!*~

Time’s Fault

Part Four: Thin Ice

Authoress: Suiki Bara

~*~

A Month’s Time had passed since Wing Gundam’s Self Destruction. At the Oz Base in Antarctica…

"I guess it’s no surprise the pilot is alive."

Zechs stood, leaning against a rail on a catwalk in the large building, his platinum hair falling around his shoulders gracefully. Noin watched him, holding an electronic pad.

"Indeed, sir. We discovered that he is staying with Gundam 03, which escaped from Los Angeles Base, along with a stolen Aries, piloted by a girl, who currently has no files to be found in our database. We just call her 00." Lt. Noin reported. She added, "The pilot 01 is severely injured. 03 and 00 are with him now."

Zechs smiled slightly. "He must stay alive…" Zechs looked at her with piercing eyes. "…At least long enough for me to kill him."

"Sir, I understand your strong desire to fight with him prompted you to deceive headquarters…" Lt. Noin paused and then sighed. "But why risk your position? You were just promoted?" She gently reminded him, stepping forward, her dark blue hair looking black in the room, her boots making a metallic sound on the catwalk.

"Hmm…I wonder myself, sometimes…" Zechs mused. "…Instinct as a knight, perhaps?" he suggested with a shrug.

"But I am sorry to trouble you, Lt. Noin." He turned towards his mask on a table nearby.

"Not to worry. I trust you more than OZ." Noin felt her heart beating faster as he came closer.

"The repair of the Gundam will be completed in a few days. Bring that pilot, Heero Yuy, and his friends, to me." He picked up his silver mask and held it in front of him, studying it.

"Yes, sir. Are you also aware that Relena’s back from the colony?" Noin reminded him. "The Peacecrafts’ butler is helping her look for Heero, Milliardo…"

"Noin!" Zechs snapped, almost harshly. "I’m Zechs Merquise now!!" He admonished her. "Relena will succeed the Peacecrafts."

He gently set the mask into place, his mind whirring with thoughts. ‘As an OZ pilot, I avenged the death of my father and the loss of my country…I don’t deserve to be part of the Peacecrafts.’ Relena’s face entered his mind. ‘But she does…Relena…’

Then he thought of one other thing. "How is that soldier girl…the one who calls herself Cassidy?"

"We’ve given her a last name. Takashi." Noin smiled at the thought of the brave but solemn girl. "I also noticed she has an affinity for science. We’ve sent her to one of the colonies for surveillance and also to help the trainees there. She seems to have a very level head." Noin felt somewhat proud of the girl. As if she’d trained her on her own.

Zechs nodded. "The girl should be of some help to us."

~*~

-Circus Tents-

~*~

During the past month, Trowa, Catherine, and Taryn took careful watch over the incoherent pilot. Taryn and Trowa began to enjoy each other’s silent company, talking slightly from time to time.

Trowa found Taryn interesting, to say the least. She’d told him, a bit at a time, what she could remember, and talked of things that she couldn’t understand, such as the piloting of her Aries and her knowing things she never could have known.

Taryn watched Trowa with interest as well, seeing his silent habits and getting used to them. Catherine was just the right thing, a touch of feminine relief.

She began adjusting to circus life, helping Trowa out a bit, getting used to the other performers, and even helping set up props before performances and feeding some of the large cats with Trowa.

Heero’s coma was full of uneasiness and unrest. Images and voices flashed through his mind, pictures of the battle, Relena, the other pilots…and Taryn. Her voice and words kept ringing through his mind, clashing with Relena’s face.

It had been one month and Catherine was standing watch over him, when he opened his eyes and cried out.

"Relena!"

Heero’s eyes searched Catherine’s face, the very first thing he saw.

"I’m glad you’re back. I’m Catherine." She said gently, her kind face glowing. She turned and called softly.

"Trowa! Taryn! He’s awake!"

"Catherine? Taryn…" His eyes half closed, yet he could see a flap of the tent open and two figures step through. Trowa, and slightly shorter, Taryn, behind him.

Heero glared at them both. "You…"

Trowa nodded and Taryn just simply looked at him with expressive eyes. Eyes that showed slight pain.

"Where are we? How many days have passed?" Heero asked, trying to sit up and failing.

"This is a circus where I hide." Trowa stated shortly. When he didn’t offer to answer the other question, Taryn, moved to the side of the bed and gently handed Heero a glass of water that was on a small crate next to the makeshift bed.

"You’ve been asleep for a whole month." She looked at him, something in her eyes making his own eyes not leave her face. "You’ve talked the entire time."

