Closing Accomplishments
Amidst the chaos, the gundam pilots continued to engage in heavy fighting against the infamous new models of the Midnight Faction and the Barton Foundation as well as the powerful Behemoth Heartless. The Behemoths, despite their rather clumsy and sluggish movement were found to be tough to take down. They had somehow managed to orchestrate a defense that could not easily be broken, even by the swifter gundams. To add, from behind this protective line of heartless, the Serpent continued to fire simultaneous and accurate shots at the gundams who tried to make an attempt to break the line.
"Damn it!" Wu Fei shouted as he was nearly struck by another Behemoth barrage. "Those things are awfully skilled for being so slow."
"I can't unleash a barrage on that line." Trowa added. "That Serpent keeps on shooting at me, nearly striking the weak points of my mobile suit. Heero, it's all up to you right now!"
"Roger that." Heero implied. He flew a great distance away and prepared to fire his buster cannon. "This has gone on long enough." Heero fired his buster cannon at the defense line. The line of Behemoths turned to confront the incoming beam, but the intensity of the buster cannon's attack was so great that all seven were instantly vaporized. This left the Serpent vulnerable to attack.
"Well, that went well enough." Trowa implied.
"I guess all that was needed was just a little long range action." Duo chuckled.
"Duo," Heero said, "Finish it off."
"I gotcha…" Duo rushed in. The Serpent fired away with a mighty barrage of missiles and bullets, but the Deathscythe at the last moment unexpectedly threw its double sided beam scythe at the target. The scythe spun swiftly through the air. The mobile doll, not able to move quickly at short range was struck down. The serpent was cut in half and its remains fell to the ground before ending in a deafening explosion. The scythe, like a boomerang, returned to the hand of the Deathscythe. "Piece of cake."
"Great work, Duo." Trowa said.
"Now to take care of that last mobile suit that Zechs and Noin are fighting." But as Duo uttered those words, the Scorpion appeared from above him.
"Duo, look out!" Heero cried. But it was too late for the Deathscythe as the monster mobile suit unleashed its beam saber and sliced the Deathscythe in half, severing the head and the right arm from the rest of the body. The saber had managed to cut into the cockpit, missing Duo by a foot, or so. The remains of the Deathscythe fell to the ground. Duo tumbled out of his demolished mobile suit.
"W…what the hell was that?" he said. "I didn't even see him come at me."
"Why that…" Wu Fei uttered. He charged to strike down the mobile suit, but as he did, the Scorpion like an acrobat flipped over his gundam and severed the head from off the body. "It can't be!" The gundam Altron had been rendered useless by the swiftness of the new model. "Nataku!"
"What kind of mobile suit manages to move like that?" Trowa asked
"One that knows how to disappear…" A voice implied. The gundam pilots look to see Zechs and Noin halt their pursuit.
"Disappear?"-
"Just as I said, not only does this thing have extraordinary swiftness for something so big, but it also has the ability to disappear."-
"It's some sort of optical stealth that allows the mobile suit to vanish from sight and conceal itself on radar." Noin explained. "When Zechs and I were attempting to battle it, it would just disappear from out sensors."
It was then that mobile suit vanished from sight again.
"They're right." Trowa implied. "It…it just vanished into thin air."
"How do we track something down that we can't see?" Heero implied.
"Use your heat sensors." Zechs said. "That's the only that'll work against this mobile suit when it's in stealth mode." The Gundams turned on their heat sensors and immediately picked up the signature. "We have to somehow disable the optical stealth system on that mobile suit."
It was then that the suit began to attack again. But this time, the remaining mobile suits were completely aware of its presence and began to dodged and evade its attacks, but at the same time, hoping to probe it for weaknesses.
Meanwhile, Duo and Wu Fei managed to get themselves out of their demolished mobile suits and get to a place of safe distance.
"Duo, Wu Fei…Are you two alright?" Trowa asked, over his loud speaker.
"In most cases…!" Due implied.
"It's all up to you guys now!" Wu Fei hollered.
"We'll take care of this thing." Trowa assured them.
"Go get 'em." Duo said.
"You heard 'em, Trowa." Heero said. "Let's finish this!"
"Right." Trowa replied.
"To have a monstrosity like that mass produced for world takeover," Zechs said, "Is the last thing that we want happening."
The four mobile suits attacked the one mobile doll with great fury. But even when fighting four on one, this new model seemed to anticipate every move made by his opponents.
At the same time, the KH team was now nearing their destination, reaching the main assembly hall of the Romefeller Foundation. Ophelia pulled up to the steps of the foundation. Even before she stopped, Riku and Sora hastily jumped out of the moving vehicle and rushed inside.
"Hurry, you guys!" Riku implied. "He dispatched his keyblade and made ready to go against anything that stood in their way. But as he reached the top steps, a line of Heartless suddenly appeared in their way.
"Riku!" Sora pointed out.
"I see them, Sora! Don't worry about the ones around us. Just go for the ones that are straight in our path!"-
"I gotcha!" Sora unleashed his keyblade and the two began to hack and slash at the heartless in their path.
"Hey, you stupid Heartless," Ophelia shouted, "Did you forget about us! She unleashed both of her black fans and tossed them about like spinning boomerangs. The Heartless were struck down simultaneously by the hordes.
"Gain way!" Donald shouted, striking down Heartless left and right.
"Here we come!" Goofy added, striking down heartless with his shield.
Meanwhile, within the compound, General Bayonet had managed to activate the main computer and make an outside line. He placed the information disk in the drive and downloaded the necessary information regarding the data for the new mobile suits. He watched anxiously as the loading bar slowly reached 100.
"Excellent." He said. It was then that he heard commotion coming from the front chambers. Yet, despite the sounds of battle that accumulated outside, he only grinned as if there was no need for concern. "So, they're here…"
Only after he had finished the download, the doors of the main chamber burst open and the KH team, along with their new allies, stormed into the room. Riku led the charge, stopping just short of few feet.
"It's over for you," he shouted, "Your reign of terror in this world ends now!"
