Author's note; Before I start this chapter, I thought I'd actually request some reviews. Love23 usually reviews every chapter, but why leave it all upto her? there are three pages beyond this, please! Review! I love reading them!
On with the story;
I roared my fury at her escape, and slashed my glaive a few times before I set it on my back.
"Are you guys ready to go!" I yelled after a moment of simmering in fury. Warlock had already begun to disengage, V2 separated into it's two separate people.
Are you alright? I wasn't sure who was asking, Logan or Mimic, but I wasn't in the mood to talk. I teleported the rest of the contingent, including Logan back to PeaceMillion.
He tried to grab a hold of me, and bring me back too, but I wasn't in the mood for his games. I just wanted to go to sleep.
Do you ever sleep? I asked. Mimic said nothing.
Exactly what you said. We go to sleep.
I sighed and leaned further against the glass.
All Six. Crystal will be happy. Maybe I ought to join Preventer...
No brother. The game is over. We'll see what happens next.
I stood up and sighed.
I was, naturally, in the hydroponics bay. She was on MOIV. None of the sensors said so, but I know where my mind is at.
It was night time. Everyone onboard the ship slept. I should have, but now was the time to do this. Not X, not even Mey would expect me to do this. About midnight, I was hanging out near colony X5, and had the modified communicator finished.
X5 was located as far as I could get from my brother. He might be able to hear this. I had taken my normal communicator and modified it so that anyone who thought on my brainwave frequency would hear it, weather or not they had communications equipment. My brother might be able to hear some of it.
"Timat, can you hear me?"
Above PeaceMillion the next morning, floated the wreckage of the Omega. There were actually only three marks on her, and only one had struck close enough to kill her pilot.
It fell to me to notify the next of kin as it always did.
"Commander Lady Une of Preventer to Preventer TallMage, Extara Rain... X, are you there?"
I heard a sigh. "I'm here Commander."
We cremated Eve, and scattered her ashes over the hills of our home. Ally was with me, Crystal, Logan, Mey, Lady... Most of Preventer was there.
"She told me her game was over," I said, trembling. I had lost her again.
We had begun repairs to Omega, of course, but they would take awhile. Gundanium cuts were not easy fixes. Odds are, I'd have to forge entire new chest plates. Or maybe breast plates, considering the pains my sister had gone to make Omega a woman.
Well sister? What are we gonna do now that you're no longer here to Pilot her?
"She may be dead, but she died in punishing those who would break the rules." I vaguely wondered where that phrase had come from. "She may be dead, but she wouldn't want any of us to cry as she has... for wherever she is, I know she lives on."
I could almost hear my sister saying to me, And don't you know it brother!
Lady Une assigned Wufie and Sally to Z12 when Ally refused to go back without me, they had a pretty good cover, I admit, as newlyweds. Oh, wait, that wasn't a cover, they were newlyweds. In the time it had taken to gather Eve's small army, Wufie and Sally had gotten married. It was a bit of a trip out to MO4.
Crystal was having mixed emotions. Happy for her aunt and uncle who had finally hooked up after two lifetimes for her, sad that she had had to fight her uncle, and her suits sister, but mostly confused.
Duo, Trowa, Quatre and their ladies were rather clueless, except they all knew that Timat was an enemy. Tarrot kept watch if only because he needed to watch his sister and her husband. Hiro and Relena were on the rounds again as the Diplomats. They help when they can.
Rho, however, had a request to make of me.
"X Rain, Pilot of the Tall Mage?"
I didn't respond as I looked out into the stars. If you don't know where I am, you haven't been paying attention. "Hey X!" Ally said. "Are you Rho?"
"I am indeed Watcher Rho."
"What do you need Rho?"
"I hold a message for Extara Rain from his sister."
"Eve's dead Rho." I stated sadly.
"Eve is indeed dead in the way of the physical body, but Eve now has two separate bodies, Gundanium bodies. Eve requested me, as the receiver of her memories, to request that you, her brother, identify yourself to the Omega once she was repaired."
