And now, some Nadesico plot, as well as the start of Nightmare of Nunnally's plot!

Chapter 24 – The Longest Jump! A Knightmare For Nunnally!

Everyone was trying their hardest to force what they had seen out of their minds. The brutal (and unavoidable) killing of Andrew Waltfeld left scars on everyone who had witnessed it...Unit 01's savagery, not to mention that it spewed blood, raised many questions amongst the members of DREAM.

But they were questions both Misato and Gendo refused to answer. However, they had feared this possibility, that the S2 Engines would make the Evangelions more difficult to control. So, the organs were removed, and the old umbilical cords were brought to the three ships. The S2 Engines, in the meantime, would be brought back to NERV for further study.

Meanwhile, the leaders of DREAM decided against pursuing matters further in Egypt, due to the excessive emotional trauma the crew had sustained would make it difficult for them to fight. Instead, they decided to head straight for the Eurasian Federation, where they would then cross over to the Chinese Federation, then on to Japan itself.

Lelouch, who spent his entire day as Zero, found sanctuary in the privacy of the room he shared with C.C. on the Nadesico, where he could be himself again. The green-haired girl that was his most trusted confidante entered behind him, carrying a medium-sized pizza, made fresh by the master chef Akito himself.

"Lelouch...you still look pale," C.C. said as she laid the pizza box down and opened it. "I can only assume it's because of that Evangelion's rampage. Everyone's been rattled by it."

"How could I have let such an unstable person get close to Nunnally?" Lelouch said. "There was no way I could have known that Ikari was like that? Even if he claims that his EVA went berserk on its own, how could we know it wasn't reacting to some sort of dark thoughts in his mind? What if he..."

"Of course Ikari has issues," C.C. replied, taking a bite of a slice. "Why do you think he clings to you and Nunnally? Why do you think Asuka has taken to that Kaji character? Why Rei now follows that Janus fellow around like a duckling imprinted on its mother?"

"Is it because Nunnally and I praised him?" the prince said..

"You encouraged him when no else would. That single act of kindness now defines his entire being. He is addicted to your kind words, and you are in a prime position to take advantage of him."

Yes, the Evangelions' powers are immense. To be able to control that kind of power...

"But be aware, that you may be playing with forces beyond human understanding," C.C. warned him after finishing her slice, and then suddenly changed her tone drastically. "Oh, wow, this pizza is amazing! Try a slice!"

Night came and went, and as the morning sun rose before them, the three ships were flying over the European Union's eastern capital, Moscow. It happened that Nergal had a laboratory in the city (being that it was a multinational corporation), so the three ships decided to touch down there for a brief stopover, especially since Akatsuki needed to check up on something new that was in the works.

As everyone disembarked, Shinji noticed Inez Fressange among the people greeting the arriving crews.

What's Ritsuko doing here? Shinji wondered, confusing the scientist for the head scientist of Project E.

"Oh, Ms. Fressange!" Akatsuki called out, immediately dispelling Shinji's misconception as Akito walked past him. "There you are. I see you've adapted quite well to the Moscow facility."

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Nagare...ah, Akito, there you are!" the blonde scientist said when she saw the Nadesico's cook walk by. "Listen, I'd like to talk with you for a while. Away from the rest of the group, if that's all right."

"Um...I guess," the cook replied. "But is it alright with..."

"The others already know," Akatsuki reassured him. Of course, he and Inez knew exactly what they needed Akito for…

Nunnally listened to the news on the television with Kaworu next to her. Sayako, meanwhile, was cleaning up the dishes from their morning tea.

"Just yesterday, a number of Blue Cosmos terrorists went on a rampage near a school on the PLANT 'December 6', killing thirty Coordinator schoolchildren who were just getting out of class."

How horrible, Kaworu thought; So many lives cut short when they'd barely begun.

"Every day, there are more atrocities, Kaworu," Nunnally said; "Naturals and Coordinators killing each other...Britannians oppressing Japanese...it's like the whole world has lost its mind."

"It's a shame, isn't it?" the boy replied.

"If only...if only there was something I could do," the girl sighed; "But instead, I have no choice but depend on others to take care of me. Without the use of my legs and eyes, I..."

This statement made Kaworu smile.

She's ready to meet them at last, he thought. With that, the boy-Angel stood up.

"Nunnally, there's some people I'd like you to meet," he said. "They're friends of mine, and I'm sure they'd be happy to become yours." The girl smiled, which was all the answer Kaworu needed. She then turned towards her maid, who was drying a plate.

"Sayako, Kaworu and I are going for a walk. We'll be back before lunch."

