Chapter 8 News
"This is Breaking News." said the news Anchor as he sat behind a desk as a flashing graphic flashed across the screen just has it had for hours now "It has been four six since what has been called the battle of Angel in southern France and the apparent return of the missing Gundam pilot Heero Yuy."
As he spoke, the image of Heero Yuy inside Wing Angel appeared on the side screen beside the face of the old new man with flecks of pepper in his black hair.
"Joining us now is an expert in facial identification from the University of Berlin Doctor Shaffer." greeted the anchor as the image split to show another man dressed in a black business suit. "Now Doctor Shaffer I understand you have had a chance to study the image of the person claiming to be Heero Yuy and you have run a computed comparison between him and multiple images of Heero Yuy from almost a decade ago. So tell us is it really Heero Yuy?"
"Now Mr. Fox while this is a science I cannot be 100% confidante about anything all I can give you a percentage chance." Explained Doctor Shaffer as the anchor nodded his understanding "And given the information we have at the moment we are 89% positive that the man in the mobile suit is in fact Heero Yuy. The changes we see in the images are all normal during the process of aging from a 16 year old to a 25 year old, his voice is a match as well."
"Could it have been faked?" asked the anchor, Mr. Fox
"Also highly unlikely but not outside the realm of possibility." expressed Doctor Shaffer as he started to go into the small differences between the images of Heero from the days when he piloted Wing to the current image when he pilots Wing Angel. Lunamaria Yuy just rolled her eyes as she watched the flat screen TV above the meat counter right beside the Irish flag. Every news channel was breaking down every image of the fight between Heero and the Preventers. Some had come out with wild theories about Yzak cloning him and others had even claimed the fight was faked.
"Can I help you?" asked the butcher as he came to Luna
"Yes, can I get four of those chicken breasts there, a half-pound sliced ham and half pound Swiss chess?" asked Luna as the man nodded his head as he went to work. She looked down at the list of food that they would need for tonight when Quatre and Dorothy arrived.
"I haven't seen you around here before miss? You visiting?" inquired the butcher
"Yes, my husband and I are in the house on hill street. The one on the cliff." Explained Luna to a man she knew all too well from when she and Heero came here for a vacation in their own universe last year.
"Kind of late in the season for tourists." stated the man as Luna nodded her head. "Starting to turn cold out there."
"Work schedules, this was the only time we could get the place and get off work." lied Luna with a smile on her face.
"I can understand that. My wife and I wanted to go to Rome in July but we couldn't get off work until September." Said the man as he sliced the meat
"Besides my husband loves stargazing." Reported Luna
"Well you sure picked a great place for that here," stated the man before looking up at the TV. "So do you believe that Heero Yuy is back?"
"I don't know what to believe." lied Luna as he handed her the meat.
"Well I hope you enjoy your stay." finished the man as he went to go help the next person leaving Luna to finish gathering the last items on her list before she left the store.
In the small house in a middle class subdivision located on the outskirts of the city which had grown up around the Preventer military base was Relena Peacecraft. She sat on a couch with a glass coffee table in front of her and a cup of warm green tea in her hands. Sitting beside her on the couch was Hilde Maxwell, the late morning sunlight was coming through the windows but the neither one of them really noticed it.
"I still don't get it." Complained Relena again as she cupped her steaming hot cup of tea. "Why would Heero do this? Why would he attack us?"
"Heero was always a man of honor and duty." stated Noin as she stood by the window looking out at the mob of camera and reporter which surrounded the Maxwell household like a besieging army. "If he is part of another military he will fight to the end to defend it."
"And if Heero was ordered to take part in a military action against us he would do it to complete his mission." reassured Hilde as she placed an arm on top of Relena's hand.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." stated Noin as Relena lifted her head and looked at her sister-in-law "It's been almost nine years since the last time we saw Heero and he is very likely not the same person, for all we know he planned the mission to steal our computer files."
"No!" snapped Relena as she got to her feet before glaring at Noin, she couldn't understand any reason why her soul mate would turn against her "Heero must have been forced for all we know the coordinators from this Orb Union did something to him brain washed him or something like that."