"Identify himself? And what do you mean about Eve having two Gundanium bodies?" Ally asked Rho, but my mind was already thinking in hyper mode. Two Gundanium bodies?
"Timat...?" I said, and looked over my shoulder at the being who was known as a Watcher, the one named Rho. He nodded. "She...?!" I asked, my heart in my throat. He only nodded. "Omega!" I moved.
I couldn't help but stare at the screen in front of me. Hundreds of scenarios I had thought possible, and it was the one that I had never even considered.
I was pregnant.
Hiro came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
I looked into his eyes.
You knew? he nodded.
"A daughter?"
"In that timeline, we had a daughter. The timeline has shifted dramatically, not even Crystal knows what this child will be."
"Crystal... Yuy?" Hiro nodded, smiling.
My daughter...?
I sat in the mess hall, Mimic sitting comfortably on my neck, my sword at my waist, and my glaive at my back. I had an excellent view of Hiro and Relena entering the room hands held tightly.
I looked at my mother, and saw recognition in her eyes. I smiled broadly.
"Mom, Dad, care to join me?"
"Crystal Yuy, why didn't you tell me earlier?" she asked me as she sat down across from me.
"Dad, why don't you go get you and your lady some food, and give us some semblance of privacy?" He nodded. He caught my eye and nodded again. I nodded back to him, she knew her condition.
"Mostly because of this." I said, laying my hand on my mother's stomach. "I am not this, Mother, because this child will have it's mother and father, and while nothing I have done has changed your specific timeline, Hiro is alive now. The fact is, I never grew up with a father. The fact is, I never really had you. You two are soulmates Relena, When he died, you quit living. Remember, I told you that your daughter found you..." she gasped. I only nodded.
"I am so sorry Crystal."
"Mom, a life without your other half, having tasted it, cannot be defined as a life. I got the short end of that stick. Just promise me one thing?"
"Anything."
"Don't stop at one." I said, looking into her eyes to make sure she understood me. She nodded, her eyes as deadly serious as mine. "And also, don't give her my name. Noin had actually named me, you can think of something better for your first born." I stood and gathered my dishes. "Talk to you later Mom." I said, and the fled before I broke down.
I struggled slowly to consciousness, memories and voices emerging along the way.
-Flash!-
And what do you think Timat? I asked the mobile suit with my own intelligence.
That you have made an appropriate decision by ending this now. I said nothing. You know you can't beat me in a fight Eve.
I do. I acknowledged. I will not be able to win. When three pilot a double suit, that will herald your doom.
-Flash!-
NameGenderageDescription of defect. Sera BarnesFemale17Glandular Problem resulting in retarded development of body.
Name: Sera Barnes
Gender: F
Age: 17
Description of Defect;
Glandular Problem resulting in retarded development of body.
Address: L2
-Flash!-
Skating behind my brother. Up the gray wall...
-Flash!-
My brother approaching behind me, his chair soundless, and at the same time too loud. "Can I trust them with my suit, brother?"
-Flash!-
"Gundam Omega, Identify Pilot Extara Rain." I looked down and saw...
My brother.
The head of Omega turned to look at me. Having hung out too much with the gears, I wasn't... too freaked in seeing this, but then she opened her cockpit, and put her hand on the ground. I rolled into it, and she lifted me to cockpit level. I looked in, and saw all the cockpit controls a normal person would need recede into a bay like my chair interfaces with in the Tall Mage.
I turned my chair around and backed into the port.
Omega interfaced with my chair just like Tall Mage did.
"It's about time you showed up brother."
"Eve?!" I said, not quite believing my ears.
"Well, sort of. I took a quick look at the gear technology, and figured out how to transfer my entire soul over to Omega. I'm not completely sure how successful the transfer was, but I'm counting on you brother. You know me better than anyone else. I can't tell how far I might have been warped by this."
"No problem, sister."
"Now, we have a new mission. You'll be piloting me, brother, but I have a new pilot in mind for your Tall Mage."
"Who?"
