Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Last Impression ❯ Episode 24: Conflict for Four ( Chapter 24 )

Location: Earth --- the Indian Ocean; the Archangel

The weather had changed for the worst today, as the clouds darkened over the Archangel, which was afloat in the Indian Ocean. After yesterday's battle with the ZAFT unit led by the now-late Marco Morassim, the crew of the Archangel discovered to their dismay about Cagalli's untimely disappearance, alongside Kenji's as well.

 

And so the two abovementioned teens' ID signals were unable to be found by Miriallia, who still endeavored to contact them in her terminal post on the CIC area of the Archangel's main bridge, since she started yesterday morning. After six attempts, she stopped contacting them, glancing back at Murrue and Natarle standing behind her seat expectantly, shaking her head slowly at them.

 

“I'm sorry, I'm unable to trace their ID signals… we've lost them,” the MS/MA com-link operator concluded.

 

Natarle glanced at Murrue with an inquiry face, folding her arms. Despite her personal feelings particularly for Kenji, she still upheld her beliefs and values in the EA military, since she was raised by military parents. Pushing her concern for the Seraph pilot aside, she went into military protocol.

 

“Shall we declare them MIA, captain?” she suggested.

 

Perplexed by the question, Miriallia wondered aloud, glancing up at Natarle for a translation. Despite being officially enlisted as an EA soldier and crew member of the Archangel, she lacked a grasp of military terms.

 

“What does `MIA' mean?”

 

Sai answered on Natarle's behalf instead, saving the second-in-command from wasting her breath in explaining the definition of the stated military term.

 

“It unofficially means a soldier is dead, Mir,” he replied, glancing at his friend from nearby his seat on the CIC area.

 

Miriallia was shocked to hear the answer and her jaw dropped slightly, while placing her left hand over it to complete her shocked reaction.

 

Murrue disagreed with Natarle's suggestion, shaking her head at her.

 

“No, it's too early for that. I intend to send Kira out once the Strike Gundam has finished its repairs. We'll have him search for them instead, so the ship will be on standby in this position in the Indian Ocean for now.”

 

The second-in-command narrowed her eyebrows angrily as she initially objected to the Archangel Captain's prerogative in taking matters into her own hands.

 

“We're in ZAFT territory, captain! We can't search for them now!”

 

Murrue glared indifferently at her workmate.

 

“No! We won't leave Cagalli and Kenji out there alone, and that's final! Do I make myself clear, Natarle?”

 

“...-Sigh- Yes, captain, I understand… clearly.”

 

The rest of the bridge crew looked on at the bickering high-ranking female duo of the ship with little interest, and dared not to utter a word to attract unwanted attention directed at them.

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Showered and freshly-dressed in his professor attire (minus the lab coat and tie for simpler wear), Peter quickly stepped by Murrue's office with her permission, anxious to hear about his nephew's sudden disappearance during yesterday's battle with the ZAFT unit led by the now-late Marco Morassim. He had been hearing small gossip from some of the crew taking a break in the mess hall, and waited for his nephew to return after being informed with the latest news in the ship regarding the battle. Dismayed not seeing Kenji return, he went to Murrue for answers.

 

“Welcome, professor, what can I do for you?” Murrue offered, as she glanced up at the older Hyne from her seat with a small weight on her shoulders, apparently labeled as Kenji's whereabouts.

 

“Captain Ramius, has something happened to Kenji? I've heard about yesterday's battle, and I regret just knowing about it today, since I'm sometimes a heavy sleeper,” Peter sheepishly remarked, scratching his right cheek with his right forefinger.

 

Slightly amused hearing a tidbit of personal info from her guest, Murrue resumed her serious demeanor as the Archangel Captain, knowing she was responsible for the lives of the ship's crew. Kenji too was considered as part of the crew, since they were used to his helpful contribution in protecting the ship from enemy attacks so far.

 

“At +1030 hours yesterday morning, we've lost the ID signals of Cagalli and Kenji. From there, we started our search for them,” she stated officially.

 

Peter ruffled his hair worriedly with his right hand as he gave attention to Murrue.

 

“Cagalli… ah, yes, that girl from the Desert Dawn. But, why did they go missing? Kenji's not the type to just run off and disappear from a task at hand.”

 

“Well, according to Lieutenant La Flaga, he had only noticed that Skygrasper-2, the fighter aircraft Cagalli boarded, didn't follow back to the ship with him after he destroyed the enemy submarine that deployed those ZAFT underwater units attacking the ship. As for Kenji, by the time he and Kira returned to the ship onboard their MS, he made up his mind in searching for Cagalli, after hearing from Lieutenant La Flaga about her suspected disappearance. He then went back to the battlefield, heading for the last known coordinates Skygrasper-2 was after he received it from the lieutenant. Since then, we haven't heard a word from him ever since.”

 

“Impossible... how will we look for them in this area? The Indian Ocean is vast!”

 

Murrue shook her head in disagreement at her guest, placing an outstretched right hand to calm down his anxiety for Kenji's whereabouts.

