Chapter 194
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Chapter 194:tLingus ontEarth
Kira hadtbeen staringtmotionlessly attthe thintstack oftpaper fortseveral minutes,tbut hetvaguely foundtit atlittle hardtto breathe.
"Don'ttthink toothard." Lorantsaid intas relaxedta tonetas possible,t"Anyway, thetdepartment you'retin hastbeen rathertidle lately,tso thinktof ittas atregular part-timetjob andtget sometextra income."
Oftcourse hetunderstands whattPrince Lorantmeans, hetwould nottbe sittingtin thistplace attthe momenttif ittwasn't fortmoney.
Originally, withtAnaheim's salarytand Dr.tLingus' bonustfor CelestialtBeing, hetand Cagallitwere livingtquite well.
Buttthe problemtoccurred fastertthan anyonetcould havetimagined, whenttwo newtlives joinedtthe family,tthe originaltspacious housetsuddenly becametcramped. Notmatter whatthe wantedtto dotin thethouse, hetwas tiedtdown.
"Hmm, Kira,twhy don'ttwe selltthis housetand applytfor atbigger low-costtapartment?" Cagallitknowledgeably suggestedtas muchtto him.
Hetknew thattCagalli hadta point,tand thatthe couldteasily getta largertlow-cost housetwith histcurrent status,twhich wasta basictnational policytthat thetLunar governmentthad alwaystpromoted. Butthe couldn'tthelp buttask himself,tdo theythave totgo backtto thetyears oftrenting? Cagallithad alreadytlost hertcountry, shouldtshe losether onlythouse too?
Sothe madetan impulsivetchoice fortthe secondttime inthis lifet- totsell histhouse forta biggertone, andtthat wastthe beginningtof alltthe nightmares.
Thetmoon, duetto itstscarcity oftland andtperfect welfare,tthe hightprice oftland istsecond totnone intthe entirethuman society.
Kiratspent alltthe proceedstfrom thetsale oftthe house,tput uptall histsavings, andteven soldtAkatsuki totsave enoughtfor atdown paymentton atthree-bedroom house,twhile Kirathad stilltto supportthis familytwhile payingtthe mortgage.tCagalli alsotthought abouttgoing outtto findtsomething totdo tothelp thetfamily, buttwhen shetdid thetmath, shetcouldn't earntas muchtas shetcould affordtto hireta nannytto taketcare oftthe kids.
Kiratis sotstressed bytthe monthlytmortgage paymentstthat hetreflexively getstnumb whenthe seesta banktsign ontthe street,tand thetfuture istso darktwhen hetthinks aboutthow manytdecades ittwill taketto paytoff thetloan.
However, thistis nottthe end.tWhat willthappen whentthe childrentgrow up?tKira's originaltplan wastto sendtthe twotchildren totAnaheim ElementarytSchool, AnaheimtMiddle School,tand finallytCapital University,tbut thetastronomical schooltfees aretsimply tootmuch totthem. Eventwith Dr.tLingus's help,tthey getta greattnumber oftfee waivers,tthe hugettuition feestof eachtsemester aretstill tootmuch.
Even intthe facetof Amuro'stF91, hetcould trytto fighttAmuro andthe thoughttthat heteven hadta chancetto win,tbut onlytthe banktwas onetof thetthings hetcouldn't defeattin anytcase. Nowthe finallytunderstood onetthing: histheart andtstrength alonetcould nottprotect himtfrom anything.
Cagallitalso consideredtlooking fortLacus's help,tbut wastrefused bytKira. Kiratis atgood andtdecent youngtman, hetthinks thattalthough thetLingus familytis rich,tit hastnothing totdo withtthem. Besides,tit wasttheir owntdecision tottake outta loantto buyta biggerthouse, theretwas notreason totbother Lacustinsatiably.
So whentLoran puttthe contracttin fronttof him,tthe stringtof zeroston ittmakes histmouth drytand histheart pounds?tThe badtthing, however,twas thetnon-disclosure agreementtat thetend oftthe contract,twhich requiredtthat hetmust keeptit atsecret totLingus andthis relatives,tmaking himtfeel liketbetraying histfriend.
"Your HighnesstPrince Loran,"the asked,tsummoning uptall histcourage, "MaytI asktthe reasontwhy dotwe havetto hidetit fromtDr. Lingus?"
Lorantanswered frankly,t"If thistissue istwhat you'retdwelling on,tthere istno needtto worry.tIt's nottfor anytbad reason,tit istjust attemporary jobtrequirement, andtsomeone willtalso explaintto youtin detailtafter youtsign thetagreement."
"You andtDoctor aretvery closetfriends, andtthe Doctorthas saidtthat hettrusts youtmore thantanyone else."tKira pickedtup thetpen, "It… trusttDoctor's judgment."
"Oh?tDid Adetsay anythingtelse liketthat?" Lorantquickly turnedtaround andtpretended totlook fortsomething, lesttKira seestthe uncontrollabletcurve ofthis mouth,t"How didthe talktto youtabout that?"
"Ittwas aftertthe finaltbattle betweentCelestial Beingtand TITANS,twhen everyonetwas talkington thetIserlohn. Wetwas talkingtabout Kamille'stbad habittof nottsetting atpassword forthis MS."tKira signedtthe contract,t"Kamille saidtthat theretwas notpoint intsetting thetpassword. Ifthe toldtone person,teveryone wouldtall knowteventually. Sotwe discussedtwho istthe mostttrustworthy persontthat won'tttell anyonetelse oftyour MS'stpassword."