"Her name is Sera Barnes. She is a very special person."
"How special?"
"She has a twin as well brother."
I turned my hat around and kicked my staff high into the sky. I caught it behind my back and twirled it four times. I looked out through my sunglasses at my three friends. Kay had a battle axe, Akito had two swords, and Gene held a glaive.
I stood in patience. The glaive was thrust to my left, I knocked it off it's path, and used the other end of Akito's second blade, his first never came near me. Kay was my favorite sparring partner, because she actually came up with original attacks, so while the four of us would spar, Kay and I would truly battle.
I happened to win this time, and offered my friend a hand up.
"Excellent Kay! How did you pull that double cut off?"
"Eh, it's all in the wrist," Kay said modestly.
"Sera Barnes?" A guy in a wheel chair asked. I switched my hat forward and looked at him over my glasses. He wasn't a threat, but he was a pilot.
"What can I help you with Pilot of the Tall Mage?" I turned to my friends. "I'll give ya'll a call later, K?"
"Roger that."
"Peace Sera, see you at School."
"Watch out Sera, K?" Kay said to me.
"I can handle X Rain. Don't worry, I'll call you later."
"All right then. Live long and prosper." She said, giving me the normal hand sign.
"Peace," I said in response. I then sat down on a bench. X came over to me. "So what would the Pilot of the Tall Mage want with a normal teenage girl?"
"Nothing. You are not a normal Teenage girl."
"Translation?"
He presented me with a palm print. I set my hand on it, and it analyzed me.
"Ninety percent match." I said quietly.
"To who?"
"Does the Name Hiro Yuy mean anything to you?"
"The legend, or the pilot?"
"Some would argue that the pilot is a legend. I happen to be referring to both though."
"What game are you playing X?"
"Well, the legend is your father, and the pilot is your brother."
"And you can prove this?"
"Maybe." I looked at my watch. Then I looked again, a classic double-take. I was just reaching for my com when Eve started talking.
"Brother have you found her yet?"
Sera raised her elegant eyebrow in question.
"Omega, when is Hiro going to be here?"
"If you leave now, you'll meet him coming out of Queen Zero."
"Cool. Later Omega." I looked to Sera, and asked her; "Shall we?"
She shrugged and followed me out of the park.
I admit I didn't believe she had actually existed. Mimic and I were with my folks for a bit of quality time. On L2, Relena had some business with the governor. Hiro was along for her, I was along because X suggested I should. Something interesting would happen, he said.
When he came up to us, I took one look at her and thought to myself;
"Brother?"
"Sister!"
I was too used to accepting things as they came, but when I saw the Pilot of Wing Zero less than ten feet from me... He looked so familiar.
My first response was pure instinct.
"Brother?"
"Sister!" he exclaimed. Then he hugged me.
"Your girlfriend is going to be jealous, Hiro." I could call him by his name when I wasn't looking at him.
"My wife won't be. What is your name, sister?" He asked as he took a step back from me.
"My name is Sera Barnes. Sera Yuy, I suppose."
"Relena Yuy, My sister Sera." I looked at him, because he actually pronounced my name right. Then I caught the last name of his Lady.
"Relena? Queen Relena Yuy?"
"Vice Foreign Minister Darlyn-Yuy." Relena corrected firmly. "A pleasure to meet you Sera. Hiro, you take your sister, and do something... siblingly... I have to go talk to the governor. Crystal, X, would you two please come with me?"
"I'm there." X called.
The young lady called Crystal nodded softly, still looking at me. "We'll meet later." She said, and then walked over by the door. I wondered vaguely why she had a glaive.
"His sister was alive?" I asked X. as we walked through City Hall behind Relena.
"For the past seventeen years."
"It hurts to know I never got to meet my other true aunt."
"Ms. Relena!" Relena smiled.
"Actually, my name is now Mrs. Yuy." she said as she took a seat across from the Governor.
"Mrs. Yuy?" she asked. My mother folded her hands across her chest, her ring very prominent.
