A stout, thickly built but balding man in a soft grey suit sat at the large black desk, a half drunk glass of whiskey in one stubby hand, a mobile phone in the other. The look on his face was of concentration, but also of slight irritation. His brow was crinkled together and he made several attempts to get a word in with the person on the other end of the phone. A momentary pause gave him the 'in' he needed.
"Yes, yes. I heard that too. It's on the…" he rebutted, "I…well, what the hell did you expect? He's insane. …Yes, I know that. But…"
The door to the office opened, and a tall slender man with a pencil-thin mustache entered. He wore a neatly pressed suit of dark blue, carrying a single silver laptop in his spindly hands. His hair was dark black and slicked back with a wet sheen.
"Mr. Jenko?" he asked. Jenko waved him in. He quickly sat down and daintily set the laptop on the desk in front of the larger man, who glanced up, then down again.
"Gotta go. …Yeah, we'll talk in a few. Bye." Jenko turned off the phone and set it on the desk, then took a swig of whiskey and exhaled.
"Is that it, Dave?" The taller man smiled quickly in response and said, "Yes sir, all there." Large hands spun the device around, opened it up, and turned it on. It woke from 'sleep mode' and immediately displayed a set of figures and documents.
Jenko chuckled. "We got 'em, Dave; the communication files, the balances, the documents…everything. Aznable is screwed. His whole operation is finished. The facility, the colony, the election, the drill, they're all right here." Jenko looked up and lifted his eyebrows. "You, uh, backed it up, right?"
Dave nodded. "Yes sir; saved it off-site in a secure spot too. We sent it to just the right person."
"Who?"
"Let's say it's in good hands. No chance for it to be destroyed. Even if we were…"
Dave never finished his sentence. Nor did he or Jenko have any clue what ended them that moment. The energy blast which engulfed the entire complex vaporized everything. And little could Jenko or his assistant have known, the very act of opening the laptop gave their coordinates to the death beam which incinerated them.
The automobile looked to be traveling a steady pace down the highway, when it unexpectedly jerked to the right, veered across two lanes, and made a barely capable exit onto the off ramp. Accelerating up to the cross-road, it turned left and peeled down the street.
"And you're on your way back?" Sayla asked excitedly, hitting the 'speakerphone' button on her car audio system, transferring the phone call to the vehicle cabin. "Amuro?"
"Yes." came her husband's voice, slightly tinny, "We have them, and we're heading back. They're injured, but not badly."
Sitting in the back seat, Shiro sat forward, gripping the two front seats by the corners. "How's my daughter, General?"
"Broken leg, simple break. She'll be fine. How soon can you meet us?"
"We're fifteen minutes." blurted Aina.
"Be careful!" said Christina worriedly, also seated in the back seat, "We'll…we'll see you back here."
"Will do." Amuro assured her, "And we have data on what the hell we were attacked by, but we're still not sure what it was. See you in fifteen."
High above the surface of the Earth, a vehicle emerged from the bay of a rotating orbital station. The station was enormous, but the vehicle was small. Just a personal shuttle carrier. Room for fifty. It set course for the Moon, its first stop on its way to Mars, and began accelerating.
On board, Henrietta Zalon, sat with the briefcase tucked beneath her seat. She relaxed as inertia subsided and the flight attendants began delivering drinks. It would be a 12 hour journey to the Moon, then another 3 day trip to the Mars colony. Luckily, she'd be asleep for the longer leg. She hated space trips. They were always monotonous things. But she had to get to the colony in time to make preparations. No good letting Mr. Aznable lose when there was no reason for him not to win. And then…victory for Newtypes!
She checked her messages as the shuttle cleared Earth orbit. Good. Target number one eliminated. And on schedule, too. Idiots. Why did they think Char wouldn't have known about the leaked data? Of course he was right. The corrupt bastards tried to betray him. And this is what happens when people double-cross Char. "And me." She thought with a smirk of self-satisfaction.
The flight attendant took her order and poured her drink. She sat back and exhaled. The Federation had grown corrupt, gargantuan, infesting itself in every aspect of people's lives: surveillance, limitations, rules, controls. Newtypes were registered, guarded, analyzed. Probed. Violated.
A spike of rage filled Henrietta's mind, then passed. "No more." she soothed herself, then took a sip. Chilled. Perfect. It matched her heart quite well.
The Earth grew smaller and smaller on her personal monitor. Soon she'd be on the Moon. Attend to some 'clean-up', verify a few things, then on to Mars, and the Future! "The future of Newtypes!"
The thought comforted her like a loved blanket and she chuckled softly to herself.
The three mobile suits were landing just as Sayla, Christina and the Amadas ran onto the second-level balcony of the bay. Nobody was permitted on the ground floor of the bay when retrieval procedures were in place. First to land was Kyoshi's suit, then Rachel's, and finally Amuro's. The bay itself had no trouble accommodating the, as it was large enough to handle four mobile suit landings at a time, and implemented both real time-triangulatory and magnetic guidance systems, which ensured that even a heavily damaged suit could land safely, as long as the pilot was able to drop its speed low enough. Failing that, standard net-catching procedures could still be put in place.