 

“I'll be sending Kira out to look for them, once the Strike Gundam is done with its repairs as we speak.”

 

Peter's lips grimaced downwards in worry. But at another second, his demeanor instantly changed into confidence, puzzling Murrue.

 

“What's that look on your face telling me, professor?” she inquired with a raised left eyebrow.

 

“-Chuckle- I realized Kenji's a former ZAFT soldier. Somehow, I'm sure he's alive out there. It won't be a problem for him to survive under these conditions, since he was trained to.”

 

Murrue had to agree with him deep down, as she felt her worry for Kenji dissipating. Still, she couldn't help shaking off her concern for the Seraph pilot, since she strangely considered him to be a younger brother figure to her, along with Kira. It was probably their involvement with the Archangel and its crew that created the abovementioned view of the two Gundam pilots in her mind. She rested her arms on her desk, propping her chin on her folded hands in a temple, with her lips not curving up or down.

 

“Hmm… I hope you're right about that, professor,” she remarked with a mix of hope and worry laced in her voice.

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Timeline: C.E. 71, March 8; +1500hours

Location: Earth --- the Indian Ocean; an uninhabited island

On one of the few uninhabited small islands in the Indian Ocean, four individuals would unknowingly realize they'd meet by chance. For Kenji, it was definitely an unusual day. Instead of having a peaceful conversation with the ZAFT pilot, with his white GINN High-Maneuver Type saved from its plummeting doom, he was greeted by gunfire, which kicked in his survival training instincts he learned during his days as a ZAFT soldier. Sneaking a peek from his hiding spot which was behind the Seraph Gundam's left leg, he quickly pulled his head back in cover as another shot narrowly whizzed past by where his head was supposed to be.

 

But then again, he considers me an enemy… the question now is does he know I'm affiliated with the Archangel? Or maybe he knows I'm the pilot of the Seraph?

 

Kenji's right hand gripped the automatic pistol he carried as a precaution (which also was the same pistol he secured from the Eurasian soldier he knocked out back in the asteroid port of Artemis), as he brought it securely to his right shoulder, with its muzzle pointing upwards. The only sounds his ears could make out of were the occasional crashing ocean waves in the island shoreline he was on. He closed his eyes briefly, steeling himself for his next course of action.

 

1… 2… 3!

 

At the count of three he leapt out from his hiding spot, firing off three shots at Ryu, who was hanging just outside his GINN High-Maneuver Type's cockpit, catching him in surprise. He quickly dived down to the sandy ground, and rolling upon landing as Kenji's shots trailed towards his previous position before. Glancing up angrily and firing back at the same time with his automatic pistol held in his left hand, he surprisingly saw Kenji not diving for cover like before, but instead quickly picked up to his feet and decided to go head-on at him.

 

“Tch…!” Ryu cursed, firing off his pistol accurately and simultaneously at his savior and enemy. However, with uncanny agility and reaction, Kenji managed to dodge each shot fired at him, as if knowing where they'd land, while he closed the gap between himself and Ryu fast.

 

What the hell…! He's fast!

 

Firing off his last shot which neared Kenji's face as he was now within an arms reach, Ryu found his pistol kicked away hard by the Seraph pilot's right leg, which quickly lashed out, while he discarded his pistol aside at the same time. Seeing it was now down to close combat, Ryu retaliated back with a right hook and left middle kick, but Kenji managed to duck and dodge to his left to avoid the attack. He quickly countered with a left hook, which was blocked by Ryu's right arm, and added a right body hook, which also was blocked and caught by Ryu's left hand. The Crusader Squad leader smirked to his enemy.

 

“Heh… you're good, I'll give you that. But too slow…”

 

Kenji briefly smirked back, not bothering to reply with words. At a split-second, he quickly stepped sideways, turning around with his held right hand, and right kicked Ryu's right shin hard, forcing him to kneel down on his left leg in pain. Then, using his right thigh as a stepping stool, Kenji leapt over and around, delivering a stunning chop on his left shoulder with his free hand, then twisting around to wriggling his right hand free. He then kneeled down and had Ryu in a headlock with his right arm, pinning his left arm as well. From the position, he could break Ryu's neck firmly.

 

“Don't make me break your neck like a toothpick, if you continue to struggle,” the Seraph pilot warned, eliminating the Crusader Squad leader's further struggle to get out of the hold. He let down his right arm down in defeat.

 

“Damn… you're unreal. Ok, I give up… so just do what you have to do.”

 

“…There's no need for a pointless death. If you promise not to resist, I'll let you off alive, agreed?”

 

Ryu looked over at Kenji from the corner of his left eye, feeling suspicious.

 

“Doesn't look like I have much of a choice from my position, does it?” he sarcastically remarked.

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Meanwhile, Cagalli warily approached Athrun's dropped automatic pistol with hers on both hands. She glanced at the large rock she last spotted Athrun taking cover from her initial attack, then back down at his pistol on the ground.

 

It looks like he won't get back his gun easily, that's for sure.

