Ino's Plans

"Ino, wait a little. Let me finish up here, and I'll go with you."

As he spoke, Dearka sped up what he was doing.

If anyone else had said that, Dearka might have hesitated. But Ino was the one saying it... so he had to go.

Actually, no matter who had suggested it, he should go.

"Finish up? Dearka, do you really think we don't know what you're like? Yzak and I can go with Ino."

Yzak cut Dearka off.

Truthfully, Yzak wasn't especially close to Michel or Rusty.

But they were still comrades in the same squad.

And Ino had brought it up, so under the circumstances, he had to go over there no matter what.

"Wait, I'm done too. I'll come along."

Nicol, who had finished calibrating his Mobile Suit early, hurriedly spoke up.

"You guys—"

"Hold on a moment. I'm almost done here too."

Before Ino could finish, Athrun chimed in.

"Athrun?"

Ino looked at Athrun.

Hearing the faint confusion in Ino's voice, Athrun looked up at him and pressed his lips together. "Sorry, I... my thoughts were a little jumbled just now."

Ino's words might not have affected him otherwise, but now he was starting to worry about Michel too.

Athrun had thought that the Natural couldn't possibly pose a threat to Michel.

That guy could barely walk straight. Michel could beat him with one hand.

That was why Athrun had wanted to force Ino to come back.

But now that he thought about it, what if something happened?

Michel couldn't penetrate the armor of that Mobile Suit called the Gundam, but that didn't mean the enemy couldn't threaten him.

"...Hurry up. I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong. I'm afraid Michel won't be able to hold out much longer."

Ino didn't know how to scold Athrun or explain his unease, so he could only call it a hunch.

"Sorry. I'll be done in a moment."

Athrun lowered his head and flew across the keyboard with both hands.

Whether for Michel or Kira, he couldn't let Ino and the others go over there alone.

Michel was piloting a Ginn. Once its Phase Shift Armor was activated, the Ginn's weapons could hardly inflict fatal damage on it.

But that only ensured the Mobile Suit's exterior stayed intact. The shaking from impacts against the outside would still reach the cockpit.

Under those circumstances, even if Ino and the others couldn't destroy the Mobile Suit, they could trap the pilot in the cockpit with the constant jolting.

At the very least, they could wear down the enemy until its energy ran out.

Knowing Yzak and the others, Yzak would very likely destroy the other Mobile Suit outright.

"What's there to worry about? Michel may not be very strong, but he can at least get away. You worry too much."

After hearing Ino's explanation, Dearka couldn't help teasing him.

From the start, he hadn't believed a Natural could pilot a Mobile Suit well enough to pose a lethal threat to Michel.

That wasn't arrogance or overconfidence. It was simply a firmly held belief that Naturals couldn't pilot Mobile Suits with any real skill.

"I know, it's just... maybe it's a premonition. I can't shake this feeling."

Ino once again gave a vague answer to brush him off.

"Uneasy, huh? Come to think of it, did you say something to Rusty before we left?"

Dearka suddenly recalled how Ino had pulled Rusty aside before their departure. "If I remember right, you said something similar then."

"Yeah, I did, but..."

Ino nodded, his expression downcast.

Since he knew what was coming, Ino had tried to warn Rusty not to push himself too hard and to put his own safety first.

"You wouldn't happen to have some ability we don't know about, would you?"

Seeing Ino's expression, Dearka joked with a grin, trying to change the subject.

"I do. So watch yourself, Dearka. I've noticed your forehead looks dark lately. Something bad might happen to you."

Ino replied solemnly.

"Ha ha. You're joking, right?"

Dearka's smile faltered.

"What do you think?"

Ino answered with a serious expression.

"Uh..."

Dearka fell silent.

His gaze wandered. The whole thing was a little eerie, but somehow it still felt strange.

Seeing Dearka's grave expression, Ino suddenly remembered his own situation and hurriedly called over to the mechanics in the nearby hangar. "Oh, right. Could you install a grappling hook for me?"

"A grappling hook?"

The mechanic looked puzzled.

"Can't you?"

"It's not that we can't, but the Ginn has nowhere to store a grappling hook. If we install one, you won't be able to carry a shield," the mechanic explained.

Ino was silent for a moment, then said, "That's fine. I want one with a powerful magnet. Please hurry."

He planned to use the Archangel to escape ZAFT.

The grappling hook was for getting away. When the Archangel left, he could hook it onto the ship and leave with it.

"Uh... but that'll affect the Mobile Suit's combat capabilities."

The mechanic confirmed again, "Are you sure you want it?"

"Yes!"

Ino couldn't remember the exact details of what would happen in the future, but he still had a general idea.

If he didn't leave ZAFT now, he would inevitably have to fight the Earth Alliance later.

For now, he could still use his technical advantage to hold back, let Yzak and the others do most of the fighting, and keep a low profile.

But if he waited until later, when the Earth Alliance had grown even stronger—or if they went straight to Earth—he would definitely have to fight to protect himself. Then he would no longer be able to hide his abilities.

And because of the damage he would inflict on the Earth Alliance, even if he managed to leave ZAFT, he would inevitably face pursuit or imprisonment at their hands.

Besides, he was now a spy who had lost contact with his handlers. The longer he stayed with ZAFT, the less the Earth Alliance would trust him.

So the sooner he left ZAFT, the better.

"All right."

Seeing how determined Ino was, the mechanic turned and began arranging the equipment change.

"Ino, what suddenly made you think of installing a grappling hook?"

Yzak couldn't understand Ino's train of thought.

He could understand installing something else, like a shield or another weapon. But what was the point of a grappling hook?

"I just wanted to try one."

Ino could only use personal interest as an excuse.

Bwooo!

[Giles Arthur's Mobile Suit has sustained critical damage. Firefighting team, report to Deck B immediately!]

[Orr's Mobile Suit is making an emergency return. Ground crew, stand by!]

[Emergency! A return laser signal from Michelle Aiman has been detected!]

But before Ino's Mobile Suit had finished its equipment change, the CIC's voice rang out through the cockpit.

"A laser signal?"

Athrun, who was running the final checks, looked startled.

Yzak and Dearka instinctively glanced at Ino. Had this guy somehow jinxed it?

Under their gazes, Ino was just as bewildered. A laser signal meant Michel had lost his Mobile Suit, but was safe. Had Ino changed Michel's fate?

"Looks like there's an annoying little fly buzzing around out there."

On the Vesalius's bridge, Le Creuset silently rose from his chair as he listened to the CIC's report.

"Captain Le Creuset?"

Addis looked surprised as Le Creuset headed toward the bridge's elevator.

"I'll go take a look. We absolutely can't abandon that last Mobile Suit."

After saying that, Le Creuset stepped into the elevator and pressed the button.