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Rainfall blanketed the English coastline, covering the landscape with a fine mixture of acid rain and sleet. The isle known for its temperate climate and rocky coast had suffered an unusually harsh winter, and though little snow remained to testify to this, much of the channel was still choked in ice. Due to the war, the icebreakers hadn't had sufficient fuel or manpower to clear more than a thin, hazardous waterway. Despite this fact, vessels still crossed regularly, and civilization still continued. Operation British was still being felt around the world, the ghosts of millions softly blanketing the Earth and leaving stark reminders-subtle clues-of the price of war. They'd all been Earthside for nearly three months now, and though much of it was spent in battle, these moments of placidity incited intense curiosity in most of the spacenoids. Though still docked at Belfast, the journey over still played intensely through their minds. Many of the officers commented on its likeness to pictures of Antarctic that they'd seen published in National Geographic. The rolling icecaps and shifting tectonics made way for an near-endless plane of azure glass--it was captivating. And though they were disappointed at the lack of penguins, it took great power of will to go back to their duties. They all yearned for more leave. Especially Kai. He lazily sat in a local haunt mentally flipping through memories of the girl he'd stumbled upon. A full pint in front of him. He was playing with the idea of getting her into his bunk and showing her what a real mobile suit pilot was capable of when a tremendous clang disturbed him. He spied Amuro out of the corner of his eye, doing whatever it was he usually did when he wasn't around Gundam-probably making notes on a bar napkin. How he subjected himself to such tedious work day in and day out without any time off made Kai think he was some kind of eunuch. It also left Kai feeling overwhelming bored and sleepy. He might've been the Federation's great Wunderkind, but to Kai he was just another teenager taking his first awkward steps through puberty. Kai shrugged it off and continued dozing, thinking of the sullen redheaded street vendor who had caught his eye and, would ultimately (he thought), steal his heart. It was mushy crap he didn't care to delve too far into, but nevertheless, everyone else on board had a love interest, why couldn't he? He was on the front lines just like an ordinary bull-brained soldier, sticking out his neck for people he knew little about and cared little for. Only, he raged, they got paid. He donned the same uniform as a real soldier, took orders like a real soldiers, ate and breathed like a real soldier. He'd even taken lives-more than he could consider-but that didn't afford him the notoriety or the women or the prestige that Amuro seemed to get smothered with on a daily basis. He was more of a man than Amuro, and he deserved more. People took advantage of his skills, and he decided it would end here and now. He was a real soldier, and a real man. People would soon come to see that.
Maybe he'd go back out and try to find her again and show her the man he believed himself to be. The smoke in the bar was getting to be too much anyway.
Char, aboard his Mad Angler, was a real soldier. No man, Federation or Zeon, would challenge that fact. He stood as he always did, at attention yet remarkably relaxed. No situation, simple or strenuous, made the Red Comet lose his cool. At least, it appeared so to the nameless kriegsmarine that manned the consoles in the sparsely lit CIC. To them, their commander was still merely myth despite his tangible appearance in the command chair. Only a handful of men were able to work up the courage to yell "yes sir!" when he gave orders, and even fewer dared to cross his path. There were legends, deeper myths than those directly surrounding the Comet, that told of the untimely and horrific deaths of innumerable subordinates. And that, though Char appeared either victorious or unscathed after each glorious battle, those who fell while pushing on by his side were hardly ever read about in the weekly propaganda, and barely ever remembered as anything more than a statistic. "Lights are green." Spoke a reserved Petty Officer. The Red Comet nodded silently, knowing full well where the pieces went. "Launch." The Mad Angler's bays opened, and the launch tubes flooded. Three crab-like mobile suits, bristling with a fierce aura, activate their mono-eyes and prep. One by one they launch from the gigantic submarine's belly, like a squid birthing its spawn.
"Godspeed, Kingler Squad." Char performed his trademark smile to the unease of the crew.
"Base is on alert, Mr. Bright! They inform us that three Gogg-like mobile suits are terrorizing the city! They can't use airstrikes due to the civilian presence. They've launched GM's to intercept." Bright, feeling the onset of battle anxiety already kicking in, attempted to evaluate the situation. They were the only force present capable of dealing with the situation. Plus, this stank of the Red Comet. Who else would order an attack against a target with so few mobile suits, especially when it was known that White Base was in the area. "Contact Amuro and Kai immediately and get them back here." "And the Gogg's, sir?" "Status on the GM's?" "They have already engaged the enemy. Chatters indicates distress." "We have no choice, launch Sayla in the G-Armor and Hayato in the Guntank. They are to engage the Gogg's and limit civilian casualties." "Aye, sir!"
Bright prayed that that would be enough, although he felt something greater was at work. He hated that feeling.
"WHAT?" Kai was visibly pissed off, and Amuro didn't have to guess why. He knew only one thing would get Kai this riled up. And that was work. Which meant White Base had recalled them. "We are not coming back already, it's only been an hour! Plus, I have errands!"
