DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to
Sunrise and co. I’m not making any profits out of this, so don’t sue. Oh, those
you think you’ve never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome,
people!☺
TIMELINE: The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize’s Revenge series.
By Arayelle Lynn.
The rain was pouring down
heavily as two figures staggered out from the darkness into an opening. After
making sure that no one was around, they quickly made their way towards the old
and abandoned building. One of them yanked one of the planks, which was
boarding the entrance, loose and pushed her little companion through.
Then she stepped in and after a
last look at the world outside, she let out a sigh of relief and turned to
regard her little companion. “We should be safe here,” she said, as her
companion stared up at her, eyes wide with fear. “Should be safer than out there,
at least,” she muttered as she began to explore the building which they had
just taken refuge.
“Why are we here? Where’s
grandpa?” asked her companion, shivering.
Mylin spared a glance at the
girl. She didn’t know how to break the news that her grandpa, the President of
Earth Sphere Unified Nation, had been captured by the aliens, her kind. “He’s
not here, little girl,” she answered, realizing that although they had
travelled for a day together, she still hadn’t acquired the girl’s name. “But
we must hide ourselves from those who took him.”
“But weren’t you with them?
Aren’t you one of the aliens?” asked the girl.
At that, Mylin was speechless.
Why was she helping this girl? This human, who was supposedly her
inferior? Pushing the troubling thoughts away, she answered, “That’s not
important right now.” Then she noticed that the girl was shaking from the cold.
Quickly, she began the task of finding a suitable material to burn with.
A few moments later, she had a fire burning big
enough for them to keep themselves warm. But somehow, she herself felt little
warmth. “We will rest here for the night. Then we will find a way to…” as she
was saying that, her world started to spin. Her legs buckled under her and she
pushed out her arm to break her fall.
Concerned, the girl ran to her,
supporting her as she tried to lean against the wall. Looking down, Mylin
pulled away her left hand, which was holding the lower part of her abdomen. The
girl gasped as she saw a large red stain. “You’re hurt,” said the little girl.
Mylin almost laughed at the
statement. She had known about it ever since the bullet went into her. That had
been hours ago when they stumbled upon the Telrhani ground troops. They didn’t
take lightly of her betrayal so they opened fire at the first second they saw
her. And they didn’t even care if they hit the little girl.
When they managed to lose them,
Mylin didn’t have time to assess how bad she was hit. Her main concern had been
to find a place they can hide for a few days. And then find a way to hand the
girl over to the proper authorities, safely.
Now, seeing that her wound was a
little more serious than she had rated, she wondered if she could survive the
night. Looking at the girl carefully, she gasped, “First thing tomorrow, I want
you to go to the nearest place where you can find a way to contact the
Preventers. They should be able to take care of you.” Feeling her consciousness
slipping away, Mylin welcomed the following darkness.
>>>@@<<<
The mood in the Preventer
headquarter was somewhat somber and quiet. Hilde Schebeiker was still hanging
on thin lines as Duo Maxwell hardly left her side, Zechs Merquise hardly said a
word since his sister, Relena Darlian was kidnapped and Lady Une was still
trying to keep the capture of the Vice Foreign Minister from the public,
fearing of causing a state of panic. The only ones who knew about the capture
of Relena and Vincent Dupree were the head representatives of the Earth Sphere
Unified Nation. And in addition to the President’s kidnapping, they were very
displeased.
Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton had
immediately set out work on locating Relena. They knew that the aliens had a
large fleet and it was dire for them to know which ship was holding the two
most important people before they set out a mission to rescue them. Quatre
Winner had to resume his duty as ambassador of the colonies for a few days to
reassure the space delegates, who knew the real situation, that the Preventers
were doing everything they can to locate the missing President and Vice Foreign
Minister.
As for news from Wu Fei, there
was none, as expected. But Lady Une knew that he’s still tracking the Telrhani
spy and had every confidence in him to find her and rescue the President’s
granddaughter. However, duties in the headquarters resumed as usual. Her agents
were also working hard to locate weaknesses in the enemy’s defense and also
working to find out more about the Telrhani. Howard was overseeing the repairs
of the Gundams and the other mobile suits, with Kylie Rayden watching them like
a hawk. She and Mariemaia seemed to be getting along fine, though a little
awkward.
Remembering Mariemaia, Lady Une
sighed. The girl had went through things that other adults had never
experienced in their lifetimes. First, she was the only daughter of a very
powerful man and only to rise as the chief representative of colony X18999 at
five! She was supposed to rise as the ruler of Earth Sphere but only to be
defeated by the Gundams and reduced to nothing more than a normal child.
For that Lady Une was grateful.
Mariemaia will have the chance to grow up as normal a girl as she could,
compared to how she herself was brought up a few years ago, in the middle of
the crisis. Then, concern gripped at her. She was worried about how the President’s
grandchild was holding up. She had
never been exposed to any danger before and all these terrible happenings might
affected her deeply. Looking away, Lady Une prayed that this war would not
create another Mariemaia Khushrenada.
>>>@@<<<
Her eyes fluttered open when she
heard a noise. She almost sat up immediately, only to feel a sharp pain went
through her. So, she lied back down and closed her eyes, trying to rid of the
lingering pain that was caused by her own stupidity.
It was then, she sensed rather
than see, something moved next to her. Quickly, she opened her eyes. A pair of
blue eyes looked down on her. “Are you feeling alright?” a tiny voice asked. It
was then, Mylin remembered what happened. Looking over herself, she realized
that a piece of cloth was tied around her waist, stopping the bleeding. There’s
also a big dirty piece of cloth, which was spread over her body.
“You did this?” she asked the
little girl, finding her voice sounded so strange.
The girl nodded, biting her
lips. “I saw it on tv. They stopped a bleeding with a piece of cloth pushed
against the wound. I tried to hold on to it but I was too tired so I tore
another piece of cloth to tied it around you so it wouldn’t fall off.” She then
pointed at a corner where the window is. “I pulled the curtain to use as a
blanket in case you were cold.” She looked at her, seeking for approval.
Mylin closed her eyes as she
swallowed. Her lips were parched despite the cold night before. “Why?” she
asked, softly. The girl looked at her, confused. “Why did you help me? My kind
is an enemy of yours. Why did you just run away and escape?”
At first the girl looked at her,
confused by her question. To a child’s eyes, she didn’t see the significance of
racial differences in this matter. And so, her answer held a simple meaning to
it. “Because grandpa always said that we must help those who are in need. No
matter what they do to you, you should show your compassion instead of hatred.
If not, how will we ever find peace in our lives?”
“Compassion?” Mylin quoted.
“What is that?”
The girl frowned. “You don’t
know? Everybody knows what compassion is. It’s an act of mercy showed to those
who are weak. It’s a greater act of kindness.”
At that Mylin was startled.
