The steady beeping of the heart monitor and soft breathing filled the air. The room was all white with silver embellishments. Immaculate but plain. It was a place of healing, yet had some notions of coziness. Sven was sitting next to the bed reading over files. He would occasionally glance over to the person laying in the hospital bed. The patient had been in an induced coma due to an accident. Now it was just time before he was to wake up. He had undergone multiple surgeries, slowly recovering. When he was retrieved from the wreckage, the patient was unconscious, pinned into the wreckage, and had lost considerable amounts of blood. The patient had received the best care, royal treatment even. He wasn't placed in any hospital room, he was in the royal hospital wing, only accessible by a special passcode. The scars he had accumulated over the years had all been healed. He was a clean slate.
Anita walked in with a clipboard. She ignored Sven while taking vitals. Sven glanced at her while still looking through files.
"He's close to waking up soon," Anita informed him while smoothing back the patient's hair. She cared for him as if he was one of her cousins.
Sven looked over to her. "Mikael hates his hair being parted that way." Sven moved the hair back.
Anita rolled her eyes. "I will be letting his family enter back soon to help with him waking up."
"He'll wake up when he wants to," Sven glanced at the clock. He set his files down. "However, I don't like leaving him alone from time to time. Keep me informed on his recovery."
Anita gave a soft smile. "Of course. He's going to feel guilty when he wakes up though."
Sven agreed. "He fulfilled his order. He'll get over it. Meanwhile, we're going to have a guest soon." Anita perked up. "He'll be living in the royal wing with us for the time being."
"Then that means," Anita eyes slightly widened in concern. Time was drawing near. She didn't think it would be coming so soon.
"Yes," Sven nodded. "We need to keep the wool over his eyes for now. We're going to be visited by several guests as well. It's going to be an interesting turn of events. I'll have someone watch over him while he is here." He glanced over to the unconscious Mikael. Anita nodded in agreement.
Sven left Anita while she continued her hourly checkup. He headed upstairs to the main mansion through a series of hallways and elevator. As Sven walked through the elevator Mikael was there to greet him with his arm in a sling, bandaged in some areas, and the scar still across his face. He saluted Sven.
"There you are," Sven smiled. "At ease." Mikael put his arm down. "I'm going to need you to accompany a guest for the time being. He doesn't know about his situation. We want to keep it that way."
"Will I be working alone?" Mikael questioned.
"Yes," Sven nodded. "This is a person of importance. Their influence can affect the turn of events we have planned out. The less impact he makes, the better."
"Does he know who I am?" Mikael continued.
"Yes," Sven thought about it. "You know who he is. When he comes into the mansion, you'll understand. I won't need you until then." Mikael nodded as Sven left him. Sven glanced back to see no one was there. Sven smirked as he headed forward. He needed to get other things prepared before the guest's arrival.
The shuttle landed in a secluded area in the Kingdom of Scandinavia. It was driven inside before they were allowed to exit the shuttle. The large doors shut behind them. The daylight he saw, was now locked away from him. He was in secret hanger. How large it was made it seem like something huge was stored here compared to the small shuttle that just entered. Yzak was led to a motorized cart that had seating and a place to carry his luggage. He sat on it while his luggage was being placed on it. He took in all he could. The cart took off, driving a few miles to a small train station inside the hanger. Yzak followed the three men as they carried his stuff inside. Yzak was tired from the long journey. He wanted answers and he wanted to rest.
The train brought him upwards to a station just below the mansion. It was all weird to him. He could see other trains pass by along different tracks. There were series of tunnels and off chutes to hangers. This place was bigger than he imagined. He wondered what it all held. He continued to follow three men into a smaller elevator that headed upwards. He noticed there were several floors but they were going to the very top.
The elevator doors opened to a sparkling and bright foyer. It was what one would imagine walking into a royal mansion. Pristine floors. Gold and silver accents. Large paintings. Lavish and luxurious. He followed the men up a set of stairs. They passed the front doors. Yzak was led up to the fourth floor. There they walked to door, entering a room with lots of furniture. One of the men stopped with Yzak while the other two carried the luggage, heading through another door. The two were standing in a waiting area.
"This is where you will be staying for the time being," the first man explained. "Any door that is unlocked, you are allowed to enter. Any locked door, you're not allowed to enter. This is the waiting area for visiting guests." Yzak followed the man through the door the other two men went into. The next room was much bigger. It was similar but had more furniture. "This is the common area. You'll most likely be spending most of your time here." The two continued on as the common area had an open hallway that led down the rest of the wing until it was met with a door. They headed down to the first door on the left. "This will be your room for the time being." His luggage was placed next to a small table with two chairs. The other two men had disappeared. "Over here is the button for the servants. If you need anything, let them know. In due time, things will be explained. Please enjoy your stay while you're here." The man gave a slight bow before leaving.
Yzak wanted to ask him some more but he was too exhausted to figure things out now. It wasn't like he was taken by the enemy. He had time to figure things out. Yzak started to unpack and change out of his disguise.
Sven was walking up the stairs, speaking with the butler about how they were going to address their new guest. He saw one of the royal guards coming down the stairs. Sven ignored him while continuing his orders. The butler nodded in agreement. The two reached the wing. They didn't see Yzak in the common area. Sven let the butler know if he was needed, to call him. Sven will be in his office. The butler nodded.
Back at the secret compound, Canard was allowed to go back to training. He had an obstacle course he was trying to get through. When he finished, there was a time and score. Canard panted as he read his stats.
"So," he looked over to Oscar. "Must have not been that bad if we're here now."
Oscar was leaning against the door. "It was bad. You're just lucky it didn't come your way." Oscar looked up to the score. "Not bad. No wonder you why you got abducted."
"Sure, that's a great compliment," Canard headed over to fighting simulations. "Get abducted for my abilities, thought it was for my looks."
"Don't get too cocky," Oscar teased.
Canard continued to push his limits and test his abilities. Oscar watched over him.
On the other side of the compound, Selena was standing on an elevated circle, getting measurements for different fittings. She still wore the silver bands on her legs and arms. Ra was conversing with tailors and fashion designers about the outfits he wanted her to have. When he didn't need her, he let her rest in a special room just for her. It was a small apartment in the compound closest to the side where the trail led to his own home. She seemed liked a doll to others but the conditioning had her doing the basics with little on her mind. He would slowly progress the conditioning further, allowing her to be more of herself but without the harshness. Subordinates who knew who she was, were in awe as she was docile next to Ra.
Ra didn't push her stamina. He let her rest after the fittings. Diana was asked to pick up the slack. She was dressed in the same attire as Selena. She followed Ra with the same demeanor. Ra headed towards a special meeting room where he spoke to different political parties.
"Your face won't be seen," Ra informed her as she sat behind him. "They just need to see that we have her. You won't need to speak. Just keep sitting in the same stance." Diana nodded. He turned back around. "I'm ready." The cameras started to record. "It's been a while but I want to inform you that my side is ready to proceed onto the next phase. As you can see behind me, I have acquired a new ally who will help us on our journey. You might have believed they were my enemy after I shot down their precious ship. It was the case, however, we come a long way from being enemies. We both have similar things in common. We've reached a common ground. I'll let you know more of that story later. Now, it is time to take over the moon. If you start to see this insignia, know that our influence is spreading." He recorded different conversations for those he wanted to join his side. Two were sent off automatically to the Earth Alliance and Coordinator extremists he was working with already. Ra asked Diana to follow him after he had approved of the edits to his videos to be sent off to their intended targets. The two changed into different attires for their next task.
The two headed outside towards his house outside the compound. Ra was wearing one of his formal uniforms. The crimson red with the gold lining. It wasn't over the top with epaulets or medals. There was no cape. He waited for Diana who was dressed in a similar outfit to Selena's that she wore to the peace treaty delegation. She wore white boots that reached her mid-thighs. They almost blended into her white pants. Diana didn't wear the gold coat, but she did wear the white and gold sash that signified her rank. A photographer and a cameraman followed them.
"This is will be the setting for the engagement," Rau explained to them. "Diana, I will need you to act like the usual Selena not the subdued version as she is now. Don't try to oversell it." Diana nodded. "Make it a bit romantic." He continued to describe how he wants it setup. The group then played out the scenes he described.
Unknown to them, on top of the hillside were two cameras recording them. They were checked weekly by the AI system 8. Miriallia and Jess would then relay the best ones to the heads of Terminal.
A week later, Selena was allowed to enter the obstacle course after some adjustments to her conditioning. She was allowed to be more of a fighter when commanded. She excelled through the course. She crushed all of Canard's scores. However, they could not reveal who she was to everyone, they put one of the acronyms she will be charge of on the board instead.
Canard entered the training grounds the next day only to see all his high scores were beaten. "Who the HELL is OSB!?" Canard was angry. He knew there were others using this facility, but none of them could defeat his high scores. However, this person blew him out of the water.
"Like I said, don't get cocky," Oscar reminded him. "OSB means Owner of the Silver Brigade."
