Well one review is better than nothing. I mean, sure that hasn't been many Rwby characters appearing in this arc except for General Ironwood who I will say is going to be very different than the series and the ending of volume 7. For those who haven't seen it, I like one of the new characters that was brought in and what happened to a certain father.
Now the review: SaurusRock625, glad you liked the chapter and the Zako Zako hour. I forgot that they tend to be funny so I tried something a little different.
Now onto the next chapter of the arc. I will say it again, this arc will contain some disturbing content, well semi-disturbing, seeing as I won't go into a lot of details about them. I'll leave it up to you to figure it out. I will also be bringing in another Gundam Seed character and making a few changes to her. Disclaimers are the same as always, please enjoy.
Chapter 16: Innocence of Youth Part 3: Lab of Horrors
Hidden deep within the desert a large complex from the days of war lied dormant as if waiting for someone to crack it open. Comprised of several warehouses, most people would not bother with investigating such a location for any relics of the war. But that was a ruse.
Several years ago, Frozen Talon moved in and began to use the old location for their nefarious purposes. Built inside of the wall behind the warehouses was a secret hidden from the prying eyes of huntsmen, huntresses and military alike. Now, the complex was protected by dozens of Linear Tanks, Linear artillery cannons, VTOL's, Spearhead fighters, container launched MQ-99 drones, battle pods, fighter pods, Dagger L's and Strike Daggers. Along with the defenders, a nearby container ship was
"All quiet here sir. No signs of any of those filthy Faunus or Coordinators." One of the Strike Dagger pilots said to their superior.
"Good work. Gjallarhorn and the rest of those idealistic fools don't understand our cause. It is a noble one." The lead Strike Dagger pilot said. "We must cleanse the disease that is the faunus and coordinators. Their kind has corrupted our world to the very core. Wiping them out is the only way forwards for humanity. We are the pure ones while they are nothing but monsters that should never have existed. Our cause is righteous and just." The pilot continued. They would have said more, but their mobile suits sensors soon lit up. Before they could react, the pilot along with their mobile suit was slashed in half.
(Mayhem starts)
"'Righteous cause' my ass! You guys just want to continue the work done by a genocidal monster and his beliefs. Well then, allow me to give you bastards a ticket straight to hell!" Duo shouted and sliced through another four Strike Daggers with his twin beam scythe before he launched the buster shield at another Strike Dagger.
The Duel leapt of its Guul firing its beam rifle at several enemy mobile suits before it landed. A stream of missiles from several enemy VTOL's streaked towards the Duel but Yzak quickly brought his Gundam's shield up to block the missiles before he fired the 75mm head Vulcans the enemy aircraft. "You won't stop me from saving Flay. I'll take down every last one of you bastards!" Yzak snarled. He then fired the Duel's missile pod and railgun at tanks once the VTOL's were destroyed. His shots made turned the tanks into fiery piles of scrap metal. Pulling one of his beam sabers out, Yzak gunned the Duel's thrusters to full power and charged several more enemy machines.
A round from an unseen beam rifle blasted through a Strike Daggers cockpit without the enemy pilot even knowing where the shot came from. Deactivating the Blitz's mirage colloid system, Nicol pulled the trigger and launched the Gleipnir claw at another Strike Dagger before igniting the beam saber mounted on the Trikeros shield and leapt into the air slashing apart several spearheads before launching its lancer darts at three enemy machines which then exploded. "Don't worry Yzak. We'll find her and we will get her back." Nicol assured his fellow pilot and coordinator before he aimed his beam rifle and fired off a few shots at several MQ-99's that were about to strafe him.
Several of the drones were shot down, but the remaining drones managed to avoid the blasts and scored a few missile hits on the Blitz, draining its battery of precious energy. "Damn it! Where do they build these things?" Nicol asked himself bringing the Blitz around to fire again. Just as he was about to fire, the remaining drones were shot down.
"Got your back Nicol." Dearka said over the radio as the barrel of the Busters anti-armor shotgun smoked after firing off several rounds. The Buster than disassembled its shotgun and reconfirmed the gun launcher and high energy rifle into its sniper mode and began to pick off several enemy machines from a top his Guul. It was difficult for Dearka to get a beat on his targets from atop his Guul, but for a sharpshooter like him he was able to manage and took out several enemy machines with direct hits to the cockpit.
"More units coming in. I think it's safe to say that we hit the jackpot here!" Dearka called out before he fired the Busters 220mm missile pods at several Battle Pods destroying them. He then watched as the Deathscythe Hell Alpha downed several enemy missiles with its Vulcans before it launched itself towards a squad of battle pods which were reduced to scrap metal. "Hey! Where are the Impulse and Strike?" Dearka asked.
"You have to ask? Knowing Robert, he's focusing on the automated units. Shinn, well I think we all know where he is." Yzak answered, firing off some rounds from his beam rifle at several battle pods while slashing apart a Strike Dagger with his beam saber.
