Le Jeu Sinistre Chapter 8/9
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 9:05 pm
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Panic. Any similarities between the characters and events of this story and those in real life are purely coincidental. And, if you believe that, you get a cookie for being such a good little boy/girl.
Chapter Eight: Away to the Whispered
“You know what I want?” Kaname said coolly. “A new Bonta-kun doll. I think you guys shot up my old one when you broke into my apartment.” With that, she turned and started back towards the moving sidewalk.
There was a clicking sound as Augustine drew his pistol. He aimed it at Kaname’s back. “I had a feeling you would say something like that.”
“Go ahead and kill me. But you’ll be killing the ‘Human Lambda Driver’, won’t you?”
“You’re right. But…” Augustine smiled. “Your sister and father live in New York, correct? Brooklyn, I believe.”
Kaname went pale.
“It would be such a tragedy if their apartment building happened to… collapse one night…”
Spinning around, Kaname clutched at her head. “You bastard! What the hell do you want from me? What the hell are you doing?” Her eyes started to break into tears. She looked up at him, wanting nothing more than to tear out his throat. She wished she had the knife from her kitchen that she used to kill that one soldier… “Do… do you really think you can play with people’s lives like this?!”
“Miss Chidori, life is a game. We all play it whether we know it or not. And in this game, there are no rules. The simple truth is, I’ve played the game better than you or anyone else. And all I’m doing is setting up my final move to win.”
Kaname looked into Augustine’s eyes, daring him to blink first, like Sousuke had done to her. Much to both of their surprise, he was the first to blink.
“Go to hell.”
Augustine smiled cheerfully. “Yes, well, I’ll give you an hour to decide. Just stay put here. Ciao.”
He pushed her off the moving sidewalk and slid out of the room. A steel door came down, sealing off the exit.
“Goddammit…” muttered Kaname. She collapsed, burying her face in her hands and starting to sob. “Goddammit, goddammit, goddammit…”
“C’mon… Don’t cry anymore.”
Kaname looked up. There was a girl standing before her, about her age, with long red hair. She was quite pretty and wore what looked like a nightgown.
“Because…” The girl knelt down and wrapped her arms around Kaname. “There’s someone looking for you right now. Dying to see you… So don’t cry…”
“Sousuke?” gasped Kaname.
The girl smiled. “Yes. His whole being is focused on saving you. So don’t be scared…”
“He’s alive?”
“You’ll have to be brave…” The girl hugged Kaname tighter, putting one hand behind her head. “Because the fate of the world rests on your shoulders…”
“I don’t want it to…”
“Don’t worry. Sousuke. He’ll bear the burden with you… Can you feel it? He’s thinking about you right now…”
She could feel it. It was like a tingle on the back of her neck. Sousuke, worrying about her. Getting ready to rescue her. A warm, comforted feeling filled Kaname.
The girl let go and smiled. “There is no such thing as pre-determined fate. Each person controls her own destiny.” She leaned forward and kissed Kaname’s forehead. “You can make your own future. For you and for Sousuke.”
The girl stood up and started to walk away. She stopped suddenly in mid-step and looked at Kaname, still smiling.
“He said they live in Brooklyn… But… Doesn’t your family live in Manhattan?”
Kaname’s eyes widened and the girl, her smile still present, slipped off into the shadows cast by the Arm Slaves.
~
“Sagara, you understand that you do not have to do this, correct? No one would think any less of you if you stayed behind,” Kalinin said to Sousuke as they walked towards the hangar.
“I feel it’s my duty.”
“Something like this is not called for in a soldier’s duty.”
“I didn’t say it was my duty as a soldier.”
Kalinin allowed himself a small smile. “Understood. Now that you’re participating in this operation, we’ll be changing it slightly. We’ve received new parts for the Arbalest.”
They reached the Tuatha de Danaan’s hangar and the doors slid open. In the middle stood the Arbalest. Only, now, it had what looked almost like a metal coat over it.
“The Full Armor Arbalest,” Kalinin said. “Mithril originally intended to confiscate the Arbalest, tear out the operating system and use it with one of their other pilots along with this.”
Sousuke stared up at it. In addition to the extra armor, it had a pair of folded wings and cannons mounted over the shoulders.
“Sagara,” Kalinin said solemnly. “You know as well as anyone that, with these kinds of odds, you're the only one who stands a chance.”
Sousuke didn’t reply.
“We’re giving you an edge out there. You’ll have to hold the enemy at bay while our agents get inside to rescue Kaname. Afterwards, we’ll retreat and launch our missiles. However, there’s a chance that the Tuatha de Danna will be destroyed before Kaname is secured. In that case… The Full Armor Arbalest is equipped with eight nuclear missiles. If we’re sunk before we can launch them, it’s up to you to end this.”
“This will be the second time in history that nuclear weapons have been used,” Sousuke said softly, as though talking to himself.
“I understand if you don’t want to go. We can send the missiles with someone else. You stand the best chance of surviving however so…”
“I’ll go,” Sousuke said calmly. “Upload the files on the new weapons. I want to become familiar with them before the battle.”
“Sagara…” Kalinin said slowly. “One more thing. Gauron disappeared this morning. We’re not sure but-“
“He’s defected.”
“It’s not certain but-“
Sousuke shook his head. “If I encounter him, I will kill him. I don’t have time to play with people like him.” With that, Sousuke saluted. Kalinin returned the salute slowly.
Not far away from the two men, Kurtz sat, leaning against the foot of his AS, listening to a CD and sipping a can of beer. Suddenly, he was hit in the head with a pack of cigarettes.
“Got a light?” asked Melissa, sitting down next to him.
