Inside the Ptolemaios, a single green mobile suit was being guided towards the catapult system. "Cherudim, stand by for launch," instructed Feldt.
"I hear ya," replied Lockon from inside his cockpit before he glanced at Haro. "Even though those Brits have smaller machines, we gotta stay on top of our game if we're going to bail Setsuna out. Got it, partner?"
"Understood! Understood!"
He felt the ship's sudden change in movement and saw the hatch open in front of him just as they surfaced from the ocean. "Increasing linear catapult voltage. Transferring launch timing to Cherudim."
"Cherudim, Lockon Stratos... locked and loaded!!" The moment that the Cherudim Gundam got deployed, the ship's hatch closed and the vessel itself submerged back into the ocean.
"Course set! Course set!" reported Haro.
"Then let's not waste any time! TRANS-AM!!" With the system activated, the Cherudim Gundam's flight speed and acceleration increased to a point where it was three times faster than its normal speed and acceleration before the machine itself headed towards Kamine Island.
The moment his surroundings went black, Setsuna's eyes spotted the fallen figure a few feet away, clutching his head. 'There's no doubt about it. He has to be the real one... and maybe he can explain which memories are real and which are merely fiction.'
Just as he started running towards him, the scenery changed again and he found himself in a medical facility where Rai awoke to the sound of annoying beeping. His shoulder had been treated and had white wrappings taped around it. "Rai!"
He blinked a few times to clear away his sleepiness before noticing Suzaku sitting near his bed. "Suzaku... the Special Administrative Zone... how's it working out?"
The other male gave a small smile. "It's working out fine. The opening ceremony should be completed by now. Right now, the NAC is using the stadium space to hold a gigantic culture festival."
"Then what are you doing here? You should be out there having fun with..." Before he could go further, the infirmary door opened to reveal Euphemia. "... the princess."
She stepped in and grabbed another small stool by the doctor's workstation before bringing it to the bed. "How are you doing, Rai?"
"I'm doing fine, your highness," replied Rai politely.
She pouted just as she sat down on her stool. "It's Euphie. Call me that from now on."
"Eh?! But I have to address you properly since you're a princess!"
"Rai, I have given up my claim on the throne." Seeing the shocked look on her friend's face, she went on. "It's the price I had to pay to create this Special Administrative Zone of Japan. But that's okay since I still have all the things that really matter to me. The homeland will be announcing this soon. If not tonight then tomorrow for sure."
He just sat there in shock. "Then... if Euphie's no longer a princess, then would you be able to still serve as her personal Knight?"
Suzaku shrugged. "That's something that the Viceroy would have to decide. If anything, I'm still a Major in the military and can go through the proper procedures to make a formal transfer request to be stationed here."
"Somehow, I don't think she would make it THAT easy. She's always been wary about you and with the way things stand, she can simply push assignments on to you that ensure that you're always apart from Euphie."
"Really, Rai... my sister's not going to do something as silly as that," said Euphemia in a slightly annoyed tone. "Suzaku's been a hard working and loyal Britannian soldier and has shown great results from piloting the Lancelot."
"Maybe you'll be the one she assigns here to protect Euphie. You've undergone genetic testing and at least have some Britannian blood in you. You have the Lancelot Club and are pretty skilled in other areas of combat. If I get moved somewhere else, at least I know that you'll be here to protect what we've started here."
Suzaku's last statement caused the young woman to rise from her stool. "Would you two stop talking about stuff like that? Let's take this chance to celebrate and enjoy ourselves before we have to get back to work! I'm going to go get some of that food they're cooking for the festival and bring it back here so we can all eat together! How does that sound?"
"Okay, we'll be waiting here," said Suzaku with a smile. As she left the room with a happy bounce in her step, the Japanese male reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun, the same gun that Euphemia had used earlier, to show to the bedridden man. "Rai, someone found this on the red carpet near the spot that Euphie collapsed at. They analyzed it and found out that this is a ceramic needlegun. Good for two shots and can't be detected by sensors."
"We don't have anything like that on the G-1 mobile fortress," replied Rai.
"Exactly. Euphie never carried a weapon on her. The only way she could have gotten this is from Zero." A deep frown appeared on the face of the other male while this threw Setsuna for a loop. "...... you got hurt trying to stop his attempt to sabotage the Special Administrative Zone, didn't you?"
"Something like that. I figured out what he was planning to do and he was going to use Euphie to execute the plan." As expected, the thought of Zero using her didn't sit too well with Suzaku. "I was lucky I made it in time..."
'...... what should I believe? On one hand, he is shown as a caring leader... and here, he's shown as a manipulative puppet master willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals...' There were too many questions that plagued the Gundam Meister about the Zero character. The fact that the whole 'willing to commit evil to defeat the greater evil' comment that came from the masked man himself didn't help settle his confusion either. 'No... I can't think about this now...'
"He won't get away with this. I'll catch him and hold him accountable for his actions!" As Suzaku made that declaration, the surroundings went haywire once again. Setsuna knew that he didn't have too much time before another memory (real or otherwise) would play out and trap him from the point of view of the Rai experiencing that event. So without wasting a moment, he ran as fast as he could to where he saw the trembling figure and reached out to touch the other male's shoulder. Instantly, the images stopped flying around and the background stayed still.
"Eh? My head... the pain's gone?" He tried to catch his breath and then noticed that someone else was with him. Upon turning around, he saw a young man in a blue pilot suit. "You... you're..."
"Celestial Being's Gundam Meister..." Setsuna was about to give his code name when Rai recited it with just a hint of awe in his tone.
"...Setsuna F. Seiei."
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(Posted Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:35)
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