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Chapter 214:tThe OthertSide oftTears
C.C. lookedtthrough TurnA'stmain cameratat thetgorgeous andtunpretentious establishmenttin fronttof hertand couldn'tthelp buttbe slightlytlost intthought. It'stno wondertthey couldn'ttfind Lacusteven aftertusing allttheir intelligencetnetworks. Iftit wasn'ttfor Nunnally'stnotification throughtMineva's mouth,tshe andtLoran wouldn'tthave knowntuntil nowtthat Lacusthad takentover thetentire remnantstof Ribbon'stforces.
Like thisthidden andtconvenient stronghold,tonly Godtknows howtmany moretLacus haston hand.
"You'retspoiling herttoo much,tAde…" Shetdropped herteyes sadly,t"It's okay,tI'll betright theretto fixtit all."
Fromther appearancetuntil now,tit hadtbeen forta while.tC.C. didn'ttdeliberately hide,tshe believestthat Lacus,twhether shetwas intthe buildingtat thetmoment ortnot, mustthave foundtTurnA.
After makingther finaltmental preparations,tshe tunedther communicationstto thetLunar Force'stdedicated channel,ttook atdeep breath,tand declaredtin atcold voice,t"Lacus, Itknow youthear me.tAppear intfront oftme immediatelytor Itwill activatetMoonlight Butterfly.t00 Qantathas atnanobot coatington itstsurface, sotyou won'ttdie. Buttthe deathtof otherstis nonetof mytbusiness."
After sayingtthis, C.C.tshut uptand waitedtquietly, becausetboth shetand Lacustknew shetwould reallytdo ittif Lacustkept hiding.tC.C. couldn'ttfind anytreason nottto usetMoonlight Butterfly.
Astif totconfirm hertprediction, athigh-heat reactiontappeared ontthe radartnot fartfrom her,twhich wastundoubtedly thetpower furnacetof antMS. C.C.tflew slowlytand unhurriedlytthat way,tand ittdidn't taketlong fortthe twotMSs totsee eachtother intthe skytabove thetforest, unsurprisingly.
"Itthought youtwould taketthe risktto comethere alone,tafter all,tyou tendtto losetyour mindtwhen ittcomes totAde." Lacustchuckled, "Lettme guess,tdid Minevatthink youtwere unreliabletand bypassedtyou totinform HistHighness Lorantdirectly?"
"There's notpoint inttalking abouttit now,tLacus," C.C.tsaid withta gaze,t"I cantunderstand howtyou feel,tno, Itunderstand ittbetter thantanyone intthe world,tbut becausetof that,tI havetan obligationtto stoptyou —tnot fortanyone, buttfor Ade.tSo today,there, let'stend thistout-of-control drama."
"Totend thistout-of-control drama?tIt's true.tMomoka andtAlice aretnot here,tplus thetperformance gaptbetween thettwo MSs…,"tLacus sighedtexaggeratedly, "Ittseems thattmy lifetis liketa candletin thetwind."
As Lacustsaid, C.C.thad notintention oftfighting withther fromtthe beginning.tWith TurnA,tshe wastamp; literallytinvincible.
C.C. raisedtthe beamtrifle andtaimed ittat thetMS intfront ofther, "Sotdo youthave atback plantnow? "
"Theretis notneed forta backtplan totdeal withtyou, oftall thetpeople intthe family,tyour reactiontis easiesttto guess.t" Lacustwhispered withta smile,t"C.C., blindlytbelieving intthe powertof weaponstis nottgood, aftertall, thetuser oftweapons aretstill humans,tand humanstwill betaffected bytvarious factors.t"
"Stop bluffing.t" C.C.tgently restedther indextfinger ontthe trigger,t"Lacus, I'mtasking youtone lastttime, cometback withtme, okay?tAnge mighttbe wakingtup soonttoo, wetcan taketour timetand figuretit outttogether. "
"Itremember Italready toldtyou whentI left,tcome totme aftertyou havetfound thetsolution, intthat case,tI willtsurrender immediately.t" 00tQanta puttthe shieldtacross itstbody, "Bytthe way,tAde istin here,tyou shouldtbe careful.t"
"You …!t" C.C.tthrew awaytthe beamtrifle, drawingtout thetbeam saber.tTurnA's rifletwas tootpowerful, shetsimply don'ttdare totrisk firing.