Again she had to remind herself that although she knew a little about these
humans, there were some things that were alien and unacceptable to her. And
this was the first time she had heard the word. Her people hadn’t known about
compassion. It never existed. And kindness were very scarce and rare found in
her people. If there’s any type of kindness Mylin knew, it was kindness to
those of their equal. Not to the weak. Those who were weak would never be
granted kindness, no matter how pathetic they seem. If they could not
contribute to the rising of their masters, they would be immediately discarded,
killed.
But now this girl, this human,
was telling her that compassion was the foundation of the peace for their race.
That through compassion and kindness, they were able to get rid of the misery
and sorrow of those who were weak. As Mylin were thinking, she wondered about
many things. How did her own race judged themselves as superior where there
were still things that they don’t know about? Things that they can learn from
these humans? And maybe things they could’ve learned from the other races
they’ve enslaved?
Feeling the dizziness coming
back, Mylin let her thoughts vanished and looked at the girl. Then, a moment of
sorrow went through her. If only her people had known about compassion, then,
her little sister would still be alive by now. Pushing back the feeling, she
said, “Thank you, little girl. Let me rest a few moment and we’ll see about
getting our stomachs filled.” She smiled, reassuringly.
The girl smiled back, obviously
pleased. “I never catch your name, girl,” said Mylin, tired of calling the girl
nameless.
“I’m Anne,” she answered. “Mary
Anne. I was named after my mother.”
Mylin smiled. “I’m Mylin.” They
shook hands, forming a bond that none could break, not even the fact that they
belonged to two different and obviously battling races.
>>>@@<<<
She opened her eyes, confused by
the bright light at first but as the memory of the previous ordeal came back to
her, she looked around her. It was then, she felt something heavy resting on
her left arm. She looked at it as her bewildered expression softened.
Without much of a sound, she
raised her right arm, surprised how weak it felt and touched the brown hair
gently. At her touch, the head stirred and then suddenly flew up, revealing a
surprised and happy face. “You’re alive!” he shouted.
Hilde grimaced as his voice rang
through her ears. “Shh… not so loud, Duo. I’m having one major headache.”
At that he quickly sat on her
bed, looking at her concernedly. “I’m sorry,” he said, with regrets Hilde never
heard before. “I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you. I’m sorry for the fights we
had. I’m sorry for saying those things to you. I’m sorry for not treating you
as you deserve.” He paused. “And I’m most sorry for not seeing how important
you are to me. It took the aliens to made me realized that I could’ve lost you
forever. So, please don’t leave me. I love you.”
“Duo,” said Hilde, not knowing
what to say at this new side of him. A side he had never showed her. Then,
seeing the pain in his eyes, she reached out and hugged him. “Don’t worry, I
will always be by your side. And I love you too.”
Duo stared at her, in the eye.
“Do you really?” he asked, his face serious. It was then Hilde noticed how
tired and pale he looked. He must’ve lost a lot of sleep to wait for her. She
nodded. “With all my heart, Duo. That’s all what I want to hear from you since
the first time we’re together. For you to tell me that you love me,” she
confessed, feeling all the tension left her.
“Why don’t if I do more than
that?” asked Duo.
Hilde frowned, still feeling
lightheaded. “What do you mean, Duo?”
Gently, Duo took her hand. “Will
you marry me?”
>>>@@<<<
Heero watched as confusion
played on Hilde’s face. Then, it was replaced by a look of surprise as she
finally began to comprehend what was happening. For a moment, she didn’t say a
thing, just staring into the eyes of the person she had grown to love all these
years.
Then, something showed her that
she indeed has a future with him and nodded. “Yes, Duo Maxwell. I would be glad
to.”
That brought back a laughter
that was lost a few days ago. Duo reached out and kissed Hilde right there and
then. But when they parted, both looked away in embarassment as neither had
ever done that before.
In the shadows of the hallway,
Heero backed away. His mind was made up and he was ready to go. For days, he,
Trowa and the Preventers had worked all day and night to determine the location
of Relena and her two companions. Although they still had yet to pinpoint her
exact location, Heero knew enough about the fleet to find her by himself. His
only concern was, how to get to the fleet without detection?
One problem was solved. Howard
had his engineers working to repair the alien shuttle that the prisoners had escaped
in with help from Quatre and Kylie. Lady Une’s main plan was to set a team to
infiltrate the Telrhani fleet and rescue the prisoners, though Heero felt he
work even better alone.
He headed towards the docking
bay, where the alien shuttle was stored as he gone through his plan. He had
confided with Trowa before this and knew the taller pilot knew that he was
determined to go alone. He had wished Heero luck and promised him to take care
of the others.
But when Heero got into the
cockpit, he realized that he wasn’t alone. Someone else was in the pilot seat.
And that someone had prepped the shuttle and was ready to go. “It’s my duty to
protect her as well, you know,” said Kylie, knowing exactly what he was going
to ask. “I made a promise to Treize I would protect her and help you Gundam
pilots.”
He looked at her as she stared
back at him. For a moment, the twins were locked in a stubborn gaze. Then,
Heero settled down on the co-pilot seat. “I suppose you know how to drive this
thing?”
“I escaped in one of these,
remember?” she reminded, as her answer.
“And Quatre?”
She looked ahead. “Quatre will
have to take care of himself until I return,” she answered, her tone mirrored
her brother’s. Then, without any hesitation, they launched.
>>>@@<<<
Relena looked up as a strange
feeling went through her. For a moment that feeling lingered as she tried to
grasp the meaning behind it. But the more she tried, the more it slipped away.
Then, the thought of a pair of prussian blue eyes came into her mind as
wondered what was Heero planning at this moment.
Knowing Heero, she knew that he
would not rest as long as she was in captivity. She knew he wouldn’t rest if he
thought she’s in danger. And since Heero was a person full of surprises, Relena
was certain that he would find a way to rescue her and the others.
She sighed. That wasn’t the
problem. She had let herself being captured so easily because she wanted to
talk to these aliens. To forge a friendship with them so that the two races
could live together in peace. But the Warleader had refused her request to see
him. And Relena was starting to feel discouraged. Starting to feel that there
was no use to all of this. However, Vincent kept her going.
Looking at the sleeping figure
across her, she smiled. She was touched by his support and trust in her. He
didn’t have to endanger himself by coming with her but he did. And Vincent had
been more than supportive, he was also the one who had given her the strength
to fight on this seemingly losing battle. Relena was glad that he was there for
her. She felt even luckier that he was her friend.
As Relena stared at him, she
suddenly felt a warm feeling generated inside her. When Vincent was asleep, he
had this peaceful look on his face, as if nothing mattered. And by just looking
at his handsome face, Relena was reminded of the boy whom she befriended with
years ago. The boy whom she had a crush on as a child.