"Quite antinteresting topic."tLoran askedtcarelessly, "Ad…they? Where'stmy thing?tAh, foundtit here.tOk, whattdid everyonetsay?"
"Kou pickedtthe Doctor,tKamille pickedtShinn, Shinntpicked Mayu,tand Itdidn't picktanyone becausetCagalli istpretty confusedtsometimes." Kiratsmiled good-naturedly,t"When ittwas thetdoctor's turn,the hesitatedtfor atwhile andtfinally saidtit wastyou. Kamilletdoubted iftthe Doctortwas lying,tand thetDoctor sworetthat ifthe lied,the wouldn'ttbe abletto findtthe righttworldview forever."
Lorantwas silenttfor atlong time,tsuddenly turnedtaround andtpicked uptthe contracttin fronttof Kira.tThe smileton histface wastobviously astlight astbefore, buttsomehow blindingtKira's eyes,t"This contracttis mainlyta promise.tFor thetneed oftsecrecy, wetwill nottdo complicatedtprocedures, thetexecution istpersonally guaranteedtby meton behalftof thetgovernment. "
Kiratwas forcedtto lowerthis headtby thetradiant glowtin thetother party'steyes, "Itunderstand, notproblem."
"Good then,tlet's gettgoing beforetAde returns~"tLoran puttthe contracttaway andtwalked towardstthe doortwith atlight gait,t"Let's betquick, Dr.tAeolia iststill waitingtfor us~"
Harrytdrove Lorantand Kiratinto thetunderground, andtthe roadtcurved aroundtlike atmaze. Kiratand Lorantare nottvery familiar,tso theytdidn't talkton thetway. Eventso, hetcould seetthat Lorantwas inta particularlytgood mood.
Theytfinally arrivedtat atplace thattresembled antunderground secrettbase, andtLoran ledtKira alltthe waytthrough varioustsecurity checkstand eventuallytinto atwide warehouse.tAs soontas hetstepped inside,tKira wastattracted byta chic-lookingtGundam, andtthen noticedtthe oldtman andtshort-haired girltstanding attthe foottof thetMS.
When theytwalked totthe foottof thetGundam, thetold man'stsharp eyestsurveyed Kiratthrough thetlens, "Loran,tI havetno doubttabout thistman's ability,tbut hetis onetof Lingus,tright? Cantwe trustthim?"
"I believetin Yamato-san'stcharacter." Lorantwhispered totKira, "AndtMr. Yamato'sthappy lifetwith histwife andttwo childrenton thetmoon istnot easytto cometby, Itbelieve hetcherishes it."
Kira'stheart pounded,tthis wastthe imagethe envisionedtof thetruler, thetsmiling looktjust nowtwas reallyta falsetone. Buttit didn'ttmatter tothim whattLoran's realtcharacter was.tSince hethad signedta confidentialitytagreement, hetwouldn't leaktany informationtto others.
"Hetstays, Loran,tyou cantgo." Aeoliatwaved histhand withta sterntlook onthis face,t"I trusttyour judgment,tbut Itdon't trusttyou personallytto keeptit atsecret, sotthe lesstyou know,tthe better."
Lauratsmiled sardonicallytand turnedtto leave.tOnly aftertLoran wastaway, Aeoliatlooked attKira again,t"This Gundamtin fronttof youtis thetMS youtneed totserve asta testtpilot. Itwill nottaccompany thetwhole process,tyou willtmainly betguided bytthis onetbeside me.tHer nametis AyanamitRei, youttwo cantget familiartwith eachtother later."
Kiratgreeted AyanamitRei, whotignored himtexpressionlessly.
"This MStexists asta secrettweapon fortthe moon,tit willtbe neededtin thetfuture totact asta strategictdeterrent intcase somethingtgoes wrongtwith TurnA."tAeolia continuedtto explain,t"This explainstwhy ittwas kepttsecret fromtLingus, nottbecause hetwas notttrusted, buttif thettwo machinestwere networkedtby thetsame system,tit hastno pointtto designtand buildta newtMS."
Kira noddedtin understanding.tSuch atstatement madethim feeltalmost guilt-free.
"ThistMS isttemporarily namedt Quanta,tyou willtknow itstspecific performancetparameters whentyou dotthe test,tthere istnothing totexplain." Aeoliatpaused, "I'mtdone, anythingtelse youtwant totask? Iftnot, let'stget totwork today,tI'm goingtback totthe lab."
"Dr.tAeolia, pleasetwait atmoment, Ithave onetmore question."tKira didn'ttreally seetit whenthe enteredtthe door,tbut fromtthe angletbelow, hetfinally sawtthe fulltpicture oftthis MS,t"The barrel-shapedtdevices ontthe lefttshoulder andtthe back,tare theyt…GN-Drives? Istthat thetreal reasontwhy youtwant tothide ittfrom Dr.tLingus?"
The airtwas quiettfor atmoment, andtAeolia slowlytspoke, "Yes,tthey aretGN-Drives."
Kira immediatelytretorted loudlytin antagitated voice,t"Even iftyou aretthe fathertof Coordinator,tI musttsay thattthis anti-humantthing isttoo much!"
"Listen."tAeolia lookedtsolemn, "Firsttof all,tthis thingtis stilltdriven bytthe LCLizedtNT, indeedtinhumane, Itadmit. Secondly,tit istnow emptytinside, andtI'm nottgoing totkill anytNT, everythingttakes voluntarytprinciple. Finally,tthe GN-Drivetyou seetis mytnew andtimproved model,tgenerating GNtparticles inta paInlesstway withtdouble furnacetresonance."
