Gundam Wing: War in A.C. 200
a Gundam Wing Fanfiction
by Torankusu Senshi

Chapter 9: Keep the Hope Alive

Gundam Sandrock roared in on it's opponents with a fury, the blue engine trail behind it curving with it's turn. With a swift, fluid movement, the Gundam's huge metallic arms swung through space, the arc of it's heat shotels making an X. The movement never stopped, Sandrock blazed right through the inferno of the two enemy mobile suits and descended upon another grouping.

The battle was not yet 5 minutes old, and already things were looking bad. the Mothership seemed to be content to crawl towards the colony X-18999 at a snail's pace, while it's literal legions of mobile suits battled it out with the defenders. Taurus units fought back with a vengeance, protecting their homes with a hot blooded passion. They were losing, and indeed, the battle might already have been lost, if not for the Gundams.

Fighting like messengers of death, the Gundams were everywhere at once, never stopping the blaze of their engines, and leaving behind a trail of exploding mobile suits in their wake. Deatscythe's beam scythe cut through enemy mobile suits as if they were nothing but an afterthought, the normally green eyed visage glowing a bloody crimson. Those who knew Duo might have been afraid, for the comm channel was absent his usual inane banter. He had already destroyed dozens of the enemy, it was not hard for anyone watching to understand why he had been given the nickname: 'The God of Death.'

Sandrock's heat shotels never stopped swinging, it's pilot, Quatre Rababera Winner, was seeming more vicious in battle than he normally had. He even cursed in frustration as an enemy Angel Suit dodged his heat shotel by mere inches, turning both of it's beam cannons on him. Sandrock weathered the hail of beam fire, closing distance between itself and the enemy. A moment later, nothing was left of the offending mobile suit but fire and shrapnel. Only his two fellow Gundam pilots knew or realized that Quatre was fighting so hard for one reason: His best friend was on the ground, lying in a hospital bed. Quatre refused to betray his trust.

And, as always, the red blooded fury left in the wake of Gundam Altron made enemies hesitate. Apparently, the aliens could sense fear, because some even fled before the power and violence displayed by the grim young warrior. It was unfortunate for them that they couldn't flee very far, either the red hot flames of death or the emerald trident held in the massive hands put all their fears to rest. Wufei lived for this, for the battle, and intended on showing his alien opponents exactly how good he was at it.

Wufei spoke loud over the comm, there was another matter that might become a nuisance, one he was worried about.

"Where is the Wing Zero?"

Moments of silence filled the comm, and Wufei contented himself with bisecting another Tentacle suit. Then, Quatre's answer came over the comm:

"I haven't seen it since the battle began!"

Wufei prepared himself to break off from engaging the aliens; he sure as hell did not desire to be caught unawares by the Wing Zero. He had seen that happen to enemies before, and the result was never congenial to them.

But his search was proved to be futile before it ever begun. Duo's voice broke out, yelling:

"He's right here! Hey...," there was a click on the comm that signified that transmission from closed to broadbeam transmissions, "Heero! What the hell are you doing?!"

The Wing Zero threw it's beam gun to the side, a hint of disdain in it's movements. The gleaming arm came up to the shield, gripped something, and pulled back to it's side, the beam saber it now held gleaming against the black backdrop of space.

The Deathscythe, it's movements less decisive, as if reluctant, ignited it's beam weapon and held it in the ready position.

"Heero......."

The Wing Zero's back retros flared, the blackness of space behidn it turning a bright blue with the engine flare. The Gundam closed the space between itself and Duo in moments, the gigantic beam saber that it held fast in it's metal grip slicing through the air, leaving behind a green trail of light. As it cut through space, it seemed as if the beam would bisect the Deathscythe from shoulder to waist, but at the last moment the beam scythe met it firmly, and the Deathscythe used the thrusters on his boots to beat a hasty retreat backwards.

"Heero! Why are you fighting us? Why are you on their side?!"

Duo had expected the comm to remain silent, as had been the result of all previous attemtps to contact the pilot of the Gundam Wing Zero. But instead, to the horror of every human pilot on the battlefield, and even those listening at home, the calm, determined voice belonging to Heero Yuy rang over the comm set.

"Duo, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. So shut up and fight!" The Wing Zero was back on the Deathscythe in an instant, the saber it held striking and swinging in a furious attack.