"Very well done, my friends," Bayonet chuckled, "Very well done, however, I must inform you that you are too late." He pressed the send button, relaying all the information regarding the new mobile dolls models. "The message has been sent to our manufacturing plants. Soon they will begin mass production of the mobile dolls and send them storming into other worlds ready to be conquered."
"No…" Sora uttered. "We were too late."
"Had you arrived here earlier, you might have been able to prevent me from relaying the information." He then looked at Sora and Ophelia. "And I see that you managed to survive, Sora, you and your captured friends. By the looks of it, Colonel Billiard was the one responsible for you being here. I had my suspicions about her actions during the past few events. But I never thought that she would ever go so far as to betray the faction openly."
"I no longer need the faction get my answers." Ophelia implied. "I no longer need the faction to help me answer my questions. I can always seek the answer on my own."
"But you had a home with us, my girl. You had a family to come to."-
"That's right…a family that only gave me orders and never bothered to stop and ask about how I felt about the whole thing. I realize now that I was merely a pawn in the faction's plan for total conquest."-
"You couldn't be more right, my dear. You are a pawn and the pawn's only purpose is to move forward, even at the cost of their own lives."-
"But that's where you are wrong." Riku said. "Ophelia is not a pawn, but a person who is trying to find her own answers and seek her own satisfaction."
"She's free of your hold." Sora added. "She no longer needs to be blinded by the faction's tyrannical ways."
"I see…" Bayonet chuckled. "So you have chosen the way of chaos then have you, Colonel?"
"I see no way of chaos in the direction that Riku and the others are going." She replied. "I can only see the light. They have revealed to me that killing won't change what has happened in the past. Killing will not bring my father or my sister back from the dead. So why should I kill others who're only fighting for the sake of their homes and cause further suffering to their households?"-
"That is the way that things work in this world. People can never be satisfied by letting things go unresolved and they must seek relief to ease the burden that weighs heavily in their hearts."-
"All this time, hoping to prevent the suffering that I went through, I only helped the thing I wanted to destroy, by killing the members of families and cause them further pain of loss. That is something that I want to put behind me."-
"So you will fight against the faction and kill its soldiers? So be it, but you should realize that by doing so, you haven't changed the concept that you will still be killing and causing further suffering to the families of those soldiers."-
"That's where you are wrong!" Sora protested. "There is a significant difference between what we fight for and what you fight for. For one thing, we fight to maintain the peace and restore a sense of tranquility to all worlds. The times have chosen the Universal Alliance to be the great super power. And as the great super power, the alliance has the responsibility of maintaining the peace and preventing disputes from erupting. Sure there will be suffering no matter how much the alliance tries to prevent it, but there is nothing that you can do to change that concept. You however fight for a cause that wants to control all worlds through fear and death and you are willing to go so far as to sacrifice billions of innocent people for the sake of unification alone. Even so, even if you were to unite the entire universe and those worlds surrounding it, you would not end the suffering."
"The concept of suffering and pain will always remain." Riku added. "No matter what, sorrow and misery will always remain. But it is how we cope with it that matters, how we tolerate the pain and how we can bring it to a close in our every day lives. Things happen and there's no way to change them. But there has only been six years of peace and still chaos erupts. And all due to your hope to change the society structures of all peoples and make them the same as your own. But I have come to conclude that people refuse to change, they don't want to change. And many would rather go through pain and dying than to just give up on a way of life that they have only known since they were born. Each life is precious and has its own identity. That is how cultures form, through the sense of their own individual being. You take that away from people and they will lose a sense of who they are. They will be just nameless people without a past."
"And that is why we are engaging in our operations." Bayonet chuckled. "We want the people to become lost and faceless. That way, they only know of the faction's ideals and are willing to fight and die for its glory. People who have individual identities hold themselves as being the most important in the world."-
"But to some, that is exactly what they are."-
"I understand, but deprive a person of that position and they either become lost, or hostile. In most cases, it is the latter that is most widespread." General Bayonet walked towards the KH team. In his right hand, he held and elongated box. He placed it flat on the ground, only a few feet away from the KH team. "A person's life, if lost, can be so easily replaced. It's a cruel irony, but it is true, no matter what anyone says. People replace other people. And that is what the Midnight Faction hopes to accomplish. By eradicating the old world, we can create a new one that pledges loyalty only to the faction and reveres its teachings. Everything else that counters the way of the faction would be a danger to the structure and must be swiftly eliminated."
"But such ideology makes the lives of others meaningless." Sora implied. "They would be no more of value than worker ants in a colony."
"And that is precisely what we want. If people think that way, then the chaos will end."-
"Allowing people to throw cherished things like lives away as if it were garbage," Riku uttered, "Making their hearts so they only know how to throw away. I've have gone through that vision of hell and I will not allow it to spread."
"I will not allow the lives of my father and sister to go about in my mind as if they meant nothing to me." Ophelia added. "They were my whole world when I was young! I seek to find peace for them. But I could never do that when fighting for a cause that can so easily dispose with the value of life."
"I've heard your arguments, ladies and gentlemen," Bayonet implied. "However, I am getting rather bored with consistent chattering. So there is only one way to determine whose side is truly in the right. As they say, actions speak louder than words." Bayonet opened the box and pulled out a metal gauntlet. Upon the fingertips were five long, razor sharp blades, equal in length to a rapier. "Only when one side has been defeated can the outcome truly be recognized."
"What on earth kind of weapon is that?" Daisuke uttered.
"I've…I've never seen anything like that." Donald added.
"This is the weapon that I along have mastered to its absolute limit." Bayonet explained. "This is called the talon gauntlet."
"So that is why Bayonet is known as the Master of the Talons." Ophelia implied.
"So you have mastered that bizarre set of blades eh?" Riku said. "By the look of your weapon, however, it doesn't seem to be a very sturdy one."
"Shows how much you know, boy." Bayonet chuckled. "But then again, you never know the outcome until you actually engage in battle!"
It was then that the door suddenly closed to the main chamber and the box, which once contained Bayonet's talon gauntlet, exploded and a cloud of mist accumulated from it. The KH team suddenly found themselves engulfed in the surrounding mist.
"Where did he go?" Sora implied. The KH team huddled together.
"I'm right here, boy!" Bayonet shouted. He suddenly rushed forward against Sora, his gauntlet raised ready to strike.