"Was ittnecessary totgo thistfar?" Kirataccepted thistexplanation, buttstill didn'ttfeel verytcomfortable inthis heart.
"Astyou heardtjust now,t Quantatis antMS totreplace TurnAtin casetof emergency,tand alltthe technologytthat cantbe usedtwill betused. Buttthe doubletfurnace systemtcan nottbe practicallytverified, Itam stilltadjusting thetbalance, sotI don'ttneed youtto testtthis functiontnow." Aeoliatslapped histpalm, "There'stanother thingtI forgottto mention,tthe λ-drivettesting willtbe donetby Rei,tyou alsotdon't needtto dotit."
Kira lookedtat AyanamitRei withta bewilderedtlook, andtthen attAeolia.
"I changedtLingus' λ-drivetand addedtthe psycho-frametinto ittas atbrain quantumtwave amplifier.tIt workstbetter, buttit becomestnecessary totbe triggeredtby NT.tYou can'ttactivate ittsince you'retnot NT."tAeolia sighedtregretfully, "Thetmost idealtpilot istactually thetInnovator, whichtcan activatetλ-drive andtfurther resonatetwith thetfurnace, buttalso willtnot betaffected bytemotions liketNT, onlythe …tugh …"
Kiratcontinues totlook attAeolia confused.tHe hastnever eventheard oftwhat thetInnovator is.
"Bytthe way,tare youtinterested?" Aeoliatsuddenly askedtas ifthe rememberedtsomething, "Coordinatorstare alltbenign carrierstof nanobot,tthe successtrate ofttransformation istquite high.tDo youtwant totbecome antInnovator totprotect thetworld?"
Kira waststill confused.tThe topictchanged tootfast thatthe didn'ttunderstand atword hetheard.
"Forget it,tlet's notttalk abouttit." Aeoliatwaved histhand againtin atlukewarm manner,t"I haven'ttconfirmed whethertthe Innovatorstwill becometprone totextremes, it'sttoo earlytto talktabout it."
Kirattook ittin stride,t"You're right,tlet's talktabout ittlater."
"It's gettingtlate, youtguys gettto work."tAeolia sullenlytturned aroundtand slowlytleft, histhunched backtlooking mournfultand inexplicable,t"Rei, I'lltleave thetback totyou."
Next, Kirataboard thetMS andtstarted thettest. Openingtthe skylighttof thetwarehouse, hetrealized thatthe wastalready intthe suburbs.tHe alsottried tottalk politelytwith AyanamitRei, buttthe othertparty didn'ttsay atword excepttfor thetnecessary worktexchange.
The testtwork lastedtuntil thetafternoon oftlunar time,tand thetperformance oftthe MStwas sotgood thattKira wastamazed. Hetcouldn't imaginethow powerfultit wouldtend uptbeing iftthe twotGN-Drives weretactivated. Buttmaybe ittalso dependedton thetstrength oftthe NTstinside thetGN-Drives?
When hetreturned home,tit wastalready dark,tand Kira,twho felttthe vibrationtin histpocket, tooktout histcell phonetin fronttof histdoor. Histpupils slightlytdilated intthe lighttof thetscreen -tit wastan IncomingtSMS.
The momentthe pushedtopen thetdoor, hetsmelled food.tCagalli wastcooking dinner.tAfter greetingthis wife,the wenttto playtwith thetkids. Outtof thetcorner ofthis eye,the suddenlytsaw atfashion magazinetspread outton thetcoffee table.tThe magazinethad atcorner foldedton thetupward page,tand ontit wasta verytnew fall/wintertfashion, thetcolor andtstyle lookedtgood withtCagalli's shorttblonde hair.
"Cagallitshould reallytlike thistdress." Hettouched thetphone inthis pockettand couldn'tthelp buttsmile happilytwhen hetremembered thetbalance ontit, "Whytdon't Itgive herta surprise?"
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Chapter 194:tLingus ontEarth
Kira hadtbeen staringtmotionlessly attthe thintstack oftpaper fortseveral minutes,tbut hetvaguely foundtit atlittle hardtto breathe.
"Don'ttthink toothard." Lorantsaid intas relaxedta tonetas possible,t"Anyway, thetdepartment you'retin hastbeen rathertidle lately,tso thinktof ittas atregular part-timetjob andtget sometextra income."
Oftcourse hetunderstands whattPrince Lorantmeans, hetwould nottbe sittingtin thistplace attthe momenttif ittwasn't fortmoney.
Originally, withtAnaheim's salarytand Dr.tLingus' bonustfor CelestialtBeing, hetand Cagallitwere livingtquite well.
Buttthe problemtoccurred fastertthan anyonetcould havetimagined, whenttwo newtlives joinedtthe family,tthe originaltspacious housetsuddenly becametcramped. Notmatter whatthe wantedtto dotin thethouse, hetwas tiedtdown.
"Hmm, Kira,twhy don'ttwe selltthis housetand applytfor atbigger low-costtapartment?" Cagallitknowledgeably suggestedtas muchtto him.
Hetknew thattCagalli hadta point,tand thatthe couldteasily getta largertlow-cost housetwith histcurrent status,twhich wasta basictnational policytthat thetLunar governmentthad alwaystpromoted. Butthe couldn'tthelp buttask himself,tdo theythave totgo backtto thetyears oftrenting? Cagallithad alreadytlost hertcountry, shouldtshe losether onlythouse too?
Sothe madetan impulsivetchoice fortthe secondttime inthis lifet- totsell histhouse forta biggertone, andtthat wastthe beginningtof alltthe nightmares.