The suits opened and the five occupants lowered on the landing rails: Amuro from his own suit, and the other four paired up. Medical personnel rushed to Tem and Irina's aide, bringing a wheelchair for Irina. Engineers immediately swarmed the three suits like ants on a slice of fruit, poking and plugging and prodding as they extracted data and attached power umbilical and support cabling. Tem looked up at them as he was attended to, fascinated that relatively tiny things like as human beings could build such mechanical titans. A cry of happiness broke his attention.
Having found their way to the bay floor after the landing was complete, Shiro and Aina were greeting their daughter, even as she was being wheeled into the medical facility. Christina and Rachel embraced, and a few quiet words were exchanged regarding the 'news' Chris had found out about her only child. As if to assure her mother, Rachel reached out for Tem and put an arm around his waist, pulling him next to her and kissing him on the cheek. Tem gently turned her face and gave her a full kiss on the lips.
Standing next to Tem, Kyoshi wanted to go with the Amadas to see Irina into surgery for her leg (and other injuries), but knew that his place was with the suits, filing a preliminary report and reporting to any superiors requesting a debriefing. A twinge of sadness passed over him at the sight of her being hovered over by her mother and father. Nobody would greet him like that again since… He allowed himself a moment to think back on his own parents.
Happy, fun-loving, energetic, sometimes arguing, but more often playful, at the center of who they were, Nina and Kou Uraki were optimists. Even with life stacked against them, they were always willing to see life as 'good'. And they'd been through enough in life to prove it: Operation Stardust, Anaval Gato, Kou's court martial, the disaster at the Colorado base, Nina's unexpected layoff from Anaheim, the death of Kyoshi's little sister Lucette (a childhood drowning accident), Nina's cancer scare, nearly losing Kyoshi himself to a rare infection. So much anguish.
Yet to think the two lovers had faced everything together, everything, which could have embittered them. And they still found a reason to go on enjoying life; only for that one drunk driver to end it all for both of them three years ago. And on their wedding anniversary at that. Never mind that the other driver was killed too. That just robbed Kyoshi the chance to see the asshole punished. Anger burned within him. He knew it wouldn't ever flame out.
"Life's such a bitch." Kyoshi grumbled under his breath, scowling.
"What?" said Tem offhandedly, as Sayla hugged him, relieved that her son was alive and mostly uninjured.
"I said it's a bitch."
A tech handed him a tablet to complete his flight info on. He hooked it up to his suit, let the information download from suit to tablet, and signed his name. He heard footsteps behind him.
"Uraki." Amuro said.
"Sir." the brooding pilot replied. Amuro pitched his voice so that only Kyoshi could hear it.
"You look upset."
"No sir, I'm fine." Kyoshi feigned.
"No. You're not. Look, son, I'll take care of the debriefing. Go…be with the Amadas." Kyoshi gave him a disbelieving glance, which Amuro answered with a sideways nod to the door which Irina was wheeled through.
"Thank you, sir." Kyoshi mumbled, handing Amuro the report tablet, then bruskly pushing past several engineers to join his girlfriend's parents in the medical bay.
"She's what?" questioned Sayla to Tem, but looking at Rachel. Amuro heard the question, and curiously walked a few paces to join his family.
"What is it?" he asked, a slight edge in his voice. He could see the disbelieving look on Sayla's face. Rachel, still in a side-embrace with Tem, cleared her throat.
"I'm carrying Tem's child. Sir." Amuro's expression softened. Christina facepalmed. Sayla was speechless. This time, Tem spoke up.
"And we're keeping it. Right?"
"Yes!" Rachel agreed, "Ohmygod, yes."
"Well", Amuro said, arms now crossed, looking at Rachel and Tem. "Life just got more complicated, didn't it."
Anaheim Electronics was still immensely powerful, even after the rise of Stellar Industries. Anaheim even considered Stellar to be an irritating but necessary rival. Both companies were vertically aligned, branched into multiple industries, and vital to the continued exploration of space by humanity. Both had acquired lesser rivals after the One Year War, and were using the continued profits from these to fund their expansions into off-world colonies.
Both companies also produced mobile suits. They claimed that the suits were built primarily for industrial and space construction purposes, but many still felt that mobile suit production was being kept active to support the military. Those many would not be too far off, except that the Federation Military was not the only contractor which Anaheim and Stellar both supported. Each company had their own list of 'off the books' customers, and each routinely performed espionage and sabotage upon the other. It was one case of sabotage which linked Anaheim to the Gundam production department which cost several employees their job positions in a round of surprise layoffs.
Or so the story was spun. Average employees could be incredibly blind to the true implication of the work they did; especially when it could be made to appear as their own fault. Some required additional…'coaxing'. Most went silently.
Charles Lafeyette "Chuck" Keith walked amiably up to the secure door, flashed his badge. The door unlocked with a high-pitched beep. He opened it, found his way down the hallway, and turned right. Opening a second door, he entered a quiet room filled with holo-terminals, input keyboards, and desks. A few blue-suited Anaheim employees keyed and hand waved at the touch screens, oblivious to Chuck's entry. Since leaving the Federal Forces after the Denver disaster, Chuck found himself well-loved and well appreciated at Anaheim.