Yzak wasn't wrong. Shinn and Robert in the thick of it several hundred feet above the four machines below. A swarm Dagger L's were hitting them hard with missiles, beam rounds and beam sabers along with the fighter pods that managed get in the air. 20mm and 75mm Vulcan rounds flew towards the fighter pods taking out a good amount of them while the Impulse and Strike fired their beam rifles at the enemy Daggers. Shinn managed to hit one of the enemy Daggers with a round from his beam rifle while Robert downed another one. "Nice shot, you're a hell of a pilot." Shinn said to Robert over the radio.
"Thanks. I guess." Robert answered back. This time, he wasn't worried about killing the enemy as they had taken someone, he held dear to him and he wasn't going to let them get away what they did to Flay and her father. Raising his beam rifle, he pulled the trigger and took down another Frozen Talon mobile suit before he ignited one of his beam sabers and slashed apart another Dagger without any remorse. "Have some of this!" he shouted and slashed apart another machine.
His sensors beeped as his power level was more than seventy-five percent depleted. "Damn it. I used the beam rifle too much." He cursed and whipped out his gun pod. "At least this thing doesn't use any battery power." He said and fired.
55mm rounds destroyed one Dagger, followed by another one from another burst of gun fire. "I love this weapon." He said silently before he pushed his controls forwards and bashed another Dagger with the Strike's right shoulder before using one of his beam sabers to destroy the head and finished it off with his Gun pod.
(End song)
Several fighter pods streaked towards the Strike and Impulse with their guns blazing and would have depleted their batteries of power had it not been for the arrival of the Archangel, Minerva and Ptolemaios 2 which fired their main cannons before they launched their mobile suits. Following them were the mobile suits of the Flying Tigers which consisted of the TMF/A-802 BuCue, TMF/A-802W2 Kerberos BuCue Hounds, several captured GINNS and dozens of Murasame's flying alongside the Veritech prototypes.
Following them were the Maganac Corps, Heavyarms Custom, Sand Rock Paladin and Altron which leapt into action. Trowa riddled several enemy machines with his Twin Beam Gatlings eliminating several enemy drones while Quatre and Rasid along with the other members of the Maganac Corps machines pushed forwards and cleared a path for the BuCue's.
Up in the air, Commander Waltfeld and Aisha in their custom Murasame's along with Heine in the Saviour, Sergei in his Flanker-E, Patrick in his Lightning, Shino in her Foxhound, Marie in her Fulcrum, Andrei in his Terminator along with Allelujah in the Arios engaged the air units. Getting behind a pair of fighter pods, Aisha and Andrew opened up with their wing-mounted 12.5mm cannons destroying them before configuring their machines to mobile suit mode and engaged several enemy Jet Daggers with their beam rifles. Larry and Leon wiped out
Ironwood on the other hand, pushed the Tallgeese to full power and fired his machines powerful Dober gun taking out several enemy vehicles before he drew his beam saber and slashed apart the last Strike Dagger. "Enemy forces have been eliminated. Captain Ramius, prepare to send in ground troops to secure the area. Captain Gladys, do the same. We can't have any surprises." Ironwood ordered as the Strike returned to the Archangel for resupplying.
Once the Strike had touched down in the Archangels hanger Robert exited the cockpit as the technicians began working to resupply his Gundam. Sweat trickled down his face as he removed his helmet as Commander La Flaga exited his fighter plane and walked over to him. "You're improving kid, seems you're willing to do what is necessary when it comes to piloting a mobile suit." He said giving Robert a pat on the back.
Robert said nothing and went to the pilot's room to change out of his flight uniform leaving a very concerned La Flaga behind. "You really still hate all this killing. Can't say I blame you, you're still young and a student at best. But these guys, they won't pull their punches just because you're a kid." Mu said to himself.
He wasn't the only one thinking this, Murrue, Natarle, Ironwood, Halberton, Talia and everyone else on the ships knew how much Robert hated killing another person. Sure, his enemies were terrorists but even still taking another's life is something he'll have to live with until the day he dies. "I forget how young he is." Murrue said to herself. Her thoughts were then broken when the radar picked up a contact coming in from ground level. The contact was the ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam, coming in fast in its mobile armor mode and hanging from its high-energy beam rifle barrel was a white cloth. "All personal, stand down. The Gaia is approaching with a white cloth on it, hold your fire!" Murrue shouted as the Gaia preformed a mid-air transformation and skidded across the sand before it stopped.
"What's the Gaia doing here?" Ironwood asked from the Tallgeeses's cockpit. The reports he got from his men who encountered the Gaia each reported that the Gaia and its pilot only focused only on the Dark Army and Frozen Talon mobile suits and rumors were spreading that its pilot was an important member in the White Fang. The last part was all speculation and rumors, but in his gut, Ironwood had a feeling it was true.
He watched as the Gaia's Phase Shift armor powered down and the cockpit opened up and the pilot exited the machine. The pilot was dressed in a black and white ninja uniform with a gold pattern, fishnet shirt underneath the uniform, a set of black armor styled tabi-style boots, a black hood secured by a metal headband and a mask covering their face except for their yellow eyes and dark skin. Secured to their waist was a wakizashi style short and several kunai's while on their back was a katana which featured a rifle mode.