Taryn turned as Catherine left the tent. She looked after the way the girl had gone.

"A month, huh? Why did you save my life? I was supposed to die." Heero protested gruffly. The pain in his neck was sharp.

Taryn looked at Trowa, who nodded and began to speak. "You did die, at least that’s what everyone thinks. We got to escape thanks to you." Trowa flicked a glance at Taryn again. "It was she who decided to go back and see if you were alive."

Heero’s eyes turned to Taryn, who took the hard gaze with a slight flinch.

Trowa continued. "The world is under OZ control now. Our orders have been cut off, too."

He mused for a second. Then he spoke again. "Maybe no one needs us anymore."

Taryn felt a jolt through her body. ‘If no one needed you…then why I am I still here?’ She thought, a thoughtful look coming to her face.

Heero caught the look.

"Maybe I should kill the both of you." Trowa said unexpectedly, coldly.

Taryn’s face registered great surprised and her jaw dropped.

Heero smirked. "Let me tell you something."

"What?" Trowa asked.

"Death hurts."

Trowa began laughing, a strange smile on his face. Taryn managed to smile and even Heero had something that resembled a smile on his face.

Catherine came in, with a very pleased look on her face, a food tray in hand. "What? Trowa and Taryn smiling? Laughing even?" She giggled. "Strange ones…."

Taryn stepped out of the tent. She shivered and clutched at the sleeve of the sweater she wore.

"Strange…" She said the word to herself as a restless spirit came over her.

With a shake of her head, Taryn started walking off into the night all alone.

Trowa silently moved to the tent flap and watched her fade away. He turned to Heero.

"She’s left."

Heero nodded and drifted back to sleep.

~*~

-Circus Midway-

~*~

Taryn walked along the narrow dusty aisle of the midway, it’s flashing lights and hawk-like barkers seeming almost like home to her. Several of them nodded to her, showing recognition at the sight of her face and figure.

Taking in a deep breath, the smells of hay, animals, and people, with a slight whiff of food among these scents, she stopped beside one of the booths. A small shooting gallery stood amongst all the other booths on the midway.

"Want to try, Miss Taryn?" A scruffy man, in a badly colored uniform and a scraggly beard, smiled at her with sparkling eyes, belying his age and old body with a spirit of youth. He held one of the pellet guns in his hand and was holding a small velvet box in the other.

"I don’t know, Tony. I’ve never been good with…long firearms…" Taryn protested weakly as Tony held out the pellet gun. She took the mock weapon in her hands.

Tensing slightly, and feeling awkward holding a gun, even if it was a harmless one, she looked at Tony with a questioning glance. "Is it loaded?"

"Oh yes, Taryn, it is. I’ve been waiting to see if you could win this." He held out the velvet box in his work-roughened hand. "Take it and see. I’ve had it for a while, couldn’t find the heart to place it with the prizes."

Taryn gently set the pellet gun down and took the box. Tony watched her eyes and was glad to see a light of happiness steal over her usually sad face.

Inside the soft white lining of the box, was a necklace. Not very expensive at all, but it was the single small ornament on the black cord that caught her attention. A deep blue orb wrapped in a silver casing, hanging from the black cord, set in the black box.

The deep blue reminded her of something. That dark Prussian blue, so like Heero Yuy's eyes, cold and even.

"His eyes…" Taryn said softly, the words reaching Tony’s ears.

He smiled. "Shoot and win it."

Taryn nodded, set down the box, picked up the gun and took a deep breath.

Tony watched as she aimed and carefully pulled the trigger three times.

The three little clay ducks lined up at he back of the booth fell down.

"I knew you could do it." Tony said, with a cackle and a grin. He picked up the box and handed it to Taryn.

"Thank you, Tony!" She leaned over the small wooden waist high partion and kissed the old man’s cheek as she took the small box with the trinket.

Walking away, she hurriedly opened the box and stared into the depths of the deep blue orb. Whatever it was made of, it was a beautiful jewel. Taking it out of the box, she put the necklace on.

Suddenly her world wasn’t all black.

It was just dark shades of Prussian blue.

~*~

-The Bering Sea-

Across the midnight sky sprinkled with stars, three mobile suits flew swiftly over the sea. Gundams Deathscythe, Shenlong and Sandrock were headed for an Oz fleet on the Bering Sea.

"Hey, let’s just forget this, this isn’t a mission, right?" Duo said over his communications link as he guided the Death Gundam along.

"I second Duo! I don’t think we should make a move now, Wufei!" Quatre sounded anxious as he followed closely behind the excitable Chinese pilot.

