The year is AC 256, after the Scorpio Colony had been destroyed by the force known as the New Generation Gundam Pilots: Kiyoshi Yuy, Scarlet Erin Maxwell, Max Barton, Basim Atif Winner, and Lian Chen. Believed to be dead, the pilots split into factions.
Kiyoshi Yuy, aged eighteen and the grandson of Heero and Relena Yuy concentrated his efforts as both a guerilla soldier and Gundam pilot of Raidon in the cities of Kyoto and New Tokyo. Single-handedly, he destroyed several Scorpion-loyal "nests" in those two cities, freeing the islands of Japan from any Scorpion power.
Scarlet Erin, the genetically altered daughter of Duo Maxwell and Lyla Moore-Maxwell retreated to the Amazon basin of South America, her efforts mainly to tear the mining and logging teams that "Lord Scorpion" had set up. Using OZ mobile suits from years ago, the teams had began to strip the entire area of any plant or animal life for precious metals that could be used in making the Scorpion Dolls. Once her mission had been completed, she went about and found out about local culture and educating herself on new battle tactics from the natives. She stays in the village where she almost crash-landed her Gundam, Bran.
Max Barton and Basim Winner went to eastern Europe and the Middle East, their battle prowess used in defeating unruly lords the Scorpion had backed and freeing the people who had been held in servitude since the Scorpion came to Earth. The two lived together for some time, and yet no one had seen them outside their Gundams, Blaze and Faris respectively.
Lian Chen, the young charge of Wufei Chang returned to the home of his ancestors in China, finding naught but corruption and pain there. He spread the word of honor and valor among the people, earning the respect and honor he felt he deserved in his fighting, and the title of his Gundam, Shen-Li.
As for the elder pilots, Heero, Duo and Lyla, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei, believing their young charges had, in fact, died (save Duo who had seen them walking away from their own funerals), returned to their home colonies all the more somber. Their pain would not last very long.
Deep in space, there was a force stronger than the Scorpion; someone who knew what the Scorpion truly had in store for the planet and the colonies. She had her own plan; and she knew just how to tear apart the New Generation Gundams…
… after all, what are they without the spirited second pilot?
*~*
Nightmares… again the nightmares.
She's alone… she's scared…
She walked down the hallway; her footsteps echoing in the now destroyed corridors of the Scorpio colony. She drew the blanket tighter around her shoulders, shivering with fear. There was a scream, and the girl turned suddenly, her green eyes shining behind the lenses of her glasses, freckles fading on her cheeks with age. From the darkness, an almost elderly woman… now she knew it was Lyla rushed past.
L… Lyla! Mom! Wait up!
She called desperately, running after the woman; though Lyla had been running in slow motion, it deemed the girl just couldn't keep up. The pounding of her shoes on the metal floor echoed in her mind as she ran, just in time to catch up, to see the woman and a man facing each other. She knew the man; she knew him as the Scorpion…
"Give it back, Scorpion!" Lyla growled, the green eyes turned to the tall, frail-looking man…
He smirked evilly, holding up a tiny tube…
She's in there… that's her…
And he disappeared; the entire vision changed. It was dark, it was cold, and the green eyes closed for a second as a bright light came through… there was screaming. A girl was screaming.
She stood there, her head shaved, screaming at the top of her lungs…
Is that me? Is that me there? My hair… I was five… it looks wrong! She doesn't have green eyes… who are you? Why are you crying? Where are you?
The vision faded, it was older now. There were two shadows, both were women… they both looked the same. White stuff fell… feathers? Snow? The seer couldn't tell. The two shadows faced each other, a pair of green eyes glowed, a pair of icy white eyes glowed… both of the shadows fell… more white stuff… feathers? Snow?
Stained red…
And then a warm, orange light interrupted.
Nightmare… is it a nightmare?
Iris… Iris… Iris…
*~*
The slender girl with the scarlet hair was startled awake, her breath coming in gasps, a cold sweat dripping from her brow as she fell to her arms to support her upper body from going too near to the fire; wooden beads rattling in her braid. A startled animal gave a yelp and hid in a pile of blankets. Shaking, the girl pulled the blanket around her tighter…
"What is it so cold?" she muttered between clattering teeth "It feels as if ice were running through my veins!"
