SD Gundam Fan Fiction ❯ Yakunan Rijun ❯ Two Found Two to Find ( Chapter 21 )

“Back you wolves back!” Captain fired multiple rounds at the onslaught of wolves coming for him the young humans. Using the glue gun, Hanabi had managed to get several attackers stuck about ten feet from Captain forcing the reinforcements to hop over only to be shot back by the gundam. Those who made it close enough were quickly met with the beam rod along with punches and kicks knocking them back.

 

Behind them, Shute worked feverishly to fix Hanabi's Captain. It was clear the gundam leader had been off line for nearly a year and experimented on at one point, he was doubtful if there was enough energy to restart him. So long as the soul flame was lit, even as just a tiny flicker, Shute kept his hopes up, “Come on Captain I know you can't be gone like that. You just might be our only chance of getting to the others alive. We sure could use some extra help right now.”

 

Hanabi yelped and shot miniature fire balls as larger wolves began to charge at them, Vayla having returned to cheer on her comrades. Forced to catch several on his Beam Rod, Captain could hardly keep up with fighting them back much longer, “Shute hurry!”

 

“Uncle Captain! Please! Wake up! You have to help us! We have to find Daddy and the others!” she pleaded looking over her shoulder at the deactivated gundam.

 

Even Shute was pleading to him, “Please Captain please! I know I'm not from your time but you have to get up! I know you are in there!”

 

“You're mine!” Vayla jumped over a rather large wolf currently holding a tight grip on Captain's beam rod. Claws spread and jaw wide; she landed in front of and kept deadly aim on Shute, “Return to your own time human!”

 

Shute yelled in pure fear trying to backing away from her, “Captain! Please! Help me!”

 

Two bright lights filled the room near blinding its occupants, “What the hell!” One beastly cyborg wolf asked.

 

Vayla turned towards the light stopping in her path, “This can't be! Sslute what have you done!”

 

“Get out of our away!” Captain knocked the wolves off of him, many scattering despite barking orders, those giving them soon turning tail as well when they saw what was behind Captain.

 

“You get away from him!” A hiss of steam, creaking joints, the fierce roar of flame, the Gundam King was back from the dead and swiftly punched Vayla away from the young boy.

 

“Uncle Captain!” Hanabi shouted with glee.

 

Indeed it was, Captain Gundam of this time line had awoken at last and rose from the table watching his opposition flee before turning back to Shute, “Is that... really you Shute?” He asked as the lights dimmed down.

 

“Shute! Are you alright? The younger Captain asked, “And… future me. Are you well?”

 

Shute nodded as his Captain, “Just fine! Thanks to older you.” He smiled and laughed softly.

 

The older and in much disrepair Captain looked at his younger self, “Huh? Why is my younger self here? And a younger Shute? Hanabi? What is going on?”

 

Hanabi didn't answer but instead hugged him tightly, “Uncle Captain! I knew you weren't dead! I just knew it! She sobbed softly burying her face into his chest.

 

“Hanabi…” old Captain sighed and hugged the young female human, “It is good to see you again as well. But where are we?”

 

“You do not remember?” young Captain asked, “We are in the Angel of Death's fortress. As for your questions, it was Celestin and Daichimaru that brought us here.”

 

Shute nodded and stood up, “Don't get upset at them alright? It was our idea to come and help fix the future!”

 

Older Captain looked between the younger Gundam Force members, “I take it Zero, Bakunetsumaru, and Fleur from your time are here as well?”

 

“Somewhere,” Shute scratched the back of his head, “We kinda got separated from everyone.”

 

“Oh no!” older Captain shouted alarmed making Hanabi let go of him, “Then we have to hurry, before the Death Angel finds them, or High General Ace. You shouldn't even know of this time. I have to get Rubbish and have him send all of you back to your own time. You must forget everything you have seen!”

 

“Sorry older me but that is not going to happen,” young Captain replied, “We came at our own will, to aid Celestin, Daichimaru, and Commander Bakunetsumaru. Besides, Demon General is here. He is from our time. We cannot leave him here.”

 

Older Captain looked at his younger self, “Demon General?”

 

Hanabi chirped, “Yeah! Lady Fleur missed a demon and he became the Angel of Death and tricked the Caynights into working for him saying he is there savior. Now Demon General is here and we have to capture him before we send them back or the whole timeline will be messed up.”

 

“Assuming we haven't messed it up already by coming here in the first.” Younger Captain nodded, “Let's get out of here before High General Ace finds us again.” He scanned around the area looking at the far wall again. There was no way they could get trough it was there?