Wufei sounded disgusted when he answered. "This is my fight! You stay out and go home!" He commanded.

Duo snorted. "I smell a Heero in you! I can’t let you self destruct too."

"Maybe we didn’t know each other before, but we’re Gundam pilots. We should join forces." Quatre stated simply, yet with conviction, showing his affirmative to not backing down.

"I will defeat him! I must defeat him!" Wufei muttered to himself, shaking his ebony head. His black eyes snapped with anger as his target came into view.

The OZ Treize Fleet. His pulse began to pound at the expectation of victory. "I will beat OZ’s chief commander, Treize Kushrenada!!!"

Among the fleet, alarms started to sound.

"It’s an enemy attack!" A soldier reported to Lady Une, who made sure she wasn’t far from the Commander Treize.

"Three Gundam on the radar." The same soldier reported, after glancing at one of the many screens before him. Une’s eyes widened with alarm.

"What? Return fire!" She commanded. "Protect Commander Treize!" Her eyes looked worried behind her glasses.

Lady Une was remembering how His Excellency had admonished her for the colony incident.

‘Lady Une! I cannot believe you launched a missile attack on an unarmed colony. How gauche! Proceed with more elegance from now on." The Commander’s voice was even and judging. Yet his face was still clear in her mind as his words echoed through her thoughts.

She narrowed her eyes and her eyebrows lowered into a menacing look. "I’ll get it right this time!" She turned to the soldier. "I’m going out with a new model enhanced mobility Leo!" Lady Une began to prepare for battle.

Within minutes she was ready and headed out.

Wufei landed his Gundam Shenlong heavily on one of the large ships as Duo and Quatre began destroying the rest of the fleet.

Wufei, using his radar and his scanner, looked for his target. "Where’s Treize?!" He cried angrily at the devices in his Shenlong.

Even as the Chinese pilot turned, he spotted what he was looking for. "!!" He smiled almost evilly with his excitement. "The command service module!"

The Shenlong Gundam turned into a deadly one on one course with the Service module. "Treize!" Wufei called out again, almost tauntingly.

With his prize in reach, Wufei’s tension arose. Then a beam of light flashed in front of his Gundam, he knew he’d almost been hit.

"Dang!" he moved Shenlong backwards, trying to spot his target. The radar showed an object above him. He turned and looked up. Wufei’s brow was clearly showing anger.

"I’ll protect the Commander!" Lady Une swore, bringing her Leo down upon the waiting Gundam. Opening fire with her canister guns, she bore down upon Wufei.

Wufei yelled at the approaching Leo. "Back off, woman! This is no place for the weak!!!" With a backwards step and an upwards swing with his weapon, he disabled the Leo.

"Oh…DANG!" Lady Une climbed out of her smoking Leo and watched in horror as the Gundam Shenlong headed for the Service Module. "Commander!" Lady Une cried out.

Using Shenlong’s arm, Wufei smashed a hole in the side of the module, where Commander Treize was waiting, sword upheld in a salute fashion.

Clambering out of his Gundam, down the arm and into the room, Wufei carried a sword he’d had stashed within the cockpit of the Gundam.

As he turned towards the Commander, he shouted, "A sword fight? You’re on!"

Treize just smirked.

"I’m Wufei, and I shall defeat you!" Wufei pointed at the tall proud leader, while his face flushed with the high intensity of the moment.

"Treize Kushrenada." With a flick of his wrist, Treize held the sword upright, in a salute. The Commander’s face was very calm.

"YAAAAA!" With a loud cry, Wufei launched himself forward.

The same cool smile upon Treize’s face never faded as the Chinese boy rushed forward, his sword upraised with a deadly intent.

But Wufei found himself at Treize’s feet, his sword embedded in the floor from his vertical swing. Treize stood above him, still calm and collected.

"What?!" Wufei looked up in surprise, his composure having slipped for the first time. But his adrenaline level wasn’t going down, not in the least. He knew he had to defeat this man, a monster in the boy’s eyes.

Instantly upon his feet again, Wufei faced Treize once more, and charged again.

With Treize, it was like a cat playing with a mouse. Wufei would charge, and miss, to charge and swing again, to miss his target. Treize stood in one spot, never moving, just using his sword to repel Wufei’s emotionally explosive blows.

And within minutes, Treize swung gently upwards with his sword, knocking Wufei’s weapon out of his hand.

Wufei found himself at Treize’s feet once again, this time, the point of the Commander’s sword under his chin.

"This one is mine." Treize said, in that same, haunting cool voice.

"Mmh…Kill me…" The Chinese boy found the shame of failing too much to bear. He’d rather be dead.

