"So you haven't heard anything?" Asherah asked the little old man in front of her.
He shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all." He frowned. "Which is odd."
"Very." she muttered. "Well, thanks anyway."
He smiled. "No problem!"
Asherah pressed a small amount of money in his hand to keep it that way.
Walking off, she frowned. What the hell is Jonas playing at? He still needs support, and he still has to organize… Unless…
Something more important came up.
But what could be more important than consolidating and organizing his base?
Asherah had a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer.
*
"What the hell do you mean, it's missing?!" Asherah shrieked at the cowering soldier in front of her.
"Just what I said." Bradley stuck by his guns. "The new Gundam they were developing is gone, and so is the research that went with it!"
"Any leads? What about the guards?"
"No leads and the guards are dead." Bradley still looked frightened, but also impressed. "All the guards; nobody knows what could have done it, or how a force that large could have gotten in unnoticed…"
"It wasn't a large force." Asherah muttered, more to herself than him. "A Gundam… he could customize it, it'd be perfect, he could mimic the attacks…" her face jerked up. "Which way did it go?"
"That way." Bradley pointed. "But it only went the length of the base before lifting off, like it was trying to cause as much destruction as it could…"
"You got that part of it right." She vanished.
"Asherah! Hey, wait! C'mon…" Bradley's shoulders slumped.
*
Asherah's mind was racing as fast as her legs as she went to her hovercraft and took off. She knew where he'd go; there was only one option, if he was going to hide something that large.
He must be very close to having everything that he needs if he's chosen to steal it this soon; the government'll be chasing him after this; they'll possibly send out the entire Covert Agent Corps. Including the Elite… which means that he has a stronghold somewhere. Somewhere else- since he knows that I know where he'll be keeping the Gundam. Of course, he'll have more than one base…
And the Gundam itself… he can customize it to mimic the attacks of the Gundams from other nations to turn them against each other and interfere with the outcome of the fights.
Asherah blasted off toward Jonas' hiding place, hoping aloud to every deity she could think of that she wasn't too late.
*
Asherah landed in a small clearing in the Earth- bound southern United States. It was so far out of the way, and so difficult to access for those unfamiliar with the area, that she was sure she and Jonas were the only people who knew of its existence. The area was thickly forested, but there was one section where the trees were planted in a large ring; they shot up for what seemed like hundreds of feet before any branches started, so the area below was surprisingly clear. Jonas could hide the Gundam there and establish a base somewhere in the woods nearby.
He'll know that I'm coming. He just doesn't know how long it'll take me, although he'll have a shrewd idea… he's expecting me. He's had enough time to prepare; he'll have planted mines, and he'll be watching almost everywhere.
Her scouting confirmed her suspicions; Jonas had cameras planted absolutely everywhere, and she'd be willing to stake her life that the mines were placidly waiting in the ground.
Well.
What I need is my own Gundam. She hadn't wanted to ask the Shuffle Alliance for help, but Jonas had forced her hand.
*
"Thanks for coming with me, Domon." Asherah told him.
"No problem." he replied.
Yeah right. Asherah thought. The only reason he was there in the first place was because he hadn't wanted to let anyone else go, and Asherah hadn't been able to talk the stubborn group into letting her go alone. She couldn't vanish her Gundam, after all.
Or, rather, Rain's Gundam. Asherah hadn't wanted to ask any of the others for theirs, in case she wound up putting it out of commission for the duration of the Tournament.
"That's it, up ahead. He'll know we're coming, so he'll have the Gundam out and the automated defenses up."
"I'll take him on first." Domon said, trying to edge ahead.
Asherah wouldn't let him. "We'll take him on together, if you're so bent on helping me."
"But-"
"This isn't a Gundam fight." she reminded him. "The rules don't apply here. His Gundam is state of the art, and he's a good fighter. The point is taking him down; it doesn't matter how we do it."
He sighed. "It doesn't feel right. I'd rather-"
"Doesn't matter." she cut him off. "Besides, he might not even be in the Gundam."
"Then why did you say-"
"He doesn't have to be in the Gundam to have it operating."
On Rising Gundam's screen, she could see the bewilderment and alarm on his face. "What do you mean?" Domon demanded.
"Jonas is an expert in computer programming and hacking." she quietly informed him, "as am I. With the equipment he has, he can hack into the Gundam's programming and use a specially- made controller to pilot it. Of course, it won't be nearly as effective as fighting in it himself would be, but he has other weapons to make up for that."
"Other weapons like what? And why did you want Rain's Gundam if he wouldn't even be in the Gundam itself?" he queried heatedly.
"Other weapons like cannons, lasers, land mines, missiles, jumped- up machine guns, aircraft that he's controlling remotely using a computer program, land- based robots that have the only safe routes over the landscape programmed into them… speaking of which," she said sharply, dodging a laser beam.
Domon didn't have time to formulate a reply other than, "I'll take the air- based weapons, you take care of the ones on the ground!"
"Got it." Asherah agreed easily, swooping down and destroying a line of robots.
*
"Hmm. Who is your friend, Asherah- my- girl?" Jonas questioned softly, accessing one of his numerous cameras. His computer cross- referenced the Gundam.
"Ah. Domon Kasshu." he tipped his chair back on its hind legs. Kasshu was a strong fighter, to be sure, and could do things that, strictly speaking, he shouldn't be able to- that splitting technique that he had defeated Chibodee Crocket with the last time they'd fought, for example- but Jonas was confident in the number of his defenses and the integrity of his programming. He'd spent many months ensuring the safety of this little haven.
