DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing and Gundam Seed Destiny are not mine (how I wish!). Don't sue, it'll be a waste of money and time, which you can spend creating more Gundam series. :)

TIMELINE: Happen throughout the Gundam Seed Destiny's events.

WARNING: Major spoilers! Especially for those who have not seen Destiny. So, there!

PHASE 01: ANGERED EYES

By Arayelle Lynn.

Cosmic Era 73,

PLANT,

"Sir, the Orb representative has arrived."

A golden-haired young man looked up from the files he had been reading, surprised. "Already?"

"Yes," his secretary answered. "They're on their way here."

The young man looked at the others in the room. None of them had expected the Orb representative to be this early. There was still much to be discussed before meeting the Orb's Prime Minister. That and the fact that Chairman Dullindal was still unavailable to meet the representative, having to inspect the progress of the next day's ceremony.

He sighed. "That's it, gentlemen. We'll wrap up our meeting some other time. I hope we'll be seeing each other tomorrow." He then rose to his feet as the others filed out of the room. He turned to the secretary.

"Could you please inform the Chairman that his guests are here?" he requested, straightening his designer suit. The man acknowledged his request with a nod and left as well.

The young man turned and smiled at the remaining two men in the room, his assistants. "Well, let's get this show on the road."

xxxXxxx

The colony was still as peaceful as ever, that was Cagalli's first thought as she and her companion made their way towards the Chairman's main office. This wasn't exactly Cagalli's first visit to PLANT, in fact, she had been to outer space more than she could keep track. But the peaceful silence in space never ceased to amaze her.

Walking silently beside her, her companion took in the surroundings with even more interest. His emerald eyes lingered long and hard upon the colonists, who was going about their own life as usual. Occasionally, he would crane his neck for a closer look whenever he spotted something he had never seen before. But all the while, he kept his mouth shut and his face impassive.

Cagalli understood his reaction very well. After all, he had once lived on PLANT. That was, until he moved to Orb almost two years ago, under an unusual circumstance that he rather not talked about. But knowing the reason why he left, Cagalli could sense his feelings as he gazed upon his former home. That, and the danger he could be in if anyone found out that he was back.

"Representative Athha?" their escort voiced, waiting at the gaping door of the elevator.

Realizing that she had stopped, Cagalli blushed and entered the elevator with a nod. Behind her, her companion whispered. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, then paid attention to what their escort was telling them. "…unfortunately, the Chairman isn't available at the moment so his personal assistant will be seeing you until he is made available." The escort hesitated, uncertainly. "I hope that would not be a problem."

Cagalli smiled at him reassuringly. "No, no problem at all," she responded as they ascended to the top of the building. "I've been meaning to meet the Chairman's assistant ever since we started our correspondence over the phone." She paused. "It's hard to discuss any dealings without seeing how he looks like."

"We're sorry for that," the escort apologized. "Ever since the war, the communication network seemed to be affected."

"No apology needed, please," Cagalli countered. "It's fortunate that the news network works perfectly or else our knowledge of PLANT's condition would be severely outdated and vice versa."

"Yes, it is fortunate," the escort agreed.

When the door finally opened, Cagalli found three men waiting in an office. One of them rose from the sofa and made his way towards them.

"Welcome, Prime Minister Athha," he greeted in a voice that Cagalli found so strangely familiar. "I am the Chairman's personal assistant. And I apologize that the Chairman isn't available to receive you at the port. I trust you had a smooth journey here?"

"Err… yes, thank you," she responded, taken aback. She was slightly surprised to finally find out who Dullindal's personal assistant was.

He was young. In fact, he could be about her age. His soft delicate features, sun golden hair and innocent cerulean blue eyes made him look even younger and more angelic. The warmth in his smile put an ease in her otherwise troubled heart.

"It's so nice to have finally met you," he was saying. His eyes betrayed his child-like excitement. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Quatre Raberba Winner."

xxxXxxx

"Shinn, come on! We're going to be late."

Shinn Asuka glanced at his friend, Youlan Kent, who waited impatiently by the door. Then he heard the cashier called him and he took his change and the shopping bag that was handed to him. Scowling, his friend took his arm and pulled him out of the shop before he could acknowledge the cashier's 'Please come again'.