"Take care," the maid replied. With that, Nunnally let her friend turn her wheelchair towards the door and head out.

I'm making a dangerous gamble here, the Angel thought; but if it succeeds, her power can finally bring an end to all this...

Flying west over the Chinese Federation toward Moscow was a ZAFT Laurasia-class frigate...the vessel for Serpent Tail.

Kazahana Adja, a six-year-old girl with poofed up maroon hair and brown eyes, viewed a screen on the ship's tiny bridge. On the screen was a man with short but thick blonde hair and green eyes. The few who knew him would recognize him as Alan Igor. He looked surprised to see such a young girl answering his important call. The girl leered at him.

"Hey, if you want to hire Serpent Tail, stop looking at me like that," she said in a rather adult manner. Indeed, Kazahana was extremely intelligent, a result of her Coordinator abilities.

"I'm sorry," Alan replied, not realizing that this girl was likely a Coordinator and assumed a calmer expression. "So, yes, I am interested in hiring Serpent Tail's services...and I'm prepared to pay you handsomely."

"Try us," Kazahana replied with a suspicious grin.

"...Forty million," Alan answered instantly. "And I'll pay half of it up front. I'm sending you the contract now."

At that moment, Gai Murakumo entered the room.

"Got a potential client, eh, Kazahana?" Gai said. At that moment, the computer made a bing noise to indicate that the file containing Alan's contract had been received. Kazahana immediately began to scan it.

"Well, you must be Gai Murakumo. Alan Igor's the name."

"This guy said he would pay us forty million bucks," Kazahana said excitedly, momentarily looking away from the contract, "And half of it up front!"

"You must have a lot of money to burn, Mr. Igor," Gai said, raising a single eyebrow. "No one's ever paid even a tenth of that, and we've had only one client who has paid anything up front."

"The job I have for you could take a long time," Alan replied. "And I don't want anyone outbidding me. So, let me tell you about what I need from you..."

"Kaworu, where are you taking me?" Nunnally asked in a puzzled manner as Kaworu wheeled her through town. Ironically, the blind and crippled girl had no idea that her caretaker was wheeling her straight to the ruined Shinjuku ghetto.

"My friends are very close by," he assured her. "You'll get to meet them both very soon."

Nunnally smiled at the prospect of a new friend, though it was clear that she was feeling uneasy. The Angel wheeled her through the mostly cleared (but still ruined) streets, causing the wheelchair to rattle and shake, jarring the girl a little.

Thankfully it wasn't long before, Kaworu stopped in front of what appeared to be a ruined building - it was the same place Lelouch had found C.C. on the day he obtained his Geass power. The rubble that had blocked the entrance after Sachiel's attack was still there...no one had gotten around to clearing it.

But for someone like Kaworu, it was no problem. With just a little effort, he manipulated his AT Field to push the boulders out of the way, exposing the entrance once more.

The truck was still there, though there was now green liquid on the ground, having never evaporated in the first place. Nunnally immediately held her nose.

"Kaworu, where are we, and what is making that horrible smell?!"

The truck was still there, though it had tipped over as a result of the shaking caused by Sachiel's attack. The spherical metal capsule that had contained C.C. remained where it had opened, but now the pill-shaped capsule was out in the open.

"We've found your new friends. Come and say hello, you two."

Suddenly, something began to bang on the metal capsule, forming dents. The clanging noise from each blow echoed in the warehouse, causing chills to course down Nunnally's spine.

Kaworu, she thought; Just who ARE these friends of yours?

After a tenth hit, a black hand with purple plating pierced through the capsule, sending green liquid gushing out - Kaworu had to put up an AT Field to shield his charge from the torrent of toxic fluid. It stick out its other hand, and seemed to rip its prison open.

The thing imprisoned inside the capsule stood up, causing the capsule to tip off, dumping a mushroom-shaped doll with the symbol of Geass emblazoned on the cap.

The now free prisoner was a large, humanoid mecha looked like a Knightmare Frame. Its body was encased in black and dark-purple armor, with six golden fibers with blades at the ends of them hanging limply. Its lower flanks and the sides and rear of its thighs were blood red in color. Small shield-like objects stuck out of its shoulders, providing protection there as well. Its forehead and cheeks glowed like eyes, while two proper eyes were visible right where they would be. Overall, the mech looked almost like a miniature Evangelion.

Even though she couldn't see what was going on, Nunnally couldn't help but feel terrified of the monstrosity that approached her. It lowered its head and gazed with its wide open eyes at Nunnally's closed ones. She could smell the Frame's breath...it smelled of burning sakuradite. It then lowered its head. The doll, meanwhile, began to levitate on its own accord, and hover toward the girl.

