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Content Warnings for Part 5
This work features mature content and should not be viewed by anyone under the age of 18.
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For writing
Sexual content
Rape
Violence
Verbal and physical abuse
For images
None
While Garma was holed up in his hospital room undergoing his final plastic surgery, Major General Char Aznable was bringing RJ7 (Garma Zabi) out before the public. From the hospital room, Garma was watching the events unfold on a monitor screen.
“Make sure you see it,” was Char’s order.
With no particular intention to disobey, Garma listened to RJ7 (Garma Zabi) apologizing with choked words, and a calmness that even he himself considered surprising, for having sacrificed the precious lives of many of his people in the war, only to come back alive himself. The cheers erupted like a storm, and on the screen were people crying with joy as if their son, whom they thought was dead, had come back to life.
Beginning on that day, Major General Char Aznable took RJ7 on a tour of what were the major cities of Zeon. In every city, RJ7 received an enthusiastic welcome. People gathered to catch a glimpse of their beloved prince, and in his honor, flowers were laid on the streets and bands played a song of revival.
Garma Zabi had come back to life.
Everyone believed that it foretold the rebirth, reconstruction, and above all, the resurrection of Zeon, which had won the war but was on the verge of collapse. And the one who found the light of hope was Char, the Red Comet, the orphan of Zeon Zum, the man who brought victory during the conflict.
When it was reported that he had been searching for his best friend since the end of the war, not believing in his death, the moving story only deepened the people’s respect for the hero Char Aznable. People were gossiping about their story of beautiful friendship. They were overjoyed to see Char Aznable treat Garma Zabi with courtesy at all times and in all places. The fact that Char, a national hero, was “paying his respects to our Prince Garma” was inspiring to those who loved him.
Garma, who watched all of this from the closed hospital room, couldn’t help but praise Char Aznable’s brilliant skills. RJ7 on the TV screen magnificently appeared exactly as if it was Garma Zabi himself.
Garma Zabi was completely and perfectly accepted by the people of Zeon. Everything went according to Char’s plan, just as he had intended.
However, a distortion occurred.
It did not happen to Garma, but to RJ7.
Despite his own assertion that he was the “perfect Garma Zabi,” it was perhaps because he was too perfect that unexpected distortions arose.
The first time it happened was when he came back to the mansion in Vasquez after touring around with Char. At that point, no one had noticed yet. Not even Dr. Ruffel, the creator of the RJ7…
The successful resurrection of Garma Zabi had gone as planned, and was enough to intoxicate Char Aznable with a sense of victory. Once Char returned to the mansion, he visited Garma’s hospital room with RJ7. Yet as soon as he entered, RJ7, who at that time had only a consciousness as Garma Zabi, was at a loss for words.
On the bed was Garma, facial scars now completely healed and everything about his body back to normal, from the length of his cropped hair to his body shape, all exactly the same as that of RJ7.
Inside RJ7, something snapped.
RJ7, who woke up as Garma Zabi, was now dominated by the fear that if he didn’t deny the other Garma, he would lose his reason for existence. As his emotions had developed considerably, RJ7 now possessed a great ego.
Previously, when Garma was scarred on one side, RJ7 was able to deny him. But now, he could not easily reject the mirror image of himself right before his eyes.
For RJ7, who was programmed to “become the perfect Garma Zabi,” the existence of another Garma Zabi was unbearable. You could say he was loyal to only one given purpose. In other words, the android’s habit of being blinded by that alone was also the work of the command form of replicants, a far advanced science. By the time Char realized, RJ7 had already split his mind into Garma Zabi and RJ7 through more advanced emotional development.
However, this wasn’t a problem. Not only could RJ7 become Garma when necessary, but even as RJ7, he was Garma-like in nature.
The tragedy that no one could have foreseen was that RJ7 wished to make his other self disappear. In order for there to be only one, he had started thinking about killing Garma.
“Char…”
Char Aznable turned around upon hearing the call from behind, and saw RJ7 draped in loose-fitting loungewear. For a moment, he thought it was Garma.
“Char, I have a question…”
“…what’s wrong RJ7 (Garma), at this hour?”
Char laughed to himself at the out of character illusion, as it occurred to him that Garma, locked in his room, would not be out and about, much less in the middle of the night. It was comforting to think that RJ7 was just that perfect.
“Really, what’s the matter?”
Char gently urged RJ7, who was confused and unable to express himself.
“I don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
When asked in return, he no longer seemed puzzled.
“Why keep that man alive now that his role is over, Char?”
So that’s it, thought Char Aznable. He looked at RJ7 with a smile that lifted the edges of his lips, which was becoming a habit of his.
“That, well…there’s still some use left for him.”
RJ7 did not approve of Char’s ambiguous way of speaking.
“What use could you possibly have for him after all this time? You have me…”
“…It’s for your own good.”
“My own good?”