From inside the Archangel, Robert had finished changing into the desert/jungle combat gear of the Roughnecks and had grabbed his weapons when he saw the Gaia had arrived and was puzzled about why the pilot had arrived now of all times. Quickly, he ran out of the ship and joined Shinn and the others as the pilot of the Gaia drew their sword and planted it into the ground. A sign that the pilot had not come here to fight.
"Ironwood." The pilot of the Gaia began, confirming that the pilot was a female. Ironwood walked forwards after he exited the Tallgeese. "I'm sure you think that I am here for my own reasons, but I am here for the Allster girl. Know that I am not here to kill her, but rescue her." the pilot added, looking Yzak who unknown to anyone but Nicol and Dearka was smiling. "I know I cannot make up for the actions the rest of the White Fang have done, but allow me to make up for some of them."
Yzak walked towards Ironwood. "She's telling you the truth. Her words come from her heart." Yzak stated. Ironwood looked to the Duel pilot and then back to the Gaia pilot. Had the pilot come here to fight, one of the pilots would have been killed or destroyed the Gaia. The General then looked to the sword in that was sticking out of the ground and walked towards the blade before he picked it up.
"This is a fine weapon. Clearly this was well made." Ironwood said examining the sword before he handed it back to the Gaia pilot. "Alright, we'll take all the help we can get with this mission. You have my trust." The Roughneck leader said as a squad of soldiers arrived from one of the warehouses.
"General, looks Frozen Talon had a stockpile of weapons, ammo and mobile suits. We've found over a dozen Windam's and what appears to be parts for a mobile suit of some kind. We have yet to check out the facility built into the mountain, its locked down pretty tight. We might have to blast our way through." The soldier said.
"Keep searching the rest of the warehouses. We'll send a small team into the facility." Ironwood said before a soldier handed him a set of binoculars which the general used to get a good look into one of the windows of the said facility. "Have a look." The general said to Robert who looked through the binoculars. "It looks like they also managed to capture numerous Grimm creatures." He added.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Robert said aloud handing the binoculars back to Ironwood as Duo, Trowa, Wufei and Quatre along with Shinn, Yzak, Dearka and Nicol all armed with Roughneck weapons. Duo and Dearka each had a combat shotgun, Trowa and Quatre had a carbine version of the Roughneck standard issue rifle, while Nicol and Yzak had the rifle/grenade launcher combo. Wufei had only a saber and as for Shinn, he opted for the basic rifle/shotgun version and much like Robert, Shinn wore the desert/jungle combat gear his friend had on. "Just hoping we have enough firepower." Robert said nervously.
The Gaia pilot also opted to join them in investigating the main compound and shifted their sword into its rifle mode at the group approached the mountain wall. "So, are we going to blast our way inside?" Dearka asked, showing that he had several explosive charges with him.
"Only an idiot would want to blast their way through. Doing that would release who knows how many Grimm that are inside the facility and no doubt kill us all." Wufei said.
"This coming from someone who has only a basic sword and no firearm." Dearka retorted.
"I have no need for firearms. They are weapons of a coward." Wufei said which made Dearka a little angry.
"Calm down, both of you. I think I found a way in." Nicol said who had his scroll open. "Three, two, one. Got it!" he added.
The rock wall beneath the windows soon disappeared and revealed a large metal door to large for mobile suits, but large enough for vehicles such as trucks to enter. The large doors slowly opened but surprisingly, no Grimm charged the team. "Talk about ominous." Duo said with humor as he and Dearka took point and lead the others into the complex.
The entire complex was very quiet and the team crept slowly further into the complex. "Those bastards must have been hiding something real important if they went to all this trouble to hide it." Dearka said with a snarl, scanning the area as they continued forwards.
"You think Flay is being kept prisoner here?" Yzak asked the Gaia pilot.
"I don't know. But something about this place doesn't sit well with me. I think we might have stumbled upon something far more sinister." The pilot answered. Something clattered nearby and a Beowulf charged the group. Quickly, the pilot of the Gaia fired off a few rounds from her swords rifle mode killing the creature. "It seems that there might be more to this place then we know." The female pilot replied as the wolf Grimm's body dissipated into mist.
"Yeah. I think we might need to split up and search this whole place from top to bottom." Robert said in agreement. "Yzak, Dearka, Nicol. You guys try and see if you can find the control room. Duo, take your buddies and see if you can get the power back on. Shinn, myself and our friend will hunt down and kill all the Grimm we can find. If one the groups finds anything, let each other know." He added. He then took out his own scroll and relayed what he and the others discussed to Ironwood who agreed and had the ships form a defensive ring around the facility to prevent any unwelcomed guests from trying to retake the place.
"Keep your fingers on your triggers. You see a Grimm, smoke 'em." Robert said to Shinn and the mystery pilot who nodded as they continued into the facility.
The further they went in, the darker and more ominous it became. A series of cables stretched across the ground and into several rooms containing monitors and observation rooms. The cables were connected to a series of bombs which had failed to detonate and destroy anything of importance. "General, we're going to need a few bomb squads in here. You got a couple of bombs which failed to detonate, can't risk the possibility of remote detonation." Robert said into his scroll.
