"Hmph, what—already tired of this place?"
A somewhat flippant voice suddenly rang out. Athrun's expression tightened momentarily, but relaxed when he saw it was Yzak.
If anyone else had heard such words, they would likely have reported him immediately.
But with Yzak... it was somewhat better. After all, strictly speaking, Athrun was taking the blame for Yzak this time—since Yzak had been the one to essentially propose this operation.
"...Next time you come in, remember to make some noise. Suddenly appearing like this isn't good for my heart."
Athrun let out a long sigh, patting his chest as he spoke with some complaint.
"Don't worry, I closed the door properly this time. No one will know what we discussed."
Yzak smiled slightly and pushed against the main door—but the locked door didn't budge an inch without being unlocked.
Then, Yzak's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he questioned Athrun:
"Let me confirm this once more... have you begun to lose faith in ZAFT?"
"...What if I said yes?"
Athrun remained silent for a long moment before finally forcing out those difficult words.
Yzak's loyalty to ZAFT... or rather, his loyalty to Creuset had always been the strongest among them. Uttering words that were almost indistinguishable from openly declaring rebellion, Athrun worried it might spark conflict with Yzak.
But this time, Yzak was unexpectedly calm, or rather... composed.
He walked over to the conference table, leaning his hands on it as he let out a helpless sigh. Instead of answering Athrun's question, he spoke with a tone tinged with self-mockery and weariness:
"I saw the message the Freedom pilot sent you in the Aegis."
"Although you encrypted it well enough... it's still the same old methods, Athrun."
Upon hearing Yzak's words, Athrun showed surprise but also smiled with some resignation.
"That message was just the Freedom pilot's speculation. It shouldn't be taken seriously."
"Of course I didn't believe it at first."
Yzak shook his head. When he first saw the message, he naturally thought it was the Freedom pilot's psychological warfare, even furiously cursing the guy several times.
But after calming down, he began to feel that these speculations made more and more sense.
"So I went looking for evidence... While there's no direct proof that Mr. Creuset is really a war profiteer leaking intelligence to both sides, I did find some other things that corroborate that document."
Yzak punched the table with a mix of confusion and resentment, turning to look at Athrun:
"Athrun, tell me—if Mr. Creuset is really doing such things to instigate war... then is there anyone in our ZAFT who actually wants to do the right thing?"
Athrun silently shook his head. What Yzak was asking was precisely what troubled his own heart.
"I don't know. My father told me to pilot the Justice to carry out ZAFT's will... but from what I've seen, ZAFT in its current state doesn't deserve to be called Justice."
"Just as those who use racial conflicts to send Coordinators to their deaths don't deserve the name Freedom."
Yzak unusually didn't deny this. Since Operation Spitbreak, the disgraceful behavior displayed by the Zala faction had gradually eroded his expectations for this organization he once held hope for.
He nodded and asked:
"So, are you going to the land of freedom to seek true justice?"
"Yes, I believe I will."
Athrun nodded, looked at Yzak, and extended his hand in invitation.
"Will you come with me?"
Yzak hesitantly raised his arm, but just as he was about to place it in Athrun's hand, he shook his head and withdrew.
Seeing Athrun's surprised expression, Yzak explained calmly:
"No, having you alone pursue justice is enough."
"I still can't believe... that Captain Creuset would do such things. So I want to stay here, continue searching for evidence, and verify everything myself."
Yzak ultimately couldn't let go of his obsession. Until he personally discovered evidence... he remained somewhat unwilling to acknowledge Creuset's actions.
"What if you find evidence proving Creuset's crimes?"
Athrun hesitated for a moment before continuing to ask... Seeing Yzak momentarily speechless, he didn't press further.
He simply walked to the conference room door, unlocked it, and stepped out.
From this moment on, they were already walking different paths.
As for when they might converge again, or if there would even be an opportunity to do so... that was another matter entirely.
——————————————————-
Meanwhile, in the Earth Alliance Forces... Shani, pilot of the Forbidden Gundam, had just been moved out of the ICU.
Although he had survived... he was now unrecognizable.
His entire lower body had been amputated, where his legs should have been now remained only two masses of flesh, still wrapped in bandages.
His arms weren't in much better condition either - the fingers on one hand had been completely crushed by debris in the cockpit, making it nearly impossible for him to ever return to a cockpit again.
Even though he had regained consciousness, he sat blankly on the bed, eyes vacant, body trembling uncontrollably, like someone who had lost their mind.
There was no other reason - he knew all too well... that as an enhanced human who had lost his piloting ability, this was practically no different from a death sentence.
Creak—
The ICU door swung open. Seeing the figure entering, Shani instinctively curled into a ball, trembling with fear... though in his current state, he wasn't much different from a ball anyway.
The one who inspired such terror in him was none other than Azrael of Blue Cosmos.
"No... don't abandon me! I'll do anything, please, just let me live!"
Before Azrael could even speak, Shani had already begun begging for mercy - he seemed to believe that Azrael had come to "dispose" of him.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you... Quite the opposite, I'm here to give you a chance to survive."
A conspiratorial smile curled at the corner of Azrael's lips as he spoke.
"We are currently planning a large-scale Mobile Armor project, but... it requires replacing the pilot's limbs with mechanical components to establish neural connections, thereby achieving seamless control of the Mobile Suit as if it were one's own body."
"In this project, pilots must have their arms and legs amputated, after which specialized neural linking equipment will be installed."
At this point, he continued approaching Shani, smiling like a devil as he said:
"And you... already meet half the requirements. As long as you're willing to sacrifice your arms, I shall graciously grant you the right to continue living."
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