"It is a side-effect of the vision plant, child. It will pass, as all things do." The elderly medicine man, with matching beads hanging in his long silver-gray hair said. He stepped in and pulled the girl backwards, setting her against the pile of blankets. The aforementioned small animal, bright eyes reflecting the firelight leapt into the girl's blanketed lap, snuggling close to her body. A pale hand reached out and patted the animal, glancing up at the medicine man, the one she called Grandfather even though they were obviously in no way related.
"Oya was frightened by your cries, Fire-Hair." Grandfather grinned slightly "Perhaps next time you shouldn't yell so loud, hmm?" The healer handed her a clay cup of a steaming liquid, which she was obliged to drink.
Oya, the "house pet" of Fire-Hair AKA Scarlet Erin Maxwell, was a small mammal that the "healer-in-training" had found while on a journey through the woods, injured and scared. While the medicine man looked on, Scarlet had eased the small animal to her presence, and secured it. Since then, "Oya", named after the sound she made and a goddess of thunder to the people of the Amazon, Scarlet took in the rascal at the loss of her pet rabbit Shiniusagi, or rather Flopsy, who she had given to Mr. Maxwell in the event of her demise. She smiled slightly, knowing Mr. Maxwell had probably given the thing to Quatre, who kept it in his office and talked to it and petted it and probably looked like some deranged cutsie-villian from a spy-spoof as he spoke with people from other colonies on terribly important subjects.
Oya leapt into Scarlet's lap, going "Oya! Oy!"
It was later in the evening that Scarlet walked out beyond the village of "the people of the basin", and climbed to where the rainforest vines had swiftly grown over the black Gundam that bore the double scythe. With Oya on her shoulder, rattling beads in her hair, and a large pack on her back, she took a hold of the lead rope that hung down from the cockpit, slipping her leather-clad foot through the boot. She glanced at Oya, giving an affectionate rub to the animal's ears.
"We're gonna meet the boys!" she laughed softly, a fond thought drifting back to a single one of her friends…
*~*
Kiyoshi Yuy stood atop a building in Kyoto, patiently awaiting the arrival of the other pilots. They had agreed, before they had split to go their separate ways, Kiyoshi, Scarlet, Max, Basim and Lian had agreed to meet on this building should anything arise to their attentions that needed to be remedied. He was sure the others had seen signs of impending danger.
In Kyoto and Tokyo, Kiyoshi had noticed a sharp decline in Scorpion activity, there were no more rally talks, and no more leaders being posted… this was disturbing. He knew he had driven the Scorpion troops into hiding, their numbers and suits totally depleted. He knew they were more cautious; but they had always been open. There were still people trying to reap the goods of being a Scorpion during the battles of the past; Kiyoshi was just realizing those were only battles, this was a war. A war that the Gundam pilots in fact could loose…
He turned as the door opened behind him, and he saw a familiar pale-faced man with black hair tied back into a pigtail, fine eyebrows relaxed. His dark brown eyes casually glanced over Kiyoshi, who wore jeans and a green muscle shirt. He himself wore black pants with a white shirt depicting a silver dragon.
"Hn." The Japanese pilot regarded the Chinese pilot, and they shook hands. "It's good to see you, Lian." He greeted politely.
"As it is you, Kiyoshi." Lian replied. "No sign of the others?"
"Not yet."
"Maybe Scarlet was eaten by a jaguar."
Kiyoshi glanced at his companion.
"I doubt we'd have such luck." He said coolly, turning towards the city. Lian smiled slightly then glanced at the door, watching it open as Basim and Max stepped through, packs slung over each their shoulders. Max was dressed in an olive sweatshirt, along with rather tight-fitting jeans. Basim was familiarly dressed with a set of brown slacks, a blue shirt with a darker blue vest. Basim smiled at the two pilots, and waved.
"Hello, Lian, Kiyoshi, how are you doing?" he greeted the two.
"Lian. Kiyoshi." Max said with a nod to both.
The four pilots stood atop the building, the setting sun behind them.
"Isn't Scarlet coming?" Basim asked, turning to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi turned to the door.
"Hn." Kiyoshi answered.
And that's when "it" hit him…
Or rather… she.
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYO!" She screeched at the top of her lungs as the red-haired pilot leaped onto Kiyoshi's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, also making him loose his balance and nearly fall on his face. She sat her chin on his shoulder with a wide, toothy grin.
"How's my favorite humbug, Kiyo?" She asked, her question punctuated with an "Oya!"
Kiyoshi turned, glaring at Scarlet and whatever had said "Oya!" finding the red-haired woman grinned ear-to-ear and whatever had said "oya" hanging onto his shoulders.
