Chapter 16: Brutalities of War
Warning: This is a rather physically violent chapter. Some
viewers may wish to take some discretion before proceeding to read this
chapter. August 1, UC 0087. 1654 hours Zulu. Somewhere in New Guinea. It's going to be dark soon... Ming thought worriedly to
himself as he finally gave up on his radio. And he was still alone, with only
his Rick Dias which now had only one arm, a damaged torso and two barely
functioning legs with him to stop that crazy *****. That crazy ***** who... Who is going to make sure you die slowly and painfully
Ming... Sylvie thought as she noticed Ming's movements grow a little bit more
sluggish. The battle damage was taking its toll now, and so was the little bit
of mental torture she was playing on him. If she had been still capable of
doing so, she would have smiled savagely, but she had sworn no smile would ever
appear on her face again, and Ming would only see her down turned lips as she
delivered the final, agonizing blows against him. She quickly dropped her now
empty beam rifle and lighted her beam saber, before slowly moving behind Ming.
Stalking him like a rabid animal, waiting for the right time to... Behind me? Ming suddenly thought as he failed to find Sylvie
once again. He belatedly began to turn, only to see Sylvie already charging
him, beam saber drawn... "Too late Ming!" Sylvie screamed as she slashed
the binders on the Rick Dias's back. One miraculously remained intact, but the
fuel in the second quickly exploded, throwing the Rick Dias to the ground. Ming
however, wasn't about to take this lying down, and quickly rolled over and
fired a shot. This time, Sylvie was hit. "Gotcha!" Ming shouted triumphantly as the shell
exploded the Barzam's head, until he belatedly realized that the cockpit of the
Barzam was in the _chest_, and not in the head as was in his Rick Dias. Sylvie
was not so forgiving however, and quickly hacked off the Rick Dias's remaining
arm. Ming tried to struggle more, but then Sylvie hacked off the Rick Dias's
legs, before pointing the beam saber directly at the Rick Dias' cockpit. "Step out of your cockpit, Ming," Sylvie ordered
as she opened a close channel with Ming, which she had conspicuously left
undamaged just for this purpose, "Do it if you don't want to die
immediately." "I will not!" Ming shouted back defiantly,
"Kill me already you *****! Because if you don't..." "If you do not step out, I will kill your two
companions instead of disabling their Mobile Suits the next time I meet them
Ming," Sylvie enunciated as clearly and strongly as she could, "I am
not just going to let you die a quick death Ming." "You sick psycho!" Ming shouted back angrily,
"What are..." "I said get out, or they WILL die," Sylvie
ordered, "NOW." "And how will I know..." Ming started. "I know how to keep my word Ming," Sylvie replied
as she thrust the saber closer to the Rick Dias' head and melted off its
optical sensors, "Now step out, or I will kill them once I'm done with
you." "Fi... FINE!" Ming growled angrily as he opened
the cockpit doors, not really having a choice on the matter. He really didn't
believe Sylvie, but if she played with him for a little longer, maybe he could
keep her occupied long enough to... "Good..." Sylvie replied as she saw Ming come out
of the cockpit and step out in the open, his arms raised. She then opened the
doors to her own cockpit, and carefully stepped out, wanting to see the man who
had caused all her torment with her own eyes, and finally to... "What the hell?" Ming said outloud as he saw
Sylvie step out of her cockpit. Was she...? Suddenly, Ming felt a white-hot pain going through his legs
as Sylvie fired a single shot that went through his leg. He quickly fell down
to the ground as he groaned in pain, while Sylvie climbed down the cockpit and
went over to Ming. Ming tried to get up and fight, but Sylvie mercilessly fired
another shot at Ming's already injured leg, and waited for a moment to savor
his moment of agony before deciding to speak. "Now, you are mine Ming," Sylvie declared as she viciously
kicked Ming, "And now you will finally pay for all of your crimes..." "Go... go right ahead you damn crazy *****..."
Ming muttered back in defiance as he tried to get up, but then Sylvie kicked him
again, and he felt himself being pushed into the ground as Sylvie put his hands
behind his back to put them in handcuffs, "Damn you! End this already! You
sick murderous..." "No Ming..." Sylvie whispered coldly as she pulled
out a nightstick and used it to hit Ming's injured leg, causing him to moan in
pain, "I won't... not until I make you break down and pay for all your
crimes. Not until I make you pay for all that you've done..." "And I suppose a murderer like you would make a perfect
judge, eh you psycho?!" Ming shouted back angrily in defiance as he tried
to fight the urge to scream from the pain of his leg wound, "You've
probably killed more innocents than I have, yet..." "Silence," Sylvie replied coldly as she hit Ming
again in his injured leg, and letting herself enjoy his muffled scream
afterwards, "Captain Ming Chow, I know perfectly well how evil and twisted
I have become, and I won't claim that I do this for justice. No, this is merely
revenge. Revenge for all that you've done...