"Don't be afraid, Nunnally, he's been waiting for a long time to meet you," Kaworu reassured her. "Go ahead and pet him. He won't bite."

Nunnally pensively reached out and touched the Frame. When she did, the Frame's forehead began to glow with the same symbol that appeared in Lelouch's eyes whenever he used his Geass.

As soon as she touched the living Knightmare, Nunnally was somehow able to see the doll with her mind, even though her eyes were closed.

"I have been waiting for you, my white witch," the doll said in a voice only she and Kaworu could hear.

"Wh-who...are you?" Nunnally asked pensively. This was the last thing she had expected when Kaworu mentioned "friends".

"You should ask yourself that," the doll replied. Nunnally shook her head, unsure of what to think. She knew who she was...she was Nunnally vi Britannia, 87th in line for the Imperial throne, sister to the 17th prince, and daughter of Charles' favorite consort.

"I can feel it...your anger at the senseless slaughter...at the loss of your mother and your freedom...at a world that is falling into chaos...and the uncertain future that you feel powerless to avert."

As if coming under a mental attack, memories of the death of her mother flashed before her mind's eye, as well as images of Ashford being destroyed, Shinji crying out in agony, and Lelouch bleeding to death. She saw images of slaughter filling the streets, a massive weapon firing at the Earth, and then a world turned into a wasteland...and then an image of her brother Clovis laughing maniacally as everything on Earth died.

I-is this the future? No! I...I can't let it happen! I have to...I have to...

"You desire the power to change this, do you not?" the doll asked.

"I..."

"If that is what you desire, then let us make a contract. In exchange for this power, I would ask you to grant my wish."

The doll somehow sprouted a human-like arm, and held it out to Nunnally. The girl warily reached out to take hold of it. But sooner did they touch than did ghastly tentacles form from the arm and start piercing Nunnally's body.

Kaworu could only watch all this with apprehension as the tentacles then started to pierce the Knightmare, pulling all three of them together. Finally, Nunnally felt a sense of vertigo, then suddenly, she felt that she was no longer sitting on her wheelchair.

Then it hit her - she had feeling in her legs again! Giggling with excitement, Nunnally tried to wiggle her toes, and to her delight, she could do it! Her eyes were still closed, but as if awakening from a long slumber, she opened them once more, on her own will.

The first thing Nunnally saw was that she was floating, like she was underwater. But she didn't feel wet at all - it was if the gas surrounding her was suspending her; and when she breathed it in, it was the same as normal air.

Then she looked down and saw where she was for the first time. The wrecked building, now flooded with green liquid two inches deep, was hardly what Nunnally had wanted the first thing she saw if her vision ever returned. But then she saw Kaworu's smiling face, and it reminded her of Lelouch's.

And then she noticed something distressing - she saw the ceiling of the room cave in in her mind's eye. Instinctively, she reached out to grab Kaworu. The Knightmare Frame responded to her movement and actually grabbed him - and then, moving her legs as if she had always been able to, made the Frame rush out of the building. Unbeknownst to her, the symbol of Geass had appeared over her left eye...and it was the source of her power. She was able to exit the building in three seconds, after which point the ceiling did collapse, crushing her wheelchair underneath it.

When she looked at the wreckage, a new feeling filled Nunnally's mind, and her eyes turned pinkish-red and her brown hair turned a bright blonde.

Kaworu's expression turned to a look of dismay as Nunnally let out a chilling, high-pitched laugh.

"This...this is amazing, Kaworu!" she laughed ecstatically. She turned around and spurred the Knightmare into a run.

"Look! I can run!"

She leaped atop some of the rubble.

"I can jump!"

The Knightmare leaped off the rubble, somersaulting several times before landing on its feet. As he watched all this, the Angel heard the sounds of approaching Knightmares.

"No more of that wheelchair! I'm free!" Nunnally said gleefully. "Look, Kaworu! THIS is my new body! This is my Mark Nemo!" She suddenly looked up to see a half-dozen Sutherlands pointing their guns at her.

"Stop right there! Take all of your weapons offline and climb out of the cockpit! If you do not comply in 20 seconds, we WILL open fire!"

"You...you're the ones who made so many people suffer!" Nunnally hissed; "In that case..."

The girl raised her hands, and the golden fibers with the sharp ends suddenly sprang to life and shot outward like slash hakens. Two of them struck one of the frames, slicing it in half. The others pulled out machine guns and began firing. But three seconds before they had even pulled out their guns, Nunnally saw the paths of the bullets, and rushed forward. She mentally called forth a menacing-looking, Knightmare Frame-sized katana, and with three quick swings, cut the remaining five Frames in two.