"Come on, we only have 15 minutes left! You don't want to be late on our shift, do you?"

Shinn winced at the thought. The ship was his first commission ever since he graduated from the academy and he didn't want to be late either. And he had learned a long time ago how important it was to make a good first impression on his senior officers.

"Pipe down, will you?" he said, pulling his arm back. "It wouldn't do us good if we're involved in an accident on our way back to base. Besides, it's not my fault that we're late… ugh!" Before he could finish his sentence, something warm and soft hit him. For a moment, his breath was knocked out of him but instincts kicked in as he wrapped him arms around something pink and soft, steadying it.

It was a girl! And for a few seconds, his eyes lingered on her beautiful blue eyes and delicate features. Her golden blond hair reflected the sunlight, creating a nice glow on her pretty face. Still staring at her, Shinn found himself unable to break away from her penetrating gaze.

Suddenly, the blue eyes narrowed and Shinn felt a sharp, stinging pain on his left cheek. More surprised than pained, he released her and watched as she stormed away with two boys, her companions obviously.

"What was that for?" he dumbly asked himself, staring at his hands.

"'What was that for?'" Youlan echoed in disbelief. His lips broke into a sly smile. "You pervert. Don't tell me that you don't know what you have done!"

Realizing what his friend was implying, he sputtered a protest. "B…but it was an accident! I didn't mean…"

"Sure you don't…" his friend responded, jabbing his elbow into his side. "Why wouldn't a guy lay his hands on a gorgeous girl like that."

"Youlan!" Shinn protested, helplessly. He knew that the damage was done and that he was going to be hearing about this from all of his friends once they return to base. Deciding that he could not hold off the inevitable, he decided to give himself a moment of reprieve and reminded his friend of the time. "And if we don't get there soon, the commander is really going to give us something to think about."

"Oh, shit!" Youlan looked at his watch. Seeing the smirk on Shinn's face, he grabbed his arm. "Come on! Mr. Abes is going to kill me if I'm late!"

"Hey, slow down! We don't want to hit someone else," Shinn tried to warn him but it was too late. As they were turning around a sharp corner, they collided with yet another pedestrian.

For the second time, Shinn found his breath was knocked out of him. As he tilted backward, he groaned inwardly. 'Let it not be another hot-tempered girl,' he prayed.

A pair of strong arms reached out to steady them. Regaining his balance, Shinn looked up to the person they crashed into only to find himself staring into a pair of cold Prussian blue eyes.

"Sorry," he muttered as he was released. The owner of the eyes, a boy only a year or two older than him, glared at them as if gauging their right to exist before his presence.

Keeping his silence, Youlan could only gulp and cringe back against the boy's scrutinizing gaze. His insides flipping under the chill that had mysteriously appeared in the late summer afternoon. Never had they seen anyone with such cold and dispassionate face.

The boy pulled down his cap and shoved his hands into his coverall pockets. He shrugged. "Hn.." was his response to Shinn's apology. His voice was toneless.

Shinn and Youlan watched as the boy, who was obviously a technician, walked away without a word. They stood there in silence until he disappeared from view. "Wow!" Youlan whistled, his nerves returning. "It's like talking to a walking dead man."

xxxXxxx

"Please to meet you, Mr. Winner," Cagalli greeted, shaking his hands. "I'm glad I finally have a face to match the name and voice."

Quatre Winner smiled. "Likewise. Though, it was easier for me to recognize you from the news reports I've been watching on the 'net."

Cagalli found herself smiling even wider. Before this over the phone, she had found Quatre Winner to be very respectful and now she found him to be endearing. She liked his easy-going and friendly manner as much as his innocent smile. And he reminded her so much of someone. 'I hope it'll be easier to convince the Chairman with him around.'

A slight movement reminded her of her companion. Clearing her throat, she beckoned to Athrun. "And this is Ath… uh… Alex Dino, my aide and bodyguard."

If Winner had caught her slip, he didn't show it. Instead, he thrust his hand at Athrun and two young men shook hands. Cerulean blue eyes met emerald green ones. "Please to meet you, Mr. Dino."