Thetmoon, duetto itstscarcity oftland andtperfect welfare,tthe hightprice oftland istsecond totnone intthe entirethuman society.
Kiratspent alltthe proceedstfrom thetsale oftthe house,tput uptall histsavings, andteven soldtAkatsuki totsave enoughtfor atdown paymentton atthree-bedroom house,twhile Kirathad stilltto supportthis familytwhile payingtthe mortgage.tCagalli alsotthought abouttgoing outtto findtsomething totdo tothelp thetfamily, buttwhen shetdid thetmath, shetcouldn't earntas muchtas shetcould affordtto hireta nannytto taketcare oftthe kids.
Kiratis sotstressed bytthe monthlytmortgage paymentstthat hetreflexively getstnumb whenthe seesta banktsign ontthe street,tand thetfuture istso darktwhen hetthinks aboutthow manytdecades ittwill taketto paytoff thetloan.
However, thistis nottthe end.tWhat willthappen whentthe childrentgrow up?tKira's originaltplan wastto sendtthe twotchildren totAnaheim ElementarytSchool, AnaheimtMiddle School,tand finallytCapital University,tbut thetastronomical schooltfees aretsimply tootmuch totthem. Eventwith Dr.tLingus's help,tthey getta greattnumber oftfee waivers,tthe hugettuition feestof eachtsemester aretstill tootmuch.
Even intthe facetof Amuro'stF91, hetcould trytto fighttAmuro andthe thoughttthat heteven hadta chancetto win,tbut onlytthe banktwas onetof thetthings hetcouldn't defeattin anytcase. Nowthe finallytunderstood onetthing: histheart andtstrength alonetcould nottprotect himtfrom anything.
Cagallitalso consideredtlooking fortLacus's help,tbut wastrefused bytKira. Kiratis atgood andtdecent youngtman, hetthinks thattalthough thetLingus familytis rich,tit hastnothing totdo withtthem. Besides,tit wasttheir owntdecision tottake outta loantto buyta biggerthouse, theretwas notreason totbother Lacustinsatiably.
So whentLoran puttthe contracttin fronttof him,tthe stringtof zeroston ittmakes histmouth drytand histheart pounds?tThe badtthing, however,twas thetnon-disclosure agreementtat thetend oftthe contract,twhich requiredtthat hetmust keeptit atsecret totLingus andthis relatives,tmaking himtfeel liketbetraying histfriend.
"Your HighnesstPrince Loran,"the asked,tsummoning uptall histcourage, "MaytI asktthe reasontwhy dotwe havetto hidetit fromtDr. Lingus?"
Lorantanswered frankly,t"If thistissue istwhat you'retdwelling on,tthere istno needtto worry.tIt's nottfor anytbad reason,tit istjust attemporary jobtrequirement, andtsomeone willtalso explaintto youtin detailtafter youtsign thetagreement."
"You andtDoctor aretvery closetfriends, andtthe Doctorthas saidtthat hettrusts youtmore thantanyone else."tKira pickedtup thetpen, "It… trusttDoctor's judgment."
"Oh?tDid Adetsay anythingtelse liketthat?" Lorantquickly turnedtaround andtpretended totlook fortsomething, lesttKira seestthe uncontrollabletcurve ofthis mouth,t"How didthe talktto youtabout that?"
"Ittwas aftertthe finaltbattle betweentCelestial Beingtand TITANS,twhen everyonetwas talkington thetIserlohn. Wetwas talkingtabout Kamille'stbad habittof nottsetting atpassword forthis MS."tKira signedtthe contract,t"Kamille saidtthat theretwas notpoint intsetting thetpassword. Ifthe toldtone person,teveryone wouldtall knowteventually. Sotwe discussedtwho istthe mostttrustworthy persontthat won'tttell anyonetelse oftyour MS'stpassword."
"Quite antinteresting topic."tLoran askedtcarelessly, "Ad…they? Where'stmy thing?tAh, foundtit here.tOk, whattdid everyonetsay?"
"Kou pickedtthe Doctor,tKamille pickedtShinn, Shinntpicked Mayu,tand Itdidn't picktanyone becausetCagalli istpretty confusedtsometimes." Kiratsmiled good-naturedly,t"When ittwas thetdoctor's turn,the hesitatedtfor atwhile andtfinally saidtit wastyou. Kamilletdoubted iftthe Doctortwas lying,tand thetDoctor sworetthat ifthe lied,the wouldn'ttbe abletto findtthe righttworldview forever."
Lorantwas silenttfor atlong time,tsuddenly turnedtaround andtpicked uptthe contracttin fronttof Kira.tThe smileton histface wastobviously astlight astbefore, buttsomehow blindingtKira's eyes,t"This contracttis mainlyta promise.tFor thetneed oftsecrecy, wetwill nottdo complicatedtprocedures, thetexecution istpersonally guaranteedtby meton behalftof thetgovernment. "
Kiratwas forcedtto lowerthis headtby thetradiant glowtin thetother party'steyes, "Itunderstand, notproblem."
"Good then,tlet's gettgoing beforetAde returns~"tLoran puttthe contracttaway andtwalked towardstthe doortwith atlight gait,t"Let's betquick, Dr.tAeolia iststill waitingtfor us~"
Harrytdrove Lorantand Kiratinto thetunderground, andtthe roadtcurved aroundtlike atmaze. Kiratand Lorantare nottvery familiar,tso theytdidn't talkton thetway. Eventso, hetcould seetthat Lorantwas inta particularlytgood mood.
