Disclaimer: Gundam Seed and all its characters are copyright their respected owners 'n whatnot.

A/N - Ever so slight AU just for crossover reasons.

Ch-01 -fog-

Eyes blinked painfully open, blurred and tired.

"Where… am I?"

Murrue Ramius, Captain of the Warship Archangel fully opened her eyes as the world around her came back into focus. Becoming aware of the dirt and gravel under her hands as she pushed herself to her knees, the slight cooling breeze along with the smoky aftertaste it brought with it. She dusted off a hand before rubbing her throbbing temple, trying to remember what the heck had happened. Slowly, her mind began to piece together past events and how she ended up laying face down in the dirt in the middle of nowhere.

"Last thing I remember is…the sky…the battle." The Archangel, high in the air engines at maximum trying to outrun its pursuer. Lights and explosions, people yelling, others arguing. Chaos.

"That's right… Kira had just landed when the Minerva ambushed us." The rest was fuzzy, she remembers trying everything in her power not to engage the rival ship, issuing orders to simply flee. The Minerva was relentless however, and the ensuing firefight that broke out turned the sky into a hectic display of power. That is until both ships entered that strange fog.

"I don't remember anything after that, what the heck happened up there?" She tried as hard as she could to remember the rest, but the fog that swallowed both ships seemed to be fogging her memory as well. "If the Archangel did engage… how did I end up out here?"

She looked around her current location, nothing out of the ordinary. Just thin dark trees a few rocky ledges that sloped down into damp grass. The moisture in the air was thick and gray making it difficult to distinguish the time of day, or anything that could be in the distance. There was a long winding road up ahead and she thought she could just make out the silhouette of a small town. She then turned around from her spot to see what else was nearby, her face paled at the sight before her eyes.

The Archangel was sitting right there behind Murrue, the peak of its height disappearing in the dense vapor that surrounded everything. Its two front 'legs' that gave the white ship its nickname were somewhat dug into the earth, and Murrue could see there was much disruption of the ground surrounding it. Huge chunks of dirt, trees and other debris scattered everywhere to suggest that the large ship didn't exactly have a soft landing.

"We… crashed? That would explain why I can barely remember anything… but… I was on the bridge." Murrue decided it was best to make sure she wasn't hurt and slowly tried to get up.

She winced as she got on her feet, a sharp pain running through her upper right leg straight down to the knee. She paused a bit; worried perhaps she had broken it, and then took a step. Luckily it wasn't broken, only bruised and sore. She looked back up to the bridge of the Archangel, which was barely visible through the shrouding fog. She must have landed wrong, if she was indeed thrown down here from the impact. If that was the case, she was damn lucky a bruised leg was all she suffered.

"There's no way I could have survived that fall… this doesn't make any sense!" No it didn't, but she quickly forgot about that and limped towards the legged ship. As she drew closer she began to wonder about something else, something very obvious and now very worrying. "Where the heck is everyone? If I survived then… surely others would have."

It took a while to reach the side entrance, it was a big ship, getting around it by foot was a task in of itself. But she found what she was looking for, the door usually used by officers and visitors when docked in port. From the silence coming from both outside and inside the white behemoth she already knew knocking (or thrashing wildly against the laminate armor) would be useless. Instead she put her engineering skills to work, the same skills that have gotten her out of many sticky situations in the past.

Using a long damaged piece of the ship she found laying around she managed to pry open the service hatch to the door. This was a simple trick, you didn't exactly need to be an engineer to know how to access the service panel and open the door manually. What you did need was an officer's code however, unless you were a hacker of sorts but… even that wouldn't help her now.

"This… is… impossible."

Murrue stared at the open hatch, where wires cables and a small numeric pad should be present, instead what Murrue stared was absolutely nothing. She placed her hand inside to make sure she wasn't seeing things, the inside of the hatch showed no signs of tampering, the small square space looked more like an empty cupboard then a service hatch.

She backed away, this was not right. Nothing was right. Where were the cables? Where were the holes in the back of the metal plating for the wires to travel from? Where was everyone! Where was she! What the hell was going on! A sound of metal scraping against metal in the distance drew her eyes away from the mystery and back out to the buildings of the small town some ways down the road. The town itself was mostly hidden in the same dense fog that was surrounding her and her warship, making it difficult to tell if it was abandoned or not. "Maybe everyone sought out shelter there?" She would check it later, the safety of her ship and its remaining crew more important for the time being. Slowly, she limped her way down behind her ship to see if the hangar was accessible.

"Well, this doesn't make me feel any better…"

To her luck the hangar bay was opened for some reason, but there were no signs that her crew had made any attempt to leave. There was debris scattered everywhere, most likely from the crash, but besides that everything was still in order. All the personnel jeeps were still parked and held down, munitions and supplies were still stored away safely, and even the Freedom Gundam was in its place, standing like a sleeping titan waiting for its master to return.

"Kira wouldn't have just left his Gundam here, and Murdoch would have made his crew's safety a priority."

