[EXCLUSIVE] - Gaia Gear Ch.07 (Full)

Chapter.07
FAREWELL

1

　Affranchi Char found himself poised at the brink of an edifice, its depth akin to the bowels of the earth, his gaze intent upon the monolithic machine before him. Yet, from his perch on the balcony, the entirety of the machine eluded him. In a rising tide of frustration, Affranchi attempted to glean an understanding of the whole from the scant fragment he could perceive. In doing so, his expression morphed into something terrifying. But Everly, clinging to Affranchi's arm, did not miss the change that came over Affranchi's face as she stared intently at it.
　"Affranchi..." Everly's words were sharp with fear, feeling as though he had been standing there for an eternity.
　"Just wait," Affranchi said, though his words belied a different meaning.
　"What?"
　As Affranchi released Everly's hand and ascended the gravity-defying staircase against the wall, the widening chasm between them felt like a symbol of despair.
　"Affranchi..." With a hoarse voice, Everly followed.
　"Everly...this is fate...so..."
　Affranchi climbed the metallic stairs, casting fleeting glances at a small chamber resembling the entrance to a crypt where the secretary and the white man had disappeared.
　"Is that man trying to incite me to shout 'Sieg Zeon'? Sieg Zeon... The glorious Zeon, the radiant Zeon..."
　The handrail was thick with dust, marring his hands. Everly could only watch Affranchi's retreating form.
　Fear— a visceral, inevitable response— surged within her as she watched the man she loved being steered by an invisible hand toward a world alien and cryptic.
　"But," Everly thought.
　Everly struggled to persuade herself that allowing Affranchi to follow his own path was the right course of action. She had intended to bid him farewell once they reached the port in Hong Kong.
　Thus, she had spent their voyage on the ship, fervently engraving every aspect of Affranchi into her memory. She loved him with every fiber of her being. His physique, his words, his gestures, his entire essence—she endeavored to remember it all. That was why Everly hadn't slept on the ship.
　Their brief honeymoon on the island had been but a brief chapter in their lives...
　However, the opportunity to part from Affranchi never materialized due to the haughty woman who appeared to be concerned solely with business. Seeing that woman, Everly was seized with the dread that she might take Affranchi away.
　And upon seeing the machine in this place, Everly thought, "This machine... it's capable of taking lives."
　"Then! Perhaps it's better if I end Affranchi's life with my own hands." She couldn't comprehend how such a notion had arisen.
　Yet those horrifying words sent shivers down Everly's spine.
　Thus, she paused midway down the dimly lit staircase, leaning against the dust-laden handrail and catching her breath, her shoulders heaving.
　Affranchi was now a figure seemingly oblivious to Everly's plight. She thought her heart might stop beating. Affranchi was ascending the stairs, getting swallowed by the darkness above.
　Gazing up at Affranchi's receding form, Everly couldn't dispel the sensation that her impetuous thought wasn't entirely misguided. It was a truly horrifying impulse, yet...
　"If I can end his life efficiently, Affranchi's body, his gestures, everything as it is now, would all belong to me!"
　This warped logic appeared to Everly as an incontrovertible truth. There was no rationale for such thinking, but it felt undeniable.
　"I should push him down." With that thought, and the intent to execute it, Everly peered below.
　In the faint illumination emanating from an indiscernible source, she could see the floor at the base of the machine. It seemed unforgiving enough to shatter whatever plummeted onto it.
　"…!"
　Everly glanced back at Affranchi, then down at the floor again. But the sight on the floor caused her to shriek.
　"Ah!"
　She saw a figure staggering in the dim light filtering from the edge of the floor.
　Then,
　Brrrrrt!
　The thunderous report of a machine gun echoed within the confined space. The staggering figure's limbs flailed wildly in the air like a marionette before collapsing. The face that looked up at Everly was the familiar one of Baam Segen, the middle-aged white man who had just been with them.