"Please call me Alex, Mr. Winner."

"Very well, just Quatre, both of you."

Just as he said that, the door was opened and a man walked in. He whispered something in Quatre's ears and stepped back when the Chairman's assistant turned to regard his guests. "You're in luck," he said. "The Chairman returned early from his tour. If you just step this way, I will take you to his office."

Cagalli and Athrun followed Quatre into the next room. There, they saw Dullindal coming in from another door, with some people trailing behind him. He smiled at them. "So the princess is here."

"Sir, I'd like you to meet Representative Cagalli Yula Athha from Orb and her aide, Mr. Alex Dino."

"Yes, I believe I've met Representative Athha a few months ago," he said, greeting the golden-haired diplomat. "Though I seemed to recall seeing Mr. Dino a couple of times but we were never properly introduced."

Though the Chairman had said it almost off-handedly, Athrun felt the bite in his words. Instinctively, he broke his gaze from Dullindal's penetrating eyes. "You don't mind me calling you Alex, do you?" the Chairman asked, drawing a surprise look from the blue-haired boy.

"Uh… not at all, sir."

"Well then," Dullindal returned to Cagalli. "Thank you for coming such a long way."

"No, it's an honor to have you see us at such busy times."

"How's everything at Orb? I heard many things were resolved since your coming into power. As an ally, I am delighted to hear it," said Dullindal, leading her towards the sofa at the corner of his big office.

"Yes, though there are still much to be done. The war had caused enough devastation," she responded, taking the seat that was offered to her. Athrun remained standing behind her while Quatre stood behind the Chairman along with his men.

For a moment, Cagalli studied the older man, taking note of his long black hair which framed his handsome face nicely. His muscular frame was straight and erect, emanating the aura of great self-confidence and regality. His icy blue eyes were deep and sharp, with a touch of great intelligence in them. This was a man that no one should trifle with.

"So, what brings the princess of Orb here so urgently?" he began. "Our ambassador has informed Mr. Winner that you have come to discuss a rather grave issue."

Suddenly Cagalli found herself speechless. Dullindal's penetrating eyes bore into hers, as if inviting her to share her inner most, darkest secrets. It unnerved her to find someone with such power over her.

A slight nudge from Athrun broke her thoughts. It was then she realized that Dullindal was asking her something. "Uh… yes," she began, fumbling with her words. I'm here for a very serious matter."

"I dare not think otherwise," Dullindal responded calmly. "Else, the head of Orb nation wouldn't be here herself."

She blushed a little, silently cursing herself. Luckily, Athrun's warm presence eased her embarrassment and when she looked up to Quatre's kind smile, her courage was restored. Cagalli met the Chairman's eyes evenly.

"Actually, it wouldn't have been such a grave issue had you not properly make a conclusive reply to our request." She paused for an effect. "Earlier, we have requested that you ceased using our military personnel that have taken refuge here. So, why haven't we received a reply?"

"Ahh! So, that's what brings you here," he responded. "Princess, don't get our intentions wrong. We're simply offering the refugees a place in our society, as well as exercising our right to defend ourselves."

His answer took Cagalli by surprise. Seeing her reaction, Dullindal beckoned one of his men over. "Princess, perhaps I should take you on a tour. Maybe it'll ease your worry a little if not make my point."

xxxXxxx

"Shinn! Youlan! You're late!" a carrot-haired boy shouted over, stopping the jeep just inches from them. "We're due in five minutes. You know how the commander tolerates tardiness."

"Sorry, Vino," Shinn grimaced as he and Youlan hopped on. The jeep screeched forward even before they could settle down properly.

"So, did you get the things I asked you to?" Vino Dupre inquired, glancing over at the two friends.

"Uh… yeah," he answered, gripping his seat. As usual, the boy's driving skills left much to be desired. Especially when he was in a hurry. "Watch the road, Vino!" he warned as another jeep made its way towards them.

The jeep swerved, narrowly missing the foot of a Zaku, and nearly throwing him off. Exhaling the breath he didn't know he was holding, Shinn suggested. "Maybe I should drive."

"Nonsense," his friend responded, smiling wickedly. "Don't tell me I'm THAT bad."