"Mrs. Relena Darlyn-Peacecraft-Yuy. I got married on the twenty eighth. My husband is Hiro Yuy."
"The one you've been waiting for, eh?" Relena nodded. "Good for you girl, and congratulations." Relena smiled, a small hint of evil in that smile, obviously thinking about the child with in her.
"You have some other good news Ms. Relena." X said. Relena looked over to X, and gave him a Death Glare that would have done her husband proud.
"Something important, I suppose." Madame Governor said.
"Hiro and I are expecting our first child." You should have seen the governor's face!!! I did all I could to remain as stoic as my father would have been in my place, but it was a losing battle. I smiled at her response.
"Well that was quick."
Sera Barnes, AKA Sera Yuy, Sister to pilot, daughter to legend.
While most teenagers believed they could do anything, Sera truly could. Dr. J had sent her to an L2 orphanage, in the hopes she would avoid the war. He got his wish as much as it was possible, after all; she hadn't found her heritage.
Until I began to search.
I interacted with computers like they do, I was after all a human computer. Even so, the search took awhile. I had to reference, cross-reference, and finally had it narrowed down to about ten girls. L2 seemed likely, and that narrowed it down to three.
The resemblance between Sera and Hiro wouldn't be noticed by anyone unless they were looking for it, like I was. She had the same dark hair, though she wore it long, the same natural grace, though she preferred to use that in gymnastics.
I had chosen her to pilot the Tall Mage. If not handled just right, Hiro could end up losing his sister again. so I had to ask her to pilot my brother's suit.
That would come later though.
My sister was alive. Had I grown up with her, would I be who I now was? Probably not.
"C'mon bro, I want to see if you can stand against me." she had said, and then dragged me to a practice court, where she tossed me a staff and then picked up one herself.
"I'm actually better with a sword."
"Very well." she said, and grabbing a practice sword, tossed me one. I handed back her staff, and we went to the middle of the room and bowed to each other.
Sera and I fought a duel, she might have been at a disadvantage, but she was good. Much better than I had given her credit for.
"Did you ever try to pilot a mobile suit?" I asked as I had her body to body for a moment. she thrust forward, and automatically brought her staff around towards my head. I leaped back, and brought the hilt of my sword into her gut. She parried.
"Yeah, right. You're the pilot." she said, smiling as she took a leap away from me.
"Actually, we both are. Dr J, the creator of my first suit, Wing Gundam... Well, I'll let you read what we have of his logs. X found you?"
"Yeah, but I get the impression that he had help. Couldn't tell you who though."
I nodded. "His sister Eve."
"The pilot of Omega?!"
"The former pilot of Omega. She died recently."
"How?"
"Timat."
"Does X have another sister?"
"I don't know."
"Hmmm..." She then made three lightning fast moves. I sluggishly blocked the first two, but the last one threw me fifteen feet.
"I yield for now. C'mon."
"Where are we going?"
"Queen zero."
"Is that a new mobile suit?"
"Of course not. A bit before Christmas, I was hired by Preventer and assigned as Relena's bodyguard. I needed to be able to work on the Queen, and be out in space in Zero. So Howard combined Zero and Queen. I call it Queen Zero to save myself some trouble."
"Cool."
Ally was worried.
If you're so worried about him, give him a call!
I can't.
And why not? I waited for a moment while she tried to think of an actual reason, and nothing that sounded like an excuse. You see, just call him! I said, picking up the com from my waist.
Pit it down Rae.
No! CALL HIM!
Ally retreated. She didn't need me to tell her what she needed to do... but she was buggin' me recently. I don't think she has ever even seen his chair, she looks at him as a fellow person, same (basic) way she looks at me.
But I see them BOTH! I see the lines that connect X to both suits, Tall Mage and Omega, and to Timat as well. I see the connections between X and Mey, between Ally and everyone. Ally is a pure soul, much hidden, but by no means is she innocent, after all, she can read peoples thoughts.
I see the connections between X and Ally. I can see three easily. First is the friendship that holds pure souls optimistic at heart. Second was the friendship forged in the search of my mobile suit.