"Take this!" Sora used the Firaga spell to strike his opponent, but as he did, General Bayonet suddenly appeared to his side and struck. Sora, at the last minute, dodged. But it was too late. The tips of the blades slashed clean cuts on his chest. Sora fell to the ground, blood seeping from his new wounds.
"Sora!" Riku cried.
"Sora!" The other soon followed.
"Are you OK?"-
Sora slowly stood up, grasping at the five slashes received on his chest.
"That attack…?" Sora uttered. "How come I wasn't able to follow it? He just appeared at my side like it was some sort of magic."
"I don't know. I didn't even sense his energy moving."-
"Aw, what's the matter…?" Bayonet chuckled. "You look rather surprised at the results. But you should have seen the outcome from the start. My speed and agility are so fast that they even outpace the speed of light."-
"What was that?" Daisuke uttered. "You can move faster than the speed of light?"
"You heard correct, young man. I can move faster than the speed of light."-
"No wonder we weren't able to detect his energy." Sora implied.
"I don't believe it!" Riku said. "There's no way that you could have moved that fast."
"Is that so? Bayonet chuckled. "Perhaps I should give you a sample of my proficiency as well." General Bayonet suddenly began to rush at Riku at a very high speed. Riku, with keyblade drawn, prepared to face off against his attacking foe. Bayonet came closer and closer, ready to strike, but Riku saw him coming and struck first. However, as soon as he lunged forward with the keyblade, Bayonet appeared behind him and slashed Riku deep in the back. The young key bearer fell to the ground.
"Riku!" the others cried as they saw the impact.
"He got you too, Riku…" Sora said, kneeling by his side. "Damn him…"
"Had he come any closer," Ophelia uttered as she looked at the five gaping wounds on Riku's back, "He could have severed some of your vital organs."
"Then, I'll just have to make sure that he doesn't strike me that close again." Riku attempted to stand, but collapsed again.
"Hang in there!" Sora said.
"That hit really weakened me." Riku thought to himself. "How in the world could he have been able to strike me without me detecting his energy? Attempting to move at the speed of light would require a great amount of energy. So I should have been able to see him coming. But for some reason, he's able to conceal his energy completely. He doesn't accumulate an ounce of energy. But even so, even if he were to conceal it completely, he should give out at least a small trait. My instincts would usually pick up such movement, but not in this case. It's as if my senses have been nullified, or something."-
"Well, are you finished standing around?" Bayonet chuckled. "If you don't mind, I'll just conclude this battle here and now."
"Is that so…?" Riku said, staggering to his feet.
"You OK?" Sora asked.
"I'll be fine…" Riku stood before the general, keyblade drawn. Sora too stood by his side, keyblade drawn.
"We finish this here and now, Bayonet."-
"Bold statement, young Sora," Bayonet chuckled, "Quite a bold statement. However, with the results that have accumulated on the battlefield so far, I am not the least bit concerned with your threat."
"Let's get him."-
"I'm right behind you!" Ophelia said; her two black battle fans ready for the confrontation.
"So am I!" added Daisuke as he revealed his melee blades to grapple the general with.
"Same here!" Donald and Goofy implied in unison, their weapons drawn to battle.
"You poor, simpleminded fools," Bayonet chuckled, "I give you a chance to withdraw and surrender, but you insist on doing battle with me. Very well then," Bayonet crouched down in battle formation, ready to unexpectedly strike again, "as of this day, key bearers, you both shall meet your end."
Meanwhile, in the air space over hanger 15, the four remaining mobile suits went head to head with the elusive and agile Scorpion model. Because of its optical stealth, the radar sensors could not detect its movement. Therefore, the gundam pilots had to rely on the use of their heat sensors in order to trek down this evasive foe. From all directions, this mobile suit attacked the gundams, inflicting minor damage on them.
"This mobile suit," Zechs implied. "It's stronger than we had ever perceived."
"I don't understand how a single mobile doll can be this effective." Noin added. "I mean, it's like whatever we try to do, it manages to keep the upper hand and evade our plans every time."
"This thing is no ordinary machine though." Trowa implied. "This mobile suit is also equipped with a style of technology that we could only dream about."
"Optical stealth…" Heero added. "To disappear from both radar and visual contact completely is definitely an advanced form of technology."
"And here I was thinking that Duo's gundam, the gundam Deathscythe, was highly advanced in stealthy tactics. This thing can disappear completely, even from the naked eye."-
"It would make our job a lot easier if we could somehow disable the optical stealth." Noin said. "That way, we'll be able to pick up the machines movements, both visually and on radar."
"Let me hit this thing with a barrage of bullets and missiles. Perhaps doing so might be able to disable the optical stealth."-
"It wouldn't work, Trowa." Heero implied. "Even if you were to unleash an endless barrage of projectiles, that mobile doll would only deploy its energy shield and deflect your attack."
"We have to somehow attack it when it's most vulnerable." Zechs implied. "See if we can initiate a strategy that will somehow catch it off guard." The gundams ceased their confrontation, attacking the mobile suit. "This is what I will do, I will use the mega cannon to overwhelm and break the shield. That electro-magnetic shield can only take so much pressure and is bound to break. It'll need a second, or two to reconfigure its defenses. In that time, Trowa will fire his barrage. Perhaps, his attack will disable the optical stealth of the mobile suit. If not, hopefully, it would have disabled the combat efficiency of the mobile suit altogether."
"I understand." Trowa implied.
"Once the optical stealth is down, that thing will be a lot easier to battle. We won't have to rely on the use of the heat sensors alone anymore."-
"Mission accepted." Heero said.
The four mobile suits deployed themselves at their posts. Zechs powered up the Tallgeese III's mega cannon. Immediately, the four pilots saw the shield suddenly deploy.
"It looks like that mobile suit is prepared to initiate a defensive stance." Noin implied. "The shields had been activated. It must be hoping to take Zechs's attack head on."
"That thing may have its shields deployed," Zechs said, "but even so, it won't be able to hold back the intensity of this attack!" Meters for the mega cannon were full and up to its limit. The next moment, Zechs deployed the blast from the cannon and a powerful energy beam came screaming through the air.