"No, you're worse," Youlan muttered under his breath. He was holding onto the shopping bags as if they were his lifeline.

Vino threw him a mischievous look before swerving to the right, making Youlan nearly lost his balance. Hearing him throwing a few curses at him, Vino laughed.

"Where are Rey and Luna?" Shinn inquired.

"They're supervising the mobile suits' docking. You know how it is with pilots, always working and no life."

"Hey."

xxxXxxx

"01 here."

"It's about time. Status."

He briefly scanned his surroundings. The space port was busier than usually, thanks to the next day's festivities. "I'm in position." He paused, gauging the appropriateness of his position. "Commencing."

"Roger that. And be careful. You can't afford to be caught now."

"Hn."

xxxXxxx

"They're in position, colonel." The comm. officer reported. "Estimated time of commencement, 10 minutes. No further communication until the mission is accomplished."

"Good," Colonel Neo Lorrnoke acknowledged, rising from his seat. He smiled at the prospect of his mission's victory. His men would get their mission right, he was sure of it. They were trained not to fail. "All hands stand by at your respective stations."

His orders were laid out throughout the ship as the crew scrambled to man their stations. Each of them knew how crucial the mission was for the future and they knew that their commander would lead them to victory as promised.

The masked colonel sensed the questioning look from his second officer, the captain of the ship. "You're expecting trouble, colonel?"

"No, but how often does a mission like this goes smoothly, major?"

The captain sighed. "Let's hope we'll bring back something good that could make the engineers happy."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that."

xxxXxxx

"These are a few that we managed to salvage from the last war," Dullindal was saying as he led the group through the busy military facility. Cagalli observed as some soldiers paused long enough to salute them before going about their duties. Out of habit, Athrun saluted them back, unaware that his actions were closely watched.

Both of them drank at the sight of the weapons in the facility. Athrun looked taken aback when he saw the number of mobile armor available while Cagalli turned her surprise to Quatre, who looked away.

"Princess, you are the brave warrior who piloted in the last war. You are also the successor to Uzumi Athha, the Lion of Orb who had carried through his plans despite the outside pressures. You should understand how we must handle the current situation," Dullindal continued, as if oblivious to their reaction.

"But we are only carrying through our country's ideal."

Dullindal glanced at her. "Yes, you do not invade and let your country be invaded. And you do not interfere with any conflicts. Is that right?"

Cagalli nodded in resolution. "Yes."

"Then we take the same stance. Of course it'd be best if we could keep to that but it is impossible without military strength. I am sure you understand, princess. No, you must know it better than I do, princess. Isn't Orb well armed too?"

That startled her. Cagalli looked away, thinking of her displeasure over her own country's need of armaments.

"And what about the Federation? Aren't they well armed too?"

"I wish you wouldn't address me as princess, Chairman Dullindal," she responded, meeting his eyes evenly. The Chairman raised his eyebrow, obviously impressed by her bravado.

"Forgive me, Prime Minister Athha," he corrected himself, bowing gracefully. "I wish no disrespect."

"None taken."

"As it is," the Chairman continued. "I wish you would answer me. What is it that you are afraid of?" His question startled her again. "Pressure from the Atlantic Federation? Do they seriously think that Orb has violated the peace treaty by helping us?"

"This is, of course, unfounded. We did take in refugees during the Orb war. If they want to make a living with their skills here, it's only natural."

"But over armament will provoke conflicts," Cagalli protested, facing him.

"No, Prime Minister. Armament is necessary because there are always conflicts."

xxxXxxx

"Our ride is here," a green-haired boy announced as soon as their ride stopped. Two men were inside the jeep, in appearance they looked like ZAFT officers but they were actually the spies the Federation had planted to assist them with the mission.

"All clear," they reported after the three youths had climbed aboard. They drove towards the military port where their target was. "All you need are here," the spy briefed, gesturing at the knapsack that he was holding.

"Roger," the green-haired boy acknowledged, obviously the leader. He glanced at his companions, a blue-haired boy and a blond girl. "Ready?" They both nodded in response.

