SD Gundam 1. Lift

This fanfic is _way_ late. EFHT, sorry for the delays! This fanfic is long since overdue and I sincerely apologize. That having been said, I wrote this for EFHT's Sazabi/Captain challenge that I opted to participate in a while ago. This bugger was such a long ways in the making both because of school and how the story evolved from a oneshot to becoming a multiple chapter story. I felt bad for not posting this sooner too… I went back and corrected my grammatical errors too, so it should be fine now. Also, keep your eyes on the Zapper/Grappler subplot going on the in the background. It will be important in the main story as it unfolds. Why? Because I _made it that way_. Muwa. I now present to you my first chapter fanfic for the SD Gundam Force fandom. I own absolutely nothing, save for the plot and my own insane musings. Captain's name "Chronos" belongs to Chaos Phoenix, too.

* * *

**You lift my spirit, take me higher, make me fly**

**Touch the moon up in the sky, when you are mine**

**You lift me higher, take my spirit, make it fly**

**Where all new wonders will appear**

_Lift_ - Poets of the Fall

_Written for EFHT's Sazabi/Captain fanfiction challenge._

**i**

It was _wrong_.

As the highly trained mech he was, he had been taught very early on by his handlers how to set apart the distinction between what was morally right and what was not. For example, drawing a loaded firearm on a defenseless individual was classified in his core programming as being wrongful. It was a code of honor - an _oath_ - that he was born to follow and expected to obey without question… how ironic that all those years of training had suddenly become meaningless, he thought. He would still never draw a loaded firearm on the innocent, true, but the comparison itself was otherwise irrelevant. To even _conceive_ that he had be allured into doing as he now did both frightened and enticed him. To be caught by his superiors meant certain serious consequences as well, but the risks were _far_ outweighed by the benefits.

It was wrong, yes, but oh so _right_.

That code of honor should have made things crystal clear to Captain Gundam about what "wrong" he was currently engaging himself in. Alas, although it may have been wrong in hindsight, he saw nothing morally unjust about his predicament in the slightest. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, as the humans would say. He may have thought his situation wide of the mark once in some long since dead past life, but _that_ had been when he looked at his existence through tunnel vision. If taken into a broader perspective - as he, Captain Gundam, had learned to do - there was nothing terribly immoral about what he was doing in the slightest. After all, he thought, it was not wrong to love.

The Gundam had long since snuck out of Blanc Base using one of Kao Lynn's antique stealth boy modulators to hide his energy signature. It was a nifty little device, created some few years after Earth was bathed in nuclear radiation during the wake of its last world war. The evening was calm and his flight was smooth as he left the SDG headquarters' airspace. The cityscape of Neotopia as he passed inconspicuously above its impressive mass was alit with a rainbow spectrum of light that made the ground look like an immense collection of glittering radiance. It was an impressive sight of the manmade utopia spectacular, but it was nothing in comparison to the pristine clear sky overhead. Captain found it somewhat discerning to know that the humans and GMs below would not be able to see the stars because of the blinding city light, however. Up several miles into the atmosphere, it was much easier to see the sky when you were soaring through it. He had never taken the stars and the celestial moon of Neotopia's sky all that seriously before either, but he had long since learned to see it in a different light. He had learned to see many things in a different light as of late. Away from the city however, the stars seemed even brighter.

His current doings were considered illegal but, then again, the risks were _far_ outweighed by the benefits. The ECC - Earth Confederation Committee - who helped set up the space colony projects after World War III turned Earth into a an uninhabitable nuclear wasteland made it a strict law that leaving the designated colony city to explore any uncharted regions of the planet was forbidden. This was established on the account that the alien planets where the "Topia Projects" became established were still mostly unexplored and therefore potentially dangerous. Neotopia itself - settled on a planet in known to the EEC simply as Aegis IIV - only added a few miles of land to the city every few years. This was because of a lack of scientists to analyze the unexplored terrain, chemists to sterilize any potentially harmful foreign bacteria, and foresters to clear it all out. Neotopia was not as steadily growing as other planetside colonies such as Deltopia or Biotopia either - both of _those_ colonies in particular took up the entire planets they were stationed on - because the population increase was not as extreme. As such, Neotopia's city councilors felt no need to expand industrialization as rapidly as the ECC sister cities. Because of that it was both heavily against the law and unsafe for anyone, human or otherwise, to leave the city limits. Captain himself had broken at least half a dozen protocols by breaking that law alone however, and it was certainly enough to cost him his SDG badge or a one way trip to Robo House if Chief Haro ever found out.

Captain had long since traveled over a large section of the ocean bordering Neotopia, leaving the blinking expanse of the city far behind him. The air became cooler and the bustle of the city faded into the calming coo of the ocean's rustling waves and bleating of sea birds. He was already quickly approaching the huge peninsula that was his destination and it eventually entered his sights not too much longer afterward. Even without the glare of the metropolitan blaze however, the mass of virgin land still glowed warmly under the caress of the moon. The landmass rose out of the water sharply so that the peninsula edge itself was nothing more than a sheer cliff face dropping to the ocean below. Water from the tide crashed into the rock face with enough thunderous force to send the sea spray high into the air like an explosion had gone on beneath the waves. The rest of the peninsula, in stark contrast to the chaos at its border with the ocean, was calm and connected to a larger landmass that rose high into the atmosphere with the addition of a monstrous mountain.

Lowering his altitude and gradually slowing his speed, he touched down on the cliff and made sure to deactivate his stealth boy once he assured that he was not followed. He staggered and jogged to a stop, disengaging his jetpack in the process. He would not need it where he was going and it would only slow him down. The Gundam slipped the small stealth module into a subspace pocket and looked around. The open field where he stood was covered in thick sea grass that swayed in the salty wind cast from somewhere north. It bordered a dense forest of tall trees that reached high enough to scrape stars, he thought. It was an entirely undiscovered species of tree for all he knew. Walking into that forest submerged him into a half darkness lit only by the sparse patches of light where the moon was allowed to shine through the dense canopy. It was not long before he came to a partial clearing where there was at least more room to freely move. Wildflowers sat abundant beneath patches of light with their petals tightly wound and closed away the night. The place was oddly quiet without the constant bustle of Neotopia's nightlife, he thought. In fact, Neotopia was no more than a distant cluster of lights on the horizon from the exact place where he stood now. The forest and its peninsula had been entirely untouched by humans in its entire existence and, undoubtedly, he was the first individual to ever set foot there… the first unless his cohort had already arrived, of course.

Somewhere deep in the bowels of the wood, a nocturnal songbird called a song and took up fluttering into the air like a ghostly wisp. Its shadow cast over the Gundam as it cut across the path of the moon right above him. Captain looked up to spare it a glancing look, but the featured beast was gone before he could catch sight of it. Wind caressed the high branches of the trees overhead, rustling the twigs as they swayed in the breeze, and then it was quiet once more. Peepers called out their chorus from the underbrush like a lullaby.

Then something that sounded like an entire _tree_ snapped.

"_OW!_ Owowowow_owowow!_ Damn it all to the _Pitt_… _curse_ this damn foliage!"

He was not alone after all, but Captain recognized the voice and knew the intruder was his wanted company. The Gundam would not have gone to the extreme of insuring to make sure he was not followed if meeting this person was not so important, after all. Carefully, the Gundam triangulated his sensors and amplified his audio sensors' sensitivity to pinpoint the exact location of the exclamation. He deducted that the exclamation came from his immediate left, over a small embankment that sloped downward into a sweeping ravine. He stepped carefully toward the small hill, peering over it to glance warily down the side. The slope was dark and packed tightly with narrow trees, their clumps of unearthed and tangled roots peeking through the heavy leaf litter. There was also the nearby bubbling of a small creak nearby, and Captain could see its slowly moving water shimmering lightly in the moonlight allowed to penetrate the woods.

Sazabi looked somewhat smaller without all his specially modeled equipment and armor attachments, although not by much. The flicker of the stream's sparkling water had drawn his optic to the glow of the Axian's pink optical lens. As if on cue, the commander of the _Magna Musai_ glanced up and was looking up at Captain through the tree branch that was slapped across his face, caught in his large commander fin. Despite his lack of a mobile faceplate, his terse body language and level of luminosity his optic glowed at gave away his blatant irritation. His voice was tart with annoyance. "I'm very thoroughly _not_ enjoying myself."

Captain had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from outright laughing at the other mech's situation. It came out through his nose as a snort instead. "Oh my."

"Yes, it's _very_ funny. You amusement is contagious._" _Sazabi's optic flashed and he crossed his arms with a disdained expression. His tone was scathingly terse and dripping with sarcasm."Either you help me get out of this mess, or I completely annihilate this part of the forest with my hydra cannon."

Captain stifled his laughing. Sazabi's threat was less than humorous, mostly because the Gundam knew from the Axian's temperament that he was more than willing to follow through with it. Carefully, Captain maneuvered his way down the slope through the foliage. His smaller size allowed him easier access to maneuver, and he skillfully moved to where Sazabi had gotten stuck without slipping on the leaves. The larger Axian watched him intently through his one optic, following his every moment until they were just a foot apart. Sazabi inclined his gaze to accusingly look at the branches he was ensnared in and Captain went to work untangling his taller cohort at the gesture of the silent demand. The Gundam shook his head, easily removing the twigs that were clinging to the commander's hell purple armor. They were untangled easily when handled gently. "You know, there _is_ a non-violent solution to most problems, commander."

The huge mech grumbled irritably. "Just hurry up before I get impatient. I would hate to wipe you out too."

Of course, Captain knew he wouldn't. He took care not to voice it, though. It was best not to audibly disagree with Sazabi under most circumstances.

The Gundam untangled the rest of the small twigs that had managed to get snagged on Sazabi's superstructure. As soon as he was free, the commander shoved his way out from the branches past Captain Gundam and scrambled up onto the slope in as graceful of a manner he could muster. Considering his significant bulk and the close quarters of the trees around him however, it was not very elegant by any means at all. Captain followed close behind ready to help his companion if needed. As soon as they were both up the hill and back into the moderate open where there was considerably more space to move freely, Sazabi promptly dusted himself off and made a petulant face. "Next time, _I _choose the meeting place."

"I forget that you are not as small as I am," Captain said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. He was getting much better at showing emotion instead of being constantly monotone, he thought. He decided subconsciously that it might have been partially under the influence of Commander Sazabi. Whilst the Axian was very emotionally inclined, Captain had been programmed at the time of his creation not to be. Simply being around the commander had opened a window for Captain to learn how to express himself as being something other than some mindless robot.

Sazabi threw his head back and laughed musically, putting a hand on his hip and arching his back ever so slightly. "You would think that with me being eight feet tall and knowing me for as long as you have, you would have caught on sooner," he said brightly. It was not the menacing tone that the commander used with his subordinates, Captain knew. By themselves and only in the presence of one another, he and Sazabi were equal. The Axian turned to face him just then, optic flashing in such a manner to blatantly give away he was grinning.

Captain could not help but to smile back in return at him. "It _is_ rather amusing, isn't it?" he asked. The best thing about Commander Sazabi, Captain deducted, was his ability to go from seemingly irritable to cheerful. It was a phase in character that, perhaps three months ago, Captain would have thought impossible for an Axian to achieve. The robots of the Dark Axis were supposed to be hopelessly cruel robots, after all. That was what he had been taught to think when he was first created… now he knew everything that had been taught to him was horribly false.

