[Hathaway's Flash] Vol.03 Ch.04

CHAPTER.04
IN THE MORNING

　The antiquated freeways still bristled with telephone lines, vestiges of human habitation on this continent, tolerated by the Federation government. Now, these lines served as a critical communication link for Mafty.
　Ring... ring... ring...
　The phone booth, a relic on the freeway, rang out four times before falling silent at seven in the morning. The box's door, propped open by a young man puffing on his cigarette, stirred slightly as the ringing ceased. Casually, he scanned the freeway before sauntering towards his off-road bike.
　Pulling back his windbreaker hood, he listened to the ambient noise, only then kickstarting the gasoline engine. In this era dominated by electric vehicles, this engine had the power to threaten people's hearing, but for him, that sound seemed irreplaceable.
　Vroom!
　With a throaty growl, the bike hurtled through the landscape, stirring up bushes, zipping between jutting rocks on sandy grounds, and descending steep hills, tracing the crude road that was hewn out of a cliff, as if precariously close to plummeting into the sea. His bike reached the sea-sprayed edge.
　"Four rings!" The scruffy young man's voice, enraged, boomed out, and from the cave shadows, men and women sprung into action.
　"Alright!"
　"Quack Salver confirmed that the cabinet meeting is on schedule!"
　"Mafty! As planned, a full-scale attack!"
　"Hathaway!"
　They each dashed back into their respective caves to relay the information to their teams.
　"Gawman! As planned!" Emeralda reported to Gawman Nobile and his team waiting in a cave a few kilometers away through a landline phone.
　"Mafty." Emeralda caught sight of Hathaway following the last of the Xi Gundam crew, who came for breakfast and beckoned him.
　"Don't tell me. I already know... Fabio's team has been deployed for Minovsky particle dispersal, right?"
　"They already left long ago." To avoid any fuss from Emeralda about Gigi, Hathaway swiftly slipped in with the mechanic crew to grab a cup of soup. They used one of the tents as a windbreak, sharing a simple breakfast and ingesting their vitamins and anxiolytics.
　"To honor the souls of Captain Wedge and the crew of the Valiant, we must ensure the success of today's operation. Not only the Circe unit but also the government officials of Adelaide don't expect us to attack, thanks to the diversionary operation yesterday. Those few who may suspect will have no clue about our line of assault. The success of this operation is inevitable. Our target for attack is only the white building in the central park of the city, the Festival Center. If we can attack within thirty minutes from the start of the meeting, our purging operation will be completely accomplished. My only concern is--"
　Hathaway's speech was interrupted by a fit of coughing.
　"Are you okay?" Emeralda's concern was palpable.
　"Thanks... The uncertainty is the barrier, but we have received no information about it from Quack Salver. I hear a barrier has been set up along the outskirts, but its capabilities and whether it's fully operational remains unknown."
　"It must be a beam barrier," Civet Anhern chimed in, voice filled with certainty. It was a logical deduction, but no barrier of such kind had ever been erected on land before, thus fueling their apprehensions.
　"Yeah... Output and deployment status wasn't conveyed to the ministers, as usual with the Circe unit," he lamented.
　"Do we have any information beyond the deployment diagram we examined last night?" Raymond Cain and the other Galcezon Captains were most concerned about this, as they were tasked with the duty of retrieving the Messer after the attack.
　"I'm afraid not. Apart from staying clear of the outskirts of Adelaide airspace, where Galcezon might face resistance, there's not much we can do."
　"So, we march forward regardless?" It was the only comforting sentiment they could offer the anxious Galcezon pilots.
　"Masam... I want you to reconfirm with Kaussaria, Gresshend, Hamilton, and Rayo on that point."
　"Understood."
　"Now, let's sync our time. Get me the phone!" At Hathaway's behest, Masam placed the wired telephone receiver in front of him, a connection to the squad members unable to attend the meeting.
　"Time synchronization for Operation Adelade, code A... All combat clocks, sync time!"
　The procedure's manual nature served as a safeguard against potential radio disturbances while serving as a morale booster. They were united in purpose, an essential ritual transcending time. This marked the start of their choreographed operation. Depending on the situation, several stages of operational actions have been set. Zero hour for combat was eight in the morning. Thirty minutes later, each machine would launch.
　"You sure about this?" Raymond asked, nodding at the 1 Galcezon in the cave's depths immediately after the synchronization.
　"It's fine..."
　"Depending on how this plays out, you'd release Kimberley Heyman, too, right? And what about Gigi? I heard she's been imprisoned as well. Is that okay?"