"Hold on," said their driver as their vehicle stopped at the guard post. The guard eyed them carefully, reading through some papers that their driver had handed over. Then he spared a glance at the other guard who was sleeping in the guard house, before waving them in.

Definitely one of their men.

They drove for a short distance, stopping before a huge storage hangar. There, one of them took out a passkey from the knapsack and slid it across the electronic lock. When the thick steel door creaked open, the three youth exchanged knowing glances before setting to work.

xxxXxxx

"Allow me to put it this way, Prime Minister," the Chairman began. "Compare to Orb and the Federation, PLANT is more vulnerable. We constantly have to battle within ourselves at the thought of an attack because we have nowhere to go." He pointedly looked at his personal assistant who had accompanied them. "In truth, when we decide to live in space, we're actually signing our death warrant."

His words surprised them, even Quatre. "All of us here want peace. And no one wanted it more than myself, which is why I have worked tirelessly to convince others to look past our former Chairman Patrick Zala's ideals."

As he said that, he glanced at Cagalli's aide, satisfied to see a slight reaction on the bodyguard's face. "Of all, we from PLANT stand to lose more, Prime Minister Athha. By arming ourselves, we are merely exercising our rights to defend ourselves. Please, try to understand this."

Cagalli sighed, the ghost of a repeated argument sounded in her head all over again causing another wave of an old headache. "I wish we could all live in a world where we could all trust each other enough to throw away our weapons."

That made Dullindal chuckled in amusement. "Prime Minister Athha, if I hadn't known any better you sound just like my assistant here." He spared an affectionate glance at Quatre who looked back at him, startled. "I'm sure he had given me the exact same speech when we first decided to arm ourselves."

Both Cagalli and Athrun turned to Quatre who blushed at the sudden attention. She smiled at him, silently thanking for his presence among Dullindal's staff. With him around, she was sure that they could convince the Chairman of PLANT to act accordingly.

"And if Mr. Dino hadn't been here, I would've said that you and Mr. Winner are a perfect couple."

Now all three of them were blushing. Cagalli couldn't be sure if this was intentional. This was hardly the appropriate matter to mention in a diplomatic discussion. But it seemed to successfully drive them off from the subject that they were discussing. Now, the three youths were too embarrassed to face each other as Dullindal watched all of them, chuckling to himself.

Then Cagalli saw Quatre rubbed at his chest, his forehead frowning as if in pain. His eyes darted wildly around him before a look of pure horror marred his handsome face. "Everybody, down!" he shouted as a shot rang out.

xxxXxxx

"Ensign Asuka, you're late!" a man in an officer uniform scolded him as Shinn made his way towards the new ZAFT ship, Minerva. "You're supposed to be here five minutes ago."

Shinn straightened himself up before saluting, smartly. "I'm sorry, Commander. I was held up by the traffic. It won't happen again," he promised, feeling the bite of his officer's steely gaze. It made him wonder how his friend, Youlan, fared with his even sterner superior officer.

"Make sure you do, Ensign. Once we set sail, I will not tolerate any tardiness. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, return to your station. Although the ceremony is 24 hours away there are still much that needed to be done."

"Aye, sir."

"Commander!" a breathless young officer came running towards them. He screeched to a stop and saluted him. "Sir! There's been an attempt on the Chairman's life."

"What!"

xxxXxxx

When the shot rang out, Athrun's first instinct was to grab Cagalli and shielded her with his body. Breathing heavily, he found himself wondering…

'Who is the target?'

'Who is shooting?'

'Did he hit anyone?'

'Have Cagalli and I walked into a trap?'

When the shooting ceased, Athrun looked up, to try locating the shooter. Instead, his eyes landed on Quatre. The young man had shielded Dullindal with his body as well. Once the shooting stopped, the blonde looked up. His eyes, instead of wandering around the compound, were fixed on something at the top of a building. There was a strangely intense look that did not belong on his angelic porcelain face as he gripped tightly at the front of his shirt, where his chest was.

Suddenly without warning, Quatre took off. Too surprised, Athrun could only watch as he made a beeline towards the building. "Quatre!" he heard Dullindal shouted after his assistant. But the youth was already too far away. Dullindal picked himself up. By then, his soldiers were starting to move.

