Lady Starfarer
By KatLady86
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing (not that I'd mind...). All I own is Minami Kamikaze Yoshiro and this story. Don't flame me; out of marshmallows. Other comments are appreciated.
It wasn't too much longer when the doorbell rang. Mina opened the door and let in the four young men. She smiled. "This way." And she led them over to the couch and chairs. Seeing the group, Quatre leapt up from his seat on the couch.
"Guys!", he shouted and grinned widely. "It's great to see you!"
"Great to see you, too," Trowa smiled, then paused. "Quatre…what happened to you?"
"Oh…" Quatre reached an unsure hand up to his face and fingered a bandage on his cheek. "I…got roughed up…and Mina found me…She…made them stop…and…she brought me here…cleaned me up…Then I called you…and the rest you know."
Trowa studied him for a moment longer, then sat down on the couch. Duo took the last space on the couch and Wufei took an armchair. Mina offered the remaining chair to Heero, but he shook his head. "I'd rather stand," he said, so Mina shrugged and sat down.
"Okay," she began, "you all know I'm here with a mission. I'll tell you up-front that you don't have to take it. I was instructed to offer it to you, and if the answer is not unanimous, then nobody takes it."
"So it's all or nothing," Heero mused. "Who instructed you?"
Mina looked up at him. "I can't tell you that. If I did…then I'd have to kill you."
Heero looked back down at here, unreadable thoughts flashing through his mind. "Okay, then," he said after a time. "Continue."
"Anyway, this is, as Heero said, all or nothing. The mission is this. A few of the more dangerous remnants of OZ, the Mariemaia Army and others are pulling back together and forming a new organization. From what we can gather, they are calling themselves 'the Kuro Senshi'. Also…we have reports that they have some very advanced mobile suit technology. These suits, if built, will be incredibly fast with huge weapons capabilities. We think…we don't know, but we think…that these suits will eventually be developed into mobile dolls with a special program implanted in them. This program allows them to distinguish a manned suit from an unmanned one…and all manned suits are automatically registered as targets. We need a team to go in, destroy the mobile suit lab and as much of the base as possible with minimal damage to our side."
Duo looked over at Mina. "So…what if these Kuro Senshi people all ready have manned suits out in a battle…and they send out these dolls?"
Mina closed her eyes. "A manned suit is a manned suit." She hesitated. "These things are being designed for absolute annihilation, not to pick and choose. If a suit is manned, it is a target…and these things aren't the type to let a target get away."
Duo sighed. "I was afraid that was what you were going to say. So…what's the verdict?"
All the pilots looked at each other, Mina also observing them in turn. When her eyes reached Heero, she saw the hand that had been on his hip was now behind his back and dangerous messages flashed encrypted in his gaze. She understood. Before anyone noticed, Mina was standing with her gun drawn, cocked, and aimed between Heero's eyes. The other pilots froze.
"Mina!", Quatre hissed. "What do you think you're doing?"
Mina ignored him. "Heero, would you be so kind as to turn over the little present you have waiting for me behind your back?", she asked politely. Heero scowled, but obliged. He pulled the gun from his back pocked and handed it to Mina.
"Thank you," she said. "Now, why did you feel you needed to bring this?"
Heero was silent for a moment, then spoke. "I didn't like the feel of it. I thought this was a trap…and so far you haven't convinced me of otherwise."
"True," she mused. "Very, very true. I'm not so sure I would have trusted me, either. But I am telling the truth, whether you believe me or not."
"Do you have any proof of what you claim?", Wufei demanded, eyeing Mina skeptically.
"Um…what exactly does she claim, anyway?", Duo asked. "I mean…I get that you guys don't really trust her, but what don't you trust? That there's some organization called the Kuro Senshi? That they've got killer mobile suit technology? That she's on our side? Or is it all of it you're not buying? I'd really like an answer."
Heero spoke first. "I'm not sure I believe any of it."
Mina's mouth quirked at the corners. "So, Heero. What kind of proof do you want? Proof that I have a Gundam? That I'm the one who disabled the Tallgeese? That I…that I have felt more pain in 60 seconds than you have in your whole life?" She whispered the last sentence, almost as though she wanted no one to hear, afraid of their pity. "What do you want from me, Heero Yuy? What do you want from me?"
"You…disabled Tallgeese?", he asked softly.
Mina's smile turned wider. "So you heard? I was hoping that word had gotten around." Suddenly, her smile vanished and her lips became impassive again. "But you never answered me, Heero. What do you want from me?"
He shook his head. "I don't know, Mina. I really don't know."
Unexpectedly, she lowered her gun. "I think I have something that may convince you. Don't move." She dashed into her bedroom, then returned with something in her left hand. Carefully, she pressed the mystery object into Heero's palm and closed his fingers around it.
"Do you remember these?", she asked him.
He opened his hand and gasped softly. "The last time I saw these…I had left them…You're…"
"Yes, Heero. I am. I thought they'd help you remember." The others were left to wonder about their conversation.
"What do you have in your hand, Heero?", Quatre asked.
Heero wrapped the chain around his fingers and let the dogtags slip from his grasp. They dangled in the air and swung slowly back and forth. "Just an old good luck charm, that's all." He slipped the chain over his head and ran his fingers over the tags. "Can I keep them?"
"Sure," Mina smiled. "They are yours, after all. Does that convince you?"
He almost smiled. "I suppose it does, Mina. So…what are we going to do? Do we take this mission? Or do we leave it for somebody else? Duo?"
"Take it. Trowa?"
"Take it. Quatre?"
"I don't really like the idea of having to fight again, but…I say we take it. Wufei?"
"We're the only ones who can really deal with this. Take it. Heero?"
"What do you think I'm going to say? We take it."
