she said such a thing, though she kept her voice as steady as it could be she continued on with a frown. "We… we already gave our lives to the cause when we became Trainees, so I don't see any problem with dying for it."
"Is that so?" asked Annie, narrowing her eyes at her slightly taller friend as she spoke. Mina noticeably cowered a little under that glare of hers, though she didn't back down as she nodded rigidly, to which Leonhardt hardened her gaze enough to make Nac flinch. "You would uphold a worthless oath you made to an already disbanded brigade almost half a decade ago… because you think it's the right thing to do… over preserving your own life? Do you not value it, Mina Carolina?"
"I do, Annie Leonhardt. I value it… greatly…" responded Mina, with her clenching her hand into a fist and raising it up to her chest as she did. The firm salute of the Military Brigade only served to irk Annie on, however, as she scowled and continued.
"Then why do you want to throw it away like that? Just for a slim chance of pushing mankind a tiny bit forward and to save the lives of people who would willingly discard yours without a second thought?" continued Annie, taking a few steps closer to Mina as she spoke, only stopping when her face was an inch or two away from Carolina's, allowing the pigtailed girl to see just how serious the blonde was as she gulped, though she didn't falter more than that as she replied accordingly
"… yes, yes I would. I would throw away my life for a reason as childish and shallow as that," replied Mina, clenching her fists and raising them up to her chest as she spoke. Annie winced a little at that, having acknowledged how naive that reasoning was, and how some fear was present in her voice. And yet, the seriousness in Carolina's tone and the determination in her eyes was impossible to ignore. "If we can push humanity even a tiny bit forwards to victory, if we can save as many lives as we possibly can in the meantime… and if we can make the world a safer place for everyone living behind these walls… for mum, then I'd gladly die for that…"
And with that, Mina's stance on the matter was solidified, and likewise, Nac seemed to be in near total agreement with her, as evident by the nod of his head, and upon acknowledging this, Annie realized that she had already lost this argument against her friends, and with a scowl, she shook her head and turned away from them, with the duo flinching lightly at the suddenness behind her movements all the while.
"... you're so naive, even now…" muttered Annie, shaking her head in disapproval as she stepped away from her friends. Mina frowned as she held a hand out towards Annie, though she was quickly halted when Nac set a hand atop her shoulder, staying her all the while. whilst this happened, the pigtailed girl frowned heavily as she watched Annie turn to leave, with her storming off, or at least getting as close as one could to doing as such, all the while.
"... she needs some time to herself…" stated Nac solemnly as he glanced at the ground with a heavy frown, and to that, Mina could only frown alongside him as she acknowledged jus how strained their friendship with Annie had been getting these past few days, but even so…
"Yeah… y-yeah… I… I suppose she does…"
And with that, the two friends turned away from Annie's retreating form, with them feeling very much unsure on how they should approach her just yet, and as she retreated into the background, Leonhardt felt herself wiping at her eyes as she acknowledged how her friendship with Mina and Nac could very well jepordise everything she had been working up to till this point…
'Those fucking idiots…' thought Annie bitterly as she stopped her movements momentarily and glanced back towards her friends, though as she did so, she couldn't help but soften her gaze briefly as she sighed and turned away from them with guilt. 'But then again…
'... perhaps I am an even greater fool, to have allowed myself to get so close to them in the first place…'
Elsewhere
Mikazuki didn't like to believe in luck.
On the field, luck had very little effect on the outcome of a battle, often taking a backseat to skill. The more skilled you were in battle, the higher your chances of success.
And yet, off the field, luck played a bigger part in the daily lives of so many people, and evidently enough…
"I do hope that you can aid me in learning more about your Gundam, Mikazuki Augus!"
… Mikazuki's luck ran out quite some time ago, and with a soft sigh, the pilot slouched over a little atop his stallion and focused on riding his horse without having to strangle the woman riding beside him. Said woman, Hanji Zoe, was certainly not making things easy for him, however, as she rode her horse very close to his, almost uncomfortably close, as she attempted to speak with him on a personal level. Moblit, bless his soul, was at least trying to pull Hanji away, though his efforts were for naught as Zoe stuck next to Augus like glue.