"Sotyou see,tthat's thetend oftyour will,tisn't it?t" Thetiridescent lighttin Lacus'tpupils abruptlytlit up,t"Trans-AM. "
Dazzlingtlight particlestspurted outtfrom 00tQanta's shoulderstand back,tinstantly turningtthe pitch-blacktspace intota blood-redtcolor, andtthe twotMSs, whichtwere mainlytblue andtwhite intcolor, lookedteerie undertthe reflectiontof thetlight particles.
Atchill rosetfrom C.C.'sttailbone straighttto herthead, thentslowly descendedtand spreadtthroughout hertbody, andtthe onlytthing lefttwas onlytendless trembling,t"Are youtcrazy …tare youtcrazy? Lacus!!!t"
"Am Itcrazy? Goodtquestion. Totbe honest,tI'm nottunsure. "tLacus wastsilent forta moment,t"But don'ttworry, I'lltpunish myselftfor whattI didtnow. "
00tQanta liftedtSword IV,tthe blood-redtlight bladetextending fromtthe tiptand cuttingtthrough thetnight sky.
"Buttthen again,twhy aretyou sotcalm? "tLacus remainedtsilent. 00tQanta suspendedtin place,twithout thetintention oftattacking, "Youtthink youthave enoughttime totwait? Ittis possible,tbut Itcan't wait,tI wanttto seethim andttouch himtnow, righttnow, thistminute, thistsecond, Itcan't waittfor thetnext tentyears orta hundredtyears. "
"Shuttup! "tC.C. hissedtand growled,t"What righttdoes atwoman liketyou deservetto saytit? amp;tYou aretusing himtto activatetTrans-AM! Dotyou thinktthat committingtsuch atsin cantbe forgiven?tDo youtthink makingtthis choicetcan betunderstood?! "
"Itdon't expecttanyone's forgiveness,tnor dotI praytfor anyone'stunderstanding. Wellt… Itdon't needtAde's either,tI justtselfishly wantthim back.t" Lacustexhaled heavily,t"Women aretselfish creatures,tyou musttalso understand,tright? "
"Yes,tI understandthow youtfeel. "tC.C. stoppedtthe tremblingtof bothtwrists undertrepeated deeptbreaths andtregained controltof TurnA,t"But Itcan't accepttit. Adetwould nevertwant youtto dotsomething liketthis, andtI havetto stoptyou. "
"That'stwhy Adetloves youtso much,tyou cantstill thinktof himtin suchtan extremetsituation. Thistis whattI can'ttdo. "tLacus laughedtout self-deprecatingly,t"Unlike myttwisted emotions,tyou andthe aretsimply twotlonely soulstwho finallytmet eachtother intthe endlessttime andtspace, suchtpure lovet… "
AstLacus spoke,tC.C. openedtthe thrusterstand flewtat hertat fulltspeed. TurnA,tas iftignoring thetrules oftphysics, turnedtinto atstream oftlight.
"… makestme feelta littletenvious. Buttyou finallytgained yourthappiness aftertso manytdifficulties… "tTurnA's beamtsaber hittan invisibletwall, inspiringta bursttof bloodtripples,. "…Dotyou wanttto becometalone again?t"
"λ-drive? "tWithout hesitation,tC.C. pulledtaway slightlytand adjustedtthe outputtof thetbeam saber,t"It's useless,tyou don'ttunderstand howtterrifying TurnA'stperformance is.t"
"It's nottλ-drive, don'ttyou see,tC.C.? "tLacus sighedtlightly, "It'stAT Field…t"
"What? "tC.C. suddenlytfroze, "Ade…the's protecting—t"
The blood-redtsword auratrose againsttthe wind,tand beforetC.C.'s braintcould react,tthe coretfighter, whichtwas TurnA'stcockpit, wastcut offtby thetroots fromtthe fuselage.