And then, she remembered how she
felt having him so close. The strength of his arm when he held her, to protect
her from danger. The way his face reflected the deep concern for her. She
remembered especially how his smile gave her the reassurance that everything
will be alright. He reminded her of the time when she felt the same thing, a
few years ago. The feelings that surfaced whenever Heero was with her.
Suddenly, she remembered what
Heero said to her. That Vincent was the perfect man for her. Remembering that,
she gasped. She hadn’t thought about her crush for a long time. And now that
she was looking at Vincent the same way she had looked at him a few years ago,
she began to wonder if there’s any wisdom in Heero’s words.
But then, what about her
feelings for Heero Yuy?
Her musings were interrupted by
the clanking sound. The door was opened as Vincent and the President started to
rise, awakened from their slumber. From the mouth of the only entrance and
exit, Sira appeared. “Get up,” she said, without any words of greeting.
A moment later, they were
ushered into the bridge, where Warleader Varishk was waiting. He regarded them.
“I hope you’re satisfied with the accommodation, humans,” he said. “It might be
your last if you don’t cooperate.”
“I’d like to speak with you,”
said Relena, making her way towards him. Then, something hit her from behind and
she found herself on the floor. Vincent, seeing that Sira was going to hit her
again, ran to defend Relena only to be kicked by the other guards.
The Warleader raised his arm,
signaling for them to stop. “It won’t do having them unpresentable to the public,
will it?” he said, as Relena and the President made their way to Vincent. The
President looked up, his eyes burning.
“What do you want us to do?”
Varishk smiled. “Nothing. Just
for you to do what you’re good at. Being a good prisoners,” he said, looking at
the three of them. His evil smile widened, telling them that he was planning
something bad. “It’s time for you to appear before your people.”
He signaled his officer at the
communication console. When the transmission was connected, he began, “Humans,
as you might remember, I am Warleader Varishk of the Telrhani. Your refusal to
surrender had forced in a worst case scenario. Observe.” He stepped aside,
revealing his three prisoners. “I have your President as well as your infamous
Vice Foreign Minister Darlian. They’re unharmed as you can see and will remain
so if you obey our demands.”
“Surrender yourself to the
ruling of His Supreme Emperor. Let us have no further bloodshed to this useless
retaliation,” he continued. “And hand over the Gundam pilots to us for they’ve
committed the worst kind of crime against the Empire, by killing His Supreme’s
loyal servants. Spare yourself from the fate that these Gundam pilots will
suffered.”
He paused. “You have one day to
make your decision, humans. Either way, you will serve the Empire. It’s just
the matter of saving your love ones from death by this useless retaliation.”
With that he signaled the officer to cut the transmission as he returned to his
‘guests’
“Thank you for your
cooperation,” he said, well aware of the hateful looks he was getting. Then he
signaled Sira to take them away.
>>>@@<<<
Kylie glanced at Heero when the transmission ended.
“You know what this mean, don’t you?”
Heero didn’t say anything. He
stared ahead and then nodded. “The people would feel defeated. The Preventers
would be held responsible.” He glanced at her. “It’s up to us now.”
“Naturally,” she said as she
continued to fly towards the Telrhani fleet. Right then, they knew they
couldn’t afford to lose.
>>>@@<<<
When the transmission ended, the
headquarter was thrown into a state of chaos. Many calls came in from the
representatives, who didn’t know what had transpired. Since the transmission
appeared in all public vidlink, chaos was everywhere as the people were panicking
due to this surprising turn of events. Now that the President and the Vice
Foreign Minister were captured, they lost all hope for victory.
Lady Une was in an emergency
meeting with the ESUN representatives in, demanding her explanations. Quatre was
also there, supporting her answers and reassuring the representatives that
they’re doing everything they can to rescue all of them. But he had little
influence on the Earth delegates and so they didn’t take his words seriously.
Luckily, one of the delegates, suggested that they give the Preventers some
time to ready a report and they would all meet later that day in an L1 colony.
Quatre offered to go with her
but Lady Une told him to stay. She was more concerned if the delegates decide
to hand in the Gundam pilots for their survival. And having Quatre there would
only endanger him, if his true identity was revealed. She knew, with Relena
gone all of humanity’s hope for survival rested on the Gundam pilots. And right
now, their hope rested on the three missing Gundam pilots; Heero and Kylie, who
were making their way into the heart of the enemy’s fleet and Wu Fei, alone and
hunting for the Telrhani spy.
>>>@@<<<
When Wu Fei heard the
transmission, he knew that he had to move fast. He knew that he had to get back
to the others and help them. He looked around him, eyeing the old abandoned
building before him. After a few days on Earth, he had located Mylin’s location
and was watching it carefully, planning his entrance. He knew that Mylin was
hiding on the sixth floor and he had to sneak up there, bring the girl to
safety and then face her. But now that things were getting desperate, Wu Fei
decided to do the most direct thing.
He burst into the building,
nearly caught the raven haired spy-assassin by surprise. She jumped to her
feet. “I know I’ll be seeing you again,” he said, seeing her all alone.
“Where’s the little girl?” he demanded.
Mylin shrugged. “She’s not
here,” she answered.
“Wrong answer,” said Wu Fei and
he leapt forward, brandishing his gleaming blade. Mylin spun away, barely
avoiding the blow as it whisked by her ear. She then kicked the blade and it
flew off Wu Fei’s hand.
“Fight your enemy fair and
square, Wu Fei Chang,” she shouted, her jaw set. Then they reengaged in a
personal battle they both began a few months ago. And again, each found
themselves equally challenged. But soon, Mylin found her strength diminishing
due to the wound she sustained as she fought to hang on.
Then, she tripped. She grunted
as her back hit the floor, sending needles of pain all over her body. Fighting
back the nausea and the swirling black spot in her visions, Mylin tried to
stand. But all of that took precious time that she needed as she saw Wu Fei’s
fist coming down at her.
“NO!” Suddenly a voice screamed.
Mylin flinched as Wu Fei’s fist froze inches to her face. Then, a little girl
ran to her and knelt beside Mylin, looking daggers at Wu Fei. Surprised by this
turn of event, the Gundam pilot took a step back.
“Don’t hurt her,” said the
little girl, noticing Wu Fei’s Preventer uniform. “She’s the one who has been
protecting me from the bad aliens. She got hurt because of me.”
Wu Fei blinked. It was then he
noticed how pale Mylin was. Her face was gray and she was sweating. Looking at
her hand that was holding her abdomen, he noticed a red stain was forming on
the white makeshift bandage.
“Anne, move away,” she said, her
voice even. Her eyes were only on Wu Fei. “He and I have something to settle.”
She forced herself to stand.
Suddenly there was a crashing sound and figures dressed in black leapt into the
room. Mylin growled at the sight of them while Anne screamed. “Ground troops!”
she said. “They found us.”
