piers | 02. most love like hunters

[ The metal beneath Amuro's feet reverberates with the sound of his voice. Enough to cause him to finally turn towards the rest of the hangar and the approach of the Haro instead of trying to figure out what exactly Setsuna's eyes were doing. ~~It's no more strange than glitter leaking out of your forehead, Amuro, stop being alarmed.~~ ]

Haro... he's come a long way. [ Even if their Earths were different, his was still much more like a toy. If not important to those who came into possession of him.

Amuro steps aside to give it a clear shot into the cockpit. ]

[To Celestial Being, haros weren't toys. They were invaluable assets in the field. The perpetually shorthanded crew of the Ptolemy leaned on them for support, and there's no way Setsuna would've been able to do anywhere near as good a repair job without them. Or else, there'd be lots of duct tape and we'd have the Terminat00R.

When the haro arrives, its flaps its ears to halt its momentum, then tilts its head to the side in an almost curious fashion as it notices Setsuna in the cockpit.]

We're heading out. Disengage repause, maintain particle dispersal, enter boarding mode and standby for launch. [A beat] He'll be with you.

[The haro looks at Amuro for a moment, then back to Setsuna, who was busy putting on his helmet.]

Roger that! Roger that!

[Well, Amuro, you wanted time with the 00...]

[ ~~We shall have to have a discussion about this duct tape thing, Setsuna.~~ Amuro steps back quizzically when the Haro remains next to him instead of joining Setsuna in the Nu like he'd originally thought. It takes a belated second to realize he's being told launch sequence orders.

Orders for... ]

That's fine. [ Amuro pulls the plug on the monitors tethering the Nu to the catwalk and backs away from the hatch. ] The Psycommu is very sensitive. The manual controls should compensate for that, but your thoughts will be responsible for its actions too. Got it?

[ Rather than wait for a confirmation (one he doesn't actually need), Amuro hits the docking switch for the catwalks, causing them to split down the middle and swing away from the Nu Gundam. Setsuna could handle the rest on his own, that he knows. He regards the red Haro as he hops up onto the railing to give himself a good kick towards the 00. It stands solitary in the docking bay: bright, streamlined white and blue. A suit that had his curiosity since day one, one that he was certain would never be sated. Once he's within in range, he catches hold of the 00's hatch and swings inside. ]

How about it, Haro? Going to help me out?

Roger! Roger!

[Though the haro doesn't follow Amuro into main cockpit; it rides shotgun in the 0 Raiser. Once its docked in place, the twin drives whir to life, and one after another, all of the 00's systems come on-line. Enjoy the 270 degree panoramic view, as well as the handful of screens, and all the information they contain.

Setsuna, meanwhile, was getting the hang of the Nu. The controls for basic movements were easy enough that he didn't have any trouble guiding himself to the elevator or settling on the launch catapult. Once he was finally cleared, his grip tightened and his eyes narrowed. Time to see what this suit can really do]

Nu Gundam: Setsuna F. Seiei, launching!

[ Following the Nu's launch and the 0 Raiser's docking, Amuro spends a few moments parsing the inside of the 00. How he'd love to get his hands dirty and really figure it out down to its alloys and tiniest circuits, but he doesn't linger on that urge long. The suit was smaller and more compact than his own, much like its cockpit, and the thrum of its particle generator echoes through his back and straight down into his bones. It's different than the Psycoframe which reacted directly to his thoughtwaves. This was constant resonance.

Pure instinct and Setsuna's directions break down the scope of the suit's operations as he loads it onto the launch catapult. To him, nothing was really out of the ordinary in its placement, functions aside. ]

Particle output stable, all systems clear... okay, Haro. Let's do it. [ He guns the levers. ]

Amuro Ray, 00 Raiser, heading out!

[ The Gs that accumulate as the suit rockets down the deck are familiar, but as soon as he's released into the void of space, the similarities end. ]

[The thrust is the thing he notices first. The loud roar and the heat from the engines, the g-forces slamming into his chest. This is far different than the cool smoothness of the GN drives. Its more like piloting a flag, really, with the finer movements not easy to control.

Not that Setsuna bothers to slow down. If anything, he seems hell bent on pushing the Nu to its limits, and speeds up, heading right towards a nearby field of resource satellites.]

[ Visuals are all Amuro has to go by with watching Setsuna's progress; he remembers that the 00's particle output jams comm lines, like Minovsky particles, but more fine-tuned. Even without the help of a sensor range, he can see the roar of blue light from the Nu's thrusters in the distance.

Amuro steadily increases the 00's speed, easing up only once and using a small pocket of lag time to suspend a single thought as Setsuna drives the Nu hard into the satellite field.

Visualize. The Gundam will do the rest.

That was the secret of the Psycoframe. Allowing the skill of the pilot to push past the limits of the machine. ]

[That's another place where their machines differ. The 00 was designed to help the pilot break the limits of humanity.

Setsuna, though is flying like he wants to break this machine. While one could argue whether or not Setsuna is one of the most skilled pilots, there is no debate about whether or not he's one of the most intense. For as cold as he is on the surface, something burns with a passion within him, and the psychoframe is only starting to get the full brunt of it. There's a ferocity in the way he flies, a wildness in his twists and turns that borders on out of control, but never actually is out of control.