Wufei shut his eyes tightly, waiting to feel the cold steel within his body. He waited, but then there was a sudden absence of the metal on his neck. He opened one of his dark black eyes and looked up at the tall man. The same mocking look was on his face, yet there was a trace of respect.

"That was a good fight." Treize’s sword hung at his side, as if it had never been used.

"If you don’t kill me now, I’ll come back as many times as it takes to kill you!" Wufei stood up, one hand wiping sweat from his brow and neck. He began inching his way towards the hole in the wall where his Gundam had smashed through. As he stepped up onto Shenlong’s arm, he heard Treize call to him.

"I look forward to it!" With a snicker, the dark haired Commander turned away, calmly and as coolly as ever. He heard Wufei in his Gundam take off, but he didn’t turn around. All he saw was Une coming into the room.

"The Gundam are evacuating." She came near him. "Why are you just letting them go?" She looked at him, the questions in her eyes making their brown depths sparkle. As she watched him, surveying his profile, she felt a heat come to her face.

Treize smiled kindly at the woman beside him. "That boy’s quite a fighter. He got out of his Gundam and challenged me."

He took a deep breath and looked through the hole that Wufei had created in the Module. The stars were shining brightly. He spoke, "I’d like to fight him with my favorite Mobile Suit next time."

"Commander…Treize…" Une sighed.

As Wufei took off in a fit of rage, Quatre and Duo took that to be their signal to leave. As they followed the enraged Chinese boy, Duo opened communications.

"Hey, Wufei, what’d you do to Treize?" Duo wanted to know.

"…." Wufei was too angry to answer. Then he took a deep breath and decided to say it to get it out of his system.

"I was defeated by a stronger man. I am a coward." He took another deep breath. " I don’t deserve to fight on Nataku. The weak don’t fight" Wufei hung his head.

"Wufei…" Quatre’s voice spoke volumes for a fellow fighter. Then he spoke to Duo. "What should we do now, Duo?"

Duo put one hand to his forehead. "Uh…well…" As the three Mobile Suits headed across the glittering night sky, Duo suddenly knew what he should say. "Let’s get back…to the colony."

~*~

-The Circus Grounds-

~*~

During the past week, Heero had been recuperating. Mostly, he’d just sit and watch with flickering eyes the people that passed by.

One thing was for sure; he didn’t miss the blue trinket that Taryn had. As she moved around and helped Trowa and Catherine, she was often in his sight, but she never seemed to notice him.

Except for a certain event that happened at the end of the week.

She’d been sitting upon a bale of hay, with a thick pad on her lap and a bamboo brush in one hand. All she had was black ink, but it came in handy. Taryn’s mind was more on the picture she was painting rather than Catherine’s latest little investment…a camera.

Catherine had been going around, somewhat provoking Trowa and Heero, by taking pictures of everyone and everything. Taryn preferred to do her own pictures by drawing them.

It was the only way to get in touch with the past she was working for in the present for the results of the future.

Under her fingers, a rampant lion was taking shape upon the thick paper she’d managed to buy.

"You need to add more shadow into the mane and face."

Heero’s dark, low voice came from right behind her. Taryn didn’t dare look up or to the side. Everything that had happened between them seemed to play through her mind. She stiffened.

"See? The shadows would stand out here…and here…" His hand came over her shoulder and touched the pad gently, pointing out where he thought she’d missed a few places.

Flicking a glance to the side, she saw he wasn’t mocking her.

Then a click and a flash suddenly interrupted the strained exchange. Catherine was laughing.

"That was great!" She smiled.

Heero didn’t feel too happy about having his face on film. ‘Great, what am I going to do about her?’ He glanced down at Taryn. She was pale, a very pale, her brush poised over her paper.

‘What am I going to do? I exist only in the past…but now I’m on film in the future…’ Taryn suddenly realized her other mistake about living around two Gundam pilots.

If they were to research her name and life in their computers…she would already be dead in the past.

"Can I have that picture?" the words sprang from her lips almost impulsively, dropping the brush into the bale of hay she sat on. But with her voice, another also asked the same question.

Heero wanted the same photo. In that instant, they looked at each other.

Another scary realization hit Taryn.

She was attracted to Heero Yuy.

Something dark settled over her heart, and a voice echoed in her head, ‘No. It can never be.’

Heero watched as she looked away, wondering what her reasons were for acting so strange. He was a pilot, with a mission, and also was trained to let no one know he existed.

So why was she acting somewhat like him?