She took a quick look around through all the undisturbed equipment, finding nothing of use she made her way towards the service elevator. She didn't expect it to work; the silence throughout the ship could only mean the engines were completely powered down, but it didn't hurt to check. She decided to try the same trick she had with the first door, this one having an easier access to its service hatch. This one wasn't so devoid of everything thankfully, but there was still one major problem. The keypad for the security code was missing.

"Who in the hell would take that of all things… and why?" She said, as she shifted through the tangle of wires and cables hoping perhaps she could solve her dilemma somehow. But this wasn't a car she could hot-wire… not that the respect worthy Captain Ramius ever hot-wired a car mind you… recently. Still, she needed that keypad.

"Damn it!" Murrue swore, turning away from the elevator and leaning against it in defeat. She let herself slide down to the floor as she tried to work out her next course of action. "Now what?" She wondered as she rested her head against the cool metal.

As if it were done as a practical joke, a small box to her left fell over on its own, startling her out of her thoughts as its contents spilled out in a clatter on the metal floor. Most of it was useless knickknacks, old bullet casings, empty magazines and some mechanical tools. One thing however caught her eye, or more precisely, her ear.

A small red old-fashioned pocket radio had slid out from the beat up cardboard box. Its switch had been jolted into the on position from the fall, and now the small device was emitting a soft sound. She doesn't know why she picked it up, but something about the sound intrigued her. Raising the volume a little, all she could hear was… static? No, it sounded like voices, but distorted horribly.

"What's going on with this radio?" She put it to her ear and listened.

…run… be-… to late…everyo… Ramius!

She nearly dropped it, the voice clear as day amongst the white noise. She stared at it, listening even harder then before to make sure that wasn't all in her head. She was certain she heard someone say her name, but whatever it was had vanished back into the static. "Must have just been my imagination..." As she tried to tune it her finger hit a small switch on its side, discovering the radio substituted as a small pocket flashlight as well.

"Well, at least I found one thing useful in here." Murrue sighed. Maybe she was just going a little crazy, she had found herself outside of her warship in an impossible place, almost unharmed after a major crash. There was no signs of her crew or even that her crew had left, and now she couldn't even make it back inside the Archangel itself. Nothing added up, and she was starting to run out of ideas.

The static changed.

She looked to the little radio as the volume raised on its own, the sound of the static changing to an almost metallic whining. She tried to lower the volume but it was unresponsive, she flicked the switch to the off position but it made the sound regardless. "What… the… hell?"

Then the light began to fade.

Murrue turned her gaze to the hanger doors and to outside. The gray light began to darken much too quickly, this was not sunset, even if it was the light wasn't simply fading. It felt more like something was… sucking it away.

Then another sound, slowly building up until it was louder then even the little red radio in her hands. It sounded like a siren of some sort or an air raid alarm, but it was slow and drawn out. It got louder and louder, intensifying to the point she couldn't tell if it was coming from outside, or originating from inside her own head.

It got so deafening it began to hurt. Her hands cradled her temple as the pain increased. She fell to her knees, trying everything in her power to block out the noise. Looking around as the sound attacked her, things started to take on a different appearance, the walls turned dark red with a flesh-like texture, while the floor became aged as disturbing crimson rust slowly etched its way across the metal surface.

The sound was too much to bear, her vision began to blur and she felt her body betray her as she fell to the ground. The shadows around her began to shift and change, taking forms that resembled lumbering people, but the sound in her ears made it impossible for her to focus on anything. The last thing she noticed before she gave in to the darkness was the crackling sound of her radio, the shadows closing in around her, and the way the giant head of the Freedom Gundam seemed to turn in her direction as the glowing optic eyes began to cry a river of bloody tears. Everything else turned to black.

She woke up in a start. A sharp intake of cool air filled her lungs as her heart raced in her chest. The dark unimaginable images still fresh in her mind, but no longer present. It was bright as day, save for the fog. Old sounding country music blaring loudly from a radio on a nearby counter grabbed her attention. She took several deep breaths to stop her heart from pounding so hard, and then took in her surroundings.

"That dream… it was a dream wasn't it?" Murrue thought to herself as she looked around, she was in sixties style diner, the kind you would see locals and truckers frequent as they past through. As she got to a proper sitting position, she noticed she had been sprawled out on one of the leather booths in a corner away from the windows.

"How in the hell did I get here?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Another voice said. Murrue was instantly up, and was surprised to see a familiar woman sitting on a stool, looking out the front windows at the foggy streets. She was tall, broad shoulders made more apparent in the stark white commanders uniform. "You are real… aren't you?"

"Captain Gladys?" Murrue recognized the white Zaft uniform before the face but it was definitely her. They had met once in person before, but only briefly. Murrue was going by another name at the time but she had her doubts that she had fooled this woman at all. "Am I … your prisoner?"

Captain Talia Galdys did not utter a word at first; in fact she had yet to even look at Murrue and instead kept her gaze diligently forward. "No." She said quietly.

"Captain Gladys…"

"Talia." The tall blond said from her spot, still having not made eye contact with Ramius.

"Alright…" Murrue took a cautious step forward, not liking the way this woman seemed more interested in the fog then in making conversation considering their situation. "Talia… Do you know where everyone is? Did you bring me here?"