Hilde and Noin shared a glace between each other both of them thankful that the President of the World Nation was not holding the meeting today and instead was going to hold a meeting tomorrow in London. The delay was to give him and Zechs a chance to return from space and time for the top researchers to study the video from the battle and decide what they were up against. In the meantime every military base on Earth had been placed on the highest level of alert and even the bases in space where on high alert.
"Sorry you two, I shouldn't have snapped." Added Relena as her normal strength returned to her. "I know it has been nine years and you may be right but I just know in my heart that Heero still loves me."
A few hours later Lunamaria stood in the ruined remains of an old underwater mobile suit base, which had been built during the first generation of mobile suits before the rise of the Earth Nation. The base was located on the Northern tip of Ireland so that they could cut off shipping from the Atlantic however it had been abounded decades earlier all the remained were rats, spiders and fish. Standing tall in proud in the darkness was the Impulse Gundam it is gleaming white armor standing in stark contrast to the dark stones of the base. Luna looked down at her watch as suddenly the water in trench in front of her began to boil a bit. Seconds later Wing Angel burst out of the water spraying warm water everywhere as its powerful engines raised it out of the underground tunnel, which lead to the sea. Luna waited as Heero landed his mobile suit besides her Impulse and began powering down.
"Had a nice trip?" asked Luna as Heero stepped out of Wing Angel and lowered himself to the ground on the built in wire.
"Not really I didn't want to reintroduce myself to my friends by fighting them. I think I just made a mistake, I should have gone for a break in at their Shanghai command center instead of there." Admitted Heero as he rubbed his temples, Luna was possibly the only person who he would show uncertainty with. Both of them knew that Shanghai was the command and control center of all the Preventer forces on Earth. It was also the second largest military base in the world taking up the entire island of Hengshain themouth of the harbor.
"There was no other way to try there would be suicide," confirmed Luna before Heero could even ask the question "When was the last time you slept?"
"28 hours ago." answered Heero as his body screamed for sleep, during the wars he spent days without sleeping aside from catnaps, which he sometimes took while standing but he had gotten used to sleeping in a bed.
"Go to bed, I already set the security system up and I will cook dinner." ordered Luna in a voice that broke no argument "It will be a couple of hours before Quatre and Dorothy arrive and we have to wait for an answer from back home before we make another move, sleep."
"Very well." said Heero as he surrendered to his wife's commands before heading toward the elevator which would lead upstairs to the rented house which rested above the abounded base.
Far away from Heero and Luna a man sat in a military transport heading toward Earth with a small laptop in hand. He was watching the video of the battle in France between Heero Yuy and two gundams; he was watching the fight from a point of view that no one else could understand.
"Sir the latest reports about the facial study of the man who broke into the base." reported an aid as he floated toward Preventer Wind. Zechs Merquise did not lift his head up from the video as the aid stood there for a while unmoving. "Sir don't you want to know if the person who attacked the base was Heero Yuy or not?"
"It is Heero." Confirmed Zechs as he took the computer pad from the aid anyhow "I don't need a report to know that, I knew that after watching this for five minutes."
"Sir?" asked the aid confused as Zechs titled the screen to allow him a better view.
"When you fight someone as many times as I have you can tell that it is him just by how he moves." Stated Zechs as the aid raised an eyebrow not really believing him. "This is Heero Yuy, I am sure of that. Has Yzak released a statement yet?"
"Yes, sir." answered the aid as he fumbled his computer pad a bit as he pulled up the information "Basically he is hailing Heero's return and his stance for freedom for the Coordinators."
"Nothing out of the ordinary then." stated Zechs as he closed his blue eyes and ran through all the battles he had fought against Heero Yuy from the moment Wing descended into the atmosphere to when they fought onboard the remains of Libra. This Wing Angel was far more powerful then Wing Zero and he was sure that Heero hadn't shown everything it could do in France luckily Heero hadn't been up against the Tallgeese mark III with all its upgrades.
Down on Earth a car was driving down a dirt road in Northern Ireland as the sun started to set over the horizon turning the sky into a golden orange color.
"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Dorothy as she bounced up and down in the front seat as the car bounced.
"Yes, we are here in fact," confirmed Quatre as he drove up onto a concreate platform, which covered most of a clearing in the woods. He parked the car as the two of them stepped out onto the broken concreate, through the grass poking its way through the gaps in the weather worn concreate they could make out a giant letter H in white paint.