Realizing that these were the
‘bad’ aliens that Mylin and Anne were running away from, Wu Fei stood between
the two and the aliens. “Protect the girl,” he told Mylin. “I’ll handle these
guys.” He disarmed the nearest alien, throwing him back to his comrades as five
of them hit the floor. Somehow, the floor gave way, plunging the five alien troopers
down into their six-story’s death.
Then, Wu Fei faced the remaining
six who had identified him as a dangerous enemy. They approached him
cautiously. Then, as three of them kept him busy, the other three made their
way towards Mylin and Anne. The Telrhani renegade fought them off all she
could, ignoring the pain that was dulling her senses. Her main concern was to
make sure Anne was safe and sound.
Although the ground troopers
were highly trained, they still lacked the training Mylin received as the
Emperor’s Eye. And as Wu Fei was finishing the ones he was fighting, Mylin
already had the other three lying dead on the floor, necks all broken.
She looked at Wu Fei as she fell
to her knees. Darkness came to claim her as she heard Anne calling her name and
someone with a strong grip holding her upright. She fought back the darkness
and looked at the face of her enemy. “Get Anne out of here,” she gasped.
“What about you?” asked Anne,
holding her arm, not willing to let her go.
Mylin looked at Anne. “I’ll be
fine,” she said, smiling. Then she turned to regard Wu Fei. “I’m going to
activate the beacon to tell the recovery team where I am. It won’t do if they
find Anne here with me.” She smiled ironically. “Isn’t that what you were
planning to stop from happening?”
“You still want to go back?
After what you did?” asked Wu Fei, indicating the carnage around them. Mylin
looked at the lying corpses and shook her head. “They’re still my people, Wu
Fei Chang. My place is with them.” He face hardened. “Besides, I’m a servant of
the Emperor.”
Accepting her decision, Wu Fei
looked at her. His face serious. “Then know this, Mylin. Your Warleader has
Relena Peacecraft and Vincent Dupree along with the President of ESUN. He has
launched the most dishonorable war ever by using these people to get us
surrender.” He paused. “But I won’t.”
Mylin was surprised by what he
said. Then, she nodded in understanding. “The Emperor won’t be pleased at this.
Now, I have to do all I can to stop Varishk’s thirst for blood. Even if it
means rescuing Relena Peacecraft and her friends. Varishk’s mad reign is coming
to an end.”
>>>@@<<<
The hall was in total chaos.
Lady Une watched carefully as the delegates of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation
argued over what they were to do next. Some voted for surrender, some suggested
an all out strike against the Telrhani’s fleet, and some even argued the
surrender of the Gundam pilots. Those who disfavor the Gundam pilots were led
by General McGarth who had been trying to get rid of the pilots and saw this as
a perfect oppurtunity to do so.
Lady Une sighed in fatigue. They
had spend almost 24 hours to decide what to do. The first few hours were wasted
blaming the Preventers for their incompetence and failure to inform them of the
latest events. In reality, Lady Une had purposely failed to inform them because
she was trying to avoid this chaos. But now, she saw no other
alternatives than to inform them of their status.
Then the next hours were spent arguing over the performance of the Gundam pilots Why they, as Earth’s most elite and professional team, failed to stop this invasion. McGarth had been actively involved with this as Lady Une tried to reassure the delegates that the Gundam pilots were doing all they can. She also didn’t forget to point out that the pilots were their only hope for survival.
But now as the hour grew near,
they still hadn’t made any useful insight as to how to go about this problem.
Only a few of them were actually thinking things through, such as Weyrich and a
team of more reasonable delegates. As Lady Une sighed for the second time,
Mariemaia moved from her seat.
Much to Lady Une’s surprise,
Mariemaia walked over to the center stage. She looked around at the
representatives before her, scrutinizing them and then clapped her hands. She
laughed as the noise stopped and the representatives looked at the small figure
standing before them.
“Why are you laughing, child?
This is a dire matter,” said one of the representatives.
Mariemaia shrugged. “I’m just
expressing my amusement at you, who are suppose to lead our people,” she said.
“If I had known how uneffective you are, I would’ve never surrendered to the
Gundam pilots and declare myself ruler of the World Nation.”
“How dare you!” shouted another
as the others expressed their outrage. For a moment, the whole hall buzzed.
“Who let her in?”
“Who gave you the permission to
speak, child?”
“Silence!” someone roared. All
heads turned towards Marquis Weyrich, who was already standing. “She has the
right to address this council because anything we decide shall not only effect
us but her as well. Let her speak her mind.”
He nodded at Mariemaia,
impressed by her courage to challenge the council. But there were still those
who were not satisfied of Weyrich’s decision. So, Mariemaia stared at them
first. “Look at you sorry bunch. You’ve been given 24 hours to decide what to
do but you spend the third half of it blaming each other. If I was the one who
rule, I would make my decision even before the Warleader disconnected the
transmission.”
General MacGarth stood, hoping
his height could intimidate her. But found her green eyes challenging him even
more. “Alright, young lady. Tell us what do you propose we should do,” he
challenged her, hoping the question would throw her back.
But Mariemaia stood on her
ground. “Easy,” she said. “We keep on fighting. This is our home since the dawn
of time. And we have been born free and equal. Why should we become slaves to
these creatures?”
There was a buzz as the
representatives talked to each other.
“Even so,” she continued,
gaining their interest. “We can’t just go charging in into a battle with the
Telrhani. We have to gather as much intelligence as possible, as well as
strategies to battle them and win.” She purposely emphasized the word
‘win’. She looked at them. “So, we must let the Preventers do their job.
They’ve already gathered information that you yourself lacked.”
“And,” she said, pointedly
staring at MacGarth. “Do not even think about surrendering the Gundam
pilots. They’re our only hope. And I know that you know it is the truth.
Without the Gundam pilots, we would already be a conquered race.”
With that she bowed and returned
to her place. Before she could even sit, the hall was plunged into another
chaos.
>>>@@<<<
Mylin let the healer worked on
her wounds. As expected, the recovery team came for her a few hours after Wu
Fei left with Anne. They’ve found her bloodied with the rest of the ground team
all dead. They hadn’t asked her anything, knowing that the Warleader would find
that out from her but after they’ve gathered the dead bodies for a funeral
service, Mylin was sent to the infirmary.
After the healer was done, Mylin
made her way to the bridge. She knew Varishk would want to hear from her
immediately concerning the dead troopers and she’s just itchy to get back to
her room to report her progress to the Emperor.
“Mylin?” said a voice as soon as
she entered the bridge. She saluted him.
“Warleader.”
Varishk regarded her, carefully.
“I gather you’ve already have a healer looking at your wounds?” he said,
noticing them.
Mylin nodded. “Yes, Warleader.”
“Good. Perhaps you might want to
enlighten us,” he said, indicating the dead bodies.