But Catherine didn’t notice that exchange as she laughed once again. "I’m sure I can get you both a copy of this picture. I’m glad you both want one!" Catherine looked at them with a knowing glance, Taryn’s frightened look not registering in her mind.

"I’ve…I’ve got to go see to your wardrobe, Catherine…I…I noticed a hole in one of the costumes." Leaving her pad where she had been sitting, Taryn stood up and quickly walked away, one hand clutching at her sleeveless crème shirt, directly over her heart.

Heero and Catherine both watched her walk away, Catherine in surprise, Heero in mild wonder.

Turning, he looked at the pad she’d been painting on as Catherine spoke in puzzlement.

"She’s always been this way. Certain things done or said seem to trigger funny reactions." Catherine sighed and lowered her camera. "She’s good at her work, something of a pilot, I’m told." She watched Heero pick up the brush and start applying it to the lion’s face on the paper.

"Go on. I’m listening." Heero snapped out, wanting more information on the girl who didn’t know who she was. He continued to shade the well-formed face of the lion. Never before had he found enjoyment in a simple activity such as painting with bamboo brushes. Now it seemed relaxing after his self-destruction.

Catherine looked surprised at his request but continued anyway. "Trowa says she doesn’t have a clue to her last name, so she calls herself ‘Nomanai’ or ‘Unknown’. The only thing she remembers is a friend and something happening to the both of them." She shrugged. "And she found herself in ‘our time’ as she calls it."

"Hn." Heero grunted somewhat. He continued with careful strokes of the brush to add lines of grasses beneath the shadow of the lion’s feet.

"It’s almost as if Taryn…is the perfect stranger." Catherine said to herself. But Heero caught this and paused slightly.

"She never lets anyone get too close."

Heero made no comment, but a stony air had enveloped the pilot. Catherine knew he had heard all he wanted to hear and she was of no use to him now.

Back under one of the tents, Taryn sat, clutching her shirt above her heart. The pain there was beyond anything she could have imagined.

"Why…oh…why me?" A broken whisper escaped from her throat as she felt scalding tears came unbidden into her eyes.

Then she heard Catherine called Trowa. "Hey, Trowa, you have a guest!!"

Getting up, she headed towards the tent opening, blinking furiously to erase any trace of tears in her eyes. Taryn began to watch.

Trowa’s brow furrowed with suspicion, and he headed towards Catherine, where a tall woman with short dark blue hair stood waiting for him.

Usually reserved, he spoke as soon as he reached the two girls. "Who are you? What do you want?" Trowa demanded.

"I came to pick up you…Heero…and the pilot who took an Aries." Noin said with a smile as Heero came forward, holding the pad of paper in one hand.

"I can’t believe you’re really alive." Noin sounded incredulous but nonetheless impressed with Heero. "I guess I should never underestimate a Gundam pilot." She looked around, noticing the girl standing not far off watching. "Nor someone who can steal a Mobile Suit so easily."

Heero felt Taryn’s eyes upon them. Trowa turned his head ever so slightly.

"I am Lucrezia Noin. I work for Special Lt. Zechs. The lieutenant has repaired your Gundam." Heero’s face became stony with silence.

‘He…fixed Wing…in under a month.’ Heero grimly managed a smile, an almost evil spark within his eye.

"I need all three of you to come to Antarctica with me."

Within the hour, two mobile suits and three pilots were upon Lt. Noin’s carrier, headed for the southernmost point on earth.

Antarctica.

~*~

-Old Sanc Kingdom, Peacecraft House-

~*~

"Antarctica!?" Relena stood straight up in her seat, surprise in her eyes, yet a glad feeling in her breast. "Pargan, are you sure?!"

The elderly butler bowed slightly at the Princess’ enthusiasm.

"According to my intelligence network, Special Lt. Zechs brought the boy and two others to Antarctica." The Princess’ most loyal friend answered.

Relena looked around at her very splendid surroundings, musing over what she’d just heard. "Antarctica…what’s there?" She asked, wondering what it could be that Heero was going to such a remote place for in such a hurry.

"Mr. Zechs is a knight from Peacecraft. Maybe he wants to settle things with the Gundam Pilot." Pargan said, slowly, hoping to keep the Princess calm.

"With that Gundam Pilot? Heero was that pilot!!!!" Relena exclaimed in a voice mixed with dismay and happiness. "It is Heero! Of course!" She felt a warm flush steal over her cheeks. Pargan watched her carefully, and sighed inwardly.

It was obviously evident that the Princess was in love.

"We’re going to Antarctica, Pargan!" Relena said with another blush and a commanding air that had happiness in it.

‘Heero! I want to see him!’ Relena fell to daydreaming.