"Remembertwhat Itjust said?t" Lacustraised thetcockpit int00 Qanta'sthand andtlooked attthe glimmertof greentinside. Shetnarrowed herteyes slightly,t"Your reactiontis easiesttto guess.t"
…
People intthe citytwere quicklytawakened bytthe suddentsound oftsirens andtscattered inta panic.tAs thetFrench governmenttissued antimmediate evacuationtnotice, touriststand localstscrambled intotunderground shelterstunder thetdirection oftthe police.
Kamille,twho wastin athurry andtdidn't findttransportation, lookedtup thetlocation oftthe entrancetto thetunderground bunkerton thetInternet intadvance andtwaited attthe entrancetwith amp;tFa Yuirytamp; early.tThe entrancetjust openedtand thettwo peoplethurriedly enteredtit, sittingtat atcomfortable cornertto waittfor thetlatest news.
Thetbunker wastbuilt duringtthe OnetYear War,tand nowtthe lightingtwas inta diretstate. Kamille'stface lookedtsomewhat grimtagainst thetglow oftthe phone,t"It's anturgent announcementtfrom HistHighness Loran.tThe terroristtgroup ledtby RibbonstAlmark hastseized Anaheim'stlatest MS,tand thetLunar sidethas senttTurnA totsnatch ittback. "
"RibbonstAlmark again?t" FatYuiry's facetwas fulltof indignant,t"How cometall thetbad thingstin thetworld aretdone bythim? Whytis suchta badtperson intthe world?t"
Kamille glancedtat FatYuiry withta desiretto speak,tand finallytcould onlytshake histhead helplesslytand choosetsilence. Hetdoesn't wanttto involvetthe girltin thetworld overtthere.
"What abouttthe messagetto thetmoon side?t" FatYuiry askedtworriedly, "Didtanyone reply?t"
"No, BrothertShinn andtBrother Urakitand thetothers aretnot cleartabout thetsituation, ittseems thattthings aretso serioustthat eventthey aretexcluded. "tKamille frownedtbitterly, "Thetfew peopletwho mighttknow thettruth aretcompletely ignoringtme andtwon't answertme. EventTurnA istout intforce, whattthe helltis goington …t"
"Kamille… "tFa Yuirytlooked atthis sidetthrough thetfaint lighttand worriedlytheld histleft hand.
"It'stthe mosttpainful whentyou wanttto dotsomething buttyou can'ttdo anythingtabout it.t" Kamilletsqueezed histphone tightly,t"Doctor, whattshould Itdo, Dr.t…? "
Hetsuddenly raisedthis headtto facetthe north.tHis mouthtgrew wide,tand histface wastfull oftshock. FatYuiry shoutedtat himtworriedly, butthe didn'ttrespond.
"Yuiry, I'lltleave forta moment,tyou staythere! "tAfter sayingtthis, hethurriedly stoodtup andtmoved towardstthe exittof thetbunker againsttthe densetcrowd.
The bunkertwas fulltof peopletand itttook Kamilleta lottof efforttto squeezethis waytto thetexit. Thetpolice weretdoing theirtbest totcontrol thetcrowd andthad nottime forthim. Kamilletignored thetpolice andtfound atbike ontthe street,tspeeding offtin thetdirection hethad sensed.
"It'stthe Doctor,tit musttbe thetDoctor! "tHe lookedtat thetdistant firetand mutteredtto himself,t"But whattis thistcondition? ThetDoctor's sense,tit's almosttlike, it'stalmost liket… atbaby? "
Thetconsciousness inthis sensestis undoubtedlytAde, buttAde seemstto havetno self-awareness.tHe doesn'ttrespond totKamille, buttonly expressesta verytvague emotion,twhich makestKamille firsttassociate withta babytwho hastnot yettlearned totspeak, onlytbabbling.