Although it is a bit troubling that Asherah didn't catch on till now. He frowned, and caught himself being concerned. Jonas shook his head and went back to musing, watching Domon twist out of the way of a projectile and destroy the cannon it originated from. Asherah, with the fluidity of movement he'd never tired of watching, took down two of his robots with a punch and elbow strike, and, with a round kick, emancipated the heads of five others. I wonder why she didn't realize what I was doing?
Unless… dawning comprehension dropped his jaw. She did all that work over the past year by herself? How?! How could that be? She'd keel over from exhaustion at the least, and I know she isn't strong enough to have dealt me all those setbacks without having some kind of help…
Well, she is a lot stronger. You've caught yourself being impressed that she's kept up with you all this time, haven't you, and you know for sure that the past year has toughened you up. a small voice reminded him honestly.
Jonas scowled in distaste. Stupid, stupid girl. You'll be the death of us both. Although, a curious smile crossed his face, really, I'd prefer it that way. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather go to hell with. We'd be together again…
The monitors in front of Jonas faded into the background as memories took their place.
There had been a time, once, when they had been happy together.
*
There was an abrupt, too- quiet silence on the battlefield.
Domon's face appeared on the Gundam's screen. "I think we got them all." he said with satisfaction.
"I wouldn't count on it." Asherah warned darkly. "Jonas has a way of pulling tricks out of his sleeve. That was probably only the first wave."
And sure enough, the ground in the middle of the clearing began to rumble and shake, giving way to an immense Gundam head…
"I call it Gargantuan Gundam." Jonas said, appearing on the screen in a mobile trace suit that was a dark blue, with thirteen white stars in a circle on the chest. A red eagle with a sheaf of wheat in one hand and arrows in the other was in the center of the circle; the eagle's head was turned toward the arrows.
"Gargantuan Gundam?" Asherah scoffed. "Puh- leeze."
Domon couldn't believe it when the other man actually blushed. "Well, I thought it was a good name." Jonas defended himself, albeit a little sulkily.
"Gargantuan? Jonas, that thing isn't as big as the Dark Gundam's little finger."
"The Dark Gundam wasn't exactly your ordinary Gundam." Jonas pointed out.
"So it doesn't count?" Asherah inquired sardonically.
"Well, when you put it like that you make it sound-"
"Stupid?" Her voice was dripping sarcasm. "No, darlin', you did that all by yourself."
Domon cleared his throat.
Jonas sent a glare his way and didn't quite manage to suppress the jealousy in it. "Who's this, your new boyfriend?"
Domon sputtered incoherent denials.
Asherah laughed. "Not a chance. He's totally gaga over his girlfriend; she's a friend of mine. She even let me borrow her Gundam."
Jonas had cross- referenced that Gundam, too. "Rain Mikamura let you borrow Rising Gundam?"
"Ooh, very good." she complimented him, with just as much sarcasm as she'd used before. "He's only a friend, Jonas." she added, and there was something soft and wistfully sad in her voice.
Jonas sounded a great deal happier. "Well, I suppose we'd better get on with it, then."
"Just a minute." Asherah looked at her ex- husband as directly as she could, considering that she could only see him through a screen. "Jonas, why didn't you throw the full brunt of your little arsenal at us? Why stop there, why not go all out? You'd better not be humoring me." she threatened.
Jonas smiled. "I'd never just humor you, Asherah. I wanted to fight you myself, that's all."
"It's not just me you'll be fighting." she pointed out.
"The more the merrier!" Jonas offered, a wide smile stretching across his face.
Asherah scowled. "I'm gonna wipe that grin right off your face, you screwball!" And with that- inspiring- battle cry, she launched forward at him, followed instantly by Domon.
*
Rain was on her feet at the first, faintest rattle of the door. Finding Domon on the doorstep, reasonably intact, she gave a half- wail of relief and flung herself into his arms.
Domon simply held her, a look of bliss and bewilderment warring for dominance on his face. Those watching saw a mental shrug in his expression, and he tightened his arms around her, pressed his lips to hers, and closed his eyes.
Asherah jumped up, grabbed hold of the doorframe, and smoothly went right over their heads into the room.
The others smiled.
"How'd it go, Sis?" Sai Saici asked eagerly.
"We managed to destroy his base and we got the Gundam back- even if that was mostly destroyed too by the time we got done- but Jonas got away."
Marie- Louise squinted shrewdly at the older woman's expression and resolved to corner her later.
Allenby wasn't quite so tactful. "Did something happen?"
Asherah shot her a look- I'll tell you later, dammit- and replied dryly, "Yes. We destroyed his base and brought the Gundam back."
Rain and Domon had finally come up for air. "I think we'd all better go to bed; it's late." Rain advised them. "We can talk about exactly what happened over breakfast tomorrow, okay? And since tomorrow is the last day off all of us will have for a while, we can all spend at least part of it together. Is that okay with everyone?"
A murmur of agreement swept the room.
"Good. See you tomorrow." Rain called, as the others left.
"Rain- thanks." Asherah told her fervently.
"You're welcome." Rain said, a little surprised at the depth of feeling in Asherah's voice. Asherah gave her the same look she'd given Allenby and departed instantly, as per her habit.
A/N: So, what did you all think? Cookies to: Ryan. C'mon, virtual cookies are GOOD! Don't any of the rest of you want some too? Except LivEvil; I know LivEvil wants some cookies. ^_^ I heard somewhere that that eagle- is it on some Seal?- had its head turned toward the sheaf of wheat, signifying a desire for peace and that the U.S. wasn't a warlike nation. Cool, huh?