Sazabi chuckled and straightened himself out. He towered over Captain easily even _when_ he wasn't standing directly above the Gundam, but his size did not make the commander frightening to him. The red mech looked up toward the sky just then, body language suggesting that he was suddenly deep in thought. "I've never seen a full moon before," he said distantly.

Instantly, Captain felt bad that he did not pick a more open spot to meet. The Gundam looked up toward the sky as well to follow his friend's gaze. "You haven't?"

"No," Sazabi said. "Out of all the dimensions I've… hrm… _been_ to," he started out carefully, "there were either no moons or I never had a chance to see to see them at a full phase."

Idly, Captain knew what Sazabi meant when he said he had "been to" dimensions. He did not hold it against the commander. He did once, but he quickly learned that it was not something Sazabi could be fairly blamed for. It was his _job_ to conquer and pillage, and never necessarily the commander's choice. Carefully, he stepped closer toward the larger mech so that they stood side by side. They were close enough to reach out and touch one another now, and Captain could feel the heat of Sazabi's rumbling engine radiating off his hulking mass of an impressive body. Captain carefully brushed against the other mech, his touch hesitant and feather light. "We can still move to another spot to get a better view."

Commander Sazabi snorted. With equal gentleness and just as carefully, Captain felt the other mech's own hand lightly nudge the back of his palm. "I lack my flight equipment," Sazabi said. "The means I used to get here was coming to this exact location through the Zakorello Gate. Unless you want to go hiking for the next few megacycles up the mountain, it's a bit unpractical to look for a better view." He shrugged. "There's always next time."

Captain nodded. "Right."

They stood in silence for a moment longer. The moment of silence that passed between them was brief, although it felt like as though an explicitly long time passed between them. Another songbird called from within the forest and another one answered immediately back in return. Their singing collectively became a duet in the nighttime chorus, like a sort of love song that went nameless into the abandonment of the evening's starlit glow. Both Captain and Sazabi stood at the center of the performance as its sole audience. Suddenly, after that split moment of eternity ended, they both turned to embrace one another simultaneously. It was slightly awkward for them to do so because of their stark difference in size, although they managed to scrounge up what they could of the situation and make the best of it. They _always_ did. Sazabi wrapped his arms around Captain's shoulders so that his fists rested on the small of the little Gundam's upper back while Captain rested his head against the low jutting point of Sazabi's decorated chest plate.

Sazabi immediately spoke first. "I miss you, Chronos."

"I miss you too," Captain said. Being swamped in the Axian's embrace was so overwhelmingly comforting that he involuntarily shuddered. It had been such a long few weeks that he had almost forgotten how good it felt to be held in the way Sazabi did to him. He turned his head and lightly kissed the Axian's armor.

The commander felt him quaver and instantaneously suspected something was wrong. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Captain said. "I'm fine, Stalemate. It just feels good to be with you again. It's been too long."

"Just a click without _you_ feels too long," Sazabi said cheekily. His voice grinned with mirth. Tantalizingly, his dark fingers probed Captain's back in a comforting gesture. Part of the Gundam could still hardly believe that those same hands had been responsible for the deaths of so many _people_. The commander was responsible for the killings of thousands simply by pointing in a direction and sending his men after those unfortunate enough to be in the same path, but he had also undoubtedly murdered hundreds more with those bare hands alone… except, all Captain cared about at that the moment was that they were on him and he was loving every _second_ of it. Hazily, Captain heard the commander speaking to him again. "But for spark's sake, it's only been a few _days_. Pitt, this I wish you stayed with me at my side on the _Magna Musai_."

"I do to, sometimes," Captain replied. He nuzzled the commander. "But I could not abandon my friends. You know that, Stalemate."

"Yes, I know," the Axian said. He exhaled deeply and hugged Captain tighter. "But that doesn't mean that I have to necessarily like it. I sill hate having to continue through with this entire invasion business as is. I can't convince General Zeong to let me withdraw from this assignment… and even if he _did_, he would just send the next available commander in to take over where I left off for sure. Commander Nightingale would level Neotopia to the ground in a matter of _cycles_, the vicious femme." His voice had taken on a vindictive tone at the mention of his rival. He sighed heavily and hung his head a little, optic dimming. "I can't stall forever, Chronos."

"We'll think of something," Captain tried to reassure. "All that matters to me is that you're trying."

"As if it will be enough," the commander muttered quietly in an offhand, unconfident tone. It was a manner of speaking that was not like him, therefore highly out of character and inspiring of little confidence. "For Allspark's sake, I can barely stand not having you to myself anymore either. We need to meet more often."

"It poses a risk," Captain pointed out sadly. "If we were ever caught…"

"It's a risk I would be willing to take," Sazabi muttered. He paused for a moment, seemed to dwell on the thought, and then he nuzzled the top of the Gundam's helm in an affectionate gesture. "So long as there were no repercussions in store for you, of course. I would willingly risk myself, but not when your own safety is involved. Pitt, I would throw myself into the abyss just to keep you out of harms way."

"I the same, Stalemate," Captain replied.

He registered Sazabi's hands on him again. What he was physically doing to him was very typical of Axian behavior. The Gundam had come to learn it from his time spent on the _Magna Musai_ where he fell head over heels in love with its commander. Whether it was genetically or socially inclined was a mystery to the GP-01 Gundam, but they all had the borderline ridiculous tendency to _nuzzle_. Sometimes it was discreet - a quick touching of foreheads, much like in the frequent case of Zapper and Grappler - and more often than not it was very blatantly obvious. The Zakos displayed the tendency very openly, and Captain recalled many times where he caught a quick glance of a snuggled couple. Zapper was _especially_ prone to it when it came to the Zakos actually, although Captain knew from observation alone that it came from the maroon warrior being so protective of them. Axians loved physical contact, it seemed.

Sazabi was rubbing his hands up Captain's arms, letting his fingers dance over the armor plating like a professional human pianist's hands over a grand piano. Captain had not originally noticed it, but now their energy fields were meshing and it was causing his sensory nodes to become much more sensitive. Sazabi's towering posture over him could have easily been misconstrued as possessive as well, but Captain could read the larger mech's body language better than that. At most, the stance that Stalemate had taken was _protective_. Captain was more than willing to let himself fall headlong into that embrace, too. He had always been a protector his entire life and, for once, he longed to feel like the one who was being protected. He thought that Sazabi was doing a perfect job of that. A moment later, Captain felt the Axian angle his head down and waft hot air from his mouthpiece onto the top of his helm. His voice had dropped to a quiet, borderline husky alto. "Lie back."

He did as he was told. The thick tree behind him groaned with mild protest, but otherwise did not show sign of breaking from the additional weight taken onto it. He was about to voice his concern for accidentally hurting the foliage when the commander suddenly moved his knee sharply between his legs. Any words that had formed in Captain's vocalizer died away instantly. It was absolutely _maddening_ the effect that Stalemate Sazabi had on him, and being rubbed with such talent _right there_ was making the Gundam's sensory net sing.

A strangled mewl clawed its way out of his throat and the commander chuckled. Sazabi's voice against his audio was like having pure high grade fuel injected directly into his coolant tubes. "Do you want me to keep going?"

He always asked that. _Always_. Whether or not it was simply out of common courtesy or worry for his smaller size, Captain could not ever find it within himself to adequately determine. He nodded quickly, already beginning to feel his internals heat up and his fuel pump quicken. The haze that was starting to settle over his senses was making him drunk with want. "Y-yes…"

Sazabi was looking directly into his optics, searching him over carefully. Finally, the Axian dimmed his optic and touched his mask lightly against the Gundam's mouth. Warm air caressed his lips and Captain lightly caught his dentals against the commander's fang decal and nipped at it very lightly. It was as close to a kiss as they could muster, but the feel behind it was more potent than any kiss that Captain could imagine possibly achievable. For as brutal as the head commander of the entire Dark Axis invasion fleet could be, Stalemate was also maddeningly _gentle_. How he managed to be both vicious and tender was a skill the Gundam admired deeply. The commander gently cupped his face with his hands as he blew hotter air against Captain's mouth before drawing away and wafting it against his throat. The Axian had to bend down at what looked to be an increasingly uncomfortably angle in order to accomplish the task, but the way he was able to perform the task so _affectionately _blew Captain away.

The ache that was building between his legs was looping up into his souldrive and making it twinge with desperate want. Desperate _need_. Captain arched his back and unconsciously settled some of his weight Sazabi's thigh to stimulate his codpiece. "_Stalemate…_"

Sazabi exhaled deeply. His engine was humming loud enough now that Captain could clearly hear it as it gave away the commander's own rising arousal. The commander worked his way back up Captain's neck until he reached his audio receptor. "Mmph, say that again."

Suddenly, yet with all the softness Captain had come to know Sazabi for, the commander gripped him between the legs. It was not hard enough to cause pain, but more than enough to send electricity surging up his back and into every circuit ending in his body. The pleasure was so sharp that he could not help but to shamelessly buck into Sazabi's hand. "St-_Stalemate!_"

Sazabi's hand felt like liquid _fire_. His palm caressed him while his fingers lovingly scraped at the heating metal around his interface port affectionately. His other arm wrapped around the smaller mech's shoulders and his digits prodded at the crevasse between his shoulder guard and neck, pulling and rubbing the sensitive wiring there. Gods, his _hands_. His _hands_. Captain's legs gave out from underneath him and he settled his weight entirely on the tree behind him and Sazabi's leg pressed deeply flush between his own. He felt absolutely no indignity in what he was doing. All that mattered to him was that he felt _loved_, and there was no dishonor or indecency in that.

Captain bit his lip, a trait he had picked up from Shute. He could feel that his face was flushed hot, and somewhere in his body several cooling fans whirred to life in a mad attempt to cool his sizzling internals. "I must-_aahh_-ap-pologize in adv-vance Stalemate. My on-oo_ooh_-b-board diagnostic center predicts that I w-will not last another few cycles." Unable to bit it back any longer, he tilted his head back and moaned. He didn't care how loud he was. All he knew was that he loved what Sazabi was doing to him and that he didn't ever want it to end.

Sazabi laughed low against his audio receptor. His silky voice dropped to a growling purr. "Fortunately for you _Cappy_, that's all the time I need."

In the far corner of Captain's mind, he registered that his souldrive abruptly activated. He cared very little for it. All that mattered to him was that he felt loved, and his entire world disappeared behind a white veil of euphoria.

Then there were the gunshots.

**ii**

Their first meeting had been carried out in a far less than casual manner. In fact, the circumstances surrounding it had been downright brutal.

More or less, it had been Shute's fault that Captain had been captured. Perhaps not _entirely_ his fault, but there was no denying that the human boy had played some important factor nevertheless. The Dark Axis had warped into Neotopia once again, this time trying to blow up the city's main electrical plant. Without it, most communications that were not limited to ancient, battery powered hand held radios would be wiped out. This would make it impossible for the city's law enforcement to be useful in any sense at all and, without them, tracking any further disturbances caused by the Dark Axis would be immensely difficult. By the time he, Shute, Zero, Bakunetsumaru, and Guneagle had found the Zako soldiers and their disgruntled trio of squadron leaders, the entire plant turned into a battlefield. Guneagle was able to handle the hoard of thirty or forty so Zakos with ease while Bakunetsumaru engaged Zapper Zaku and Zero pit himself against Destroyer Dom. The unusual pairings never crossed Captain as strange in the slightest, even when Grappler Gouf appeared more eager to fight him than usual. There was also the fact that Grappler did not have his grappling arm with him…

That was strange for several nagging reasons. Usually when Grappler wanted to fight close range, he _always_ had his grappling claw. Not only that, but this time he did not have his sword or shield with him either. Strict hand to hand combat was not the cobalt squadron leader's preferred style. Captain realized later that he was a fool to have not taken that observation more seriously. He also later realized that his ignorance was a blessing in disguise.