Truthfully, he's just looking for answers, this is his interrogation. Something about this Gundam and this pilot has been pulling at him since their first encounter. He wants answers, and he knows only one way to get them. So after barreling around an asteroid at a speed that should've liquified his intestines, he and the Nu make a bee-line for the 00.]

What are you looking for... [ Amuro drives the 00 forward with a burst of speed and light, throwing it into a hard bank with the intent of flanking the Nu rather than remaining in its trajectory. He can't control it by thought alone, but the nature of its movement is so clean that his precision accounts for the rhythm of its nuances. The greater the speed, the more Amuro begins to feel as if the machine is molding itself to him like a second skin. A slower, more reactionary process.

The Nu, by contrast, looks like a monster in Setsuna's hands. Wild force made tangible by the strength of his will starting to resonate with the Psycoframe. One that Amuro still does not feel fear from, not so long as the 00's Twin Drives constantly feed raw kinetics into his head, opening up his senses to melt away the silence of space.

Amuro wheels the 00 to face him head on with binders flared; there is light emerging from the Nu's cockpit. ] What are you searching for, Setsuna!

[His response isn't verbal, its physical. There's a loud crash, the clang of metal on metal, as the Nu grabs hold of the 00. The engines roar, as does Setsuna himself, as he tries to drive the 00 backwards.]

[ The 00's sensor system barely has time to blare its collision warning at him before the Nu hits him like the 73 metric tons it is. Any lesser pilot would have had his insides scrambled by the velocity, but Amuro takes the brunt of it with gritted teeth, controls straining against his grip. A fan of GN particles bursts at the 00 Raiser's shoulders to accompany the squeal of metal on metal as he sets his position.

Amuro holds fast on the threshold between the two Gundams, a battle the last thing he'd expected between them. But instead of the intent to kill, he merely senses... scrutiny. Resolution.

In the wake of the blow, Amuro guns the thrusters and alters the trajectory of the 00, having the advantage of agility. Aiming to throw the Nu's balance askew and create an opening. ]

[No, there is no intent to kill. But when he told Amuro that he had to fight if he wanted the world to understand him, he wasn't being figurative. Talking was only going to get them so far, and there was a lot about being an Innovator and a Newtype that simply couldn't be put into words to begin with.]

Answers. [The word, the belated response to Amuro's question, seems to come from everywhere. Over the comms, in his head, in his bones.] We're looking for answers.

[Yes. We.

The Nu didn't have quite the ability to change direction the 00 did, so when its balance starts slipping, its dive becoming a spiral, Setsuna has little choice but to break away. He doesn't allow much distance, though, pulling out the wrist mounted beam saber (an idea that he needs to pass along to Ian) and closes back in, taking a swing at the 00. Have at thee, bro.]

[ Even without that incentive to survive long ingrained in his soul, Amuro feels the weight of Setsuna's words more than he actually hears them. An intense pressure bearing down on his mind and his body, one that says: Fight. Fight to live.

Not because his life is in danger, but because fighting now was the only way to understand what place there was in the world for those like them. One reality that he's never liked to face, now completely unavoidable.

The entire stance of the 00 Raiser shifts as Amuro whips a beam saber from the suit's recharge rack. In one deft swing he's blocked the incoming attack of the Nu with a blunt force that betrays the sleek agility of the 00. In the place of curiosity rises unfettered confidence behind the guise of the machine--no, behind the visage of Gundam. The beam sabers roar as they clash, spitting light and energy when Amuro grinds them into a parry, fending the Nu back. ]

[Good. He's starting to understand.

Its becoming a battle of wills; literally, almost, in the case of Setsuna and the Nu. He initially pushes forward, trying to overpower the 00 at first, but instead uses the proximity to kick the machine and knock it back. Not that the room would offer any sort of respite, as the beam saber is traded for the beam rifle, and Setsuna opens fire.]

[ Amuro recovers quickly and races the 00 just outside of Setsuna's line of fire, shooting off Vulcan rounds to keep from being pinned down. The Gundam thunders at his back, finally--almost sentient--his awareness transcending beyond the sensors as he pitches the suit upwards. The light of its twin swords curve violently through the darkness as Amuro draws and dives down at the Nu.

The downward progress feels slower than it is, his mind crashing through the waves of Setsuna's consciousness to get to the machine beneath. ]

[Close. Whatever connection they have between them, its become so visceral that he almost feels like he can grab hold of it, yank it and pull it. Almost. But the Nu can do more, and so can the 00.

One of the swords is blocked by the Nu's shield, the other takes out the beam rifle, though Setsuna quickly discards it, and latches on the 00's forearm to prevent further damage.]

Ike funnel!

[~~shut up, its tradition~~

The four fin funnels launch off the back of the Nu, each taking up position to launch an attack at the 00 Raiser.]

[ Each funnel that cascades into position is like a splinter of psyche, and Amuro strains the 00 against the iron grip of the Nu, eventually having to lash out and viciously bash its cockpit with a knee to break free.

