A/N: This is AU. Yes, there is a war but the context is different from Seed or Destiny. No mobile suits, though. I haven't got the imagination for that. Oh yeah, I gave this story a T rating for the language and violence, maybe I'll upgrade the rating for later chapters.

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"How many?"

Kisaka took a peek, then hid behind a devastated wall and flashed four fingers at her.

Cagalli nodded, fished out a black rectangular object from her bag and got ready to press the button.

He held her shoulder, "Wait," as he took another peek.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked irritably as she peeked as well.

Four soldiers got in each of the tanks when Kisaka released her shoulder, "Now."

She pressed the button, and the four tanks exploded in the middle of the deserted desert town, "Got them!"

"Let's go," Kisaka said as he stood up to run.

Cagalli followed him as more soldiers poured out of the building in front of the burning wreck, "We should have blown up that bar, too."

"Not enough explosives."

"Tch."

A jeepney stopped in front of them. Both of them managed to jump in before the driver sped off into the city.

"Thanks, Sting." Kisaka said.

"No problem. Captain Romius said good work."

Kisaka then turned to Cagalli, "You need to work on your patience."

She spat, "You don't have the right to lecture me."

Kisaka and Sting met each other's eyes and gave an amused shrug.

OoOoOoOo

"It may be war out there in the desert, but it's a different kind of battle here," Murrue said in the meeting in the underground headquarters, "According to the latest information, Kisaka and Cagalli not only destroyed the enemy's four latest tank models but also killed four of their best tank drivers."

Nearly everyone cheered.

"However, the enemy is sure to retaliate," Andrew said, "If not in the battlefield, it will be here in the city. We should be stricter in our security measures. Alright? Dismissed."

"I don't know why you're all so happy when all you got were a few tanks." A raven-haired guy said as they went out of the room.

Cagalli shot him an angry glare, "Either you shut up that crappy mouth of yours or I do it for you, which is it going to be?"

"Bring it on, girlie."

"What was that?!" She exclaimed as she launched herself towards him when she was stopped by Kisaka, who was already between the two, "All right, stop it both of you. Shinn, you're needed at the weapons facility."

Shinn didn't move.

"Now."

"Tch," Shinn muttered as he went off.

"Really, Cagalli," Kisaka said as he turned to the blonde, "When are you going to control that temper of yours?"

"But he provoked me! It's his fault!"

"You're still a kid after all."

"Stop calling me that! I'm not a kid anymore, I'm 17!"

Cagalli went out of the building, looked left and right before walking out. As she turned towards a corner, she peeped out of the corner of her eye before walking twenty steps then backtracking towards the corner and walking towards another direction, observing the faces of the people as she went. She entered the orphanage and removed her cap and coat.

"How was it?" Lacus asked as few kids followed her.

"I wasn't followed here."

"That wasn't what I meant."

"Oh that," Cagalli scoffed, "Well, we hit our mark." She then looked at Lacus, "Oh don't look at me like that. It wasn't the wrong thing to do."

"How many were…" Lacus looked at the children, and then continued, "…hit?"

"Four goners," Cagalli replied, "What? You would have preferred if it was from our side?"

"Of course not," Lacus said, "You blew up one of their city outposts, didn't you?"

"Shinn did, why?"

"A bomb went off at a school, and there were still children in there."

"What?" Cagalli exclaimed, and clenched her fists, "Those bastards, and they have the nerve to call us terrorists!"

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"We lost Heine and Nicol in that town? But isn't that place ours already?"

"It seems that it was the doing of the terrorists, Ma'am." Meyrin said quietly.

"Damn." Talia Gladys swore.

Meyrin hesitated, "The operatives have arrived as well."

"Bring them in."

Two young men went in the office and saluted, "Athrun Zala and Kira Yamato reporting for duty."

Talia returned the salute, "Have you heard the news?"

"Yes ma'am," Athrun said, "The terrorists have bombed the east city gate outpost and destroyed four of the latest tank models as well as four tank drivers."

She nodded, "You have your orders?"

"We are to gather information on the terrorists and execute the ringleaders." Kira said.

"Right. We want to know who the ringleaders are, their personalities, and their weaknesses. We want to know how much their resources, their weapons, and their ammunition are. We want to know their communication system, their battle plans, and who their best operatives are. They say you're the best in the entire army, they better be right."

Both of them saluted, "Yes ma'am." They went out of the room.

"Hi I'm Meyrin Hawke," the girl said as she caught up with them, "I'll be your contact."

Athrun smiled, "Nice to meet you, Ms. Hawke," as he held out his hand.

Meyrin was flustered as she held her hand to shake his, "Please, call me Meyrin."

"All right."

They went out of the building and the two young men separated with only a wave that signaled their parting.

"You guys aren't going to be together?" she asked as she followed Athrun.