"Would you mind getting off me?" he asked as politely as he could under the circumstances… with a monkey (correction: a monkey and a what's-it) on his back. Scarlet simply laughed as if she were a child at a game and rolled off Kiyoshi, who promptly stood and looked at the woman pilot; her freckles had faded away, but some still remained as a refreshing splash of brown across her face. Her hair was still a brighter red than any other's head he had seen, and her braid now was laced with wooden beads of bright shades. Around her neck she wore a pennant with a strange symbol on it. Her clothes however had evolved. In the place of the normal black tank top or button-down, she wore a shell top that seemed to be made of leather, black all around with a strip of red down in the middle of her breasts. This midriff top showed a well-toned stomach, her slender body showing its curves of womanhood. Her pants were a green army fatigue, where it might have been torn she had sewn hearts, and on the back pocket a raven flew. She had become possibly more slim and trim, carrying a black jacket over her shoulder, which bore a tattoo of a strange looking glyph, an X in a box with the double-beam-scythe of her Gundam making a strait line down the middle of the X.
"Scarlet!" Basim exclaimed, his eyes opened wide in surprise.
"What did you DO to yourself?" Lian cried out half in rage, grabbing her arm and lifting up to inspect the tattoo.
"Hey! Hands off the rite of passage!" Scarlet grinned, backing away, holding her hands up as Oya growled. Kiyoshi raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"That is supposed to mean…?"
"It means that I'm a medicine-woman in training within a native nation in the Amazon." Scarlet smiled, rubbing Oya's chin. She glanced over to Lian with a smile. "Let's just say it was a hobby."
Kiyoshi rolled his eyes; Scarlet was always trying to get everyone else riled over nothing.
The Japanese pilot cleared his throat, getting the attention of all present. Eight eyes focused on him, and began to speak in his natural monotone.
"As you know, our trainers think us dead, and hopefully none of us have tried to be in contact with them. Our individual missions given to us through our Gundams care of Lyla, for if we had won the battle, have been completed." He turned away, crossing his arms and looked at the others out of the corners of his eyes "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have noticed a sharp drop in Scorpion activities."
"Yeah, I noticed that too! They totally dropped all the mining activities!"
"They disappeared in the middle-east region." Basim piped up, accompanied by a nod from Max.
"In China, they have left facilities behind, bare. There is definitely something going on." Lian agreed.
In the twilight in which the pilots met, an ill wind that did little good to warm their cooling fingers rustled through them. An ill wind does little good to any…
*~*
Merely hours after the first meeting in months of the New Generation Gundam Pilots, deep within space, an evil, ice blue eye opened as Nicholas Catalonia glared out through the star-struck void, sitting within the comfortable seat of the admiral of a ship.
"Sir, we have located the second Gundam pilot." A silky, soft voice whispered calmly. A woman's shadow casts itself over the self-proclaimed "last scorpion".
"Good… you know what to do. Take Destruction."
"Aye-aye, sir." The shadow saluted smartly then turned on her heels, a braid showing in her silhouette as she walked down the hall.
*~*
The base hadn't been used since the days of the original Gundam Pilots, and Scarlet sneezed as she uncovered the now antique computers that once ran the Gundam outpost #3.
"You think they coulda cleaned a bit?" she coughed. Basim sneezed as the dust reached his nose.
"I dunno…" he coughed in response. Kiyoshi turned to them, bearing a flashlight in his hands, Scarlet turned and wandered off…
"Damn her." He muttered "Why couldn't she make herself useful and…"
"Found a light switch!" Scarlet beamed as the bright lights turned on and the exhaust fans started up, moving the stale air from the rooms.
Kiyoshi looked at Scarlet dejectedly then glanced around.
"What's your opinion, Maxwell? You seem to be the technology expert."
Scarlet came up beside him, wiping her nose with a black handkerchief, and blew her nose. The trumpet blast made Kiyoshi jump.
"Well, it's a bit old, but we'll have to make-due. I can try and incorporate some newer stuff in, but the computer can only handle so many upgrades before the system melts."
"Crashes?"
"I don't speak in 'crash', Kiyoshi. Crash is when all hell breaks loose, but it's repairable. 'Melt' is when the system goes down, we put our heads between our legs and kiss our asses goodbye."
"You're such an optimist, Scarlet." Kiyoshi stated dryly as he turned away. Scarlet came, and slipped her elbow over his shoulder, and bend forward, holding up a floppy disk between her index and middle fingers.
