Chapter 36: SEED – Sent Back
That night, Kira Yamato tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Quietly, he made his way to Lacus Clyne's room.
He was planning to return Lacus Clyne to his good friend Athrun Zala.
With Haro's help, he opened the door to the adjacent rest room, startling the occupant inside—Liza Kalman—so badly that she froze in shock.
Liza Kalman, who had been sleeping without clothes, panicked and immediately grabbed the pillow beside her, hurling it straight at Kira.
Only after Lacus Clyne explained the situation did Liza Kalman give up her attack and hostility toward him.
Tolle Koenig couldn't help but notice the stark difference in their figures—Lacus Clyne had the face of an angel and the body of an angel, while Liza Kalman had the face of an angel and the body of a devil, on par with Meer Campbell's.
He silently sighed in relief that he hadn't retrieved the neo DG Cells earlier—otherwise, he would have missed this important "story event." And there were still the spacesuit and Pongsat scenes coming up.
Kira Yamato led Lacus Clyne and Liza Kalman out quietly.
But halfway along, they ran into Miriallia Haw and Sai Argyle, who were on their way to change shifts.
Sai Argyle, surprised to see Kira, Lacus, and Lisa together, asked curiously,
"What are you doing?"
Miriallia Haw tilted her head, eyeing them.
"Where are you taking her? Don't tell me…"
"Say no more—let me go instead."
Kira Yamato closed his eyes in pain and went on,
"I don't want to drag you into this, Sai, Miriallia. I hate the way things are now."
Sai Argyle scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yeah, I get it. Taking a girl hostage is something only a villain would do. Let me help you."
From his bed, Tolle could only press his palm to his forehead before sitting up.
Sigh… Here we go again, plot inertia. I might as well join in too.
He stepped out of the rest room, smiling.
"Kira, I'll help too."
Kira was moved.
"Thanks, Tolle, Sai, Miriallia."
He led everyone to the locker room in the Archangel's hangar.
He and Lacus began changing into spacesuits.
Without hesitation, Lacus slipped off her dress and changed, giving Kira quite the unintentional bonus scene.
Liza Kalman, baring her teeth, stepped in front of Kira to block his view.
Tolle was green with envy—Kira's romantic luck was unbelievable. No wonder he was the protagonist of both SEED series.
Still, Tolle consoled himself—he'd at least gotten the "spacesuit Pong-sat" shot, and next would be Athrun Zala's shocked expression upon seeing Lacus with a swollen belly, ha!
But before Athrun could react, it was Sai Argyle who was first taken aback. He laughed awkwardly.
"Haha… doesn't this look like she's a few months pregnant?"
Tolle glanced at her himself and mused—yeah, that belly looked like it was about eight months along. It sure had grown fast.
Kira then led the group into the hangar proper and had Lacus board the Strike Gundam with him.
Liza Kalman tried to head back to her Recon-type GINN, but Tolle immediately blocked her path.
That was his Gundam—there was no way he'd let someone else take it out.
"Uh, Lisa, sorry… but I wrecked that machine earlier. It's not usable anymore. You'll have to squeeze in with Lacus."
Lisa glanced at the Recon GINN, riddled with bullet holes and missing its left leg.
"You're the pilot of that Moebius unit, aren't you? I'll remember you."
With a proud air, she climbed into the Strike Gundam cockpit, where the three of them were crammed together like sardines.
Tolle's thoughts were less than polite.
How the hell do you know I was piloting that Moebius?
And damn it, I don't even know if I should say this—but you're practically my sleeper agent, aren't you?
'Remember you,' my ass. Do you believe I couldn't wipe your memory anytime I wanted?
Once seated in the Strike Gundam, Lacus smiled.
"Thank you, everyone. I hope we can meet again."
Tolle and Sai answered at the same time.
"Yeah, we'll definitely meet again." —Tolle
"Can't say for sure." —Sai
They exchanged helpless looks, and Tolle could only shake his head.
Sigh… We'll meet again for sure. You can't escape fate.
Sai added,
"Kira, you'll come back, right? Promise me you'll return safely."
Just then, Sergeant Murdoch entered the hangar, spotting them.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Kira simply smiled in response.
"I'll be back for sure. It's a promise."
He activated the launch system, ready to depart the Archangel's hangar.
Other maintenance crew members, awakened by the sound of the catapult, asked sleepily,
"What's going on, Sergeant?"
On the Archangel's bridge, Murrue Ramius received the signal that a mobile suit was launching and frowned.
"What's happening?"
Natarle Badgiruel opened a channel.
"Strike Gundam, what are you doing, Kira Yamato?"
Kira didn't reply—Mu La Flaga's voice came through instead.
"That brat's making off with the young lady. Too late now, the bay door's already open."
Hearing the news that Kira was eloping with Lacus Clyne sent the entire bridge crew into a flurry.
Moments later, the Strike Gundam shot out of the Archangel's hangar.
It quickly approached a ZAFT Nazca-class battleship, opening a channel.
"This is the Strike Gundam of the Earth Alliance battleship Archangel. We are returning your Lacus Clyne and Liza Kalman. However, as a condition, the Nazca-class must halt its advance and send the Aegis Gundam's pilot alone. If you break this condition, I can't guarantee their safety."
On the Archangel's bridge, Natarle Badgiruel was furious.
"Captain Ramius, Kira is ignoring all military discipline—authorize an immediate attack!"
Meanwhile, in the hangar, Mu La Flaga—inside his Zero Moebius—spoke over comms,
"If that's the case, we might be on the receiving end of the Strike's firepower…
…maybe."
The radar operator reported,
"Heat signature from the ZAFT Nazca-class—its engines have shut down. It's stopped. Aegis Gundam is approaching."
Out in space, the Aegis Gundam drew alongside the Strike Gundam.
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