“Aren’t these things bad for you?” muttered Kurtz as he tossed away his head phones and pulled out his lighter. He lit one cigarette, handed it to Melissa and took another for himself.
“Does it really matter?”
Kurtz didn’t answer. He took a long drag off the cigarette and sighed. Melissa put her head on his shoulder.
“Wha-“
“Shut up.”
“But-“
“Shut. Up.”
And so he did. And there the two sat until it was time to launch, smoking their cigarettes, Melissa leans on Kurtz.
~
At 1700 hours Rome time, the forces of the Tuatha de Danaan launched. Fourteen M-9’s, plus the Arbalest, soared over the historic city and landed with an unceremonial “thump” in the middle of the Vatican.
Back on the Tuatha de Danaan, Tessa sat in front of a camera, several crewmen getting things ready. A copy of her speech to the world lay on her lap. Her thoughts, however, weren’t on the words she was about to speak to billions of people, translated in real time into dozens of different languages. They were on a brown haired Japanese boy in a giant robot.
“Captain, are you ready?”
“Yes.”
The camera started to roll and the Tuatha de Danaan hacked its way into each and every television and radio signal in the world.
“Ladies and gentleman of the international community,” Tessa began. “My name is Theresa Testarossa. I have come to you tonight to speak about a matter of great importance. In a few minutes, a battle in the center of the Vatican in Rome, Italy will begin.”
~
Kaname was sitting on the floor, tapping her fingers against the cold concrete floor when Augustine came back in, a small, portable television in his hand.
“Well?” he asked, expectantly.
“Yes.”
“Good! Excellent! Now, take a look at this.” He tossed her the TV. When Kaname looked, she gasped in surprise. Tessa was on TV.
~
In Washington D.C., President George W. Bush was busy doing one of his favorites things: Playing Starcraft over the internet.
“No!” Dubya yelled. “Rush! Rush! Zerg Rush!”
“Umm… Mr. President?” asked a secret serviceman, timidly.
“What?!” yelled the President, not taking his eyes off his game. The serviceman turned on a TV in the oval office, bring up a picture of Tessa.
“You’d better take a look at this…”
~
In New York, at FOX Headquarters, Geraldo Rivera sat glued to the television in his office. He grabbed at his phone with trembling hands and pressed a speed dial button.
“Get me a plane to Rome!”
~
“It’s very difficult for me to explain so much is such a short period of time but I will do my best. Along with the creation of the UN in 1949, a secret organization came into being. Christening it Mithril, the UN intended for it to be their ‘secret hand’ in world politics.
“Before long, Mithril became more powerful and more technologically advanced than any country in the world. And now, Mithril intends to use its influence to drive the Soviet Union and the United States to war and, when both super powers are crippled, take control of the world. The fiasco in North Korea last week was an example of this.
“Mithril has the capacity to do this because of the Whispered. The Whispered could very well be the next evolution of humankind. For now, though, they are people who have genetic memories locked into their minds from birth. These memories, more often than not, involve highly advanced scientific principles and theories far beyond anything we’ve discovered. These theories can be applied to create ‘Black Technology’ which, essentially, defies the laws of physics and science as we know it.
“Mithril originally sought to protect the Whispered but, over the past year, has begun kidnapping them to further their technology and ambitions. If this is allowed to continue, Mithril will be able to put its plan into action before Christmas.
“Ladies and gentlemen, what we are looking at is a future with a one world government. Complete and total fascism. If we were to combine the worst aspects of Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Russia and place it on a global scale… This is what we would have.
“Currently, I am onboard the Tuatha de Danaan, a highly advanced nuclear submarine. Originally a part of Mithril, this vessel and its crew have deserted, myself included. Mithril’s intentions are not something we can advocate, condone or even sit by idly and watch. It is because of this that we are striking at the heart of Mithril, in an attempt to destroy the center of the organization.
“Ladies and gentleman, this is not a hoax. Anyone living in Rome can attest to that. I’ve just received word that our forces have touched down in the Vatican. I would like to take this moment to assure the world that this is not a vendetta against the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, the head of Mithril is and has been for the past fifty years, the Pope. It may sound unbelievable but it’s the truth. Without even realizing it, the world has been under the indirect influence of Mithril through the church.
“Ladies and gentleman, this is not just America or Russia’s problem. This is not just Italy or even Europe’s problem. This is a global problem. The sovereignty of every nation on this planet is threatened today. Democracy as we know it may die out. I chose, as did my comrades, to be a soldier and to fight for what I believe in. It is because of that decision that I come before you today. I, representing the Tuatha de Danaan and its crew, hereby declare war on Mithril and all her allies. As much as it pains me to do so, we will almost certainly be required to use nuclear weapons so I warn any nation thinking of intervening on the behalf of Mithril to desist.
“And now, I leave you with images of the battle being fought. If you have small children, please send them out of the room. I ask that you all, no matter what your faith, keep the brave young men and women fighting and dying for your future and your children’s future in your prayers. Thank you.”
As she signed off and the technicians switched the input from the bridge of the Tuatha de Danaan to St. Peter’s Cathedral, Tessa sighed.
“Sagara…” she whispered.
~
All over the world, anti-government and Mithril riots broke out. In New York, a mob stormed the headquarters of the UN as the representatives there attempted to burn incriminating documents before it was too late. In the confusion, a Japanese man in Manhattan attempted to call his daughter living in Tokyo. She never picked up.
~
Sousuke cursed silently as another three M-9’s dove towards him to take the place of the ones he had just destroyed. He boosted up and back, the cannons dropping down over the Arbalest’s shoulders and taking aim at the Arm Slaves. A quick barrage of fire tore the machines apart.