"Understood. I'll send in some teams right now and they'll ensure the bombs won't detonate." Ironwood replied over the scroll.
"Copy that." Robert answered as he, Shinn and the Gaia pilot continued further into the complex. As they continued further inwards, Robert looked back to the Gaia pilot. "You know, I never did get to say thanks for helping me out during initiation. You and Heero really saved my life. I ow you a debt of gratitude." Robert said.
The pilot of the Gaia lowered their mask down a bit and smiled at Robert. "I should be the one owning you a debt. After all, it was your father that saved my life after Frozen Talon killed my parents." The pilot answered with anger, puzzling Robert.
The anger of the pilot managed to attract several Creeps and Ursa's which came charging towards them. "Light them up!" Shinn said raising his weapon and fired. Robert and the Gaia pilot followed his lead and opened up on them as well. Five Ursa's were killed by dust infused bullets along with numerous Creeps. One Ursa managed to get close to the Gaia pilot and swung its claws at them, but the pilot dodged the attack and threw several kunai's at the Ursa before she shifted her rifle to sword mode, leapt on the bear Grimm's back and plunged their sword into the back of the creature of darkness.
Shinn downed one Creep with a burst gun fire before shifting his attention to a Beowulf which nearly took off his head. Ducking his head to avoid the claws, the Beowulf swung its paw again, hit Shinn and sending him crashing into the wall. "Ok, that's going to hurt in the morning." Shinn said, grabbing the knife he had on his gear just as the Beowulf suddenly grabbed him. "This might be a first. Didn't think a Grimm would grab a person." He said as the Grimm's claws started to squeeze him. Quickly, the Impulse pilot stabbed his knife into the Wolf Grimms arm, causing the creatures grip to loosen and drop him, giving Shinn the chance to throw his knife into the head of the Beowulf before he quickly picked up his rifle and fired it. The Grimm howled over and then fell to the ground before it dissipated into vapor.
Robert slung his rifle over his shoulder and activated his blade gauntlet which he brought up to block the claws from another Beowulf before he lowered his gauntlet and then gave the creature an uppercut to the jaw, the blades digging into the creature's head before its body vanished into mist. "Can't beat the classics." Robert said before he retracted his blade and drew his swords, one of which he tossed to Shinn.
Shinn caught the sword and nodded at what Robert had in mind. Both pilots brought their blades up, blocking the blows from the Beowulf's that went after them and then took the heads of the creatures at the same time. Both pilots then swung their blades at the same time killing two more Beowulf's the same way as the Gaia pilot drew her wakizashi and slashed apart a Ursa with her two blades.
The last Grimm fell to the ground and vanished into black mist before Yzak contacted them and gave them a sitrep. The facility they were in was some kind of lab that Frozen Talon was using for some unknown purpose and they were in the process of destroying the lab before Gjallarhorn or the Roughnecks found it. However, the lab was found by Yzak and Waltfeld, prompting them to unleash the Grimm they had captured and unleash them on the staff still inside when the battle began. The purpose of the lab was still unknown but whatever the purpose was, it was no doubt evil.
"Something doesn't smell right." Robert said, covering his nose after he caught the whiff of something awful. They were soon joined by Murrue, Talia, Arthur, Ironwood, Halberton Sergei and Kati who also caught the scent. The lights soon came on and they saw the source of the smell.
"We got the power back on." Duo said over the scroll channel.
"Great, Duo. Can you turn them back off?" Robert asked.
"Huh, why?" Duo asked. He didn't get an answer.
Lying on the ground in pools of blood were scientists and researchers, some were slaughtered by the Grimm while others were riddled with bullet holes and blade wounds. Arthur was for the lack of better words was scared out of his wits and kicked a small vial with his foot which made him jump. "Uh, sorry that was me." He said with a sigh before his flashlight shined over something that made him scream in terror. "What in heavens name is this?" he asked.
His flashlight had shined onto a shattered tube containing the body of a young child. Other tubes held the same thing, each of them dead by some means or another. Robert was disgusted and while he tried his best to hold it down, he vomited in disgust at the sight while Cody sniffed one of the dead boys.
They soon left the pods and checked one of the other rooms and much to their horror learned what this place was. Lodonia labs, as it was called was the breeding place for Frozen Talons 'Extended and Biological CPU Projects'. "July: eleven discarded, three admitted. August: seven discarded, five admitted." Talia read off the terminal monitor.
"What is that?" Halberton asked.
"These are records of the arrival and departure of test subjects. In other words, children." Talia said in disgust. "I'm sure you're all aware that not only does Frozen Talon call the Faunus abominations, but they also have a strong hatred towards Coordinators like Shinn and Yzak." She added before she continued. "While they detest genetic manipulation, it seems that Frozen Talon isn't above creating living weapons using drugs and other means."
"Humans who exist only to fight? Then that means… this was their production facility." Ironwood surmised.
"With drugs and certain chemicals, they're able to reconstruct and enhance their bodies, enabling them to compete with the best mobile suit pilots. They were then subjected to the most rigorous combat train imaginable. Those who weren't competitive enough, or who couldn't keep up with the rest were discarded mercilessly. That's the kind of place this is." Talia added. "And it appears they also had their eyes on a few mobile suits. Take a look."