Glancing behind himself, Mikazuki narrowed his eyes when he saw that the entirety of Squad Mike were following Hanji, Moblit and himself on horseback, though they seemed to be deliberately trotting along at a slower pace than the former three. Upon noticing his gaze, more than half of Team Mike appeared, at the very least, sheepish as they acknowledged how they were leaving him to fend for themselves, though as for Mike himself, the guy gave Mika a look that said "Sorry kid but you're on you're own for now", much to the guy's irritation as he turned his attention back forward, tuning out Hanji's questions as he did so.
"I had a look around Barbatos earlier today! It's truly a marvel of engineering! Tell me, how was it made?!"
Several minutes prior, Hanji Zoe had quite literally burst into the Trost Refueling Station whilst the entirety of Team Mike, plus Mikazuki and several unnamed Garrison soldiers, were managing the repairs on the station. Their combined efforts allowed them to fix a small portion of the station within a handful hours, though as luck would have it, their repair work was interrupted when Hanji, accompanied by Moblit, burst through the wall and asked (begged) Mike for his permission to borrow/kidnap Mika for some questioning in Barbatos' holding tent.
"Those things on its forearms… are those cannons?! How did you shrink a cannon down to that size, and what caliber of firearm does it make use of?!"
Though reluctant, what with him having heard of Hanji's unfortunate reputation when it came to research, Mikazuki ultimately had no real choice in the matter. Mike was calling the shots, and when he gave Hanji the greenlight, she had quite literally lifted the young man up and over her head before making a thinly veiled attempt at kidnapping him. Thankfully, the combined efforts of Team Mike and Moblit allowed them to halt her attempted kidnapping, and after she had calmed down, she opted to just bring Augus to the tent on horseback, even if it would take more time for them to reach it.
The soldiers had equipped their Maneuver Gear before they departed, with Mike offering a set to Mikazuki in spite of the protests from some of his teammates and Garrison that were present. Before they left, however, the pilot had been instructed by Tomas to wear his newly received Survey Corp jacket, with him being oddly pushy about the matter all the while. When asked by Lynne, Tomas simply said that it was just a hunch that made him ask the pilot to do so with such vigor, something that she accepted with little pushback.
"I was in its chest for a while and I noticed a strange tube near the upper segment of the chair! What exactly is that, anyways?"
And all of that ultimately led here, with Mikazuki slowly but surely growing more and more at irritated at Hanji's constant questioning. Off to the side, Moblit was doing his best to urge his Captain to save the questions for later, though he was readily ignored. Rather unfortunately, Team Mike knew better than to step in, knowing that Hanji would throw a fit of legendary proportions if they did, though at the same time…
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Henning?" muttered Gelgar, leaning close to his comrade's ear as he spoke, prompting Henning to chuckle. "I'm starting to feel kinda bad for the kid…"
"I want to see him crack. That stoney mask of his has to give way eventually. Ten bucks says he gives in within the next few minutes," quipped Henning, smiling a little as he spoke, though before Gelgar could chastise him for his childishness, Nanaba beat him to the punch, both verbally and physically, as she thumped him over the head.
"You're such a child, Henning," chastised Nanaba, sounding somewhere between disappointed, unsurprised and just a tiny bit amused as she glanced at her Captain, who appeared disinterested in the whole thing as she did so. "Captain, should we intervene? He might not have our full trust, but even I'm starting to pity just how patient he's being with Hanji…"
"I agree with Nanaba. I know he's abnormal, but no one deserves to listen to Hanji yell into their ear for as long as he has. That, and, well…" agreed Tomas, sounding rather sympathetic as he glanced at Mikazuki, who was starting to gain a menacing purple aura around his body as Hanji continued to blather in his direction. Similarly, Lynne appeared rather empathetic to Mika's current ordeal as she glanced at her Commanding officer. "... I think that Mikazuki might actually strangle Hanji if she keeps on going. With your permission, we-"
"Leave them be," ordered Mike, and at that, though reluctant, a majority of his subordinates did as they were told with little resistance, with Henning smirking rather victoriously as he chuckled, only to be slapped in the back of the head by Gelgar for his immaturity, which was saying a lot, considering who was the one that had struck him to begin with, though unbeknownst to them…
'I wonder how this will end…' thought Mike, with him watching in amusement as Mikazuki reached into his jacket and pulled a small black object from out of his Survey Corp jacket's pocket. Turning towards Hanji, the pilot narrowed his eyes as he waited for the right moment, and when it came, he tossed the black thing into Hanji's open mouth, prompting her to stop her questioning for a brief moment and gasp.