Revenge for..." "What?! Your damn Max you twisted psychopath?!"
Ming shouted back, "If he's as twisted as you are, then I'm glad that I
sent at least one of you to..." "Do not speak about him in that way, Ming," Sylvie
growled as she hit Ming in the head with all of her might, hitting his head so
hard that blood gushed out of his head, and causing Ming's vision to start to
blur, "I am not about to take revenge for Max alone... No... I am here to
take revenge for the worst crime you have committed..." "And... what is that...?" Ming moaned in reply as
he tried to raise his head, still unwilling to give up to... "Creating ME..." Sylvie replied coldly, before
hitting Ming one more time in the back of the head. Those were the last words
Ming would hear before his world turned black. --------------- "Damn it! Where is Ming?!" Yoko nearly screamed as
she ordered her men to start searching the area on the other side of the base.
Missile fire was still coming in, but Yoko was almost certain Sylvie was just
using some launchers that had been set to fire at pre-arranged intervals to
distract her, and now because of that... Damn it... Yoko thought on to herself. This is why personal
feelings should be left out of war under any circumstances... Chances are if
you have those feelings you'll get twisted and warped like that crazy Sylvie
who was now... "No sign of them yet mam!" O'Connor reported as
his infantrymen began to filter out into the jungle, "We think he may have
gone in a more north easterly direction, but we aren't sure if..." "Get Liv and Gordon up here ASAP and start doing some
photo-recon for us," Yoko ordered, "Because if Sylvie ever gets her
hands on Ming, I simply don't know how much sicker Sylvie is going to
become..." --------------- "Wake up, Ming," Sylvie ordered as she splashed
Ming's blood soaked face with water. Ming groaned as he slowly opened his eyes,
wishing that the pain... "Good," Sylvie said quietly as she saw Ming regain
consciousness, and began to struggle as he realized Sylvie had tied him up with
some rope. Sylvie quickly put an end to his pathetic attempts to get out of his
restraints with a hard kick to the abdomen, the force so great that Ming
coughed out some blood as a result. "Fi... finish it al... already... you..." Ming
started as he tried to collect his shattered wits about him, trying to ignore
the pain in his body but couldn't thanks to her... "No... I'm not done with you yet, Captain Chow,"
Sylvie replied as she looked Ming eye to eye, wanting him to see her cold gaze,
"You're now going to be my little pet. My own little plaything to serve as
the target for all of the hatred welling inside of me. And believe me Ming, I
will break you... Break you until you're going to wish you were in Hell rather
than in my hands..." "Tr... try me!" Ming replied defiantly,
"I'm... not just going to let you..." "You won't have a choice Ming," Sylvie replied
coldly as she kicked Ming in the arm, bruising the spot were her kick had
landed as he groaned out in pain, "You won't have a choice as I break down
your body and drown you in pain. I... had learned well while I was a test
subject for those Titans *******s... And now you shall face the same pain they
had inflicted on me..." "B****! If they tortured you so much, then why don't
you..." Ming started. "Explanations will come later Ming..." Sylvie
replied as she picked up a nightstick and walked slowly towards Ming,
"Because once I have broken your body, then I will start with picking
apart your mind..." "You..." Ming started just before Sylvie suddenly
stuffed a rag into Ming's mouth, preventing him from uttering another word.
Another blow followed soon afterwards. --------------- John slowly opened his eyes as he tried to shake off the
throbbing pain in his head. The last he remembered, he was talking to Sylvie
when... Oh ****! Sylvie! John remembered as his eyes went wide and
tried to stand up, only to find himself hitting something hard and metallic
right above him. John moaned out in pain, and only belated realized that he had
been packed away in a metallic crate of some sort, and Sylvie had taken the
extra special precaution of gagging AND tying him up. He gave out a low growl.