"We work better this way," he replied, "Now if you excuse me, I have to find myself a job."

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"A customer?" Athrun asked his boss.

"We're short on people right now and this is an important customer. All you need to do is go to the Dominion bar this Tuesday, 10 in the evening, with a silver cross as your necklace pendant. Make yourself known to him, get his order, and then return here. No questions asked. Got it?"

"How will I know it's him?"

"He'll ask if you, 'Have you heard the songstress yet?' and you'll answer, 'Sorry, I'm new here.' Got that?"

"Yeah."

"No slip-ups, you hear?"

"I hear."

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Tuesday, nine-thirty in the evening. The Dominion bar was smoky, noisy, and dirty, Athrun observed as he went in. He didn't want to talk to anyone, so he sat at the farthest seat from the door and the barman. As he studied everyone's faces, he thought, seriously, how can anyone talk discreetly in a place like this? A waitress in her early twenties wearing cheap make-up came to his table and asked him his orders flirtatiously. Athrun ordered weak beer and lowered his cap down his face even more. The waitress was waving her hips more than necessary and the men were hooting at her as she went past them. She's going to be a nuisance, he thought.

At exactly ten o'clock, the door was opened by a man with a big built. He scanned the room and noticed Athrun's silver cross. He sat across him and asked, "Have you heard the songstress yet?"

Athrun beat faster, so he took a deep breath before he answered, "Sorry, I'm new here."

The man studied him as Athrun averted his eyes, "You're not the old one."

"They're short of people."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I literally shoot for a living."

"At people?" the man's voice was tense for a moment

"At paper targets."

The man visibly relaxed, "You test the weapons."

"Yeah."

He got something out of his pocket, put it on top of the table, covered it with his palm, and wordlessly pushed it in front of Athrun, who quickly stuffed it into his jeans pocket. He then got out of the bar, walked a few meters forward, turning right and settling into the darkness of the bushes with a clear view of the door.

"Well?"

Athrun adjusted his earphone under his cap, "No mistake about it, he's the guy in the video."

"You sure he's one of those who blew up the tanks?"

"Positive. The prisoner's information was right. The company I'm working in deals weapons to the terrorists."

"I'm going to contact you later with the profile."

"Thanks, Kira."

Athrun got the list out and made a copy. A few hours later, the man went out of the bar. Athrun tailed him towards a house, where Kira was waiting.

"He's an important part of the terrorist organization," Kira whispered, "Take him out and they're crippled."

Athrun nodded and gave the list to the company's boss.

For a week, they followed the man around until one very early Saturday morning. The man was in another bar talking with the barman. Athrun was on top of another building, lying on his front, his scope adjusted properly not towards the man, but towards a briefcase at the far side of the bar. When the wind stopped, he fired two shots: the first to break the window, and the second to pierce the case full of nitroglycerine.

The bar burst into flames.

Athrun stood up, picked up the sniper, refolded it into his bag, and walked home.

"Good work, Athrun."

"Yeah. The only one left is who the prisoner called the Goddess of Victory. Got any idea as to who that may be?"

"Nope, but I'll try to figure it out. You try and get some rest."

"You too, Kira."

OoOoOoOo

Cagalli was drunk senseless.

Usually, she was accompanied by Kisaka, but he died in an explosion in a bar two days ago. The building across it was an important building to the government before the army came. People in the resistance were saying that the explosion was a warning, and that Kisaka was unfortunate to be caught in the blast. She knew better, she knew that the explosion was to deliberately kill Kisaka.

Cagalli was so depressed and miserable that she took off without informing anyone and drank every alcohol listed on the menu. No one was there to stop her. Finally, the barman told her it was time to close shop so she staggered outside; trying to let her muddled mind remember which way was home. She passed a dark alley, where there were two men as drunk as she was who made their way towards her.

"Hello miss, care to join us?" his foul breath sneaking up her nostrils.

Cagalli cringed and drawled, "Back off, you stinky son of a bitch."

"Don't be like that, honey," the other drunk said as he got his arms around her and roughly tried to kiss her.

She struggled and kicked him in the shin. He groaned and sank into the ground. The first drunk then punched her in the stomach. She cried out in pain and sank to her knees, clutching her stomach. He grabbed her arm and tilted her chin, "Be nice."

She couldn't fight back in pain, and closed her eyes. Cagalli heard the drunk shout, and her arm abruptly released. She opened her eyes and saw someone skillfully dodging the drunks' punches. Her savior then unleashed an uppercut against one of them, knocking him out and breaking the arm of the other. He then went towards Cagalli and asked in a surprisingly gentle voice, "Are you alright, miss?"

The pain in her head and her stomach was too much to bear and she blacked out.

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A/N: How do you like it? Please review. Constructive criticisms are very welcome.