RJ7 furrowed his thin eyebrows in doubt.
“I am perfect. I am Garma Zabi. So why?”
Char Aznable stared at the RJ7 with an unusually sharp gaze.
“I’m a cautious man, you see.”
“But Char…”
“RJ7, I will not have your say in this matter. I’m going to do things my way, you understand that, right?”
With no other choice, RJ7 was forced to back down.
“Char, please don’t be offended. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
RJ7 looked a little confused again.
“It’s just, that man irritates me terribly. I hate him. Sometimes he acts as if he is better than me.”
Char faintly smiled at RJ7’s emotional expression.
“Don’t worry. Everyone recognizes you as Garma Zabi.”
“Including you?”
“Of course.”
“So, Char, will you love me?”
He wanted Char to see only him.
“I love you, RJ7.”
“Char. Will you kill that man for me someday?”
“If that’s what you want, then of course I’ll do it for you.”
Char couldn’t help but notice the relief on RJ7’s face.
From the people who filled the streets, while seated at the evening parties, and at official functions, RJ7 felt that he was adored. Now, I’m asking Char to do the same for me, he thought, recalling the sweet euphoria of being loved.
Char does not love that man.
If that man were to appear in public in the proper guise, he would be treated as Garma Zabi, and he would be worshiped by all the people, but only Char would not love him. And that man doesn’t love Char either.
But I am different.
Char loves me. I love Char.
RJ7 wanted to believe that he was the true Garma Zabi by differentiating himself from that man (Garma). He believed that the one who could win the love of Char Aznable was the true Garma Zabi. RJ7, starting to show signs of the mental weakness of a human being, had also begun to sharpen an evil blade deep within his heart.
It is said that on rare occasions, after a cuckoo bird lays two eggs in the same nest, the first hatchling will kick its sibling’s egg, and those of the other nestlings, out of the nest to ensure its own survival.
RJ7 now harbored murderous intent towards Garma, who was now silently locked away in a corner of the mansion.
At the same time, Garma had been living quietly for a while in his room deep inside the mansion. Although Machiavelli came to check on him from time to time, he was always able to spend time alone.
Since the day RJ7 appeared in front of the public as Garma Zabi, Char, RJ7, and Garma no longer ate together. Ever since RJ7 began to show hatred towards Garma, even in other situations, the three of them avoided meeting.
Therefore, RJ7 was able to toy with Garma without anyone noticing, knowing that he would never tell anyone.
Garma easily collapsed before the power of RJ7, exposing his feeble body. RJ7 could render him dizzy and motionless merely by violently grabbing his arms and shaking his upper body. A fragile human who could break if an arm was wrapped around his slender white neck with a little force put on it. Throw a harsh word at him, and his deep-sea eyes would quiver like a ripple with a tinge of pain.
Now as well, RJ7 looked at Garma with even more hatred. Though his body had been thrown down onto the floor and showered with humiliating words, Garma pulled himself up by leaning against the bed and gazed up at him with cold eyes.
I am the one who must overcome this.
Upon seeing the slender neck, white chest, and Garma’s smooth skin peeking out from the wide collar of his shirt, RJ7 was filled with excitement like never before.
“I’ll show you what you really are.”
Before Garma could realize RJ7’s intentions and try to escape, he attacked. The non-human force easily ripped and stripped away everything Garma was wearing.
When the beautiful, unblemished human body that had been defiled by men was exposed, RJ7’s heart boiled with anger and frustration.
And RJ7 denied him.
I am the one who will overcome this.
RJ7 made up his mind.
If I can’t deny it, I’ll control it.
“Get away…”
For a moment, Garma looked at him with frightened eyes in disbelief at RJ7’s dark desire. Yet RJ7 did not hold back and pulled him face down onto the bed.
“We have to stop him…”
Machiavelli left the front of the monitor, which displayed a hidden view of Garma’s room, and went to call for Char Aznable.
Char looked at the screen and after a moment of silence,
“No, until RJ7 shows signs of killing Garma, just keep an eye on him…. We still don’t want Garma to die.”
After answering, he continued his words with amusement.
“RJ7 is raping Garma. It’s quite an exciting scene, don’t you think? Record it. It might come in handy later.”
Saying as much, Char once again entrusted Machiavelli to monitor them and returned to his duties.
“Stop…”
Garma’s erratic breathing could be heard over the speaker.
“Stop it, RJ7!”
For a moment, the screen flickered, probably affected by the high frequency waves emitted by RJ7 as he crossed in front of the hidden camera.
Perhaps RJ7’s body was still bewildered by the desires he was experiencing for the first time. However, soon he would learn everything. He would know the taste of the nectar that flesh and body brew.
What will the outcome be, Char Aznable thought, as he began to play the videotape given to him by Machiavelli.