Everyone present in the room saw the images of five 'Extended's' and the mobile suits they were given. Chaos, Raider, Calamity, Forbidden and Abyss, four of which were the original machines of Team CRDL while the last one was meant for a student at Haven academy but was stolen in transit. "Well that explains who stole those four Gundam's from Cardin and his team. This Abyss, it looks like it was designed specifically for aquatic warfare." Halberton surmised.
"What about Flay? Is she here? Don't tell me that those bastards used her for their experiments?" Yzak demanded after overhearing the conversation.
"We're not sure. There's a lot of data on this terminal and we're still downloading all of it. I promise you Yzak, the moment we find anything related to Flay we will let you know." Halberton assured the silver haired pilot who calmed down a bit.
Needless to say, not everyone was calm as Yzak. Robert upon after seeing what those terrorists had done to those children, let off little rage by sparing with the pilot of the Gaia who proved to be quite the swordsman and once again found himself realizing he needed to learn more about the ways of the sword. "Those bastards! They call Coordinators and Faunus monsters and yet they turn children into these… these 'things'! What the hell is wrong with them!?" Robert snarled after getting his ass handed to him again.
"They don't care about the consequences. All they see is their end goal before they have even reached it." Duo answered from where he was watching his friend and brother spar with the mystery pilot. "These guys are just clinging to the ideas of that Schnee bastard who started that war of genocide years ago and see Coordinators as their enemy as well. Guys like that all just say the same thing, 'go to war,' 'fight because we are right,' and other crap like that." he answered.
"Their goal is a 'Blue and Pure World'. Such a thing is nothing but a dream. There is no such thing as a 'Blue and Pure World' all they are doing is causing mass murder on scales unimaginable. I've seen many settlements completely wiped out by these so called 'human beings'. Men, women and children, both Faunus and Coordinator have been slaughtered for this foolish 'crusade' as they have called it." Rasid added as he walked over to Robert and the Gaia pilot with Quatre by his side.
"We've managed to avenge those that were killed, but we still haven't been able to stop them all together. And it seems they seem to be getting more and more advanced mobile suits. The Strike Daggers were just a way to disgrace the Strike's name and it seems they've been after Gundam types. They've even tried to capture our Gundam's for their reactors, seeing as they are nuclear powered." Quatre inputted.
"Nuclear weapons. That's what they want, one missile on an area like Menagerie and a lot of people will die. But nuclear weapons have been outlawed for years and all of those weapons have all been disarmed. Could they be trying to develop those things in secret?" Robert asked, clenching his fists in anger.
"It's possible. But to build a weapon like that requires a lot of funding and resources to build. Finding scientists willing to build those weapons is easy, but to acquire the funds and materials to build them is another. That's why they went after Flay, they wanted access to the Allster fortune seeing as the Allsters have only used their money for humanitarian gains rather than supporting the military or these terrorists." The Gaia pilot said.
"So, this is all about money? WHAT THE F-!" Robert began to shout before Shinn ran up to the group.
"We got a problem. Meyrin hasn't reported in yet. She went inside to see if she could find a server room after the data stopped being downloaded but she we haven't heard from her." Shinn explained. Knowing how much Robert cared for others, Shinn figured it would be best for Robert to help with the search for Luna's younger sister.
He was right. Robert was more than willing to help Luna look for her sister and once again he was back inside the complex, this time with Shinn and Lunamaria by his side and were searching the area of the complex where the children Frozen Talon had kidnapped were kept when they weren't being forced to become soldiers.
"I can't understand it. Meyrin had her sidearm with her and she's more than capable of taking care of herself, so why did she just suddenly disappear like that?" Luna asked after she finished checking one of the 'rooms' which contained several dead 'test subjects. The mere sight of this made her sick to her stomach but she pressed on.
"Aside from the Grimm that were being kept in here for who knows what else they have in here." Shinn answered back. He then looked to Robert who was kneeling down by the dead bodies of some of the children. "They had their whole lives taken from them because of people who just want to kill those who are different than them. How can people like that do something like this?" he asked.
"Whatever the reason is, they will pay for this." Robert answered, closing the eyes of one of children. The clattering of something nearby got the attention of the three and much to their surprise they saw the source of the noise. A girl with blonde hair and violet eyes of sixteen years old wearing a torn blue and white dress with light purple straps emerged from one of the rooms with a tied up Meyrin in one hand and a knife pressed against Meyrins neck.
"MEYRIN!" Luna shouted and started to run towards her sister. However, the girl pressed her knife harder to Meyrin's neck.
"Don't take another step. If you do, I'll slit her throat. I mean it, I'll do it." The girl shouted forcing Lunamaria to stop in her tracks. This also caused Shinn and Robert to lower their weapons, both of them wanting to take the chance and accidentally hit Meyrin.
"Put the knife down and Meyrin go. We're with the Roughnecks, we can protect you." Luna shouted trying to get the girl to let her sister go.
