"Lacus Clyne has committed treason."
Ray Yuki's words struck like a sudden thunderclap directly over Athrun's head. Athrun's face was a mask of sheer disbelief.
"Impossible! How could Lacus commit treason?"
Nicol wore an identical expression of shock. "Miss Lacus... how could she possibly..."
"It's true," Ray exhaled a heavy breath, glancing warily at their surroundings before lowering his voice. "Of the two latest Mobile Suit models we were secretly developing, one of them the Freedom was stolen right from under our noses.
Not only that, but the culprits brazenly seized a Nazca-class battleship as well. They left PLANT with total arrogance. Chairman Zala is absolutely livid. And throughout all of this, a certain figure was involved: Lacus Clyne."
The suitcase in Athrun's hand thudded to the floor. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his face pale with shock.
"Athrun..." Nicol looked at him with deep concern.
Ray understood that this was too much for Athrun to process. He sighed helplessly and said, "Go see Chairman Zala. He'll give you the details."
Athrun gritted his teeth, forgetting even to pick up his luggage as he charged toward the top floor of the building.
"Athrun!" Nicol grabbed the abandoned suitcase and moved to follow, but Ray held him back.
"Nicol, this is Athrun's private matter now. Stay out of it. Your parents are worried about you. You've finally rotated back from the front lines; go see them first."
"I... I understand."
The Chairman's Office.
The lighting in the office was dim, perfectly reflecting the mood of its master. Just as Athrun entered the room, he heard the sound of a dispatch report coming through.
"It appears the Cyclops System has been activated at the Alaska Base. There are massive facilities located deep beneath the base."
"What about Creuset?" Patrick's voice was surprisingly steady. The event had already occurred; now all he could do was try to mitigate the losses.
"We haven't established contact yet, but reports suggest he is unharmed."
"Tell him to send a detailed report as soon as possible."
At that moment, an officer stepped in behind Athrun, saluted, and spoke. "Eileen Canaver and several other committee members are demanding an explanation of the situation. Their attitude is extremely forceful."
Patrick listened, then finally acknowledged his son after having ignored him for quite some time. "Please wait a moment."
Athrun saluted quickly. "Yes, sir."
The officer continued his report. "They may call for an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council."
Patrick's face darkened. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke. "For now, have the remaining forces withdraw to Carpentaria Base. Do not let panic spread. I need calm, objective reports. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Had he not been blinded by hatred, Patrick would have been an exceptionally brilliant leader. Unfortunately, the tragedy of Junius Seven had left him unable to escape the flames of vengeance.
As the officer retreated to execute the orders, Patrick asked, "Have you found Clyne yet?"
"No, sir. We've searched the residence, but it's likely they prepared an escape route in advance. It's taking longer than expected."
Patrick clenched his fist, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. The opportunity had finally arrived. "Deploy the Judicial Bureau. Detain every council member who has close ties to the Canaver and Clyne factions."
"Eh? But... but sir—"
Slam!
Patrick finally lost his composure, his voice sharp and menacing. "Lacus Clyne led a spy to the Freedom the day before it was stolen. Then, for no reason at all, she held a morale-boosting concert at the very harbor where the Sassari was docked.
Both the Freedom and the ship were stolen at the exact same time. Do you really think that's a coincidence? Now both Lacus and her father have vanished. The target of this operation was clearly leaked by them.
Do you expect me to take the blame for this? No! The responsibility lies with Canaver and her ilk. They hid the facts and failed to tell us it was a trap. They have no excuses left!"
"Understood, sir."
The officers all withdrew, leaving only the Zala father and son in the office. Athrun stepped forward toward the desk and opened his mouth. "...Father..."
Patrick's gaze narrowed. "Hmm? What did you just call me?"
Athrun realized his slip of the tongue and immediately corrected himself with a formal bow. "My deepest apologies, Your Excellency, Chairman Zala."
"You've likely heard the gist of the situation," Patrick said, rubbing the bridge of his aching nose with an air of exhaustion.
"Yes... but I still find it hard to believe. Lacus leading a spy? It sounds absurd."
Patrick glanced at his son and tapped a button on his desk. A massive screen appeared on the wall, playing surveillance footage from the Freedom factory.
"Look for yourself. These are the factory's security cameras. Lacus Clyne, accompanied by someone in a ZAFT Red Coat we have never seen before, arrived at the Freedom's hangar.
The next morning, when the defenses were at their weakest, the Freedom was stolen. At that same time, the Sassari, docked in the eastern harbor, was hit by a system hack. Its outer hull was breached and it escaped PLANT.
Just thirty minutes before the ship was seized, Lacus Clyne suddenly appeared and ordered the entire crew to disembark. The evidence is ironclad..."
Athrun opened his mouth to speak but found no words. However, the next image that appeared on the screen made his jaw drop in a silent gasp of shock.
"Wolf?"
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