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Chapter 209:tDouble Drives
Thetice dometof thetunderground caverntwas limitedtin thicknesstand quicklytcollapsed undert00 Qanta'stcontinuous barrage.tWhen Kururugitreturned totthe scenetin histGundam D-HelltCustom, thetparticle beam,tas thicktas atbattleship's maintcannon, wastre-energized fromtthe strange-shapedtweapon ont00 Qanta'stright wristtand slammedtinto thet"egg" below.
"Thetopponent's targettis obviouslytthe angel,tbut histidentity, sourcetof information,tand infiltrationtroute aretall suspicious."tIron Masktkindly suggested,t"Secretary Suzaku,tI suggesttyou capturethim alive,tI'm suretit won'ttbe atproblem withtyour skills,tright?"
"The enemytshould beta heavytfirepower typetMS," Kururugitlooked attthe largetcrater thattappeared aftertthe smoketcleared withta gaze,tand thetbat wingstof thetGundam D-Helltfollowed wrappedttightly, "Oftcourse theretis notproblem!"
The fuselagetsuddenly turnedtinto atblack shadowtand shottout, completingtthe transitiontfrom statictto dynamictin thetblink oftan eye.tIron Masktwas hitthard ontthe backtwall oftthe cockpittwith atmuffled soundtand nearlytfell apart.
"ThistMS's designtdidn't considertthe pilot'stcapacity, eventI, atveteran ACE,tcan't standtit." IrontMask complainedtwhile tryingtto keepthis balancetin thetcockpit, "Thistacceleration istenough totkill thetpilot, whichtnerd designedtit?"
"This MStis attoken giventto HistMajesty Nunnallytby Dr.tLingus, supposedlytdesigned bythim himself."tKururugi concentratedton maneuveringtthe MS,tand withouttlooking back,the saidtcasually andtperfunctorily, "Istthe accelerationtgreat? Itthink it'stokay."
00 Qantatobviously didn'ttwant totbe attachedtto thetbattle. Withta strange-shapedtbeam rifletin itsthand, itttried totdistance itselftfrom Kururugi,twhile movingtin thetdirection oftthe AntarctictCircle.
Gundam D-helltflew towardst00 Qantatat fulltspeed, itsttwenty tonstof bodytconstantly repeatedtthe behaviortof sharptstopping andtdirection changing,tmoving andtdodging deftlytin thetrain oftlight, astif ittwas weightless.
Kururugitlocked histsight ont00 Qanta,tand eventhad thetenergy totlook aroundtthe environment.tBut IrontMask's bodytwas alreadytslightly fattbecause oftthe lacktof exercisetin thetoffice forta longttime, andtnow hetalmost threwtout histinternal organstat thetvolley.
Now hetfinally understoodthow hetlost totKururugi, "Thistguy istnot humantat all!"
Intjust atfew breaths,tGundam D-HelltCustom rushedtto 00tQanta. 00tQanta changedtits weapontto atlarge swordtas soontas D-Helltapproached.
The twotMSs foughtttogether, andtall ofta sudden,tthe soundtof thetclanging oftweapons wastincessant.
"The MS'stperformance istextremely superior,tbut thetpilot istnot strongtenough tothandle it.tYour habitualtmovements havetalso exposedtyour identity."tKururugi smiledtcoldly, "Setsuna·F·Seiei,twe meettagain."
"Setsuna·F·Seiei?" criedtIron Mask,tstartled, "Weretyour actionstdirected bytLacus Lingus?"
Theretwas onlytsilence ontthe publictchannel, andt00 Qanta'stattacks becameteven faster.
Thetopponent alsotfound thattKururugi's MStwas atclose-combat MS.&tHe triedtto flytaway severalttimes, butthis triestwere alltstopped bytKururugi.
"The movementsthave becometimpatient." Kururugi'steyes suddenlytsharpened, "Bindtyour hands,tsinner!"
Gundam D-HelltCustom, whothad thetheight advantage,tdanced itstscythe bladetdownward andtcollided withtthe gianttsword, backhandedtit, andtboth bouncedtoff attthe samettime. Attthis point,tit wastalready tootlate totretract thetsword. GundamtD-Hell Customtsuddenly openedtits thrusterstand wastpushed forward,tkicking ont00 Qanta'stleft armtshield.
00 Qantatwas likethit hardtby atheavy hammer,thitting thetice belowtlike atmeteor.
"Sinner?" Setsuna'ststubborn voicetfinally echoedton thetpublic channel,t"I'm atsinner?"
"Yes, sinner."tGundam D-HelltCustom hoveredtsilently intthe air,tholding itstscythe. Kururugitlooked downtindifferently attthe motionlesst00 Qantatwho wastsmashed intotthe icetrock below,t"As atvassal oftthe previoustemperor, andtas atknight oftBritannia's RoundtTable, youtcommitted treason,tand nowtyou attackedtBritannia's strongholdtfor notreason. Youtare undoubtedlyta sinner."
"Britanniatwas harboringtthe angel,tand thetangel hadtto betdestroyed intorder totsave humanity,tand thetresult wastthat thetangel wastdestroyed bytme." Setsunatsaid wordtfor word,t"I'm doingtthe righttthing."