 

“Agreed.” Older Captain walked up to the wall, “Hmmm there is a slight draft coming from here.”

 

“There is also something rather odd about the wall right were you are standing, do you see it?” younger Captain asked getting a nod from other. “We should be on the back side, everyone is too preoccupied with the fight towards the front I doubt they will see us climbing up.” With that, he whipped out his beam rod and began to carve away a square section of the wall, the other Captain following suite.

 

Shute looked at his friend unsure, “Up the outside of the wall? Captain the last time we tried that Ace found us.”

 

Hanabi giggled, “We'll have to be more careful this time”

 

The Neotopian gundams finished making a hole in the wall pulling away the section, “Shall we then?”

 

“Up we go!” Shute shouted holding onto his best friend, Hanabi wrapping her arms around Uncle Captain's neck. Out the opening and up they flew, going off of what Vayla had said, they had a ways to go before reaching the Angel of Death. First order of business, find the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Madnug grunted pushing aside a heavy stone blocking his group as they walked onto a small outside hallway. Suffocating smell of gunpowder and dust hit the groups' faces, carrying to cries and yells of war from the fight raging on hidden by the high fortress walls. Commander Baku looked behind, “Do you think everyone else is alright?”

 

“I am sure they are fine,” Madnug replied, “We have fought longer battles before. This one has been raging for only three hours.”

 

“They won't give up easily,” Zero remarked then looked around the walkway, “Let's try heading further down.” He hovered ahead of the group gripping the shield and sword tightly with Madnug close behind, Commander Bakunetsumaru trotting with a slight limp brought up the rear.

 

Paranoid, they consistently checked every corner before turning, High General Ace could be anywhere on the outside of the fortress making their way towards a sloping path leading towards a lower tower. Above them loomed the ominous highest tower, unlike the rest of the fort, which is made of metal and stone, that single tower was encompassed in a dark aura, swallowing any light that dare to intrude. Baku made a comment it looked like a dark cloud of smoke trying to take over the fortress.

 

“I hope everyone else is hanging in alright,” Baku commented as his footsteps echoed against the walls, “Where are all the guards? This entire fortress is to far under protected.”

 

“It is 88.365% the gurads are busy on the battle field or they believe we are still within the fortress,” Madnug concluded, “It will be much safer to climb the outer walls. That is, unless High General Ace find us. I scan detect his energy signature all around here but I cannot place where it he currently is.”

 

Zero groaned falling back to hover behind Madnug, “Whatever kind of clocking method he is using, that wolf, if such a giant creature can even be called that, can easily hault our conquest with a single swipe.”

 

“Do you know the best part?” Baku commented, “He isn't the worst of our troubles. Rifleman, Kouheimaru, and Araebisu; not to mention the Death Angel himself are far more deadly then that single General.”

 

Madnug nodded turning to face Zero, “That is why we should continue our journey and climb as close to that black mass as possible. I would much rather play cat and mouse with High General Ace then to fight even that cyborg Rifleman. There is something odd about him.”

 

“How so?” Zero inquired.

 

“Nothing, I must be over thinking things,” Madnug concluded.

 

“Halt!” Commander jumped ahead of Madnug and held out his arm, “Do you hear that?” The other two landed and looked around, ears strained to pick up the softest whistle of wind.

 

“Hear what?” Madnug asked.

 

Bakunestumaru's deep brown eyes scanned the path ahead of them, hands resting upon the hilt of his swords. The aged samurai didn't answer, where had it come from? That all too familiar tune of churning metal, was Ace closer to them then he originally thought! Time slipped by, the sound failing to ring around, yet he didn't give up. Zero's life was currently at his hands; from General Ace's display earlier he had no means to spare the past gundam's lives. If doing this meant bringing back his best friend then he would gladly go down for the annoying Lacroa knight.

 

“Wait, over there,” Zero had heard it and shot a deadly glare straight ahead of the group, “Is that Ace?”

 

“It better not be,” Baku drew his swords, “Zero, be ready to make a shield we can't have you dying. Madnug, scan ahead what you can, don't let him ambush us.”

 

Madnug nodded and continued scanning, the fortress scramblers making the task of seeing further then a few meters near impossible, “Wait, I got something. Its fuzzy, but about twenty meters ahead, just around that next tower. There is something else out here with us. I cannot tell anything more, Commander.”

 

Behind the next tower, Shute and Hanabi worked on finishing the repairs to the damaged gundam, “That should about do it!” Shute nodded patting the older Captain's back.