The Full Armor upgrade was, Sousuke had found out, a specially designed add-on to the Arbalest that contained, among other things, extra boosters and wings for flight, four 75mm high velocity cannons, a large knife for melee combat, an extra foot of titanium armor and a high powered assault rifle, not to mention eight nuclear missiles. It made a full-scale battle ship look like an SUV next to a Porsche.
Spinning in mid-air, Sousuke took aim and knocked out another Arm Slave. The Arbalest took off, boosting into the air and again, the cannons came down over the shoulders. Like an angel of death, the Arbalest rained fire down on a fire team, wiping them out and making large holes in the street.
After landing, the Tuatha de Danaan forces had almost immediately been attacked by the full force of Mithril’s M-9’s. Dozens upon dozens of them launched against the fifteen or so Tuatha de Danaan robots.
As it turned out, however, Mithril had made one great mistake. The headquarters was protected by rookie pilots while the Tuatha de Danaan soldiers were all experienced. It wasn’t difficult for the veterans to hold their own against the numerically superior enemy.
Still, for every M-9 Mithril lost, another took its place. The Tuatha de Danaan forces were slowly but surely being whittled away.
In contrast to the main force, Sousuke was doing excellently. In the first twenty minutes of combat, he had destroyed sixteen enemy units and badly damaged three more. As he overlooked the battlefield, a beautiful cathedral now overrun with machines of war, a voice crackled over his radio.
“Sousuke… help us out over here…” Kurtz’s voice.
Swooping down, Sousuke spotted the other Urz team members. He opened fire from behind, one of the M-9’s bursting apart into flames. The other tried to return fire and the Arbalest leapt to the side, squeezing off a lethal burst of fire in the process.
“Shit…” Kurtz muttered as he retreated to a safe position. “We’re outnumbered but with that thing here… It doesn’t even matter.”
“Kurtz, watch your ass!” screamed Melissa. A volley of missiles swiped past Kurtz’s unit. He gave a cry of surprise and the Arm Slave was caught by another missile salvo.
“Goddammit, Kurtz, eject!” shrieked Melissa, doing what she could to hold off the attackers. A lucky shot to the cockpit knocked one of the enemy M-9’s out of commission and two more, seeing their comrade defeated, pulled back.
As his Armored Slave burst into flames, Kurtz jammed the ejected button. The cockpit popped open and, not waiting around for the mechanism to kick in, Kurtz hurled himself out.
~
Kaname stared at Augustine in cold shock. It wasn’t hard to figure out what he wanted her to do.
“I’ll be frank. I want to test the efficiency of the Gnostic and your loyalty. If you launch and fight for all your worth, I’ll let your family live. If not, boom. Are you positive you want to go out there?”
Kaname stood. She ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah. Let’s get this over with.”
Augustine’s face broke into a smile.
“Excellent. But, I have lined up a bit of insurance for you. If you get into any trouble or if you betray me… Well, you know the drill.”
The moving sidewalk had started…. moving… again. Slowly, a tall, Asian man slid into the hangar, smiling proudly.
“Yo, Chidori,” Gauron said, grinning. Augustine chuckled at Kaname’s shocked face.
“I’ve got some things to attend to. Gauron, would you help Miss Chidori get used to the controls of the Gnostic?”
“Roger that, Padre,” Gauron said, as though he had some big joke planned.
As Augustine left, Gauron started marching towards the Gnostic. As Kaname followed sullenly, he kept chuckling.
“Manhattan, was it?”
At that moment, Kaname began to realize that something very, very strange was going on.
~
“Mr. President, what do you think we should do?”
Dubya stared at the image of the Arbalest slicing apart attacking M-9’s with ease.
“Mr. President?”
“Let’s see how this places out…” Bush muttered, sitting back in his chair. “See if we can get a couple of those too…”
~
One sub-sonic jet ride to Rome later, Geraldo Rivera was in a new chopper, hovering in among the combatants.
“This is Geraldo Rivera for FOX News, bring you the latest on The Battle in the City of God!” Rivera said with special flourish, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Suddenly, the Arbalest turned and, Sousuke, mistaking the small chopper for a gun ship, opened fire, knocking it out of the sky and, in doing so, performed a great service for all of humanity.
~
“All you need to do is think about the action and the Gnostic will perform it. It may take a bit of getting used to, because, for example, you don’t think about walking.”
Gauron was actually a pretty good teacher as he pointed out all the screens and control panels in the cockpit.
“Remember that you only need to think about something for it to happen. The Gnostic is equipped with a sword for melee combat but you really shouldn’t need it. One more thing…”
Gauron smiled and leaned close to Kaname to whisper something.
“Studies suggest that, if the Lambda Driver is put under too much stress… Something will happen.”
“Something? What kind of thing?”
Gauron grinned and stepped out of the cockpit.
“Something amazing.”
~
As the Gnostic and Gauron’s Arbalest Mass Production Type launched, Kaname felt a pit of dread rising in her stomach. Not only was Gauron escorting her but the other eleven Arbalest Mass Production Types had been launched as well. Thirteen Arm Slaves in all, each possessing incredible power.
She saw it as soon as she landed outside the cathedral. The Arbalest. The original. She knew it was Sousuke instantly.
The others being launched as well, however, made her plan more difficult. Originally, since it was obvious Augustine was bluffing about her family, Kaname had decided to make a run for it or even fight against Mithril. But with twelve Arm Slaves right behind her…
Carefully, she concentrated on walking. The Gnostic took a few hesitant steps and Kaname jumped when it did so, as though she hadn’t expected it to move. She tried again and soon, she had the robot walking with confidence. She tried moving the arms and found that was even easier than walking.