"Sir, we suggest that you and your guests evacuate the premise," an officer came over.

"What about my assistant?" Dullindal inquired, looking at where Quatre had disappeared to.

"I've sent five of my men after him. They'll protect him." If an assassin was still there, a mild-mannered chairman assistant would not be enough to stop him.

Athrun helped Cagalli up, watching the Chairman. Though distraught at having his assistant risking his life unnecessarily, the older man seemed well composed. "Chairman?" Cagalli looked at him, questioningly.

Dullindal stared at his guests before nodding to himself. "Come, we must leave."

Just as he said that, the alarm sounded and the earth shook as an explosion tore the whole base apart.

xxxXxxx

Quatre ran up the stairs, quicker than he thought possible. He didn't know how. He hadn't even seen anything but he was sure that the shots came from the top of this building. He was more certain of that than he was of his own life.

The pain in his chest was still there, urging him to go forward as his legs pumping up for speed and his lungs gasping for air. But Quatre would not let that stop him. He had to get to the shooter before he does anymore harm.

Then finally, he reached the last flight of stairs. Sprinting on, he pushed the door to the roof, forcing his eyes to adjust at the sudden assault of light before searching the sight before him.

He found no one. Not a single soul. In fact, everything was as it supposed to be… except for the discarded sniper gun lying on the floor.

He went to it, his eyes trailing the gun as if willing for the clues to jump up to him. But instead, his eyes landed on a smoking black spot on the ground next to the gun, as if something had burned there not long ago.

'What?' he frowned, his mind trying to make out what was going on. 'Where's the sniper?' he wondered. Suddenly, something tugged at his chest as a feeling of being watched sent shivers down his spine. Eyes widened, Quatre tried to figure out where the feeling came from.

Behind him!

He whirled around, wincing as the sun's direct light hit his eyes. But that was only for a moment because then he realized that he was staring at a dark figure standing above the roof, looking down on him.

'The assassin!' he concluded, squinting his eyes to get a better look. But whoever it was had his hand shielding his upper face so Quatre couldn't make out his features. However, his height told Quatre that the assassin appeared to be young.

Suddenly, the assassin was gone.

"Oh, no you don't!" Quatre took off after him, his jaw set. Nobody take a shot at the Chairman and escape.

Quatre chased the assassin to the other side of the building. By then, he knew that he had gotten the assassin. He was sure all the staircases were guarded and that the assassin would be cornered sooner or later.

It happened sooner. As he was running around a corner, Quatre saw the assassin stood at the edge of the building, staring down the fifty foot drop. "Got you now!"

Then to Quatre's utter horror, the assassin jumped off. Expecting a broken body with blood pooling on the ground, Quatre reached the edge and peered down on the ground below, only to find that there was no body!

"Impossible!"

"Mr. Winner!" a voice turned him around, as men in uniform appeared. Before the soldiers could get to him, there was a loud noise as the whole building shook violently, sending Quatre teetered dangerously to the edge of the building and open air!

xxxXxxx

For the second time in less than 10 minutes, Cagalli found herself on the ground again. This time, Athrun was shielding her from the falling debris that was caused by the explosion. A thought came to her. 'Was this the work of the assassin?'

However, the chaos that followed later told her otherwise. As Athrun helped her up, she could hear the sound of guns being fired, people shouting and screaming and more explosions. All of these were frighteningly similar to the scene that happened three years ago. 'It's an attack!' she finally realized with a start.

"Chairman!" a soldier ran up to them. Cagalli noticed that some of the soldiers stood protectively around the chairman. "Chairman! It's the new models. Someone is hijacking them," the soldier reported.

If the news of the assassin hadn't shocked the Chairman, this one did. Hell, it shocked Cagalli and Athrun just the same. 'New models?' she wondered, uncomprehendingly. In the background, they could hear the familiar sound of mobile suits battle.

Collecting himself, the Chairman gestured one of the soldiers over. "Get the princess and her escort to safety," he ordered, nodding at Cagalli and Athrun. "We can't involve them in this."