 

Unknowingly to her, Athrun wasn't on that abovementioned hiding spot, but secretly scrambled up to a nearby ditch next her while she slowly approached his dropped pistol. Crawling on his belly, he sneaked a view on her current position, eyeing her intently. His right hand fished out a combat knife holstered on his right ankle, preparing to make his move.

 

Cagalli then kicked his pistol away, prompting Athrun quietly jumping out of the ditch and vanishing into a nearby rocky corner close to her, like a ninja creeping close to his targeted prey. Eyeing warily Athrun's first hiding spot one more time (not knowing he was silent creeping behind her), she went over to his dropped pistol to pick it up.

 

Suddenly, she felt a shadowy figure jumping at her from above, prompting her to turn facing around at Athrun, who appeared out of nowhere and right kicked his pistol out of her left hand.

 

“What the…!” Cagalli exclaimed surprised. However, her reaction was slow compared to the ZAFT pilot before her, who underwent military training. The next second she found herself on the ground after Athrun flipped her onto there, and was straddled by him. While she struggled to get out of his grasp, he pinned her hands firmly with his left hand, taking out his combat knife with killing intent on his eyes. Looking at them, Cagalli was afraid.

 

“AH----------!” she screamed loudly.

 

Startled by her scream, Athrun did a double-take at her, as his eyes registered his attacker's real gender as female, widening amazed. His killing intent suddenly dissipated as well.

 

“You're… a girl?” he asked dumbly.

 

“Yeah, so… you've got a problem with that!” Cagalli retorted, recalling her memory of her first meeting with Kira back in Heliopolis before its destruction. Her cheeks flushed little with embarrassment as she now found another guy amazed at her gender after realizing it through unconventional means.

 

Not bothering to reply, Athrun stood up, picking his newfound prisoner up to her feet while pinning her arms with a strong grip of his left hand. With his free hand, he took out several pieces of rope from his survival gear, which he dropped behind his first hiding spot before, and tied her hands up firmly with it. Satisfied by his work, he then went over to his dropped pistol and Cagalli's to pick them up. With the two guns in his hands, he then threw them into the crashing ocean waves, watching them carrying them deep further into the ocean. Next he retrieved his survival gear and went back to Cagalli, with his right hand holding over his injured left shoulder. The two teens sat themselves down on the ground, seeing there was no where else to go.

 

“Are you a soldier of the Earth Alliance? Your outfit seems a bit different from their regular uniform,” Athrun started questioning his prisoner while tending to his injured shoulder. Taking out a first-aid kit from his survival gear, he took pieces of bandages, taping them over his shoulder after he cleaned up the injured area with an alcohol-tinted wipe, gritting his teeth by the slight pain felt.

 

“Humph… I'm not a soldier, and I don't associate with the Earth Alliance! I'd rather die than serving any army,” Cagalli retorted annoyingly from her bounds. Taking a close look at her captor tending to his wound, she crawled over to him, closing their distance within inches that their shoulders touched each other.

 

“By the way… are you one of those who raided Heliopolis?” she inquired.

 

Distraught hearing the name of the destroyed colony, Athrun paused momentarily, glancing uneasy at her.

 

“I was there when ZAFT destroyed the colony,” she stated with shimmering golden-brown eyes.

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Timeline: C.E. 71, March 8; +1600 hours

Location: Earth --- the Indian Ocean; the Archangel

Inside the Archangel's hangar bay, the Strike Gundam was outfitted with the Aile pack as it was transferred automatically to the linear catapult, with its inner doors closing behind. Before its launch, its pilot was making final adjustments inside its cockpit, typing at the keyboard interface to bring up the Strike's OS. Satisfied seeing no glitches found, Kira returned the OS to its regular menu and set aside the keyboard interface. The small com-link window located above the CIS switched on with Murrue and Natarle's images onscreen.

 

“Kira, you have two hours to search the surrounding small islands of this area for Cagalli and Kenji. Good luck!” the Archangel Captain stated, confident of Kira's abilities in the search.

 

“According to the estimated weather report done by officer Dalida, there will be a small storm brewing over this area the Archangel is on, making the search difficult. Those two hours are the only estimated time you have before your progress is impeded by the weather. If either you find Cagalli and Kenji or not, return back to ship immediately after those two hours, understood?” Natarle warned, giving a stern look at Kira, who cringed little at her stare deep down.

 

“Understood… alright, I'm heading out!” Kira replied, receiving affirmative nods from Murrue and Natarle before their images flickered off-screen.

 

The launch sequence window popped in view from above.

 

LINEAR CATAPULT LAUNCH SYSTEM

GAT-X105 AILE STRIKE GUNDAM

…3

…2

…1

LAUNCH!

 

“Kira Yamato… Aile Strike launch!” Kira exclaimed as his MS was shot off into outside by the linear catapult. Switching on the Aile Strike's backpack thrusters, he also switched on its PS Armor, filling its entire chassis with a brilliant color. The Aile Strike then dived underwater heading forward to one of the nearby small islands around the Archangel, beginning the search for Cagalli and Kenji.

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Timeline: C.E. 71, March 8; +1615hours< /div>