“Okay…” she whispered slowly. “I’m getting somewhere…”
“You know…” a voice came over her radio. “Padre will be very disappointed if you don’t fight.”
“Huh?”
“The Arbalests all have orders to gang up on Kashim… Just so you know…”
And with that, the Arbalests, Gauron included, took off, leaving Kaname alone.
~
Sousuke was panting now. By his count, he must have shot down nearly twenty-five enemy Arm Slaves. He was surprised at himself. He felt more awake than he had ever felt in a fight and his reflexes were faster than they had ever been before.
The Tuatha de Danaan forces had taken losses too, however. At least seven of the M-9’s that were launched had been destroyed and the rest were all reporting their situation as critical. Sousuke was about go play hero again when twelve Arm Slaves landed around him.
It was like a scene from The Birds. Sousuke stayed still, in between the circle of his hunters. In the midst of the great chaos around them, nothing moved.
“Kashim…” Gauron said in a sing-song voice. Sousuke’s blood ran cold and the hunters pounced.
Sousuke tried firing but the Lambda Drivers of the Arbalests immediately deflected the rounds. His Arbalest went down, under the weight of several others.
“Are you really going to let them win, Kashim?” Gauron cackled, mocking him as the Arm Slaves beat the Arbalest. Sousuke growled, struggling to stand up.
“Dammit…” Sousuke whispered. He considered firing the nukes at point blank range. If he did that, he could, at least, wipe out the Arbalests. But if he did that… He would almost surely die in the blast. And he’d never see Kaname again.
The thought of Kaname filled him with equal parts hope and anger. If he failed here, there was no telling what they would do to her.
As if picking up on his rage, Gauron chuckled. “What’s wrong, Sousuke? Thinking of your little girlfriend?”
“I can’t lose…” Sousuke hissed to himself. The Arbalest’s joints were beginning to break. “Because… If I do… Chidori…”
An image of Kaname’s face flashed through Sousuke’s mind.
With sudden strength, the young soldier roared. Engaging the Lambda Driver, the Abarlest forced itself up, hurling off the other Arm Slaves.
“I won’t let you hurt Chidori!” screamed Sousuke. With frightening speed, the Arbalest leapt forward… And drove its fist through the cockpit of the nearest AS. Sousuke spun around and sprayed two more with rifle fire. The shields put up by their Lambda Drivers literally shattered and both machines exploded.
Gauron smiled as he watched Sousuke tear apart the mass produced Arbalests. “As expected…” he whispered.
~
A few hundred meters away, Kaname watched the Arbalest fight. She could hear Sousuke’s yells and screams as he ripped the other units to shreds. It was like watching a wild animal destroy its prey. There was no humanity there. Only pure, animalistic rage and instinct.
“Sousuke…” whispered Kaname, feeling the tears well up again. “It’s always like this. You’re always trying to protect me. And even when I fight back… Everyone ends up getting hurt. I wish I had never been born… Then you wouldn’t feel this pain…”
Suddenly, she remembered the girl’s words. “You can make your own future. For yourself and Sousuke.”
~
As the final one of the Arbalests collapsed, Sousuke turned. Gauron’s unit was still there. His muscles tightened and he readied himself for the fight of his life. It never came.
“Well done, Kashim. Well done.”
“Why did you betray us?” demanded Sousuke suddenly. “What-“
“I never betrayed you. I never served you. All I did was save my little Kashim from the big bad Pope.”
“Then who do you serve?”
Gauron laughed. “No one but myself. But, don’t worry, Kashim. I’m not here to fight you. In fact, I’m going to make your life a little bit easier…”
The Arbalest MPT boosted into the air and hung there for a few seconds, looking down at the original.
“I’m not about to let someone other than myself kill you. That’s my privilege and my privilege alone. Just remember that, Kashim. But, for now, you had better go comfort your girl. She’s about to cry again.”
It was then that Sousuke noticed the Gnostic. It stood, stoically still, in the middle of the square in front of the cathedral.
Forgetting about Gauron, Sousuke started bounding towards Kaname. He ignored the sounds of battle dying around him. The Arbalest leapt over a few buildings and came to a complete stop in front of the Gnostic. It’s cockpit opened and Sousuke held up one hand so Kaname could see her.
“Chidori,” he said.
There was no response for a moment… And then…
“Yo. Sousuke.”
~
Under St. Peter’s Cathedral, Augustine watched in horror as Sousuke annihilated the final Arbalest.
“At least Gauron will finish him off…” he muttered. He continued to watch in horror as Gauron flew away. And then, the screens surrounding the command center went blank. Then, they were replaced with a huge blown up image of Fatima’s face. The Beatles song “Hey Jude” began to play. The technicians manning the station stared in amazement as the computers shut down. The only things that worked were the monitors and the speaker systems.
“Sir?” one of the attendants asked timidly. Augustine closed his eyes in silent rage.
“Ready the Arbalest Mk. II and launch the Titan missiles.
End of Chapter Eight
Special Next Chapter Preview!
The nightmares of a people consume the world as the battle grows desperate. Each warrior, bathed in blood, fights to survive. Amidst the fire, two children seek one another out, the light held in their hands overflowing…
Next time in Le Jeu Sinistre! “The Light that Fills this World!” Soar towards the new era! Fly, Sousuke!
Author Notes: No, I haven’t lost it. The Special Next Chapter Preview is a spoof of the episode preview they have at the end of every episode of Gundam SEED. It involves a vague, muddy teaser of the next episode and then some inspiring piece of encouragement for “Gundam.”