"Nunnally…" Kaworu said weakly as he spotted six more Sutherlands headed towards them.

"Six more murderous fools, poisoned by pride and self-satisfaction," Nunnally chuckled. "I smash them and their pride to bits!" She readied her katana and caused the golden fibers to shoot out at the approaching Knightmares.

"Nunnally, stop!" Kaworu cried as he hid behind some rubble - it was better that he not expose himself as an Angel to anyone needlessly by using his AT Field. Two of the Frames went down immediately, while the others opened fire.

But to their shock, the Mark Nemo dodged and/or blocked each of the incoming bullets with frightening ease, having seen them coming before her foes even raised their weapons.

"You idiots!" Nunnally cackled triumphantly. "I can see your moves before you even make them! Thanks to this Geass, I can see the lines of the future!" The other four Knightmares started to retreat, but the girl had already anticipated their escape route with her new Geass.

"Escaping, huh? Blonde Knives, chase them down!"

The golden hakens shot out yet again, but this time straight into the ground. They burrowed through the earth with frightening ease, before popping back up and impaling the fleeing soldiers.

"Yes, this is the power I've dreamed of!" the princess cried. "Kaworu Nagisa, your friends are truly ama..."

But suddenly, Nunnally's entire body began to weaken, and the power she had slipped away. She dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Is this who you truly are, Nunnally, the Angel thought as he gently picked the girl up; Or did Nemo do this to you?

Akito was brought to a small, darkened conference room with Erina, Inez and Akatsuki, and numerous men and women in business attire, obviously Nergal's Board of Directors. Schematics for some strange device were displayed all over the room. He wished that he was anywhere else but here at this point, but it wasn't like he could will himself away from it.

"Well, let's get this little meeting under way, shall we?" Erina began. "As you all know, the Jovian Lizards have been sending unmanned weapons at up through chulips via a technique called boson jumping."

"Boson jumping?" Akito asked.

"It is when something is transported instantly through space from one point to another," Inez said.

"Um, we have that already," Akito said. "Granlif and Lifthrasir's Thresholds."

"Yes, but their distance of use within the same universe is very limited," Inez explained; "And crossing between universes takes enormous amounts of energy. But with boson jumping, you can instantly travel anywhere, regardless of distance."

"By doing so," Erina concluded. "We could travel to Mars, or even Jupiter, in the blink of an eye. This would allow us to take the fight to the Jovian Lizards themselves."

"So what do you need me for?" Akito finally asked.

"Well, you and those who were aboard the Nadesico were the first life forms we know of to survive a boson jump," Erina said; "Anyone else who has tried was killed...rather gruesomely. Even the Jovian Lizards haven't figured it out, which is the reason they're sending only AI-controlled weapons. But if we can figure out organic boson jumping..."

Akito stood up indignantly.

"Whoa, whoa, are you suggesting that I'm going to be some sort of guinea pig?" he yelled. "Noooooo way! Besides, what makes you think I can do it?" Erina, who had been clutching something in her hand, extended her hand to Akito and opened it, revealing a small blue diamond-shaped crystal resting in the palm of her hand.

"This, Tenkawa, is a chulip crystal, a C.C. for short. We found it on Mars. Have you ever seen one?"

Akito's mouth hung open a bit. Indeed, he had seen one of these objects before.

"Papa..." he muttered.

"You recognize it, then?" Erina asked, handing him the chulip crystal.

"My father gave it to me when I was a child," the cook replied, "But I lost it on Mars."

Erina smiled, and motioned to Akatsuki, who flipped a switch. The design schematics on the various screens changed to images of what appeared to be dozens, or even hundreds, of chulip crystals lined up against the wall. Akito blinked, as if he wasn't sure what he was seeing was for real.

"These are all chulip crystals, Tenkawa. It is our hypothesis that the chulip crystals are the catalyst for boson jumping. Tell me, Tenkawa...you've jumped before, haven't you? From from Mars to the Earth?"

Akito couldn't believe that. But that gap in his memory...of being on Mars one moment with the pendant his father gave him, and the next moment on Earth without it...it was the only explanation at this point.

"Well, who cares? I'm not going to be your guinea pig!" Akito replied as she shook off the flashback. "I'm staying with DREAM, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Come now, Tenkawa, this is for the Earth," Akatsuki said. "If you don't, what will happen? If the Jovians figure out organic boson jumping before we do, then we're all done for."

"Then find someone else!" the Aestivalis pilot spat in reply as he got up. "I'm a human being, not a lab rat! Now, if you'll excuse me..." He marched out of the room, opened the door and slammed it behind him. After a second, Akito stuck his head back in.