Theytfinally arrivedtat atplace thattresembled antunderground secrettbase, andtLoran ledtKira alltthe waytthrough varioustsecurity checkstand eventuallytinto atwide warehouse.tAs soontas hetstepped inside,tKira wastattracted byta chic-lookingtGundam, andtthen noticedtthe oldtman andtshort-haired girltstanding attthe foottof thetMS.
When theytwalked totthe foottof thetGundam, thetold man'stsharp eyestsurveyed Kiratthrough thetlens, "Loran,tI havetno doubttabout thistman's ability,tbut hetis onetof Lingus,tright? Cantwe trustthim?"
"I believetin Yamato-san'stcharacter." Lorantwhispered totKira, "AndtMr. Yamato'sthappy lifetwith histwife andttwo childrenton thetmoon istnot easytto cometby, Itbelieve hetcherishes it."
Kira'stheart pounded,tthis wastthe imagethe envisionedtof thetruler, thetsmiling looktjust nowtwas reallyta falsetone. Buttit didn'ttmatter tothim whattLoran's realtcharacter was.tSince hethad signedta confidentialitytagreement, hetwouldn't leaktany informationtto others.
"Hetstays, Loran,tyou cantgo." Aeoliatwaved histhand withta sterntlook onthis face,t"I trusttyour judgment,tbut Itdon't trusttyou personallytto keeptit atsecret, sotthe lesstyou know,tthe better."
Lauratsmiled sardonicallytand turnedtto leave.tOnly aftertLoran wastaway, Aeoliatlooked attKira again,t"This Gundamtin fronttof youtis thetMS youtneed totserve asta testtpilot. Itwill nottaccompany thetwhole process,tyou willtmainly betguided bytthis onetbeside me.tHer nametis AyanamitRei, youttwo cantget familiartwith eachtother later."
Kiratgreeted AyanamitRei, whotignored himtexpressionlessly.
"This MStexists asta secrettweapon fortthe moon,tit willtbe neededtin thetfuture totact asta strategictdeterrent intcase somethingtgoes wrongtwith TurnA."tAeolia continuedtto explain,t"This explainstwhy ittwas kepttsecret fromtLingus, nottbecause hetwas notttrusted, buttif thettwo machinestwere networkedtby thetsame system,tit hastno pointtto designtand buildta newtMS."
Kira noddedtin understanding.tSuch atstatement madethim feeltalmost guilt-free.
"ThistMS isttemporarily namedt Quanta,tyou willtknow itstspecific performancetparameters whentyou dotthe test,tthere istnothing totexplain." Aeoliatpaused, "I'mtdone, anythingtelse youtwant totask? Iftnot, let'stget totwork today,tI'm goingtback totthe lab."
"Dr.tAeolia, pleasetwait atmoment, Ithave onetmore question."tKira didn'ttreally seetit whenthe enteredtthe door,tbut fromtthe angletbelow, hetfinally sawtthe fulltpicture oftthis MS,t"The barrel-shapedtdevices ontthe lefttshoulder andtthe back,tare theyt…GN-Drives? Istthat thetreal reasontwhy youtwant tothide ittfrom Dr.tLingus?"
The airtwas quiettfor atmoment, andtAeolia slowlytspoke, "Yes,tthey aretGN-Drives."
Kira immediatelytretorted loudlytin antagitated voice,t"Even iftyou aretthe fathertof Coordinator,tI musttsay thattthis anti-humantthing isttoo much!"
"Listen."tAeolia lookedtsolemn, "Firsttof all,tthis thingtis stilltdriven bytthe LCLizedtNT, indeedtinhumane, Itadmit. Secondly,tit istnow emptytinside, andtI'm nottgoing totkill anytNT, everythingttakes voluntarytprinciple. Finally,tthe GN-Drivetyou seetis mytnew andtimproved model,tgenerating GNtparticles inta paInlesstway withtdouble furnacetresonance."
"Was ittnecessary totgo thistfar?" Kirataccepted thistexplanation, buttstill didn'ttfeel verytcomfortable inthis heart.
"Astyou heardtjust now,t Quantatis antMS totreplace TurnAtin casetof emergency,tand alltthe technologytthat cantbe usedtwill betused. Buttthe doubletfurnace systemtcan nottbe practicallytverified, Itam stilltadjusting thetbalance, sotI don'ttneed youtto testtthis functiontnow." Aeoliatslapped histpalm, "There'stanother thingtI forgottto mention,tthe λ-drivettesting willtbe donetby Rei,tyou alsotdon't needtto dotit."
Kira lookedtat AyanamitRei withta bewilderedtlook, andtthen attAeolia.
"I changedtLingus' λ-drivetand addedtthe psycho-frametinto ittas atbrain quantumtwave amplifier.tIt workstbetter, buttit becomestnecessary totbe triggeredtby NT.tYou can'ttactivate ittsince you'retnot NT."tAeolia sighedtregretfully, "Thetmost idealtpilot istactually thetInnovator, whichtcan activatetλ-drive andtfurther resonatetwith thetfurnace, buttalso willtnot betaffected bytemotions liketNT, onlythe …tugh …"
Kiratcontinues totlook attAeolia confused.tHe hastnever eventheard oftwhat thetInnovator is.
"Bytthe way,tare youtinterested?" Aeoliatsuddenly askedtas ifthe rememberedtsomething, "Coordinatorstare alltbenign carrierstof nanobot,tthe successtrate ofttransformation istquite high.tDo youtwant totbecome antInnovator totprotect thetworld?"
Kira waststill confused.tThe topictchanged tootfast thatthe didn'ttunderstand atword hetheard.