"It's over for that thing." Trowa implied. But as he finished uttering those words, fate made a sudden change again. Noin looked at her heat sensor readings and noticed that there was a large heat source accumulating from the mobile doll and it was approaching fast.
"Oh no,' she uttered, "That things about to fire its beam cannon as well."
Sure enough, from the air space, where the Scorpion was detected, a bright flash of light bellowed forth and a large yellow beam came streaking through the sky.
"What in the world…?" Trowa uttered.
"That mobile suit fired its beam cannon to counter Zech's attack." Heero implied.
The two beams made contact with one another, pushing each other back and forth for a few seconds. The gundam pilots had never seen such a sight before. Two energy waves from two different cannons pushing each other back and forth, retreating and advancing, pressed against each other, causing a great amount of friction.
"Look at that!" Duo uttered as he, Quatre, and Wu Fei observed from a safe distance.
"Have you ever seen anything like that before?' Quatre asked.
"I never thought that I'd ever see two beams from two beam cannons go head to had in that fashion." Wu Fei added.
Just then, when it seemed as if both beams were going nowhere, there was a massive explosion as the friction between the two colliding beams proved too much. The explosion rang out, reverberating throughout the region. The light grew so intense that it seemed as if the early morning had become midday in an instant. The explosion could be heard and felt for miles. The gundam pilots were nearly blinded by the flash of bellowing light and were forced to shield their eyes from the intensity of the rays. Their mobile suits were forced back by the explosion.
As the light faded and the dust cleared, the four mobile suits regained their stance to confront the mobile suit Scorpion. The Scorpion, by now, had lowered its shield and now remained standing vigilant, ready to take on whatever attack the four opposing mobile suits might have in plan.
"That thing managed to cancel out my attack." Zechs implied.
"I never thought I'd live to see something as phenomenal as what just happened a moment ago." Noin added.
"That mobile suit has the ability to counter a long range attack from another mobile suit." Heero said. "It must've some how calculated the destructive capacity of Zech's mega cannon and knew that its shield alone wouldn't be able to withstand the impact. Therefore it made the alternative to fire its beam cannon to counter Zechs's own attack."
"As a result," Trowa added. "Both energy waves canceled each other out."
"Then, it's hopeless." Noin implied.
"Not necessarily." Zechs explained. "Just because that first attack didn't work doesn't mean that all is lost. We just need to revise our strategy first."
"What did you have in mind?" Trowa asked.
"This is what we'll do. I'll attack the mobile suit with my mega cannon again. Without a doubt, that mobile suit will engage in the same maneuver as it did before. But while I'm engaged against the mobile suit, Heero will attack it from behind. The mobile suit will attempt to either deploy its shield to its rear, or try to evade. If it manages to evade, Noin, you barrage it with your blaster."-
"I understand." Noin complied.
"That should give me enough time to regenerate my mega cannon and fire a second blast, to attempt to neutralize its shield. However, engage only if the mobile suit tries to evade."-
"And what if it were to maintain its present position, hoping to withstand our attack?" Trowa asked.
"If that's the case, then Noin does not have to worry about attacking. Instead, we will continue with the present plat to neutralize its shield. Once the shield had been retracted, Trowa and the gundam Heavyarms will unleash a barrage of projectiles at the mobile suit. That should be enough fire power to cause some damage and at least deactivate the optical stealth and perhaps destroy the mobile suit entirely."-
"I understand."-
"Roger that." Heero added.
"Then, let's do this." Zechs said. He began to increase the fire power of his mega cannon. Once again, the invisible mobile suit deployed its shield. Zechs, not hesitating any further, unleashed a powerful energy beam. The beam came charging straight at the mobile suit. Immediately, the mobile suit charged up its own beam cannon and fired away, countering Zechs's strike. The beams once again collided and clashed with one another, pushing back and forth as what had happened before. "Heero, do it!"
"Roger that!" Heero complied. He landed his gundam, the Wing Zero behind the mobile suit and fired his buster cannon. The beam came close to striking the mobile suit, but as Zech's predicted, the Scorpion evaded, rather than deploying its shield to the rear.
"It dodged it!" Trowa shouted.
"I got it!" Noin cried. She flew her white Taurus straight at the mobile suit and began to fire her blaster. Immediately, the Scorpion's shields were deployed to protect it again. The beams from Noin's blaster were simply repelled. "Blast it!"
"Not this time!" Zechs's shouted. His mega cannon was increased to its maximum level and without hesitation, Zechs unleashed the massive power of his ultimate long ranged weapon. The shield was instantly neutralized.
"Trowa, now…!" Heero cried.
"I'm on it!" Trowa replied. "I won't hold anything back!" Trowa unleashed a massive barrage of missiles and bullets against the mobile suit. The mobile suit was struck randomly, being inflicted with damage to its outer armor. Immediately after the barrage, the mobile suit had appeared from out of thin air. Its outer armor accumulated a few electrical surges indicating that something had been severely damaged.
"The optical stealth has disengaged." Zechs said. "Heero, deliver the finishing blow!"
"Roger that!" Heero implied. He prepared to fire his buster cannon a second time. But as he was ready to deploy another blast, the mobile suit suddenly vanished from sight. "What the…?"
"Where did it go?" Noin said. She checked her heat sensors. This time, there was no reading. "There's nothing there. It's like it just vanished."
However, as soon as those words were uttered, Zechs's sensors picked up another energy signal. He gazed about to see that the mobile suit had appeared behind the Wing Zero.
"Heero," he cried, "Behind you!"
Heero looked to see that the mobile suit had managed to appear behind him. It had deployed its beam saber and made ready to strike. At the last minute, Heero managed to dodge the attack, but this sudden ambush allowed the Scorpion to cut both the Wing Zero's shield and buster cannon in half, rendering them useless. Heero deployed his beam saber and engaged in battle with this foe. However, the fierce mobile doll continued to strike at him with great ferocity.