"No! You're just trying to trick me. You just want me to take part in those 'experiments' again and if I don't cooperate, you'll just assault me again for being incompatible with that 'medicine'!" The Girl shouted, walking back with Meyrin still her captive. "Unless you want me to kill her, then you'll throw down your weapons!" the girl added.
"Forget about me sis. Take the shot!" Meyrin shouted while trying to break out of the girl's grip. Her efforts were futile as the blonde girl just tighten her grip.
"What's it going to be? Are you bastards going to kill your comrade or save her?" The girl asked her anger starting to build up. The anger the girl was giving off attracted the attention of an Ursa Major and Alpha Beowulf were creeping up behind her but the others did.
The two Grimm growled and when the girl turned around the Alpha swung its claw at the girl knocking her into the wall and getting her to drop her knife and Meyrin who Luna quickly untied. "I don't want to die!" the girl said in utter fear as the two Grimm prepared to bring down their claws on the girl.
The noise of gunfire stopped the two creatures from killing the girl and both looked to see that Shinn and Robert were the ones who shot them. "Hey ugly! Come and get us!" Robert shouted. The Grimm then charged the two and once they were close enough both Shinn and Robert riddled the creatures with bullets. Shinn was able to down the Ursa while Robert took the Beowulf which still had some fight left in it.
Ducking a swipe from its claws, Robert configured the Regicide into its shotgun mode and stabbed the wolf Grimm with the bayonet before firing several shotgun rounds into the Grimm's body. Both creatures of darkness fell dead before they dissipated into mist. "Clear!" Shinn shouted, lowering his weapon before Robert walked over to the girl.
"It's ok. You're not going to die. I promise you, you're safe." Robert assured the girl who got up and started to cry before Robert pulled her up. It was then that Robert noticed the girl seemed to be half-starved. "My name's Robert. Robert Halberton. That's Shinn Asuka, Lunamaria Hawke and her sister Meyrin Hawke. What's your name?" Robert asked.
"My name is Stella. Stella Loussier." The girl answered weakly as several Roughnecks arrived. "Please. I don't want to die. I don't want to die." Stella repeated before she spotted the Roughnecks and then started to become scared before running away, thinking they were with Frozen Talon.
"Hey wait! Don't go that way! There might be more Grimm that way!" Robert shouted to Stella but she didn't listen. Like any huntsmen or huntress in training would do, Robert went after Stella with Shinn behind him. "Don't go making any jokes about me scaring every girl I meet. This is not the time for jokes!" he said strongly to Shinn.
"Hey, this isn't the time for jokes. We can't take this lightly." Shinn answered back as they continued to run down the corridor. As they did, they encountered more Grimm, but this time these ones looked more robotic and had a gatling gun on their left arm while on their right arm was a large blade. "Don't tell me they made robotic Grimm?" Shinn asked aloud before he raised his rifle and fired.
"No, these things are infected with DG Cells. Looks they can also infect the Grimm as well. But that doesn't explain the weapons!" Robert answered and fired his own rifle with Shinn following his lead. Rounds from their weapons flew towards the Grimm and downed a few in the areas that weren't covered in DG Cells. "Hit those gaps where the cells don't cover, that's the only way to kill them!" Robert said.
(One for the Money starts)
"Got it!" Shinn replied and shifted his focus to the areas where DG Cells didn't protect. Their shots hit the gaps causing the Grimm they targeted to die but more Grimm kept coming towards them and some even started to fire their gatling guns forcing the two to take cover.
"Something tells me that they must have gotten their hands-on DG Cells and were studying their effects on the Grimm while trying to make these kids into soldiers!" Shinn surmised as fired back at the Grimm, downing two Beowulf's before another Beowulf managed to get through their heavy fire and tried to bring down its blade arm on the Impulse pilot.
"The Grimm are way to dangerous! What in the hell were those bastards thinking experimenting with the Grimm?" Shinn shouted, rolling out of the way of the attack before firing his rifle at the creature that tried to take his head. "Did they think that they could turn these things into bio organic weapons and control them?" Shinn asked as he reloaded his rifle with a newer magazine.
"What do you expect from terrorists! They'll do anything to gain an advantage over their enemies!" Robert shouted, shifting his weapon into its grenade launcher mode and fired a full magazine of grenades at the Grimm before he brought up the bayonet of his weapon to block a bladed strike from an Ursa and slashed off its head. Shifting his weapon back to its rifle mode, Robert slung it over his shoulders and brought out his SMG's with the blades extended outwards. "Shinn, give me some covering fire. I think I'll go introduce myself to these guys." Robert said.
"Its too dangerous. Those things will rip you apart!" Shinn protested.
"That's why I have you backing me up. I trust you completely!" Robert answered, hugging the wall to avoid the gatling fire from another Grimm. Shinn understood and checked his weapon. "Ready?" Robert asked.
Shinn nodded and on the count of three, Robert moved from the wall as Shinn opened up on the Grimm catching a few of them with his rounds while Robert rushed forwards and leapt into the air, firing his submachine guns at the Grimm as he got behind them. All of the Grimm turned around to face Robert allowing Shinn to fire off more rounds from his rifle at the distracted creatures. The combined fire from the two of them brought all the DG Cell infected Grimm, but a few uninfected Grimm somehow managed to get around them and were charging towards them. "Damn it, we don't have time for this!" Robert cursed and quickly reloaded his submachine guns.