"No." Talia replied, no emotion in her voice. "And you were here when I found this place."

Murrue stepped closer still, trying to see what could be so interesting out in that fog. She looked back at her rival captain, and wondered what brought her out here of all places. Seeing how this woman didn't quite seem of her right mind, Murrue was unsure if she should ask if the Minerva had also crashed nearby.

"Ca- … Talia, something strange is going on here, my crew has disappeared and I can't leave here until I find them. I know we were… kind of trying to kill each other a few hours ago, but…"

Talia finally locked eyes with the auburn haired captain. Murrue nearly took a step back; the intensity of that sudden glare nearly sapped the courage right out of her. She had to remember that this woman wasn't just the enemy she was also a coordinator, and a big one at that. If she wanted to pick a fight, Murrue didn't doubt it would be over very quickly.

"I'm not leaving here." Talia said, her voice a mask for the underlying fear that could be seen in her eyes. "You can do what ever the hell you want, but honestly… I don't recommend it."

"I have to find my crew, I can't just sit here and wait for someone to come rescue me." Murrue argued, trying to understand just what could cause this strange behavior in the woman in front of her. Their first meeting back in Orb left Murrue with a good impression of the other captain, so seeing her here acting strangely left Murrue feeling a bit unsettled. "I'll follow the roads to another town if it's the only way to make contact with… anyone really."

A small chuckle from the other captain caused Murrue to wonder if she had said something wrong. She was about to ask what was so funny when Talia's face suddenly turned serious. The blond captain shifted her arm, bringing it up and slamming it, along with a handgun down onto the table next to her.

"The roads huh? Well, you just go right ahead. I'll be right here if you need me."

Murrue was a tad perplexed as to why her rival could care less that a captain of an enemy faction was about to walk out the door. "Just like that, you're going to let me leave?" she asked, not wanting to turn her back on someone with a gun.

"I was under orders to sink the Archangel. I do not recall receiving an order to murder its captain in cold blood." Talia said, her gaze focusing back to the nothing outside once more. "Like I said, you go do what you want, but I'm not going back out into that..." She motioned outside and the thick greyness that swept the streets.

Murrue eyed her for a moment, before making her way towards the door. "If I find anyone, I'll be sure to mention you." The other captain said nothing and Murrue didn't push the matter further, figuring it was better not knowing what had this woman this way. She opened the door and entered back out into the mist.

Despite the low visibility, and lack of other human beings what so ever, the town looked like any other small town that she could ever remember visiting. Small corner stores and apartments that don't go above three floors. There were a few cars and trucks parked along the streets; some had their doors open as if their occupants decided to abandon them for whatever reason. A flash from her dream came back to her, and sent a chill down her spine.

"Relax, it was just a dream. You hit your head and it made you think up some freaky stuff, that's all. This town was probably evacuated because of the war not from… whatever."

She made her way down the road, her own footsteps the loudest thing echoing off nothing in particular. The dense fog seemed to cling to everything making her uniform damp and her skin clammy, not to mention making it difficult to see what was ahead of her. She walked with caution, avoiding debris and displaced dumpsters that were strewn along the sidewalks, taking occasional glances into the shops hoping to see some sign of life.

A shadow ahead, human shaped, moving slowly down the road. She thought she recognized that outfit, the tall slim form and that short scruffy hair. "Kira?" But the shape moved out of sight before she got a good look at it.

"Hey!" She called out just as the form disappeared ahead of her. "Wait! I need help!" She called after it before giving chase. Murrue rounded the corner of a closed-down grocery and continued down the street after the shadow, but just as she caught sight of it again it disappeared into the fog.

It was by pure luck that she saw the edge in time and stopped herself from going over. "Oh hell!" She swore as she slid to a halt and fumbled backwards, barely inches from where the road cracked and crumbled into nothingness. Not fully understanding what exactly she was seeing, she slowly and ever so carefully approached the edge, smaller pieces of rock and debris tumbling down as she looked over the precipice.

Nothing. Oblivion. End of the freaking world.

Looking forward, she couldn't see anything that even remotely resembled land, there was just… empty space. Picking up a small stone she threw it over and listened for the sound of it landing. It never came.

"I'm… seeing things. It's like the road separated from the world itself! And that shadow just now… could they have fallen?" Murrue shook away the thoughts, not wanting to think about it.

Deciding this was a dead-end, she turned around and hoped this wasn't the only way out of this ghost town. She took to the sidewalk again, this time Murrue noticed something tall hiding behind the bushes and tall thin trees. Looking up revealed a large sign hiding amongst the mist. In her haste chasing after that shadow, and in this thick moisture that hovered in the air she had nearly missed it completely.

It was the old town billboard greeting visitors as they entered from the road that was now non-existent. Looking up at it she realized she had never heard of this place, but from the rusted aged look of the sign she could tell it must have been one of those old isolated peaceful towns. The sign itself wasn't anything fancy, just a simple brown sign with a large white font that read.

Welcome to Silent Hill.

___

A/N – UH OH!

Yeah… so… I kinda got really bored one night.