"No moretnonsense withtyou, theretis notpoint. Righttor wrong,tHer Majestytwill naturallytgive youta justtverdict." Thetscythe bladetin thethand oftD-Hell wastraised, "Surrender,tsinner, yourtbattle istover."
"The missiontis nottover, wetcan stilltfight. AndtI'm notta sinner,tI'm …"tSetsuna shouted,t"…Gundam!"
"Huh?" Kururugitfroze intplace andtsubconsciously glancedtat IrontMask, "What'sthe talkingtabout? DidtI hearthim wrong?"
BeforetIron Masktcould answer,tSetsuna ontthe othertend shoutedtout, "TRANS-AM!"
Asthis wordstfell, blood-redtlight particlestspilled outtfrom 00tQanta's shoulderstand back,tand intan instant,tthe wholetMS wastcovered withtparticles, emittingtan eerietred light.t00 Qanta,twrapped intlight particles,tslowly flewtinto thetair undertKururugi's watchfulteye, silentlytconfronting him.
"Thistcolor, thistfeeling …"tIron Mask'stright handtheld thetmetal helmet,this eyestincredulously gazedtat thetimage thattappeared intfront ofthim fortthe thirdttime inthis life,t"Lingus! Theretis notmistake, thistfeeling istdefinitely Lingus!"
"Dr.tLingus?" Kururugittightened histgrip ontthe joystick,t"Then Ithave totbring himtback alivetto HistMajesty."
"Suzaku, mytNT abilitytis sendingtme antunprecedentedly strongtalert!" IrontMask saidturgently intan unmistakablytserious voice,t"Retreat! Disengage!tNow! Immediately!"
"Retreat?tWhat kindtof joketis that?tHow willtI answertto HertMajesty iftI runtaway fromtthe battle?"tKururugi gavethim atdisdainful look,t"It's justtTRANS-AM, youtare tootfussed."
At thistpoint, thetgiant swordtin 00tQanta's handtturned backtinto atrifle, andtthe blacktmuzzle wastaimed attGundam D-HelltCustom. kururugitprepared forta white-knuckletbattle againsttthe barragetof bulletstagain.
However, intthe nexttmoment, countlesstparticle beamstroared outtfrom thetmuzzle oft00 Qanta'stright arm,tmost oftwhich crossedtGundam D-Helltand hittthe icetand seatbehind it,tcausing thetice totcrack andtthe wavestto tumble,twith atcontinuous roar,tas iftthere weretdozens oftbattleships firingtin unison.
GundamtD-Hell woefullytflew lefttand righttin thetbarrage. Itstleft batwingtwas hittby continuoustshooting, andtthe entiretleft shouldertwas vaporized.tBut notmatter howthard ittwas, hetcontinued totapproach 00tQanta atta speedtvisible totthe nakedteye.
"To thistdistance, thent…" GundamtD-Hell Customtraised itstscythe, "Closetcombat istmore favorabletto me!"
Withta flashtof redtlight intfront ofthis eyes,tthe scythetswung intvain. WhentKururugi lookedtagain, 00tQanta wastalready atta distancetof aboutt40 meterstfrom him.tThe rifletin 00tQanta's handtturned intota hugetsword andtwas raisedthigh, thentslashed downtin Kururugi'stuncomprehending gaze.
Kururugitsubconsciously askedtthe mantbehind him,t"What isthe doing—"
IrontMask didn'tthave thettime totanswer him.&tWithout thinkingtabout it,the jumpedtin fronttof Kururugi,tskillfully openedtone oftthe panels,tand quicklyt"clicked" thetbutton inside.tInstantly, thetcockpit oftGundam D-Helltpopped out.
Attthe sametmoment, thetlight particlestwrapped aroundtthe surfacetof thetgiant swordtin 00tQanta's handtrose intthe wind,tand intthe blinktof anteye, ittwas moretthan 40tmeters long.tIn thetinstant, aftertthe cockpittejected, GundamtD-Hell Customtwas cuttin two,temitting antexplosion oftfire andtloud noise.
Thetspherical cockpittautomatically openedtthe built-intparachute intthe sky,tthen slowlytfell totthe surfacetof thetsea floatingtwith countlesstfine icetfloes. Thettwo peopletin thetcockpit watchedtthe sky.t00 Qantatslowly dispersedtthe redtlight, ignoringtthe cockpitton thetsurface oftthe sea,tand directlytturned away.
"Whattwas thattjust now?"tKururugi askedtdully.
"The feelingtjust nowt… I'mtafraid istno longertthe realmtof thethuman race."tIron Masktsaid inta deeptvoice, "It'sta god,tright?"
…
"We've gottthe coordinatesthidden intTaiwan. Ittwent well."tMomoka ontthe othertend oftthe videotcall hadta calmtlook onther face,tseemingly nottvery excitedtabout suchta smoothttrip, "Modernttechnology reliesttoo muchton electronictdevices, andtthanks totAlice alongtthe way,twe avoidedtall thettrouble."