The only response Heero's attack provoked on Duo was a slow defense. The Gundam wasn't even trying to counter.

All over the battlefield, human suits had all of a sudden become reluctant to battle. Most had dismissed the notion of Heero piloting against them as nonsense, thinking perhaps it was an alien pilot in the Wing Zero. However, now, all their worst fears were confirmed: The strongest and most determined fighter of their race had turned against them.

Again, Duo's beam scythe managed to deflect the saber, but anyone with eyes would have been able to tell that Deathscythe's defense wouldn't last long. The saber swung in again, this time almost swiping the head clear off the Gundam.

"Duo, stop being so weak and fight me." The calm statement was just that, none too worried. On either side of the 'neck' of the Zero, two machine guns arose. Shot after shot pounded into the Deathscythe, which only began evasive manuevers.

"Duo. If you don't fight, I'll kill you." The barrage stopped, but this time, the Wing Zero just floated in space, the lifeless gaze of the Gundam bearing into the other.

From inside his suit, Duo cursed. "I don't want to fight you, Heero."

"If you're reluctant to fight your enemy, than you shouldn't be fighting," replied the imperturbable voice. If there had been any doubt in Duo's mind, now it was gone.

With that, the Wing Zero's engines again flared, and it was across the battlefield, cutting through Taurus units as easily as it had those mobile dolls, all those years before.

Duo, despite his reservations, knew what he had to do. If he didn't fight Heero, how many others would die, today? How many would die, if he gave in to his weaknesses?

"HEERO!" came a furious shout. And the Deathscythe, eyes glowing a crimson that promised death, blazed through space at it's new and unexpected opponent.
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Akira ran. And he ran. And ran. He had been running until he had hit his thresh hold, his legs ached and his lungs pounded away at his chest in vain attempts to get in any kind of air.

Things had been normal, for a few moments. Well, as normal as they can be, when one is trapped aboard an alien spaceship during the middle of a War. He and Noin had been watching the battle from their small room; him just marveling in awe at the scope and magnitude of the battle before him, her simply staring, as if she was looking for something. Or more appropriately, someone....

And that's when it happened. A stray beam from the battle had hit the mothership, right below them, collapsing the structure. They fell into a room full of what was apparently aliens in some kind of armor, or suits( which was made of the same black as everything else around this damned hellhole,) and, in the confusion, Akira had managed to escape.

He had lost track of Noin.

The black corridors had no visible light that Akira could detect, but nonetheless, the corridors glowed with an almost eerie half-light. He had been running for what seemed like forever, but in actuality had probably been only a few minutes. Running to where, he didn't know, but he'd put his trust with Fate and hope things worked out...

The corridor he was in came abruptly to an end. Practically sliding, Akira turned to his left, and saw a circular opening, which apparently led to blackness. Well, if he didn't do something soon, they'd probably find and kill him, anyway.

So, he braced himself, and stepped through the blackness.

And stumbled into a giant cavern.

Well, cavern was the wrong word. But it was certainly huge. Akira couldn't see the end to either side of the huge room, and, surprise of surprises, it was black. As he glanced nervously around, he could see that the ceiling and bottom floor were impossible high, it seemed he was standing on a balcony of some sort. On the other side of the cavernous room, directly opposite from his location, was sight to behold:

Through a shimmering screen, the war for Colony X-18999 was taking place. Suits dodged and weaved, beams were fired and counterfired, mobile suits exploded in brilliant oranges and reds. He had seen it through his viewport, up in the room, but this....this was without words. And then, to Akira's joy, he finally saw that Fate had, in fact, pulled through for him.

He had inadvertently stepped into the mobile suit Hangar of the Alien Flagship.

There they were, thousands of them, their cockpits all lined in easy access across the balcony. Thousands of black ones with tentacles, some with bird like wings.....

Now THAT one was different.

The mobile suit that was practicallt staring right down at him was more human looking than the others. Instead of being black, it was dark violet and black, with the former practically covering all of it. The biggest noticebale feature about it, however, was....

The thing was a Gundam.

Akira may have been an out of sphere equivalent to a country bumpkin, but he knew a thing or two about mobile suits. And this one was definitely made of Gundanium. Strangely enough, it seemed to have no projectile or beam armaments, only melee weapons.....