Just before the two of them were about to fire, gun fire from behind them streaked towards them. Looking back, the two saw Yzak, Dearka, Nicol, Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei approaching them and firing their guns at the Grimm, or in the case of Wufei leapt over the two and started swinging his sword at the creatures of Darkness. "You two go find the girl. We'll handle this." Duo shouted over the roar of weapons fire. Both Shinn and Robert nodded their heads in agreement and as soon as they saw an opening moved up away from the firefight.
(End song)
They soon caught up with Stella who was standing dangerously close to the edge of a disposal bit which reeked of the smell of rotting flesh. "Stay back!" a scared Stella shouted and backed closer and closer to the edge.
"Look, we get your scared and all but I promise you Stella, we're not here to hurt you. We can to help you." Shinn assured Stella, putting his rifle down and kicked it behind him. "Drop your weapons, Robert. It's the only way to get her to trust us." He added.
"You read my mind Shinn." Robert said in agreement and did the same thing. "Look, no weapons. We're not going to hurt you. We can take you back home to your…" he started to say, but Stella still refused to listen to them.
"Shut up! You're trying to trick me. First you take me from my home and parents, then you inject me with all those drugs and other things before telling me to kill the other kids as if my life depended on it and every time I refused or failed, one of you so called scientists had their way with me!" Stella shouted and stepped back closer to the edge of the disposal unit.
"Had their… no your wrong. We're not with Frozen Talon. We're with the Roughnecks and Beacon. I promise you we're not going to hurt you." Robert said and walked towards Stella.
"Stay back!" She shouted, drawing nearer and nearer to the edge.
"Look, I promise we're not going to hurt you. I give you my word." Robert added and kept walking towards Stella who was still scared. Stella was so scared that she backed so close to the edge that she slipped and started to fall into the pit. "NO!"
As she fell backwards, Stella was surprised to see that the 'Frozen Talon' member was now holding her to keep her from falling but was also holding onto the edge with all his strength. "Just hold on Stella. Just hold on." Robert said, trying to keep his grip on the edge.
Shinn ran over to the edge and held out his hand, trying to get them up. "Give me your hand." Shinn shouted.
"Take her first!" Robert shouted back, feeling that Stella was starting to lose her grip on him. As for Stella, she finally realized that the two she was running from weren't her enemies but those trying to help her. But it was too little too late as her grip gave way and she fell into the disposal unit. "NO!" Robert shouted and kicked off the wall after her.
He soon caught up with her and held onto her tight as they landed on top of a pile of rotting corpses of those who failed the 'project'. "Shinn, go find a rope or go get some help! We can't climb out!" Robert shouted.
"Got it!" Shinn replied and went to get some help.
As Shinn went to get help, Robert noticed that Stella had cut her ankle on a sharp piece of glass that one of the failed 'test subjects' had tried to use as a weapon on their attackers and she was bleeding badly. 'She must have her aura unlocked.' Robert thought to himself.
Everything he could use as a bandage was extremely filthy and his own clothing was covering in dirt and blood. "Hang on. I won't let you bleed out. Just close your eyes, and concentrate." Robert said to Stella who looked at him. Putting his own hand on Stella's shoulder Robert's body glowed in crimson red. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." He said as Stella's body glowed in sky blue.
"Don't worry, I used my aura to unlock yours Stella, and you have a lot of it." Robert said, feeling a little tired from doing so. Soon enough, a harness was lowered down to the two and Robert carefully slipped it over Stella before grabbing the rope it was attached too and both of them were lifted out of the disposal unit where a stretcher was waiting for Stella but she was still afraid of anyone.
As such, she stayed close to Robert before she passed out and Robert along with Shinn took Stella to the Archangel where she was put into the medical wing of the ship. As the two waited for the girl to wake up, Ironwood walked up to them. "We're still running tests on the girl you two found, but the good news is that we recovered all the data from the facility. Its time we destroy this godforsaken place." The general said and pressed a detonator's button. A series of explosions ripped apart the facility from the inside out, destroying the machines used on the children and Grimm. If anyone was still inside, they would be caught in the blast and died in the explosion. Frozen Talon lost a facility, but the forces that attacked the facility still had no lead to the location of Flay Allster.
As the destroyed base burned down, Yzak and Robert thought the same thing. They would find Flay no matter the cost.
Zako Zako hour
The lights shine down on the stage as the three Zako's stand with mics in their hand. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Zako Zako hour. Today's meeting as all about…" the lead Zako says before he was joined by his comrades.
"What are the Extended's?" all three ask and the audience claps, somewhat slowly.
"I may not like organics, but what those kids went through really makes me feel sick in my circuits." The Zako with the red mic says.
"Trust me, we don't like it either Zako." The Blue mic Zako says in agreement. "Now then, for those of you have watched Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, the Extended's and Biological CPU's that piloted the Chaos, Raider, Forbidden, Calamity, Gaia and Abyss were all the products of the Earth Alliances top secret program to develop a pilot mobile suit and put them on equal footing with Coordinators." The Zako adds as the screen behind the three shows the six pilots and their Gundam's.