While strict hand to hand combat was not the cobalt squadron leader's preferred style however, Grappler Gouf was light on his feet and a very easy dodge. Not having the access attachments to hinder his movements, it raised his evasiveness tenfold. When the cobalt mech taunted him into a fight, Captain lunged for him with his beamsaber drawn and swung at him only to miss. Like a dancer, Grappler twirled well out of the way and landed on his feet with a graceful spin. The cobalt Axian's mouthpiece was twisted in a gleeful grin that was as taunting as it was also handsomely devilish. "You'll have to do better than _that_, Gundam!"

Somewhere in the background of the chaos around them, Shute was cheering for him. "C'mon Captain! Show him what a real robot can do!"

Having the constant morale boost from his best friend was always a great help during battles. The human boy always believed in him, and it was for that reason that Captain never gave up. It was stubborn habit at best, although affective in all uses and purposes nevertheless. Captain lunged for Grappler again, swinging at him with his beamsaber and firing a flurry of bullets at him from his helmet turrets. Grappler dodged the swipe of the Gundam's sword with ease once again, but he was nicked in the shoulder by several of the grazing bullets. He twirled and skidded backward on the pavement, making the metal of his feet screech on the cement as he ground to a stop. He looked ready to say something obscene as he sneered and took a defensive posture. He was beat to the chase. Whatever it was that the squadron leader was going to say, he was cut off.

"Grappler!" Zapper Zaku's voice was hoarse from shouting. "Watch your back, you titanium twit!"

Captain was able to spare a momentary sideways glance at the other mech, as did Grappler. Zapper had his heathawk battle axe drawn, and both he and Bakunetsumaru were deadlocked with only their weapons separating them as they pressed against one another. The Blazing Samurai of Ark had his katana blades pushed against the heathawk as if to force the Axian back while Zapper was trying to shove back in retaliation. Sparks spouted from between the metal of the screeching blades with fiery urgency, but Captain knew it would only be a matter of time before one of them gave up the onslaught. Judging by endurance levels, Captain's statistics center told him that it would be Zapper. The Axian was much older than and not nearly as fit as Bakunetsumaru, and therefore not inclined to last much longer without giving into exhaustion. Despite having more battle experience with his superior age, Zapper Zaku's body was not up to par in comparison to the Arkian Gundam he was fighting. Bakunetsumaru was showing no signs of surrender whilst Zapper had a fine line of condensed sweat lining his forehead from tiring out. Whether or not that was from the combined stress of fighting or the heat of the raging fire not far away from them, Captain could only speculate. Right at that very moment however, the maroon warrior was looking out over toward his fellow squadron leader in what appeared to be aggravation.

Grappler Gouf snarled accusingly at Zapper Zaku. His mouthpiece twisted into a sneer of annoyance at having his fight interrupted. "Mind your own damn business, rust heap!"

Captain used it as a chance to strike, he charged, sidestepped to flank Grappler, and struck out with his foot to hopefully knock the other mech down. Grappler's reflexes saved him. The cobalt mech suddenly - and with an _unbelievable_ amount of poise - jerked his whole body forward and pulled off a stunning summersault. He landed on his feet and spun sharply to strike out with his closed fist. He barely swiped Captain unprepared in the side of his head, although his judgment of the distance between was off so that the blow was not as devastating as the Axian had originally intended. Recovering, Captain Gundam swung his sword in an attempt to retaliate. The cobalt Axian pulled away expertly. Captain leapt backward to gain distance in case Grappler attacked again, but the Axian was only glaring at him in search of another opening. Back to square one.

Shute suddenly screamed.

That was why everything had been Shute's fault from the very beginning, and it sealed Captain's fate forever. The human boy, as the Gundam later learned, had accidentally deactivated the magnetic properties of his roller skates when his thumb slipped on the remote control and it caused Shute to slip off the small pipe he had been standing on. It was a two foot drop to the pavement - the brunette landed with a thud on his bottom - and was thankfully unhurt. It was astonishing and frightening, Captain later recalled, that such a simple _thing_ could change so much and seal the fates of so many individuals. A squadron leader would be murdered by his friend, another squadron leader would die of a broken heart, a commander would slip away in the arms of a lover, and he - Captain Gundam of the Super Dimensional Guard - would _burn_.

In that split moment of distraction where Captain turned his head to look and assure that Shute was unharmed, something sharp sank into the back of his neck. The needle itself could not have been more than an inch in length, but the icy coldness pierced him so sharply startled him more than the feel of the needle itself. Alarmed, Captain whirled around and delivered an uppercut to Grappler below his mouthpiece in the jaw. The cobalt mech staggered backward, disoriented and momentarily dazed from the harsh blow. In his left hand was a black armored canister with a single transparent, vertical window bar running up its black armored flank. Captain could already see a bright pink liquid sloshing within, but it was not entirely full and a quarter of it was drained. Artificial adrenaline kicking in, Captain lurched forward, turned on his heel, kicked Gouf in the gut, and grabbed the canister out of the mech's flaccid hand. Grappler snapped out of his daze and saw that Captain had done upon regaining his footing. With a growl, he lunged forward at the Gundam.

Captain had not meant to stick the canister into Grappler's chest, but he accidentally did. Upon trying to block the squadron leader's attack, the needle was exposed and Grappler unintentionally stabbed himself on it. The canister made a sharp _whoosh_ sound when the needle pierced and sunk deep into Grappler's plating, and the cobalt squadron leader yelped like he had been violently kicked. With a surprising bout of strength, Grappler shoved Captain away and staggered backward to put distance between them again. Captain's lost his grip on the canister and his online equalizers frantically tried to maintain balance, but Captain found it both surprisingly increasingly harder to keep his head from spinning. He had not been shoved that hard, yet the Gundam's senses were swimming in mild disorientation.

Grappler staged backward and snarled furiously. It positioned himself to attack again, but suddenly froze in place and seemed to become reminiscent of a statue with his posture. Very slowly, he looked down in almost slow motion and caught sight of the canister still sticking out of his chest plate. Shakily, he reached an oddly unsteady hand up to pluck the device off of him. Captain registered, if not a bit slowly, that the canister itself was now entirely _empty_. Grappler must have noticed it too, because a look of sudden and totally unrestrained _horror_ crossed his face. Arm shaking, the canister fell out of his limp grasp and dropped to the concrete where the transparent glass bar shattered and scattered its fragments on the pavement where they twinkled in the firelight. Grappler wobbled, balance lost, while he continued to look at his empty hand with a looming sense of terror. Finally, his optic rolled back and he fell heavily to his knees. He stayed there, suspended on the spot for a split moment frozen in time before finally falling forward and toppling over onto his chest with a clamor. For what felt like a long time, he did not move. Captain's onboard energy signature register slowly responded that the down squadron leader was unconscious.

"Grappler! _Grappler! _Oh _Pitt, GOUF!_"

In an almost unreal dreamlike quality, Zapper Zaku came bounding over and skidded to a grinding stop on his knees beside of Grappler. How the maroon squadron leader had managed to run over so quickly, Captain had no idea. He must have managed to somehow beat Baku regardless of the odds that had been stacked against him. Despite the numbers against his favor, Captain remembered that his estimated statistics _had_ been proven wrong before. The Gundam found that he suddenly did not have the capacity to attack him… or even _move_ for that matter. His limbs were going numb and his head felt like it was swimming. He felt _wrong_, like he had been zapped with a bolt of a particularly powerful electric current. With his hazing mind struggling to keep up with understanding what was happening, he watched as Zapper looked over his comrade with his hands suspended over his body as if he was unsure what to do.

That was when Grappler started shaking. At first Captain thought it was his hazing vision playing tricks on him, but then he saw Zapper's optic flare and his body tense in a horrified manner. It finally dawned on Captain after slowly looking to search for the word in his almost unresponsive datafiles that Grappler was having a seizure. A _large_ one, at that. The mech was twitching and trembling badly enough that his armor was rattling against the pavement beneath him. It was so gratingly loud that it was beginning to make Captain's head pound from the migraine that was beginning to develop there, although he suspected that it might have been from his dulling perception as well.

Zapper grabbed his fallen comrade's shoulders to restrain him, but recoiled and sharply drew his hands away of him like he had been burned. He frantically looked around as if trying to figure out what to do, suddenly seeing and locking his sights on Captain as he continued to stand there. The Gundam figured that he should at _least_ respond to acknowledge the other mech, but found that his body was ignoring his commands. Zapper looked away at the realization that he was not going to more… and then finally noticed the canister as it lay on the ground just a few scant feet away. The maroon warrior reached over, snatched it up, and looked at it intensely. Abruptly, he snapped his head to look over his shoulder and his voice shook in an uncharacteristic manner when he next shouted. "_DOM!_ Destroyer, _get the Komusai NOW!_"

The next thing Captain knew, he was struck in the back of the head. It did not feel particularly hard but, then again, Captain barely felt the impact his deadweight hitting the concrete either. His limbs tingled with an uncomfortably hot numbness and, blearily, he realized he was running a fever. He could not conduct a system diagnostic to be sure because most of his onboard calculation functions had gone offline. The last thing he heard before completely loosing consciousness was Shute's horrified scream.

**iii**

It felt like the darkness only lingered for a second. It may have been longer, though. He was not coherent enough to make an exact calculation, but he could still estimate despite his blurred comprehension.

The commotion bustling around him was what eventually stirred him out of unconsciousness, although he did not snap awake like he knew he should have. He felt hot and feverish, and there was the sensation of a heavy blanket of haze that was smothering him. Judging by the closed off unfamiliar space and the slightly uneven wobble of the entire room, he deducted very slowly that he was inside a small airspace carrier. The Komusai for sure, he reckoned. He could feel a light amount of perspiration clinging to his forehead from the heat his body was experiencing. Exactly _what_ Grappler had spiked him with, he was unsure. It seemed to be preventing his cooling fans from adequately working for one. However, he was convinced even in his borderline delirium that it was taking a much more serious toll on Grappler Gouf than it was on him.

The cobalt squadron leader in question was sprawled out on the floor on his back, and Zakos were swarming around the fallen Axian frantically. The sense of panic radiating off their small hides, Captain was sure, was thick enough to be hacked through with a small machete. Several soldiers were angling the industrial fans scattered all throughout the small space toward the down mech while several others were grabbing whatever medical supplies they could from underneath seats and in overhead compartments. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw the blurred silhouette of a Zako trying to drag an oxygen tank. It was comically done of course, seeing how the little Zako was half the size of the canister. At the center of it all were two Zakos, one holding Grappler's head upright and the other poised over his chest. Grappler was no longer having a massive seizure as he had last seen him, but he was trembling harshly and his chest was heaving with effort.

The Zako who was trying to hold Grappler's head kept having to switch hands. "Slag, he's gonna burn a hole right through the damn _floor!"_

The Zako kneeling above the squadron leader put a device up to the side of his head and it beeped with shrieking menace. Her demeanor made Captain fuzzily deduct that she was the resident medic. "Just a click longer, Red. As soon as I can get an accurate reading… no, that's not possible. Let me try again… holy _Pitt_, four hundred degrees and _still_ rising!"