 

“Thank you Shute, and you as well Hanabi,” He nodded then inquired, “Did any of you happen to see where my beam rifle and beam rod are? I am certain they are here somewhere.”

 

Hanabi nodded, “Yep! But they are all the way up there.” She pointed at the black cloud covered tower, “There's a room before the Angel of Death that has your weapons in it. Guess you'll have to go with fist and feet for now, Uncle Captain.”

 

“We can get them back later,” younger Captain replied, “We still do not know where the others are. And being out her exposed is not safe at all. High General Ace could be anywhere thanks to that cloaking device.”

 

“Yes, but he is the only one we have to worry about out here,” older Captain chimed in, “The inside is more heavily guarded then the outside. If I am correct, Ace will not send his troops looking out here until he can confirm we are outside the fortress. Or until they find and capture the others.”

 

“Ace is just another wolf right?” Shute asked.

 

Young Captain shook his head, “Not so Shute. Ace is a very large wolf, I would guess nearly the size of Fenn.”

 

Shute went wide-eyed, “What on earth had they met while he was in that cell, “That's not a wolf! That's a living tank. It can't be safe to be out here with him hunting us! Wouldn't it be safer to be hiding in side instead of out here in the open?”

 

“Like I said earlier he is the only threat out here,” older Captain replied, “So long as we keep our ears open and are quick on our feet, we can get away from him, as long as we are not cornered.”

 

Younger Captain looked around, “I hope the others are alive and well. We need to find them first before going any further. We have been split for far too long.” The group nodded in agreement then turned sharply at a sound.

 

Clatter! Click, click. Clatter!

 

A small pebble raced to the ground, General Ace was nearby, and had given away his position. “Shute, Hanabi, get behind us.” The Captain's took the lead, the younger wielding his beam rod as the older walked ahead, he couldn't allow his younger self to get hurt or worse.

 

Hearing the shuffling of feet, they pressed against the inside wall ready to ambush the large wolf. Closer and closer, with baited breathe every step they took, old Captain gestured for the rod then jumped out and swung it like a baseball bat, “I have you now!”

 

“Not so fast!”

 

SHING!

 

Twin blades caught the beam rod in a scissor hold. Bakunetsumaru growled and strained to keep up his defense. “Wait… Captain!”

 

“Bakunetsumaru!” older Captain shouted in disbelief the rest of his group peeked out from behind them.

 

“Two Captains!” Madnug shouted wide-eyed, “Then that means. Sir! Y-you are alive!” He stood at attention to his superior.

 

“Shute! Captain! Hanabi!” Zero shouted in relief, “You are alright!”

 

“Zero!” Hanabi and Shute proclaimed.

 

“Thank goodness we found you instead of High General Ace,” young Captain spoke relived.

 

“Zero?” older Captain returned the beam rod and looked at the Lacroix Knight in shock, “It… it is really you. I wouldn't believe it had Hanabi and Shute not already told me what has happened. I fear I nearly forgotten the sound of your voice.”

 

After a passing awkward moment the two groups shared information and caught Shute and old Captain up to speed on what has been going on for the past several hours. Thinking back on it, the group had gotten little done towards their goal and was still separated. Only five more gundams to locate with no idea as to where to begin the group votes on safety in numbers and reenter the fortress, less they have to deal with High General Ace once more and become separated yet again. There was no time to lose, they had to reach the Angel of Death's throne of security and retrieve Demon General and rewrite history.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bakunetsumaru grunted straining to get free before sighing in defeat “Okay… yeah I'm stuck. Give me a push.” The musha samurai had firmly wedged himself in a hole a few sizes two small for him to pass through.

 

“I told you it was a tight fit,” Daichimaru retorted as he attempted to push the musha the rest of the way through.

 

Celestin grabbed Baku's wrist and tugged with all his might, “You should consider cutting down on the rice balls!”

 

“It's not my fault they are delicious!” he whined before the teenage gundams managed to free him, “Thanks, alright your turn Daichimaru. Don't get stuck!”

 

“I don't plan on it,” a bow and quiver flew through the narrow hole followed by Daichimaru attempting to wedge himself through, “Yep, I'm good. I think.” He grunted griping at the ground trying to pull himself through as well, “On second thought. Yeah give me a hand.” Bakunetsumaru laughed at his expense before grabbing and pulling the young archer out.

 

Celestin chortled, “Well I don't feel to bad about getting stuck now after watching both you get trapped as well.”

 

“Considering you eat as much as I do, and with those wings, I'm not surprised you did get stuck.” Daichi retaliated while picking up his weapons, “Now which way to go….”