The third one is the Soulmate principal.
I haven't told her, after all, I'm just a third wheel in the relationship.
I'm trying to find away out of this relationship that connects me to Ally. I went off in search of Crystal. No, she's on L2... Well, I guess I'll track down Logan or Mey.
I found my father and his sister lounging around in the main room.
"Aunt Sera." I nodded to them.
Her response made me glad she hadn't been drinking anything when I spoke.
"And just who are you?"
"My name is Crystal Yuy, daughter to Hiro Yuy and Relena Darlyn-Peacecraft-Yuy, I was born in the year AC 198, as in later this year. I piloted Wing Zero Custom through the Time Slide to now, to make the future better than the one I came from."
"Where is WZC?"
"I'm here to spend some quality time with my parents. Besides, I don't pilot that suit anymore. Now I am the pilot of Mimic."
"I haven't heard of that suit." Sera said. I felt Mimic's indignation grow.
"Now you've done it." I sighed, just before Mimic started preaching.
"That's because I aint no stinkin' mobile suit! I'm a gear!"
"Allow me to introduce to you, Aunt Sera, my gear, named Mimic, is Artificially Intelligent. She's bound to me, to my soul." I had Mimic surround me.
"Sera, never call me or my siblings suits. The four of us are gears." Mimic stood down as X and Relena came in.
"There are four of you?"
"Sort of."
"You don't want to know." I said. "We'll introduce you to Shooting star and Vision later. Which reminds me, how soon will you be ready to leave Mom?"
"Ummm... Good question..." she said, furiously typing on her laptop.
Hiro was looking at her, his head tilted to the side.
The governor said she would help us any way she could, I knew I was right to choose her.
Glad to hear it. Now may I point out that while we are already home, the others here-
What about your sister?
I almost laughed out loud."You gonna come with us Sera?" Hiro asked his sister.
"PeaceMillion? When will I be able to get back?"
"When do you want to be back? Any of the three gears available can get you back within minutes." Crystal stated.
"Sure."
"We can take off any time then." I said.
You also misspelled blockader.
"You want to look at Star in order to try and find a way to put yourself...?"
"That's about right."
"Where is Ally in all of this?"
"She's sleeping right now. Look, can you help me or not?"
"Give me some time to think about it, all right?"
"Sure, catch you later." she said and then walked away.
To be honest Logan, I don't know what to think. It'd be nice if we could keep Darkness on this side for a while... But what Rae is thinking of... it makes me wonder. We have to talk to the others before we even consider it. When'll Crystal be back?
Depends on how long they want to be gone.
"So should we go home fast or slow?" I asked everyone present.
"Fast would be nice." My mom said.
"Only if you'll take us just short of PeaceMillion." Hiro added.
"My suit." X stated.
No worries.
"No worries she tells me."
"All for it. Give me a couple minutes though." X said, and left the room.
I heard him make a call to someone he suspiciously called Omega. He then returned and I teleported X, the princess, the two clones, myself, my gear, and the Queen Zero to the space around PeaceMillion, and Omega to her slot.
"X, come with me please."
Well, I ought to be surprised it took her this long, as well as she seems to know me.
"What's up, niece?"
"I'm going to ask you some questions, all of which are true or false. You are going to answer them." she said, sitting in the chair behind Relena's desk.
"True." She smiled at me.
"Your sister, my aunt... her body was killed by the Gundam Timat."
"True."
"If Eve ever worked with a computer system, she automatically understood every aspect of said system, true?"
"True." I said with a slight nod.
"She has had conversations with both Rho and Mimic?"
"True."
"Eve isn't dead, is she?"
"That's both true and false," he said with a smile.
"All right. Eve moved her soul into Omega."
"True."
"And you want my new Aunt to Pilot her?"
"False."
"Omega?" He shook his head. "Tall Mage."
"False."
"Then why-?"
"I don't want her piloting Tall Mage, that was my sister's Idea."
"Aunt Eve?"
