Two days after the ceremony, Gabriel Sirghi walked through the hangar of the Amaterasu base in Kyoto, heading for the bay where his M.M.U. Arthur was located and would receive adjustments directly from one of Merseyside's engineers—the last one after the end of the partnership between Aegis and the British manufacturer.
In Japan, besides Gabriel, Gagnier and Kiyoko were stationed. Ortiz and Qiqiang had headed to the moon. Just like the others at the Japanese base, their M.M.U.s were about to receive adjustments. The R.A.F. pilot briefly lamented having missed the opportunity to go to the lunar base and consequently meet Theresa who worked there, but with the end of the partnership, the priority now was for the machines manufactured by the Americans and Chinese, respectively.
Since his last contact with his fiancée, Gabriel hadn't received any more news, and he didn't blame Theresa; he himself couldn't find the energy to break the barrier the situation had created, for the first time in the young couple's entire relationship. He wished he could believe it was just one of the adversities they would encounter in their future together and that they would overcome it easily, but he had no time at the moment to deliberate on his future with the young professor. He was already beside his M.M.U. when his name was called.
"First Lieutenant Sirghi."
The Merseyside engineer stood up to greet Gabriel, who returned the gesture, almost forgetting the man was a civilian. He observed him more attentively; despite the cap and glasses he wore, the British employee's features seemed familiar to the pilot. The engineer returned to his work, with some notebooks and terminals on the floor, continuing.
"I've finished updating the final version of Arthur's operating system. We've also upgraded the sensors and servomotors; I guarantee you they are by far the best in the world in that regard."
Gabriel just nodded and paid attention to the various screens the engineer was reading and adjusting simultaneously. It wasn't simple; the pilot wasn't a mechanic, but he knew the machine he piloted well enough to pick up some of the details of the work being done there.
"What do you think of this war, First Lieutenant?"
The engineer's question caught Gabriel by surprise, pulling his attention from the work on his machine. He observed the man before him once more. He knew him, but he didn't know from where. He hesitated in his response, but by now, one of his opinions was becoming clear.
"I believe it has already lasted too long."
"I agree with you, sir. The energy being spent in this conflict could easily be used to improve people's lives. And I say this for both sides of this war."
He pressed a key, and seconds later, the "update complete" message appeared on all the monitors and floating screens. The engineer turned to Gabriel with a brief smile, and then, the pilot's face lit up with the answer he had been seeking for some minutes. He knew that man; in fact, the whole world knew him.
"Could we walk a bit, First Lieutenant?"
The pilot just nodded, and together with the engineer, they began a slow walk towards the colossal Avalon, which was outside the hangar, also undergoing adjustments.
"We've made modifications to this Avalon as well, and only this one. I can assure you it will be superior to the others, and obviously to the entire rest of the fleet."
There was poorly concealed pride in the engineer's words as he continued.
"From this day forward, the burden of M.M.U. Arthur and Excalibur will be yours alone, First Lieutenant."
Gabriel stopped walking, and the man did the same.
"What have you done?"
"I merely ensured that you will be the only one capable of piloting that machine from now on. If there was a possibility of them taking Arthur from you, it no longer exists. The same goes for Excalibur. I know they toyed with the idea of using it on another M.M.U., but that will no longer be possible."
The threat Ortiz had made to Gabriel, to transfer the cannon to Izanagi and consequently to Kiyoko Ogata, would no longer be possible. The pilot turned to where his machine was, now a few meters away.
"Why would you do that?"
Allen George Merseyside closed his eyes, still with the same smile he'd had for some time. He turned to the Avalon that loomed large near the two men, and then answered the question.
"Because I want you to be responsible for your own choices. When the time comes, it will be Gabriel Sirghi who makes the decision, not Aegis, not the R.A.F. Yes, you. I know I'm placing an enormous burden on your shoulders, and all that's left for me is to pray that peace is also your objective, that your fight will be against the true enemies of humanity."
Gabriel's silence hid his surprise; for a few seconds, he was speechless, and then, instinctively, a memory came to the first lieutenant's mind.
"What exactly is the abyss?"
Allen let out a laugh before continuing.
"After the war ends, regardless of the choices you make, the information you seek will be in your M.M.U.
For now, I would just like you to see the abyss as merely a tool to achieve your objectives, whatever they may be. When everything is finished, if you still want the truth, it will be yours. And when you discover it, you have the right to do whatever you want with it."
Gabriel just nodded, and after some hesitation, decided to make a request to the powerful figure disguised before him.
"Could I ask a favor of you, Mr. Merseyside?"
"Call me Allen. And of course, you can; it wouldn't be fair otherwise."
"Could you give shelter and protection to my sister, niece, and future mother-in-law?"
Allen observed the young man before him and just nodded seriously.
"I will do my best. And there's one more thing I'd like to share with you about your upcoming operations: What you will see is not necessarily what will be happening. Your priorities will either change the future or not."
The notification beep from Gabriel's personal communicator indicated the receipt of a message, sent by Allen himself, who continued.
"Feel free to share this information with whomever you wish, but I only advise caution. Not everyone has the same interests; for many, peace is not an option, nor even a desire."
Allen extended his hand to Gabriel, waiting for a handshake, which came seconds later. After the handshake, Merseyside had one more message for the pilot.
"For what you believe in, Gabriel Sirghi... forgive me for throwing the weight of the future onto your shoulders. It's all this pathetic man could do before the end."
Gabriel watched the engineer slowly head for the Merseyside helicopter waiting for him. And even some time after it took off, the first lieutenant continued to observe Kyoto's blue sky. It was then that his communicator rang once more; an alert indicating an emergency meeting was given. The Cathedral was about to give its answer.