"And I'm taking this with me!" he taunted, sticking out his tongue before retracting his head and slamming the door once more.

"You want me to call security to bring him back?" Inez asked.

"No need. He'll come back on his own in due time," Akatsuki said with a smirk. But as that happened, a call came in from security on a phone sitting to Akatsuki's right.

"Nagare. Talk to me," the chairman of Nergal said, standing up.

"There's something going on in the lab! Two massive distortion fields have appeared from within the Threshold we've been experimenting with...dear God...what the hell are those..."

The signal was cut off at that point.

"It's as I feared;" Inez said, standing up as well. "The Jovians must have figured out Earth has begun researching organic boson jumping...and if I was in their place, I'd send troops to stop it immediately..."

Nunnally found herself back in the ruins of Shinjuku, her eyes closed and her legs unable to move on their own. All she could do was get into a kneeling position.

"Kaworu? Where are you?" she said, vainly turning her head to listen for a response. But none came. Indeed, there seemed to be no sound at all, except for her own voice.

"Was I...dreaming?" she muttered. "Or am I still dreaming even now?"

That was no dream, Nunnally, the voice of the doll resounded in her mind. The blind girl gasped as the implications of this sunk in.

"Then I…no! I didn't do that!" she cried, tears starting to drip down her cheeks; That wasn't me!"

It is, Nunnally, the doll said; Another side of you that did all that. When Nunnally lifted her head to the source of the voice, it wasn't the doll she saw - but a girl who looked just as she did when she was piloting the Mark Nemo, save for a black jumpsuit that exposed her biceps, navel and inner thighs.

"You…why do you look like me?" Nunnally asked, confused at this sight. "Why can I see you, even though I'm blind?"

"That's because I am also you," her doppelganger replied. "You wanted power, remember? Your Geass - the power to see into the future...that, and the Knightmare were entrusted to you as part of the contract we made earlier."

Nunnally could only nod.

"In return," the Nunnally lookalike said with a devious smirk; "I took something from you that I dearly wanted."

Nunnaly remained silent.

"The darkness in your heart. Your anger, your sadness, your hate, your thirst for revenge against those who have wronged you, and those who cause needless suffering in this world...they allowed me to fuse with you and evolve into a higher state of being!"

"So then…" Nunnally gasped; "You're…"

"Yes - I was that doll - a quantum being stitched together from the cells of witches," the girl answered; "They called me 'Magical Device Nemo'."

Then, to Nunnally's surprise, the girl who looked like her got down on one knee, took her hand and bowed her head.

"But now both the Mark Nemo and myself are a part of you," Nemo said; "And from this day forward, I shall be your Knight, my Princess."

The source of the two distortion fields were two massive Jovian robots that stood heads and shoulders over even the Evangelions, and wasted no time in attacking the city. Also joining them were a number of Battas and Katonbos, still unmanned. The first to arrive were Dancougar and four of the five Aestivalis pilots.

"Great...we're not even here twelve hours and the place is under attack!" Ryoko ranted. "We've got to be some sort of magnet for trouble!"

"Less debating, more butt-kicking!" Shinobu yelled. "YAAAATE YARUZE!" With that, Dancougar charged at the enemy, its sword drawn as always.

Next out came the Ra Cailum, with Evangelion Unit 02 hooked up to it via umbilical cord, and Nu Gundam on top.

"Amuro, you help Dancougar. We'll go and help the Aestivalis with the two Jovian mechs."

"Roger," Amuro said. Let's go, Nu Gundam!" The mech took off, using a special attachment to fly in the Earth's atmosphere. Amuro drew his beam rifle and fired it at several of the Battas.

Next out were Grendizer (in its Spazer), Mazinkaiser and Mazinger Z.

"Koji - and I mean both of you - be careful," Daisuke warned the two other Mazinger pilots. "This city is heavily populated and has yet to be evacuated. Don't fight recklessly."

"I know, I know," Koji said as Mazinkaiser took off toward the Jovian monstrosities. A few of the Battas dove towards him, but the beams bounced off of Kaiser's armor, and was then shot down by a quick Photon Beam.

"Man, I wish I could fly," Kouji grumbled as he watched his alternate self take off while his mech was still land bound. Mazinger started tromping its way after its larger cousin.

Finally, Tara, Domon, and Judau appeared.

"Judau, go with the grunts," Tara said. "I'll help out with that Jovian mech. Domon, take care of the other one."

"No problem!" Judau replied eagerly. "Let's go, Domon!"