"I know, drives me nuts. Know what this is?" she asked, her green eyes were alight with mischief. Kiyoshi looked at the nondescript black disk. He narrowed his eyes at it, then glanced at Scarlet.
"No, what is it?"
"Lyla's journal! When she was my age!" she laughed slightly as she slipped it into her pocket.
"Oh goody." Kiyoshi rolled his eyes and turned to Scarlet. She was close to him, disgustingly close. He made all effort to refuse pushing her away or touching her more than he had to… less than he wanted to.
"Hey, Max!" Basim called out as he tilted slightly, standing against a doorway "Could you give me a hand with…"
Scarlet passed by before Max had even looked up
"Nope, this stays in here. This was Lyla's barracks - I think the other pilots kept her from Mr. Maxwell for good reason…" she says as she sat the box back on the ground, kicking it gently to the side. Max came over and poked his head in
"Doesn't look too different from ours, except if possible, more bare." Basim quietly commented, glancing around. "Are you going to redecorate?"
"Nah… I'm hoping to get outta here in a few weeks. There's other things on Bran that I only discovered a few weeks ago… these suits were built years before we were born, and it's fascinating because every detail of history in it is like reading a brand new book." Scarlet picked up her laptop and sat down on her hammock. Basim tentatively sat in an old wicker chair, glancing around. Oya, Scarlet's pet whatever, was sleeping around Scarlet's neck like some kind of bizarre neck ornament. Scarlet lean back, not seeming to notice the creature around her neck at all.
"How long do you think we'll need this base?" Basim asked, watching as Max exited the room to continue cleaning up. Scarlet didn't look up, her fingers flying across the keyboard of the laptop as she entered different codes, codes written in a Scorpion script that Bran had taught to her while training. She hummed to some rock song as her fingers clicked away.
There was no way of knowing of what she would find on Lyla's old journal.
*~*
The girl strode easily towards the large country home of Treize Kushrenada, wearing a smart looking sleeveless shirt and jeans in the warm Italian night. The guards looked up and saluted her.
"Miss Kushrenada!" one choked out, as if unbelieving. The girl smiled, giving a toss of her red braid.
"Hello, gentlemen. Is grandfather at home?" she asked as sickeningly sweetly as she could. The guards nodded.
"Yes ma'am, Miss Nicole. Shall I message him to tell him you've arrived?"
The girl paused as she stepped through the gates.
"No… no that's all right. I want it to be a surprise."
The red-haired girl smiled sweetly again, and made her way towards the mansion. As she stepped in through the door (it never seemed to be locked), she glanced around the unfamiliar setting. A portrait of Nicole Kushrenada - otherwise known as Scarlet Erin Maxwell - hung over the fireplace. She wore a green velvet dress; her red locks framing her face then pulled back at her neck in a late medieval hairstyle. She wore long, black gloves and had a white rose in her lap.
The girl stood and stared a long time, studying the face reflected in the painting. It was surreal to the girl, and she stood dazed at the near mirror image.
"Scarlet…" she heard someone call… she didn't respond right away, until the voice became a bit louder, a question "Scarlet?"
The girl turned to see an old man standing with the use of a cane. He wore a smart blue jacket over a nice white shirt, and formal black slacks. His gray hair was neat.
She knew this man, both from history books on her colony and from her mission objectives. This was Treize Kushrenada.
"Hi, Mr. Treize! Oops, Grandfather!" she giggled. God, is she this annoying? The young woman asked herself. Treize relaxed a moment.
"It's all right, Scarlet. There's no one around to hear. It is a great relief to see you - I attended the funeral… tell me, did all of the teenagers survive?"
She shifted her weight… then shook her head.
"I escaped in my gundam before the colony exploded… I… I tried to find them…" she shook her head, wiping away a false tear. She laughed inside…
"Oh… Scarlet I'm sorry." He put a white-gloved hand to his face, taking off his glasses a moment. "You told me so much about them… and if they were anything like the pilots…"
She began to laugh.
Treize glanced up, partially annoyed. He knew Scarlet was light hearted, but when she cried, it was genuinely worth tears. He drew backwards, his eyes narrowing as the girl looked up; he saw the eyes. They were not Scarlet's friendly emerald pools; they were pools of icy fire!
"Who… who are you?" he stammered as she drew a gun.
"Who am I?" the false one smirked. "Doom."
A shot rang out though the halls. A body slumped to the floor, and Doom pulled out a walkie-talkie.
"Alpha female to Charlie, we got him."