[Episode 146975] [Episode 146975]No sooner had Kou shouted those words over the radio, the Gold Frame suddenly shot up from knees into the air like a bat out of hell; surprising Anna, and the other Obsidian Abyss pilots who had him cornered. Grabbing the two Totsuka-no-Tsurugi sabers mounted on the hips of the Gold Frame, Kou came down above the ZnO and slashed in an X-arc, cutting the amphibious mobile suit apart in four sections that exploded shortly after.
Running out of the smoke of the ZnO’s explosion, the black and gold mobile suit ran right into one of the DoMZ, throwing its left arm forward; unleashing the Tsumuha-no-Tachi claw that spran forward from its fixed position on the underside of the forearm, tearing through the DoMZ’s head before ripping the remains clean off. The now blinded pilot didn’t have long to ponder his next move as the cockpit hatch disintegrated as a burst of concentrated beam energy burned away the hatch and made its way into the cockpit. The pilot was incinerated instantly and the cockpit itself became melted slag. Pulling away the left hand which stopped glowing after pulling off the “beam ball” move developed by Lowe Gear; the Gold Frame turned to face the Dagger L, its optics glowing red just like last time.
Anna found herself trembling just like last time this happened. ”What the fuck? We had it damaged and it has to be low on power by now…but yet it just comes at us like a fucking demon!” Her eyes widen as the black and gold machine starts to RUN straight at her. She presses the firing trigger to let off two rounds from her cannons, but to her horror the Gold Frame simply slashed the rounds with the one Totsuka saber it still carried in the right arm and advanced onward. Before she could fire another round, Kou was already in her personal space and with a quick jab her cockpit was pierced by the Tsumuha-no-Tachi claw. Anna did not die instantly like the ZnO or DoMZ pilot; the entry point of the claw was at an angle that allowed the middle claw to pierce her body, separating her upper and lower torso in an excruciatingly painful manner. She didn’t scream she didn’t even gasp, she just vomited blood all over the claw; the cockpit itself was turning red from the gore of her broken body.
Her pain ended as the claw went sideways, ripping the rest of her body into shredded meat as it tore out the side of her Dagger L before the mobile suit exploded from the reactor being critically damaged.
The remaining DoMZ pilot frantically took up his hyper bazooka again; he figured at this range even if the round swerved it’d still hit the gold and black demon! However he never got to fire the trigger; as soon as he mounted it on his shoulder his suit was sliced in half by the remaining Maga-no-Ikutachi claw that still functioned. It wouldn’t drain any mobile suit batteries but it certainly can still cut them up pretty good.
Retracting the Ukutachi claw, Kou looked on his monitors to look for more enemies. “That takes care of that bunch…now for the last of the bastards.”
***********
“Lt. Bruin! I’ve lost contact with Anna and her team!” Zeke called over the radio as he ran an M1 through with his heat saber. At that time the winds had started to die down enough that everyone was back to using projectile and beam weapons. The advantage went to the Obsidian Abyss team who had the Strike Rouge, Red Frame, Kisato’s BuCUE, Liam’s Works GINN, and the remaining M1’s pinned down at the “last stand” point before the Obsidian Abyss mobile suits would be able to just waltz into the dry dock the Kusanagi was moored.
“Lost contact…oh no please don’t tell me it’s happened again.” Tammy felt herself pale after firing off a bazooka round.
“Lieutenant, we have an incoming mobile suit signature from six ‘o clock! It’s the Gold Frame!” The female GINN pilot Ashley shouted over the radio waves frantically.
“Holy shit it just went off the radar!” Oswald exclaimed as the radar blip disappeared off his radar screen.
“Did it use the Mirage Coll- ARGHH!” Damon and Ashely both screamed as their suits were pierced by a Totsuka saber each and slammed together before they exploded in two blazing balls of fire.
“Oh fuck, fuck, FUCK!” Osward started to fire his machine gun wildly, trying to hit the bastard who was killing his teammates. However his actions were in vain as a black Ikutachi caw came out of the fire and smoke, cutting his suit in half at the torso. Both halves hit the ground before exploding in a fireball like his comrades did.