“We were jumped by a Preventer
agent, Warleader. A Gundam pilot,” she said, telling the truth. “I got hurt
when he battled me.”
“And the little girl?”
Mylin looked down, pretending to
be ashamed by her failure. “She’s gone, with the Gundam pilot.”
“Hmm… the Gundam pilot again,”
he said, rubbing his chin. “It’s seems like the Gundam pilots are becoming a
nuisance to our cause.” Then he shrugged. “No matter. Soon, they would just be
part of history.” He waved her away. “Go and rest, Mylin. I have nothing for
you to do for now.”
She bowed and left. But as she was
leaving, she managed to spare a glance at Sira who was watching her carefully.
There was a skeptical look on her face that told Mylin that she hadn’t believe
in what she said. But Mylin didn’t care. Soon, it would all be over.
As she walked back to her room,
Mylin made a quick stop to check on the prisoners. Sure enough, Relena Darlian
and her partner were there. And she also saw the old man she had seen in the
garden, the time she met Anne. Not wanting to make herself seemed more
suspicious, Mylin resumed her journey to her room. There, she opened the secret
connection to her homeworld.
“Your Majesty,” she said, as
soon as Emperor Gylendar appeared.
“Mylin, it’s been long.”
Mylin’s heart completely calmed.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. The Warleader had me on an assignment on Earth.”
“Tell us about it.”
She relayed to him what
happened. The abductions as well as Varishk plan. Gylendar listened to her
reports carefully and only expressed his displeasure when heard of Varishk
dishonorable way to conquer the humans. But when she came to the part where
Relena Darlian wanted to talk about peace with them, Gylendar showed his
interest.
“They would want that, wouldn’t
they?” he had asked.
“Yes. Which was why it was so
easy for Varishk to set a trap for them. They let their peaceful nature
distract them from the truth,” Mylin had said. The Emperor nodded, his face
betrayed his curiosity for the creature’s ideal of peace with other races as
Mylin continued on.
When she was finished, Gylendar
leaned back. “Good, Mylin. You have tell us the most disturbing and also
intriguing things.” Then his face was serious. “For now, we want you to watch
Varishk’s next plan. And contact us as soon as you heard of the human’s
decision.”
Mylin bowed. “Your will, Your
Majesty.”
>>>@@<<<
When Wu Fei returned to MOV, he
found the base in chaos, as expected. Lady Une had left with Mariemaia for L1
to stop the representatives from giving up the Gundam pilots and left Sally Po
in charge. After Wu Fei took Anne to the infirmary and reported to Sally, he
found out there were some people missing. As soon as he and the other four
Gundam pilots assembled, they told him the reason why Heero and Kylie were
missing.
That didn’t surprise him at all
because he knew Heero would do anything to ensure the safety of Relena
Peacecraft. But he was a little surprise that Kylie left with Heero and found
himself disturbed by that. Duo, on the other hand, knew the reason but he still
kept the secret that Heero Yuy and Kylie Rayden were twins to himself.
Quatre’s worry for the two were
evident, especially for Kylie. He had been tempted to go after them when Howard
offered to fix another of the alien’s shuttle but he declined in the end. He
knew he’s needed where he was, to lead the other Gundam pilots. He was very
grateful to Dorothy and Trowa who gave him all the supports that he badly
needed.
For now, all hope rested on the
two missing pilots who could undoubtedly work miracle. But each of them had to
wonder what the ESUN representatives decide to do with Variskh’s demands.
>>>@@<<<
The decision was made and Lady
Une found herself slumped on her seat, tired. The council had overruled
MacGarth’s proposal and they waited patiently for the Telrhani to contact them.
At exactly 24 hours, they did and Marquis Weyrich, acting President stood.
“What is your decision then,
human?” asked Varishk.
“We’ve decided, under any
circurmstances not to hand over the Gundam pilots to you,” said Weyrich,
his voice clear and proud. “The Gundams are our symbol of triumph. The pilots
are those who sacrificed their lives for our survival. As long as they’re with
us, mankind will still have a chance to survive this war.”
He looked at Varishk. “So,
therefore we will not surrender even to save the lives of those you’re holding.
We know they would’ve done the same thing.” His eyes narrowed. “We’re going to
fight you, Telrhani. Until the end of our lives.”
For a moment there was silence
as they waited for the Warleader to say anything. Or even showed a slightest
emotion that featured his feelings for their decision. But his face was
expressionless as he regarded the member of the council.
Then, a few minutes later, he
smiled. “Very well,” he said, with a hint of anger and pleasure in his voice.
“We shall fight to the end, then.” He turned to the raven beauty behind him.
“Mylin, dispose of our three prisoners. It seems like they’ve outgrown their
usefulness.”
>>>@@<<<
“No!” Quatre blurted as Duo
slammed his fist on the coffee table. They were all in the lounge, listening to
the transmission. They were touched by Weyrich’s words about them and vowed to
themselves that they would prove him right. But when they failed to see any
emotions written on Varishk’s face, they knew it could mean trouble.
Now, they were all shocked by
his words. Zechs was on his feet instantly while Trowa’s face showed his
surprise. Sally, Dorothy and Hilde supressed their gasps while Catherine and
Noin held on to Anne and Zechs. Anne were looking at them, questioningly,
unable to fully understand what was happening while Noin could feel Zechs
trembling inside.
Of all, only Wu Fei remained
calm. He was watching the raven haired Emperor’s Eye behind the Warleader,
wondering what Mylin would do. But aside from the startled look that flashed in
her eyes a moment before, she was calm, almost expressionless. Then, she bowed.
“As you wish, Warleader. It
shall be done,” she said, retreating. Then, the transmission ended.
Duo stood. “They can’t be
serious!” he said, outrageously.
“What will happen to grandpa?”
asked a tiny voice.
Catherine held on to her. “Hush,
Anne. Grandpa will be fine. Just be a brave girl, okay.” But her eyes reflected
a look of hopelessness as she led the little girl out of the room. When they
were gone, the others looked at each other.
“What are we going to do?” asked
Duo. “We can’t just sit here.” He turned to Wu Fei. “That alien friend of yours
wouldn’t do it, right? You said that she’s on our side.”
Wu Fei shook his head. “I never
said that. I only said that she rescued Anne but never said she’s on our side.
Her loyalty lies with her Emperor and she would do anything to protect his best
interest. Even if it meant killing one of ours.”
Duo turned to Quatre. “Then, we
must do something. Let’s go there and rescue them.”
“We can’t,” said the blond
pilot. “Even if we leave now, we could never reach Relena and the others in
time.”
“But there must be something we
could do!”
“We pray,” said Trowa, suddenly.
The others turned to regard him. “Heero and Kylie are still out there. We just
have to pray that they’ll get to the three of them in time.” Remembering the
two, they nodded. Now, all hope rested heavily on the two silent Gundam pilots.
