Ding dong! Ding dong!
Two doorbell chimes rang out, instantly putting Lacus, Vania, and the others on alert as their gazes snapped toward the entrance. Vania turned to her companions with a serious expression and instructed:
"Protect Miss Clyne."
"Understood."
With that, Vania moved toward the door with light, silent footsteps.
At the entrance, Vania checked the display screen to see who was outside. Recognizing Heyman's face, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She opened the door a crack and asked Heyman outside, "Were you followed?"
Shaking his head, Heyman replied with a smile, "I'm not a wanted man, so no one would follow me."
Hearing this, Vania opened the door wider to let Heyman inside. After he entered, she cautiously scanned the outside, confirmed everything was clear, and then shut the door.
Inside the room, Lacus looked at Heyman with a warm smile and asked gently, "Heyman, what brings you here?"
"Captain Felix has prepared some safe locations for you, Miss Clyne," Heyman explained, meeting Lacus's gaze.
Lacus was taken aback for a moment, then felt a wave of warmth in her heart. She continued to look at Heyman and inquired with a smile, "Did Felix have these arrangements ready long ago?"
"Yes," Heyman nodded, his smile bright and his reply straightforward.
As he spoke, he pulled out a phone without a SIM card from his pocket and, under Lacus's watchful eyes, handed it to her. "Miss Clyne, the addresses are stored in this phone," Heyman informed her.
Glancing down at the phone in her hand, Lacus's smile grew more joyful. She looked up at Heyman again and said warmly, "Please thank Felix for me."
"I'll convey your gratitude to Miss Clyne," Heyman assured with a nod.
Checking the time, Heyman then took his leave. "Miss Clyne, I won't stay any longer. I'll contact you again if anything comes up." He added, glancing at Lacus, "Please relocate as soon as possible to avoid being found by the Chairman's people."
"I will," Lacus replied with a calm, nodding smile.
After Heyman left, Lacus turned to Vania beside her. "Vania, let's move quickly too!"
"Yes," Vania responded respectfully with a nod.
...
On Earth
At the Carpentaria Base
"Captain, hello!"
Entering Creuset's room, Athrun saluted and greeted him. Creuset looked up at Athrun, a composed smile on his face, and said gently, "I just received a communication from Chairman Zala."
"My dad—" Athrun started instinctively but quickly corrected himself. "Did the Chairman issue any new orders?"
"By order of the Chairman, you are hereby reassigned away from Creuset Team effective today. As for your new appointment, you will learn of it upon returning to PLANT and inquiring with the Chairman."
Creuset looked at Athrun as he continued speaking.
Upon hearing this, Athrun asked no further questions. Gazing at Creuset, he raised his hand in a salute and replied respectfully,
"Captain, thank you for your care during this time!"
"As your captain, it was my duty," Creuset responded with a modest smile.
After his reply, Creuset waved a hand and instructed,
"Take the next available flight back to PLANT."
"Yes, sir!" Athrun declared firmly, his eyes fixed on Creuset.
With that, he lowered his arm and turned to leave the room.
Watching Athrun exit, the smile gradually faded from Creuset's face. He reached into a drawer and retrieved a mobile phone.
His fingers moved across the keypad, dialing a number that appeared on the screen. Staring at the digits, a smile returned to his lips.
"Things are about to get very interesting," he murmured, a playful grin spreading across his face.
Tucking the phone into his pocket, Creuset stood and walked out of the room.
...
Time passed swiftly, and three days elapsed.
Six hundred kilometers from the Panama Spaceport, beneath the ocean's surface, a submerged fleet of twenty-one warships lay in wait.
On the bridge of the Athena,
"Captain, twenty minutes until operation commencement!" Aric reported via communicator to Felix in the hangar.
In the central hangar,
Felix acknowledged Aric's update with a nod.
"Understood."
Ending the communication, he turned to Heine, Doulens, and Pratt.
"The operation begins in approximately twenty minutes."
"Yes, Captain!" the three replied in unison.
Listening to their response, Felix stepped forward and settled into the cockpit seat of the Genesis Gundam. Pressing a button, the seat descended into the cockpit.
...
"Captain, the Athena has completed surfacing, and the launch bay doors are open!"
"Understood," Felix replied to Aric with a slight nod.
His finger rested on the activation switch as he stared ahead, calmly awaiting launch clearance.
Moments later, the authorization sounded.
"ZGMF–X08A Genesis (Genesis) cleared for launch!"
"Felix Leo Griffith, Genesis (Genesis), launching!"
His gaze fixed on the expanse of azure sky and sea, Felix's steady voice resonated through the comms.
Pressing hard on the pedals and pushing the control stick forward, the Genesis Gundam catapulted from the Athena at high speed, propelled by the electromagnetic launcher.
Soaring through the sky, Felix checked the instrument panel, confirming the Destiny Support Fighter was operating normally and deployed alongside him, then focused his attention ahead.
Piloting the Genesis Gundam, he continued advancing.
...
At the Panama Spaceport garrison command center,
"Commander, our surface monitoring equipment has detected a high-speed object approaching!"
The soldier looked at the information on the screen and turned around to report urgently. Upon hearing this, the Commander of the Panama Spaceport garrison looked grave and issued orders calmly.
"Order the air force to take off immediately! Activate all air defense systems! Warships and submarines docked in the military port must depart quickly and join the patrol units to establish a maritime defense line!"
"Yes!"
The communications soldier acknowledged and relayed the Commander's orders to all units.
After issuing the commands, the garrison Commander picked up the communicator to report the situation to Josh-A Base.
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