Amuro watched Kai argue with the communicator and decided he wouldn't wait, he knew Kai would follow sooner or later. Plus, he felt something out of place. Something that wasn't meant to be there. He had to get back to Gundam.
The Hyggogs had cleared a swath of GM's from the Belfast streets, scattering Englishman and setting nearby business afire. Businesses that had probably been there since the turn of the century (that's 19th century). Sayla had seen the smoke and had known to go directly north. She hailed Hayato, who had just cleared White Base, "Hayato, engage the enemy at as close a range as possible. We don't need any more casualities." "I heard Bright's orders, Sayla." Sayla was still getting used to the idea of fighting, though by many standards she was already a seasoned pilot. Somehow, her personality did not lend well to being a pilot. She was shaky, especially since she could see women and children on the street corners as she blasted past. "Just please be careful." She couldn't see the enemy, and she suddenly understood why. The smoke enveloped five square blocks, and as she weaved between several high-rise office buildings, a black, segmented arm reached out from the ash and soot, and nailed the G-Armor in its hindquarters. Sayla held back a scream, and tried to get her craft back under control. Below, she saw Hayato stop just before the smokescreen, he appeared to have learned from her mistake.
Her enemies were not your garden variety Zaku grunts.
Amuro sprinted aboard the White Base in his civilian clothes, undaunted by the confused marines positioned outside the main hatch. One in particular, a redheaded woman in the familiar khaki Federation uniform, nearly tripped him as they both tried to squeeze through the door at once. Amuro, being the gentlemen that he wasn't, pushed her aside and ran to Gundam without second glance. Kai, a few paces behind as predicted, saw the whole thing. He stopped, angry, again, at Amuro's complete disregard for other's feelings. He couldn't fathom it. He ran toward the woman, wanting to help her. But all he saw was a brief flash of red as she pushed herself up and ran into White Base, clearly late for some kind of dinner.. "Fine with me, lady, I'm already spoken for," said Kai to no one in particular. Amuro pushed buttons and cranked levers, he didn't even know anymore. He just did. He was already out the hangar by the time Kai got into Guncannon, and preparing a strategy. He'd face mobile suits similar before, though he'd never seen one up close. He'd heard plenty. It didn't phase him. Zaku, Gouf, mobile armor; he'd fought them all, and won. He sized up the situation, turning towards the chaos as Gundam landed from its assisted jump. Beam rifle was trained towards unknown, and Guncannon, amazingly, was already by his side. Kai was apparently in serious mode. Through his audio feed, he heard loud reports from what could only be Guntank's 40mm rocket launchers. That meant it was getting up close and personal. He couldn't see Sayla, but she appeared as a blip on his radar screen. "Kai, I want you to find Hayato and back him up, I'm going after Sayla." "Yes, boss," retorted Kai, sarcastic to the last. Apparently he wasn't one hundred percent in the game as Amuro had thought. Gundam trudged through the wreckage of Main St., ignoring the dead. He could feel Sayla suddenly as if she were swinging up above his head on strings. He looked up, the G-Armor was limping through the air, dodging lance after lance of mega particle fire. Amuro followed, the source: the smoke. Forgoing the dramatic cry, he ran headlong into the darkness. Infrared helped, but the fires were still burning. It's as if some kind of super napalm had engulfed every man-made object and wouldn't go out. As he considered the source, he barely spied the silhouette of a mobile suit bringing its full weight up on its arms like a monkey and slamming itself down upon Gundam. Amuro bit the g-force as Gundam landed on an ambulance and firetruck, the mobile suit, its trailing, glowing eye burning off some of the smoke, didn't waver. It rushed Gundam once more, unmoved by its appearance. Either it hadn't heard of Gundam or it was unafraid. The black Hyggog brought up what appeared to be a one-use missile, merely a milisecond from releasing its trigger. But before it could, a massive shell burst into its back, erupting it. "I found Sayla." Kai announced as Amuro noticed the Guncannon punching through the smoke, G-Armor trailing overhead. Amuro silently thanked him, and righted Gundam. Mega particles burned holes in the top of his tower shield and nearly disconnected Gundam's shoulder from the rest of it. He returned fire instantly, scoring several unknown hits. A blast added to the fire. One more. He could feel it toying with him-a gut instinct. Like when he had first faced Char. He almost thought that this was Char. Somehow, he knew better. Char would never lure him into a deadend. Tense moments passed. Nothing happened until the skies cleared and instantly he knew. He dropped his armaments and caught a segmented arm as it flew in from behind. Using forward momentum, he brought the Hygogg down on top of itself. Igniting a beam saber, he stabbed it clear through the cockpit, its crab face distorting into a portrait of mashed steel. Last kill. "They're dead," said Sayla, relieved. Ignoring her, Hayato piped in, "This appears to be an old gasoline refinery. What makes this such an important target?" "Maybe Zeon's desperate for fuel." "They blew it up on purpose, Kai." Hayato was annoyed. "Let's just go home." Amuro didn't care. People had died, and that stung, but what was most important was that something, somewhere, had just won. |