"Yes…Madam…" Pargan bowed his head. He was worried about the Princess.

Such a relationship couldn’t be healthy for a growing girl.

~*~

-Antarctic Research Base-

~*~

Inside the large Research Base, Noin led them towards the cargo area where the Mobile Suits were. And also where Lt. Zechs was waiting.

"Special Lt. Zechs, I’ve brought Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton…and Taryn Nomanai." During the flight to the base, Noin had made sure she found out as much as possible about the female pilot who’d taken the Aries. But that wasn’t much for Taryn wouldn’t speak very much and more often ignored Noin’s questions.

"Well done, Special Ensign Noin." Zechs stepped forward from the shadows around the Gundam standing in the hangar like room. "I’m sorry I brought you to a place like this." Zechs gave a small smile. His eyes moved over each pilot icily behind his mask.

Then he gestured with one gloved hand towards the new Wing. "Here’s your Gundam. Take it."

Heero looked up at the new Wing. Something within his eyes glowed at the sight of the machine. Both Trowa and Taryn noticed it as they stood beside him opposite Noin and Zechs.

"I will show you my gratitude my way!" Heero said, a fierce tone to his voice.

"So you’re the one who took the Aries." Zechs turned this comment to Taryn. She started slightly, but then gazed back at him as evenly as she could, green and blue meeting in a searching gaze of two strong spirits. Each seemed satisfied with the other.

"So, you’ll fight with me?" Zechs turned his attention back to Heero.

"Yes…and I will kill you. That is how I operate." Heero snapped back, a bit of eagerness for a fight in his voice, but not showing on his face.

"I like that. That’s bliss for a fighter." Zechs held his head up proudly, and Trowa noticed the second Mobile Suit in the hangar. He slipped away to look it over.

"My Tallgeese is 20 years old, but it’s still better than OZ’s mass-produced Mobile Suits." Zechs led the way towards his Mobile Suit, the others following, Taryn bringing up the rear.

She’d never been to a place like this before, and the interior was well heated. Workers rushed back and forth, tuning and oiling machines, replacing old parts and repairing damaged metal that covered the engines of the Mobile Suits.

Taryn snapped back into reality when Zechs continued talking. "For some reason, it has a similar structure to your Gundam. That’s why we could fix yours. Probably made by the same engineers."

Heero paused before lifting his hand. "Zechs, I’ve never done this before, but…" He extended his hand towards Zechs. Zechs took it and the two pilots shook hands.

Noin stood to the side as the two pilots began to prepare for their one on one battle. ‘I have a feeling I shouldn’t let either one of them die…’ She thought, looking at both, the boy and the man. It didn’t seem a fair fight to any ordinary bystander.

As the two began to suit up, both Trowa and Taryn headed for their own Mobile Suits. Noin stopped them.

"Where are you going?" She stood before them, her arms crossed.

"What better way to watch the battle then within a Mobile Suit?" Trowa nodded as Taryn spoke.

"Dressed like that? You will freeze. You’ll need these." Noin referred to thick jackets hanging on the wall with a gesture of her hand.

Taryn and Trowa nodded, Taryn with a smile and Trowa without.

Within the hour, the two Mobile Suits took their respective positions on the icy battlefield. Upon a ridge overlooking the battlefield, three Mobile Suits stood, one Gundam, two Aries.

With a mighty hum, Tallgeese rocketed into the air. Wing pulled up the Beam Cannon.

"Time to die…" Heero spoke softly, knowing that all who had communications open heard him. He held the Cannon steady as he scanned the path of Tallgeese. The small aiming square lit up red when it focused on the moving Tallgeese.

"Left…!!" As Heero’s finger pressed the firing trigger, he smirked. Then the Tallgeese did the unexpected. It turned at a very sharp right angle.

"WHAT?!" Heero’s eyes widened in surprised and the Wing lurched under the power of the blast from the cannon.

The Tallgeese had moved to the right and was now coming forwards. "Too slow!" Zech cried with triumph, the Tallgeese closing in on the Wing, pulling out a single small laser cannon, and firing.

Heero jerked the controls of his Wing and pulled his Gundam into a jump, avoiding the blast that hit the ice, creating a small crater in the ground and sending shards of ice into the frosty air. He grit his teeth as he turned the large Mobile Suit around and flew through the air, passing the equally determined Zechs. To those who were watching it was like two predators circling one another, both wanting the same territory.

Both were willing to die for that same territory.

"Not bad, Zechs!" Heero managed to get out between his grit teeth. Then he cursed as Zechs began firing from behind as he zoomed by, inches from the Wing.