On the screen was a close-up of Garma. His beautiful, frightened face stared at RJ7, deep emerald eyes reflecting his image in them, as if asking why…
“S…top.”
Garma’s refusal was in vain.
RJ7 grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the bed. While pinned down, Garma looked in disbelief at the android with the same face as his own. Along with the question of whether an android could feel sexual desire, he was also afraid of the mirror image that was now leaning over him.
“Stop…why….Char…..”
Garma cried out in extreme dismay as both of his arms were grabbed and pressed down on the bed.
“Did…did Char tell you to do this to me?”
“Did Char?”
RJ7 repeated. Then, with a chuckle,
“Char? Char doesn’t care about you anymore. You’re going to die soon.”
With that last word, Garma stopped resisting.
“What’s the matter, are you shocked? But you don’t deserve to live. As long as I exist, you’re just an eyesore.”
RJ7 denied Garma’s existence to his face with the intention to hurt him. However, he wondered why Garma’s eyes were tinged with pity as he stared back at him, filling him with rage.
Why does this person who is about to be killed look at me with pity and not at himself…thought RJ7, pride and existence wounded.
“You’re arrogant. You think that you can’t be killed by Char, but you’re naïve. Char promised to kill you for me.”
Words intending to inflict pain and corner Garma overflowed from the lips of RJ7.
“For now, he said, we’re keeping you alive because you still have some use left in you.”
RJ7 continued, aware that Garma’s eyes were fixed on him.
“I don’t know what use you have left in you. To me, you’re already a husk… Sure, you may have been Garma Zabi before, but now the Garma Zabi that everyone recognizes and knows is me. Not you!”
RJ7 spit out the words with rage.
Garma, held down under his body, simply replied,
“I know…you are the perfect Garma Zabi. For that, I’m rather grateful. However, in the same way that I used to be an existence that was only used by Char, you too are an existence that is only used by Char. It seems that death will soon set me free anyway…”
RJ7 interrupted.
“Shut up. Char said he loves me.”
Again, there was something swaying through Garma’s eyes like a small wave.
Humans know that the word love, and its meaning, is volatile. An android cannot imagine all the things that will disappear due to ephemeral life.
“Char loves me. I have the same face as you, the same voice, the same figure, and he said he loves me instead of you. Not you… so I deny you as well.”
As soon as RJ7 said this, he tried to spread apart Garma’s body as it was being restrained.
“Stop!”
Garma’s resistance was surprising to RJ7, as he seemed to want to be free from all suffering and sorrow by dying, but still feared death.
“Huh, why? You’re not afraid of death. Why do you resist now?”
Dying and being humiliated are two different things.
Garma continued to try in vain to push RJ7 away. However, his resistance backfired, instead stoking RJ7’s flames.
“I want to see you suffer. I want to know what your face looked like back then…”
Driven by a dark passion, RJ7 wildly devoured Garma.
*click*…
The rewinding ended with a faint sound, and the image was played again, the figure of Garma pinned down by RJ7 projected on the screen.
Garma’s sickly pale skin color was whiter than RJ7. It was so white that blue blood vessels could be seen through it. This whiteness cannot be created artificially. It was a supreme whiteness that had been polished by more than 20 years of life….
That white skin rippled in pain.
Garma, his wrists bound together and his body unable to free itself, was trying his best to escape, but RJ7’s overwhelming power forced him to surrender with a high-pitched moan. RJ7’s body entered deep between Garma’s thighs, raging.
Soon the screen changed to a scene of one of the doctors summoned by RJ7 to treat Garma, who was losing consciousness from the severe pain and bleeding.
Char turned off the switch by his hand.
From that day onward, the hatred that accompanied RJ7’s actions grew in intensity by the day, and he began to indulge in the quickest ways to torment Garma for pleasure. Despite receiving the doctor’s reports, Char pretended not to see it.
However, a few days later, RJ7 told Char that he had an affair with Garma. Char wasn’t surprised or angry, so RJ7 seemed relieved.
“May I have him at my disposal?”
He asked in a somewhat pompous tone, like the Garma of the past.
“…I don’t mind, but please refrain from doing any more harm, let alone anything life threatening, RJ7.”
RJ7 looked at Char in shock.
“You know about that?”
Char did not respond.
RJ7 wondered if the doctor had leaked the information, but knowing that Char was not opposed to the idea, he did not ask any more questions. Now RJ7, who had discovered sex and was becoming more and more devoted to sweet pleasures, soon learned how to hurt Garma even more effectively.
Garma gritted his teeth and endured any pain that came. There was a sense of fearful anticipation that if all went well, he would suffer a serious wound and die quickly.
But then, suddenly, a pleasant sensation arose that betrayed his will.
The moments of pleasure that occur at the mercy of the divine arts of sex are terribly unnerving.
His lips quivered, unable to bite down on the gasps, and he sobbed seductively, writhing in humiliation.
End of Part 5