Just then, an unfamiliar mobile suit jumped into their sight. The black suit fired on a ZAKU before proceeding to destroy another storage hangar. Cagalli felt Athrun tensed as he stared at its design. It was then she realized something. The 'new models' were none other than…

"Gundams!"

Athrun nudged Cagalli out of her stupor, pulling her with him as they followed their guide. By then, the battle was escalating. Many of the ZAFT soldiers had reached their armors and weapons to stop their intruder.

As they made their way, both Athrun and Cagalli were surprised by the devastation that took place in such a short time. But unlike Cagalli, Athrun knew enough about Gundams to expect such heavy damages.

The ground shook again, nearly throwing them off their feet. Above them, another Gundam flew over, its engine searing through their eardrums. Athrun struggled to steady Cagalli as they continued running.

Suddenly, a warning sounded in his head. Without a word, Athrun dove inside a hangar, pulling Cagalli with him. Less than a second later, an explosion tore the ground that they were on, instantly killing their guide.

That left both of them without a guide and no idea where to go.

xxxXxxx

"Understood," Captain Talia Gladys of ZAFT Minerva said to the receiver before addressing her commander. He had rushed to the bridge earlier, reporting the attempt on the Chairman's life when the news of the intrusion reached them.

"Arthur! Send out Shinn, immediately," she ordered.

Her second-in-command nodded, whirling around to relay her orders. Talia frowned, biting her lower lips as she tried to comprehend the recent situation. An assassination attempt? And now an attack? Are those two related?

No answer came to her. But there was one thing she was certain, these two incidents were just the beginning of something even bigger. Whether or not it was to their advantage, she couldn't be sure.

xxxXxxx

He leapt up and over the fence as if it was a daily routine. His feet had barely touched the grass when the sound of an alarm, followed by an explosion reached him. Turning, he saw black smoke raised up to the skies. In the background, he could almost hear the sound of a battle.

His communicator buzzed. He answered it. "Status?"

"Mission accomplished."

Just then, another explosion caught his counterpart's attention. "What was that? Did you…"

"Another team has this base targeted," he answered, curtly.

"Right. Do a brief recon and then return."

"Roger."

As soon as he signed off, another explosion tore the base, this time too close for comfort. He turned to see the building that he was on was completely demolished. A strange pang filled him as he recalled a certain pair of cerulean blue eyes looking up at him. His pursuer.

For a moment, he debated with himself. Should he…

Then he regained his composure. Throwing a last look at the burning base, he started to walk away. 'I am not involved,' he thought, his mind was already appraising the capabilities of the three newly appeared Gundams.

xxxXxxx

It seemed as if they had been running forever. All around them, the base continued to burn, explosions continued to try sweeping them off their feet but Athrun and Cagalli continued to run.

'If only we knew where we're going,' Athrun found himself thinking. The only thought in his mind was to get Cagalli to safety. Even if it costs his life. But their every route was cut off by fallen debris and burning structures and every corner led them right back into the battlefield.

'Can't let her die in this place.'

'Can't let her die like this.'

'Can't let her die. Period.'

Just then, a green Zaku was thrown into their way. Using years of trained reflexes, Athrun grabbed Cagalli out of the way and shielded her with his body. Another explosion sent burning debris raining on top of them. Athrun hissed as a large chunk hit his back, just below his shoulder blades. Another hit the back of his head but he managed to keep himself from crying out.

"Athrun!" Cagalli turned to him when they were cleared. Her eyes looked at him with deep concern. He smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm alright," he told her, helping her up. He had to clench his jaw when her weight put a strain on his injured back. He knew that that was not the time to be concerning over minor injuries. First things first, he had to get her to safety.

He was about to lead her back to where they came from when suddenly the new Gundam cut off their exit. The Gundam was battling another Zaku, the safety of the two civilians on ground was ignored.

Athrun almost screamed in frustration. It seemed that everywhere they go…

His eyes landed on the fallen green Zaku. A plan began to form in his mind. "Come on!" he said, pulling her towards the Zaku.

Cagalli followed him obediently. They stopped in front of the fallen Zaku, hesitating. When another explosion shook the ground, Cagalli saw Athrun's face hardened. She watched as he climbed up the Zaku.