Someone else in the ship called from somewhere outside Captain's peripheral vision. "I put the Komusai on autopilot, Cyan. Frag, what the frell _happened?_"

"I wish we could tell you, Joyride," the medic said.

At that moment, a flurry of red, purple, and green caught his optic. It took Captain a moment to realize it was Zapper, Destroyer, and a few Zakos. Captain could not count how many. He could not remember what came after the letter three. No wait, three was not a letter. What was it again? A number? His head spun too much for him to recall. He watched Zapper kneel and drape several blankets over Grappler. They made a prominent splashing sound against the down squadron leader's body. Not a second later, there was a hissing howl and heavy steam was rising off the wet towels.

Destroyer cursed crudely in exasperation. "Dah, not working! Too hot!"

"Dammit, this is a _nightmare,_" Zapper moaned. He snapped his head to look over his shoulder. "Storm, did you get an ID on that canister!"

"Not yet," someone called out of Captain's line of hazing vision. "The console datafiles are very vague. Call it a hunch though, I think it's a neurotoxin. Some kind of organic variant anyways. The computer analysis keeps telling me that there are hint traces of cyanide _and_ solanum in the compound."

The Zako medic looked up and said something loudly to probably try conveying something of importance to the other femmebot, but it was drowned in the sea of noise that was making Captain's head start to throb. At that very moment, the entire ship was jarred and Captain felt an electrical tingle in his circuits that momentarily made him dizzier than he already was. Someone at the front of the vessel out of Captain's range of vision shouted over the pandemonium. "We're out of the Zakorello tunnel! Hailing the _Magna Musai_, now!"

"Tell them we need a damn stretcher!" Zapper Zaku's own shout trembled on the verge of hysteria. His voice was on the verge of cracking with strain.

"I got an ID on the canister," Storm screeched. "It's cataloged in the database. It _is_ a neurotoxin, specifically some kind of venom. It's a bacteria that behaves like a virus by attacking the processor and circuit nervous system. There's a huge file on it… no, wait, this can't be right. The article mentions something about Clarkes…?"

The Zako medic, Cyan, was speaking rapidly. _"Clarke _venom? Where the _Pitt_ did Grappler get his hands on fragging _Clarke_ venom?"

She went unanswered. Through the haze of voices and flashing movement of bodies, Captain watched as the entire room blurred into obscurity. He wondered whether or not Shute was alright, and whether or not he was upset about him being captured. Then it occurred to him dully that sparing that one split glance at Shute when he fell might have been his last.

For the second time that day, he slipped into unconsciousness.

**iv**

When he woke up again, he was no longer in the Komusai on the cot. He was sprawled out on a… bed?

At first, he could not believe it. _Would not_ believe it. Not only that, but it took a ridiculously long space of time for his sensors to even register the word "bed" in its stunned state. Whatever Grappler had given him, it had slowed his processing down to just barely above five percent. The bed itself was oddly soft, plush and having the soft consistency of down. The room around him was very dark with absolutely no source of light, and at first he thought that maybe his optical input had been deactivated. The blurred and flickering readings in the corner of his vision said otherwise. Regardless, he did not feel afraid. In fact, he was not even sure if he was even _capable_ of feeling fearful at the moment. He could barely think, barely focus… he was still hot and feverish, and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. The urge was pressing down heavily on him with suffocating forcefulness, nearly dragging him back into unconsciousness.

Zapper Zaku's voice was the first one he registered, and its crude volume kept him from slipping away. His tone was still shrill with laced panic as it had been on the Komusai. "…what in the Pitt were you _thinking_, commander! Grappler isn't a trained toxicologist, he's a damn _medic_. For Allspark's sake, _Dom_ would have been safer handling that slaggin' thing."

That was when a second voice chimed in. How odd, Captain later realized, that he would one day be lost to that voice forever.

He did not recognize to whom it belonged to. Unlike Zapper's rough baritone that rumbled from age, it was a smooth alto that made the speaker sound even younger than Grappler. Almost immediately, the Gundam found himself drawn into that voice for its silkiness alone. It was very strong in both volume and tone, but also firm and unwavering. The speaker wielding it was well spoken and articulated his words with careful poise. "You seem to be forgetting, _Zapper Zaku_, that Grappler Gouf _also_ became an assassin after he relinquished his medical position and enrolled at the officer academy. With all due consideration, he was more than capable of taking on this mission."

"And _now_ he's in the emergency room puking up his own liquids and everything in his fuel tank!" There was a sharp slam of metal against metal, and Zapper's voice changed from bitingly sarcastic to take on a furious tone. "If he keeps having seizures like he has been, he'll be _dead_ in the next megacycle. Please commander, we _need_ to send out for an antivenin right the slag _now_. I'll get on my knees and _beg_ if I have to."

So the new speaker was the _commander_. Captain involuntarily shivered. This was the mech pulling the strings behind the Dark Axis invasion of Neotopia.

"Absolutely out of the question," the commander snapped back immediately. The statement had a certain bite to it that was both defensive and offensive at the same time. "That Clarke venom canister was not rented under knowledge of Professor Gerbera. He would have never loaned it to me under any circumstances other than for research."

Zapper Zaku's voice hitched sharply. "You _stole_ _it!_"

"To be politically correct, _Char_ stole it," the commander replied with polite tartness.

"And it never occurred to you to have Zako Red also take an antivenin too?"

"_Look_," the commander started out slowly in a menacing voice. "This is _not_ my fault. _I'm_ not the one who messed up and had eighty kilos of poison injected into his superstructure," he said smartly. "If anything, Lord Grappler Gouf was not dealing with the Gundam and the canister carefully enough."

Zapper Zaku's voice rose harshly, both in pitch and volume. It was not a shout, but there was an intensity held within it that was unmistakably recognizable. "Grappler. Is. _Dying._"

At first, the commander said nothing. There was a long pause that laced the silence uncomfortably. Finally he spoke up again, but his voice was unambiguously sullen. "I'm truly sorry for what's happened, Zapper. There's nothing I can do. If Grappler Gouf is strong enough to survive, he will. His fate is in his own hands now." There was the sound of weight settling back down onto an object. Captain may have been drugged, but he recognized hazily that it was probably a chair. Perhaps the commander had stood up to shout at his subordinate. "Now go. If there's anything that Grappler needs more than medical attention, it's you… oh _please_, don't give me that look. You and I both know _damn_ well what exactly goes on behind closed doors when it's just the two of you. You may have fooled the Zakos and Destroyer Dom, but you _haven't_ fooled me. Now get out of my sights. You're dismissed."

There was an uncomfortable pause. Finally, Zapper's voice rose up again. It was much softer than previously. "Yes sir," he rumbled solemnly. There was the sound of footfalls and the hissing of an automatic door opening and closing. Light momentarily touched the Gundam's vision, but it was only a sliver that faded not a moment later. Silence resumed.

For a long time, Captain heard nothing more. Part of him dully wondered whether or not he had imagined the conversation he just heard. Part of him had to wonder whether or not he was imagining everything. Had he really been captured? What was going to happen to him now if he had been? Everything seemed far too real to be an illusion. At the moment, he presumed his own future to be as dim and unfavorable as Grappler Gouf's supposedly was. He was on his own. No one was going to help him. He managed to briefly recall the one occasion where he had been captured by the Dark Axis before, but that had been when Zero was with him and Shute came to his rescue. There would be no rescue this time, nor would there be a daring escape with laughs to spare afterward. End of the line. Game over. He was about to slip away for a third time when his struggling sensors barely registered an energy signature directly looming over him. He could not be entirely sure at first whether or not it was a malfunction from his dulling senses, but then something touched his shoulder and he strained his swimming head to look up.

Outlined in the darkness was a huge figure. It looked down at him with a single pink optic, towering above him almost menacingly. _Almost_, because the hand that was touching him was not harshly doing so.

"Good to see that you're doing better, Captain Gundam. Get some sleep," the figure said. A hint of cruel mirth tugged at his voice. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Captain did not remember much after that. He fell asleep quickly, letting the darkness swallow him into blissful nothingness. Despite not having his wits about him, he was at least coherent enough to suddenly recall at least one thing when he fell offline. Perhaps he heard the name during the conversation he heard with Zapper Zaku and the commander, perhaps he had heard it somewhere else of less importance. Maybe it was only his imagination trying to attach a name to the voice in his delirium. It mattered little. The name stayed on his mental tongue as sharp and potent as the sedative that was flowing through his coolant veins.

Commander Sazabi.


	2. Killer

Urgh. I'm as sick as a dog and keep getting spammed with pop ups every time I try to access fanfiction. I've blocked most of them for now, I hope. I'm _really_ sorry for how late this is. I told EFHT that I would post it three or so days ago and only got around to doing it just now. I _still_ have to post my fanfic request for ZAFT Prime too, except I'm too damn tired to do it tonight. I haven't been sleeping well and finding the extra time write was becoming a problem. Between that and filling out college applications, life on my end has been hecktic. Sometimes I sleep in until eleven in the afternoon because I'm so tired. Here's to hoping that I'm not going through one of my depressive phases again. I still don't like how this chapter out either - the third scene moves too quickly for my tastes - but I think its good enough for now and I'll worry about editing it later. As I said in the author's notes for my other story _Pest_, my New Year's resolution is to completely finish all my chapter stories this year. This includes _Lift_, thankfully. I'm working a bit backwards on this story, and the last chapter is actually pretty much done. So without further delay, here's the next chapter. I own nothing, save for the plot, plot devices, and certain character names. Also, keep your eyes open for non-canon Easter eggs. I make several references to other fandoms and props goes to anyone who can find them.

* * *

**Don't turn out the lights**

**Kiss yourself goodnight cause there's a killer, and he's coming after you**

**Kiss yourself goodnight**

**Tonight cause there's a killer, and he's coming after you**

_Killer_ - The Hoosiers

**i**

Grappler Gouf was barely breathing.

It had not been an easy night for any of them on the _Magna Musai_, given the less than favorable outcome of their most recent mission. It had been utterly chaotic and all sense of organization had been flipped mercilessly upside down. The Zakos who participated in their failed mission immediately sprung into action in spite of the disorganization, working tirelessly into the night and very early morning to ensure their fallen squadron leader's survival. The entire emergency wing of the medical bay was roughly shoved into bedlam from the moment they returned from Neotopia in the Komusai. Despite the disorganization and pandemonium of the overall evening however, the hardworking Zakos assured that Grappler lived to see the next morning… if only just barely, at least.

He had been sitting at Grappler's bedside - _gurney_ - ever since they got back. He had not slept since the night before, approximately twenty-four megacycles prior. It was no surprise he was exhausted taking into consideration what they had all gone through, but he stubbornly _refused_ to move from his chair. In truth though, he honestly doubted that he even had the willpower to do so even if he wanted or tried. He had been glued there on the medical stool next to Grappler's medical berth for at _least_ four megacycles watching over the fallen mech as a silent vigil. No matter how badly he wanted to sleep or how obnoxiously his onboard computer bleeped at him to achieve recharge before stasis lock, he knew that the only way anyone could drag him away would be if he was dead. _No one_ was going to take him away from Gouf. He had only taken his optic off the younger squadron leader for a split few moments right before he went down, and there was no _way_ he was going to take his sights off him again. _Ever_ again.