"Fine, whatever," the Gundam Fighter said apathetically. The two Gundams took off after their targets as Tara started after hers. As she flew overhead, she saw the Aestivalis putting all of their ammo into blasting it, but the gigantic mecha's Distortion Field caused their bullets to bounce harmlessly off.

Tara shook her head. There was no way that was going to work. But she remembered how Samael had slipped into the Nadesico's Distortion Field, and she figured she'd try the same thing. Opening portals below the Jovian giant and on a nearby building, Tara fired several rifle shots.

But the shots missed as the behemoth suddenly disappeared, and reappeared about a thousand yards away.

"What the? No fair!" Tara yelled.

"It's called boson jumping, Ms. Zifell," Akatsuki said, annoyed. "It's instantaneous transportation for any distance, without the use of portals."

"I wish you had told us sooner!" Mazinkaiser's pilot complained, having equal difficulty dealing with the second one. "I can't hit this thing for beans, especially if I'm trying to not damage anything else!" The behemoths, in the meantime, started charging up what looked like energy cannons.

"Oh crudcakes..." Tara gasped. She dove away from the line of fire, just in time to avoid getting flattened by not an energy blast, but a powerful Gravity Blast. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, considering they were able to create micro black holes. Asuka, meanwhile, quickly raised her mech's AT Field, which absorbed the blast with ease. She rushed in, the Ra Cailum hovering overhead, and lunged at it with fists, and the two mechs met in a contest of strength.

"Oh, you think you can beat ME in a contest of strength?" Asuka said. "Well...SCREW...YOU!"

Unit 02 picked up the mech and held it overhead.

"And now, an old wrestling move from back home...THE GERMAN SUPLEX!"

Unit 02 bounded into the air, then smashed the Jovian mech into the ground headfirst, landing on its back. A shockwave rushed through the entire town, causing damage to several buildings.

Mazinkaiser, on the other hand, took a Gravity Blast at full force. But as was the case with the gravity generator from EI-19, it was able to stay together under its own increased weight. Once the blast subsided, Koji saw his chance, and charged in. As he did, he swung Kaiser's arm around and around, even as the forearm itself spun like a drill, which could have easily thrown anyone else off.

"Chew on this! DAISHARIN TURBO SMASHER PUUUUUNCH!"

Koji fired off the punch nearly straight forward, and it managed to catch the Jovian mech off balance, since it had to drop its Distortion Field to fire the Gravity Blast. The added momentum of the wind up allowed it to completely demolish its armor. It also heavily damaged the Phase Distortion Engine that powered it, preventing it from boson jumping again. Grendizer and Mazinger Z appeared and unleashed their own attacks.

"GRAVITY STORM!"

"BREAST FIREEEEE!"

Shining Gundam, by the time, got into the battle, and prepared to finish off the staggered Jovian mech.

"Time to finish this quick! SHINIIIING FINGER!"

Domon's trademark attack was aimed at the mech's head, which it immediately crushed with ease, finally silencing the mech for good.

Meanwhile, Judau suddenly stumbled into the other Jovian mech's boson jumping path. Wasting no time, the Gundam pilot drew its beam sabers and sliced the mech's feet, causing it to crash to the ground. But before the Newtype could act, it was assailed by several Katonbos and their beam cannons, knocking it prone.

"Stupid battleships..." he grunted. But when he tried to get up, the Jovian mecha he had just cut down used its massive hand to grab ZZ Gundam and squeeze the cockpit.

But before Judau could even begin praying for help, he heard a torrent of bullets and missiles strike his captor, blowing the Jovian mech's head off. He used his beam saber to cut his mech free, then looked around.

He saw a blue Gundam standing not far away - it somewhat resembled the Strike, but lacked any Striker pack. Instead, it had what looked like a pair of missile launchers, one on each shoulder, and with two Armor Schneiders on its hips. Decorating its left shoulder was a symbol of a zig-zagging snake with a black tail - the logo of the Serpent Tail mercenary faction, and Gai Murakumo was its pilot.

"Woah, nice Gundam, pal!" Judau exclaimed.

But Gai quickly saw that something was happening to the headless Jovian mech...a glowing box on its back started to flash rapidly. Just then, everyone got a message from Nergal's lab.

After what seemed like an eternity, Nunnally finally felt her consciousness return. She could sense that Kaworu was watching over her. She also sensed the presence of someone else in the room. She turned her head to see the image of Nemo standing at the other side of the room.

"Welcome back," Kaworu said. "You were out for a while now."

"Hello, Tabris," Nemo said. Kaworu looked straight at the Nunnally lookalike.

"Nemo….so, you finally got what you wanted," he replied coldly.