"Is that what those silver birds are?" Canard started to stretch. "A special brigade, huh? Their owner must be something but we'll see how long their stats last."
Canard gave it everything he could, but he could not beat their score. He beat his by leaps and bounds but couldn't even get close to his now rival. This news was relayed to Ra. He was happy to hear that Canard, who was like Kira, was easily beaten by Selena, even reconditioned. Now it was time for Selena to head onto the next phase, getting familiar with a simulation cockpit so she'll be ready to fight in the real one alongside Ra.
At the PLANTs, Dearka headed over to Shiho's desk where she was busy with her assigned duties. She was in the midst of organizing papers into files when he came by.
"Have you seen the Commander?" Dearka looked at Shiho who continued her work.
"He was supposed to be in yesterday, but I have not seen him," Shiho replied putting the papers into the corresponding files.
"Have you gone into his office?" Dearka raised his eyebrow.
"Have you?" Shiho countered. She turned to look at him. Dearka was taken aback. "The Commander has been healing from the attack. If he needs my help, he will ask. I understand that he gets prideful at times, but he is our Commander. If he orders for us to let him be, then we must follow orders."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Dearka waved her off while walking away. "Both of you are too alike. Stop following protocols. Besides this is all volunteer, technically. We have ranks, but we don't necessarily need to follow it." He knocked on the door while Shiho was watching him. It was silent. Dearka knocked again. He then opened the door, hoping Yzak wasn't hurt, probably sleeping though. Shiho had gotten up to follow behind Dearka.
No one was in the office. Dearka walked around to see if Yzak was asleep on the couch. No one. Shiho saw that it wasn't touched for a while, since the last time Yzak was in. The two looked to one another.
"I'll ask others if they have seen him," Shiho relayed.
Dearka nodded. "I'll go to his house."
The two hoped nothing had happened to him. He was still trying to recover. It wasn't unusual for him to push his strength either. Shiho asked all over. She asked those throughout the surrounding offices. No one had seen him. She thought maybe he decided to look over mobile armors. No one had seen him there either. She looked through records and video recordings. The last time Yzak was there, was last week.
Dearka headed to Yzak's home. There was no mail in the mailbox. The grass was still maintained as was the surrounding foliage. Dearka knocked on the door. No one answered. He glanced around to find the spare key. He grabbed it, unlocked the door. Everything was still in its place except for a few items. The chessboard was still there. Along with some papers. The laptop and charger were gone but his cellphone was still there. Dearka headed over to Yzak's room. Clothes were in the hamper still but he noticed missing clothes from the closet. His uniforms were still there. Dearka checked the bathroom. A few things were missing there.
Dearka let out a breath and tried to focus. He looked over things again. Some of the bathroom items were placed haphazardly. Almost as if they were knocked over or couldn't decide on which ones to take. Dearka looked through the closet and drawers again. The clothes Yzak took were a range from business formal to business casual. He headed back downstairs to look over the coffee table. Dearka noticed papers spread over the table. Yzak's notes on the chess game. It was too important of information for Yzak to not take with. He headed over to the kitchen. Dishes were washed and put away. He opened the fridge, to find it mostly cleaned out. This started to seem more unusual. Dearka closed the fridge and opened the freezer. Same thing, it was cleaned out. Dearka went to the trash can, there was nothing there. Dearka checked every trash can. It was all clean.
"Yzak left, but his fridge is clean, his freezer is clean, there are clean trash cans," Dearka thought out loud. "Yzak wouldn't leave unless there was a good reason. He has been working on that chess game. There were no signs of struggle. This isn't good." Dearka went to his notes hoping for a clue. He took pictures of each paper as well as the game. Dearka didn't have all the answers, but he knew that Yzak left. He didn't know why he left, but to have food gone, clean trash cans, and a tidy lawn, meant he left due to something big. He now needed to figure out the questions popping up in his mind with no answers coming to him. He would need to tell those at the meeting for Terminal tonight.
The meeting for Terminal was in a secluded office area. Murrue and Mu shared a screen. Athrun had his own screen. Cagalli had her own screen. The same with Andrew. Lacus and Kira sat next to one another. Martin DeCosta sat next to Kira. Dearka came in last. There was one empty seat left.
Kira glanced at the empty seat then looked to Dearka for an answer. Dearka kept collected while the meeting began to start. Kira moved his eyes off him to focus on the meeting.
"First order of business," Lacus handed out photos. Those on the screens had gotten a digital version. "We are dealing with a clone, confirmed by Mu and Andrew. We have a team keeping an eye of the possible secret compound. They have yet to figure out the full layout, but we are also trying to work with satellite imaging to get a rough estimate.