The cobalt squadron leader in question was barely breathing, but the oxygen mask tightly secured over his mouthpiece ensured that he would have a sufficient amount if his breathing continued to lag anymore than it already was. Puffs of steam - very small puffs, for note - fogged up the transparent plastic minimally before clearing as Grappler struggled pitifully to breathe. Storm had been spot on about identifying the serum he had been injected with as being Clarke venom. Clarkes themselves were dangerously vicious animals, and they were the sole organic species able to survive on the surface of Axia with its highly polluted and irradiated environment. This primarily had to do with their mutated DNA that was consistent with mammals, birds, _and_ reptiles. Their bones were hollow like a bird's, they gave birth to live offspring like mammals, they were cold blooded like reptiles… and they were also lethally venomous. The venom itself was also highly radioactive and had devastating qualities that behaved destructively when exposed to certain metals. One of those metals in question happened to be Axium.

While Axians - in short, everyone in the Dark Axis organization - were constructed primarily using Axium as a primary alloy, Gundams were meanwhile principally constructed with Gundamium. This was due to the absence of Gundamium in Axia and complete overabundance of Axium. Since was the strongest natural alloy that could be mined, it was used primarily to create the Axian race. However, General Zeong demanded that they still obtain Gundamium. Because of this, the Dark Axis invasion campaigns were chiefly carried out to serve that command. Eradicating organic life forms and expanding the Dark Axis empire remained a big part of that equation as well, although mining for Gundamium was also a valuable reason. Unlike Axium, Gundamium was slightly tougher and chemically resistant to other elements. It also never rusted and had high mineral properties that could be extracted once smelted down. While Axium remained second to Gundamium in resourceful properties, Gundamium outclassed Axium significantly. It was also radically less venerable to the properties of Clarke venom.

Despite being Gundamium's second, Axium remained incredibly susceptible to Clarke venom. Simply being exposed to it was dangerous for Axians - it could melt through Axium like a hot knife through butter - and to actually have it injected into the body was a death sentence. What made Clarke venom so potently deadly in its properties had to do with its trans-organic compounds. Although the venom itself was from an organically based creature, having to survive in a polluted environment made the Clarke species develop an extra element in their venom. While containing solanum - a viral natured bacterium responsible for the "zombie virus" that killed off most of the humans that once lived in Axia - its venom also contained hint traces of otherwise unnaturally occurring cyanide. By themselves both elements were harmless, but it was the _third_ property of Clarke venom that gave it its devastating power. While the Dark Axis scientific committee led by Professor Gerbera had been performing extensive research on Clarkes, they identified the third element in the venom as being Element Z. What was both surprising and discerning about the discovery was that Element Z by itself was practically undamaging other than being responsible for _some_ minor performance issues when to exposed electronics. This had to do mostly with the electromagnetic effect it produced on circuitry. In other words, Element Z was not particularly dangerous at all. It was widely suspected by the scientific committee that the devolvement of Element Z in the bodies of the Clarkes was the work of Axia's highly radioactive atmosphere as a slight mutation.

Despite the otherwise unthreatening appearance of the properties of Clarke venom, it was when the trans-organic aspect reared its ugly head and single handedly caused the deaths of many Axians unfortunate enough to run into Clarkes. When Element Z came in contact with solanum and other organic traces in the venom, the scientific committee found that it caused a dauntingly atrocious chain reaction. The magnetizing effect of the Element Z was increased _tenfold_ due to interacting with the other properties in the venom and consequently caused major damage when exposed circuitry. Not only that, but it also caused the venom's molecules to more easily cling to oil and fuel molecules and spread faster throughout the infected body. All major working parts would be consequently affected, including the core processor, engine, fuel pump, alternator, and internal temperature moderator. This was particularly devastating for Axians because they were far more prone to the heat and cold than Gundams were.

Part of him knew what Commander Sazabi put Grappler Gouf in charge of dealing with the capsule. Grappler had been a medic once before - he would have most _certainly_ earned a doctorate rank if he had stayed in the field instead of becoming a military officer - and also briefly acted as a private assassin, so he should have been more than capable of handling the task. _Should_ have. Captain Gundam had been a continual nuisance when it came to trying - and failing - to complete missions in Neotopia. It only made sense that they take him prisoner, although the destruction of the Rubber Bazooka meant that they obviously had to try something different. He was not at all surprised that the entire operation was kept quiet, either. Clarke venom was incredibly dangerous even when it was being handled carefully, and interference from the rest of the _Magna Musai_ crew - the remaining two squadron leaders included - would have potentially jeopardized the mission Grappler Gouf had been ordered to carry out. While Clarke venom was deadly to Axians, the amount that had been in the canister Grappler had been carrying was just enough to work as a powerful sedative against a Gundam. Given the fact that Gundamium was chemically more resistant to Axium, this made perfect sense. Clarke venom was only as dangerous as it was to Axians because their primary alloy - Axium - could not absorb the venom and neutralize it before it caused fatal damage. On the flipside of the spectrum, Gundamium was much more resistant to chemical imbalances and could successfully negate any ill symptoms of Clarke venom because it would be absorbed into the metal and made harmless.

Captain Gundam had merely been knocked out with the amount he was injected with. Grappler Gouf nearly dropped dead on the spot.

Grappler showed little signs of improvement. While he had finally stopped having seizures, it was only because Cyan had fitted and opaque blinder across his optical visor. His seizures had intensified with such brutality once they were in the _Magna Musai_ that they were all afraid that he would hurt himself before they could ever get to the medical wing and restrain him. When they finally made it down to the dark emergency room, Grappler's spasms abruptly lessened in intensity and Cyan realized that it was the _light_ causing his convulsions. His sensors were spastically malfunctioning and trying to perform tasks as simple as registering light was causing his processor's operating system to freeze and violently crash at random intervals. The seizures came between much longer intermissions once the blinder was fastened over his optic band, but the fever was another problem of its own altogether. In the midst of trying to cool him down with ice, several Zakos commented on the gradually rising smell of burning rubber. The source of that problem became apparent when they realized that the rubber encased wires inside Grappler's body were _melting_. All heat was cut off to the room and the air conditioning was put on full blast while they doused him in ice and opened up his chassis so that his internals could cool down. It had been a lifesaving call, too. Not only were Grappler's internal components steaming, but they were smoldering as well. His fuel pump had been worst off in this way, billowing a dark cloud of smoke with the threat of exploding from the blistering heat. A detonation would have set his fuel on fire and caused an explosion, killing Grappler Gouf instantly and seriously injuring anyone within ten feet of him. It was around then that his breathing began to seriously weaken. The cooling fans that were working overtime inside his body had reached their breaking point and shut down, leaving his air pumps to work frantically in a vain attempt to take the place of the cooling fans. The stress that it put on his pumps caused them to seriously malfunction and momentarily shut down. After a franticly delivered CPR procedure, they restarted working at only half normal capacity. Grappler struggled to breathe even after they forced an oxygen tube down his vents and doubled it with placing a mask over his mouthpiece as well. As an extra precautionary measure, most of the Zakos on the ship who had a similar oil type as Grappler's donated in an attempt to flush out the tainted fluids. It seemed to improve his condition somewhat, but only just barely.

Grappler's labored breathing suddenly hitched from exhaustion.

Startled, he was jarred out of his thoughts and he looked down at the younger warrior. Condensation had built up on Grappler's forehead in tiny beads of moisture from the fever ravaging his core temperature. Gingerly, he reached out his hand tentatively and tried to wipe some of it away. Grappler's armor was hot to the touch and the sensor nodes in his hands indicated that the fallen mech's temperature was dangerously high. Despite the uncomfortably searing pain it caused him, he kept his hand on Grappler's forehead a little while longer. The temperature went down _slightly_ - from two hundred and eight degrees to two hundred and five - but it looked to relieve Grappler exponentially. The sickly cobalt mech gave a meek sigh and arched his neck ever so slightly to meet the deliciously cool touch. It looked to be an improvement - a sign that the young squadron leader was somehow going to pull through and be okay and be back to his normal self in no time flat - but his hopes were instantly dashed when Grappler Gouf's engine stalled with a grating whine inside his torso. Grappler coughed violently and shuddered powerfully enough to wrack his armor. His core temperature rose again. Even _in_ unconsciousness, his body's strength was beginning to fail him. There was very little that could be done to help him, though. An anti-serum for Clarke venom had never been created because of how its trans-organic qualities made it immune to any artificially created anti-venom that the scientific committee tried to create.

Because of that, no one of Axian origins had ever survived being infected. Not for long at least. Not long at all.

"Zapper Sempai?"

Zapper jumped in place with a start and nearly fell out of his seat, snapping his hand away from Grappler and putting it back in his lap. His palm burned uncomfortably heat and ached with a painful reminder of Grappler's condition. The maroon squadron leader inclined his head to regard the Zako who had appeared in the doorway. The _Magna Musai's_ sole medic - Cyan, bless her spark - was standing in the open entrance to the emergency wing looking to him with a concerned glint in her optical glass. The little femmebot looked worn for wear from fatigue as well. Her usually squared shoulders were slumped and the usually fluorescent hue of her optic was darkened to a much darker shade. She was holding a holographic clipboard to her chassis, and Zapper had no doubt Grappler Gouf's extensive medical report that she had spent the past few megacycles composing. Part of him did not want to see what it was that she had put on it. If he did, he knew it would make him loose hope.

Cyan nodded toward him tiredly. "How is he?"

"Good," Zapper replied emotionlessly. He was careful not to use the words _worse_ or _better_, because he certainly was _not_ getting "better."

She nodded. "I'm going to call up the kitchen and have Roja or Rega bring up something for breakfast from the mess hall," she said desolately. The Zako femme sounded utterly exhausted. Before he could comment on it, the little femmebot made an inarticulate gesture with her hand toward him before jerking her thumb over her sagging shoulder. "Do you want some energon, zako?"

"No," he flatly replied and shook his head. The reply out hoarsely forlorn and he mentally winced from the rasped sound of his own voice. He was no better for the wear, he thought. "I'm not hungry."

"You should at least have _something_." She was trying to sound convincing, although the weariness in her voice betrayed her intended tone. "Not even some unleaded low grade? You look horrible."

"I'll be fine, honestly." Zapper Zaku tried to flash a reassuring smile in the femmebot's direction. He only managed to upturn his vented mouthpiece in a half-assed grin. "I just don't think I can take having something in my fuel tank right now."

"You still might as well get something even if you don't have it until later, zako," Cyan said. She must have sensed that he tried to smile and attempted to fruitlessly return the gesture. It came out looking like a cheerless grin. "The last thing I need is to have _another_ sick squadron leader to worry about. You'll give Destroyer Dom a spark attack, the poor brute. I had to shoo him away just a few cycles ago. A lot of soldiers have been coming down wondering how Lord Gouf is."

Zapper laughed, although his voice sounded oddly dead to him. Everyone was worried, it seemed. After Grappler's condition had minimally stabilized, Cyan had immediately ushered all the volunteers out so that the downed squadron leader could rest… everyone except for Zapper Zaku, at least. He knew exactly why she let him stay in the medical ward too, although she wasn't asking and he certainly wasn't going to start telling. _Her_ explanation for allowing him to remain behind with Grappler was that she needed someone competent to watch over him while she attended to paperwork in her office in a separate room, but it was a poor excuse no matter _how_ well it convinced everyone else. Zapper knew practically nothing about medicine.

_She knows he and I are bondmates_, he thought. _I don't know _how_ she figured it out, but she knows._

"Zapper Sempai? Are you okay?"