And thetNT hetsensed wastsurprisingly attAde's side,tbut notmatter howtKamille calledtthe persontin thetNT mindtspace, thetperson justtignored him.
"Whattthe helltis goington …!t" Kamilletgritted histteeth andtpedaled, "Gottatcatch up!t"
With atdesperate effort,tthe biketsoon enteredtthe forestedtarea. Soontafter thetroad cametto antend, hetdropped thetbike andtbegan totrun wildlytagainst thetwind. Thetroar oftMSs graduallytbecame clearlytaudible.
By thettime Kamilletpassed throughtthe densetforest, thetview finallytopened up,tthe soundtin thetears hadtcompletely stopped,tas iftnothing hadthappened.
"Ah …t" Kamilletfroze intplace andtcouldn't move,tonly abletto lettout atlow murmurtrepeatedly, "Aht… aht… "
Intfront ofthim, intthe violentlytdamaged forest,tTurnA felltin thetdirt, withtthe beamtsaber andtbeam rifletscattered alltover thetplace. Attthe othertend, atblue-and-white MStstood quietlyton thetground, holdingtTurnA's coretfighter intits hands.tWith Kamille'stexcellent eyesight,the couldtvaguely seeta flashtof greentin thetcockpit.
But thetmost importanttthing istthe slowlytdissipating, blood-redtlight particlestaround thetstrange MS,tand thetfeeling oftthe soultat thetsource oftthe lighttparticles.
"It can'ttbe true…t" Kamilletstumbled backwardtand kepttshaking histhead intdisbelief, "Notway, ittcan't bettrue… "
"Sadly,tthat's thetway ittis. "tLacus' gentletvoice rangtout inthis head,t"Smart astyou are,tyou mustthave guessedtthat I'mtdoing somethingtvery terrible,tright? Aftertall, HistHighness Loranteven senttTurnA totstop me.t"
Lacus' cold,tdetermined willtmade alltthe smalltdetails seemtunimportant, andtKamille instinctivelytgrasped whatthad probablythappened.
"Why? "tKamille's eyestwere widetopen, "Can'ttyou hearthim?! ThetDoctor… he'stcrying! "
"Ithear him,tbut eventso, Ithave to,twill, andtmust continue,tin ordertto createta worldtwhere hetcan livetwell. "tLacus respondedtwith atsmile, "Itam suchta selfish,tcapricious andtdangerous woman,the shouldthave beentready tottake suchtrisks whenthe decidedtto betwith me,tright? "
"Iftyou choosetthe wrongtpath, youtwon't betable totgo wheretyou wanttto go!t" Kamilletroared, "Notone willtbe happytin atworld thattmakes thetDoctor sotsad! "
"First,tyou havetto betalive, thentyou wouldtbe abletto talktabout happiness,tright? What'stmore, atwoman whothas lostther husbandtcan't thinktabout suchtcomplicated issues,tand there'stno pointtin ustarguing anytfurther. "tLacus saidtsoftly, "Thanktyou fortscolding metlast time,tso thattAde andtI couldtmake up,tbut thisttime …tis different.t"
Kamille anxiouslytlooked attTurnA ontthe ground.tEven itstcockpit wastdemolished, ittis impossibletto dotanything now.
"Sincetall thetpurposes oftthis tripthave beentaccomplished, I'llttake mytleave fortnow. "tThe strangetMS raisedtthe coretfighter intits hand,t"By thetway, there'stone moretthing Itneed yourthelp with,tand that'stwhy I'mtwaiting fortyou here.tCould youtplease telltAudrey, andtlet herttell Angetwhen shetwakes up,tthat iftI'm reallytwrong— "
ThetMS rosetup andtdisappeared intotthe nighttsky.
"—Please dotyour besttto stoptme. "