"We don't know what the clone exactly wants, but considering the past clone we have fought, their goals could be similar," Lacus continued.
"Rau wanted to end anything unnatural," Kira added in. "We didn't fit into the world Durandal and others wanted. That clone is residing with Earth Alliance."
"Could be using them," Athrun countered. "Rau did the same thing. He used both sides for his bidding."
"He has his own goals," Andrew presumed. "He's more equipped than Rau. With the recent extremist attacks, ZAFT won't be able to take him down anytime soon."
"We don't have a timeline of when everything will be repaired," Kira added. "Lots of machines need to be fixed or replaced." He glanced back over to Yzak's empty seat.
"Speaking of needing a replacement," Athrun noticed Yzak was missing as well. "Is Yzak still out due to the attack?"
Everyone looked over to Dearka. He didn't know what to say at first. "Yzak has healed up and is recovering. He was put on lite duty and has been doing physical therapy but-"
"-He has been summoned by the Kingdom of Scandinavia," Lacus handed out copies of the letter that was given to her. Those far away received a digital copy.
Dearka grabbed the paper faster than the rest. He started to read over it.
"I told you all not to make the princess our enemy!" Andrew stared in disbelief. "She just took one of ZAFT's best commanders."
"What would be the reason for the summons?" Cagalli was confused while trying to read over the letter.
"It only says he was summoned, but it is not something we can fight against at the moment," Lacus concluded. "Commander Joule most likely was summoned due to the investigation on Princess Selena's attack on her vessel."
Lacus was worried when she first received the letter. She followed up on where she could to find out Yzak had really left the PLANTs. Lacus made sure to look at the chessboard to see any new movements. She even asked the gameboard to replay all the moves from the beginning. There were no new moves. Lacus could relax a bit. This wasn't in the game, so it wasn't going to affect anything. She let the others continue to have their thoughts.
"Then we can only assume, Dearka will be summoned next," Athrun added.
Dearka jolted up from reading the letter. "Then all of Joule Team would be under investigation as well as the Minerva."
"Two of our best teams," Andrew pointed out. "She knows how to attack."
"Has there been any word from the Minerva, that they will be investigated too?" Cagalli asked.
"No, but we can't rule that out either," Lacus explained. She continued with the meeting.
Yzak's first week in the Kingdom, the first two days, he didn't interact with anyone besides the servants. He slept in the first full day.
The room was lavish and accommodating. He had his own bathroom that had a separate shower and bath. The walk-in closet was fully furnished with clothes. There was a small office area in the room where he could work on his computer. The food was delicious. He was served inside his room where his luggage was first placed. It was comfortable living.
The third day, he made his way out of the room, to find the common area empty. It was odd to not run into anyone of higher status. He headed back into his room. He found out he was only allowed certain access on the internet. Certain information was being kept from him. Yzak kept his door slightly open, to hear if anyone else was coming. Yzak didn't try for other doors since he believed that someone was going to meet up with him.
The sound of the common area door opening, made Yzak stop what he was doing to find out who it was. He left the room to see a pink haired figure with a pastel yellow, satin robe. Yzak's heart squeezed. He slowly came out of his room, trying to keep silent. Dearka was right, she was just fine. The more the figure came into view, Yzak got the feeling of something strange. He was in the hallway, watching the pink haired figure stand. Yzak kept coming closer. The strange feeling kept growing as he kept coming closer.
Yzak stopped as the figure started to turn towards him. He caught his breath as the person was not who he was hopping for. Yzak was shocked to see the person who was smiling brightly at him was Sven and not Selena.
"Oh, don't be so shocked," Sven chuckled. "Come closer. It's been years, Yzak. It's nice to see you again."
Yzak walked closer to see Sven standing with a cane in hand. Sven was wearing a button-down shirt and pants in the similar robe material and color.
"Pr-Prince Sven," Yzak bowed before he got closer to him. It was easily to see he was shocked.
Sven's smile turned into a frown. "I know its shocking to everyone, but I am getting severely tired of it. When I'm allowed to announce my return, I'll have to remind myself to be nice." Yzak was across from him. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Scandinavia. I doubt anyone has given you a welcome. Have you ventured around the place?" Yzak shook his head. "Why not? The royal guards explained to you that any door that is unlocked you're allowed to enter, yet you haven't even snooped. Such integrity. Well, let's give you a grand tour of the royal living wing.