A quick glance around the cavernous hangar affirmed the fact that this was the only Gundam here. And he had stumbled right onto it.

Fate was more than just helping him, it was giving him the full treatment.

But why did the aliens have a Gundam?

No time for such things. Breaking his tired body into another sprint, Akira ran towards the Gundam.

That Gundam had a name, once. A name Akira Tomino didn't know. And it might have made him halt, if he had. For that Gundam lived in on in the many nightmares of the veterans of the Eve Wars....

Epyon.
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Relena was forced violently to the side of the leather passenger seat, straining the safety belt. She slowly brought her head up, combatting the forces of extreme manuevering, to look back out the viewport in front of her, in which a scene of war was strayed beneath. The mobile suits that she knew were engaged in a war miles away were barely visible at such an extreme distance, all she could see of the battle were the bright pinpricks of light that marked laser beams, and the breif novas of fire thst symbolized destruction of a mobile suit. Just the sight of such a scene of outright warfare was enough to make the young girl want to vomit.

And, in the center of the firestorm, visible even at this distance, was a long black dagger in space, the only telltale sign of it's existence at this distance the absence of any stars in it's background. The fifteen mile long mothership. And it was closing with the colony quickly, too quickly. She doubted the human mobile suits would be able to stop it in time.

"Dorothy, can't we go any faster?" Relena questioned as the ship jerked violently again, avoiding yet another beam of light.

"Miss Relena, we could, but we'd be destroyed in no time by these stray beams."

Relena sighed, grasping the handholds on either side of her chair tight enough to leave finger marks. Seemed she had a ways to go, yet. But she had to be there...Heero.....
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Deathscythe Hell's wingspan spread open, making it seem more like a bat than even it normally did, and the Gundam descended upon the Wing Zero, it's beam scythe slicing through space in a cut that would have bisected a normal mobile suit before it had time to react.

The beam saber of the Wing Zero was there to meet it, and parry the blow, the electric feed back caused by the meeting of the beam weapons lighting up the area between the two dueling Gundams. It lasted for only a moment, and then the two Gundams retros flared as they backed away from each other, strafing across space before clashing again, and repeating. It was a deadly dance of speed, coordination, strength, and skill. Any mistake, the slightest microscopic slip of beam weapons to where they were not supposed to be, and the opponent's attack would destroy the other.

The Deathscythe's charge ceased, and instead it drew back, it's midnight metallic arm rising, firing a massive rocket propelled claw at the other Gundam. Wing Zero's back retros flared, and it simply increased it's speed, not stopping for a moment as it's beam saber stabbed through the incoming claw, the Gundam itself flying through the explosion as if it never happened.

Duo cursed to himself as he manipulated the controls to dodge the next attack. He had forgot, over the course of the years, just how good Heero was. It was like fighting a mobile doll, if one could set the difficulty level up a few hundred notches. He was unrelenting, perfectly coordinated, and the power of the Wing Zero wasn't helping matters for Duo any.

The massive Gundam's emerald beam scythe sliced through space at it's opponent, but again met the equally fierce emerald of the Wing Zero's beam saber.

Heero was good, that was for certain. But Duo was no pushover. He hadn't been nicknamed "The God of Death," for no reason at all. Things were a stalemate, and it seemed that things would continue on like this for quite a while yet.

Until the unexpected happened.

"Heero!"

The voice rang all universal broadcast comm rather than the channels used for combat. Duo didn't need to ask who it was, he had heard the voice enough times before.

The Wing Zero seemed visibly stunned a moment, and it stopped combat. Heero's voice came, low, trembling, and confused, over the comm channel.

"....Relena?"

"Heero, why are you doing this?!"

The voice belonging to the pilot of the Wing Zero's voice became tense and angry. "Relena, get out of here! You were never supposed to get involved!"

Before the woman could reply to the man she loved, something happened.

Several things.

All at once.

Duo, kind being that he was at heart, knew that Heero's path was too destructive to them all. His face setting in hard, resolved features, he pulled the trigger on his joystick and pulled back on it. Gundam Deathscythe Hell, in an eerily humanlike movement, swung it's beam scythe with deadly accuracy straight at the unresponsive Wing Zero.

