SD Gundam Fan Fiction ❯ SD Gundam Force Adventure ❯ The Stone Swamp ( Chapter 26 )

Shute here! Last time, the leader of the gang that kidnapped me and Captain told me what she was going to do; she was going to use weapons left over from the Dark Axis invasion and the White BaguBagu to conquer the planet! We have to stop her!

 

The Stone Swamp

 

Captain was not enjoying his predicament. Being captive of a gang of bikers was never a enjoyable, but it would have been slightly more bearable if Shute was nearby. Unfortunately, upon entering the complex inside the mountains his best friend was separated from him, taken to another area.

Even more irksome was that he couldn't access use of his parts, from his armaments to regular arms and legs. Somehow the magnet used in the kidnapping had an extremely numbing effect on his body.

“Did you hear about the boys in R&D?” He heard someone say. “They wanted cut open the robot Shorty and Tallman brought with them.”

“Can you blame them?” another said, “That thing looks like something from one of those science fiction stories about the utopian future!”

`The way they talk, it sounds like I'm not a person,' thought Captain.

“They'd do it too, if we could turn it off,” the first person said, “But it's too dangerous otherwise. That magnetic destabilizer is the only thing keeping it from causing trouble.”

`Magnetic destabilizer?' Captain thought, `Is that the source of my immobility?'

“Magnetic… Oh! That thing we salvaged from the military!” the second person said, “That's the machine they were using in the end of the Dark Axis War, right?”

“That's right,” the first said, “It renders any electric device affected ineffective. Too bad the Axis left before we could really use it on them.”

`That explains why I can't move,' Captain decided, `Now that I know what's wrong…what do I do next?'

 

Zakozakozakozako

 

Meanwhile, Zero, Bakunetsumaru and Kylie had just entered the swamp between where the Gundamusai had landed and the mountain area.

“Going through the swamp is the quickest way to the Mons Montis Mountains without being seen by Cueball's patrols,” explained Kylie, “But it's going to get a little rough. You guys can handle rough, right?”

“Don't worry about us,” Bakunetsumaru replied.

“We've experienced worse than some wet collection of wood and moss, milady,” Zero assured.

And so they went. Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as wet as Zero had thought. This could be explained by several of the tree being petrified. This confused Zero, as BaguBagu were more effective than to simply stop without turning everything green into stone, something he knew from sad experience.

“Lady Kylie,” he called out.

Kylie, still unused to being called `lady' but now more than used to Zero's flowery lingo, turned to look at him. “What?”

“Why is it that every other tree in this swamp has been turned to stone, instead of simply every tree?” he asked, trying to free his cape which had been snagged on a branch.

“Kylie regarded him before walking again. “Well, I'm not sure,” She admitted, “I always thought something in this swamp got `em before they could do too much damage.”

“Something that could destroy BaguBagu?” Bakunetsumaru asked, “Like what?”

“I dunno,” Kylie said, stepping over a root, “A venus flytrap or something, maybe.”

“And what, pray tell, is a venus flytrap?” asked Zero. He knew that Venus was the goddess of love, but the flytrap part didn't sound too lovely…

“A plant that eats flies,” explained Kylie, “Sort of like a flower with teeth.”

“A flower with teeth,” Bakunetsumaru repeated, “yeah, right. If only some plants were that interesting!”

He laughed, and got glared at by Zero. He stopped laughing when something that felt like jaws clamp around his arm. Since he was made of gundanium, it didn't hurt, but was annoying nonetheless.

“What the…” Baku' began looking to where the teeth were felt to be coming from. He saw something that looked like…

A plant with teeth!!!

“AUGH!” Baku' screamed, “Get it off me!”

Kylie and Zero watched as Baku' began to beat on the flytrap with the scabbard of his sword until it let. Zero couldn't help but grin.

“I thought you said a plant with teeth would be more interesting, Bakunetsumaru.” He teased, smiling broadly.

“Interesting doesn't always mean good,” Bakunetsumaru grumbled, a little annoyed at himself for getting so worked up. “And for the record, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!”