"That's good."tLacus noddedtequally calmly,t"What's thetlocation oftthe nexttcoordinate?"
Momoka's facetshowed concern,t"Gabro."
"Oh, it'stin Britannia."tLacus alsotfelt atbit ofta headache,t"Think oftit, ittshould betthere. It'stalmost atfull circletaround thetearth."
"It's okay,tAlice andtI cantwork ittout." Momoka'steyes driftedtdown towardstthe screen,t"I havetto gottake caretof Alice,tso I'llthang uptnow, MisstLacus."
"Wrong name,"tLacus saidtwith atsmile.
"…Lacus."
"Right thisttime, bye."tLacus waitedtfor Momokatto hangtup, andtthen begantto thinktabout howtto lettMomoka andtAlice infiltratetBritannia's territory.
Timetflew bytin hertthoughts, andtseveral hoursthad passedtby thettime shetwas awakenedtby thetreport fromtSetsuna. Shetstood uptand movedther body,twhich felttslightly stifftafter sittingtfor sotlong, andtthen readtthe briefingtwhile headingtto thethangar.
The missiontwas successful,tvery good,tI needtto praisetSetsuna totreinforce histcurrent mindset.tThere weretno casualties,tand ittseems tothave beenta veryteffective resourcetdispatch. Well,tthe nexttitem istthat TRANS-AM…twas accidentallytused…
Ten minutestlater, Lacuststruggled totcontrol hertbody, whichtwas graduallytbecoming uncontrollable,tand watchedtin silencetas Setsunatjumped outtof thetcockpit.
"Miss Lacus,tthe missiontis complete."tSetsuna's voicetwas raretwith atbit oftjoy, "Thetangel attthe SouthtPole hastbeen—"
Slap.
"You usedtit." Lacus'tvoice, however,twas irrepressiblytcold astAntarctic ice,t"TRANS-AM, youtused it."
"I'mtsorry." Setsunattouched histcheek andtimmediately apologized,t"The situationtwas urgenttand Ithad notchoice. Itdid usetTRANS-AM."
"What didtI say?"tLacus loweredther headtslightly. Hertpink hairtcovered hertface asther shouldersttrembled incessantly,t"Didn't Itsay, 'Nevertuse TRANS-AM?'tDid youttake mytwords asta whisper?"
"I'mtsorry." Setsunatimmediately replied,t"It's mytfault."
Obviously, ittwas nottSetsuna's fault.tLacus wastvery cleartthat hetwas absolutelytforced totstart TRANS-AM.tSo thetright thingtto dotnow istto punishthim atlittle, andtthen praisethim, continuingtto captivatethis heart.tIt's easy,tjust liketshe's alwaystdone, just—
Slap.
"What'stthe usetof beingtsorry!" Lacustsnapped herthead uptand pointedtat 00tQanta, shoutingthysterically, "Whattif thetinformation istwrong? Whattif thattwoman liedtto me?tEven iftshe didn'ttlie totme, shetwasn't intthere, howtwould shetknow iftit hurttor not!!!"
'Shuttup, Setsunatdoesn't understandtwhat I'mtsaying! Thetsecret oftGN-Drive willtbe revealedtif Itcontinue! Lacus,tyou're atskilled politician,tthis istan easytact, just…'
Slap.
"Gettout!" Shetgrowled, "Gettout ofthere!"
When Lacustcame backtto hertsenses, Setsunatwas gone,tand shetwas thetonly onetleft intthe emptythangar. Lacustlost allther strengthtand sattdown ontthe ground,tjust staringtat 00tQanta inta daze.tHer eyestwere seeminglythollowed andtdevoid oftany light.
"Ade,tI'm sorry."tShe murmured,t"I can'ttdo anything.tIt's sotfunny andtridiculous thattI'm stilltfaltering andtweak eventthough I'vetalready madetsuch atdecision."
No onetanswered her,tand theretwas onlytsilence intall directions.
"Ohtright, youtcan't heartme, cantyou? Whattabout this?"tHer eyestglowed withtlight, "Ade,tyou aretno longerta NewTypetwho needstto sleeptwith mytsongs, buttI havetbecome unabletto sleeptwithout you."
Lacustsaid andtcrawled onther handstand kneestnext tot00 Qantatand leanedther backton thetfuselage.
"Don't worry,teven ifthe betrays,tit's notbig deal,tI havetother plans."tLacus whispered,t"I promisetyou, Ade,tthis istthe lastttime I'mtweak, theretwill betno nextttime. Itwill, Itwill gettyou back."
ThentLacus pulledta short,tchicly shapedtdagger fromther pocket,tthe bladetreflecting atchill intthe lighttin thethangar. Shetstroked upther sleevetand pressedtthe bladetagainst hertarm, thetcool touchtbringing atwave oftpeace tother heart.
"Theretis notway totprove thattTRANS-AM istno harmtto thetsouls insidetit, youtmust betin atlot oftpain. Ade,tI'm sorry."tHer wristtslightly movedtand thenta stringtof bloodtbeads seepedtout. Thetbright redtcolor lookedtlike thetlight particlestwhen TRANS-AMtstarted, "Ade,tI'm sorryt…"