　"If that's your understanding, proceed as such." Raymond, a man of simple ways, might interpret Hathaway's cold demeanor as harsh.
　"As you say!"
　Raymond clapped a hand on Hathaway's shoulder,
　"I understand the resolve for this mission is deathly serious, but unlike the others, I don't consider Gigi suspicious. I don't think of her as a prisoner, you know?"
　"Your sentiment is appreciated."
　Raymond seemed nettled by Hathaway's formal retort. Before the situation could further escalate, Hathaway shrugged off Raymond's hand and turned away.
　"What's gotten into you, Hatha?"
　"I'm fine... really..."
　Raymond could tell from Hathaway's slumped shoulders that he wanted to be left alone.
　"Ray..."
　Emeralda's voice reeled Raymond in, bringing him closer to her. He answered the invisible tug, placing his hand with a lover's familiarity on the curve of her waist.
　"He's prepared to die, isn't he..."
　"It's not that simple. Despite how he looks, Hathaway is strong. He's focused."
　As he spoke, Emeralda teasingly nudged her hips against his.
　"God, I want to believe that..."
　"Mmm... don't worry. That's why Hathaway released Gigi. Hatha is duty-bound."
　"I get that, Emer..." Raymond replied, his hands mirroring her earlier gesture by applying an equal amount of force to his own waist.
　"This morning was good. Tonight, I'll show you again how much I love you."
　"Hehe... If not, there's no point in living..."
　The last part didn't quite come out in words. Emeralda's lips had pressed against his, her tongue intertwining with Raymond's in his mouth.
　"..."
　This moment, heavy with a mix of anguish and sweetness, seemed to symbolize the mission's dance with death. A poignant silence was disrupted by the harsh bark of orders.
　"Alright, lovebirds! Gear up, we're moving out!"
　The voice was unmistakably Iram Masam's.
　"…!"
　Neither of them said anything more. Their farewell was silent and swift, their lips parting, eyes breaking away from each other. Emeralda, with a determined swing of her legs, ascended the ladder to the Galcezon. Raymond stepped into the ship's bridge, no longer seeking her with his gaze. Once on the Galcezon's deck, Emeralda effortlessly clambered up her Messer's rope, slipping back into her familiar role as a mobile suit pilot.
　"Miss Gigi," Raymond's voice was clear and firm, "Whatever was said, forgive him, okay?"
　"About Hathaway?" Gigi Andalusia, huddled in the corner of Raymond's bridge, blinked in surprise at his words.
　"Yeah, it's a mission that requires a lot of concentration. So, he probably didn't want any complicated conversations."
　Raymond's forthrightness and insensitivity were his defining traits.
　"Thank you. I've been... a strange source of worry," she confessed. "Once we engage, even though I'm a potential spy here, I won't cause any issues, right?"
　Raymond's reply was firm, "That's why we aren't entertaining any notions of leaving you behind. You're our good luck charm. We can't afford to lose that."
　"..."
　Raymond, amid his checks for anomalies on the console panel with his crew, hoped his words wouldn't be misinterpreted by his colleagues.
　"Besides, you should also experience the terror of combat. It's a good experience to have."
　"Fair enough. I suppose I must face some form of punishment..." Gigi offered a small, resigned smile to Raymond, the good-natured, rugged man.
　"Unit 1, taking off!"
　"Copy that!"
　With his co-pilot's acknowledgment, Raymond's voice filled the cabin, the roar of a proper captain ready for battle. Masam and the rest of the operation staff and mechanics who were waiting in front of the Galcezon confirmed the launch state with the machines in the left and right tunnels and reported back. Red flashlights were swung widely from left to right, signaling Raymond's machine to take off.
　The mechanics remained with the Galcezon, prepping for the next rendezvous point. The hum of Raymond's engine reverberated through the frame. He picked up the microphone,
　"To Captain Kimberley Heyman and the rest in the rear cabin! We are heading to Adelaide. Depending on the situation, we might release you nearby. However, if we're shot down before then... well, my apologies. Be ready."
　The only machine carrying anything other than weapons and ammunition was Raymond's.
　Gigi and Heyman, and the other four prisoners...
　They, too, were still confined, seemingly on the verge of being crushed by spare missile warheads and bombs.
　"Captain... Did Kenneth Sleg take any action to rescue us?"
　His adjutant's words were the last grumble of discontent.
　Kimberley Heyman, weary from lamenting their inability to return to space, merely dropped his gaze to the floor in the dim darkness, his breath hitching.
　After Raymond finished speaking, the body of the Xi Gundam slowly drifted from right to left off the coast in front of them.
　The launch had begun.