Sylvie was still annoyingly meticulous when it came to making sure that he
didn't bring her any trouble... Gotta try to get out... John decided as he struggled a bit,
but found that he couldn't work himself free. He groaned angrily as he
impatiently began banging the walls around him. Because if he couldn't get out
by himself, then he sure as hell had better get somebody to find him before
something ELSE could go wrong today... --------------- Damn it... end it now... Ming thought weakly as Sylvie
mercilessly kicked him again in the abdomen, making him cough out more of his
own blood. He didn't know what was happening anymore... except that he was now
so soaked in his own blood that... A needle suddenly penetrated his skin, and he could suddenly
feel his world starting to grow black again as something entered his blood
stream. Sylvie was drugging him, he realized... Drugging him, possibly with the
same stuff those Titans had been using on HER... Drugging him to make sure
that... Somebody... please... get here and kill her... Ming thought
as Sylvie kicked him again in the face, this time almost shattering some of his
teeth. I... I don't want to go while this ***** is still around and can inflict
more death... I can't let her... inflict more pain like this... "So, Ming, where is your defiance now?" Sylvie
asked coldly as she noticed his legs start growing weak, "Don't tell me
you're simply going to let me go... Wasn't I who killed your beloved Sandra?
Wasn't I the one who took away your fleeting and misguided love?" Sa... Sandra? Ming thought as he tried to push away the
pain, both from his injuries and of her memory... Damn it... I... Damn it... stop toying with me already... Ming thought as he
tried to push away all the pain, both in his body and his mind, but couldn't.
Every second he'd thought he'd gained a respite, Sylvie had merely resumed
using him as a human punching bag, or bringing up more of the painful past, and
she did it all without the slightest hint of either pleasure or remorse... And
now he was really beginning to feel fear... Feeling fear because... "Don't tell me you are already giving up, Captain
Chow," Sylvie observed coldly as she kicked Ming once again in the
abdomen, and could almost feel herself wanting to laugh maniacally as she had
done in their first duel. That first duel she had lost to him along with her
soul... But now wasn't the time for her to lapse back into her own madness...
Perhaps later, when she was finally free of this one last legacy of her past...
"Don't tell me the great Zeon ace pilot Ming Chow is now shaking in fear
because of a mere psychopath." Damn it... please... just leave me alone already... Ming
thought as he tried to recollect his thoughts after that last kick, and trying
to fight the drugs now blurring his mind. He couldn't. Instead, he was there
again. There when Sandra had died... there when she had... died without even
the slightest bit of hope because of his own hatred... Pathetic... Sylvie thought as Ming's eyes start to tear. I
thought he'd last a bit longer than this... "Hmph, or is it perhaps you DO
want to die by my hands Captain Chow? Do you simply beg for death because of
what YOU did to your precious Sandra four years ago? Because if I was the one
who took her life, it was YOU who took her soul..." No... that's not true... Ming begged to himself but couldn't
make himself believe it. It... it WAS his fault... if he had just listened to
her and stopped killing... if he had just stayed with her rather than try to go
back to that pointless war... She wouldn't have died like that. Died thinking
that she would be alone forever, never to be loved again... "Just... finish it already..." Ming begged as he
tried to open his eyes, "Ta... take your revenge already..." "And what if I decide to keep you around then,
Ming?" Sylvie asked as she grabbed Ming by the chin and made sure he could
see her cold gaze, "What if I were to decide you deserve to live a long,
slow painful life as my slave rather than to die? Isn't THAT what you did to me
four years ago? You left me there to die and suffer, but couldn't garner the
courage to put that one last bullet to the back of my head? Do you know how
much more twisted I have become thanks to your act?" "Just... Ki... kill me..." Ming repeated, his mind
not really able to understand what Sylvie was saying anymore, "Just...
finish it... already..." "Utterly pathetic," Sylvie growled in disgust as
Ming's eyes began to close, but she quickly decided to give Ming another kick
before he became unconscious. It was... rather disappointing to have him break
so easily, so easily that she barely felt any pleasure in torturing him. No
matter. He was going to be her plaything for a little while longer, before she
finally gave him what he deserved the most... "But do not worry Ming.
Unlike you, I no longer have any inhibitions when it comes to killing,
especially when it comes to killing YOU..." --------------- Ming... for God's sake where ARE you... Yoko thought to
herself desperately as they had still be unable to find any sign of Ming or his
Rick Dias. She ordered herself to reign in her feelings, lest she give that
crazy Sylvie any additional enjoyment knowing the anguish she was causing her,
but with Ming still... Yoko then muttered a curse as she heard another annoying
series of metallic taps coming from a panel behind her cockpit. Probably just a
loose toolbox some stupid mechanic had left hanging around, or maybe some
jungle animal that got in her Mobile Suit somehow, maybe even one planted by
Sylvie just to annoy her, she thought, but she had not time to get it out of
the way while... "Mam, the foot patrols have found no sign of Captain
Chow," O'Connor reported worriedly, "Nor of Mr. Recto. Captain
Gressiere probably has them both tucked away somewhere..." "And since when did I say that Subject V was a Captain
again O'Connor?" Yoko replied angrily, just wanting to vent out some
anger, just as those annoying metallic taps came back to further annoy her,
"She neither deserves a rank nor a human name. She is merely a piece of
military hardware, nothing more, so stop trying to treat _it_ otherwise.