"The pilots of the Calamity, Raider and Forbidden underwent special training and mental conditioning to eliminate their sense of fear while increasing their effectiveness as a pilot. However, this made the pilots rely on the drug Gamma Glipheptin which made them behave unpredictably in battle and effected their mental stability. Sadly, this drug only lasted for a short time and each required a new dose with made the pilots loyal to the Earth Alliance, hence for the fans nicknamed them 'druggies." The Zako with the Yellow mic adds.
The audience then bows the idea.
"Trust me folks, it gets worse. The next group, the Extended's were physically and physiological altered through surgery, brainwashing, harsh combat training and other methods. Despite being more stable then the first trio, the next three required constant conditioning and had their minds under go constant 'maintance' and had their memories erased of the 'undesirable' memories so to keep them in peak condition. Thought they didn't require the drug the first three needed, they were weaker than the original but could last longer on the battlefield." The Zako with the red mic adds with disgust in his voice.
The author then walks out onto the stage with a picture of the heads of Blue Cosmos and Logos which he puts on the wall. He then pulls out an M60 machine gun and fires the whole magazine at the pictures. "Anyone want to take a guess that they kidnapped children from their families and killed the parents?" he asked.
"We do!" the three Zako's answer at once as the curtain closes.
"Anyway everyone, for the future of the Dark Axis. ZAKO SOLDIER FIGHT!"
XXXG-01SR2 Gundam Sandrock Paladin
Type: Custom Commander-use Close Combat Mobile Suit
Power Source: Ultracompact Fusion Reactor
Armor: Gundamium alloy
Weapons: Vulcan guns, Heat Shotels, Shield
Pilot Quatre Raberba Winner
The fully upgraded version of the Gundam Sandrock and one of the five original Gundam's built from Gundamium. The Sandrock Paladin is the mobile suit of Quatre Winner, the heir to the Winner family. While it lacks any ranged weapons, the Sandrock's Shotels can slice through even the toughest of metals.
XXXG-01S2 Altron Custom Gundam
Type: Custom Close Quarters Combat Mobile Suit
Armor: Gundamium alloy
Power Source: Ultracompact Fusion Reactor
Weapons: Vulcan guns, Twin Beam cannon, Dragon Fangs, Beam Trident, Flamethrower, Shield
Pilot: Chang Wufei
Nicknamed 'Nataku' by those who piloted it, the Altron Custom is said to have been built from the soul of a rare Dragon Faunus who practiced martial arts. The fully upgraded version gives the machine a tail which contains the powerful twin beam cannons. Its pilot, Chang Wufei uses his martial arts in combat making him a formidable opponent.
XXXG-01H2 Heavyarms Custom
Type: Custom Long-Range Attack Mobile Suit
Armor: Gundamium Alloy
Power Source: Ultracompact Fusion Reactor
Weapons: Vulcan guns, Machine Cannons, Chest Gatling Guns, Twin Beam Gatling, Double Gatling Gun, Homing Missiles, Micro Missiles
Pilot: Trowa Barton
A walking arsenal with guns and missiles, The Heavyarms Custom is said to have held off an entire battalion of Dark Army soldiers during the Dark War in the defense of Vale destroying the entire battalion without loosing a single friendly. Unlike the customized MK 2 of the original Heavyarms, the Heavyarms Custom lacks any kind of transformation feature or close quarters weapon. Despite lacking a beam saber or another melee weapon, the Heavyarms leaves utter destruction in its wake.
XXX-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell Alpha
Type: Custom Stealth Close Quarters Mobile Suit
Armor: Gundamium alloy
Power Source: Ultracompact Fusion Reactor
Weapons: Vulcan guns, Buster Shield, Twi Beam Scythe/Twin Beam Scissor's
Special Systems: Hyper Jammer, Active Cloak
Pilot: Duo Maxwell
Like the other three Gundam's, the Deathscythe Hell Alpha is the fully upgraded version of the original Gundam Deathsycthe which resembles the Grim Reaper. Its hyper jammers scatter particles that jam enemy sensors and radar's with twice the power as the original Deathscythe and Deathscythe Hell while its Active Cloak renders it invisible when its clock is closed. The pilot, Duo Maxwell has given himself the nickname The God of Death.
First off, the Gundam's of Duo and the others are the ones seen in Endless Waltz. Second, I am changing Stella's fate since I always feel sorry for her along with Shinn and others characters like Nicol. I find her to be a very tragic character.
Now the Gaia has appeared, but its pilot's identity is a mystery. Who is the pilot? I know, but I won't tell, you are all more than welcome to guess. Can't believe no one has yet to notice the Ace Combat material I have been using, but no big deal. As for the Veritechs, I am using real world aircraft, their hardpoints and primary cannon for the basis, but give them a 55mm gun pod and extra cannon for the story. As for the heads, each Veritech has the head of the Windam but its visor is replaced with the eyes used by the Strike and other Gundams.
Anyway, please read and review and I will see you all next time. Oh, and Happy Easter.