So, uh, thanks for all the great reviews. That stuff’s really encouraging and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Chapter Eight: Away to the Whispered
“You know what I want?” Kaname said coolly. “A new Bonta-kun doll. I think you guys shot up my old one when you broke into my apartment.” With that, she turned and started back towards the moving sidewalk.
There was a clicking sound as Augustine drew his pistol. He aimed it at Kaname’s back. “I had a feeling you would say something like that.”
“Go ahead and kill me. But you’ll be killing the ‘Human Lambda Driver’, won’t you?”
“You’re right. But…” Augustine smiled. “Your sister and father live in New York, correct? Brooklyn, I believe.”
Kaname went pale.
“It would be such a tragedy if their apartment building happened to… collapse one night…”
Spinning around, Kaname clutched at her head. “You bastard! What the hell do you want from me? What the hell are you doing?” Her eyes started to break into tears. She looked up at him, wanting nothing more than to tear out his throat. She wished she had the knife from her kitchen that she used to kill that one soldier… “Do… do you really think you can play with people’s lives like this?!”
“Miss Chidori, life is a game. We all play it whether we know it or not. And in this game, there are no rules. The simple truth is, I’ve played the game better than you or anyone else. And all I’m doing is setting up my final move to win.”
Kaname looked into Augustine’s eyes, daring him to blink first, like Sousuke had done to her. Much to both of their surprise, he was the first to blink.
“Go to hell.”
Augustine smiled cheerfully. “Yes, well, I’ll give you an hour to decide. Just stay put here. Ciao.”
He pushed her off the moving sidewalk and slid out of the room. A steel door came down, sealing off the exit.
“Goddammit…” muttered Kaname. She collapsed, burying her face in her hands and starting to sob. “Goddammit, goddammit, goddammit…”
“C’mon… Don’t cry anymore.”
Kaname looked up. There was a girl standing before her, about her age, with long red hair. She was quite pretty and wore what looked like a nightgown.
“Because…” The girl knelt down and wrapped her arms around Kaname. “There’s someone looking for you right now. Dying to see you… So don’t cry…”
“Sousuke?” gasped Kaname.
The girl smiled. “Yes. His whole being is focused on saving you. So don’t be scared…”
“He’s alive?”
“You’ll have to be brave…” The girl hugged Kaname tighter, putting one hand behind her head. “Because the fate of the world rests on your shoulders…”
“I don’t want it to…”
“Don’t worry. Sousuke. He’ll bear the burden with you… Can you feel it? He’s thinking about you right now…”
She could feel it. It was like a tingle on the back of her neck. Sousuke, worrying about her. Getting ready to rescue her. A warm, comforted feeling filled Kaname.
The girl let go and smiled. “There is no such thing as pre-determined fate. Each person controls her own destiny.” She leaned forward and kissed Kaname’s forehead. “You can make your own future. For you and for Sousuke.”
The girl stood up and started to walk away. She stopped suddenly in mid-step and looked at Kaname, still smiling.
“He said they live in Brooklyn… But… Doesn’t your family live in Manhattan?”
Kaname’s eyes widened and the girl, her smile still present, slipped off into the shadows cast by the Arm Slaves.
~
“Sagara, you understand that you do not have to do this, correct? No one would think any less of you if you stayed behind,” Kalinin said to Sousuke as they walked towards the hangar.
“I feel it’s my duty.”
“Something like this is not called for in a soldier’s duty.”
“I didn’t say it was my duty as a soldier.”
Kalinin allowed himself a small smile. “Understood. Now that you’re participating in this operation, we’ll be changing it slightly. We’ve received new parts for the Arbalest.”
They reached the Tuatha de Danaan’s hangar and the doors slid open. In the middle stood the Arbalest. Only, now, it had what looked almost like a metal coat over it.
“The Full Armor Arbalest,” Kalinin said. “Mithril originally intended to confiscate the Arbalest, tear out the operating system and use it with one of their other pilots along with this.”
Sousuke stared up at it. In addition to the extra armor, it had a pair of folded wings and cannons mounted over the shoulders.
“Sagara,” Kalinin said solemnly. “You know as well as anyone that, with these kinds of odds, you're the only one who stands a chance.”
Sousuke didn’t reply.
“We’re giving you an edge out there. You’ll have to hold the enemy at bay while our agents get inside to rescue Kaname. Afterwards, we’ll retreat and launch our missiles. However, there’s a chance that the Tuatha de Danna will be destroyed before Kaname is secured. In that case… The Full Armor Arbalest is equipped with eight nuclear missiles. If we’re sunk before we can launch them, it’s up to you to end this.”
“This will be the second time in history that nuclear weapons have been used,” Sousuke said softly, as though talking to himself.
“I understand if you don’t want to go. We can send the missiles with someone else. You stand the best chance of surviving however so…”
“I’ll go,” Sousuke said calmly. “Upload the files on the new weapons. I want to become familiar with them before the battle.”
“Sagara…” Kalinin said slowly. “One more thing. Gauron disappeared this morning. We’re not sure but-“
“He’s defected.”
“It’s not certain but-“
Sousuke shook his head. “If I encounter him, I will kill him. I don’t have time to play with people like him.” With that, Sousuke saluted. Kalinin returned the salute slowly.
Not far away from the two men, Kurtz sat, leaning against the foot of his AS, listening to a CD and sipping a can of beer. Suddenly, he was hit in the head with a pack of cigarettes.
“Got a light?” asked Melissa, sitting down next to him.
“Aren’t these things bad for you?” muttered Kurtz as he tossed away his head phones and pulled out his lighter. He lit one cigarette, handed it to Melissa and took another for himself.