"Unlike me, my sister always has a plan. What that plan entails... Well. Since the death of her body, I still feel like a part of me died, and we can't speak mind to mind anymore. We were never a souled-team after all, like you and Mimic. Anyways, she only rarely tells me what's going through her head. I know she has a reason, just what...?" I shrugged.
"So, I guess I need to talk to her then."
I was having the time of my life, though I think Wufie would have rather been almost anywhere else... as long as I was with him. I looked at my husband and smiled. He was scowling at me, and like always, I was smiling at him.
"Tell me why we had to come here of all places for our honeymoon?"
"Because, due to Timat's rampage, we can't truly afford to take time off from the Preventers. You have to admit, Lady Une was rather understanding."
"Hmp." he said, looking out of the carrier that held our two suits. Lady Une had allowed us to take our honeymoon as long as we took our suits with us. The good news about this, we didn't need to waste money on a place to stay, though Ally did offer us her hanger.
"Why then did we choose Z12?"
"You were given a choice of missions Wufie..." I leaned towards him and put my arms around him. The only word to describe the sound Wufie made was a purr as I kissed his neck. He put his hand on mine as he responded to my touch.
"I do love you so much..." I could only smile and kiss him.
Dyne truly was a magnificent beast, I thought to myself as I admired Tarrot's mobile suit.
Indeed.
"Not particularly. I was just admiring him." I said aloud.
"Well Lady Darlyn, how are you doing today?" I reached over and took my husbands hand.
If I'm with you, Zechs, it's a wonderful day. Just because we are both here to share it.
He put his arms around me and gave me a soft kiss.
I thought that it was nice to have a Soulmate. Tarrot agreed completely.
"Did I hear that X had found Hiro's sister?" I asked Tarrot.
"Actually it was Eve." Quatre said as he and Dorothy walked toward us.
"Mr. and soon-to-be-Mrs. Winner." I said with as nod.
"Quatre, Dorothy." Tarrot said. "What's up?"
"A meeting has been called up above. All the pilots." I looked to Dorothy.
"I'll be waiting down here. In fact, Kathy, Hilde and I were going shopping... as soon as they get here."
"As soon as who gets here Dorothy?" a near silent voice asked.
The pilot of HeavyArms stood in the door, on his left arm was his wife Kathy.
"All we are waiting for now is Duo and Hilde." Quatre said.
We all heard Duo's laughter as DeathScythe lit up and took off. Hilde walked over and smiled.
I raised my eyebrow.
A bit of a show off, eh? I asked. Hilde explained his actions.
"Duo feels, and I agree, this coming battle will decide... Everything. And he believes that that is what this meeting is about... The final battle."
I nodded. I then turned and gave Tarrot a kiss, and then climbed into Angels' Tear. I watched in wonder as DeathScythe, Dyne, SandRock, and HeavyArms took off into space for PeaceMillion. I followed them.
I could not help myself. After I kissed Hilde good bye, I took off to have a head start on the other four. Logan was up on PeaceMillion, Ally waiting with him and Mey. Crystal was with her folks and X. It's a true bummer that Eve died. Noin told me about Warlock, and I would have liked to see that suit in action.
I looked forward to seeing V2 fight.
This other suit, Darkness... I wondered about her. Noin told me that what she could see of the suit was about as tall as Vision, but with much more power than Vision. Comparable from the recording of Zero taking on Nataku, Darkness simply has us outclassed.
I imagine Warlock, V2 and the other gears would be required to take out Darkness...
"But with Omega pilot less...?"
"Who said she doesn't have a pilot?" Ally asked me in the bay as I climbed out of DeathScythe.
"She does then, who?"
"X."
"Then who's taken care of the Tall Mage?"
"X is looking into that."
I knew he was, but I was still worried, about X, his sister, and the purposed pilot of the Tall Mage.
Well, Hiro's sister is capable of piloting the suit, even the joint suit of Warlock.
But what about her mind?
It'd be shredded. I rolled my eyes.