Understand?" Cruel *****... O'Connor thought disapprovingly, along with
half a dozen other officers listening in on Yoko's transmission, but did not
say outloud. With people like her, that wounded Titans he had scared off
probably did have wonderful reasons for hating spacenoids like him... Yoko... control yourself... Yoko ordered to herself as she
noticed the deathly, disapproving silence that followed her little rant. She
really WAS losing her patience, and if she didn't get it under control... The panel behind her began to tap yet again, and this time
Yoko finally DID lose her self-control. She angrily turned around, not caring
if it took her a few minutes from her vital search, so long as she finally got
rid of that annoying noise. She clenched her fist as she prepared to open the
panel. Whatever it was, Yoko was going to make sure it was the sole, undivided
target of all of her building anger and frustration... ---------------- Finally... John thought as he heard what sounded like a
metallic lock being opened nearby. Somebody had FINALLY found him after all the
noise he had made, and now... One of the walls enclosing him suddenly dropped open,
allowing light to enter into the tight compartment again for what seemed like
an eternity. Unfortunately, for the second time in what had already been a
terrible day, something hard landed on John's head once again, and he only had
a moment to savor that light before the world turned black once again... --------------- ****... Yoko thought as she realized what she had just
punched the living daylights out of... Or rather, WHO. That crafty *****...
Yoko thought. That no good crafty *****... Hiding him right under my own nose
to... Damn it Sylvie... why can't you just use your damn skill for
what _I_ need you to do instead? You've turned yourself into a damn automaton
anyway, mindlessly taking orders and doing the most heinous acts without pity
nor emotion, so why won't you start taking orders from ME instead? "Mam, we've turned nearly the whole base upside
down," O'Connor reported, "But we still haven't..." "Cancel the search for Mr. Recto and get me some
smelling salts and a doctor," Yoko interrupted before O'Connor could
continue, "I've found him. But there's been... a little accident..." --------------- "The end is near Ming..." Sylvie declared as she
gave Ming one last kick to the abdomen, to which Ming could only respond with a
muffled sob. She felt absolutely disgusted on how her... rival. Her most hated
rival... had given up so easily and was almost at the point of sobbing like a
child. All because of a little pain... and of remembering what had happened
four years ago. Had this been seven years earlier, when she still allowed
herself a heart, she might actually have pitied him, but no more. It would
finally end today. It just wasn't as fulfilling as she thought it finally
would... Ki... kill me... Ming begged as he raised his head and let
his eyes meet Sylvie's. There was no mercy in her eyes. No remorse. And if she
said so, then it finally might be the end... "Believe me Ming, your life will end here now..."
Sylvie declared as she raised her pistol and pointed it at Ming's face, right
between the eyes, "And I will finally be able to leave my past behind, and
I will finally be free from your curse... Now Captain Ming Chow, do you have
any final words before I end this? I sense your friends are getting closer, and
I would prefer them to see your fresh corpse, just before I take their lives as
well..." "You... said..." Ming started weakly, barely able
to speak with is now injured jaw, "You... wouldn't..." "I guess in your case, I've allowed myself to
lie," Sylvie replied coldly, but in truth what she had just said had been
the lie. She had no intention of diminishing the AEUG force any further and
allow the Titans to have an advantage over them. Especially after what those
Titans did to her in the past... "No..." Ming started, "Do... don't..." "Die with your eyes open, or eyes closed?" Sylvie
asked, "Choose quickly, and say your last words." This... this is it... Ming realized as he let his eyes
slowly began to close on their own... knowing that... "And now your last words?" Sylvie asked as she
cocked the gun. "No... none..." Ming replied, defeated. He waited
for the momentary pain that he knew would go through his head, and the eternal
darkness that would follow. But knowing all that he had done... and failing
everyone else... maybe this was truly a just fate... save for this murderous
executioner... But the pain never came, nor did the darkness. Instead, he found
himself screaming as he felt a searing heat around him, as though his soul had
now wandered off to Hell, and it was now going to bath him for eternity in its
flames... --------------- Notice: This fic and all its contents are copyrighted by Thomas E. "Zinegata" Ting. No part of this work may be taken by any other person without permission from the author. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by Bandai and their respective companies. |
