He was instantly set upon by two M1 Astrays that charged head on at him, their shields raised. Garret swiftly pulled out his sword and held it out before him. "Activate Phase Cutter" he spoke to himself, flicking the switch for the system. The Phase Cutter gel engulfed the sword blade and he boosted forward. He swung the sword horizontally, slicing through the shield with one hit. He then swung the rifle up, put the barrel against the cockpit and unloaded several rounds into the suit.
"Coordinator bastard!" the pilot of the other Astray yelled, charging at Garret with his beam sabre. Garret sidestepped the vertical swing and then drove his sword through the waist of the Orb mobile suit. Garret looked up and saw Aston fighting against several BABIs, he knew the Commander could handle himself.
"I'm moving on ahead!" Garret called to Aston as his GINN ran under the skirmish the Commander was engaged in. Aston struck with the heat whip of his suit, coiling around the waist of one of the BABIs and splitting the mobile suit in half. The other two BABIs transformed into their mobile armour forms and fired off a barrage of missiles. Aston raised his suit's arms and fired off his guns, destroying most of the missiles. The others he blocked with his shield. One of the Purity suits transformed again and readied the multi-phase beam cannon in its chest. Aston took the chance and thrust his sword through the cannon, destroying the BABI. He then spun around and raised his free arm and fired his beam gun at the last mobile suit, taking out one of its wings. The BABI tilted to one side and descended to the ground, transforming to land properly.
"Now you're mine" Aston spoke as he flew down before the Purity pilot had a chance to react and cut the body diagonally, causing it to explode. "Ok all done, time to join Garret" the Commander said and he flew off in the direction that the GINN had gone.
Garret charged across the battlefield, occasionally stopping to fire at Purity mobile suits that weaved through the crumbling buildings. "Dammit, this place is filled with these bastards. I can't get anywhere without running into them every five freaking minutes!" the ZAFT pilot roared as he destroyed a Purity Strike Dagger. Garret stopped for a moment, closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, gripping the controls. Garret opened his eyes and looked up as the familiar white GOUF landed next to him.
"Everything ok?" Aston asked, the eye of his mobile suit scanning the streets.
"Yeah I'm fine, just taking a quick break" Garret replied, stretching his shoulders slightly. The two began to walk their machines down the road heading for the centre of the city.
"Garret, Commander, there's an Aegis and Buster heading your way! Be careful!" Victoria's voice spoke over the communicator of the two mobile suits. Garret drew his sword with his free hand so he had both of the GINN's weapons ready.
"Do you think you can handle the Buster?" Aston asked his comrade, hovering into the air slightly.
"Yeah I should be fine. I don't have the manoeuvrability to handle the Aegis" Garret said in reply. Before the two could say another word a Buster Gundam rounded the corner and an Aegis came soaring over the buildings riding on a Guul. "Alright, bring it on!" Garret roared, charging forward, firing the GINN's machine gun at the green Gundam. The Buster joined its guns together into its shotgun like weapon and fired it at Garret. The ZAFT pilot flicked the switch for his boosters and briefly leapt into the air to avoid the attack. Garret quickly engaged the Phase Cutter for his sword while still in the air and then boosted down at the Buster, raising his sword for an overhead strike.
"Not a chance!" the pilot of the Buster spoke, opening the missile pods on the suit's shoulders and firing several at the incoming GINN.
"Shit!" Garret yelled trying to steer the GINN off course. The first missile struck the left arm of the GINN, destroying the limb and throwing the mobile suit to the side out of the path of the other missiles which stuck a building behind Garret.
"Now you're mine" the Buster pilot said triumphantly, holding his two individual guns under the Gundam's arms and pointing them at the GINN. Garret shook the controls of his mobile suit desperately trying to make it move, but it was no use, the systems weren't reacting fast enough to get him out of the way.
"I'm sorry partner" Garret whispered as he quickly opened the cockpit of the GINN. He leapt out and ran as fast as he could away from the mobile suit. The Buster opened fire with both its guns destroying the fallen mobile suit. The resulting explosion caused a shockwave that threw Garret through the air and sent him tumbling across the road into an alleyway.
"Garret!" Aston yelled, having not seen the young pilot leaving his suit just before the explosion. "Damn you!" he roared, descending on the Buster with his sword ready. He spun through the air avoiding the shots of the Buster as he cleaved through the neck of the Gundam, causing the head to spiral away. His next attack took of the right arm of the buster followed by its left leg.
"What the hell?!" the pilot of the Buster yelled as his Gundam fell backwards, smashing through a house. "Who the hell is that bastard?" he groaned, opening the Gundam's missile pod on the left shoulder. Aston in return raised his arms and fired several shots from his beam gun into the shoulder, destroying it. "Hilde! Get me the hell outta here!" the pilot of the Buster yelled. The Aegis turned and fired a volley of shots from its rifle at the GOUF, causing it move away from the buster. The red Gundam then quickly transformed into its mobile armour form, grabbed the Buster and flew away from the GOUF. "Thank god Purity modified the Aegis so it could fly under gravity in its mobile armour form, I almost died down there" Allen sighed, leaning back in the Buster's seat.
Aston landed his mobile suit near the wreckage of the GINN. He looked around the pieces of debris for any sign of movement. "Dammit all to hell!" Aston roared, slamming his fist down on the console of his suit.
"Aston, come in! We just lost the GINN's signal, what happened?" Richard called over to comm. link to the GOUF. Aston remained silent, staring out at the pieces of the GINN. "Aston, do you copy?" Richard asked.
"I'm returning to the ship" Aston spoke as he engaged the flight pack of his mobile suit and flew towards the Ceres. He landed in the hangar and found Richard and Marcel waiting for him. He climbed out of the mobile suit and walked past the two soldiers waiting for him, not even taking his helmet off.