The battle had been raging this whole time, but now it got even worse. The tide seemed to be turning, and for the human side. All over the field, alien mobile suits were cornered, outmanned and outgunned. Human reinforcements had arrived, in force. Instead of the by comparison tame Taurus units the invaders found themselves up against, now they faced a much greater challenge: The Serpents. Remade models of the suit used by the Marameiya forces in A.C. 196. All over the battlefield, Serpents drove back the tide of war. But by far the most dangerous new suit on the field...

The Zeus. Liuetenant Slade of the E.S.U.N.A.F. launched onto the scene in a fury, the weapons from his high performance suit blazing like the cannons of death.

And to top it all off, the Mobile Suit Tallgeese and the Magonac Corps had entered the fray. What little of the force remained from the losing battle at a different cluster, had returned to help.

All of a sudden, things looked very good for the human forces.

Relena's ship was struck by a stray blast. It exploded brilliantly, but even those colors seemed dull in comparison to the battle around them. As the wreckage spread, ever so slowly, throughout space, two vaguely human shaped blue containment suits could be seen drifting around.

"RELENA!!" Heero's cry shouted, joining the screams of dying men. The Wing Zero barely made it out of the way of the beam scythe, the blur of colors all that Duo could see. It had lost it's beam saber arm. But it's one good arm now brandished the twin buster rifle it was famous for, and it used it's back and boot retros to flare across space from the Deathscythe, it's stump of an arm sizzling with short circuits.

Gundam Sandrock's immense heat shotels cut through two more mobile suits during a descent, and Quatre turned to face new enemies, new aliens to defeat. What he saw instead was the visage of the Zeus, the mobile suit itself igniting a crimson beam saber in each hand as it closed in on him.

"MURDERER!" screamed Slade over the comm, almost incoherent, but filled with grief and rage. Before Quatre could ask, or even dodge, the Zeus was on him. All he could do was raise his own heat shotels in an arc, fending off the enemy for a moment.

Slade wasn't to be discouraged, again with a scream he closed in on Sandrock, his beam sabers dangerously coming close to the Gundanium armor of the mobile suit. Sandrock dodged, doing it's best not to attack, it's pilot was still entirely too confused to do anything but try and avoid the attacks. If the Zeus had been piloting as it had before, it would have bisected the Gundam, but it seemed to move with a furious abandon, attacking like a thing posessed. It was a strange thing to see in a mobile suit, and the frustrated cries of the Zeu's pilot weren't helping things any.

Seen by some, but perhaps too strange or frightening to mention over broadcast comm, yet another new mobile suit had entered the fray.

Akira mentally cursed himself for being captured by aliens who couldn't speak English, or even Japanese. It wasn't like in the movies. All the labels on the Gundam's cockpit were in some strange heiroglyphics that he couldn't comprehend. It had been all he could do to get the thing out of the damn hangar, and somehow he had managed to avoid being shot to pieces or crashing in the process. He looked again, in vain it seemed...

Aha! There it was! A small button, to the right of the main vid screen, covered by a small plastic film. Above, the words a plain white, were four letters:

"ZERO"

If he had stopped to think of what that meant, or what he remembered of the word and mobile suits, it definitely would have gave him pause. But, impulsive being that he was, and overjoyed that he was at seeing a word in English, he didn't. With a nod and a quick gesture to remove the film, he pushed the button, hard.

And his senses exploded.

Or rather, they exploded with the raw input he was getting for them. He was aware of all the mobile suits in the field around him, every shot fired, every dodge. It was wonderful. No longer did any of the mobile suits seem like 60 foot tall monstrosities, but merely targets for him to destroy. An instinct reverberated at the back of his head, and he followed it.

The Epyon started attacking everything and everyone on the battlefield.

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Far from the site of battle, on a large engine platform that resembled more of a board, stood another Gundam. Heavyarms.

From inside, Trowa shook his head.

"I'm gone for a few days and all hell breaks loose..."
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Amidst the heat of battle, surrounded by searing hot laser beams and monstrous dueling mobile suits, floated two containment suits. Through the shiny faceplate of one of the two, a face could be seen. TBoth suits floated dead in space, neither making a move.

And at the faceplate of that one, a small cloud of heat appeared, and disappeared as soon as it came. Relena was breathing.

But she wouldn't be for long, unless something intervened.
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