Zapper Zaku forcibly jarred himself out of his thoughts and shook his head once he realized he unintentionally zoned out. "I'm fine," he said. "I'll have a low grade petroleum cube , I guess. No filters. Don't bother heating it up, though. It'll just get cold anyways."

Cyan nodded once, then turned to leave the room. Before she took the first step to leave, she stopped herself and lightly touched the doorframe with her free hand. The medic looked over her shoulder at him with a strange expression. She looked worried. "Are you _sure_ you're okay, Zapper? Be honest."

He debated whether or not to lie to her and decided against it. Like her secretly realizing that he and Grappler Gouf were bonded, she knew she would see straight through him. Whether or not it was femmebot intuition or something else altogether, he had no idea. "No," Zapper Zaku admitted after a stretch of silence. At the sound of the word leaving his vocalizer, he felt his throat tightly constrict and his fuel pump hammer painfully inside his chassis. With the admission came the agonizing realization that he _absolutely_ was not alright. He felt as though a gaping hole had been punched straight through his chest and that there was no way for him to close the wound back up. He knew that Grappler's condition was just as much his fault as it was Commander Sazabi's and Captain Gundam's. He spoke to Grappler just mere _clicks_ before Captain stuck the canister needle into him chest and injected nearly the entire canister of venom into him. If he had only fought the Blazing Samurai and gone to help the other squadron leader sooner. If _only_…

Cyan looked as though she did not have the right way to respond. The femmebot regarded him sadly before completely turning away and leaving the room without another word. Even the manner she carried herself in revealed her fatigue. The usually peppy femme's shoulders sagged and her feet seemed to drag rather than completely leave the floor when she stepped forward. As her olive shape disappeared from around the corner, Zapper felt immensely relieved that she left when she did. The tightness in his chest had not left and Zapper felt his unintentionally vision blur as he looked back down at Grappler. With an angry sigh, he reached up and rubbed the troublesome fluid away from his optic angrily. Despite the fact that he had only taken his optic off Grappler Gouf for a split few moments, the cobalt mech somehow managed to look even worse than Zapper recalled. He was very rapidly degrading.

_Dying_.

The irritating moisture clouded his vision again and he hastily rubbed it away. His hand tingled from the heat that Grappler Gouf's blistering fever branded on him. His chest and throat felt sore with grief and it only seemed to intensify when he heard Grappler's breathing hitch again. Suddenly overcome with emotion, Zapper Zaku quietly leaned down and gently pressed his forehead to Grappler Gouf's. The blazing heat that assaulted him as they made contact was scorching. He cared very little for it. He reached both his hands up and gently touched Grappler's prone hand closest to him. The ailing cobalt mech was laying on his back with both his arms at his sides, and he knew that it was a position that Grappler enormously _hated_. He _always_ slept on his right side curled up in a fetal position. It was an observation the maroon squadron leader made shortly after they bonded. Commander Sazabi - who had no idea they were mated and was naturally flabbergasted - allowed Grappler Gouf to move into Zapper Zaku's quarters with him.

Zapper Zaku did not look forward to sleeping in their room by himself. Alone. Without Grappler.

He fought back the desperate urge to breakdown. Crying was not going to save Grappler's life. Nothing could.

**ii**

Captain snapped awake.

…_awake_.

All of his systems were back online and running at full capacity. At first he thought he was imagining things, but a quick diagnosis check revealed that he was _not_ hallucinating. Slowly, he strained to sit up. There was a dull ache that had settled in his lower back and in his limbs, but he was otherwise alright. There was no drossiness, his fever was gone, he was not deliriousness… Captain Gundam was up and running at full capacity as if nothing had happened at all. Part of him wondered whether or not it had all been some messed up dream, although two things made him reconsider that possibility. For one, he had never had a dream so unnaturally vivid in his entire life. Dreaming itself was still a new concept to him - up until he met Shute and his souldrive activated for the first time, he never had a dream in his entire life - and Kao Lynn was still researching into the matter. His eccentric father figure hypothesized that it had to do with his souldrive wavelength somehow synchronizing with Shute in some way, although Kao Lynn emphasized that it was still _only_ a hypothesis. While Neotopian automatons did not dream during recharge, the souldrive somehow enabled Captain the ability to do so. He only had three dreams in his entire life that he could remember, but they had all been very vague and blurry to the point where he could not even remember them upon coming out of recharge. To have a dream as unbelievingly _dramatic_ as what he had experienced was not only highly improbable, but was also very much impossible. Secondly, he was sitting on a bed he did not recognize. Oddly soft and plush with the consistency of down.

A red flag shot up in Captain's processor. Coming to a startling realization, the Gundam flung himself from the recharge plate and skidded around to face it. His legs felt rubbery and he nearly lost his footing, although he managed to retain his balance and focus in on the bed. In spite of how dark the room was, his acute sight allowed him to see that it was a rather large berth with a crimson comforter and blood red silk sheets. A quick, halfhearted scan revealed to him that it was actually real silk rather than a cheap knockoff replica. Silk was a very expensive material in Neotopia - this had to do with the extinction of silk worms after World War III decimated the humans' original home planet of Earth in 2077 - so most silk materials were of the fake industrial kind. If Captain's readings were correct, the fabric on the bed was real with ninety-eight point six percent certainty. It was far too expensive for Chief Haro's tastes certainly, and Captain finally came to the realization that he was certainly _not_ in Blanc Base.

It had not been a dream in spite of how much he wished it was. He _had_ been captured by the Dark Axis.

Although, all things considered, it was the tamest capture he had experienced. Not that being drugged or kidnapped was tame - of course not - but the circumstances he awoke under were less than expected. At most he was sure that he would have been tossed into a cage or restrained. He was definitely not going to start complaining, though. _Especially_ since he was not trapped inside another rubber ball like he had been the last time he was taken prisoner… except that time he had Zero's and Shute's help to escape. This was unquestionably not going to be the case now. He was on his own.

Cautiously, Captain peered around and honed in on his surroundings. The bed - or rather bedroom, as it appeared - was positioned on a second floor landing overlooking a balcony that led to the first floor underneath. On either side of the balcony there were twin staircases, both leading down into what Captain suspected was an office space as he approached the balcony. Looking down over the railing, he noted a large desk sat in front of what looked to be a large industrial door with a pulley system attached to it. The Gundam came to the realization that it was probably a window. If he remembered the layout of the _Magna Musai_ correctly, the diameter of the large sheet metal shade matched the diameter of the optical window on the _Magna Musai's_ "head" at the top of the huge ship's hull. Remembering what he had heard and seen the previous night, he deducted that he was in the commander's joint office and sleeping space. It was very sparsely furnished and almost entirely bare regardless of its spacious size, consisting of only a few large pieces of furniture and little of anything else. Captain Gundam found it oddly depressing, although it was otherwise good news. All the less objects to get in his way when he tried to escape.

Opening the shaded window and breaking out that way seemed less than wise however, taking into account that he might immediately be spotted by Zakos on the hull. His current predicament demanded stealth. Captain presumed that the room's exit was somewhere underneath the balcony on the wall opposite of the window, but simply attempting to leave through the door would have been even less wise. Wracking his processor for resourceful ideas, he looked up to the ceiling. There _were_ ventilation shafts - he could scarcely make out their outlines in the pitch darkness - although they were narrow strips less than a foot wide and far too small for him to fit through. One thing in peculiar that caught his attention was the light fixtures, however. They were small indentations in the ceilings where fluorescent bulbs _should_ have been screwed in, although none were placed in the sockets. The room had been entirely stripped of artificial light for some reason. He could not possibly fathom why.

"_Hey!_"

Captain Gundam startled so badly that he nearly lost his footing turning on his heel to face the direction of the exclamation. Down on the second floor, the glow of a pink optic and the silhouette of a huge form caught his optic. How he had not seen the figure before was a mystery, but he recognized the voice instantly. Staggering back away form the balcony edge, Captain reached down to draw his beamsaber as an automatic reflex to defend himself. His hand gripped empty air where the hilt of the weapon was supposed to be and a conformation glance downward confirmed that it had been confiscated. The next thing he tried to pull up was his beam sniper. Reaching over his shoulder to draw the gun, he was met with empty air as well. Trying to activate his wrist mounted energy turrets was met with the same results. He held his wrists poised ahead of him and they clicked pathetically as the empty chambers fired explosive heat rounds that were not there. While he was not restrained per say, being completely unarmed was almost as dire of a situation. He could still fight in hand-to-hand combat - being strictly trained in karate and tae kwon do - and he knew that his smaller size and the room's wide open space to his advantage if he needed to fight. However, the low lighting was a problem. He could only just _barely_ make out figure's shape in the darkness even with his optical sensory turned all the way up. Trying to fend off an attacker given the current lighting was an unwise move and had the potential to spell disaster. His souldrive might have been useful to him in this situation, except for the fact that he had never gotten it to activate without Shute being nearby.

An idea clicked into his head. He preformed another self diagnostic run on his systems in search of the hardware he was looking for. He desperately hoped he would be able to find it… and once he did, he immediately sprang into action.

Captain Gundam activated his jetpack and turned the output up to max power. The room's ceiling was higher from the floor over further away from the balcony, and Captain was frantic to at least get out of arm's reach so he could more properly assess his situation. Leaping onto the balcony in a single leap and kicking off, he exhausted nearly seventy percent of his jetpack's energy to jump through the air and propel himself into the highest corner of the room on the left side. Turning his back to the wall and bracing his arms and legs on either side of him to maintain his position without falling, he frenetically searched the inky darkness for the intruder. The dark silhouette had disappeared from his sight, suddenly leaving Captain alone in the darkness once more.

The room was suddenly flooded with light as the shade over the large window was lifted. There was a mechanical buzz as a pulley system activated and the thin metal sheet was hoisted up high against the wall. Captain looked down in its direction to watch as purplish light from the outside pooled into the huge room. It became much more sufficiently apparent that the entirety of the large room lacked obvious furnishings and was oddly bland for being such a luxuriously large space, but Captain's attention was immediately drawn away from the barren décor when he caught sight of a slowly illuminating figure standing in front of the window. The higher the shade rose, the more the Axian intruder's shape was revealed to him. The mech in question was _incredibly_ huge, standing well above Chief Haro's height at what Captain estimated was eight or so feet tall. He was just as intimidating huge as well, bulky with wide armor attachments that made him look even larger. Despite his massive size, there was an elegance about him that made Captain's souldrive hitch in its casing. The mech's armor was a dull red accented with golden decals and the eagle crest - at least, Captain _thought_ it was supposed to be an eagle - that was perched on the Axian's helmet gave him an air that demanded respect. With an inward shiver, Captain Gundam, realized that _this_ was the commander of the _Magna Musai_. That name "Commander Sazabi" flashed in the back of his processor urgently. As the shadows revealed more of his face, Captain found himself staring into a fiery pink optic framed with the sharp edges of his helmet's design. His faceplate was adorned with a lined decal that made it appear as though he had fangs, and it glowed when he next spoke. "What in the Pitt are you _doing?_ You're _supposed_ to be unconscious!"

It had not been the exclamation that Captain was suspecting. At first he thought he was going to be attacked, but all the commander did was leisurely walk toward the end of the room where he was suspended in the high corner to stare up at him accusingly. Finding his bearings, the Captain Gundam glared down at him. "You can't keep me trapped here, commander. My comrades will tear this ship apart to rescue me."