At that, Team Mike tensed up, having assumed that Mikazuki may have done something unpleasant to Hanji; although she was an irritating gremlin of a woman, Team Mike, their Captain especially, knew of Zoe's value to the Survey Corps, and if something were to happen to her, they'd risk lose one of their greatest assets in this war, though even then, they held back briefly to make sure that they wouldn't deprive mankind of their strongest asset on accident.
Holding back seemed to be the right choice, however, as within a few seconds, Hanji was chewing whatever Mikazuki had thrown into her mouth, going silent as she did so, and within seconds, she swallowed it before slapping both sides of her face in glee.
"W-What was that?! It was so sweet!" demanded Hanji, stars now visible in her eyes as she glanced at Mikazuki, who didn't reply as he rode on, and at that Team Mike only looked on in disbelief.
"What the fuck just happened?" muttered Henning, with him looking at Gelgar, who appeared just as lost as he was. Hell, even Mike seemed a little confused at what just happened, though before long, he snorted as a hint of a smile appeared on his face.
"What a strange one you are, kid," muttered Mike, rubbing his chin as he spoke.
A short while later
It took a short while, though before long, Team Mike, Hanji, Moblit and Mikazuki reached the tent that shielded Barbatos from the public, with the latter of the group tossing raisins at Hanji to shut her up as often as he could.
A waste, sure, though it was better than the alternative, which was to listen to her bicker on endlessly.
The small group entered the enclosure with little issue, with each member of Team Mike flashing their written letters of entry, having been given to them by a messenger sent by Erwin the day prior. Mikazuki himself took a moment to reach into his Survey Corp jacket and pull it out, having to weave his fingers through the leftover raisins in his pocket before he could do so, much to the amusement of the varying members of Team Mike.
"... you're clear," muttered the guard after she made sure that Mikazuki's letter was authentic, though he didn't seem to be convinced that the young man whom he was speaking to was given permission to be so close to the most dangerous weapon within these Walls. Even so, they had enough faith in Captain Mike to not question all this, even if their gaze did linger on the pilot for a short moment as he walked past them.
"It probably would've went a lot worse if you didn't wear the Survey Corp jacket," pointed out Tomas, with him smirking a little as he nudged Mikazuki's elbow cheekily, though the pilot offered no response to him outside of a mild snort, much to Tomas' amusement, though he didn't press the matter any further as he continued on. "You're quite a killjoy, aren't ya?"
Still no response, eliciting a sigh from Tomas as he reluctantly ceased in his efforts to speak to Mikazuki proper, prompting the pilot to huff in apparent relief as he followed his seniors into the tent surrounding Barbatos, and as soon as he stepped in, the pilot couldn't help but offer a small smile when he saw his Gundam kneeling in front of him.
"Barbatos," greeted Mika, stopping in his tracks as he took a moment to look his Gundam in the optics. It may have been just a hunk of metal, a weapon, to everyone else present, though to Mikazuki, this thing was a friend, so to speak, and it was nice to see that it was untouched by the soldiers that were guarding it, or at the very least, it had not been visibly damaged by them, anyways.
"Hmph… it does look kinda cool from this angle, I won't lie," admitted Henning in apparent approval as he stopped in front of the Gundam. This was the first time any of them were actually seeing Barbatos up close without it maneuvering around like the demon it was named after, and evidently enough, at least in the looks department, it had the members of Team Mike's approval, with Lynne smirking a fair bit as as she nodded in agreement with Henning's words.
Not long thereafter, though, Henning and Lynne both took stock of a sizable chunk of scrap metal (the Wrench Mace) alongside a massive blade (the Longsword) laying close by. Humming softly to himself, the former moved to check those weapons out, with him finding the Wrench Mace in particular to be very much noteworthy, and all the while, the latter could only roll her eyes as she followed her comrade onwards; someone had to keep Henning from doing something stupid, after all!
At the same time, Tomas rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he eyed the unit with wonder; even though it was a machine that was completely foreign to him in every conceivable way, the Elite was still very much a marvel of engineering. From the expertly crafted inner frame that peeked out of the unit's white armour to the intricately built form of the unit that was seemingly made to be as humanoid as feasibly possible… there was no doubt a harrowing mix of man, machine and Titan to be found in the form of the Gundam, though Tomas had chosen to keep this thought to himself for now as he continued observing the Gundam at a distance.