>>>@@<<<
Varishk chuckled as he watched
Mylin left the bridge. As he terminated the transmission, he was well aware of
Sira, sending out two guards after the spy to make sure she did not change her
mind or worse yet, defect. He looked at Sira, shaking his head.
“Really, Commander, you must
have trust in your men or else who can you trust to watch your back?” he said
to her.
The green haired beauty regarded
him evenly. “I’m sorry to say I disagree, Warleader. It was my reluctance to
trust people that brought me where I am today,” she said, her voice soft. “By
your side.”
He smiled at her, touched by her
loyalty to him. Then he nodded, “By all means, Commander. Let’s execute the
second phase of our plan.” Sira saluted him and turned to regard the Mican
Warriors. “You know what to do,” she said to them as K’Vai as leader nodded.
“Very clear, Commander,” he said
as his fellow warriors departed.
Sira then turned to Captain
Stharhkis. “Give the order, captain,” she said. “It’s time we attack the Earth
Sphere Unified Nation’s delegates to prove our great power.” The captain
saluted her and turned to his men while Sira watched over the busy bridge.
>>>@@<<<
Mylin walked along the hallway,
purposefully. Her demeanor was calm but a thousand questions played in her
mind. Deep inside was a conflict between her principles, her loyalty and her
duty. She knew that she cannot allow Varishk to get everything his way but if
she showed her true color now, she’d jeopardize her mission for the Emperor.
But what about the promise she made to Anne?
She was well aware of the two
guards escorting her to the brig. She knew that they were both especially
selected by Sira to make sure where her loyalty lie. Personally, Mylin didn’t
care about them escorting her. She was more concerned with the price that she
will have to pay for her loyalty to her Emperor.
Then, they reached the cell
where they kept the three influential human leaders. Mylin nodded at the guard
who was guarding the cell, signaling him to open the door. Inside, the three
prisoners blinked at the sudden brightness from the lights in the hallway.
Mylin looked at them one by one.
Her eyes cold and her face unreadable. “Get up,” she ordered as Relena and
Vincent helped the President. They looked at her, expectantly. “It’s time for
your execution,” she told them.
Their faces fell as they
exchanged glances. Vincent quickly stood between Mylin and Relena asking,
“Why?”
“Your fellow humans didn’t think
your life worth something,” she answered. “So, we’re just going to see if it’s
true.” There was a look of pride on their faces, as each was glad that humans
were still holding on hope for victory. Mylin signaled the three guards to
secure the prisoners so they could take them to the execution area. The three
obeyed her command.
Then there was a series of shot
and the three went down, dead. The other three stared at the dead bodies,
surprised. Relena looked up. “Why did you…?” she began but Mylin quickly waved
off her question as she put away her gun.
“Don’t ask,” she said to her.
She then turned to the President. “Your granddaughter is safe with the
Preventers.” A look of relief passed on his face as she said that. She gestured
to the door. “Let’s go. I must get all of you out of here.”
Suddenly someone hit her from
behind. Mylin was thrown to the wall where she rolled and jumped back to her
feet, nimbly. For a moment her head rang as she tried to shake the feeling off.
She faced her attacker only to find that she was outnumbered two-to-one. One
person, the one of hit her, was in an attacking position while the other was
training a gun at her.
To her surprise, Relena Darlian
stepped between her and them, facing the duo. “Stop, Heero! She’s a friend,”
she said, surprising the three fighters. The two looked at each other before
the one named Heero put down his gun.
It was then Mylin saw their
faces. “You! How did you get here?” she blurted, surprised.
“The same way any of your kind
get here,” said Heero. “We came in with one of your shuttle.”
Mylin nodded. “I should’ve
expect that from you,” she said, relaxing her composure. She nodded at Kylie.
“Glad to see you survived,” she said, deeply impressed. “That blast should’ve
finished you off. Even the shockwave should be enough to kill you.”
Hearing that, Kylie’s eyes went
even colder. “I guess you underestimated me,” she said, tonelessly.
“I guess I did,” said Mylin,
evenly. Tension started to thicken as the two glared at each other. “But I
won’t say that I was sorry for trying to blow you up and shooting at you with
the arrow. I was just doing my job.”
Kylie stood down, relaxing her
composure. “In that case, I won’t say I’m sorry for that bleeding nose and the
headache you’re about to get,” she said. It was then Mylin realized that her
nose was broken being hit on the wall when Kylie executed her flying kick.
For a moment there was silence.
Then, Mylin voiced, “You better get out of her before somebody come by,” she
said to them.
“Get them out, Kylie,” said Heero to his sister.
Kylie spared a glance at him and then nodded. She gestured Relena and the
others to follow her while Heero dealt with Mylin. Relena tried to linger but a
look on Heero’s face told her to go. Then, there was silence as they were the
only ones left. The two warriors looked at each other.
“You know what I must do, don’t
you?” he asked her.
She nodded. “I know,” she said,
as Heero trained his gun at her. “Tell Wu Fei it’s been an honor working with
him.” Surprised, he could only nodded. Then, his eyes narrowed.
“This is for my sister,” he
said, surprising Mylin in return. But before she could ask what he meant, there
was a sound of gunshot and stab of pain. Then, the world around her was
enveloped in darkness.
>>>@@<<<
Amy Pierson and Jack Fields
strolled along the garden in silence. Their world tour was done with the last
night’s performance in that colony. While the rest of the band decided to hang
out in the local places, Amy and Jack decided to take a quiet walk.
Occasionally fans, who could see under their disguises, would come up for an
autogarph but most of the time they were alone.
Jack glanced at her, noting the
worried look on her face. The situation was critical for their side. With the
President and Vice Foreign Minister’s capture, they were losing all hope. Their
only hope was on the Gundam pilots but even they seemed unable to ward off the
alien’s advances. Most of them were feeling discouraged but some even starting
to lose hope.
But that wasn’t the thing that
worried Amy. She and Relena had been friends for some time now, even though the
two had been too busy to see each other. And to top it off, she’d just heard
from a reliable source that two Gundam pilots were dispatched to try and rescue
the prisoners.
“Maybe it’s not her, Amy,” said
Jack.
Amy turned to him. “I know it’s
her, Jack,” she insisted. “Kyle would do such a thing. And this morning I tried
to contact her but the Preventer agent said that she isn’t available. It must
be her. She would’ve answered my call.” Then, she was starting to cry.
Jack gathered her in his arms.
“Shh… it’s going to be okay. We’re talking about Kyle, remember? She’ll pull
through. She always does.” He tried to swallow the lump in his throat.
“Whatever happened, we must be strong. That’s what she would’ve tell us.”
“I’m so scared,” she said,
softly.
He titled her chin up. “Don’t be,” he said. “You
still have me, remember? I will not let anything happen to you. I promise you
this.” He was about to kiss her when suddenly the alarm sounded and the ground
started to shake.