“Does it really matter?”
Kurtz didn’t answer. He took a long drag off the cigarette and sighed. Melissa put her head on his shoulder.
“Wha-“
“Shut up.”
“But-“
“Shut. Up.”
And so he did. And there the two sat until it was time to launch, smoking their cigarettes, Melissa leans on Kurtz.
~
At 1700 hours Rome time, the forces of the Tuatha de Danaan launched. Fourteen M-9’s, plus the Arbalest, soared over the historic city and landed with an unceremonial “thump” in the middle of the Vatican.
Back on the Tuatha de Danaan, Tessa sat in front of a camera, several crewmen getting things ready. A copy of her speech to the world lay on her lap. Her thoughts, however, weren’t on the words she was about to speak to billions of people, translated in real time into dozens of different languages. They were on a brown haired Japanese boy in a giant robot.
“Captain, are you ready?”
“Yes.”
The camera started to roll and the Tuatha de Danaan hacked its way into each and every television and radio signal in the world.
“Ladies and gentleman of the international community,” Tessa began. “My name is Theresa Testarossa. I have come to you tonight to speak about a matter of great importance. In a few minutes, a battle in the center of the Vatican in Rome, Italy will begin.”
~
Kaname was sitting on the floor, tapping her fingers against the cold concrete floor when Augustine came back in, a small, portable television in his hand.
“Well?” he asked, expectantly.
“Yes.”
“Good! Excellent! Now, take a look at this.” He tossed her the TV. When Kaname looked, she gasped in surprise. Tessa was on TV.
~
In Washington D.C., President George W. Bush was busy doing one of his favorites things: Playing Starcraft over the internet.
“No!” Dubya yelled. “Rush! Rush! Zerg Rush!”
“Umm… Mr. President?” asked a secret serviceman, timidly.
“What?!” yelled the President, not taking his eyes off his game. The serviceman turned on a TV in the oval office, bring up a picture of Tessa.
“You’d better take a look at this…”
~
In New York, at FOX Headquarters, Geraldo Rivera sat glued to the television in his office. He grabbed at his phone with trembling hands and pressed a speed dial button.
“Get me a plane to Rome!”
~
“It’s very difficult for me to explain so much is such a short period of time but I will do my best. Along with the creation of the UN in 1949, a secret organization came into being. Christening it Mithril, the UN intended for it to be their ‘secret hand’ in world politics.
“Before long, Mithril became more powerful and more technologically advanced than any country in the world. And now, Mithril intends to use its influence to drive the Soviet Union and the United States to war and, when both super powers are crippled, take control of the world. The fiasco in North Korea last week was an example of this.
“Mithril has the capacity to do this because of the Whispered. The Whispered could very well be the next evolution of humankind. For now, though, they are people who have genetic memories locked into their minds from birth. These memories, more often than not, involve highly advanced scientific principles and theories far beyond anything we’ve discovered. These theories can be applied to create ‘Black Technology’ which, essentially, defies the laws of physics and science as we know it.
“Mithril originally sought to protect the Whispered but, over the past year, has begun kidnapping them to further their technology and ambitions. If this is allowed to continue, Mithril will be able to put its plan into action before Christmas.
“Ladies and gentlemen, what we are looking at is a future with a one world government. Complete and total fascism. If we were to combine the worst aspects of Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Russia and place it on a global scale… This is what we would have.
“Currently, I am onboard the Tuatha de Danaan, a highly advanced nuclear submarine. Originally a part of Mithril, this vessel and its crew have deserted, myself included. Mithril’s intentions are not something we can advocate, condone or even sit by idly and watch. It is because of this that we are striking at the heart of Mithril, in an attempt to destroy the center of the organization.
“Ladies and gentleman, this is not a hoax. Anyone living in Rome can attest to that. I’ve just received word that our forces have touched down in the Vatican. I would like to take this moment to assure the world that this is not a vendetta against the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, the head of Mithril is and has been for the past fifty years, the Pope. It may sound unbelievable but it’s the truth. Without even realizing it, the world has been under the indirect influence of Mithril through the church.
“Ladies and gentleman, this is not just America or Russia’s problem. This is not just Italy or even Europe’s problem. This is a global problem. The sovereignty of every nation on this planet is threatened today. Democracy as we know it may die out. I chose, as did my comrades, to be a soldier and to fight for what I believe in. It is because of that decision that I come before you today. I, representing the Tuatha de Danaan and its crew, hereby declare war on Mithril and all her allies. As much as it pains me to do so, we will almost certainly be required to use nuclear weapons so I warn any nation thinking of intervening on the behalf of Mithril to desist.
“And now, I leave you with images of the battle being fought. If you have small children, please send them out of the room. I ask that you all, no matter what your faith, keep the brave young men and women fighting and dying for your future and your children’s future in your prayers. Thank you.”
As she signed off and the technicians switched the input from the bridge of the Tuatha de Danaan to St. Peter’s Cathedral, Tessa sighed.
“Sagara…” she whispered.
~
All over the world, anti-government and Mithril riots broke out. In New York, a mob stormed the headquarters of the UN as the representatives there attempted to burn incriminating documents before it was too late. In the confusion, a Japanese man in Manhattan attempted to call his daughter living in Tokyo. She never picked up.
~
Sousuke cursed silently as another three M-9’s dove towards him to take the place of the ones he had just destroyed. He boosted up and back, the cannons dropping down over the Arbalest’s shoulders and taking aim at the Arm Slaves. A quick barrage of fire tore the machines apart.