 

Zakozakozakozako

 

Back at the Gundamusai, many robotic arms were hard at work repairing the damage done to the engines. It wasn't easy, as most of the damage occurred inside than out, but progress was being made.

In the hold, the Zako Soldiers had gotten board and fashioned a game to pass time.

Bong! Bong! Bong!

Two Zakos had frying pans and were whacking a dud bomb back and forth, while the rest watched, their heads turning back and forth in tune with the `ball'.

Up in the bridge, Princess Rele asked how much time was left before the repairs were done.

“We are fifty-one percent done, your majesty,” RAIMI answered.

Rele sighed sadly.

“Is something troubling you, your majesty?” RAIMI asked.

“I'm worried,” Rele admitted, “Every moment we stand here is another moment of Shute's danger.”

“Shute and Captain,” RAIMI pointed out.

“Y-yes,” Rele said quickly, “Shute and Captain's continued danger.”

There was silence.

“I only wish I knew what's happening to him,” Rele sighed.

“Don't worry,” RAIMI assured, “I estimate that the rescue team is more than fifty percent there.”

 

Zakozakozakozako

 

As it turned out, the rescue team was 50% across, but across the swamp, not the entire trek. In fact, in almost seem as if the swamp was fighting them.

“Aarrgh!” Bakunetsumaru cried as a flytrap chomped on his foot, tripping him and causing him to land in a puddle. “Kylie, please tell me we're close to the end!”

“I think so,” Kylie said, looking to the horizon as best she could over the trees. “I think I see the mountains in the distance.”

“And I see more foliage before us than behind,” Zero said, trying to free his cape which had once again gotten caught on a tree branch.

Baku' fumed. They weren't going as fast as he wanted. The last thing he wanted was more obstacles. “Then I shall clear a path!” He whipped out his swords. “Secret Arts, Bakunetsu, Tenkyo-!”

He was cut off when Zero whacked him with a tree branch, the same branch that caught onto his cape.

“Would you knock it off?” Zero demanded. “We're trying to fix the world, not break it! The last thing we need is you setting a forest fire.”

“Won't everything be restored once we use the White BaguBagu?” Baku' asked, rubbing his head.

“All the petrified plants and animals will be restored, but only if their kept intact!” Zero replied impatiently. Bakunetsumaru's tendency to act without thinking got on his nerves sometimes.

Kylie shrugged. “I don't care either way. Nothing in this mess but crocs and fish.”

“Crocs?” Zero asked.

“Crocodiles,” Kylie clarified, “Or alligators. Or both. I get the two mixed up.”

 

Zakozakozakozako

 

They continued through the swamp, with nothing of interest happening after Baku's attempted path clearance. The most that had happened was when a flytrap tried to bite Kylie, with the exception of a close encounter of the swamp kind…

“Hold it!” Bakunetsumaru ordered, his hand going for his sword hilt. Zero and Kylie froze, not sure of what was going on.

“What's going on?” Kylie asked. Baku' shushed her. She tried again. “What's going on?” She whispered.

Bakunetsumaru didn't answer her. He was examining something that she couldn't see, her vision blocked by a tree.

“Seems to be sleeping,” The Musha Gundam whispered, “If we're quiet, we might be able to get away before it wakes up.”

“What?” Kylie hissed, peeking around the tree. She had to stifle a shriek. Resting above the water surface was the biggest alligator head she ever saw, obviously connected to biggest alligator body resting underneath the water surface.

“Careful,” Baku warned, “it might wake up at any moment. We should move as quietly as we can.”

Zero was the only one not worried. He rolled his eyes. “It's made of stone.” He said calmly.

“Zero! Be quiet! Do want to- What did you say?” Baku asked.

“It's been petrified.” Zero said, eyes closed. He floated over to the gator. “As you can see, it's grey color and still form shows that it is obviously been petrified. Not to mention its hard body!”

Laughing, the Winged Knight gave the stone grey lizard a good tapping with the back of his fist. Because he was facing his friends, Zero didn't see the `petrified' gator open its yellow eyes…though they sure did!