"Heero, I'm coming!" Trowa shouted. He aimed his Gatling guns at the mobile suit. But as he approached, the Scorpion unleashed his shield disks again. This time, however, the disks for the electromagnetic shield did not deploy as a protective barrier for the mobile suit. Instead, the disks were being use for offensive purposes, being deployed as projectiles to inflict damage upon its enemy. Trowa evaded as best he could, dodging the disks. However, two disks managed to ram themselves into the chest area of the Heavyarms and the mobile suit came crashing down to the ground. Trowa tried to stand his mobile suit up again, but as he did, the disks came flying at him, hoping to strike the vital part of the Heavyarms.
At the last minute, Noin intervened with the Taurus, kicking the disks away from Trowa. The disks immediately returned to the Scorpion. Zechs joined Heero as his reinforcements.
"Are you OK, Heero?" Zechs asked.
"I'm alright." Heero replied.
"And Trowa?"-
"I'll be OK." Trowa said. "It was just a close call that's all."
"I don't understand it." Heero said. "How in the world did that thing just vanish and then appear right behind me without any of us picking up its movements?"
"I don't know." Zechs implied. "It defies all logic."
"To add," Trowa added, "That thing also managed to use its shield disks for the offensive, turning them into projectiles."
"It's hard to believe that something like this mobile suit is so technically advanced to our own mobile suits."-
From the safety of the hanger, Dekim Barton watched on as the battle continued to escalate. He was amazed as well as utterly shocked to see how superior the Scorpion model was compared to his Serpent model.
"General Bayonet, you have deceived me!" He thought to himself. "And here I trusted you! You said that you'd be completely honest with all the information regarding both models and yet you never told me about this feature. The model Scorpion has the ability to somehow transmit itself behind its enemy. Perhaps it's a type of dematerialization system." Angered by this sudden turn of events and the thought of such deceit from General Bayonet, Dekim Barton rushed over to the main control room, twenty of his soldiers in quick pursuit of him. Knowing that there was no electricity within the entire compound, he only had battery powered hall lights to guide him. He opened a fuse box, just right of the main entryway to the room, revealing what looked like an activation switch. It was the switch that activated the back up generator for the main control room and the main control room only. Flipping the switch, the lights and computer monitors were activated and all systems were up and running again. Dekim, with a smile across his face, rushed to one of the developmental computers and activated the information files regarding the design of the mobile suits.
"General Bayonet can be deceiving, but then again, so can I." Dekim said to himself. "I never told him that this room had its own electrical generator. So it serves him right, keeping information from me. I guess that he was planning to overthrow the Barton Foundation sooner, or later using his new mobile suit models. To think that this Scorpion model of General Bayonet's exceeds the capabilities of my Serpent by far, the Serpent didn't last a minute against the gundams and it was being backed up by those creatures, but this Scorpion model has managed to get the best of those opposing mobile suits of the Preventers dwindling their numbers to only four. And all this done by a single mobile suit. I could scarcely imagine the thought of having to fight ten, or a hundred times that number. With that kind of advancement in technology, Bayonet could have easily destroyed my organization without any trouble." Dekim began to browse the files regarding the machine development for the mobile suits. "Perhaps I'll be able to use this confidential data and use it to enhance the fighting capability of the Serpent. Then, if Bayonet and the Midnight Faction dare to go to war with us, he'll be in for a really nasty surprise. First thing's first though, I must acquire the name of this system that allows the mobile suit to teleport."
"It is called the Zero Shift System." A voice uttered. Dekim turned about to see a man dressed in blue with a sword sheathed in a white scabbard on his side. It was the infamous commander and last of the Gatler Generals, General Arinario Triiken. "It's a system given to us, compliments of our friends in the "Enders Realm."
"How did you get in here?" one of the guards in the room demanded.
"There's no need for me to explain the details to my being here." Triiken implied. "I'm here to retrieve that data."
"Are you of the Midnight Faction?"-
"No…I'm here to kill you."-
"Is that so? Well you certainly have come to the wrong room then." Triiken suddenly saw himself surrounded by guards. "If you intended to assassinate me, you should have initiated your attempt when there weren't so many guards around."
"Don't think that there is safety in numbers here. I can fight against a thousand of you easily." Triiken suddenly unleashed his sword and sliced three of the guards in half with one swoop. Immediately, some of the guards began to shoot, but Triiken easily made quick work of them. The bullets flew around him, not one striking, and Triiken managed to slay every guard within the room within a matter of seconds. Dekim Barton could only watch in horror as his men were cut down by the files. After the onslaught, Triiken sheathed his sword and approached Dekim Barton. "I told you that safety in numbers does not apply for this particular scenario. Now if you don't mind, be a good little boy hand me that information."
"You fool!" Dekim chuckled. He configured the computer and initiated the delete sequence. He then placed his finger over the enter key. "Go ahead and threaten me. However, if you dare to harm me, I'll delete all the files regarding the information on the new mobile doll development. Then, your trek here would have been in vain!"
"If you delete it, your life ends. And I don't know how the Barton Foundation will hold out without you leading them and spreading your mindless propaganda. Thus, your cause would have been a waste." These words caused Dekim to withdraw his finger. "But then again, I could care less about what happens to the Barton Foundation. Besides, if you were to erase all that data that means that you have lost a great deal of information to help counter against the uprising of the Midnight Faction. General Bayonet only needed your expertise and resources to create these powerful new mobile suits. That's the only reason why he joined you. This way, while you waste your technology and resources, as well as manpower to help develop these monstrosities, General Bayonet needs only to sit and watch, not losing anything of his own in the process."
"So he would have overthrown me sooner, or later then."-
"The presence of another ambitious leader like you means that the faction just might face possible hard times. However, I can prevent such hard times from happening just by dispensing with you."-
"You…"-
"I am willing to make a deal with you though, Dekim Barton. You give me the information I need and I'll let you live."-
"For the restoration of the Barton Foundation and its road to power, I will do as you ask." Dekim Barton canceled the delete sequence and initiated to save the information on a disk. On the moment of completion, Dekim presented the disk to Triiken. Triiken took it and smiled. Without a second glance, he turned and walked away.
"I thank you for assisting me, Dekim Barton."-
"We are still agreed yes?" Dekim Barton asked.
"That is correct. I will not kill you." Triiken then turned towards the fuse box and deactivated the generator. The computers and lights as well as all electrical appliances shut down again, leaving only the battery powered lights to illuminate the room. Triiken then cut the activation switch in half, rendering it useless. "Instead, I will have the faction do away with you."