The Full Armor upgrade was, Sousuke had found out, a specially designed add-on to the Arbalest that contained, among other things, extra boosters and wings for flight, four 75mm high velocity cannons, a large knife for melee combat, an extra foot of titanium armor and a high powered assault rifle, not to mention eight nuclear missiles. It made a full-scale battle ship look like an SUV next to a Porsche.
Spinning in mid-air, Sousuke took aim and knocked out another Arm Slave. The Arbalest took off, boosting into the air and again, the cannons came down over the shoulders. Like an angel of death, the Arbalest rained fire down on a fire team, wiping them out and making large holes in the street.
After landing, the Tuatha de Danaan forces had almost immediately been attacked by the full force of Mithril’s M-9’s. Dozens upon dozens of them launched against the fifteen or so Tuatha de Danaan robots.
As it turned out, however, Mithril had made one great mistake. The headquarters was protected by rookie pilots while the Tuatha de Danaan soldiers were all experienced. It wasn’t difficult for the veterans to hold their own against the numerically superior enemy.
Still, for every M-9 Mithril lost, another took its place. The Tuatha de Danaan forces were slowly but surely being whittled away.
In contrast to the main force, Sousuke was doing excellently. In the first twenty minutes of combat, he had destroyed sixteen enemy units and badly damaged three more. As he overlooked the battlefield, a beautiful cathedral now overrun with machines of war, a voice crackled over his radio.
“Sousuke… help us out over here…” Kurtz’s voice.
Swooping down, Sousuke spotted the other Urz team members. He opened fire from behind, one of the M-9’s bursting apart into flames. The other tried to return fire and the Arbalest leapt to the side, squeezing off a lethal burst of fire in the process.
“Shit…” Kurtz muttered as he retreated to a safe position. “We’re outnumbered but with that thing here… It doesn’t even matter.”
“Kurtz, watch your ass!” screamed Melissa. A volley of missiles swiped past Kurtz’s unit. He gave a cry of surprise and the Arm Slave was caught by another missile salvo.
“Goddammit, Kurtz, eject!” shrieked Melissa, doing what she could to hold off the attackers. A lucky shot to the cockpit knocked one of the enemy M-9’s out of commission and two more, seeing their comrade defeated, pulled back.
As his Armored Slave burst into flames, Kurtz jammed the ejected button. The cockpit popped open and, not waiting around for the mechanism to kick in, Kurtz hurled himself out.
~
Kaname stared at Augustine in cold shock. It wasn’t hard to figure out what he wanted her to do.
“I’ll be frank. I want to test the efficiency of the Gnostic and your loyalty. If you launch and fight for all your worth, I’ll let your family live. If not, boom. Are you positive you want to go out there?”
Kaname stood. She ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah. Let’s get this over with.”
Augustine’s face broke into a smile.
“Excellent. But, I have lined up a bit of insurance for you. If you get into any trouble or if you betray me… Well, you know the drill.”
The moving sidewalk had started…. moving… again. Slowly, a tall, Asian man slid into the hangar, smiling proudly.
“Yo, Chidori,” Gauron said, grinning. Augustine chuckled at Kaname’s shocked face.
“I’ve got some things to attend to. Gauron, would you help Miss Chidori get used to the controls of the Gnostic?”
“Roger that, Padre,” Gauron said, as though he had some big joke planned.
As Augustine left, Gauron started marching towards the Gnostic. As Kaname followed sullenly, he kept chuckling.
“Manhattan, was it?”
At that moment, Kaname began to realize that something very, very strange was going on.
~
“Mr. President, what do you think we should do?”
Dubya stared at the image of the Arbalest slicing apart attacking M-9’s with ease.
“Mr. President?”
“Let’s see how this places out…” Bush muttered, sitting back in his chair. “See if we can get a couple of those too…”
~
One sub-sonic jet ride to Rome later, Geraldo Rivera was in a new chopper, hovering in among the combatants.
“This is Geraldo Rivera for FOX News, bring you the latest on The Battle in the City of God!” Rivera said with special flourish, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Suddenly, the Arbalest turned and, Sousuke, mistaking the small chopper for a gun ship, opened fire, knocking it out of the sky and, in doing so, performed a great service for all of humanity.
~
“All you need to do is think about the action and the Gnostic will perform it. It may take a bit of getting used to, because, for example, you don’t think about walking.”
Gauron was actually a pretty good teacher as he pointed out all the screens and control panels in the cockpit.
“Remember that you only need to think about something for it to happen. The Gnostic is equipped with a sword for melee combat but you really shouldn’t need it. One more thing…”
Gauron smiled and leaned close to Kaname to whisper something.
“Studies suggest that, if the Lambda Driver is put under too much stress… Something will happen.”
“Something? What kind of thing?”
Gauron grinned and stepped out of the cockpit.
“Something amazing.”
~
As the Gnostic and Gauron’s Arbalest Mass Production Type launched, Kaname felt a pit of dread rising in her stomach. Not only was Gauron escorting her but the other eleven Arbalest Mass Production Types had been launched as well. Thirteen Arm Slaves in all, each possessing incredible power.
She saw it as soon as she landed outside the cathedral. The Arbalest. The original. She knew it was Sousuke instantly.
The others being launched as well, however, made her plan more difficult. Originally, since it was obvious Augustine was bluffing about her family, Kaname had decided to make a run for it or even fight against Mithril. But with twelve Arm Slaves right behind her…
Carefully, she concentrated on walking. The Gnostic took a few hesitant steps and Kaname jumped when it did so, as though she hadn’t expected it to move. She tried again and soon, she had the robot walking with confidence. She tried moving the arms and found that was even easier than walking.