“What's wrong?” the Lacroix Gundam asked, noting Baku and Kylie's oversized eyes. Then he heard an ominous growl that sounded like a drain clearing.

“Please tell me that was your stomach,” the Knight Gundam whimpered. The human and Musha gundam shook their heads in fear. Knowing he would regret it later, Zero turned around and found himself staring into the eyes of the biggest alligator he ever saw!

“Um, hello,” Zero said, trying to keep his voice calm. “Nice weather we're having, isn't it?”

 

Zakozakozakozako

 

Out on the road around the swamp, two men driving a truck full of supplies for Cueball were engaged in conversation.

“So how come we can't take the swamp road?” asked the guy in shotgun, “Wouldn't it be faster?”

“Are you nutty?” The driver asked, “With those albino gators in that place, we'd have a better time getting this rig to drive on air!”

They then saw a bunch of birds fly up from the swamp.

“What d'you suppose is going on in there?” the driver squinting.

“Maybe someone's taking the swamp road,” the guy in shotgun suggested.

“Can't be,” the driver replied, frowning, “Who'd be that stupid?”

 

Zakozakozakozako

 

At the moment, Kylie, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru were doing the smart thing and ran as fast as they could from giant grey lizard. Unfortunately, the gator wasn't too keen on letting a prospective meal just walk away from her, so she gave chase. The crashing the chase created had the unfortunate effect of attracting other gators that weren't petrified.

“Is it still behind us?” Baku' asked, as he tore through anything in his way.

“Lemme check!” Kylie threw a quick look over her shoulder. She saw large mouth and scary set of teeth. “Yes, it's still there! Ahh!” She jumped to avoid stepping into the open mouth of another gator.

“Back, beast!” Zero yelled, whacking one with his sword. “Didn't the BaguBagu petrify one these things!?”

“Guess not!” Kylie answered as she jumped over another gator. “Can't one of you guys do something?!”

Zero, in the heat of the chase, slapped himself. “Of course! Why didn't I think of it before!? Super Magical I-Field!”

A blue forcefield of magic appeared and surrounded the three, safely keeping the hungry gators out, though some tried to force their way in.

“Have no fear, milady,” Zero said, “Those monsters have no way of getting to us now. We can safely continue without worry.”

“I'll be `without worry' when those things go away.” Kylie commented, eying the determined gators with some worry.

And so they continued, with the alligators following, but thankfully unable to get inside the I-Field. It was a small comfort knowing they were safe, but a little unnerving feeling the hungry eyes of a few dozen carnivores on them. Eventually, one by one, the gators got fed up and went away, possibly to find a more accessible dinner. Until, at last…

“They're gone,” Bakunetsumaru noted.

“Finally,” sighed Kylie, stretching. “Those things gave me the creeps.”

“Indeed,” Zero agreed. “There's no need for this then.”

The Winged Knight snapped his fingers, and the I-Field vanished.

This turned out to be a mistake, as the largest gator, who had not given up on her potential meal, suddenly leapt out from under the water, bearing on the heroes!

“Aaaah!” The three cried, whipping out their weapons. Suddenly, the gator froze, as if it had been frozen in time. Kylie, Zero, Baku all stared for a moment, uncomprehending. Then, a regular BaguBagu buzzed by…and was easily eaten by a flytrap, which immediately spat out the metal parts.

“Well, that's that,” Bakunetsumaru sighed, sheathing his swords. As he and Kylie walked off, Zero stayed behind for a moment to stare at the creature which had nearly been the end of them.

“I never thought I'd be thankful for BaguBagu,” The knight sighed, before flying off to catch up with his friends.

However, he was gone only five minutes when the alligator regained movement.

Blinking uncomprehendingly, the gator didn't see it's prospective meal ahead anymore. Instead, it saw an angelic version of a BaguBagu fluttering by…

 

Zakozakozakozako

 

Finally, the party of three reached the edge of the swamp. Before them in the distance, the Mons Montis Mountains loomed.