Commander Sazabi scoffed. "_Please_," he said scornfully. His voice was a musically smooth alto, although the bitter iciness in his tone was unmistakable. "Your friends can't help you now, Captain Gundam. So how about you come down from there and make this easy for the both of us by coming down from there?"

Captain shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, commander."

The commander blinked up at him. There was an awkward span of silence that passed between the both of them as they glared back and forth. When Captain did not move from his safe spot, Commander Sazabi sighed angrily and his optic flashed with exasperation. The Axian made a widespread gesture with his hands. "Oh for the love of… get _down_ from there!"

"No," Captain replied back tartly. Inwardly, he realized exactly how peculiarly _ridiculous_ the whole situation was - him hiding in a high corner of the room with his back to the ceiling and the commander of the _Magna Musai_ looking up at him like he was some misbehaving pet. The general predicament of their situation was outwardly silly when it came right down to it.

Sazabi raised his hands into the air in exasperation. "_Well_," he said out loud to himself as he turned away. "This day is _already_ off to a wonderful start. I have a down squadron leader dying in the medical bay, Professor Gerbera at my throat because of our failures in Neotopia, _and_ I still have a mountain load of paperwork to fill out. Now I have a stubborn _Gundam_ hiding in the corner of my office of all things. Absolutely _nothing_ could get worse…"

His back was to him. Immediately, Captain seized his opportunity. He activated his helmet turrets and switched them from safety to automatic. Quickly locking on his target, he pulled the mental trigger… only to be met with the sound of rapid clicking as the empty rounds tried to fire the bullets that were not there.

"Don't even bother," Commander Sazabi said lamely. He sat down at his desk and dragged one of the large piles of holographic tablets towards him. Nonchalantly, the Axian pulled out a stylus and began to sign several of them with what Captain presumed was his electronic signature. "We took the liberty of stripping you of all your weapons and ammunition. Aside from your bare hands, you have absolutely no means of causing us trouble. Save for hiding in the _highest corner of my private quarters_, that is. I was _told_ that you could use your jetpack to strengthen the momentum of your attacks in short bursts rather than to achieve legitimate flight… and at least _I_ have the curtsey to shoot my enemies while they're facing me. Shooting mechs in the back is a cowardly _Gundam_ move."

Captain frowned deeply at the latter statement, although Commander Sazabi was spot on right about the first. His jetpack was_ not_ meant for flight… it was meant to elongate his jumps and help him to quickly dodge enemy attacks. It had saved his hide plenty of times before, but now it was going to potentially serve as his downfall as well. Warning lights flashed in the corner of his vision about his jetpack boosters beginning to go into system failure and shut down. The propulsion was already beginning to weaken considerably, and could distinctly feel Captain as his body's weight began to slowly pull him back down. He tried to grip either side of the wall to keep himself up, although there was little purchase for him to find on the smooth silver grey walls. It was very quickly becoming a calamitous situation. At this point, he had two choices of action. He could either try to hold himself up against the ceiling for as long as possible until his jetpack or strength failed him, _or_ he could use his higher position to his advantage and strategize an attack. The commander was in an optimal position for him to launch himself and catch the huge mech from behind, except the Gundam honestly doubted it would work. Despite Commander Sazabi's cool indifference and otherwise tender looking defenselessness, Captain had serious doubts that the Axian would be easy to take down. Finding a way to deal with the squadron leaders on their better days was difficult _enough_, and if the commander of the _Magna Musai_ was supposed to completely outclass them, it meant that Captain was dealing with a potentially deadly obstacle. Even though he looked substantially bulky and lacking in the agility department, there was a strange radiance of power pooling off the mech in _heap_ loads. Wave after wave of pure energy poured away from the commander and Captain felt his souldrive involuntarily shudder. This mech was very powerful, disregarding whether he looked it or not.

But what other choice did he have? He was certainly not going to sit around and wait for his jetpack to loose power so he could fall and loose his higher leverage. He would be at the mercy of Commander Sazabi if he allowed that to happen. He would be at the mercy of the Dark Axis _entirely_. There was no one to help him out of this mess. No Bakunetsumaru, no Zero, no Shute. He was alone.

_Now or never_, Captain thought with determination.

Using the last bit of power he had in his jetpack, he launched himself away from the wall and thrust himself through the air at the commander. Clenched hand drawn back and souldrive reeling as he attempted to activate, Captain Gundam poured every ounce of his energy into his fist and hoped with every fiber of his being that he could catch Commander Sazabi in the back of the head. His statistics reader told him that he would at _least_ knock him off his chair, and hopefully it would be with enough for to render the large Axian unconscious. After that, he could make a mad dash for the door, hopefully find some sort of firearm, and fight his way out until he could somehow manage to go through the Zakorello Gate back to Neotopia. He hoped. He _prayed_.

What he had not counted on was Sazabi's lightning fast reflexes. The commander stood swiftly and turned sharply on his heel with such insane _speed_ that Captain barely even remembered ever seeing him move. In an instant, the huge mech caught his fist in his hand and seized him by the throat with his other. Instantaneously, Captain found himself held up high off the ground by his neck in a crushing grip while the commander's other hand securely locked onto his still clenched right fist. There was no golden glow emanating from it, revealing that it had completely failed to activate. It was of little concern to Captain at the moment. As the airflow to his air pumps was cut off, Captain Gundam reached up with his other hand to futilely - _desperately_ - claw at the arm choking him. Sazabi's fingers were like vices and Captain could feel as the steady fingers pressed indents into his armor grimly.

Commander Sazabi's optic glowed menacingly. "_My_ turn."

It became very obvious that Captain Gundam had completely underestimated the commander. Not only was he impeccably quick, he was also brutishly strong. With a quick and simple squeeze, Sazabi crushed Captain's entire hand in his fist. The first thing that happened next was that Captain was bombarded with warning messages regarding the damage. Three pistons popped, all five digits were broken, a coolant tube was ruptured, and the ball joint that connected his hand to his wrist was dislocated and shattered in four places. The second thing that happened was that Captain was bombarded with _pain_. It shot up his arm and lashed him with the most intense agony he had ever felt in his entire life. He was completely unprepared for it. He had his arm blasted off once before - back when Bellwood's dimensional transport device was destroyed in the wake of Bakunetsumaru's arrival to Neotopia - but the pain sensors had at least been cut off at his shoulder when the limb was lost. _That_ pain had been swift and otherwise nonexistent. That was not the case this time around. His hand was still attached to his arm and was therefore still able to relay the pain signals to his processor where it could be registered. Captain dully felt as though he would have rather preferred being shot in the face. The boiling, searing, _unbelievable_ pain was all he could think about. A horrible scream cut through the air loud enough to make his audio receptors momentarily fizzle out so that he could only hear white noise, but it took him a moment longer to realize it had been his _own_ scream.

With a sharp snarl, the commander tossed him across the room. His strength was unbelievable, and Captain struck the opposite wall with such force that he saw barcode flash across his vision. The floor came up to meet him a moment later as he hit it with enough blunt force to knock the breath out of him. He thought that he might have blacked out for a second - in that time, the pain momentarily dissipated - but then it returned again at full force when he regained full consciousness mere clicks later. Immense pressure pushed down against his head, and Captain realized that the commander had his head under his boot. Out of the corner of Captain's tear blurred vision, he could see the commander's optic as it glowed brilliantly.

"Stop your struggling," Commander Sazabi said darkly. "You're not going _anywhere_."

**iii**

They destroyed his spirit as easily as Commander Sazabi destroyed his hand.

The eight or so Zako soldiers who had been called down to Commander Sazabi's office were brandishing electric prods as an extra precautionary measure, although Captain met them with practically no resistance. Any willpower to fight back had been crushed as his hand was. He was not a weakling by any means, but the damage that had been done had put him down in his place most definitely. Being pinned underneath Commander Sazabi's heel had not helped him either, although the commander had alleviated the pressure and eventually allowed the mech to sit in a corner of the room to nurse his mangled hand in quiet seclusion. Staying alive was Captain Gundam's top priority at the time - his friends needed him and dying on them was _not_ going to do the Gundam Force any good - and chancing a second escape attempt had the potential to be met with even more outrageous failure than his first. He did not think he could tolerate having two broken hands.

Commander Sazabi looked at the squadron of soldiers who entered the office with a discontented expression. "Where is Zapper Zaku?"

"Medical wing, sir," one of the Zakos replied with a taut salute. His voice was scratchy and slightly pitched. "He refused to leave Grappler unattended."

The commander snorted. "He'll answer to me for that. Take this Gundam down the holding cells and chain him. Zako Red will aid you. I don't want any more screw ups this time either. Understood?"

All the Zakos saluted stiffly, although Captain noted the uneasiness about them. Despite their rigid demeanor in front of the commander, they were still the same eccentric and otherwise weak soldiers that Captain Gundam had fended off in large numbers countless times before. That was certainly not going to be the case now. From out of a darkened corner in the office approached another Zako, this time sporting red armor rather than the standard olive green. A short commander fin jutted out form his helmet and his optic glowed a menacing amethyst as he spared a fleeting sideways glare at the Zakos present. Many of them shrunk back fearfully under the harsh stare of the new arrival as he stood at the front of the group and saluted to the commander at rigid attention.

Commander Sazabi nodded back. "Lieutenant Char, please remove this Gundam."

They advanced on him. At _first_ he tried to resist - this was with minimal effort, of course - but a sharp prod at the hip later rendered any further attempts of fighting back absurd. His wrists were painfully bound behind him in stasis cuffs as the soldiers shuffled around him and ushered him out of the room. Captain Gundam kept his head down as they led him out, but he spared a momentary sideways glance toward the commander standing stiffly behind his desk. The glaring color of his pink optic seared straight into his vision and the Gundam had to force himself to look away. If looks could kill, he would have died on the spot.

They brought him down several long, surprisingly well lit corridors before bringing him down a narrow passage that guided deeper into the _Magna Musai_. This particular portion of the ship's interior was less well kept and very blatantly had not seen activity for quite sometime. Through the dust motes suspended timelessly in the air, Captain Gundam could clearly see why. Smallish, cramped holding ells came up on his left and then more followed on his right. There was little light to illuminate the rest of the narrow passage as they moved deeper into the prison strip, and the Zakos eventually had to draw flashlights in order to see where it was that they were going. Through the pain throbbing in his bad hand and clouding his comprehension, he found the sight of the bobbing flashlight beams nauseating. After what felt like quite sometime, The Zakos and Zako Red reached a particularly decrepit cell on the left side and finally stopped at it.

Car looked over his shoulder and spoke for the first time. "This is far enough. Open the door."

The voice immediately pinged at Captain's memory banks. A Zako amongst the platoon stepped forward and produced a set of swipe cards on a ring and quickly shuffled through them before separating a card from the bunch and sliding it through the reader on the door's locking mechanism. It produced a shrill whine not a moment afterward and a red light blinked on the device.

Char tapped his foot impatiently. Captain Gundam could see the light from his lilac optic as it glowed with growing dissatisfaction. "Well?"

The Zako in question nervously glanced over his shoulder and laughed sheepishly before turning back to his work and trying again. He separated another card from the ring and ran it through the reader… only to have it garner the same results. The Zako spared another fidgety glance in the Zako Red's direction before trying again with a third card. Again, this prompted the same results as the previous two attempts. The cells very, very obviously had not seen prisoners for a long time. Captain Gundam was unsure as to whether or not this was supposed to make him feel better or worse. The Zako's hands shook as he quickly ran a fourth card through the reader, but this time he was able to release the breath he had been holding when the door finally clicked open. A light on the reader flashed green once, then the door swung open inward.