I was waiting for them in the bay. Hiro was wise to show his guest the earth, having never seen it before, she still needed to know what she was protecting... Or would be protecting, should she choose to pilot.
She will not pilot Tall Mage.
How do you know? I asked as the bay doors opened.
Because, in order to pilot Warlock with any level of effectiveness, the pilots have to be at least telepathic. The two pilots have to work as one. The only person X was truly able to do that with was his sister, but she's dead. Now, there is only one person he can pilot that well with.
Personally, I have a better Idea for Sera's place in this story. Rae said as X descended the gangplank.
"Hey X." I said, afraid, almost, that...
He rolled over to me, a tentative smile on his lips. "I'm sorry I deserted you, but you will be amazed when you find out what has happened!" Crystal was walking across with a young woman.
Sera Yuy, seems to me.
X spots me looking at her. "Hey Sera," He said, calling her over. the two young women walk over. "Sera, this is Ally and Rae Vio. Ally, Rae, this is Sera..."
"Barnes, for now. It's who I've been all of my life." X nodded. "What do you mean Ally and Rae?"
"My name is Ally, a pure soul and a telepath."
"My name is Rae, I pilot the Ultima." She said, nodding to her mobile suit.
"You tell us apart by our eyes. My eyes, as you can see, are black. Rae's eyes are red.
"Now, if you'll excuse us," I said, putting my hand on X's shoulder, "We have reservations on earth."
"Shall we?" Crystal asked.
"Please."
"Have a good time." Crystal said, and placed X, myself, and the Tall Mage down in the bay in the Sank Fortress.
Hilde, Dorothy and Kathy were debating where they were going to go shopping, to get around them, we silently made our way up the second elevator.
"Where's Tarrot?"
"They have a meeting."
"Who?"
"Not us, we have other things we need to do."
"Such as?"
"Dinner!" I said with some asperity.
He reached over and took my hand. "Thank you Ally. I owe you a lot."
"Hey, it's no big deal." I said with a smile.
"Ally had bailed herself and X of this meeting."
"Why?" Duo asked.
"She said she wanted some time alone with him to rake him over the coals for leaving her here to go find Sera."
"She really felt she should have been with him?" Hiro asked from where he stood against the wall.
"After all, it's not like he was alone." Crystal said, and then looked shocked, and snapped her mouth shut.
"Who was with him?" I asked. She shook her head and reached over her shoulder to scratch her back. "Hmmm..."
I sat at the head of the table, Tarrot sat next to me, Noin on his other side. Next to her sat Trowa, silently contemplating the pattern on the table in front of him. Duo was relaxing with his feet on the table on the far end of that side. Quatre sat at the other end, with Sally, Wufie, Mey and Logan across from Duo, Trowa, Noin and Tarrot respectively. Crystal and Hiro stood next to each other by the door.
"So where is your sister?"
"Sera is with Relena." Hiro said.
"Good. Now, give me the status of all the mobile suits."
"Zero and WZC are in working order." Hiro said.
"I'm online and Ready to go." Mimic spoke up.
"The God of Death is ready to attack."
"Heavy Arms is in working order."
"Star is ready."
"Vision and V2 are ready to rock."
"Dyne is ready to rumble."
"Tear is ready for sniping."
"As is Heart."
"Nataku is ready."
"SandRock is functioning perfectly."
"And Ally tells me that Ultima and Tall Mage are both working. How we can summon Warlock minus one pilot..."
"I wouldn't worry yet." Crystal said.
"Why not?"
"There are plans in motion that you have no clue about. X's sister still has plans in motion, and they will bear fruit." I raised my eyebrow. "You are asking me? I never understood my aunt, especially since she had never finished her game. As X will tell you, the Eve from this time line did finish it."
"I'm sorry, but what game was she playing?" She sighed.
"In order." She raised her eyebrow, I nodded. "Trowa, Quatre, Duo, Tarrot, Hiro, and Wufie. Now what was the game?"
"Kathy, Dorothy, Hilde, Noin, Relena, and Sally." I said, uncomprehending.