After a few moments of observation, however, Tomas found himself narrowing his eyes when he noticed a strange flower-like symbol etched into the side of the Gundam's blue arm shields. Out of curiosity, the soldier approached it for a closer look, leaving Mike, Gelgar and Nanaba behind as he did so.
Mike made no move to stop any of his subordinates from indulging in their curiosities, seeing no reason to restrain them too much, and simply opted to just stare up at the Gundam with narrowed eyes. The general appearance of the Gundam didn't really interest Mike too much as, unlike most others, Zacharius already knew of its general appearance and capabilities, though the thing that did catch his attention were the many damaged bits of the Gundam.
Mikazuki had claimed that the Gundam was not a Titan, and although skeptical at first, seeing the unit up close did allow Mike to acknowledge that the pilot wasn't lying. If this were a Titan, its damages would've healed up by now, something which couldn't be said for that damaged horn atop its head, the massive slash wound on its forearm shield and the hundreds, if not thousands, of cuts and dents that riddled its body.
That confirmation was nice, to say the least, though it did bring up one other question that, frankly speaking, unsettled Mike.
'For as sturdy as it is, something managed to inflict these injuries upon the Gundam… but what…?'
"Captain…?" muttered Nanaba, glancing over at Mike as she spoke, snapping Mike out of his minor trance as he glanced over at his subordinate, to which Nanaba appeared somewhat relieved as she smiled just a little. "You spaced out a little there. It's not common… is something bothering you?"
"Hm. No, not really. Your concern is appreciated, but don't worry about me, Nanaba. I was just thinking about stuff," apologised Mike, smiling just a little as he chuckled a little. Nanaba truly was something else, with the young lady being spatially aware enough to notice the less noticeable emotions that Mike would show from time to time. Most impressive, and it was something that not many could claim to do.
"I see. Well, I apologise for interrupting your train of thought, Captain," apologised Nanaba, sounding just a little sheepish as she spoke. At that, however, Mike simply smiled and shook his head, just a little, as he replied.
"No need to worry," assured Mike, with him gently waving Nanaba off as he said this. Nanaba herself nodded as she turned back to face the Gundam, though as she did so, she found herself raising their brows when they saw Mikazuki standing directly in front of it, with a hand resting against the left shin of the unit.
The pilot brushed his hand against the Gundam's shin armour rather delicately as he stared at the white armour, and the look in his eyes told Mike that the pilot wasn't doing this just for fun. If anything, it almost looked as though he was greeting a friend, and that thought in itself made Nanaba pause briefly as she considered something…
'He's not normal, that much is obvious to me, but… I wonder… if he's not like Eren, then he could possibly be something else entirely,' thought Nanaba curiously as she rubbed at her chin. 'Does he… does he even have anyone else left in his life? Anyone that's… like him? Or is he the last of his kind in a sort of way…?'
Pity wasn't something that Nanaba was fond of giving out to others; pity was a sign of disrespect amongst the higher banking members of the Survey Corps, after all, but even so… if what she had thought up just seconds ago was true, then, well… Mikazuki more than likely deserved it as he stood by his lonesome, solemnly holding a hand out towards his Gundam all the while.
And then…
"Mikazuki!"
… rather unfortunately for the pilot, his little moment was cut short when Hanji called out for him, prompting the guy in question to glance up and raise a brow when he saw that the bespectacled woman was already up on the Gundam's chest. How she got up there so quickly and quietly was beyond his, or anyone's, comprehension, though they didn't question it too much as he walked into view and stared up at her.
"How did you get up so quickly?" asked Mikazuki, with him opting to get that off his chest as quickly as possible as he stared up at Hanji, who offered a "psh" as she waved his question off into the abyss, disappointing many of the soldiers present who also wished to know how she got up there so quickly all the while.
"No time for questions, Mikazuki! Just get your ass up here, ASAP! I wanna see how this thing works!" rebutted Hanji, prompting Mika to roll his eyes a little as he took a step back and fired both Maneuver Gear anchors up onto his Gundam's chest. Said anchors latched onto it firmly, and with a single strong tug accompanied by a powerful leap, Mikazuki flung himself up into the air and landed in front of Hanji, who nodded in approval at his skills. "Hmph… not bad for a rookie."