He looked around, passing a hand through his mane of blonde hair, found a familiar face.
"Paula Guilish" Chuck greeted, smiling. Paula jumped a bit, turned to face him.
"Oh! Hello, Chuck." she said, smoothing her skirt. "Mindy isn't here right now, she's off with Katie, I think. What's up?"
"Oh.", Chuck grumbled, "We're supposed to go to lunch."
"She should be back soon. I wouldn't worry." Paula assured him, a slight laugh to her voice.
As she finished her statement, two fellow Anaheim employees (and former teammates of the late Nina Purpleton) walked into the office. The first was Katie, a dark blond with a high ponytail and heavy bangs, carrying several sealed boxes in her arms. Attractive, but in a 'girl next door' manner, Katie had nonetheless managed to snag herself a mate. On her right hand was a diamond ring, signifying her recent marriage to a Federal Forces officer.
Her companion was the woman Chuck was looking for. Though she was the same height as the blonde, she was thinner in shape, with a smaller chest and waist. Her dark black hair was short and straight, with parted bangs in the front, and a style tapered close to the neck in the back. She wore large, round glasses, and was easily startled. This was Mindy.
"Hiya Katie!" Chuck said, greeting the first to be polite. Katie returned the greeting and walked to the front of the room to unload her burden. Mindy walked up to Chuck and greeted him with a "Hey you!" and a short kiss on the lips. Normally, Mindy would be terrified at such public affection, but everyone in the room knew she and Chuck were a couple, and she had become used to showing such displays in their presence.
Chuck took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. He'd been away for a week on assignment, and missed her terribly. After Mora Boscht died rescuing five fellow mechanics during the Denver disaster, Chuck resigned from the Federal Forces, blaming them for ignoring precautions and allowing the disaster (and her death) to happen. His resignation was unexpectedly greeted with encouragement, as the Feds did all that they could to hush the situation. Looking for a new direction in life, and one which was far more interested in his know-how than his combat ability, Chuck soon found himself at Anaheim Electronics, submerging himself in his work to avoid facing the pain of losing Mora. That's when Mindy came along. As the 'only single girl in the group', Mindy was quiet and a bit timid, but nonetheless friendly and intelligent, with her reserved manner overshadowing an inner joyfulness and love of life.
Mindy was the opposite of Mora, and yet everything Chuck needed. At an Anaheim Christmas party where he was Kou and Nina's "friend-of-a-friend", Chuck discreetly asked Nina about Mindy, and Nina encouraged him to ask the young woman on a date. That was 9 years ago, and the two had been an item since, with no real hurry to get married.
"I've missed you, babe" Chuck crooned quietly as they embraced.
"Me too." Mindy replied, snuggling against her boyfriend. A quiet cough from Paula alerted the pair to the audience around them, and they parted. Chuck turned his head to Paula and winked, earning a huff of feigned disgust.
"Ready for lunch?" he asked his beloved expectedly. Mindy nodded.
"Definitely! Lemme put these away and we'll go." She hurried the handled boxes to the other side of the room, grabbed her jacket, and trotted back over to him.
"So!" inquired Paula, "Where are you two off to?"
As she opened her mouth to speak, Mindy was knocked off her feet by a blast which blew in the shatterproof glass windows and threw everyone away from the view ports. Chuck was also blown over, landing on top of Mindy, unintentionally shielding her from the explosive force.
"What the hell?" he thought, his mind going immediately into military mode. A second blast rumbled the building, but no concussive force followed. Ringing in his ears, Chuck looked up to find the window sheets dangling inward, several pieces of furniture knocked over, and everyone on the ground. Pieces of the ceiling dangled precariously. Paula was moving, as was Katie. Some others weren't.
"Act.", his mind told him, "DO something!"
Chuck made a quick visual inspection of Mindy, who looked to have suffered a few minor cuts and was shaking, terrified. But nothing worse. He climbed off of her, moved to the man lying next to them. Shen, the funny guy of the office. Dead. Neck broken from impacting the filing cabinet.
"Shit. How…" he mused, then checked himself. "No! Don't think. Just act." He stumbled to Katie, who was on the floor, crying. A normal reaction to an explosion, a good sign. He checked for anything bleeding badly, found an arm wound, wrapped a nearby scarf around it and yelled for her to stay down.
He moved from person to person, looking for those not trying to stand. Three were dead: Shen, Ivan, and Raina. The rest were sitting up, standing, or huddled against something, scared witless. Paula looked as if she'd fallen down a hillside, was looking around while holding herself, leaning against the end of her desk. She was alive, but in shock.
As his hearing returned, Chuck perceived sirens going off. Yelling, crying, shouting. People running around outside the room. He focused on the windows, on the bay just on the other side. On the wall at the opposite side of the bay.
It was gone. Six floors of wall, an untold number of offices and people. Just…gone. A bomb had been detonated.