"If you can't figure it out, I am not going to tell you." I rolled my eyes.
"Anyway. Do we have any clue as to where Timat, Trace and Lindsey/Darkness might be?"
"The last place you will ever consider looking." Crystal said. "MOIV," she said when I looked at her.
"Why would you believe them to be on MOIV, it's the last place they were?" Wufie asked, fully condescending.
"Because, logic dictates if your enemy knows where you are, don't stay there. They are still there, because that is their home court." Crystal told her uncle.
"Because it's their move." Hiro added.
"So we are to wait until they attack us?" I asked.
"If we go after them, we'll be in their element, and if I were them, I'd have mines all across MOIV space by now." Hiro said. "Lindsey will not wait long, but she will wait long enough."
"For what?"
"X."
"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?"
"Not me." Hiro said, and walked out of the room. Logan shook his head. Mey shrugged her shoulders. Everyone else was simply confused.
"Not me." Crystal said. "Not yet. Just you guys be ready." she said, and then followed Hiro.
"Eve isn't dead, is she?" Crystal shook her head. "She has a plan?"
"When has she not?"
"Any clue what it entails?"
"Another pilot for the Tall Mage, beyond that, I have no clue."
"What happened between Ally and X in your future?" Hiro asked completely monotone.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" He asked, out of monotone.
"Notta thing. It's really very strange."
"Why is that?"
"Because of what Rae told me." she said, and walked away. For once, I was confused.
X and Ally had their romantic dinner for two, and then retreated to his quarters on PeaceMillion.
If they would actually made love to each other, I could understand it, but I can't. They are Soulmates for crying out loud, and all they are doing is cuddling! I rolled my minds eye and went to sleep.
When I woke, they were both asleep. Careful not to wake him, I extracted myself from the bed, and took a look at my clothes. At least she had sense enough to wear shorts, it was warm on PeaceMillion.
Or maybe that was just in his quarters.
Anyway, with Ally asleep naturally, I wanted to get to Logan and Crystal. They were in bay 13, aft. Practicing.
"Hey... Ummm..." Logan said, when he couldn't see my eyes.
"Hello Aunt Rae. Logan told me about your request."
"And?"
"I admit to some distinct curiosity." I smiled.
"Ally and X are soulmates, they shouldn't have to deal with multiple personalities. If I can transfer myself-"
"Not into our sister!" Mimic almost shrieked.
"No, of course not. Into Ultima." Crystal, Logan, and their gears were totally confused. "Ultima is my suit, Ally can't pilot that well at all. But she CAN pilot Warlock. If we have V2, and warlock, not to mention the powers I'll be able to reach, Timat won't be a challenge, and that leaves you two to take out Lindsey.
"And Let me tell you something," I turned to face them as I was leaving the bay. "There is already a pilot for your sister, she is already on PeaceMillion. The strands of fate are already vibrating, I can feel and see them."
And so it came to pass. When I awoke, I felt lonely, and half empty. I found myself in the mobile suit bay, Logan and Crystal stood nearby.
"Logan... Crystal? Why do I feel so bad?" They exchanged a look.
"It's all right Ally, you'll be fine in a day or so." I didn't recognize the voice, and it wasn't Mimic or Vision. I looked around, slowly, because I was in a lot of pain, but I didn't see anyone else.
"Who are you?"
"Humph! Trust you not to recognize a voice you've only heard before in your head."
"Rae? Where are you?" I asked as my eyes drifted shut against the light of the bay. A mobile suit reached down and picked me up.
"X is on his way down here Ally, you'll be fine."
But Rae... "Rae, where are you, and why do I feel...?"
"I should have given you a thirty day notice, shouldn't I have?" I looked up to the head of the mobile suit that held me. It was the Ultima.
Ultima? Rae? "Rae...?"
"You don't need me anymore Ally. You have another Soulmate that will help you to heal."
"Ally?!" X yelled out as he approached in his chair.
But Rae?
"I'll always be here for you," she said as she set me down on the hover cart present. I fainted then.