"An old helicopter landing pad in the middle of the forest?" asked Dorothy as she placed her hand under her chin and thought about it for a moment. "There must be a reason for it, maybe some old emergency landing area for military or search and rescue choppers out of Belfast."
Quatre never had a chance to answer as suddenly two bright lights turned on from the tree line to their left. Both of them turned their gaze toward it only to see a half hidden shed located within the tree line. Quatre pulled his pistol as he moved toward the weather wore shed, with one fast move he opened it only to discover a staircase heading down into the darkness, as he peered into the darkness the lights turned on as if to invite them down.
"Looks like we have to go that way." answered Dorothy as she pushed past her soon to be husband and moved down the old staircase into the unknown. They moved down maybe a hundred yards before being confronted by an open elevator. The moment the two of them where inside it the doors closed but instead of going straight down, the elevator went down a steep angle.
"I hope this isn't a trap," confide Quatre
"Why would Heero trap us?" inquired Dorothy calmly "He wants peace it doesn't gain him anything if he hurts us."
Once again, Quatre did not have time to answer as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened up to show nothing but pure darkness. The air smelled of salt water and rust as the two of them stepped out onto a concrete walkway, the moment they did the far side of room became bathed in light. Both of their eyes widened as they saw Wing Angel standing there bathed in light. The light bounced off the gundamian armor giving off a shine unlike anything else. Dorothy was the first to notice that Wing Angel wasn't the only suit in the massive bunker, standing beside it was a blue, red and white gundam with shield in its hand and a rifle in the other.
"A second Gundam." Whispered Dorothy amazed to see a second suit standing beside Wing Angel.
"The Force Impulse Gundam." Said a female voice as both of them snapped toward the source to see a woman about their age with short red hair leaning against the metal railing. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans with a white leather jacket over a red shirt. Resting on her hip was a revolver and a combat knife but she did not attempt to go for the weapons. "Developed by Zaft before the Second war and is now in the Orb military as one of the Gundams in Angel Squadron. Did you think Heero would come alone?"
"Yes." Admitted Quatre as he looked at the woman she carried herself like a mobile suit pilot "Your gundam?"
"Yes." laughed the woman before turning to face the two of them with a warm smile and deep violet eyes, eyes that was not naturally possible with that deep of red hair. "I know you don't have any female gundam pilots here but I am one in our universe."
"And you're a coordinator?" stated Dorothy
"Kind of rude to ask that but yes." confirmed the woman "Is that a problem."
"It is a little unsettling," admitted Quatre as Dorothy nodded her head in agreement. "My only really interaction with coordinators is Yzak."
"And from what I heard from Athrun, Yzak can be a cocky jerk." Reported the woman "Trust me we are all not like that, besides in the end we are all human."
"Sorry I never got your name." interrupted Dorothy as the woman smiled.
"Lunamaria but you can call me Luna." answered Luna as she offered her hand to Dorothy who took it at once.
"Dorothy Catalonia and this is Quatre Winner." introduced Dorothy as Luna moved and took Quatre's hand as well.
"Now if you would follow me Heero is waiting in the house." invited Luna with a smile
"The house?" asked Dorothy as Luna smiled at the two of them.
"This is an old military base here but it is still an operational Earth Alliance Base in our world which is why we picked this place." explained Luna as she lead them down toward the lift on the far side of the base "There are three ways into this base one of which leads up into a rental house."
"And Heero is there?" asked Quatre
"He is probably grilling the chicken as we speak." Confirmed Luna as they reached the elevator which followed the same path as the first elevator by going up at a the same angle that the first went down.
"So you know Heero well I am guessing if he trusts you enough to come here with him," offered up Quatre as he stood behind the strange woman in the elevator.
"Yes, I am a vice Admiral in the Orb military and I fought beside him during the second war turning against Zaft for a while in the process." Explained Luna trying to hid her smile and wondering how long she could keep her last name from them but part of her wanted to see their faces when he kissed Heero in front of them.