He can see her, too? Nunnally thought; And why did she call him Tabris?

"So, what did you think?" Nemo said, smirking as she did a twirl, as if presenting herself to the boy-Angel.

"Did you have to kill them too?" Kaworu said, his anger still cold; "Couldn't you have just disabled their machines?"

"I did what she wanted," Nemo answered, surprised at Kaworu's reaction. "Isn't that right, my Princess?"

"I...I never wanted to kill them," Nunnally said weakly. "Just break their will to fight…"

"You may be a part of her now," the boy scolded; "But don't think you can use her for your own plans! Nunnally will not become a killing machine!"

"I am Nunnally vi Britannia just as much as she is," Nemo answered; "Only she can tell me what to do."

"Please, Nemo," Nunnally said, her body visibly trembling in the effort to stay sitting up; "When we fight...try not to kill our enemies unless you have no other choice."

Nemo scowled.

"Swear it!" Nunnally said, putting as much command as she could into her voice; "On your honor as my Knight!"

"I swear upon my honor," Nemo said. "That I will not kill unless there is no other option." Nunnally seemed satisfied.

"Th...thank...you..." she said before plopping back on her pillow and went right back to sleep.

You never told her the drawback, did you? Kaworu thought as Nemo faded away, retreating to the recesses of Nunnally's unconscious; That using her Geass for a long period of time puts great strain on her body?

Akito, who had just finished his own preparations to sortie, heard the message from within his Aestivalis:

"Attention! Clear out while you can! That Jovian mech is set to detonate its Phase Transition Engine; and when it does, this entire area will be vaporized!"

Suddenly, he thought back on Erina's words - he had boson jumped before and survived. He looked at the chulip crystal in his hand, and realized what he had to do. He rushed the Aestivalis out in an Air Frame and quickly headed toward the surviving Jovian mech.

"Akito, what are you doing?!" Yurika called out. "You're heading TOWARD the thing that's about to explode!"

"I know! I'm gonna...I'm gonna try it!" Akito yelled. "Even if I don't survive, I'll still be taking this thing to hell with me!" At that moment, he dove into the Jovian mech and concentrated as hard as he could as he grabbed the collapsed mech. The chulip crystal shone brilliantly, and then Akito, his Aestivalis, and the Jovian mech all winked out of existence with no fanfare.

"Akito!" Ryoko cried. "Akito! No!"

"That idiot!" Domon roared. Now how am I going to get some decent grub on this trip?!

The entire group could only stare at where Akito and the Jovian mech had been a few seconds ago. But before much else could happen, Judau heard an annoyingly familiar voice on his radio.

"Judaaaaaau! I found you at last!"

No...first I lose Akito, Judau thought, and now SHE shows up!

"Captain Bright, you're not going to believe this!" one of the operators on the Ra Cailum exclaimed. "There's a Neo Zeon mech headed our way! It's a Quebley MK II!"

"Neo Zeon found the Threshold?!" Bright gasped. The dark purple mobile suit swooped down and paused in front of the Ra Cailum, and Puru assumed a more serious tone.

"Okay, Londo Bell, listen up. I've got someone who's a friend of yours here with me. And if you want him to live, you'll do as I say!"

"Guys, why didn't you answer?! I was trying to contact you for three weeks!" the voice of Akito called out. "And..wait, what do you mean I'm your hostage?! You said you'd bring me back to Earth!"

"Akito, you're alive!" Daisuke exclaimed. "But you disappeared merely a minute or two ago. How could you have been waiting for three weeks?"

"So, are you going to listen to my demands or do I have to mess him up?" Puru said, trying her best to sound intimidating. In response, Gai Murakumo calmly aimed a missile launcher at Puru and fired off several rounds. She didn't notice him, even with her Newtype senses, and the Quebley unceremoniously dropped out of the sky and into a nearby park when the missiles struck its engines.

"Answer: Neither," the Blue Frame's pilot quipped.

"Man, I like this guy already!" Tara chimed in.

With Akito safely back in the hands of DREAM, and Elpeo Puru in the custody of Londo Bell, Erina and Inez were quickly able to explain to everyone what had most likely happened.

"Apparently, boson jumping not only allows travel through space, but travel through TIME as well," Inez said. " It was dubbed the time variable. When Akito boson jumped his Aestivalis and the Jovian mech, he must have traveled back in time three weeks."

"So, there were two Akitos in existence at the same time?" Kouji asked. "Or is like me and the other me?"

"I can't honestly say," the blonde scientist replied, "Though that's probably for the best. Regardless, we can officially confirm that safe organic boson jumping is not only technically possible, but a realistic method of transport. You truly did come through for Nergal in the end, Tenkawa. By the way, where DID you end up?"