Turning and nearing a ridge, Heero dropped his beam cannon and pulled out a hidden charger from under the large shield that Wing carried. Charging for Tallgeese again, he brought the charger’s beam down upon the other Mobile Suit.

"Dober Rifle…" Zechs blocked the charger with the arm of his Tallgeese and dropped the gun that he carried as well, bringing up a charger. "Not yet, Yuy!"

As Zechs pulled upwards to set up a downward attack on Wing, Noin was radioed a message from the Antarctic base.

"We have a sonic jet closing in on us!" The soldier reported.

"What? How many?" Noin asked, the others hearing this exchange, while keeping their eyes transfixed on the two pilots on the ice.

"Are you going to shoot it down?" Trowa asked, his dark green eyes watching the battle with interest.

"No, that won’t be necessary." Noin reported, a tight smile coming to her lips as she scanned the sky for the approaching jet. She knew who was on it, and why that person had come.

Heero pulled up the shield of the Wing as Tallgeese came forward, the two chargers clashing together.

Noin exclaimed as the sonic jet came into view, "She’s our guest!"

Taryn suddenly knew whom she was talking about.

Relena stood within the sonic jet, her mind whirring as the jet prepared to land, not too far from the base. As the jet settled onto the slick ice, Relena began to pull on the fur-lined parka and thick boots. It was going to be deathly cold outside.

When she was finished, she waited as the door of the jet opened and a ramp lowered to the ground. Running out onto the ice, Relena skidded on her shoes a bit, then regained her balance enough to shout up at the two battling warriors.

"Heero! Zechs! Stop fighting!" Relena shouted in the freezing wind, her voice barely heard, but her form seen.

Taryn's mind suddenly began wandering, sitting inside of her Aries, wondering why such a girl would do such a reckless thing…to run out upon ice while two such as Heero Yuy and Zechs Merquise battled before her. "Such…a foolish move…" Taryn found herself saying.

"Relena?!?!?" Heero looked down in shock. Then he thought angrily, ‘What is she doing?’

"Why are you here, Relena?" Zechs asked, looking down upon the heavily clothed girl.

"Don’t get in the way! GO HOME!" Heero yelled angrily, turning his Mobile Suit towards the girl. He was angrier now than surprised.

Barely heard, Relena shouted an answer, " No! I can’t let you fight! This is pointless…"

"Princess, back up! I must avenge my men!" Zechs protested, his brotherly instinct for the girl.

"Zechs, if you are a true knight from my country, follow my order!" Relena said, a firm tone to her voice as she began to shiver from the blowing icy winds.

Taryn shifted within her Aries. The jacket kept her warm, but she felt something cold stealing over her. ‘Why would Relena go to such trouble…’ she thought, a frown furrowing her brow. Then the thought struck her. ‘Heero…’

One hand reached shakily up towards the Prussian blue orb that hung on the necklace around her throat. Gripping the round object in her palm till the knuckles turned white, she realized for the first time she was jealous of Relena. Relena lived in the same time as Heero…

The two looming Mobile Suits jumped backwards and upwards away from Relena. The blonde girl raised one hand to block the spray of ice.

Pargan carefully came up behind her. "Your Highness, please go to the base! It is warm there!" Relena turned with an angry glare and began working her way to the base, Pargan close behind, following ever faithfully.

Relena started running, in her impatience to get inside, and then, not seeing a hole in the ice, tripped and fell.

"PARGAN! Help me!" Relena cried in pain, holding her ankle, sprawled on the ice. The butler helped her up and limping, started towards the base again.

Reaching the base, Relena banged open the door to the main console room. Limping in, Relena began shouting, so that over the communication links, all outside in the Mobile Suits could hear.

"Make them STOP! THIS IS NOT A NOBLE FIGHT!!" She cried, limping over to the main network of controls. The soldier there looked nervously up at her.

Then Noin’s voice could be heard, speaking in a soothing, but still reproving tone. "That’s correct, your Highness, but I cannot stop the lieutenant."

"So are you just going to stand here and watch them kill each other?!" Relena clenched her fists in a fit of passionate anger.

"Heero will lose." Trowa announced, to Relena’s shock and horror, and Noin’s slight dismay. Only Taryn seemed frozen where she was, unfazed.

Relena could see on one of the monitors the battle still raging on the ice. Both pilots were fighting with all the skill they had.

Trowa continued, "His right arm is not healed yet. Zechs won’t miss that."

Taryn’s head jerked upwards. That was right. Heero’s arm had been infected during his period of unconsciousness, and the slowest to start mending.