Tammy’s eyes went wide and she held her bazooka up to fire, only to have it sliced at the barrel. She quickly threw it away before it exploded, and in an instant her monitors were full of Gold Frame as the red-eyed suit came down upon her. She didn’t cower in fear, she didn’t throw her arms up in moot defense, nor did she try to move. She simply uttered the name of the pilot of the devil. “…Kou…”
Inside Gold Frame, a flash went before his mind as he saw a vision of who the pilot of the mobile suit in front of him. His eyes went wide for an instant as his tactics changed in mid-execution. Instead of the cockpit being skewed, the head of the DoMZ went sailing in the air as the Totsuka saber cleaved it clear off. The arms went next in a clean-cut fashion before the legs followed suit. With a sharp kick, the torso of Tammy’s mobile suit flew into the arms of Zeke’s DoMZ who caught the torso in surprise.
Quickly picking up the beam rifle of a felled M1, Kou’s hands flew over his keyboard as he reprogrammed the beam rifle to work for his mobile suit; not a difficult feat considering he was piloting an M1 prototype and the weaponry was interchangeable between the suits. Bringing the rifle up he fired off two shots; both buzzing past Zeke’s DoMZ and hitting a GoohN and a ZnO that came out of the water to assist, both falling back and exploding in the water.
“I suggest you retreat before my sense of mercy decides to leave me.” Kou coldly sends over the radio as he continues to fire off warning shots that come near the DoMZ but never hit it.
Not looking to give a gift horse in the mouth, Zeke held the remains of his commander’s mobile suit tightly and turned tail to rush off toward the harbor. “All units retreat! We’re pulling out!”
As the DoMZ and the two remaining DINN’s left visual range; Gold Frame slumped to its knees as its Phase Shift Armor fizzled out as the battery finally gave out as it was drained completely. Sparks shorted out from the overworked joints and damaged areas of the mobile suit. Holding onto the control sticks Kou panted heavily as sweat ran down his brow in heavy droplets. Going into that smart-berserker mode had drained him and he felt like he was going to collapse from the strain.
He felt the ground shudder as the large foot steps of another mobile suit ran up to his own. He heard the hiss of a hatch opening, and then his own opened with the same hydraulic hiss. “KOU!!” He heard someone shout his name worriedly. Looking up weakly he saw a familiar female face. “H-hey Cagalli…” He smiles weakly.
Cagalli climbs into the cockpit fully and grabs the young man in a fierce hug, which he would have returned if his hands were too numb to release the control grips of his mobile suit. “You... BAKA!! You scared me to death going all crazy like that again…Jesus Christ what were you thinking doing that? You almost went into a coma last time!”
He saw the beginning of tears in her eyes and just laid his head against her chest…it was all he could do in his weak state. “S-sorry, but I couldn’t…just sit there and die. I don’t care if I bite the dust, however I couldn’t die like that though…not by them. At least, I had to make sure you, the others and Orb was safe before I could kick the bucket.”
Cagalli shook her head. “I don’t want you to die period you baka!! Dammit stop taking so many risks or being a hero! What’s the use living if you’re so…casual about death!” She hiccupped softly as she gently unpeeled his fingers from the control sticks, taking note that he was unable to do it himself. “I don’t dare and try to understand how you think Kou, and I know we’ve only known each other…a few weeks, a month tops…but we care about you. “I” care about you.”
“C-Cagalli…” He murmurs, taken aback by her genuine concern over his life. He shudders, making his weak arms hug her fiercely. “I’m sorry.”
”Just try and take better care of yourself and less risks. You aren’t alone in this fight.” She smiles softly, stroking his hair. “You might have a history with these jerks, but the burden isn’t yours alone.” She gives him an encouraging back pat. “Now c’mon lets get you out of this mobile suit and put some food in you and then lead you to a warm bed to sleep in. I can chew your ass out tomorrow.” She says the final part with a light amount of teasing.
He returns the smile. “Deal, um Cagalli can I ask a favor?” His face reddens softly.
“You wanna stay with me again tonight?”
He chuckles at her deduction. “I thought I was the Empath here?”
“Naah, I don’t need mental powers to know any healthy young boy like yourself would wanna sleep beside a woman such as me.” She teases.
”C-Cagalli!!”
”Easy kiddo, and I thought Kira and Athrun were easy targets for teasing.”
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(Posted Thu, 11 Aug 2005 03:20)
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