“Okay…” she whispered slowly. “I’m getting somewhere…”
“You know…” a voice came over her radio. “Padre will be very disappointed if you don’t fight.”
“Huh?”
“The Arbalests all have orders to gang up on Kashim… Just so you know…”
And with that, the Arbalests, Gauron included, took off, leaving Kaname alone.
~
Sousuke was panting now. By his count, he must have shot down nearly twenty-five enemy Arm Slaves. He was surprised at himself. He felt more awake than he had ever felt in a fight and his reflexes were faster than they had ever been before.
The Tuatha de Danaan forces had taken losses too, however. At least seven of the M-9’s that were launched had been destroyed and the rest were all reporting their situation as critical. Sousuke was about go play hero again when twelve Arm Slaves landed around him.
It was like a scene from The Birds. Sousuke stayed still, in between the circle of his hunters. In the midst of the great chaos around them, nothing moved.
“Kashim…” Gauron said in a sing-song voice. Sousuke’s blood ran cold and the hunters pounced.
Sousuke tried firing but the Lambda Drivers of the Arbalests immediately deflected the rounds. His Arbalest went down, under the weight of several others.
“Are you really going to let them win, Kashim?” Gauron cackled, mocking him as the Arm Slaves beat the Arbalest. Sousuke growled, struggling to stand up.
“Dammit…” Sousuke whispered. He considered firing the nukes at point blank range. If he did that, he could, at least, wipe out the Arbalests. But if he did that… He would almost surely die in the blast. And he’d never see Kaname again.
The thought of Kaname filled him with equal parts hope and anger. If he failed here, there was no telling what they would do to her.
As if picking up on his rage, Gauron chuckled. “What’s wrong, Sousuke? Thinking of your little girlfriend?”
“I can’t lose…” Sousuke hissed to himself. The Arbalest’s joints were beginning to break. “Because… If I do… Chidori…”
An image of Kaname’s face flashed through Sousuke’s mind.
With sudden strength, the young soldier roared. Engaging the Lambda Driver, the Abarlest forced itself up, hurling off the other Arm Slaves.
“I won’t let you hurt Chidori!” screamed Sousuke. With frightening speed, the Arbalest leapt forward… And drove its fist through the cockpit of the nearest AS. Sousuke spun around and sprayed two more with rifle fire. The shields put up by their Lambda Drivers literally shattered and both machines exploded.
Gauron smiled as he watched Sousuke tear apart the mass produced Arbalests. “As expected…” he whispered.
~
A few hundred meters away, Kaname watched the Arbalest fight. She could hear Sousuke’s yells and screams as he ripped the other units to shreds. It was like watching a wild animal destroy its prey. There was no humanity there. Only pure, animalistic rage and instinct.
“Sousuke…” whispered Kaname, feeling the tears well up again. “It’s always like this. You’re always trying to protect me. And even when I fight back… Everyone ends up getting hurt. I wish I had never been born… Then you wouldn’t feel this pain…”
Suddenly, she remembered the girl’s words. “You can make your own future. For yourself and Sousuke.”
~
As the final one of the Arbalests collapsed, Sousuke turned. Gauron’s unit was still there. His muscles tightened and he readied himself for the fight of his life. It never came.
“Well done, Kashim. Well done.”
“Why did you betray us?” demanded Sousuke suddenly. “What-“
“I never betrayed you. I never served you. All I did was save my little Kashim from the big bad Pope.”
“Then who do you serve?”
Gauron laughed. “No one but myself. But, don’t worry, Kashim. I’m not here to fight you. In fact, I’m going to make your life a little bit easier…”
The Arbalest MPT boosted into the air and hung there for a few seconds, looking down at the original.
“I’m not about to let someone other than myself kill you. That’s my privilege and my privilege alone. Just remember that, Kashim. But, for now, you had better go comfort your girl. She’s about to cry again.”
It was then that Sousuke noticed the Gnostic. It stood, stoically still, in the middle of the square in front of the cathedral.
Forgetting about Gauron, Sousuke started bounding towards Kaname. He ignored the sounds of battle dying around him. The Arbalest leapt over a few buildings and came to a complete stop in front of the Gnostic. It’s cockpit opened and Sousuke held up one hand so Kaname could see her.
“Chidori,” he said.
There was no response for a moment… And then…
“Yo. Sousuke.”
~
Under St. Peter’s Cathedral, Augustine watched in horror as Sousuke annihilated the final Arbalest.
“At least Gauron will finish him off…” he muttered. He continued to watch in horror as Gauron flew away. And then, the screens surrounding the command center went blank. Then, they were replaced with a huge blown up image of Fatima’s face. The Beatles song “Hey Jude” began to play. The technicians manning the station stared in amazement as the computers shut down. The only things that worked were the monitors and the speaker systems.
“Sir?” one of the attendants asked timidly. Augustine closed his eyes in silent rage.
“Ready the Arbalest Mk. II and launch the Titan missiles.
End of Chapter Eight
Special Next Chapter Preview!
The nightmares of a people consume the world as the battle grows desperate. Each warrior, bathed in blood, fights to survive. Amidst the fire, two children seek one another out, the light held in their hands overflowing…
Next time in Le Jeu Sinistre! “The Light that Fills this World!” Soar towards the new era! Fly, Sousuke!
Author Notes: No, I haven’t lost it. The Special Next Chapter Preview is a spoof of the episode preview they have at the end of every episode of Gundam SEED. It involves a vague, muddy teaser of the next episode and then some inspiring piece of encouragement for “Gundam.”
So, uh, thanks for all the great reviews. That stuff’s really encouraging and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.