Whether or not he felt flattered at her praise was mostly irrelevant, really, as Hanji got no response from Mikazuki as he just raised a brow, not bothering to even process her comment as he tugged on the Maneuver Gear attached to his waist. Everyone present, including Hanji herself, felt rather confused at first, though after a second, Zoe felt a gear in her head click into place as she stepped towards Mika with trepidation.
"Hey, is that really a-" began Hanji, only to be silenced when Mikazuki's Maneuver Gear detached from his waist and dropped down towards the ground, knocking against the edge of the Gundam's chest before hitting terra-firma proper. "-smart thing to do…"
"You wanted to see how it works, so I'll have to be in Barbatos' cockpit to show you. I won't fit in if it was still on," reasoned Mikazuki, short and simple as he continued on to remove his Survey Corp jacket. As soon as it was off, the pilot coiled it up and tossed it into his unit's cockpit, all the while allowing Hanji a good look at his muscles.
By all means, although she wasn't exactly one to be impressed by one's physical appearance, Hanji had to admit that Mikazuki had a strong set of arms attached to his body. With muscles that seemed comparable to even Levi, the young man looked as though he could hoist Hanji up above his head with very little issue if he wanted to, much less break her neck with but a single flick of his wrist.
And yet, the thing that caught Hanji's eye, more than just how ripped Mikazuki looked, were the three spike-like things that were on his upper back. Tearing her gaze away from his muscles for a brief moment, the woman narrowed her eyes at those spikes as she tried to figure out what their purpose was, though before she could even form a proper conclusion, Mika shifted his body, in turn causing his spines to disappear from view, and sat down on the edge of the cockpit hatch.
"Your face is red, Glasses," pointed out Mikazuki before he slid into the cockpit hatch, to which Hanji gave a mild "Eh?" as he sat down on the cockpit chair. The pilot shifted around a little as he got himself comfortable, and by the time he was settled, Zoe had mostly gotten over her first viewing of his muscles and was refocused on the task at hand, as evident by how she crouched down and peeked down into the cockpit. "You said you wanted to see how it works."
"Yep!" confirmed Hanji, smiling as she spoke. Mikazuki huffed slightly at her enthusiasm, though he spoke little of it as he shook his head and continued.
"Then you'll want to get off. If I shake you off then it's your fault that you die," urged Mikazuki, with him sounding very much indifferent to Hanji falling off Barbatos' chest and becoming a red stain on the ground as he shifted the controllers back and forth to make sure that they weren't jammed up; the unit was sturdy, sure, though a bit of checking here and there wouldn't hurt.
Rather unfortunately, however, whilst he was checking on the unit's functionality, Mikazuki didn't notice how Hanji was flashing a devilish grin as she rubbed at her chin, and moments later…
"I have a better idea…" muttered Hanji, and, for a split second, Mikazuki felt a rare shiver go up his spine as he instinctively glanced up at his senior, and for the first time in his life, the pilot felt raw, unrestrained terror when he saw Hanji quite literally leap up into the air before she came crashing down onto him.
Or more specifically,she came crashing down onto his lap.
Now, Mikazuki wasn't one to admit to feeling pain all that easily… but even so, even someone as hardy as himself would at least wince when an 80+ kilogram woman came crashing down onto his family jewels, though to his credit, he didn't yell out in pain when Hanji slammed her butt down onto his crotch.
No, instead, he just had to hold back the urge to close the cockpit up and rip Hanji to shreds for attempting to ruin his manhood by force, though he managed to hold it in, albeit just barely, as he sighed in silently furious annoyance.
"..." no words escaped Mikazuki's mouth as he glared at Hanji for doing such a dumb thing, though in response, the woman smirked and gave a thumbs up as she got herself comfortable on his lap, with her leaning her back against Mika's left forearm while she propped her legs up above his right. Her left arm was slung around the pilot's neck for support, and her right was propped up against his thigh in a rather uncomfortable manner, though the pilot didn't think much of it as he glared at the lady.
"Well, here I am! If you wanna view the action, you may as well view it as close as possible!" proclaimed Hanji cheekily, ignoring the glare that Mikazuki was giving her, as she spoke. Said glare was maintained for a few seconds before Mika shook his head and leaned back against the cockpit chair, connecting himself to the Gundam's Alaya Vijnana system, closing his eyes as he focused on connecting to his unit. This confused Hanji at first, though when Mika's eyes suddenly shot open, with a thin streak of blood flowing down his left nostril, she admittedly felt some form of worry.
