[Is it coming?]
[It's coming!]
[Now? Here?!]
[Yeah, that's right—now, right here!]
[Combine—]
[We are—]
[Gundam!]
[This word-chain of yours has completely gone off the rails.]
[Go write a novel already—Combining Gundam Wars.]
[No book in the store? Smash the store.]
"Understood. Authorization acquired."
At Kira's command, the hidden Funell rice-cooker robot revealed its form.
A moment later, a 3D image projected onto the screen—the terrain around Morgenroete, Inc.
"Right now, the Earth Alliance and ZAFT are engaged in combat," Inori said. "ZAFT has one Laurasia-class frigate and one Nazca-class destroyer stationed outside the port. The Earth Alliance had one transport ship. It has already been destroyed."
"ZAFT's infiltration squad has just armed itself from the hangar. They're at full firepower now."
Inori could quietly monitor everything around them, but both of her "traits"—Fatima and Lacia—required the master's authorization and commands to activate. So for most of the time until now, all Inori had been able to do was watch in silence.
But now that she had authorization, she could go all out.
"Currently, four of the Earth Alliance's five new-model MS have been stolen. Down in the lower levels of Morgenroete, there are also several technologically immature units—"
"Wait a second!" Cagalli stared, dumbfounded.
What was going on here.
How did this woman know everything?!
"Please wait just a moment, Cagalli-san!" Kira held Cagalli back. "Inori—what about a retreat route?"
"Safe route: none. Assessment: ZAFT intends to completely destroy Heliopolis—"
"Impossible! ZAFT would never do something like that—this is a colony!" Cagalli shouted.
"There is a possibility that a ZAFT commander is acting on his own authority. However, ZAFT has taken no occupation action, and has made no attempt to restrain or manage the refugees' escape. The probability that ZAFT intends to destroy Heliopolis exceeds fifty percent." Inori had slipped fully into AI mode.
"That—that can't be—"
Cagalli was stunned. She didn't even have the mental bandwidth to wonder how Inori had obtained all this intelligence.
"Can you get us out of here?" Kira asked.
"I can, but I require higher-level authorization."
Inori looked at Kira.
Kira understood exactly what that meant. She lowered her head, one hand gripping her chest.
"Do I really have to?" Kira asked.
"I'll choose the gentlest methods I can. Where the situation permits, I'll use non-lethal attacks wherever possible."
Kira knew perfectly well what authorization Inori wanted.
—Lethal-force authorization.
"I…"
The girl's body was trembling.
Only moments ago she'd been lecturing Cagalli, but now Kira herself was caught in the same knot.
From the very start—from the moment Inori had interrogated Cagalli, making her confront her own identity, all the way to having Kira use that leverage to keep Cagalli in check—the hIE's analog hacking had worked flawlessly.
And now Inori had drawn Kira into a choice of her own.
This was analog hacking, yes—but it was also a threshold Kira had to cross.
And it was a necessary step in Inori's own con for authorization.
"…So I have to be the one to take responsibility, is that it," Kira said.
"Yes. Because I cannot bear any responsibility myself. If Kira makes up her mind, then the one who carries everything will be Kira herself."
"Argh, what on earth are you two even talking about?!"
Cagalli was completely lost. Their cryptic exchange had broken her brain.
But if things were as Inori said, then they really had nowhere else to go.
Every shelter nearby was gone. All they could do was stand here and stew.
"Tolle—Miriallia—wait, where are they?!" Kira suddenly remembered.
"Unfortunately, they aren't members of Morgenroete. When they went for the lifeboats, they were at the very back of the line and didn't make it aboard."
An image appeared before Kira.
On the screen were the people who had fled from Morgenroete.
Cagalli's gaze, though, fixed on the crimson Aegis behind them.
"So it's true, Father… he betrayed us!"
—This one still needs a serious correction!
"Everyone!" Kira scrambled up to the projection screen.
At that moment the image switched again.
This time it was the city streets, where Flay stood in line with everyone else, heading toward the lifeboats, terror and fear written across her face.
"…Do it!"
Kira had finally made up her mind.
"Understood."
Inori raised her head.
And in that very instant, one of the Duel's shells slammed into the ceiling.
A massive explosion swept over them in a wave of smoke and dust.
"Authorization acquired. Protocol updated. Black_Monolith, deploy. Metamaterial barrier, construct. Flash_Maze, activate."
Behind Inori, the Black Monolith materialized in an instant, then unfolded into a force-field shield.
(Black Monolith defensive deployment)
BOOM!
Every shockwave, every threat, was stopped cold by a shield that seemed neither visible nor tangible.
(Metamaterial shield)
(Director Lacia's seriously strong!)
(So awesome, rua!)
[Grass (a type of exclamation)]
[She's even got a move like this.]
[No wonder she could float in Episode Zero—turns out she'd been hiding an ace this whole time.]
[So this is the Black Monolith?!]
[Mind blown.]
[Insane, that's so strong.]
[Holy crap, that's terrifying.]
[Cyber Saki runs into a super-idol AI, gives it everything she's got, and still can't win.]
[Holy crap, a Gundam!]
[Holy crap, an actual Gundam!]
At first everyone was marveling at the Black Monolith Inori had deployed.
But then the wall in front peeled away, and the factory on the other side of it came into view.
The Strike Gundam lying on the ground was still gray—and in the original story, the Buster and the Blitz had already reached the outside of the factory.
"That's—"
The first time Kira had climbed into it, it had still been nothing but a frame.
But now it was a different matter entirely.
"There's another one here?!" Cagalli's eyes went wide.
"Who's there!" Rusty, who had been pinning down the Alliance troops, swung his muzzle toward them.
Bang!
But Murrue seized the opening, dropping Rusty with a single shot, then turned her head to look this way as well.
"Kids?!"
Murrue's eyes went wide with shock.
At that moment, another ZAFT soldier appeared behind her.
"Behind you!" Kira shouted on reflex.
Murrue spun and fired.
"Get over here, fast—standing there makes you targets!"
By now Inori had already withdrawn the Black Monolith, so all Murrue saw were three young children standing there helplessly.
"Right!"
Kira flipped over the edge and dropped down.
"You've got to be kidding, it's this high?!" Cagalli froze. "Wahh!"
But by then Inori had already scooped Cagalli into a princess carry and leapt down with her.
"A Coordinator?!" Murrue had no time to think it through, because behind her the Buster and the Blitz had just torn open the sealed factory doors.
They leveled their missiles at the factory.
"Come on!"
No time to explain—Murrue hauled Kira into the cockpit, and Inori followed, carrying Cagalli.
Then the cockpit sealed shut.
BOOM—
A sea of fire swallowed the space whole…