“It’s an attack!” they heard
someone shouted. Then, people started to run around, heading for the docking
bay where the escape shuttles were waiting. Amy and Jack stood there for a
moment, surprised but when the colony shook again, Jack quickly grabbed her
hand.
“Come on, we must get out of
here,” he shouted over the noise.
They then started to run towards
the nearest docking bay. Occasionally, the colony would shake and they had to
fight to maintain their balance. Jack was holding Amy so tight that her hand
was starting to hurt. But she knew they had to get out of the colony or risk
getting caught by the Telrhani.
“There’s the exit!” Jack stated,
pointing at the exit. They saw other people were making their way towards it
too. Jack and Amy ran faster when suddenly a building fell, cutting them off
the exit. They could hear those from the other side shouting for their love
ones who were trapped.
Then, the aliens were in.
Jack looked at the exit, a look
of defeat in his eyes. He glanced at the aliens who were starting to shepherd
the colonists to their ships. Then, he looked at Amy, noting the fear on her
face. Suddenly, his feeling of defeat was replaced by determination.
“Come on,” he said to her. “We
must hide.”
He led her to a small abandoned
building, a rundown inn. They entered a room. There, they crouched under a
table near the window. Jack signaled Amy to keep quiet as he looked out the
window. The Telrhani now were searching each building to find anyone who was
hiding. Jack said his prayer, hoping they would not check their hiding place
but when three of them started making their way towards their direction, his
stomach sank.
‘What must I do?’ he thought,
thinking furiously. He knew that he can’t let them take Amy. He’d promised her
he would protect her. Still thinking of Amy, Jack decided the most desperate
thing. He crouched over to Amy’s side. The girl was looking at him, her eyes
wide with fear.
‘Forgive me, my love,’ he
thought.
He put a hand on her shoulder
and looked into her eyes. “Wait here,” he said. “Whatever happen, don’t move. I
want you to stay here until everything is over.” He paused. “Then, look Kyle
up. Find her when this is over.”
Amy’s eyes widened. “Wh.. where
are you going?”
Jack shook his head, refusing to
answer the most obvious question. He repeated what he said, “Find Kyle.” He
then kissed her good bye and stared at the door. Suddenly, he ran towards the
door, knocking it down before Amy could stop him.
That attracted the Telrhani.
They turned around to find Jack running away from the building. The Telrhani
also ran after him as he led them away from Amy. Amy tried to stifle a cry for
Jack as she watched Jack being chased by the Telrhani with his mad dash. Then,
there was an explosion and she was thrown across the room. Amy remembered
nothing.
>>>@@<<<
When the attack came, the ESUN
delegates scrambled to get to safety. Stuck in the crowd, Mariemaia found
herself being pulled away from Lady Une who was shouting for her name. Mariemia
tried to fight her way to Lady Une but the crowd was pulling her to the wrong
way. She shouted for her father’s assistant but her voice was drowned by the
screaming of the colonists. Soon, she couldn’t see Lady Une anymore.
Then, there was a sound of
sobbing. Mariemaia looked ahead to find a little girl crying openly in a small
alley. Fighting her way through, she got to the girl. “Are you alright?” she
asked the girl, who appeared to be a few years younger than her. The girl shook
her head. “I lost my mommy.”
Mariemaia knelt. “Stop crying,”
she said, helping her up. “Let’s go find your mommy, alright?” she said,
knowing that she can’t leave the girl alone. Seeing that the way she came was
packed, Mariemaia decided to make her way to the other end of the alley.
But that proved to be a wrong
decision. As soon as Mariemaia and the girl stepped out of the alley, they were
surrounded by the Telrhani’s Collectors. By then the girl was starting to cry
again. As they took them away, Mariemaia wondered if she would see Lady Une and
Kylie again.
>>>@@<<<
Quatre knew he was struggling
for control. The alien’s attack had come as a surprise to them and judging from
the coordination of the enemy, they had indeed planned on attacking the ESUN
representatives as soon as they gave Varishk their answer. But that put the
human’s side at a disadvantage. With Lady Une still out, probably among those
who were captured, Sally was left to supervise the attack and rescue from the
headquarters. Noin was leading the Preventer mobile suits to offer as much
support to the Gundams. And since two of the best pilot weren’t available,
Quatre was down with Trowa, Duo, Wu Fei and Zechs to handle the Mican warriors
and their troopers.
Quatre bit back a curse when
Sandrock shook. Ever since Keil’n decided that he was a worthy opponent, he had
showed Quatre his real skills. Personally, Quatre knew he could handle him
well, now that he’s using the Zero system. But then K’Vai had also decided that
he would fight Quatre together with Keil’n just because he was leading the
Gundam team.
As he fought for his life,
Quatre glanced at the colony. He knew that the Telrhani had already boarded the
colony and now most probably gathering the colonists. It was then he wondered
if the Zero system was enough to stop the aliens. At the end of his musings, he
decided that the system was useful but they still need their full team.
So, he prayed for Heero and
Kylie’s safety.
>>>@@<<<
Heero caught up with Kylie just
as she was fighting a Telrhani guard. Relena, Vincent and the President watched
as the former assassin wrenched the gun free from the guard’s hand and twisted
his head with a crack. Relena buried her face in Vincent’s shoulder, trying to
drown the sound as the guard fell to the floor, dead.
Kylie almost took Heero’s head
off before finally realized who he was. Her fist was inches from his head.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
Heero waved off her apology.
“Come on,” he said. “It won’t be long until we’re discovered.”
“Too late,” said a new voice.
They turned to see a beautiful green haired woman standing at the entrance
where Heero came from. She regarded the two of them. “You must be the Gundam
pilots I’ve heard so much about. I was wondering if we’d ever meet.”
Heero handed his rifle at Kylie.
“Get them out,” he said, in his usual monotone voice. His eyes never left the
woman he recognized as the Warleader’s assistant, Sira. Kylie looked at Heero
and then at the woman. Then, she ushered the other three away.
“No,” Relena tried to protest
but Vincent was pulling her away. As she left, Kylie spared a last glance at
the two warriors and followed the others, her rifle and gun ready.
Relena, Vincent and the
President ran as Kylie led them to where she and Heero kept their shuttle.
Suddenly there was a series of shots as the four of them were forced to take
cover. Then, Kylie returned the fire, shooting at the Telrhani with a
surprising accuracy. When they were all dead, Kylie turned to Vincent.
She handed him a rifle, the one
Heero gave her. “The shuttle is that way,” she said, pointing towards the
hallway to their right. “Get yourselves on the shuttle and launch. Whatever
happens, don’t wait for us,” she ordered.
Vincent stared at the rifle, as
if it was a snake. But realizing that it was necessary to protect Relena and
the President, he nodded. Relena grabbed Kylie’s shoulder. “What about you?”
she asked.