2

　"Find the switch!"
　"Hey! It's the machine! Isn't this the same one from before?!"
　"In a place like this?!"
　"Are you kidding me! Is he trying to stage a war single-handedly?"
　"The rumors about him being a rebel were true!"
　"?"
　Amidst these voices, Affranchi heard a sound akin to a helicopter rotor reverberating throughout the building.
　"There were only men! Three more should have entered this building! Find them!"
　"Everly!"
　Upon hearing Affranchi's muffled call, Everly lifted her gaze to the stairs, but he was nowhere in sight.
　"Affranchi?"
　She ascended the staircase, probing the near-darkness. Affranchi was standing atop the machine, but by the time Everly spotted him, he was attempting to descend.
　A cloud of dust seemed to be whirling around him.
　"Stay close to the wall!"
　Only Affranchi's voice punctuated the silence.
　"Affranchi?"
　As Everly backed against the wall, she could just make out the faint sound of multiple footsteps drawing closer through the wall.
　Whrrrrr
　What was that noise?
　It was a faint sound, like the grating of hard substances against each other.
　"What!"
　"The machine has booted up!"
　A voice that seemed to well up from the very bowels of the earth abruptly vanished from Everly's immediate vicinity.
　"..."
　The fear of losing sight of Affranchi...
　Everly held her breath.
　Vrrrrn!
　"Is that an eye?"
　That shining object lit up a few meters above Everly in the darkness.
　At the same time,
　Whirrrrr...
　A strange, mechanical sound filled the enclosed space.
　The vibration created by that sound had the power to awaken every cell in her body. It was not a roar, but a low yet periodically high-frequency sound, evoking ecstasy.
　"The machine is operational!"
　That cry erupted from directly beneath Everly,
　And a solitary shadow leapt into Everly's field of vision.
　"Eek!"
　The sound, caught in her throat, seemed to approach Everly.
　"Found you!"
　The man's voice struck her ears with a palpable force as if to drive away the fear. The man, having recoiled once, advanced towards Everly again, his body slamming into the handrail.
　"Affranchi!"
　In the darkness, Everly saw the rod in the man's hand emitting a glow.

3

　Everly's primal reflexes sent her nimble body swerving to evade the man's initial assault. Caught in the tumult of his emotions, Affranchi grasped the reality of the situation as his feelings were severed by the psycho-wave emanating from Everly's reflexive action. Everly had reverted to her base instincts. It was a response both robust and pure. Driven by the simple need to protect herself, Everly sidestepped the man's baton and sprinted towards the handrail.
　"Affranchi!"
　In the square space filled with artificial light, Everly realized that Affranchi seemed to be seated.
　"Jump, Eva!"
　At the forceful command, Everly's mind went blank. She was sure that all she needed to do was obey that voice. Using the handrail as a pivot, Everly vaulted into the unseen expanse.
　Her body sailed through the air unimpeded. No, only that euphoria-inducing noise seemed to envelop Everly.
　"Affranchi!"
　That single phrase detonated in Everly's mind, and she found herself thinking that even if she were to die in error, it would be fine. For at this moment, Everly's body was airborne, propelled by Affranchi's will! But reality was more solid and unforgiving. Her body tumbled onto another platform, raising a cloud of dust.
　"Ouch!"
　The impact taught her pain.
　Whrrrrr
　Whrrrrr
　Whrrrrr
　That noise seemed to solidify into a barrier against reality, distancing itself from the euphoria. It was a discordant bark.
　"…!"
　Artificial light surged towards Everly.
　"We're getting out of here!"
　In the hazy light, Affranchi appeared to be saying this. The ambiance of men scrambling along the surrounding walls rapidly receded.
　"Eh? What?"
　Everly couldn't comprehend Affranchi's words.
　"This machine is their target. It seems it shouldn't be here."
　"Is that so?"
　"Let's go!"
　The space from which the artificial light emanated didn't appear to be spacious.
　Everly, grabbing Affranchi's hand, jumped from the foothold into that light.
　Glancing back, Everly realized that what she had been standing on resembled a gigantic Buddha's hand.
　Boom!
　The frenzied maelstrom of light, dust, concrete, and bricks erupted abruptly.