"What have you done? Now I can never relay the information to my other comrades."-
"That's just too bad for you then isn't it?"-
"You…you took away my victory!" Dekim Barton took out his gun and shot away. But the bullets missed Triiken.
"Attack me while my back was turned eh? That is unforgivable." Triiken turned to face Dekim and unsheathed his sword. "I gave you your life and yet you try to kill me in return! For that insult, I will see you dead."
"Die!" Dekim fired repeatedly, but missed again and again. Finally, almost within arms reach, Triiken sliced off the arm that bore the pistol. Dekim screamed out in pain.
"A man who has the audacity to attack from behind without warning, yet has no skills as an assassin, is a man who has no true courage. And it is that type of person that I cannot stand. Therefore, by breeching your conduct of honor, I will carry out with your execution."-
"But you said you wouldn't kill me…"-
"Your honor no longer has any value to me. Therefore, I needn't keep my end of the bargain."-
"Who…who are you?"-
"I am Arinario Triiken…your executioner." Triiken placed his sharpened blade at Dekim's throat and with one slash, cut the old man's throat, ending his life. The body of Dekim Barton fell flat to the ground, the blood spilling into a pool around him. Triiken cleaned his sword and sheathed it. "My mission is completed. Now I must catch up with the key bearers."
At the same time, there was a continuous standstill between the Scorpion Mobile doll and its four opponents. There was now a sense of hesitation on attacking the Scorpion.
"It's been five minutes." Noin implied.
"That mobile doll certainly doesn't act like one." Trowa added. "It goes into a stand off as well."
"We have to somehow strike it," Zechs said. "We have to somehow go for its weak point."
"But now that it's activated that teleportation system, there's no guarantee that we'll be as effective against it as before."-
"This new system must be some sort of back up in case the optical stealth fails to operate." Heero explained.
"That means in order to render it helpless," Zechs added, "We'll have to deactivate this new system."
"But how?" Noin asked.
"We just need to damage it a second time, just as we did before." Heero complied. However, I won't be of much help, now that both my shield and buster cannon have been rendered useless."
"Then we'll just have to initiate a different form of strategy." Zechs said.
But suddenly, just as that statement was made, the Scorpion suddenly unleashed its five funnel icons.
"What the heck are those?" Trowa asked. "That mobile suit looks as though it just deployed missiles."
"I don't think those are missiles." Heero said.
Suddenly, the funnel icons began to fire laser beams at the four mobile suits. The four pilots, shocked by what had just happened, scattered. Zechs's Tallgeese was struck by three of the beams. As a result, his mobile suit had been rattled and the lasers themselves had caused some severe damage to his outer armor.
"Those laser icons are more dangerous than they look.' Zechs implied. "Watch out."
But just as those words were uttered, the Scorpion went on the attack, striking at Zechs first. Zechs quickly deployed his beam saber and engaged in battle with this new foe. The Scorpion deployed its shield, repelling his saber stroke. Zechs engaged in hand to hand combat with this new mobile suit.
"Zechs," Noin cried, "We're coming!"
But as the three other mobile suits moved in to fight, the funnels rushed at them, preventing them from coming to Zech's aid. The Scorpion itself continued to slash at the Tallgeese III, inflicting damage upon its outer armor. The more Noin and the others tried to help, the more intense the protective barrier from the funnels became.
"Those laser devices are acting like some sort of bodyguards." Trowa said. "They're preventing us from intervening."
"But why is that mobile suit attacking Zechs first?" Noin asked.
"Zechs right now is the only one with a powerful beam cannon." Heero said. "As long as there is that type of fire power on the field, we have the capability to neutralize that machine's shield."
"But how can we help Zechs? These damned laser icons are preventing further advancement."
"We have to somehow break their defense. Try and take out the icons."-
"I gotcha." Trowa implied. He began to aim and shoot at the funnels, but like speedy little gnats, the funnel icons could not so easily be shot down. Again they aimed well, but again they failed as it seemed as if the funnel icons could predict every movement.
At the same time, Zechs went on the offensive, using both saber and heat rod whip to coordinate an effective attack. However, the despicable shield disks repeatedly formed a shield to protect the Scorpion from harm. To add, they were continuously being used as projectiles to damage the Tallgeese.
"Damn this mobile suit!" Zechs shouted out loud. "How could a mere doll have so much capability in its combat skills!"
Heero and the others could only watch as the fight became more intense as well as seeing the tide turn against Zechs.
"If Zechs loses, then we would have lost all chances of breaking that shield!" Heero said. He turned to Trowa and Noin. "Trowa, Noin, I'm going in to help Zechs. Hopefully, the laser icons will follow me. And when that happens, I want you to shoot them down. They'll be concentrating all their fire power on me, so aim carefully."
"But you might be killed, Heero!" Noin protested.
"It's a risk that we must be willing to accept and a loss that you must be willing to accept! It's our only chance at victory!"-
"But Heero…!"-
"Cover my back!" Heero lunged forward towards the combating mobile suits.
"I've got your back, Heero!" Trowa complied. "Noin, aim for the icons when they pursue Heero."
"Right…" Noin said. Sure enough, as Heero broke through the defense and rushed at full speed towards the Tallgeese and the Scorpion, three of the icons went in quick pursuit.
"Now!" Trowa shouted. With everything they had, they evaded the two funnels still on guard and unleashed a barrage of projectiles against the three pursuing icons. The funnels were too caught up in pursuit that they did not realize the danger that was commencing and like fish in a barrel, they were struck down and rendered useless.
"We did it!" Noin cried.
"Great work!"-
"Now, to finish off this mobile suit." Heero said.
In that time frame, the Scorpion had dealt a critical blow to the Tallgeese III, severing its right arm from the elbow down. It then severed its right leg with a second swoop. The Tallgeese fell to the ground not able to stand.
"Blast it!" Zechs said. He then saw as the Scorpion prepared to initiate a finishing lunge straight into the cockpit of the Tallgeese. "So this will end the confrontation now will it?"