Worry at her research abruptly reaching a dead end, of course. Mikazuki, for as impressive as his combat records were, at least based on the records given to her by Keith, was more or less redundant to Hanji, with the only thing she valued about him being his ability to control the Gundam and not much else.
Even so, Hanji wasn't completely heartless, and she was about to ask if he was alright out of basic human courtesy, though before she could, however, Mikazuki recomposed himself, with his once pained expression replaced with his usual stoic one, with him nonchalantly wiping the blood off his face all the while.
The sight of this was enough to make Hanji raise a brow as she began to wonder… what exactly did it take to control a Gundam? If what she had just seen was anything to go by, it most certainly took a lot of willpower to control it alongside at least some pain, though said pain didn't seem to be unbearable to Mikazuki as he shrugged it off within seconds, causing several theories to pop up in her mind as she stared at him.
'It was almost as though he was fighting the Gundam for control over its body, though considering just how easily he gained control, I reckon that he's got experience with this,' thought Hanji as the cockpit for the unit shut itself and depressurised, with the cockpit darkening quite a bit as the hatch hissed shut.
Admittedly, Hanji was just a little worried. Being stuck in here wasn't exactly something she wanted happening, though before long, Zoe noticed a light off to the side, prompting her to turn towards it and widen her eyes when she saw that the once deactivated main monitor of the unit was lighting up.
"Whoa…" muttered Hanji as she poked the cockpit monitor several times, much to Mikazuki's silent amusement, only to recoil her hand when an unfamiliar symbol appeared on the monitor. Zoe stared at it in wonder as she memorised the thing closely, though Mika didn't think much on it, being rather familiar with it by now, as he patiently waited for the unit to power up completely.
Not long after, the on-screen symbol of Barbatos shifted towards the leftmost side of the screen, allowing the codename of the Gundam to appear with its actual name being displayed beneath it in smaller letters. ASW-G-08, Gundam Barbatos… upon seeing its codename, Hanji raised her brows in curiosity as she memorised it, though moments later, the words faded from view, with both being replaced by a radar on the left side of the screen and two bars that showed how much ammo and fuel the Gundam had to the left, both of which were dangerously low, Hanji noticed, though before she could point that out, something rather beautiful (to Hanji at least) happened.
Almost immediately after the main monitor of the cockpit had fully activated, the optic-to-cockpit visual feed came on as well, with the panoramic view allowing them to see through the optics of the Gundam. At first, it simply displayed a simple optical feed, though after tapping the main monitor a handful of times, Mikazuki altered it to a more detailed heads up display. At that, Hanji Zoe widened her bespectacled eyes and allowed her jaw to drop as she quite literally looked through the Gundam's eyes, and it took her less than a few seconds to take note of every last detail that was visible to her all the while.
(On the outside, the soldiers all flinched when Barbatos' optics suddenly flashed to life, though they were relieved to know that it wasn't active, moving or, God forbid, hostile towards them just yet.)
Rather unfortunately, however, whilst she looked around the cockpit, Hanji had ended up fidgeting a lot on Mikazuki's lap as she moved her body around to have as close a look at the various things hidden from sight. Thankfully for the pilot, however, he had a high tolerance to these things as he simply sighed and leaned back on his cockpit seat in irritation while Hanji leaned forward and had a look at everything, with the former acknowledging a minor sensation on his side of the Alaya-Vijnana all the while.
"..."
'Good morning to you as well, Barbatos…'
"..."
'Hanji? She comes here often?'
"..."
'... I'm sorry that you had to deal with her for so long, even if you were mostly asleep throughout.'
"..."
'Fair, I want her out too, but I don't think that Hanji's going to be leaving of her own violation any time soon…'
And right as he thought that, Hanji accidentally pressed a button that caused the Gundam to expel the waste heat from the various vents on its chassis, much to both the pilot and his Gundam's dismay.
A few seconds ago
"This thing's made from some form of high strength metal. If anything, it's probably stronger than the Super Hard Steel Alloy we use to make our blades…"
As she spoke, Lynne brushed her hand against the side of the Gundam's heavily damaged Wrench Mace, with her fingers gliding over the rusted, dented chassis of the weapon as she spoke. The weapon was laying on its side with its 'jaws' opened, allowing anyone who dared to have a closer look at it to enter its exposed maw if they wished, with Lynne being amongst the very few who had done so, with her ignoring Henning's protests all the while.