"I see and Heero has he changed?" asked Quatre
"Everyone changes in the course of nine years but I didn't meet Heero personally until the start of the second war by then he had been in our world for about two years." Explained Luna "I met him when he boarded the Minerva during the Armory one attack but he will go over all it after we eat dinner."
"So how long have you been married to Heero?" asked Dorothy as both Luna's and Quatre's heads snapped toward Dorothy. Quatre blinked at her confused as Luna smiled before laughing a bit confirming Dorothy's words.
"Damn I was hoping to keep that from you until dinner." Laughed Luna as Quatre blinked as he looked at the woman again. "Yes, I have been Lunamaria Yuy for almost 18 months now."
"Yuy?" asked Quatre as he tried to process the new information as he studied this woman again with new eyes.
"Well Relena isn't going to take that news well." confirmed Dorothy "But she will just have to deal with it."
"I was going to ask your help with that in fact." asked Luna "Maybe help introduce me to her and your other friends."
"Introducing you won't be a problem but having them accept you is something totally different." explained Dorothy placed her hand under her chin thinking for a moment "I hate to say this but the fact you're a coordinator isn't going to help and Relena is deeply in love with Heero."
"I understand but first we must end this war before it begins." said Luna as Dorothy stomach growled as the elevator came to a stop as the door opened. Standing in the doorway dressed in blue jeans and a green shirt was Heero.
"Maybe we should eat first. Dinner is ready" Offered Heero as Quatre moved forward and hugged his long lost friend. Heero blinked but took the hug.
"What do you say to a double date?" asked Luna to Dorothy who smiled at the red headed woman.
"of course. Tell me are you free this coming may 5?" asked Dorothy as Luna blinked at the question.
"I think so." Confirmed Luna
"Good, because consider yourselves invited to Quatre's and mine wedding." Offered Dorothy as the four of them moved toward the outdoor patio where a the food was waiting.
"So started Dorothy, Luna said you two meet onboard something called the Minerva?" asked Dorothy as she studied Mr. and Mrs. Yuy. In her mind 's eye, she was comparing Luna to Relena, Luna was slightly taller than Relena, Luna had short bright red hair while Relena's was long and brown. The two women shared very few physical traits. There was also a lot of personal traits which were different between the two of them. Relena was a woman of peace who talked to people to settle differences while this Lunamaria was a pilot of a mobile suit built for war.
"Yes, it was during the armory one attack when a group of Extended stole three experimental mobile suits." reported Luna as she cut into her chicken.
"Extended?" asked Quatre
"The Earth Alliance's attempt to create pilots capable of standing against coordinators, they used child orphans and pumped them full of drugs until they were living weapons." explained Heero as he took a drink of water. "The same Doctors who built the gundams here lead the operation there."
"The attack on Armory One lead to the Break the World event." reported Luna with a lot of sadness in her voice.
"You said something about that in your message, what is it?" asked Quatre as he looked at Heero.
"Operation Meteor." answered Heero in a sadness which he had never heard in Heero's voice before as Quatre's blood turned to ice as he realized what Heero was talking about "They dropped a destroyed colony into the Southern Indian ocean, the resulting tidal wave spread across the world whole cities where destroyed in a single moment. I tried to stop it, but Wing Zero wasn't able to destroy enough of the colony before it impacted."
"Millions died and billions where left homeless. Then the second war started between Naturals and Coordinators. However it was just a set up by a group called Logos who wanted a kill every last coordinator and the head of the Plants who wanted to make world peace by using DNA to decide everyone's destiny from birth." Finished Luna as she shook her head "Luckily both where defeated and now there is peace between the three major nations and Angel Squadron was put in place for all the gundams to join together to make sure the peace holds."
"Like the Preventers." Noted Dorothy with a smile
"Well your preventers only have four gundams plus Zechs, Angel Squadron has double that and we have the Legendary Three." said Luna as she looked toward Heero
"Legendary three, that is the nickname you have to Heero and these other two Kira and Athrun correct?" asked Quatre as he remembered the message Heero had gave them with the photos.
"Correct just a nickname I picked up just like Zechs is the Lightening Count." explained Heero as they kept eating and talking.
Well I hope you liked this chapter and the interaction between everyone. Soon everyone will meet and until that time I ask that you keep reading. Thanks Wilkins75