　Under the ensuing pressure, Everly's body was thrust against Affranchi's chest.
　"Attack!"
　For a moment, that word ran through Affranchi's mind.
　Even so, that sound did not exist within Affranchi.
　"Tch!"
　Affranchi felt a spark ignite within him, his primitive side. This was a frustration experienced when a mind and senses attuned to the rhythms of nature - like the ebb and flow of the tide, the course of the wind, and the rise of the sun - were forced to adjust to jarring artificial alterations.
　At that time, the mind may go mad, but if it is a mind that has definitively experienced and comprehended the violence of natural changes, it can possess the resilience to deal with these artificial changes.
　"Those who try to destroy this man-machine are dangerous."
　"Why?"
　"Because there are those who have labeled this machine to be an enemy." Affranchi's response was blunt to Everly.
　It was nothing more than an obvious logic and did not answer Everly's "Why?".
　So, she stopped thinking.
　"Are we going to die?"
　"Many people live around this building. It's okay to let this machine be destroyed as it is, but then we would die too."
　Affranchi was not yet able to accurately answer Everly's question with a replay of his memory. He had switched to explaining the situation.
　With a thunderous BOOM! The vicinity was periodically illuminated by blinding flashes as cascades of debris mushroomed around. Despite this, Everly no longer felt the pressure.
　Affranchi was in front of what appeared to Everly as a complicated instrument panel, manipulating what lay to his left and right.
　"Why?" she questioned.
　The scene was intensely violent, searing itself onto her vision as though it were scorched onto her skin. The confined space she inhabited trembled fiercely. Yet, oddly, her skin felt no sensation.
　"We're surrounded as if we're inside a television screen," Affranchi stated, an expression on his face that Everly had never seen before.
　"Affranchi? You are...." She continued her inquiry once the shaking subsided.
　"Who are you?"
　"?!".
　Affranchi, engrossed in deciphering the myriad of numbers and symbols displayed on the surrounding screens, ignored her question.
　"I seem to know nothing of the world, so I do not wish to die right now."
　Affranchi placed Everly on his lap.
　"That man... he referred to you as Casval Char..." she murmured.
　"We're breaking out! If we reach the sea, we should be able to minimize the damage!"
　Ignoring Everly, Affranchi manipulated the machines to his left and right.
　"Ah!"
　Everly's weight settled onto Affranchi's knees. Finally, it seemed the machine had begun to move.
　A deep groan escaped Everly's throat.
　The cacophony of mangled sounds echoed from outside, surreal and distorted.
　"Affranchi?"
　Before she could steady her breath, the torrent of debris vanished as if by some cosmic sleight of hand.
　A nocturnal panorama unfolded before her - Hong Kong's glittering jewels scattered across the dark canvas of the sea, with island silhouettes darting past.
　But then, a searing, fiery apparition streaked across the sky, faster than any seagull's shadow.
　As Everly found herself nestled between Affranchi's elbows, he deftly manipulated the levers on either side of him.
　Her body, caught in the dance of their flight, leapt in all directions.
　In her disarray, Everly reached back for the backrest, careful not to impede Affranchi's sight.
　Affranchi's growl reverberated in her ears.
　The relentless THUD THUD THUD!
　As she pressed herself against Affranchi, the world outside shifted with dizzying speed.
　The silhouettes of sinister, artificial birds flitted left and right, their pursuit relentless.
　"A helicopter?"
　"It's not just a helicopter! It's a Minovsky Craft," Affranchi replied.
　Once more, the craft spewed forth a geyser of flames, exploding in a thunderous roar. The fire streaks etched their fury onto the heavens.
　That was…
　"Savage!" Everly murmured.
　Even amidst the afterglow of the inferno, she glimpsed the hues of insanity.
　The scintillating pattern of lights from Hong Kong's underbelly seemed to mock her from below.
　"Ah!!"
　The black sea surged towards them, a wall of darkness threatening to swallow them whole.
　"Affranchi!" she cried out, her voice trembling with terror.