"This blade… it seems to be more than just a simple sword," continued Lynne, rubbing her chin as she stared up at the Wrench Mace's exposed chainsaw 'tongue' whilst speaking, narrowing her eyes at its basic structure as she spokecuriously, she prodded at one of its curved 'teeth' as she observed it with a critical gaze; she was no weapon geek, not by a longshot, but even so… "Judging by its appearance, it looks as though the curved blades that line it are capable of rotating to provide a more effective cut…"
"Really? Cos from here, it looks more like a spiked club to me," commented Henning offhandedly, prompting Lynne to roll her eyes as she stared at him with a slightly teasing gaze.
"And that's why you're ranked lowest in this team," quipped Lynne, taking a jab at her junior's lack of imagination as Henning winced in embarrassment and glared at her indignantly, to which Lynne stuck her tongue out at him. For as serious as they were on the field, these two could really be quite a handful off it… "But regardless, this technology… it could potentially be replicated and downsized to be used by regular soldiers. We only need the proper materials and funding…"
"An Anti-Titan blade with a serrated, rotating edge? Sounds dangerous as fuck… sign me the Hell up!" laughed Henning sarcastically, with him not believing that such a thing could be downsized enough to be used by a human soldier as he rolled his eyes. Lynne ended up rolling her eyes as well after she acknowledged the sarcasm in her junior's voice, though before she could chastise him for it, the two of them heard something rather loud, to say the least.
The sound of shifting metal was unmistakable, and considering how loud it was, everyone present in the enclosure, and even those who were outside it, couldn't help but turn and stare at its source, the Gundam, with Lynne rushing out of the jaws of the Wrench Mace and screeching to a halt just in time to see the unit's cockpit shut itself up.
"W-What did Hanji do this time…" muttered a close-by soldier as she stared up at the Gundam, with most of them present quickly going on guard as they brandished their Anti-Titan blades defensively. Hell, even the various members of Team Mike had unsheathed their blades by now, though Mike himself seemed to be the exception to all this as he simply stared up at the Gundam in curiosity.
"I don't think Hanji did anything this time," commented Henning as he kept his focus trained on the Gundam, narrowing his eyes intensely as he tightened his grip on his blades. The prospect of fighting this thing was something that Henning was not exactly excited about, but if he had to… he would have no choice.
The sudden activation of Gundam Barbatos' optics had caught everyone off guard, and despite it still being rather bright out, the green glow of its optics was unmistakable to everyone who could see it, prompting them to step back in shock, and seconds later, steam was ejected from the several vents on the unit's body, knocking those who were too too close to it onto their backs all the while, with even Mike having to shield his eyes as the steam came at him, hard.
"Whoa!" proclaimed Gelgar in shock as his pompadour was messed up real bad, and as soon as she recomposed herself, Nanaba grimaced and stepped forward, having instinctively assumed that the pilot was attempting hostilities towards them, though she was held back by her Captain before she could do anything rash.
"Hold," urged Mike, to which Nanaba reluctantly nodded and stepped back, still in a defensive position as she narrowed her eyes at the Gundam, ready for a tussle as she stared up at the unit, though Mike remained calm as he stared up at the unit.
And for several long moments… nothing happened.
Meanwhile
"A-Amazing… so this is what you see whenever you pilot your Gundam…?"
"Ah. The cockpit always looks like this when I'm connected to it."
At that, Hanji couldn't help but smile a little as she sat herself upright on Mikazuki's lap to get herself properly situated, much to the pilot's chagrin all the while. Whilst she adjusted herself on his lap, though, the woman slammed the top of her head into the cockpit hatch, and it was enough to make Mika snort in amusement (and for Barbatos' internal systems to hitch a little as it 'laughed' in its own unique way) as she held the top of her head in pain.
"Ouchie…" muttered Hanji, nursing the top of her head as she moaned in pain, though after a few seconds, she got over it as she sighed. "Jeez, this spot is much more cramped than I'd like…"
"Or maybe you're just too tall," retorted Mikazuki with a raised brow as Hanji pouted a little at his words. Sure, they were true, but even so…
"You don't have to say it like that, meanie… but regardless, lemme have a look, if you don't mind~" quipped Hanji, smirking as she flexed her fingers and reached for the left arm controller. Grabbing onto it, Hanji pressed down on the five buttons that were present on the controller, in turn causing the left manipulator of the unit to curl up into a fist. At the same time, a pop up on the optic to cockpit view alerted her to the fact that the left manipulator was currently clenched, prompting Hanji to blink in surprise. "Huh, convenient…"
(In truth, Barbatos, knowing that its pilot was not in control, opted to bring that pop up for Hanji's sake. Why it did this was not known, even to its pilot, though Mikazuki thought little of it either way.)