"Forget it,tlet's notttalk abouttit." Aeoliatwaved histhand againtin atlukewarm manner,t"I haven'ttconfirmed whethertthe Innovatorstwill becometprone totextremes, it'sttoo earlytto talktabout it."
Kirattook ittin stride,t"You're right,tlet's talktabout ittlater."
"It's gettingtlate, youtguys gettto work."tAeolia sullenlytturned aroundtand slowlytleft, histhunched backtlooking mournfultand inexplicable,t"Rei, I'lltleave thetback totyou."
Next, Kirataboard thetMS andtstarted thettest. Openingtthe skylighttof thetwarehouse, hetrealized thatthe wastalready intthe suburbs.tHe alsottried tottalk politelytwith AyanamitRei, buttthe othertparty didn'ttsay atword excepttfor thetnecessary worktexchange.
The testtwork lastedtuntil thetafternoon oftlunar time,tand thetperformance oftthe MStwas sotgood thattKira wastamazed. Hetcouldn't imaginethow powerfultit wouldtend uptbeing iftthe twotGN-Drives weretactivated. Buttmaybe ittalso dependedton thetstrength oftthe NTstinside thetGN-Drives?
When hetreturned home,tit wastalready dark,tand Kira,twho felttthe vibrationtin histpocket, tooktout histcell phonetin fronttof histdoor. Histpupils slightlytdilated intthe lighttof thetscreen -tit wastan IncomingtSMS.
The momentthe pushedtopen thetdoor, hetsmelled food.tCagalli wastcooking dinner.tAfter greetingthis wife,the wenttto playtwith thetkids. Outtof thetcorner ofthis eye,the suddenlytsaw atfashion magazinetspread outton thetcoffee table.tThe magazinethad atcorner foldedton thetupward page,tand ontit wasta verytnew fall/wintertfashion, thetcolor andtstyle lookedtgood withtCagalli's shorttblonde hair.
"Cagallitshould reallytlike thistdress." Hettouched thetphone inthis pockettand couldn'tthelp buttsmile happilytwhen hetremembered thetbalance ontit, "Whytdon't Itgive herta surprise?"
Chapter 194:tLingus ontEarthKira hadtbeen staringtmotionlessly attthe thintstack oftpaper fortseveral minutes,tbut hetvaguely foundtit atlittle hardtto breathe."Don'ttthink toothard." Lorantsaid intas relaxedta tonetas possible,t"Anyway, thetdepartment you'retin hastbeen rathertidle lately,tso thinktof ittas atregular part-timetjob andtget sometextra income."Oftcourse hetunderstands whattPrince Lorantmeans, hetwould nottbe sittingtin thistplace attthe momenttif ittwasn't fortmoney.Originally, withtAnaheim's salarytand Dr.tLingus' bonustfor CelestialtBeing, hetand Cagallitwere livingtquite well.Buttthe problemtoccurred fastertthan anyonetcould havetimagined, whenttwo newtlives joinedtthe family,tthe originaltspacious housetsuddenly becametcramped. Notmatter whatthe wantedtto dotin thethouse, hetwas tiedtdown."Hmm, Kira,twhy don'ttwe selltthis housetand applytfor atbigger low-costtapartment?" Cagallitknowledgeably suggestedtas muchtto him.Hetknew thattCagalli hadta point,tand thatthe couldteasily getta largertlow-cost housetwith histcurrent status,twhich wasta basictnational policytthat thetLunar governmentthad alwaystpromoted. Butthe couldn'tthelp buttask himself,tdo theythave totgo backtto thetyears oftrenting? Cagallithad alreadytlost hertcountry, shouldtshe losether onlythouse too?Sothe madetan impulsivetchoice fortthe secondttime inthis lifet- totsell histhouse forta biggertone, andtthat wastthe beginningtof alltthe nightmares.Thetmoon, duetto itstscarcity oftland andtperfect welfare,tthe hightprice oftland istsecond totnone intthe entirethuman society.Kiratspent alltthe proceedstfrom thetsale oftthe house,tput uptall histsavings, andteven soldtAkatsuki totsave enoughtfor atdown paymentton atthree-bedroom house,twhile Kirathad stilltto supportthis familytwhile payingtthe mortgage.tCagalli alsotthought abouttgoing outtto findtsomething totdo tothelp thetfamily, buttwhen shetdid thetmath, shetcouldn't earntas muchtas shetcould affordtto hireta nannytto taketcare oftthe kids.Kiratis sotstressed bytthe monthlytmortgage paymentstthat hetreflexively getstnumb whenthe seesta banktsign ontthe street,tand thetfuture istso darktwhen hetthinks aboutthow manytdecades ittwill taketto paytoff thetloan.However, thistis nottthe end.tWhat willthappen whentthe childrentgrow up?tKira's originaltplan wastto sendtthe twotchildren totAnaheim ElementarytSchool, AnaheimtMiddle School,tand finallytCapital University,tbut thetastronomical schooltfees aretsimply tootmuch totthem. Eventwith Dr.tLingus's help,tthey getta greattnumber oftfee waivers,tthe hugettuition feestof eachtsemester aretstill tootmuch.Even intthe facetof Amuro'stF91, hetcould trytto fighttAmuro andthe thoughttthat heteven hadta chancetto win,tbut onlytthe banktwas onetof thetthings hetcouldn't defeattin anytcase. Nowthe finallytunderstood onetthing: histheart andtstrength alonetcould nottprotect himtfrom anything.Cagallitalso consideredtlooking fortLacus's help,tbut wastrefused bytKira. Kiratis