Just as it seemed the end for Zechs, losing his life at the hands of this new model, Heero swooped in and severed the Scorpion's entire right arm from the back of the shoulder down. In the process, he severed both the funnel control and the shield control. Immediately, both the icons and the shield disks fell to the ground, useless.
"Zechs," Heero cried. "Finish it off!"
"Right…" Zechs implied. "Thanks for the assistance, Heero!" Zechs deployed his mega cannon and aimed it at the scorpion at point blank range. "You're not so tough without all your little toys now are you!" Without hesitation, Zechs fired the mega cannon. The Scorpion, now that it had been rendered of most of its unique weaponry. Its systems were in shock and locked, further making it vulnerable. In a might flash of energy, Zechs annihilated the Scorpion, scattering its pieces to the winds. When the light faded and the dust had settled, the supposedly invisible Scorpion was no more.
"We did it!" Noin cheered.
"We took down that monster of a mobile suit." Trowa complied.
"They did it, they did it!" Duo, Quatre, and Wu Fei shouted with glee as they witnessed the final result emerge.
"Mission complete." Heero implied.
"Thanks for backing me up back there, Heero." Zechs said. "Now that those mobile dolls are out of the way, I think it best that we begin our pursuit of the two ring leaders responsible for all this, General Bayonet and Dekim Barton.
"Perhaps they might be in that hanger." Trowa said.
"There's only one way to find out." Heero implied. He jumped from his mobile suit and reached the entry way to the hanger. Duo, Quatre, and Wu Fei were there waiting for him.
"Heero," Duo said as he and his comrades met up with him at the hanger doors, "So you think that both commanders are here?"
"Possibly…" Heero replied.
"Speaking of which," Quatre said, "What about Riku and Sora? They must have united by now right?"
"I'm sure that they have. And they have Daisuke and Ophelia there to help them too. Knowing those four, it'll take more than a few faction, or Barton Foundation soldiers to stop them."-
"I hope you're right."-
As a matter of fact, things were turning out to be far worse than the KH team had expected. General Bayonet's mysterious techniques proved to be more elusive than expected. He now toyed and taunted the key bearers as if he had nothing to fear from them whatsoever. He had made no attempt to strike them again. Instead, he continued with his mocking and his continuous cackling.
By this time, Sora grew more agitated with his mockery. He stood up and faced the darkness of the assembly chamber.
"I've had enough of this!" he shouted. "Why don't you come out and face us like a man, General Bayonet! Or are you too afraid!"
"Don't leave the safety of the group, Sora!" Riku instructed. "That is exactly what he wants you to do!"
"I don't care anymore! His incessant cackling is driving me nuts! Get out here, Bayonet, and take your lickings."-
"Aw, what's the matter boy," Bayonet mocked, "Are you growing tired of this, afraid of the dark? Well, you should be, it's not safe to linger out into the unknown, especially when there is a blood-thirsty killer like me, on the prowl, looking for fresh blood." Bayonet suddenly appeared from out of the darkness, his black cape covering one half of his green uniform. He lingered in the mist like a phantom.
"Come on and fight me!"-
"Do you wish to die so young?"-
"Why you…"-
"Sora…" Riku uttered, placing his hand on his friends shoulder. "There's no need to be so aggressive. If you become too aggressive, you might just blind yourself with rage and then you'll really be open for attack."
"Riku…"-
"You should listen to your friend's advice." Bayonet chuckled. "Riku gives you words of wisdom. So it's best that you pay attention. Not unless you want to be the first to meet your demise."
"You talk too much for you own good, Bayonet." Riku said. "Your own arrogance will be your downfall."
"Your threats are idle. I know that you're no threat to me. As long as you are under my power, under my spell, you will never gain the upper hand."-
"Spell…?"-
"If you're so determined to be bold and brave and play the hero, Riku, then why don't you take the privilege of fighting me instead?"-
"I just might do that." Riku began to step forward, further from the protection of the group and deeper into the emptiness of the chamber.
"Riku…" Sora uttered. He took hold of Riku's shoulder. "You can't go out there, its utter suicide."
"Don't worry about me, Sora. You forget that I can beat him at his own game." Riku stepped forward to fight the infamous commander. His keyblade drawn for battle, Riku made ready to take on any attempt to hinder him. "I'm ready for anything you want to throw at me, General Bayonet."
"I applaud your boldness, young key bearer." Bayonet chuckled. "I must say that you are quite the courageous figure. Trying to impress someone now are you?"
"I'm not doing this to make an impression. I'm stepping forth to fight you because I know that I can beat you in no time."-
"We'll just see what other tricks that you have up your sleeve." He spread out the blades of his talon gauntlet and made ready to attack. "Whenever you're ready, key bearer."
"Here I go!" Riku charged as fast as he could. General Bayonet did the same thing. Both neared closer and closer to one another until they were within striking range of one another.
"You lose!" Bayonet chuckled. He suddenly appeared to Riku's side and slashed away. But what he struck was merely an after image what vaporized into thin air as soon as he struck it.
"Guess again!" Riku shouted, appeared to Bayonet's right. "It's over!"
"You think so!" Riku suddenly looked to his left to see bayonet appear again.
"But how could he have out dodged me?" Riku thought to himself. Sweat of worry dripped down his face as he saw the razor sharp blades come straight at him. In one final move, he managed to dodge the attack, but not close enough. The blades streaked themselves across Riku's chest and the upper part of his right arm. Riku fell to the ground, his new wounds dripping with blood. Riku staggered up as best he could.
"As I said before, Riku," Bayonet chuckled, "You lose. Next time I say something, it would be best to take my advice to heart." But he was shocked as he watched the young key bearer stagger to his feet again. "Most impressive though, I must say. You've lasted longer than most other opponents who have confronted me. Usually, a surprise attack like that would finish off any ordinary opponent. But then again, you aren't the average opponent I've faced. For that I must commend you."
"You can thank my quick reflexes for that. Otherwise, it would have been my throat that would have received the slash, not my chest."-
"Don't worry; I intend to cut your throat as soon as I unleash another attack on you. Besides, with the amount of blood being lost from those gaping wounds, you won't be conscious enough to be aware of your surroundings. This indicates an easy kill for me."-
"Not if I have anything to do with it." Sora shouted. He unleashed his keyblade again. "To kill Riku, you'll have to kill me first."