Sven turned around. "This is the common living area. We have hidden monitors, so you can watch television. Movies and shows on demand." Sven headed off to the hallway. "The rooms down here, my room is on the right, with my own guest room. Further on the right, is Anita's with her own guest room. On the left side, you are staying in Selena's guest room, with her room next to yours. The door at the end of the hall is the nursery room. Over here." Sven walked to a part of the wall. "Is the elevator to head down to the other floors." The wall moved to show a secret elevator.
The two headed inside to head to the floor underneath of them. "This is the training area." There was a gym like at the end of the room and the rest was all hardwood. Mirrors lined on one wall. "This is where the three of us practice ballet, fencing, dancing, working out, and whatever we want." They headed back into the elevator to the second floor.
The second floor had a lounge area. An area for painting. At the end it looked like an area for crafting. "This is more of our arts and crafts section." Sven pointed out. "These rooms on the side are for playing instruments. That way we can play at any hour. Anita likes to spend her time here the most. She likes to let loose by playing the piano."
The two headed back into the elevator to the first floor. "Our offices are on this floor." The reached the first door. The two entered to see a typical office. Shelves lined with books. A lounge area in front of the desk. The room's color was centered on the mahogany wood. The chairs were velvet and in maroon shades. Between two of the shelves behind the desk, was a royal shield with two swords crossed below it. Yzak noted the books. It was an array of psychology and warfare to children's stories and folklore books. There were trinkets in the empty spot of the shelves such as plastic brain replica, metal kinetic gadgets.
The two headed to the second office. Similar built but the coloring was a soft white with green coloring. It was Anita's office. There were books about human anatomy, biology, microbiology, botany, and music. There were several plants in her office. Her trinkets were typical of that of a doctor. Brain, heart, and miniature skeleton replicas. Behind her desk was a different royal shield with similar swords crossed underneath of it.
The last office was slightly larger. It was in hues of gold and white. The books were about federal taxation, the Kingdom's history, the Kingdom's laws, engineering, mechanical, and similar books. There were no books about Selena's past times, as the other two had. There was a giant shield that joined all the royal shields into one with several swords displayed under it. It was fitting for a person ruling over the Kingdom.
Sven observed Yzak taking in the rooms. The two headed back to the elevator. Sven explained about additional waiting rooms and the kitchen on the first floor in their wing. The elevator took them down to the basement of the wing. It opened to large room that looked like a cave. It had a large swimming pool with two openings that led to the hot springs.
"This is the royal swimming pool," Sven raised his arms. "Selena wanted it to look more realistic. The pool has its own shore and has a deep end. On the walls, are our floatable props." Yzak looked over to see foam round shields in an assortment of colors. There were also foam Viking boats for one person. "Yes, I know what you're thinking. Did Selena create Viking vessels for us to battle on in the pool, that answer was yes. Yes, she did. Sometimes it was two verses one, other times it was all a free for all. Fun times." Sven reminisced. "Anyways, the two openings down there, lead to two different hot springs. There is an additional hidden door that leads to a more private hot spring. We won't be having any ceremonies soon so the hot pools will be open for use." Yzak didn't understand why they would be closed for ceremonies. Sven indulged him. "Hot springs are used heavily in Scandinavian culture, especially of Vikings. Oh, forgot to mention there are saunas with the hot springs. Along with cold pools to do a polar plunge. The springs are used for weddings. Both sides cleanse themselves before the ceremony. Each side must go in on different times or different days to make sure they don't see one another. The swords you saw, are ceremonial too."
The two headed back into the elevator to the highest level. "Since you had been in accident yourself, please use our facilities. If you need a physical therapist to assist you, let us know. We want to make your stay here, comfortable and accommodating."
"It sounds like I will be staying here for a while," Yzak looked at him. "No one has explained as to why I am here."
"Of course not," Sven walked through the opened doors. They walked back to the waiting area and then to the common area. Sven sat down on a couch. He needed a rest. "No one will tell you, but its nothing serious as to what you're thinking. Sit down."
Yzak sat across from him in the chair. "I doubted that I was in trouble with the Kingdom. Staying here, it seems something more secretive." Sven nodded in agreement. "My guess is the investigation with what happened to Selena's vessel."
"There is that," Sven wasn't going to agree or deny.
"Where is Her Highness?" Yzak didn't want to ask straight away but since they were talking about her, he felt he could.
"She's busy at the moment," Sven leaned back on the chair, resting his eyes. "Don't worry, you'll be able to see her soon." Yzak looked away. "It's obvious to those around that know, but those that don't know, you hide it very well. You will be seeing more of me though. I have neglected my duties. If you need a training buddy, I will be more than happy." Yzak rolled his eyes.