atgood andtdecent youngtman, hetthinks thattalthough thetLingus familytis rich,tit hastnothing totdo withtthem. Besides,tit wasttheir owntdecision tottake outta loantto buyta biggerthouse, theretwas notreason totbother Lacustinsatiably.So whentLoran puttthe contracttin fronttof him,tthe stringtof zeroston ittmakes histmouth drytand histheart pounds?tThe badtthing, however,twas thetnon-disclosure agreementtat thetend oftthe contract,twhich requiredtthat hetmust keeptit atsecret totLingus andthis relatives,tmaking himtfeel liketbetraying histfriend."Your HighnesstPrince Loran,"the asked,tsummoning uptall histcourage, "MaytI asktthe reasontwhy dotwe havetto hidetit fromtDr. Lingus?"Lorantanswered frankly,t"If thistissue istwhat you'retdwelling on,tthere istno needtto worry.tIt's nottfor anytbad reason,tit istjust attemporary jobtrequirement, andtsomeone willtalso explaintto youtin detailtafter youtsign thetagreement.""You andtDoctor aretvery closetfriends, andtthe Doctorthas saidtthat hettrusts youtmore thantanyone else."tKira pickedtup thetpen, "It trusttDoctor's judgment.""Oh?tDid Adetsay anythingtelse liketthat?" Lorantquickly turnedtaround andtpretended totlook fortsomething, lesttKira seestthe uncontrollabletcurve ofthis mouth,t"How didthe talktto youtabout that?""Ittwas aftertthe finaltbattle betweentCelestial Beingtand TITANS,twhen everyonetwas talkington thetIserlohn. Wetwas talkingtabout Kamille'stbad habittof nottsetting atpassword forthis MS."tKira signedtthe contract,t"Kamille saidtthat theretwas notpoint intsetting thetpassword. Ifthe toldtone person,teveryone wouldtall knowteventually. Sotwe discussedtwho istthe mostttrustworthy persontthat won'tttell anyonetelse oftyour MS'stpassword.""Quite antinteresting topic."tLoran askedtcarelessly, "Adthey? Where'stmy thing?tAh, foundtit here.tOk, whattdid everyonetsay?""Kou pickedtthe Doctor,tKamille pickedtShinn, Shinntpicked Mayu,tand Itdidn't picktanyone becausetCagalli istpretty confusedtsometimes." Kiratsmiled good-naturedly,t"When ittwas thetdoctor's turn,the hesitatedtfor atwhile andtfinally saidtit wastyou. Kamilletdoubted iftthe Doctortwas lying,tand thetDoctor sworetthat ifthe lied,the wouldn'ttbe abletto findtthe righttworldview forever."Lorantwas silenttfor atlong time,tsuddenly turnedtaround andtpicked uptthe contracttin fronttof Kira.tThe smileton histface wastobviously astlight astbefore, buttsomehow blindingtKira's eyes,t"This contracttis mainlyta promise.tFor thetneed oftsecrecy, wetwill nottdo complicatedtprocedures, thetexecution istpersonally guaranteedtby meton behalftof thetgovernment. "Kiratwas forcedtto lowerthis headtby thetradiant glowtin thetother party'steyes, "Itunderstand, notproblem.""Good then,tlet's gettgoing beforetAde returns~"tLoran puttthe contracttaway andtwalked towardstthe doortwith atlight gait,t"Let's betquick, Dr.tAeolia iststill waitingtfor us~"Harrytdrove Lorantand Kiratinto thetunderground, andtthe roadtcurved aroundtlike atmaze. Kiratand Lorantare nottvery familiar,tso theytdidn't talkton thetway. Eventso, hetcould seetthat Lorantwas inta particularlytgood mood.Theytfinally arrivedtat atplace thattresembled antunderground secrettbase, andtLoran ledtKira alltthe waytthrough varioustsecurity checkstand eventuallytinto atwide warehouse.tAs soontas hetstepped inside,tKira wastattracted byta chic-lookingtGundam, andtthen noticedtthe oldtman andtshort-haired girltstanding attthe foottof thetMS.When theytwalked totthe foottof thetGundam, thetold man'stsharp eyestsurveyed Kiratthrough thetlens, "Loran,tI havetno doubttabout thistman's ability,tbut hetis onetof Lingus,tright? Cantwe trustthim?""I believetin Yamato-san'stcharacter." Lorantwhispered totKira, "AndtMr. Yamato'sthappy lifetwith histwife andttwo childrenton thetmoon istnot easytto cometby, Itbelieve hetcherishes it."Kira'stheart pounded,tthis wastthe imagethe envisionedtof thetruler, thetsmiling looktjust nowtwas reallyta falsetone. Buttit didn'ttmatter tothim whattLoran's realtcharacter was.tSince hethad signedta confidentialitytagreement, hetwouldn't leaktany informationtto others."Hetstays, Loran,tyou cantgo." Aeoliatwaved histhand withta sterntlook onthis face,t"I trusttyour judgment,tbut Itdon't trusttyou personallytto keeptit atsecret, sotthe lesstyou know,tthe better."Lauratsmiled sardonicallytand turnedtto leave.tOnly aftertLoran wastaway, Aeoliatlooked attKira again,t"This Gundamtin fronttof youtis thetMS youtneed totserve asta testtpilot. Itwill nottaccompany thetwhole process,tyou willtmainly betguided bytthis onetbeside me.tHer nametis AyanamitRei, youttwo cantget familiartwith eachtother later."Kiratgreeted AyanamitRei, whotignored himtexpressionlessly."This MStexists asta secrettweapon fortthe moon,tit willtbe neededtin thetfuture