4

　"Hold on!" Affranchi's voice chilled Everly to the core.
　She could scarcely believe that he was operating the machine, let alone fathom why he would do so.
　"How can you control it?!"
　THUMP!
　The black veil of the sea sped past them, and abruptly, a wall of white waves rose, their foamy tendrils streaking in curtains to either side.
　CRASH!
　Suddenly, the illumination from a sightseeing ship that had appeared in her field of vision sped away as if making a sound.
　"I'm not confident in my piloting. Everly, I'm having you get off! You need to return to the island!"
　"What about you, Affranchi?"
　"I will escape. It seems like this world brands those involved with this machine as dangerous. I will definitely come to pick you up, so until then, don't leave the island!"
　Clearing the silhouette of Hong Kong Island, Affranchi steered them northward to a smaller island shadow. It seemed they had temporarily evaded their pursuers, but their discovery was an inevitability waiting in the wings.
　"Will you really come back for me?"
　Everly's question hung in the air, heavy and fraught.
　"Of course, Everly."
　His voice, for that fleeting moment, was the familiar cadence she clung to. His breath brushed her ear, becoming one with the wind. By that time, the island loomed before them.
　"Why can you operate this... thing?"
　"I have memories... just fragments. That's all."
　His words carried the weight of despair.
　"That's right... I'm not the son of Gaba Suu..."
　This truth dawned on him.
　But wasn't that exactly why Everly loved Affranchi Char?
　"I guess I have a weakness for that sort of thing..."
　She sighed.
　"From here, go back to Hong Kong and board a ship. Take this money with you."
　Affranchi handed the small amount of money in a coin purse to Everly.
　That was the last thing he could do for her. The machine he piloted descended amidst the trees and touched down. A gentle tremor dispelled the sensation of weightlessness in her body.
　"Be careful where you step..."
　Affranchi tilted the machine's body forward as far as it would go, extending his hand to the cockpit's edge.
　"Just... one kiss."
　"Everly."
　With that, Affranchi offered his lips to Everly.
　In that moment, a single tear traced its path down her cheek.
　And so, Everly forgave Affranchi, stepping onto the machine's manipulator, which sprawled like an ancient Buddha's hand.
　In her sight, Affranchi, a small figure bathed in a spectral glow within the square cockpit, seemed to recede into the distance.
　"Affranchi..."
　Affranchi didn't meet her gaze, pretending to be engrossed in the machine's controls. Everly knew it was a pretense.
　"He can't bear to look... Can he?"
　Affranchi's vision blurred with unshed tears as he studied the multiple displays. Some screens flickered with computer graphics, detailing the manipulator's movements, the intricate dance between the machine and the earth.
　Absorbed in this, Affranchi's hand found the left arm lever.
　"Ah..."
　Everly's soft exclamation faded into silence. Affranchi's attention snapped to the left monitor.
　An enemy helicopter was closing in.
　"Goodbye, Everly!"
　Affranchi's whisper was lost as the machine leapt skyward. Everly, now on her knees, looked up at the colossal figure ascending gently into the night.
　Her dress fluttered wildly, tugged by the machine's gusty wake as if trying to tear itself from her. Everly folded into her sorrow.
　As the machine began to tilt, Affranchi pushed the Minovsky motor to maximum output.
　THUD, THUMP!
　Tree branches splintered, making way for the towering figure of the machine carrying Affranchi heavenward.
　CRACKLE!
　Another fiery streak bisected Affranchi's display from left to right.
　"What now?!"
　Affranchi knew there was only one thing that could eclipse the torment of leaving Everly behind: madness. A welcome madness to drown sentimentality.
　Indeed, the sight of four enemy helicopters sent his pulse racing.
　In that moment,
　FLASH!
　A blinding flare – a homing missile. The thought of impending death threatened to consume him.
　But,
　BOOM!
　In the midst of the roaring blaze and its blinding flash, Affranchi saw something peculiar on his display.
　"A barrier?!"
　Centered around the humanoid machine – his machine – a near-perfect dashed circle took shape, tracing the missile's path.
　That was it.
　The flash of the explosion ripped through the space around Affranchi, but the barrier held.
　Even that dazzling light was dulled by the display's filter.
　"Direct hit! Confirmed! But...!"
　"The machine stood its ground! Looks like an antique mobile suit, yet it didn't falter!" Affranchi picked up these frantic voices.
　"Hong Kong MHA! MHA! MHA! This is no error! Confirm it!"
　"It's no error!"
　Those were the desperate cries of the helicopter crew that had attacked Affranchi's machine.
　"MHA?"
　Affranchi, intrigued by the odd acronym, scanned the cockpit computer's data. He didn't ponder why he was able to navigate the system so effortlessly. Among several entries linked to "MHA,"
　"Earth Federation Government, Police Organization, Special Investigation 13th Division, commonly referred to as the Manhunt Bureau—abbreviated as MHA."
　He read aloud, comprehension dawning.
　"I see..."
　This revelation curbed Affranchi's budding insanity. Another reason to retain his sanity surfaced.
　"They mentioned a shuttle launch tonight..."
　Affranchi brought up a map on the display, located the shuttle's launch rail position, and nudged his machine onto the appropriate trajectory.
　"But can this contraption even make it to space?"
　His machine accelerated, leaving the pursuing helicopters trailing in its wake.
　"Request the Earth Federation Forces Air Force to scramble! The enemy machine's objective is unknown. Its range is substantial!"
　Such frantic calls from his pursuers were music to Affranchi's ears.
　"I'll force the shuttle to launch."
　Decision made, Affranchi passed an island and spotted the long rail of the shuttle launch site. He maneuvered his machine closer to the cluster of buildings and the hangar at the rail's starting point.
　In front of the hangar, the imposing silhouette of a three-stage shuttle loomed, ready for launch. Affranchi landed his machine alongside the shuttle, peering into its cockpit window.
　Inside, two crew members were engaged in their final pre-flight checks.
　"Captain! I'm commandeering this shuttle."
　The crew member, caught off-guard, gawked at Affranchi's machine, momentarily forgetting to flee. "Take this machine into space!"
　Affranchi's voice resounded directly in the shuttle's cockpit through his machine's communicator.
　"Impossible! We can't load such massive cargo this close to launch!"
　Regaining his senses, the captain yelled back.
　"Even if we could, it would take time to prep. By then, MHA would have you cornered!"
　"Then don't use the final stage. Use the first two stages to reach geosynchronous orbit!"
　"What?!"
　"I'll rip your cockpit apart with this machine's hand if I must!"
　Affranchi maneuvered the machine's manipulator, making a flicking gesture towards the cockpit window.
　"W-wait!"
　The captain's plea was almost pitiful. Affranchi, observing his reaction, was struck by an unsettling feeling.