"Athrun," she called out to him. He turned and reached out to her.

"Come," he said, his beautiful green eyes pleading for her faith in him.

She nodded and took his hand. She heard him grunt as he pulled her up. They climbed until they reached the cockpit. Again, Athrun hesitated, looking down at the empty cockpit.

His hands clenched, sealing the silent debate inside him. "Get in," he told her. Cagalli looked at him, to ask if he was alright. But before she could do so, he grabbed her and jumped into the cockpit. Inside, Cagalli watched as his nimble fingers ran expertly on the controls. In less than five seconds, he had the cockpit close, the screen on and the Zaku humming as it started to move.

"There is no way I'm going to let you die here," she heard him say. She was surprised to hear the strength of the conviction in his voice. 'Athrun,' she thought, watching him familiarized with the mobile suit. Although it had been two years since the war, his body and mind quickly adapted to the machinery.

Unfortunately, once the Zaku was onto its feet, it presented itself to be a target. Cagalli gasped when the black Gundam turned its attention to them. With a speed that only a Gundam could manage, it charged.

Despite of the inferiority of the suit, Athrun quickly jumped out of the way. The black Gundam was startled, seeing the impossible display of a lesser suit. But surprise quickly became anger; a feeling of disgust came over it at the thought of being defeated by a mere Zaku.

It charged again but Athrun deflected its blow. In his mind, Athrun worked on strategies to distract the Gundam long enough to break away from the fight and get Cagalli to safety. As much as he missed the excitement of being a pilot, he was more concerned over her well being.

Then something hit them as the Zaku was thrown back. Athrun yanked the throttle, biting his lips as the pain shot up his arm, and the Zaku sailed away to avoid another rain of bullets.

Once they were steady, Athrun and Cagalli found that their only weapon was destroyed and that the new black Gundam was joined by another green one. The feeling of dread washed over Cagalli as she turned to Athrun. Their being alive so far was attributed to Athrun's superior skills as a Gundam pilot and the former ace pilot of ZAFT. But now that a new Gundam had joined the fight and that they had just lost their weapon, it would take a miracle to get out of this alive!

Feeling her eyes on him, Athrun looked at her. The look of determination was still on his face. "Believe in me," he simply said and for a second, smiling at her reassuringly. Then, he turned his whole attention back to the two Gundams.

The two Gundams were charging at them. However, before the two of them could finish the Zaku off, before Athrun could execute the plan that had been forming in his mind, something fired on the Gundams, knocking them aside. Distracted, they looked up and saw a fighter swooping down for another attack.

'What?' Athrun thought, his eyes widened when the fighter suddenly changed shape. Something flew in synchronization with the fighter. And before their very eyes, the fighter combined with the metal chunks that flew with it and transformed into a…

"Gundam!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

AUTHOR REPLIES: I know what you're all thinking. 'What is Quatre doing siding with Dullindal?' or 'Why Heero did not recognize Quatre?' or 'What is Heero doing on the rooftop, shooting at people?' or 'Where are the other Gundam pilots from Gundam Wing?' Don't worry. The others will be appearing soon. And things will just get better and less confusing for some people. All you need to do is stay tuned and keep reviewing because it helps in the morale department, you know, encouragement.

Bladeofakira: Thanks for the kind review. I don't know if I'll be altering much about the events in GSD, just adding some stuff so I could make the characters from Gundam Wing fit into the GSD universe. So, yes, there will be alterations but not as much as it would change the whole timeline. Heh! I don't want to be accused of ruining the whole thing !

Ookami Kage: Ahh! My loyal fan. You kept me alive. Many thanks. I haven't actually seen S-CRY-ed to know what you're referring to but now that you've caught my attention, I would give it a try. If only I know where I could find the dvd…

Meh-ism: Thanks for the encouragement. So here you go… on and on…

Zammy: Your wish is my command. Here's the update.

Slightly Sinister Sinestra: Here's the update. Thank you so much for reviewing.

Wow! Five reviews for only a short prologue. Hm… I wonder how many I will get for this full length chapter. Anyway, I'll be giving my attention now to my other fic 'Shattered Walls'. Hopefully I'll be back in two weeks time for the new chapter.