After she acknowledged that, Hanji lifted the controller up a little, with her bringing it upwards just a tiny bit, and that in turn caused the left arm unit of the Gundam to lift itself up into the air. Through the optic to cockpit view, Hanji saw the unit's arm raise itself up in tandem with her moving the controller, and it was enough to make her grin wildly as she watched this unfold.
"Amazing! To control something so advanced in such a simple way…" muttered Hanji, smiling as she shifted a bit more on Mikazuki's lap, much to his irritation, as she shifted the left arm controller back and forth, in turn causing it to shift forward and back all the while, with its movements being accompanied by the sound of pistons shifting and gears clicking. Hanji smiled just a little wider at that (the same could not be said for the soldiers outside, who were freaking out at the sight of Barbatos' left arm spazzing out), though her smile flattened a little when she noticed another button located near her index finger, almost like the trigger of a gun, with it piqued her curiosity as she moved her finger towards it with a smile. "Oooo~, what's this…?"
And yet, before she could press down on it, Mikazuki almost immediately shot his hand forward to stop her from making a terrible mistake. Gasping as Mika pinched her index finger between his index and thumb, Hanji glanced over at the pilot with a quirked brow as he glared at her in annoyance.
"Don't touch that," warned Mikazuki with narrowed eyes, with him being well aware of how that specific trigger was that which controlled the Autocannon of his unit. He didn't exactly care if the 170mm shot hit anything, but he'd rather not get into trouble due to Hanji's childish nature… that and he also wished to conserve whatever ammo he had left, and, much to his relief, the woman sighed reluctantly as she nodded.
"Fine fine," grumbled Hanji in defeat as she rolled her bespectacled eyes and waved him off, only to glance down and smile when she noticed the steppers at the base of the cockpit. Smirking to herself, she attempted to step down on them, only for Mikazuki to stop her once more. "Eh?"
"Don't touch those either," echoed Mikazuki, with his gaze reflecting quite a bit of annoyance as he spoke. Those steppers activated and controlled the leg units and thrusters of the Gundam, and for as entertaining as it may have been, Mika would rather not get into trouble due to Hanji sending several soldiers flying backwards with the Gundam's leg thrusters.
"Psh… killjoy," muttered Hanji, with her frowning as she glanced off to the side and noticed a button on the top of the arm controllers, conveniently out of the way of most of the other buttons that could be easily pressed down on when grabbing onto the controller handles. Moving her hand towards it, the bespectacled soldier felt compelled to press down on it to satisfy her growing curiosity, only to be once more stopped by Mika.
"Definitely not that," stated Mikazuki direly, and at that, Hanji growled and glared at him.
"Oh why not?! Does it make the thing explode or something?!" demanded Hanji, with her glaring at Mikazuki for a change as she spoke. She didn't get a response, however, as Mika simply glared at her, and it was enough to make Zoe wince as she bit her lower lip with apprehension. "Wait… does it really…?"
"What do you think?" inquired Mikazuki, sounding almost sarcastic as he spoke, prompting Hanji to look at the button with newfound fear as she retracted her hand from it, prompting the pilot to scoff a little.
'It purges the armour for the left arm. It's probably best if that doesn't happen,' thought Mikazuki as he sighed, raising a brow when he noticed how Hanji seemed to have deflated a little. Huh, she didn't seem too energetic now. Perhaps he could exploit this and get this issue over with…
"Are you done here?" asked the pilot, pressing his advantage as he eyed the woman apprehensively and just a little hopefully as he spoke. And, much to his dismay, Hanji almost immediately found her smile once more as she glanced at him.
"Perhaps not… I still have several theories that I'd like to confirm, like what that button does-" replied Hanji as she tapped a button near the cockpit monitor, which caused excess steam from the Gundam's vents to be forcefully expelled and causing several soldiers to be sent flying backwards in the process.
And upon hearing this happen via the audio receptors of his unit, Mikazuki sighed and leaned back on the cockpit chair.
"Fuck."