Within Wing’s cockpit, the bandages that Heero wore on his arm were starting to turn red, his wounds having opened under the strain of piloting and fighting with his Wing Gundam.

Relena, realizing that she would lose Heero, cried out, "Go Heero! Go ahead and kill Zechs!!"

Surprised by this outburst from the Princess, Noin retorted forcefully, "No, Princess! Zechs is your brother!"

Both Taryn and Trowa were somewhat shocked. It felt as if they had known this, but not really accepted the fact until it was spoken. Relena turned white and her voice was shaky when she spoke again.

"What…did you say?" She sounded incredulous.

"His real name is Milliardo Peacecraft. He’s the oldest son of the Peacecrafts." Noin’s voice sounded almost loving. "Please do not wish for your own brother’s death." Noin pleaded.

Relena spoke softly, almost not believing what she’d heard. "My brother…"

Heero grunted as Zechs kept driving him back. He kept hearing bits and pieces of the conversation that was going back and forth between the base and the Mobile Suits on the ridge.

One of the soldiers cut in. "Special Lieutenant! We have attack transports closing in on us!"

"What?! The Allies made a move?!" Noin asked, tensing in her seat. Taryn noticed for the first time, up in the sky, many transport units. Trowa’s Gundam took a step forward, as if ready for battle.

The soldier’s voice continued to report. "60 transports! Over a hundred MS!" there was a pause. "I can’t believe this is such a large unit!"

Heero and Zechs stopped fighting. Heero looked up towards the sky filled with the enemy, and spoke almost gently, yet in a tone filled with satisfaction, "This is getting interesting."

Taryn shifted the controls of her Aries, and gently guided the Mobile Suit down onto the battlefield, near to the Wing Gundam.

"Heero…what are we going to do? I’ve never…been…" Taryn started to speak when Zechs interrupted her.

"It just looks like the remaining Allies." Zechs said, and then sighed. "But I’m out of bullets."

"Just get ready!" Heero commanded. "Taryn. Trowa." He spoke as Heavyarms came to join the trio of Mobile Suits on the ground.

The orange Mobile Suit stopped several hundred yards from the others. Then Trowa spoke. "My Heavyarms is more effective for long distance shooting."

"We’re still at a disadvantage, though." He stated, as everyone readied for the coming attack.

~*~

-Colony L2 Junkyard-

~*~

A short cute dark-haired girl entered the junkyard with a large paper bag in her hands. She took off the beret she wore on her short dark hair and then took off her jacket after setting down the bag and beret.

Looking around with her dark violet eyes, she was searching for something amongst the junk. Hearing a clatter, she spotted two legs clad in a light gray leggings and calf high black boots hanging out of a car window and heard several grunts.

"Hey, Raye’!! I’m back!" She called to the person in broken car. There was another clatter, a bump as the girl stood up too quickly, and bumped her head.

Muttering, she emerged from the car, covered in dirt, as usual. "Geez, Hilde, I had just found the right wiring too…." She rubbed her red head. She wore a black skirt over the leggings, a three-quarter sleeve white shirt and dark gray short vest. Her red hair was long, and in a long segmented ponytail.

"Well, I brought food." Hilde held up the sack to the tall girl.

"Hey! Food!" Raye’ eagerly grabbed the sack and started digging through it.

"The only thing bigger than your mecha fetish is your food fetish…" Hilde shook her head. Raye’ quirked one red eyebrow upwards at her boss as she quickly started eating a hamburger.

"Amfee shoada?" Raye’ asked, digging through the bag again. Hilde sighed and nodded.

"In the bottom." The brunette crossed her arms and shook her head. "Any news?"

Swallowing, Raye’ nodded. "Yep. We’ve got a soldier coming to stay with us. A Cassidy Takashi." She used one hand to hold the bag and take a drink of the soda as she used the other to search a pocket in the skirt.

Hilde watched in amusement.

"Here. This is the information on her. She’s a brain or scientist or something." Raye’ gulped the last of the soda, handed the paper to Hilde, and then turned back to the car. "Right! Back to work!!" Soon, all that could be seen was the end of the red ponytail, the leggings and the boots.

"Uh huh…." Hilde sighed. Raye’ was the best worker she’d ever seen, but so eccentric, yet pretty.

Looking down at the paper, she muttered, "Cassidy Takashi…."

~*~

A/N: Oh wow…I managed to squish my Raye’ into this chapter! I’ve got a picture of her and she is REALLY CUTE! I’ll get it to everyone as soon as I get the proper supplies to color it with...but it will be worth it, just hang in there!!! –Suiki-