Kylie’s cold eyes were even
colder at that. “Heero’s in danger. He’s not her match,” she said, without
explaining how she knew. She looked at Relena. “He risked his life to get you
out, so get out. I’ll go and make sure he stays alive.”
She glanced at the left hallway.
“Go now before the back up guards are here. I’ll cover your escape.”
Reluctantly, Relena, Vincent and
the President left. As soon as they were gone, a shot passed above Kylie’s head
as she ducked. She returned fire, killing the Telrhani guards instantly. After
making sure that there was no one coming from the left hallway, Kylie went back
where they left Heero.
>>>@@<<<
Heero hit the wall and slid down
to the floor. His head was starting to swim as he struggled to get back on his
feet. From the moment he met the woman personally, he knew that he couldn’t
take her on in a combat. There was something dangerous in her eyes, something
that would’ve existed in Heero as well if he hadn’t regained his shred of
humanity years ago.
As they fought, Heero’s
suspicion was proved correct. The woman, Sira, had skills that paled his own.
Before long, he was taking beatings after beatings but he knew he had to try
and buy some time for Relena and the others to escape.
Sira regarded him. “You are well
trained, young Gundam pilot. You have the skill superior to the Telrhani’s
ordinary soldier and given the chance, I know you could also take on the Mican
troopers if not the Mican warriors.” Her eyes narrowed. “But you seemed to be
holding something back. You’re letting your feelings for your people temper
with your fighting skills. And that would get you killed!”
She hit him again. Heero’s
vision started to blacken as Sira grabbed his hair. “Too bad. I was hoping you
could provide me with the challenges I need.” She raised her hand for a final
blow as Heero struggled to stay awake, to think of how to save himself from the
inevitable death.
As her hand fell, something else
hit her, throwing her across the room. Herro staggered, falling to the floor
when he felt someone grabbing him and pulled him upright. He saw Kylie glared
at Sira, her cold eyes flashing at the prospect of seeing her twin being hurt.
Sira jumped to her feet, glaring
at Kylie in return. She put up a fighting stance, challenging her. Kylie shook
her head slightly. “I have no time for you,” she said, throwing something at
Sira and then dive to a safe corner, pulling Heero with her.
There was an explosion.
Kylie looked down at Heero who
was starting to regain his strength. “You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” said Heero, as she
helped him up. His body was hurt all over as blood started to pour down from
the wound Sira had slashed with her dagger. He put a pressure on the chest
wound and regarded her. “Where’s Relena?”
“I told them to go first,” she
answered. “Come on, we might still be able to catch up with them.” She draped
his right arm over her shoulder. Supporting his weight, Kylie began to lead him
towards where the shuttle was.
>>>@@<<<
Catherine, Dorothy, Hilde and
Mary Anne watched the battle. From the look of things their side was definitely
losing. They could almost see the aliens’ slaveships making their way back to
the fleet and the human fighters, Gundams and Preventers, were fighting to save
the rest of the colonists as well as their own.
Catherine held on to Anne in a
tight embrace. She was actually trembling, her concern for her little brother
Trowa was at its peak. And she couldn’t help herself from thinking if Trowa
would meet the same fate as the rest of their circus family. If she lose Trowa
now, she’ll lose everything she cared for.
Finally, her legs couldn’t hold
her weight anymore and she fell to her knees. Anne had already started to cry
openly, calling for her grandfather and Catherine’s heart went out for her. She
then pulled Anne tighter, saying, “It’s going to be alright, Anne. Trowa will
be alright. He will get your grandpa back, I promise. Trowa and the others will
save us.” And she repeated those words over and over again as she forced out a
hidden strength that she herself didn’t know existed.
Dorothy watched the two for a
moment. Then, she turned her gaze on Hilde. The former OZ officer was watching
the battle, her face was calm but her eyes seemed to shimmer from tears. She
knew that this girl wished that she could go out there and fight with the
person she loved but with her injuries slowly healing, Dorothy knew that Hilde
knew she would only be a liability.
Although Hilde’s eyes held a
little fear for Duo’s fate, Dorothy could almost see a strong sense of trust.
It was as if Hilde trust Duo to come back to her. Praying that Quatre would
too, Dorothy turned her attention back towards the battle. The Gundams were
clearly outnumbered without the presence of the two more ruthless Gundam
pilots. For the first time since everything started, Dorothy wished that Kylie
was there. She would make sure Quatre and the other Gundam pilots got out of
the battle safe and alive, a thing that Dorothy was not able to do.
How she wished that there was
something she could do. Then maybe, she would be able to keep him safe like
what Kylie always did whenever Quatre was in battle.
If only she knew how to pilot a
mobile suit.
Then she remembered something.
Hilde, who was watching the
battle was suddenly aware that the person next to her tensed. She turned to
regard Dorothy when she saw the girl clenched her fists, looking at them
determinedly. But before she could ask anything, the blonde girl was already
running out of the room.
>>>@@<<<
Vincent pulled the trigger as
the Telrhani ducked for cover. He was actually getting used to it but he was
not trained to use a rifle. Sure, he did have a lot of practice at shooting
clay pigeons but he had never found himself shooting at living and breathing
things before. Despite that, his accuracy was astonishing. However, accuracy
wasn’t important when you’re trying not to get yourself killed in a shootout.
He glanced at Relena, who was
looking at him, wide-eyed. Vincent knew then why Kylie had given the rifle to
him. She knew that the President couldn’t handle it and Relena, she wanted to
make sure Relena, as an advocate for peace, didn’t have any hand in killing in
her clean profile. She knew it was dire for Relena to maintain her violent-free
image.
And so, it was only up to
Vincent to get them to the shuttle which was only a few feet away from their
hiding place. And he was determined to make sure that she and the President got
there safely. He turned to the two. “When I said go, you two run to the
shuttle,” he said.
“What do you think you’re
doing?” asked Relena, fearing that he might duplicate Heero and Kylie’s
actions.
Vincent shook his head. “I have
no time for an argument. Just run while I cover you.” Seeing the reluctant in
her eyes, he added. “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you shortly.” For a moment their
eyes met and the longtime trust between two friends surfaced. Relena nodded.
“Don’t get yourself killed.”
Without saying anything, Vincent
jumped out from hiding and fired at the Telrhani. They went back into cover as
he yelled, “Now!”
Relena and the President ran
towards the shuttle, running up the ramp. When they were safely aboard, that
was when Vincent’s rifle ran out of bullets. Stifling a series of curses he
knew, he ran towards the ramp, hoping he could cover as much ground possible
before the Telrhani realized that he wasn’t armed. But suddenly, he felt his
body jerked as a look of horror crossed over Relena’s eyes.
Then, his feet felt like rubber
as he fell onto the floor. His last thought was of his failure to save Relena
Darlian.