Focus. He has to focus in the hail of light to discern which of the funnels was moving, which Setsuna was preparing to open fire on him. ]

I can see it. [ There. ] Setsuna! [ Amuro drops out of the closest funnel's blast range and emerges behind it instead to cleave it in two.

Three left. ]

[There's the tiniest lull in the action, a short half-second pause that occurs when the knee connects to the cockpit, and Setsuna found his face slammed into a pile of airbags.

In a Gundam.

...hn.

But he's snapped out of that lull once one of the fin funnels is gone. It sends a bit of a sting to his brain, like someone yanking hard on his hair. The other three funnels focus on the 00, though more to pin Amuro down and cut off any escape path as Setsuna comes at him with a beam saber.]

[ Should have looked at the schematics a little longer, broski.

The fact that Amuro is effectively destroying parts of his own Gundam is so far removed at this stage that he's just trying to calculate the time and acceleration it'll take to individually pinpoint each funnel and take it out. Manually.

Though it all comes down to wasted energy when he realizes that Setsuna has him completely surrounded, fin funnel blasts illuminating the cockpit from all sides and the other pilot at the front and center, psycoframe flaring, ready to gouge him from the body of the suit. ]

He'll get me...! [ Whether by grace or dumb luck, Amuro draws a sequence down the 00's program screen and receives the following system for his effort:

Trans-Am.

The following volley of light that explodes from the 00 Raiser makes Amuro feel as though he's barreled straight through him, when in actually, it'd made the Gundam seemingly wink out of existence. ]

[When the beam saber makes contact with nothing, he understands what that flash of light was and what it meant.

Gundam.

Its more of a feeling than an actual coherent thought, something deep in his bones. His hands squeezed tighter on the controls to the Nu as he brought the machine about, scanning the night sky for the shooting star that was the 00. The Nu doesn't have trans am, but whatever it does have, Setsuna is going to need it if they're going to make it out in one piece.]

[ The strength of the psycoframe's reaction to whatever thoughtwaves an Innovator like Setsuna has is so acute in Amuro's consciousness that even as the 00 streaks once across the emptiness of space, the Nu is at the core of his awareness. Holding him at bay.

Or drawing him in.

Amuro knows in some rational part of his head the Gs he's pulling shouldn't even be possible, but his wonder stays checked as he rockets straight towards Setsuna and the Nu, swords at the ready. Prepared to end it as he bypasses the defense of the funnels. ]

[GN Drives are built off quantum, rational was never part of the equation to begin with. And when it comes to Setsuna F. Seiei, rational isn't part of his decision making process.]

Tell me.

[Because he wants to know. He wants answers. Its why he doesn't try to dodge; instead, he moves the Nu to meet the 00 head on.]

[ Immovable object, meet unstoppable force. ]

What happens if I don't have your answers? What then?

[ Amuro takes the challenge for everything that it is and sends the 00's sword careening for the Nu with a force that would seem completely reckless to the untrained eye. But it's not, not for him. A sharp swing takes the Nu's saber hand clean off, even when the strength of his thoughts persist otherwise. ]

Do you continue like this?

[ A single arc brings the second sword back around to strike at the Nu's body. ]

[Despite the fact that Amuro was three times faster, to Setsuna, the pace of the battle seemed to be getting slower. It was as if the vacuum of space was becoming a viscous gel that they were slogging through. He could see how cleanly the Nu's hand came off, and it seemed to be taking its time as it floated away from the two of them.]

Its the only way-- [The thought develops so slowly, its almost as if he can feel the individual strands of thought being knit together. Even though in the time it takes to form that fragment, the 00's second strike is met by the Nu's shield, though the blade manages to carve it in half with little in the way of effort.]

--I know how to live.

[And if that's how he has to die, so be it. But as long as he's alive, he has something to reach for, and he's not going to stop. Even now, when he can see the end coming, the 00 readying a third strike, he still reaches. Still calls out with his head and his heart for the one thing he's strived to be ever since that day.]

Together,

[The Nu starts reaching too, reaching out towards the other Gundam. Maybe its reaching for that ideal too. Or maybe...]

with my Gundam.

[Maybe its reaching out to show that it is that ideal, as when the blade of the 00 strikes against the Nu's open palm, the Nu emits a bright light that somehow protects it from harm, allowing it to catch the sword full stop..]

[ The blast of light that thunders from the cockpit of the Nu is enough to completely hold the 00 at bay, and Amuro can feel it flood through him as the machines clash on a completely new level. The Nu's psycoframe resonance and the 00's Trans-Am burst thrash from their collision, make Setsuna's words echo in his head with alarming clarity.

The whole cockpit illuminates and Amuro's consciousness torrents out in response, diffused in a fan of GN particles. Like warmth and water, like time stops to let their words hang tangibly in the emptiness of space. Like he could reach out and grasp the ideals that lay between them.

With the 00's quantum energy heightening his senses beyond anything he's ever felt, Amuro realizes that Setsuna's will meshes so finely with the power of the Nu that it's nearly impossible for him to distinguish between them. ]

You're the same!

[ And that realization plunges him into the light. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject