Before anyone says anything, yes, I know it's been almost three years since the last update. Let's just say real life's been pretty hard, and university's really had it in for me with ungodly work loads. Rest assured, though, I am still alive, and I am going to finish this story, and the sequel(s) to come. So... hopefully you'll all stick with me.

If any of my old readers are still here, I thank you for your patience and apologize for such a lengthy delay. This isn't a return to a regular updating schedule, and I will not make any promises for when the next chapter will come out. However, you have to understand that me writing this doesn't put food on the table, nor does it pull my grades up any, so I must prioritize. I hope for your kind understanding.

That said, on with the show!

Phase 22: In the Name of Justice

May 8, C.E. 71

Thirteen Kilometers from the JOSH-A Crater

Kira and Chris proceeded down the hill, leaving the Freedom and Ark standing at the hilltop as they approached the crew of the Archangel – the men and women… no, the friends they had sworn to protect. Judging from the looks in their eyes, it was obvious that none of them really believed that both pilots were really alive, and that they were in fact just phantoms of the dead.

Kira stopped in front of the assembled crew, and gave a small, reassuring smile. "I guess we got here just in time," the brunet said, more than a little sheepishly, yet there was no mistaking the warmth in his tone.

Beside him, Chris chuckled. "That we did. We didn't plan on cutting it so close, but it wouldn't have looked as heroic if we arrived any earlier," he said, his light, humorous tone making it plain that he was just trying to lighten the mood.

"Is it really you?" Murrue asked shakily. "Kira? Chris?"

Kira and Chris shared a look before the former nodded. "Yeah… it's us," he replied. "We're back."

"Kira!" Miriallia shouted as she ran forward, unable to contain the tears that were now spilling down her cheeks. She hugged Kira as Sai and many of the ship's other crewmembers gathered around him, patting him on the back and giving him both joyful greetings and thanks for saving them once again. In the whirlwind of it all, Kira swore that he even heard someone ask him if he was a ghost or not.

While a crowd was forming around Kira, Chris walked up to Liz, who was rooted to where she was standing. She was refusing to meet Chris' eyes, something which hurt him yet something he also understood at the same time. It wasn't easy when someone you cared deeply for – someone who was supposed to be dead, at that – just shows up again.

Chris scratched his cheek. "Hey… I'm back, Liz," he said. "I know what I did was pretty stupid, and I'm pretty sure you want to hit me for it. Well, don't let me stop you this time. I deserve it for doing something like that, after all." He closed his eyes and spread his arms out, expecting his sister to take him up on the offer. He heard rapid steps approach, and braced himself for the blow to come…

It never came. Surprise flooded Chris as a body suddenly collided with him, almost taking him off his feet with the force of the impact. Opening his eyes, Chris found Liz embracing him tightly, tears streaming down her face.

"Chris…" Liz said as she held onto him like a lifeline. "You… you're alive…"

"I'm sorry, Liz…" Chris whispered as he wrapped his own arms a little more gently around his sister. "I'm really sorry… I won't let something like this happen again. I promise…"

As the two siblings shared a very private moment, John and Mu now got their chance to converse with Kira as the excitement of the less reserved crewmembers finally started to die down.

"Looks like you aren't an easy person to kill, Kira," John said, smiling slightly as he gave Kira a gentle pat on the shoulder. "It's good to see that you're still among the living. If you and Chris hadn't arrived when you had, I'm sure none of us would be standing here right now."

Kira shook his head. "We didn't do anything special," he replied, rather embarrassed at the praise being given to him.

Mu chuckled, giving the brunet an enthusiastic slap on the back. "Always the humble one, aren't you?" he said.

"Yeah, that's Kira for you." Everyone turned to see Chris walking over, an arm still wrapped around a clearly emotional Liz who seemed unwilling to let go of her brother. "Never knew how to just accept anything good someone says about him."

Kira gave Chris a mock scowl as everyone laughed good-naturedly, but let a small smile cross his lips as he turned back to everyone. "Well… I suppose you must all have a couple of million questions for me," he said. In truth, he also needed to have his own questions answered. He needed to know whether their respective paths were headed in the same direction.

"Nah, just a million," Mu replied with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

Kira's eyes held a spark of amusement at the Commander's antics. "And I have quite a few questions for you guys, as well," he replied.

"Yeah, well… a lot has happened…" Mu said, hesitating for a moment before pressing on while trying to sound as casual as he could. "So… are you two with ZAFT now?"

Kira and Chris shared a meaningful look, the latter taking up the cue to respond. "We… were at the PLANTs for a while," he said, noting the suddenly downcast expressions of their friends.

"But we're not part of ZAFT," Kira stated resolutely. "And we're not part of the Earth Forces anymore, either."

There were a few gasps in the crowd along with some startled and confused expressions, but Murrue and Mu both nodded as if they had expected such a statement.

"I understand, Kira, Chris. There are definitely some things we'll need to talk about," she said, pausing as she glanced at the two winged mobile suits standing side-by-side. "First, these two machines of yours: what should we do with them?"

At that, Kira's eyes hardened as his face set into determined lines. "If you're talking about maintenance and resupplying, there's no need for that right now," he replied. "Because these two machines are equipped with Neutron Jammer Cancelers."

To say that the revelation was shocking was an understatement. For so long, nobody had believed that the N-Jammer effects could ever be neutralized, yet here were two mobile suits that were doing just that. It also fuelled another feeling in the hearts of many, one that quickly overrode the shock: fear. There was a genuine fear and horror as to what could happen with regards to the war should this technology get out.

"N-Jammer… Canceler…" Mu repeated, unable to mask his surprise.

"You mean these machines are nuclear-powered?" Jackie Tonomura, one of the Archangel's bridge crew, asked, still unwilling to believe it in spite of the Freedom and Ark standing right there in front of him.

"Where'd you get these things?" Chandra chimed in.

Kira frowned; this was exactly what he'd wanted to avoid.

"If you start asking about specifics, you're not going to get anything from either of us and we'll have to leave," he warned, the deadly seriousness in his tone silencing any more questions. "And… even if we had to fight you, we wouldn't let you take these machines from us."

"That's right," Chris said, moving to stand beside Kira. "We were entrusted with them, and we promised we'd take care of them and the hopes they represent."

Murrue sighed lightly, wondering when it was that the two boys had grown up. "Very well, I understand. You have my word that no one will touch your machines or the equipment inside of them," she said, before turning to the rest of the gathered crew. "Is that clear?"

"Ma'am!" they responded as one.

Kira nodded, satisfied with the response. "Thank you for understanding."

"Well, then…" Mu said. "We should probably finish this up inside."

Kira nodded. "Yeah… I guess so."

"Before we do, though… Kira, Chris, I have a favor to ask of you," John suddenly spoke up from where he'd been silent for most of the conversation.

Both teens eyed the older man just a little bit warily. "What is it?" Kira replied.

John motioned in the direction of the Archangel. "Could you take my GINN and lay it out on the beach for me?" he replied solemnly, understanding both teens' reactions. "My old friend's time is up. Even if we can get it into a full workshop setting, it's taken far too much damage for us to bring it back to full working condition – even if we cannibalize that other GINN. I… want to give him a proper send-off."

Kira and Chris looked at the damaged GINN still sprawled on the Archangel's upper deck, and then at each other for a moment, before Kira turned back to John and nodded. "I understand."

It took but a few minutes for the Freedom and Ark to carry the crippled mobile suit off the Archangel and lay its irreparable form out on the beach a safe distance away from the ship. As the two mobile suits stepped away, John pulled a detonator out of his flight suit's pocket. Kira immediately understood what it was he planned to do, and couldn't help but try to imagine what was going through the older man's mind.

John looked once, sadly, at his GINN as memories of all their battles together flooded him. It wasn't his first mobile suit, but it was the one that had seen him through all the major battles of the war to date with minimal failures. It was easy to see why he'd grown attached to the mobile suit, and it pained him to have to part with it. However, its tenure of service had run its course, and it was time for John to give his beloved mobile suit its funeral pyre.

"So long, partner. I couldn't have asked for a better comrade," John said as he hit the button, saluting his GINN as it began its self-destruct sequence before exploding in a massive fireball. Behind him, the Archangel's crew had saluted the GINN as well, in respect and tribute to everything it had done for them since their battles against the Desert Tiger.

Within the Freedom, Kira had also raised his hand in a salute to the destroyed GINN, silently thanking it for having protected the Archangel for so long.

ZAFT Headquarters

Aprilius One

Athrun made his way through the chaos of ZAFT's command center, Tomoyo trailing behind him as he wove through the numerous ZAFT officers frantically rushing to and fro trying to get more information on the current situation. He was anxious to hear more about Operation Spitbreak and hopefully get news about Yzak, but orders were orders. Maybe he'd be able to ask for more information when he saw his father.

And… he also wanted to confirm if what he'd heard from Commander Yuki was true. He just couldn't believe that Lacus had assisted a spy in stealing one of their prototype mobile suits. He didn't want to believe it, and he refused to believe it. Someone like Lacus – who was as strong an advocate of a peaceful resolution to the war as anyone else out there – would never have done something like this!

His thoughts made him hesitate to open the door to the Supreme Council Chairman's office – the office of his father. He held the handle of the door with a death grip, yet somehow just lacked the strength to push the door open. He was scared, not of the man waiting on the other side, but of what he might learn from the encounter. Would he be told that Lacus was a spy? Would he… be ordered to detain or even kill her?

A soft hand on his shoulder jolted him out of his painful reverie. Looking back, he saw Tomoyo gazing at him intently, almost knowingly. There was concern in her eyes, along with a quiet intensity and focus that, if anything, seemed to at least keep at bay the pain that was still clearly reflected in those sapphire-like orbs.

"You'll have to face him sooner or later," she said quietly. "You can't run from him, and you can't run from reality, either… but what you can do is face it, and then make your choices from there."

Athrun nodded, taking his hand off the handle to grip the quiet girl's own as it lay on his shoulder. "Thank you," he said as he moved to open the door.

"Athrun Zala and Tomoyo Asahara, entering!" he called as the pair stepped through the door. Athrun saluted while Tomoyo simply stood at attention, unable to complete the same gesture due to her injured arm.

Patrick Zala was behind his desk, discussing matters intently with two high-ranking ZAFT officers, but he nevertheless noticed the new arrivals.

"Wait a minute," he called to the pair before turning back to the two officers at his desk.

"Sir!" Athrun and Tomoyo replied.

One officer glanced down at the papers he held in his hand. "The Earth Alliance used a Cyclops System," he said. "We found the remains of a large-scale array located beneath what was left of the base."

"And what of Le Creuset?" Zala asked.

"He's with the group of survivors heading for Carpentaria. While he hasn't reported in yet, we do know he's safe."

"When he reaches Carpentaria, contact him and inform him that I want a full report immediately," the Chairman ordered.

The officer saluted. "Yes, sir."

Behind Athrun and Tomoyo, another officer entered the room. "Sir, Eileen Canaver and Commander Ian Kessel are requesting an emergency meeting on JOSH-A. Councilor Canaver and the council members have gathered in the meeting chamber, while Commander Kessel is still on his way."

Zala scowled at the mention of Kessel's name. He was getting a migraine and problems like Kessel were arising fast enough to not help things any. "I need an objective assessment of the situation," he said, ignoring the new arrival. "How many we lost, estimates on our remaining fighting strength, and where the hell is the Clyne family?!"

The officer flinched at the Chairman's outburst, almost stuttering his reply. "W-we don't know, sir. It appears that Clyne had an escape route prepared well in advance. It may take some time to find them."

"Inform the Justice Department!" Zala said angrily. "Canaver and the other council members that support Clyne are to be detained immediately! The same goes for Kessel!"

"But, sir-!"

"Lacus Clyne was seen consorting with an enemy spy! Now she and her father are missing while the plans to Operation Spitbreak and the information regarding its true target were leaked to the enemy!" Zala replied, slamming his desk in barely-contained fury. "It's obvious even to a child what happened! Clyne betrayed us! Now Canaver and that bastard Kessel are demanding answers from me?! They're the ones to blame! Yes… in fact they're the ones that are probably hiding them! Of course! That's the only explanation!"

Athrun was stunned by everything he was hearing. His father had essentially ordered the removal of every moderate council member, leaving him and the radicals unopposed. He was very much aware of the political rivalry that existed between his father and Lacus' father and Commander Kessel, but he had never expected the man to ever go to these lengths. While Athrun wasn't much for politics, it didn't take a thorough understanding of the complex mechanics involved for him to understand that this was gross misuse of any leader's power and authority, without even proper confirmation of what was fact and what wasn't.

Tomoyo, as well, was in disbelief. The Supreme Council Chairman was a position meant to ensure smooth cooperation between the five committees, and to serve as an overall voice to the public. She had always known that Zala was a very vocal advocate of the war, and clashed frequently with the former Supreme Council Chairman, Siegel Clyne, on various fundamental issues including not only the war, but Naturals and Coordinators in general. This, though… the actions currently being undertaken by Patrick Zala were more in line with those of a dictator, rather than those a democratically-elected leader. Something was off, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was something more at work than what they were immediately aware of.

The three ZAFT officers simply saluted the Chairman and left, unwilling to risk incurring his wrath. The two Redcoats shifted uncomfortably, uncertain, uncomfortable, and more than a little intimidated by the man. Zala, not having remembered that the two teens were still there, sat back down in his chair, leaning back and sighing as he rubbed his forehead.

"… Father…?" Athrun called out hesitantly as he tentatively approached.

Zala's hand came down as a glare crossed his features. "What did you call me?" he snapped, clearly not in one of his better moods.

Athrun flinched, coming to attention and saluting. "M-my apologies… Supreme Council Chairman Zala," he said as Tomoyo came up next to him and stood at attention as well. "Athrun Zala and Tomoyo Asahara, reporting."

Patrick Zala regarded his son with cold, unfeeling eyes. There wasn't even a single hint of familial recognition in them. "Do you understand how serious the situation is?"

"Yes… but still! I can't believe what I'm hearing! Lacus aiding a spy?! It's just not possible!"

"You don't believe me? Then watch this," Zala replied, pressing a button on his desk's control panel. A panel on the office's wall slid aside, revealing a large screen that almost immediately came to life. On it was an image of a mobile suit that clearly resembled the Alliances' G-weapons. Athrun and Tomoyo both started, recognizing it as the mobile suit they had seen from their shuttle. On the catwalk before the machine were two people – the first a brown-haired young man clad in a red ZAFT uniform. From what either of the two Redcoats could gather, the young man couldn't have been much older or younger than either of them, and, with his back turned, there wasn't any real way to identify him. Still, there was a nagging sense of familiarity that was certainly present. Standing next to him was a much more familiar girl – a girl with long, pink hair – in a white and purple dress, filling Athrun with cold dread. She turned towards the camera, and Athrun nearly felt his knees give way beneath him. There was no doubts about her being Lacus Clyne, none at all, and that realization solidified an icy block that stabbed itself deep into Athrun's heart.

"This was taken by a hidden security camera at a military factory. Two of our units, the ZGMF-X06A Ark and the ZGMF-X10A Freedom, were stolen almost immediately after," Zala said. "Why would anyone accuse her unless the evidence was beyond dispute? You may think it's not possible, but these are facts, Athrun. It goes without saying that your engagement with Lacus Clyne is now over. It hasn't been officially announced yet, but as of this moment she's being treated as a fugitive wanted for treason."

Athrun grimaced. Treason… he'd been hoping that all of this was a mistake, a nightmare, or maybe even just some kind of bad joke. He'd even hoped it was simply an imposter, but… there was no denying it. That had been Lacus on that video, and she'd helped a pair of spies steal prototype mobile suits!

Tomoyo felt sick. Something was really amiss here, and her sixth sense was picking up on so much discord emanating from the Chairman that she was having a hard time even seeing straight. She swayed for a moment, her moment of weakness thankfully going unnoticed by the two Zalas in the room, but managed to catch herself and refocus internally before all the negative energies overcame her.

"I'll be handing out your new missions. Asahara, you've been assigned one of our new prototype mobile suits, the X07A Advent," Zala said. "The technicians want to go over it with you, so you'll be initially working with R&D. Officially, you'll be assigned to the homeland defense, onboard our newest battleship, the Eternal. It's meant to serve as a support ship for our latest prototypes, and we'll need one of them on station." With that, Zala turned to his son. "Athrun, yours will be to recover the stolen X06A Ark and X10A Freedom, and eliminate the pilots as well as all persons and places they may have come into contact with. Pick up the X09A Justice from the Armory and leave as soon as preparations are complete. Another operative was already deployed together with the X08A Innocence; he left ahead of schedule, but Headquarters will send him orders to meet you at Carpentaria once you're out on the field. If the Freedom and Ark can't be recovered, you've been authorized to destroy them."

Both teens were stunned by Athrun's orders, enough that the fact that they were about to be put on separate paths in such states had gone totally over their heads for the time being.

"Eliminating everyone and everything that it came into contact with…? Isn't that a little extreme?" Athrun asked.

Zala simply regarded his son steadily. "Those machines – the X06A Ark, X07A Advent, X08A Innocence, X09A Justice, and X10A Freedom – are all equipped with N-Jammer Cancelers."

Both Redcoats paled. "They have N-Jammer Cancelers?! Impossible!" Athrun said forcefully, horrified at the secret these new machines were hiding. "Why did we build them?! The PLANTS made the decision to abandon nuclear technology!"

"If we want to win this war, then we'll need that power!" Zala replied, hitting another button on his desk's panel and summoning a member of his staff. "Your mission is extremely important. Give it your utmost effort. Now go."

The Archangel's Bridge

A short while later

"… So that was their strategy?" Kira asked, his tone a little cold.

Mu nodded. "From what we can tell, yeah."

"And they made no mention of it to any of us," Murrue added. "A lot of good men and women died today because of that."

"The entire plan shows that the Alliance commanders knew ahead of time that Panama was a feint and that ZAFT's true target was Alaska. Otherwise they wouldn't have been able to set up that Cyclops System beneath the base," John muttered. "ZAFT's mainframe is also heavily encrypted, so I doubt Alliance Intelligence was able to come across this by hacking. Someone tipped them off."

The sniper's words suddenly reminded Kira of when he and Chris had first learned of the attack, and brought a scowl to his features.

"The PLANT Supreme Council didn't know about it, either," he said, drawing everyone's attention. "Supposedly, Chairman Zala kept that information from them and led them to believe Panama was the target, too."

John recoiled visibly at that information. "What?! Then that would mean the information came from someone high up – very high up – in ZAFT's command echelon, high enough that it would be impossible for an Alliance spy to attain such a rank within ZAFT," he said. "But… that means that their source was someone from ZAFT who wanted this to happen!" A sudden realization hit him, and his eyes widened in a combination of shock and horror. "Oh, god… that means…! Damn, I'd have hoped this was just one time I was overthinking, but…!"

Everyone stared at John as he continued his monologue, unable to follow his train of thought as he devolved into what appeared to be senseless rambling.

"Commander Alaric?" Kira asked. "What are you talking about?"

The man sighed. "It's a long story," he replied. "I'll explain it to you in more detail once we're out of immediate danger, but let's just say that if my guesswork was right – and I've never hoped more than now that it's actually not – then this war is about to get worse… a lot worse. I can't say anything for certain right now, as I'll need to verify a few things before I can come to any conclusions. Depending on what this ship's plans are, I may have to ask you for a Skygrasper so I can get in touch with some of my contacts so I can get an accurate assessment of what's happening in the PLANTs and in ZAFT."

"Speaking of, that raises another question. What are we going to do now?" Chris asked.

"Now…" Murrue said, unsure of the answer herself.

"We haven't been able to raise command due to interference from the N-Jammers," Romero said from his station. "Should we effect what repairs we can on our own and then head to Panama from here?"

Mu snorted. "Oh, really? And do you think they'll be happy to see us?" he said, his tone thick with sarcasm. "We know far too much for our own good."

"They'll probably say that we disobeyed orders and deserted in the face of the enemy. They'd court martial us, lock us all up, and sweep the whole thing underneath a rug," Murrue added, angry at the whole situation. "It's becoming harder and harder to understand who and what we should be fighting for and against."

Lacus' words echoed in Kira's mind. He understood what he needed to do, and now was as good a time as any to help everyone else figure things out.

"Miss Murue," he said suddenly, once again drawing everyone's attention. "What is it that you think we should be fighting for and against? Whoever and whatever our real enemies are, it's about time we started fighting against them."

Murrue regarded him steadily, truly wondering just when the awkward boy she'd met in Heliopolis had grown into the more confident young man standing before her now.

"I don't know," she replied. "I honestly don't know. However, I do know that our place is no longer with the Earth Forces." The rest of those present nodded their assent. There was no way the Earth Alliance would welcome them back now. To make matters worse, they could expect ZAFT to still be after them, as well. That left only one choice. "… We should turn to Orb. Let's see if they'll be willing to help us. There may be those there who are sympathetic to our plight."

John nodded. "That's a good idea. If anything, at least we can be reassured knowing that they probably won't shoot at us after we delivered their Princess back to them."

"Any objections or alternative suggestions?" Murrue asked, looking around at those gathered. Upon receiving no reply, she nodded. "Very well, then. Set course for Orb."

PLANT Supreme Council

Aprilius One

A group of ZAFT's military police entered the Council chamber and raised their weapons at the moderate council members, catching them by surprise.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Canaver demanded.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the officer in charge said. "But you, along with Councilors Kasim, Jesek, and Elsman are to be detained immediately, by orders of the Supreme Council Chairman."

Needless to say, many of the moderates were completely stunned. Patrick Zala was arresting all those who had ever opposed him and his supporters, save for Yuri Amalfi, who had become a radical after the death of his son, Nicol. With this, Patrick Zala had essentially removed that opposition, leaving him the undisputed ruler of the PLANTs.

Knowing that resistance was futile, the council members surrendered and allowed themselves to be led away.

However, one of the ZAFT MP's had remained behind. He brought out a phone and speed-dialed a number.

"Commander Kessel? It's begun," he said. "Chairman Zala's arrested all of Clyne's supporters on the Council."

Elsewhere

In the back seat of his car, Ian Kessel nodded. "I see. So it appears Zala's made his move," he said. "Everything's already in place, isn't it? Good. Get moving, then. Warn my wife, and send a message out to the Alaric Team, as well. Let my daughter know what's happening. If you can get in touch with Master Siegel and Lady Lacus, please do so and let them know, as well. Their safety needs to be secured more than anything else."

Closing the line, Kessel looked up, and saw his driver looking at him through the rear view mirror. "It's time, yes. You know what to do."

His driver simply nodded back, and changed lanes, taking a different route that led away from the Supreme Council building and ZAFT's Headquarters.

Kessel frowned. This was an aggressive move by Zala, but not one that they were unprepared for. He just hoped that everything went off without a hitch, and everyone got away unharmed. Anything less than that was going to be a major blunder on his part, and one that would be considered completely unforgivable.

The potential consequences were too catastrophic for them to risk failure.

ZAFT Mobile Suit and Weapons Installation

Restricted Area – X09A Hangar

Aprilius One

May 11, C.E. 71

Athrun watched as the technical crews rushed to and fro, working to bring the X09A Justice up to a state of readiness. He could see it very clearly through the open panel on the mobile suit's torso: the nuclear fission reactor that powered the mobile suit, its red and yellow hazard sign clear as day. Even though the evidence was already right in front of him, Athrun still had a hard time believing it. After the Bloody Valentine, the PLANTs – and by extension, ZAFT – had decided as a whole to abandon nuclear technology due to the danger represented… yet here they were, building a mobile suit powered by the very same power they had rejected before.

However, that wasn't what scared Athrun. What scared him more was the fact that the Justice wasn't the only one. There were already four others he knew about, two of which were in the hands of unknown parties – potentially Earth Forces spies. If they reached the Alliance… Athrun felt himself grow cold at the thought. Full-scale nuclear war wasn't such a far-fetched idea now, and it was a possibility that filled him with dread.

"If we want to win this war, then we'll need that power!" his father had said. The words had echoed in Athrun's mind whenever he had let his thoughts drift. Was it truly necessary? Was overwhelming power really the only way to bring an end to this war?

"It's so sad," Yuri Amalfi suddenly said as he settled down next to Athrun, drawing the ultramarine-haired Redcoat from his thoughts. "Nicol had always loved her songs so very much."

Athrun looked down. He hadn't mentioned the possibility of Nicol being alive, just like Commander Le Creuset had advised him. If he truly was dead, giving Nicol's parents hope only to shatter it again was a cruel act and would force them to endure even worse pain than what they were already going through.

"I'm very sorry about Nicol," Athrun said sincerely. It was all he could really say without giving Nicol's father any false hopes.

Amalfi nodded. "I know. It's alright," he replied, his tone tired and weary. "I'm sorry, too. I understand why it happened… this is a war, after all, and you did avenge his death."

A fresh wave of guilt hit Athrun as his thoughts once again turned to Kira and Leon, his two friends who had ended up getting killed by his own reckless stupidity. He had been holding himself together, but now the wounds were opened once again, leaving him to suffer the same feelings as if he'd just killed them again.

"However… when there are young people like you and Nicol out there fighting on the battlefield and sacrificing yourselves for us, I can't fathom how somebody could betray us – betray you like that. That's what angers me more than anything else. We've already sacrificed far too much!" Amalfi continued, his face a mixture of anger and grief. "That's why we pushed forward with this. That's why our latest models are the first pieces of military hardware to receive the new N-Jammer Canceler technology."

Athrun's thoughts turned to Lacus. Questions and doubts continued to plague his mind. Why did she betray ZAFT? Why had she handed over two machines equipped with N-Jammer Cancelers to spies? Lacus advocated a peaceful resolution to the fighting, but he definitely couldn't deny what he had seen in the security camera footage his father had shown him. So why had Lacus done this?

"Should this technology fall into the hands of the Earth Alliance, they'd be more than happy to rearm their entire nuclear stockpile and launch a direct attack on the PLANTs. We need to prevent that – we can't let the Bloody Valentine repeat itself!" Amalfi turned to Athrun. "I'm counting on you, Athrun… The PLANTs are counting on you."

Athrun's grip tightened on the rail before him as he gazed intently at the Justice, the mobile suit almost staring back at him, as if to question his resolve. No, he wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't allow another tragedy like that to happen again. If he had to take bases down to their foundations and more in order to prevent the N-Jammer Canceler technology from falling into the wrong hands… then so be it.

Restricted Area – X07A Hangar

Tomoyo looked up from the computer terminal she was working at, gazing sorrowfully at the massive machine standing before her. Just the sight alone of the ZGMF-X07A Advent inspired a sense of fear in her – a fear of what anyone wielding this sort of power may bring about. The fact that she had to pilot this unit – the fact that she had to have all this power in her hands – was something which only left her with doubts.

'Why does such a weapon have to exist…?' she wondered. 'And why me? I'm a failure – all I managed to do was get my teammates… and Leon… killed…'

Tomoyo choked back a sob and tightened her right hand into a fist to try and keep her self-control intact. Leon… even now, the mere thought of him squeezed an icy fist around her heart. He was a kindred spirit, a rarity for a person like her, and that was something refreshing considering her history. She'd had plenty of time to think during her recovery at Carpentaria, and she'd wondered if she had really thought things though before. She began to doubt what she'd actually felt for Leon, and if she truly knew what went on behind his piercing gaze that was so often full of pain and sorrow. Was what she had felt for him really love? Or was it just the sense of familial closeness that she'd been so desperately searching for her entire life?

She shook her head. There was no use thinking on it now. What was done was done, and Leon had been the one to pay the ultimate price for her weakness. All she could do… was take his hopes and ideals to heart, and keep on fighting and living. It was all she knew she could do to honor his memory.

"I'm sorry… Leon… I'm sorry for being too weak…" she murmured to no one, perhaps hoping that the dead were listening. "But it'll be different from now on. I won't run away anymore. I'll fight on… for your sake, too… for the sake of that world you believed in."

Sniffing once to hold back the tears that were building up in her eyes, she simply got back to work, once again scanning over the Advent's schematics and typing in notes for necessary changes and adjustments. Even if she was reluctant to head back onto the battlefield once again, and especially at the controls of a weapon like the Advent… she wasn't going to run. Not anymore.

She only hoped the path she took would be the right one in the end.

Clyne Residence

Several hours later

Athrun wandered around the backyard of what had been, until recently, the residence of the Clyne family. It was no longer the pristine, welcoming second home it had once been to him. The military police and investigators that had come searching for Lacus and her father spared absolutely no thoughts for the carefully maintained mansion and garden. Now, with leaves, flowers, and debris scattered everywhere, it looked very much like an area that had just been ravaged by a hurricane.

The ultramarine-haired Coordinator sighed. He'd come here hoping to find some answers… but it looked like he wasn't going to be finding any.

He frowned as his thoughts once again found themselves drifting off on their own to… happier times. He remembered all the times he had visited Lacus here, when his father was still himself and his mother… had still been alive. Now, those times seem so far away and distant. It was almost like they weren't even images from this lifetime. All he could distinctly remember were the Bloody Valentine, his reckless, near-suicidal attack that had destroyed the Strike and murdered Kira…

The rustling sounds of movement suddenly snapped Athrun out of his thoughts and he quickly whirled about, sidearm drawn from the holster hidden in his coat with a single smooth motion. However, he lowered the weapon as quickly as he had pointed it when he saw what had caused the noise. It was a familiar, bouncing pink ball that he'd built for Lacus – Haro. This particular one was the first one he'd given her, and also her favorite. So… why was it here? Lacus never would have left without it.

"Haro! Haro!" it chirped as it bounced around, its "ears" flapping as it did so.

Athrun walked up to it and tried to grab it, but the pink little robot evaded his lunge and began bouncing and rolling away. "Ah, wait! Haro, come back!" Athrun yelled after it as he gave chase.

"No way! No way!" Haro chirped as it bounced into the flower arch in the Clyne residence's backyard.

The little robot suddenly stopped, allowing Athrun to catch up and take hold of it. As Haro continued to chirp and flap its ears, Athrun took a look around. It had once been covered in white roses… a reminder of when and where Lacus first sang in public. They were no longer there, though, having been desecrated much like the rest of the mansion and garden.

Athrun's eyes suddenly widened in realization. What if Lacus hadn't forgotten Haro, but had left it here, hoping that he'd have come here and found it? That meant it had been intended as a message… wait, that was it! The little robot had purposely led him here!

The ultramarine-haired pilot took off, Haro still in hand. He knew where Lacus was waiting for him!

White Symphony Theatre

Junius Five

An hour and a half later

Athrun stepped out of his car and into the artificial rain that the PLANTs' advanced weather systems had seen fit to bestow upon them this evening. Athrun took a long look up at the building that towered over him before walking towards it, stopping before the entrance so he could take a look at the sign. The words White Symphony were written on it in beautiful cursive script, with a white rose on either side to frame the theatre's name.

The White Symphony was an old theatre that had seen much of the PLANTs' history, and with more state-of-the-art facilities now available its owners had decided it was time to close it down. It had been slated for demolition, but a campaign spearheaded by Lacus – out of sentimentality or simply a love for the heritage the theatre carried with it – had put those plans on hold, at least for the time being. Because of that, it had been left abandoned for some time, and with the war occupying much of the people's attention, there was really no reason for it to cross anyone's mind. However, to Athrun, that made it the perfect hiding place.

Walking inside, Athrun could see the state of disrepair the theatre was in. Old posters and banners from the last concert to be held there – one of Lacus' – still adorned the walls and pillars of the foyer, debris littered the floor, and an undisturbed layer of dust rested calmly over the entirety of the interior. Athrun briefly wondered to himself if it was still structurally sound enough for anyone to feel safe here, but perhaps that was what made it such a perfect hiding spot – no one was simply crazy enough to check in a place like this. He almost smiled, because he probably was crazy enough – that was why he was here. Pulling out his sidearm once more, Athrun climbed up the steps. While he might have been more than a little crazy to be delving into a place that could collapse at any minute, he was still careful enough to not go in unprepared for what he might encounter.

As he reached the entrance to the main auditorium, he heard a familiar singing voice. He silently put his back up against the door and gave it the tiniest of pushes, allowing him to look through the opening.

There, seated on the stage and surrounded by debris, was Lacus. There was no mistaking her, even from this distance.

Pushing the door open completely, Athrun began walking down the aisle towards the stage. As Lacus' song filled his ears, the ultramarine-haired Redcoat couldn't help but look back on everything that had happened since Heliopolis: discovering Kira in the Morgenroete factory district, Miguel's death at Kira's hands and the destruction of the colony, the constant battles against Kira and his friends… culminating in the destruction of the Blitz and his subsequent revenge-fueled rampage that had led to the grueling battle that had claimed Kira's life.

Those memories reminded him of Cagalli's tearful words. "Someone is killed for killing another! And then that person is killed for killing him! How will that sort of twisted thinking ever bring us peace?!"

Athrun's expression tightened. He wished he could go back and undo everything that had happened: His mother, killed in the Bloody Valentine Tragedy; Kira, Leon, and maybe even Nicol, killed as a result of this war and his own recklessness; Dearka and Saul, missing as well, presumed dead just as Nicol was; Tomoyo, a hollow shell of her former self… And, finally, Lacus and her father had been declared traitors and criminals. Everything just seemed to be falling apart around him.

"Thank you! Athrun!" Haro suddenly chirped as it leaped out of Athrun's hand and began bouncing all the way down towards the stage.

Lacus stopped singing, and smiled softly as Haro jumped into her hands. "So… you remembered," she said. "I was certain that you'd be the one to find him and figure it out."

"You once told me…" Athrun said. "That this was the first place you ever sang at."

Lacus nodded. "I knew you'd come once you figured it out."

Athrun ran the rest of the way, leaping up onto the stage and landing in a crouch. "Explain yourself, Lacus," he said as he straightened up to his full height. "What have you done?!"

"I'm sure you've heard all about it," she said, still smiling. "That's why you've come here, isn't it?"

Athrun began to feel his frustration turn to growing anger despite himself. "Is it true, then, Lacus?" he asked, barely keeping his voice under control. "Did you really provide assistance to enemy spies?! Are you a spy?! Why did you do such a thing?!"

Lacus suddenly dropped her smile. "No… I didn't help any spies, and I'm not a spy, either," she replied calmly. "I simply provided Kira and Mr. Dante with new swords. They're things which they needed then… and which I feel would serve their purposes best in their hands."

Athrun's eyes widened in shock. What? Kira?! But that was impossible! He was dead! He killed him with his own hands!

"You're lying!" he shouted, feeling his anger and grief beginning to take hold of him. "What are you talking about? Kira?! He's…! I… I…!"

"Killed him with your own hands?" she replied icily, her normally kind and gentle features set into cold lines, but she quickly softened her expression. "I assure you, he's still very much alive."

"That's impossible!" Athrun raised his gun and leveled it right at Lacus as his doubts grew stronger than ever, leaving him shaking and uncertain. "There's no way he could have survived! What kind of trick is this, Lacus Clyne?! What you're saying is crazy! There's… there's no way he could be alive!" He looked away after that last outburst, unable to face Lacus, who was saying these things that were opening up the same wounds once again.

Lacus shook her head. "It's no trick, Athrun. Reverend Malchio's orphanage is located in the Marshall Islands. Someone found him – and Mr. Dante – and brought them to the orphanage, and I asked Reverend Malchio to bring them to me. Kira told me that you two fought… that you tried to kill him, and he tried to kill you." Athrun looked up at Lacus. "You don't believe my words? Then do you believe what you see with your own eyes? Haven't you seen how things have changed on the battlefield, and even here at the PLANTs now that you've returned after a lengthy absence? Did you not notice anything at all?"

Athrun unconsciously took a step back. It was true. His father's behavior… the N-Jammer Cancelers… those were just a few of the things he'd been noticing ever since, and they weren't changes he agreed with at all.

"Still…" he said, his voice quieter. "Even if Kira were alive… why would you…?"

"Because Kira is no longer with the Earth Alliance," Lacus replied, her voice as calm and even as it was earlier. "And neither is he going to fight for ZAFT. Kira said he was going to fight for what he believed in."

Lacus' demeanor changed completely as she suddenly radiated a hidden strength. "Athrun, what is it you're fighting for? Is it because of that medal received? Or your father's orders?" she asked. "Because if that's so… then you'll likely find Kira as your enemy once again… and I, as well."

"Lacus…!"

The rosette stood and walked at Athrun, stopping directly before his raised weapon. "And if you see me as an enemy, then you might as well shoot me now… Athrun Zala, soldier of ZAFT!"

Athrun shut his eyes tight and turned partly away. He… he couldn't do it! No matter what, he knew he would never be able to shoot Lacus! Regardless of whether he was arranged to marry her or not, she was still a dear person to him! Was this what he'd been reduced to, because of – as Lacus had said – his father's orders and a stupid medal?!

With that realization, he lowered his weapon and hung his shoulders in shame. He wouldn't – couldn't – do it. How did this whole mess happen…?

The sounds of multiple sets of footsteps suddenly alerted Athrun and let him know that they were no longer alone. Turning towards the entrances, he saw a group of armed men all dressed in black suits making their way down the aisles. Athrun briefly wondered why they felt the need to wear shades even at this time of the day and in such a dark space, but he quickly shook that thought off. Now wasn't the time for any smartass trains of thought. He placed himself between the men and Lacus, drawing his sidearm and raising it at them, watching each man's every move.

"You have our thanks, Athrun Zala," the obvious leader of the group said as he and two of his subordinates approached the pair. It was obvious they were probably a special branch of the military police, or a branch of Intelligence.

Athrun turned his gun at the three men standing on the stage. "… What's going on here?" he demanded, keeping his voice even.

"Naturally, Lacus Clyne's fiancé would know best where to find her. You've saved us a great deal of time by leading us to her location," the man replied smugly. "Now, please step away from her. She's a fugitive accused of treason, and we've been authorized to use lethal force if necessary. Are you sure you still want to protect her?"

Athrun narrowed his eyes to hide his surprise. Lethal force? That wasn't right. His father wouldn't give such an extreme order… would he?

"Do you even believe what you see with your own eyes? Haven't you seen how things have changed on the battlefield, and even here now that you've returned?"

"Those orders can't be right," he said, gun still held steady. "There has to be a mistake. Ordering the use of lethal force against a civilian?!"

Before anyone else could say or do anything, a gunshot ran out, dropping one of the suited men to the floor and drawing the other agents' attention. Seeing an opportunity, Athrun threw his gun away and, with his good hand, quickly picked Lacus up and leaped away to hide amongst the debris. Shots rang out one after the other from all around the theatre, dropping the agents like flies. The men on the stage fired at Athrun and Lacus, leaving them unable to make any move to try and escape. More shots rang out, dropping two of the men on the stage and leaving the lead agent alone as the only surviving member of his team. Seeing no choice, the agent ran towards the debris and put his back against it. His intent was clear: kill Lacus Clyne, even at the cost of his own life.

However, the moment he turned and aimed his gun at Lacus – who still had Athrun shielding her – a shot rang out, dropping the final agent dead. A young maroon-haired man in a green ZAFT uniform stepped out from the shadows, gun in hand.

"Lady Lacus," he greeted.

Lacus stepped out from behind Athrun and turned to face the ultramarine-haired Redcoat. "Thank you, Athrun," she said.

Athrun looked out across the auditorium, taking note of all the agents sent to apprehend Lacus. About a half-dozen ZAFT soldiers were walking towards the stage, clearly a secret guard sent to watch over Lacus.

"Are you finished, Lady Lacus?" the maroon-haired man continued. "We really should be going, as well."

Lacus walked up to him, Haro still in her hands. "And Reverend Malchio?"

"He has taken off safely," the man replied.

Lacus nodded, before turning back to Athrun. "Well, this is good-bye, Athrun. Thank you for bringing Mr. Pink back to me."

Athrun simply stared, dumbfounded.

Lacus suddenly inclined her head, and something in her expression changed. "You'll find Kira on Earth."

Those words brought Athrun out of his stupor, as he gasped in surprise.

Turning halfway, she continued. "Why don't you go and have a talk with him… your dear friend?" she suggested, gazing at Athrun out of the corner of her eye.

With everything she wanted to say having been said, Lacus and her entourage of ZAFT soldiers left, leaving Athrun alone at the White Symphony. Where they were going, Athrun had no idea. They were probably headed to a safehouse of some sort, one that he surely wasn't going to find this time. However, he knew what he had to do.

He was going to trust in Lacus' words, and head for Earth. It was time to meet Kira face-to-face. It was time to look each other in the eye once more.

ZAFT Mobile Suit and Weapons Installation

Restricted Area – X09A Hangar

Aprilius One

May 17, C.E. 71

It had been six days since the events at the White Symphony Theater, and Athrun's confrontation with Lacus. However, with how the exchange had developed… he'd really begun to wonder who had been confronting who in that situation. The revelation that Kira was still alive… he wasn't sure what to think anymore. He felt so many things all at once: relief that Kira was alive, regret that at the end, he'd still gotten Leon killed… Athrun was as confused and lost as he'd ever been. All he knew was that he needed to see his old friend again. He needed to talk.

Sighing as the seat lowered into the Justice's cockpit, Athrun knew that he probably wouldn't be able to go after Kira with the same fervor as he'd done after he'd thought Nicol dead.

"Sound A55 alarm," the voice of the flight control officer said over the hangar loudspeakers and through the Justice's comm. unit as Athrun flicked several switches, bringing his mobile suit's systems online. "Radiation levels, normal. Course clear. All stations have approved take-off. Countdown to begin from T-Minus 200."

As Athrun ran through his final pre-launch checklist, his thoughts turned back to Lacus' words.

"What is it that you believe in and are fighting for?"

"Why don't you go and have a talk with him… your dear friend?"

As those words resounded through his mind, Athrun hit a switch on the main console, activating the Justice's Phase Shift Armor and turning it a brilliant red. "T-Minus 50," the flight control officer said as all the auxiliary power cables detached from the mobile suit. "Confirmed separation of all conduits from the X09A. Standby for launch."

"Kira… what are you planning…?" he murmured under his breath as the gates above the Justice began to open in sequence. Briefly, Athrun wondered what he would say once he ran into his old friend.

"T-Minus 5." Athrun took hold of the thruster control and pushed it forward towards the high-output zone, unknowingly doing exactly as his old friend had done just about two weeks earlier. "May our Justice have the divine protection of the Stars."

"Athrun Zala, Justice, launching!"

The red mobile suit crouched for a moment before leaping up, its thrusters flaring to life and pushing it up through the launch chute. As soon as the Justice had cleared the exit, the wings of the mobile suit's large backpack spread as it took flight, taking Athrun towards an encounter he knew would change the path he was on, for better or worse.

Author's Note: Well, that's that. I won't go into excessive details, because it's all mostly self-explanatory. Many of the major plot twists are coming into play over the next few chapters, but, again, I won't make any promises for how quickly they'll be able to come out. I only ask for your continued faith and patience that this story will be finished.

I've retconned a few details here and there and made necessary adjustments in previous chapters, but none of them are too major beyond the revision that Ian Kessel is no longer a Supreme Council member, merely a ZAFT representative at their meetings. It's my hope that these changes will help improve the overall quality of the story and the setting I have laid out for the future.

Well, that will be all from me for now. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to hearing back from everyone, as well. With that said, I hope you'll be kind enough to review and leave me some feedback so I can further improve as we go along and give you all a better experience of my re-imagining of the SEED story. Thank you all in advance.

Ja, mata ne.