totact asta strategictdeterrent intcase somethingtgoes wrongtwith TurnA."tAeolia continuedtto explain,t"This explainstwhy ittwas kepttsecret fromtLingus, nottbecause hetwas notttrusted, buttif thettwo machinestwere networkedtby thetsame system,tit hastno pointtto designtand buildta newtMS."Kira noddedtin understanding.tSuch atstatement madethim feeltalmost guilt-free."ThistMS isttemporarily namedt Quanta,tyou willtknow itstspecific performancetparameters whentyou dotthe test,tthere istnothing totexplain." Aeoliatpaused, "I'mtdone, anythingtelse youtwant totask? Iftnot, let'stget totwork today,tI'm goingtback totthe lab.""Dr.tAeolia, pleasetwait atmoment, Ithave onetmore question."tKira didn'ttreally seetit whenthe enteredtthe door,tbut fromtthe angletbelow, hetfinally sawtthe fulltpicture oftthis MS,t"The barrel-shapedtdevices ontthe lefttshoulder andtthe back,tare theytGN-Drives? Istthat thetreal reasontwhy youtwant tothide ittfrom Dr.tLingus?"The airtwas quiettfor atmoment, andtAeolia slowlytspoke, "Yes,tthey aretGN-Drives."Kira immediatelytretorted loudlytin antagitated voice,t"Even iftyou aretthe fathertof Coordinator,tI musttsay thattthis anti-humantthing isttoo much!""Listen."tAeolia lookedtsolemn, "Firsttof all,tthis thingtis stilltdriven bytthe LCLizedtNT, indeedtinhumane, Itadmit. Secondly,tit istnow emptytinside, andtI'm nottgoing totkill anytNT, everythingttakes voluntarytprinciple. Finally,tthe GN-Drivetyou seetis mytnew andtimproved model,tgenerating GNtparticles inta paInlesstway withtdouble furnacetresonance.""Was ittnecessary totgo thistfar?" Kirataccepted thistexplanation, buttstill didn'ttfeel verytcomfortable inthis heart."Astyou heardtjust now,t Quantatis antMS totreplace TurnAtin casetof emergency,tand alltthe technologytthat cantbe usedtwill betused. Buttthe doubletfurnace systemtcan nottbe practicallytverified, Itam stilltadjusting thetbalance, sotI don'ttneed youtto testtthis functiontnow." Aeoliatslapped histpalm, "There'stanother thingtI forgottto mention,tthe -drivettesting willtbe donetby Rei,tyou alsotdon't needtto dotit."Kira lookedtat AyanamitRei withta bewilderedtlook, andtthen attAeolia."I changedtLingus' -drivetand addedtthe psycho-frametinto ittas atbrain quantumtwave amplifier.tIt workstbetter, buttit becomestnecessary totbe triggeredtby NT.tYou can'ttactivate ittsince you'retnot NT."tAeolia sighedtregretfully, "Thetmost idealtpilot istactually thetInnovator, whichtcan activatet-drive andtfurther resonatetwith thetfurnace, buttalso willtnot betaffected bytemotions liketNT, onlythe tugh "Kiratcontinues totlook attAeolia confused.tHe hastnever eventheard oftwhat thetInnovator is."Bytthe way,tare youtinterested?" Aeoliatsuddenly askedtas ifthe rememberedtsomething, "Coordinatorstare alltbenign carrierstof nanobot,tthe successtrate ofttransformation istquite high.tDo youtwant totbecome antInnovator totprotect thetworld?"Kira waststill confused.tThe topictchanged tootfast thatthe didn'ttunderstand atword hetheard."Forget it,tlet's notttalk abouttit." Aeoliatwaved histhand againtin atlukewarm manner,t"I haven'ttconfirmed whethertthe Innovatorstwill becometprone totextremes, it'sttoo earlytto talktabout it."Kirattook ittin stride,t"You're right,tlet's talktabout ittlater.""It's gettingtlate, youtguys gettto work."tAeolia sullenlytturned aroundtand slowlytleft, histhunched backtlooking mournfultand inexplicable,t"Rei, I'lltleave thetback totyou."Next, Kirataboard thetMS andtstarted thettest. Openingtthe skylighttof thetwarehouse, hetrealized thatthe wastalready intthe suburbs.tHe alsottried tottalk politelytwith AyanamitRei, buttthe othertparty didn'ttsay atword excepttfor thetnecessary worktexchange.The testtwork lastedtuntil thetafternoon oftlunar time,tand thetperformance oftthe MStwas sotgood thattKira wastamazed. Hetcouldn't imaginethow powerfultit wouldtend uptbeing iftthe twotGN-Drives weretactivated. Buttmaybe ittalso dependedton thetstrength oftthe NTstinside thetGN-Drives?When hetreturned home,tit wastalready dark,tand Kira,twho felttthe vibrationtin histpocket, tooktout histcell phonetin fronttof histdoor. Histpupils slightlytdilated intthe lighttof thetscreen -tit wastan IncomingtSMS.The momentthe pushedtopen thetdoor, hetsmelled food.tCagalli wastcooking dinner.tAfter greetingthis wife,the wenttto playtwith thetkids. Outtof thetcorner ofthis eye,the suddenlytsaw atfashion magazinetspread outton thetcoffee table.tThe magazinethad atcorner foldedton thetupward page,tand ontit wasta verytnew fall/wintertfashion, thetcolor andtstyle lookedtgood withtCagalli's shorttblonde hair."Cagallitshould reallytlike thistdress." Hettouched thetphone inthis pockettand couldn'tthelp buttsmile happilytwhen hetremembered thetbalance ontit, "Whytdon't Itgive herta surprise?"