"I ended up on the moon...and just like before, the chulip crystal I had was gone. I tried to get in contact with the moon base, but I couldn't. Then that Puru character showed up and brought me here. I thought she was just going to bring me back to Earth."

"Makes me glad we didn't send security after you when you walked out with the crystal," Akatsuki laughed. "If we hadn't, this whole city and everyone in it have been atomized by that explosion."

"I'd say Akito did a 'bang'-up job, don'tcha think?" Izumi joked. Unsurprisingly, no one laughed.

Elpeo Puru sulked in her cell aboard the Ra Cailum. She couldn't believe that she had let herself get captured like this. Maybe she would have been okay to lose to a Newtype like Judau, but to be humiliated by a non-Newtype using a missile was beyond undignified. But her mind quickly turned to other things when the apple of her eye, Judau, showed up with Bright and Amuro.

"Judau! You came back!" she squealed. "C'mon, let me out so we can play!" Bright was about to address her, but Amuro stopped him, and nodded to Judau, as if he wanted him to do the talking.

"Hey, Puru, listen. While it wasn't nice of you to take my friend Akito hostage, you did bring him back, so I forgive you for that."

"Oh...um...thank you!" Puru replied, confused as to why Judau was talking to her like this. The boy, however, decided to push his luck a bit.

"Listen, Puru. Me, Amuro and Captain Bright will make you a deal. If you agree to never fight for Zeon ever again, you can stay here with Londo Bell and we'll play together all you want!"

Puru's eyes lit up with excitement. "Really, you mean it?!"

"I swear as a fellow Newtype," ZZ Gundam's pilot answered. "I'll even introduce you to my friends on the Nadesico and Archangel! They're all great people!"

"Ummmm...okay!" Puru chirped, excited at the prospect of having so many friends when not long ago she had almost none. "I won't fight for Zeon anymore if I get to be with you, big brother Judau! I didn't like that mean old hag Haman anyway!"

"That's great! You heard her, guys!" Judau said excitedly. "She's not gonna fight for Neo Zeon anymore!"

"I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt," Bright said. "But for now, we're going to keep a close eye on her."

"Yes," Amuro agreed, "we can't let her just do as she pleases until we know we can trust her. Anywhere she goes, you go, Judau."

"Whoa, whoa, I didn't agree to be her babysitter!" Judau exclaimed. "Can't you get someone else to do it? What about Christina?!"

"She likes you. That's reason enough to have you watch over her," Amuro replied plainly. With that, he unlocked the door to Puru's cell, and she gleefully tackled Judau.

"Yay! I get to be with big brother Judau! It's going to be oodles and oodles of fun!"

Me and my big mouth, ZZ Gundam's pilot thought.

"So this is the infamous Zero, huh?" Gai Murakumo said as he looked the masked man up and down once they were back at the base. Elijah, Kazahana, Reed and Loretta all stood by. "You're about what I expected."

"And you are the leader of the mercenary group Serpent Tail, Gai Murakumo," Zero replied. "I've heard a few things about you and your group as well. Tell me, who hired you?"

"What do you think we are, stupid?" Kazahana answered snidely. "We know better than to tell you that."

"Well, what we can tell you is that our employer has a vested interest in your success, and to that end, we're to fight with you, regardless of who your enemy is." Elijah added. "So, Gai is now a part of your outfit."

"Really?" Murrue said suspiciously. "But based on your abilities, we can only guess you're a Coordinator. Why would you fight against your own?"

"You said it yourself – I'm a mercenary," Gai replied with a shrug. "If you really to want to keep me from stabbing you in the back on our employer's whim, make a better offer."

"Well, let's try to get along, 'kay?" Mu said. "Put 'er there, buddy."

Gai Murakumo looked at Mu's hand, smirked a bit, and shook it. For forty million big ones, it would be worth putting up with almost anything.

I would really appreciate more reviews. Do you like the changes I've been making? Have I missed anything that needed to be edited? Feel free to let me know! Anyway, next time…

*Now that the Jovian Lizards have figured out organic Boson Jumping, Nergal decides that it's time to upgrade the Nadesico! But when a strange computer virus takes over Omoikane during a test of its new weaponry, the EA sees no other choice but to wipe the ship's AI and reset it, even at Ruri's protest! Can she find a way to get rid of the virus before the Alliance performs a factory reset on her dearest friend? Who else in DREAM will get involved? Find out next time in Chapter 25 - Those Unforgettable Days! Battle at the Center of Omoikane! Until next time, mecha fans!