"Marcel, go see what happened" Richard spoke. Marcel nodded and walked for the locker rooms, holding his helmet under his arm. Marcel stood outside the closed door when he reached the room and listened.
"Dammit!" Aston roared, punching the door to his locker as hard as he could. He pulled his hand back from the large dent he made and closed his eyes as tears began rolling down his cheeks. The door opened and Marcel walked inside, placing his helmet down on top of the lockers.
"Commander, did Garret…?" he asked, knowing the answer before he even asked the question. The two stood in silence as Aston tried to calm himself down, but with no success.
Garret's eyes slowly opened, staring up at a dull light. He sat up slowly and gazed at his surroundings. He was in a small room with grey walls and a dim light hanging from the ceiling. The only furniture he could see was the small single bed he was laying on and a chair next to the bed. On the far side of the room was a tall, wooden door, Garret noticed there weren't even any windows in the room. He closed his eyes and could hear voice outside.
"You're telling me that guy in there is the one who killed Harrison and stole his Gundam? We should kill him now, why are we even letting him live?" a male voice demanded loudly.
"We are letting him live because obviously he is quite capable of piloting a Gundam. Not to mention he most likely knows the plans that ZAFT has in store for our Earth bases" a much calm male voice spoke in return. Garret tried to sit up as the room to the door opened and a tall man with black hair and dressed in a white suit walked in followed closely by a tall, well-built young man with black hair with coal coloured eyes and a shorter young woman with purple hair and eyes like sapphires. Garret recognised the first man immediately and tried to sit up quicker. "Please I urge you not to get up, your injuries are not quite healed yet" Alastair spoke, approaching the bed.
"What do you want with me?" Garret asked, trying to keep himself up. He could feel a bandage around his right shoulder and also lower on the same arm, a sling kept the limb in place.
"Straight to the point aren't you Coordinator?" Alastair asked, sitting on the seat next to the bed. Garret could see the young man that had also entered the room glaring at him. "Allen, stop with the glaring, you're making our guest uncomfortable" the Purity leader spoke, a tone of warning in his voice. Allen straightened up and looked away from the ZAFT pilot. Like all Purity soldiers, Allen and the purple haired girl with Alastair simply wore casual clothes. The group had no set uniform, even their pilot suits were merely recoloured versions of any the troops could get hold of.
"Allen… are you the pilot of that Buster from space?" Garret asked, looking to the Purity soldier. Allen turned around and a cruel smile crossed his lips.
"Yeah that's right, I'm also the one who trashed your little GINN the other day" he remarked before leaving the room.
"The other day… how long have I been out?" Garret asked, holding his hand to his head and closing his eyes.
"You've been unconscious for four days now, we were beginning to worry that you weren't going to wake up" Alastair said with a kind smile on his face. "You may not want to hear this but your allies were defeated in Perth, from what I hear however your ship managed to get away" he explained. After your comrade in the GOUF defeated Allen's Buster, Hilde went back and retrieved you as per my orders and then we brought you back here" Alastair explained.
"Why did you save me?" Garret asked.
"It's simple really, we have uses for you" Alastair replied, the same kind smile still on his face.
"I'm not working for Purity, no way. Besides, aren't you trying to eliminate all Coordinators?" Garret asked.
"True, but in the first Bloody Valentine war; did the Earth Forces not use Kira Yamato, one of the Coordinators they were fighting against to obtain many victories?" Alastair asked. "I won't force you to join us…" he began but Garret interrupted.
"But you'll kill me if I don't" he said abruptly, reaching up and removing the sling on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the purple haired young woman take a few steps towards the bed.
"Hilde" was all Alastair said and the girl stopped. "You are incorrect, I would not kill you for simply turning down our offer, I am not that kind of man you see. I would simply send you back to the PLANTs, should you choose to fight again from there, my men would not hesitate to shoot you down for good. It is your choice" Alastair told the young pilot. Garret sat in thought for a moment, if he went along with Purity, not only could he get his hands on a new Gundam but he could also get some inside information on them. However it also meant that he may have to shoot down some ZAFT pilots.
"I need time to think" Garret replied, laying back down.
"Of course, it is a hard decision after all. I will return in two hours for your answer. Hilde, look after him" Alastair said, rising to his feet and leaving the room.
"Yes sir!" Hilde spoke, saluting the man. She moved over and sat where Alastair had been, watching the ZAFT pilot.
"Tell me something" Garret said to Hilde, not sitting up again.
"What?" the young woman replied.
"Why do you fight for Purity, why do you want to kill the Coordinators?" Garret asked, experimentally trying to move his injured arm.
"Why do you want to know?" Hilde asked in response, crossing her legs slightly.
"I'm just curious is all" Garret replied, closing his eyes.
"I have my reasons and someone like you doesn't need to know them" the female Purity pilot stated. "You've gotten lucky so far with both of our encounters Coordinator. In space you only lived because I was called back to the Cherubim and this time it was only because Lord Alastair sent me to retrieve you" Hilde explained.
"What makes you think you'd have won back in space?" Garret asked, rolling over to face the purple haired girl.
"You were using a suit you weren't familiar with and to be brutally honest my Aegis would have easily overpowered your friend's ZAKU" Hilde replied.
"Don't underestimate a pilot just because they're in a mass-produced and you're piloting a Gundam. I destroyed a Duel pretty easily using my GINN back in space. Just because you're piloting a Gundam doesn't mean you're indestructible, the Duel I was using was trashed by a GOUF" Garret explained. Hilde sat silent, watching the young ZAFT pilot. Garret rolled onto his back again and stared at the roof, wondering what Marcel and Victoria were doing.