"Is that so?"-
"Sora, what are you saying!" Riku said, shocked. "Don't make such a declaration!"
"You did the same for me back in Gombria, Riku. The least I could do is return the favor."-
"Sora…!"-
"Well, if you are so willing to die for the sake of your friend, then so be it. But I can assure you, Sora, you won't last long against me."-
"I'm ready for you!"-
"Then meet your end, boy!"-
"Sora, no…" Riku uttered.
Bayonet charged head on against Sora. Sora, in response, used the Stopga spell to attempt and paralyze the general and catch him off guard.
"I got you this time!" Sora shouted. But as he attempted to unleash the spell, Bayonet appeared behind him and slashed the young key bearer across the back. Sora fell to the ground. Five new slash marks appeared on his body, dripping blood.
"Well," the general mocked, "You said that you have me this time, what happened?" Sora rose to his feet, wavering at times.
"Sora!" Goofy and the others cried.
"We're coming to help!" Ophelia cried.
"Oh no you don't, traitor!" Bayonet chuckled. "Not unless you want to experience death in a quicker manner." The others could only maintain their ground, fearing that they might just die if they attempt to intervene. "Now if you don't mind standing down, you can save yourself a lot of trouble."
"No, I won't just keel over and die just like that." Sora implied.
"Well, I can certainly help you with the dying part."-
"Bring it on, you freak!"-
"Sora, don't," Riku uttered. "You'll die…" His wounds began to sting uncontrollably, forcing him to crouch and care for them. Riku raised his head to see what would happen. But suddenly, there was a difference in the battle. He watched to see that General Bayonet was not even traveling at an incredible speed, but rather, he was merely jogging at a rather slow rate. Riku didn't get why Bayonet moved at such a sluggish pace, but he realized that Sora too was acting rather sluggishly. "Sora, he's in your grasp! Strike him!"
"I gotcha!" Sora replied and attempted to strike. But again, he seemed to strike as if he barely had any energy left. Riku then noticed that Bayonet simply moved to the side as Sora sluggishly thrust his keyblade downward.
"Sora, what are you doing! He's gonna flank you from the right!" The outcome was too late though as General Bayonet managed to strike Sora again. This time, he grazed the young key bearers arm. Sora fell to the ground, his flesh receiving even more cuts than before. Riku didn't understand what was going on. "I don't understand it. Bayonet was merely jogging his pace. How could Sora not see it coming?" It was then that Riku noticed the mist accumulating around the chamber. He then looked at the box which held the talon gauntlet. It still continued to accumulate that strange mist. Immediately after acknowledging this evidence, Riku's eyes grew wide with shock.
"I know this style of combat!" he thought to himself. "I know the secret behind Bayonet's technique! I know how to break it!"
"You know," Bayonet said, "I'm getting rather bored with all of this battling with weaklings. So I shall conclude this confrontation. Thus, I've made my decision to eliminate both of you key bearers in the process. The only question is who to take out first."
"You dare to defy the orders of Sirius Viicous?" Ophelia asked. "You know the consequences if you disobey his orders."
"I'm sure that Lord Sirius Viicous will understand. I'll explain to him that killing either one, or both of the key bearers was a necessity. In this case, I think it best to extinguish both of them. Besides, Billiard, you are a traitor to his Excellency. Therefore, your opinion does not matter. To add, because you are a traitor to the Midnight Faction, I will see to it that you suffer greatly before you die. Die the death of a traitor." He then gazed at the two bearers. "However, before any of the rest of you die, it's best that I do away with the major obstacles first." He then extended the index blade of his talon gauntlet. "Now which one of you two key bearers will be the first to meet their demise?"
"There is no argument here." Riku shouted, standing before the general. "I will be the first to battle you!"
"No, Riku!" Sora cried.
"Sora, this is my decision and I will be the first to do battle."-
"No, Riku, I won't let you!"-
"I will have no further arguments about it."-
"But Riku…"-
"If anything were to happen to me, Sora, then you would be the one to complete our mission and prevent the faction from advancing its colors into other worlds. Besides, you might say that I have one more ace up my sleeve."-
"A little overconfident aren't we, Riku?" Bayonet chuckled. "You know perfectly well that you stand no chance against me."
"You always seem to underestimate me continuously. That however will be the link to your undoing."-
"Don't make me laugh, key bearer! Can't you see that I bear no injuries on me while you and your friend, Sora, have emerged with several deep cuts all over your youthful bodies. Don't go telling me that I'm overconfident. I think it more proper that you're overestimating your own strengths."-
"Well, if you're so sure that you'll win, see if you can get the best of me in this next bout. If you can kill me in this next bout, then you can gloat all you want. But until then, I suggest that you keep your mouth shut!"-
"Riku," Daisuke shouted from afar, "Don't anger him. Otherwise he might just fulfill that death wish of yours."
"No…" Ophelia implied. "If Riku really knew he didn't stand a chance, it would have reverberated in his emotions and physical expressions."
"What are you saying then?" Goofy asked.
"Are you saying that Riku might win?' Donald added.
"There is no doubt about it." Ophelia implied. "Riku must have some sort of plan up his sleeve. Why else would he be acting so calm? Even if he were to play a bluff, he wouldn't remain this calm. He must have found a way to defeat Bayonet."
"Alright, Riku," Bayonet chuckled, "Since you are so willing to die first, then you will have that honor!" Bayonet lunged forward. "Say your prayers, key bearer. This next attack will cut your throat wide open. Bayonet suddenly vanished. He then reappeared behind Riku and slashed away with the talon gauntlet. But this time, Riku saw the attack coming and blocked the blades from coming in contact with his skin. The results caught Bayonet by surprise and a sense of fear began to reverberate down his back. "How in the world did his see my attack? I should have severed him by the throat by now. Yet somehow, he managed to see my attack coming."
"You see…" Riku implied. "You underestimated my skills, especially my ultimate skill, the power of observation."
"Riku managed to counter Bayonet's attack." Sora uttered, shocked at the results. "Does he have a strategy to bring this guy down?"