Char stepped forward and roughly shoved the Zako out of the way. He stepped into the cell in wide, confident strides to survey the inside of the prison space. Even the manner Zako Red carried himself in was oddly familiar, just as his voice was. With a satisfied snort of air through his vents, he stepped out. "Throw him in."

And none too gently, either. As soon as Char was well out of the way, the Zakos moved in close and roughly seized him. Captain was taken aback by their combined strength despite their small stature. He was used to fighting Zakos one on one because they were so spread out on the battlefields in Neotopia. In a crowd, they were particularly strong. With a shove, they forced Captain through the cell door so sharply that he lost his footing and slipped on the unexpectedly moist floor. He pitched forward and slammed the side of his head against the opposite wall, making static flare loudly in his audios as his head reeled from the blow. The crushed sensory nodes in his mangled hand screamed in pain and he had to bit back the agonized wail that tried to forcibly claw its way out of his vocalizer. He bit his glossa hard enough to taste processed oil in his mouth and he spared a teary glance back in the direction of the doorway. Light from all the flashlights aimed in his direction momentarily blinded him.

Char's voice resumed. "Remove the stasis cuffs."

The silhouette of a Zako moved into the cell slowly, hands slightly raised as if to defend himself. As his shape blotted out the blinding light, Captain could see that the small mech looked increasingly more and more terrified the closer he approached. The Zakos were all afraid of him - that much was plainly understandable - although they were compelled to do as Zako Red said because they were obviously more afraid of the lieutenant than the injured Gundam. This was not a deterrent for the fright they felt for Captain Gundam however, and so the fear was still present on the olive cast robot's optical lens. He kept his optic pinned on Captain as he knelt down and reached behind the Gundam's back to remove the stasis cuffs. They gave a prominent click as they were removed and the Zako instantly threw himself away from Captain. He sharply stood, turned, and raced out of the cell as quickly as his stumbling feet could carry. On the way out, he slipped in a puddle of water - this was actually one of several puddles - and he fell on his face with a heavy clamor of metal striking concrete. He scrambled back to his feet with a fearful squeak and launched himself out of the door.

Zako Red followed the retreating mech with his optic and scowled. "You cowards make me sick. Get out of here before I use you as cannonballs. I will meet you outside the prison wing shortly."

At first, the Zakos did not move. Even the mech who had frightfully rushed out of the cell did not budge from his position. Char glared at them hotly with enough potency to make a large majority of them wince back. "I said _move it!_"

Now all the Zakos fled, turning on their heels and rushing out of the room after one another. The sizzling of electric prods and the collective lights from their bobbing flashlights retreated after them. Char turned to watch them go in silence before turning back toward the open cell. He shined his own baton directly into Captain's optics and the Gundam turned his gaze downcast to avoid putting additional strain on his optics. Beneath him was a small puddle of water that rippled occasionally and Captain felt moisture tickle the back of his head. He deducted even without looking up that there was a leaky pipe suspended over his prison. This meant that he was very likely hidden under the _Magna Musai's_ boiler room. Most large aircraft carriers that relied on antigravity boosters used hot steam to help keep them suspended in the air. Blanc Base used to rely upon a similar means of staying airborne until they came up with the idea of suspending the base using a satellite junction. Given the overall mass of the _Magna Musai_ and entirely in spite of the _slightly_ less significant gradational pull in the Dark Axis dimension, a ship of its size and considerably low altitude - no more than four miles off the ground - would have had to rely on a similar means of staying in the air without plummeting.

Unfortunately, it also meant that he was deep inside the ship and hidden away. An attempted rescue on part of the SDG would have been met with guaranteed failure… although it was not as they had the means to get into the Dark Axis anyways. Not without risking their own lives trying to go through the Zakorello Gate or spending months trying to rebuild the dimensional transport device. There was no cavalry or daring rescue operation to save him.

The sound of approaching footfalls jarred him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Char walking casually into the cell. He had holstered his flashlight and was drawing closer, although he stopped shot of coming within several narrow feet of Captain and stood there with his arms crossed. He saw the look the Gundam spared toward the still open cell door and laughed. "Don't even _think_ about making a run for it," he said sharply in that familiar voice. "Given your current condition, you would be recaptured in a spark beat. We might not be so kind to you, after that."

"Commander Sazabi?" Captain tried. He raised his head to look at Zako Red.

Char did not recoil, although his optic flashed a bright amethyst in response. "You're very observant," he said thoughtfully. "Yes, I _am_ Commander Sazabi. Zako Red is a mostly insentient drone that I occasionally use as a puppet for high risk operations or undercover work. It's very useful when I want to be two places at once."

"Release me," Captain tried. It was a stupid thing to demand given his current state - he was in no position to be demanding _anything_ - although he honestly did not see the point of not trying anyways. "The consequences for your actions in unlawfully invading Neotopia will be severe

Zako Red threw his head back and laughed. His voice was musical and it made Captain's engine miss a thrum in his chassis. "Oh _please_. What I do with you or Neotopia is no longer something you have the right to object to. So long as you are here as a prisoner on this ship, you will no longer pose a threat to my operation."

"So why not kill me?" Captain asked bitterly. Behind his faceplate, he gnashed his teeth in rising frustration. "Why not just get if over with and make sure that I never cause you and your corrupt plans any problems ever again?"

The Zako puppet stopped laughing and glared harshly at Captain. While it was not the kind of look that would instill death upon others, it was paralyzing to be put under. Through Zako Red, Sazabi's voice was a low growl. "Let us get one thing straight, _Gundam_," he hissed. Zako Red made an inarticulate gesture with his hand. "You are a prisoner currently at _my_ mercy. Be very thankful that I don't intend to hand you over to Professor Gerbera to be feed to General Zeong. I have been generous to you thus far. Do not make me regret being so generous. Any antics from you and I might very well be tempted to break your _other_ hand as well as the rest of you. Simply killing you would be far too easy."

With that, Zako Red turned sharply on his heel and strutted toward the open cell door. Once he reached it and got to the outside, he turned and looked at Captain from where the Gundam sat sideways against the wall.

His optic flared. "Sweet dreams, _Captain_," he said. With that, he slammed the door shut. The rusted metal screamed with protest and it was violently swung shut. Without sparing as much as another glance toward him, he turned and walked out of sight. Captain was left alone in the darkness.

For the first time in his life since coming online in the safe security of Blanc Base in Neotopia, Captain Gundam curled into a ball nursing his shattered hand and bawled.

**iv**

He was _exhausted_.

It had been a very long night already, and today was looking bleaker and bleaker by the cycle when it came to seeking relief from the mounting stress. Going back into his private space - after taking a quick trip to the cafeteria for an early morning energon cube - and being met with Captain Gundam fully awake and functional was _not_ how he wanted to start his morning. Between his younger brother's decaying condition from the Clarke venom and the fact that he was now being hailed on a private frequency from the Fortress was by _no_ means a pleasant way to begin the day. And he was exhausted, on top of that.

He sat at his desk and lazily pulled himself close to his computer monitor. He clicked the holographic receiver button to answer the call coming in to him. "Commander Sazabi, answering from the _Magna Musai_."

On the monitor, Professor Gerbera's image appeared. The dark Gundam was completely clad in his Axian armor and his pink optic was alit with contempt. He and Professor Gerbera - or rather Madnug, as his real name was - had a decent friendship in which the Dark Axis second-in-command usually spoke to him without wearing his Axian disguise. It was only known amongst the thirteen invasion commanders that Gerbera was actually a Gundam, but Sazabi was the only mech he trusted enough to speak to him exposed. Fully adorned with his armor, Sazabi immediately knew that Professor Gerbera was all serious and certainly _not_ a happy camper. "_What. Happened._"

It should have been a question, although it certainly did not sound like one. Commander Sazabi kept as straight of a poker face as possible and tried to sound casual. "We had an accident. I'm presuming you read the mission report."

"_Yes_," Professor Gerbera replied flatly. His expression did not change and his optic appeared to flare with continually growing dissatisfaction. Professor Gerbera looked angry. While trying to prompt any emotions out of the Gundam was difficult enough, Sazabi felt momentarily unsettled that the blatant anger was coming to the usually compliant scientist so easily. Professor Gerbera resumed before Commander Sazabi could contemplate further. "_However, the report you sent me is considerably much less in-depth than standard requirements. I also find it increasingly difficult to believe that Grappler Gouf came in contact with foreign substance in Neotopia and single handedly managed to contract such serious symptoms… symptoms that match a Clarke venom allergic reaction, if the medical records are correct._"

_Uh oh_, the commander thought to himself. While Professor Gerbera was an incredibly resourceful mech, Sazabi had not suspected that the Dark Axis chief science officer would go as far as to actually look into Grappler Gouf's medical report so extensively. The jig was up. Commander Sazabi maintained his poker face perfectly, although he inwardly began to panic on the inside. "Clarkes do not exist in Neotopia."

"_I _also_ happen to know that a vial of Clarke venom is missing from my laboratory,_" the dark Gundam replied with icy bitterness. "_I do not like being made a fool of, _Stalemate."

"Speaking of your laboratory, do you think it would be possible for you to ship more antibiotics to the _Magna Musai? _We've run short and our medic is struggling to keep Lord Grappler Gouf stable with the weaker vaccines she has at her disposal now." He was becoming ever so slowly frantic about the hole he had dug himself. A hole that could potentially serve as a figurative grave. He was not the head commander of the entire invasion fleet for no reason - his strategic skills made him a valuable asset to the other twelve commanders when it came to achieving dimensional domination - and his ability to stay in General Zeong's good graces had certainly helped him maintain his status. This particular bit with the stolen Clarke venom had the potential to be a very serious problem for him. Stealing _anything_ from the Dark Axis Fortress - especially from Gerbera's personal laboratory - was a criminal offense and could be punishable in a less than pleasant manner. _Very_ unpleasant.

"_Do _not_ change the subject,_" Professor Gerbera said with crisp maliciousness. His voice had the warmth of liquid nitrogen. "_You _stole_ that vial from my laboratory. Eighteen Dogas and Doga Black, one of my _best_ pupils from the Doga Commando Four, lost his _life_ to retrieve the venom in that vial that I used for research purposes. It will cost us a fortune to fund the expedition and now I will have to fund another one to obtain another sample. There _will_ be serious consequences for your poor choice of actions, Stalemate. I cannot let this mishap slide by unpunished. End transmission._"

Professor Gerbera's face disappeared from the screen and the console went dark. A message popped up in the corner verifying that the transmission had been cut and the line was completely severed to prevent callbacks unless Gerbera decided to remove the block. Sazabi honestly doubted he would. From out of the shadows, Char approached the desk and looked expectantly at him. Exactly when he had come back, Commander Sazabi had no idea. While the Zakorello Color Guard agent was primarily used as a puppet, Char was otherwise still a functional Zako. Despite being mute and having no personality or genuine emotions to show, he was still able to obviously comprehend that his master was troubled.

With a heavy sigh, Stalemate Sazabi pinched his temples and buried his head in his hands. "Pitt, what the slag have I gotten myself _into?_"

Char did not answer. The Zakorello Color Guard agent continued to blankly stare at his master unblinkingly. Wordlessly. Silently.

At the same time, he was still exhausted.


End file.