Mina nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll get the files." She headed for the bedroom.
The pilots looked shocked. "You have files?!?", Duo shouted over his shoulder to her.
A few moments later, she strode out of the bedroom with an armful of manila folders. She set the stack down on the coffee table and stepped back. "This is all we've got on the Kuro Senshi, their base, and their mobile suit technology. I'd advise you to look over it."
Heero reached forward, opened one, and removed a map. He pushed aside the files and spread it out on the other half of the coffee table. "Okay, so this is the base." He studied it for a few minutes. "I don't think this will be a problem for the five of us."
"Six," Mina corrected. "I'm going with you. And if I can convince a friend of mine, it'll be seven."
"Seven…Who's this friend of yours?", Heero asked.
"I'll tell you if he says yes," Mina replied. She took a battered flight jacket and a duffel bag from the closet and headed to the door. "I'll be back in a little while. Meantime, you guys have some reading to do."
Zechs stood in the hanger, staring up at the frozen Tallgeese III. *How the hell did she do this?*, he wondered. *Tallgeese doesn't move at all…and none of the techs can figure out how to undo it. I wish I at least knew where she is right now.*
"Excuse me, Colonel?", a young female tech asked. "I'm here to work on the Tallgeese ."
Zechs sighed. "You're welcome to try, but no one can fix it. I'm afraid there's only one person who can."
"And it would be too convenient if she happened to be here, wouldn't it?", the tech commented, looking sideways at Zechs.
He looked over at her, more carefully now. She carried something slightly akin to a small silver briefcase. The jumpsuit she wore was the standard issue for a mobile suit tech. Her hair was long and pulled neatly back at the nape of her neck. It was dark brown with the faint tendrils of lighter blond stripes drifting out from under her cap. She smiled and cut her eyes over at him; her blue and teal colored eyes. "So, Mil," she whispered. "Is there any place we can go that's a little more private?"
He nodded quickly, took her by the arm, and led her into a small, little used conference room just off to the side in the hanger. He had barely shut and locked the door when Mina flung her cap to the floor and launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck.
"It's great to see you, too," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly.
She pried her head from his chest and looked up at him, eyes shining. "I missed you," she whispered. "I missed you a lot."
He ruffled her hair with one hand and wiped something from her cheek with the other. "God, but you've grown. You've probably got boys camping out on your doorstep."
Mina laughed. "Speak for yourself. You probably have to beat back girls with a stick."
"Mina…" Zechs looked sheepish and blushed slightly.
Mina grinned wickedly, noting the blush. Zechs stepped in to change the subject. "So," he asked, "why did you attack our base?"
It was Mina's turn to blush. "Well…some wires got crossed…information wasn't entirely accurate…I got to see you, didn't I?"
Zechs shook his head and laughed. "You sure have a funny way of trying to keep in touch. Now, are you going to fix Tallgeese or what?"
Mina pretended to look outraged. "So, just fix your suit and get out, hm? I don't think so. As a matter of fact…I've got a bit of a proposition for you."
Zechs turned serious. "If you expect me to drag the Preventers into this…"
Mina held up her hands. "No! No, I don't. This is just…a favor I came to ask you. We could use another suit and…well…" She explained the situation with the Kuro Senshi.
Zechs frowned. "Maybe I should drag the Preventers into this…" Mina shook her head frantically. "This is serious stuff, Mina-chan," he continued. "This concerns more than just you and the Gundam pilots. If these Kuro Senshi are as powerful as you say…But I won't tell anyone else. Not yet. I'll help you, Mina-chan. But after this…if Kuro Senshi reports find their way to my desk…all bets are off. I'll have to do something about it. You know that."
Mina nodded. "Okay, then. I couldn't ask for more. By the way…I…I have to ask…Is…is he really dead?"
"Who?", Zechs asked.
"You know who," Mina whispered. "Treize. Is it true that he's dead?"
Zechs closed his eyes. "It's true, Mina-chan. I…I'd been wondering if you'd heard."
Mina wiped something from her eye. "Oh…I heard, all right. I guess…I just had to be sure. I…I think I'd better get started on Tallgeese ."
Mina fastened the silver box to her belt and began searching for handholds. She found two, gripped tightly, and in no time she had scrambled halfway up the side of Tallgeese . Zechs stared open-mouthed as she climbed the rest of the way up to the suit's shoulder. Sitting down, she opened a panel on the side of its neck. She took several cables from her pocket and hooked them from the silver box to corresponding ports inside the suit's neck. She opened the box, and it became obvious that it was a small laptop computer. She typed for a few moments, frowned, and typed again. She smiled as the lights in Tallgeese's eyes flared brightly and the suit came to life. Grinning, she undid the cables and closed the panel, clipping the box back to her belt. Without a second thought, she jumped off Tallgeese 's shoulder.
Zechs gasped in shock, too stunned to scream. Mina spread her arms out wide to slow her fall. Abruptly, she snapped her knees to her chest, turned several mid-air somersaults, and flipped out into a perfect three-point landing. Mina strode calmly over to Zechs and patted his cheek gently. "Don't worry about me, Mil," she smiled. "I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself. See you tomorrow night at midnight sharp. Outside Hanger 5. Be there and bring your toy with you." She jerked her head in the direction of Tallgeese . "I'll be waiting." She walked out of the hanger.
"Your friend is WHO?!", Heero demanded.
"Zechs Merquise, Miliardo Peacecraft, whatever you want to call him." Mina shrugged. "Don't see why his name matters. He's one hell of a pilot and we need all the help we can get."
"He agreed to help us?", Duo asked.
Mina nodded. "I went and asked him myself. Where do you think I was, anyway?"
Duo mouth quirked slightly. "You've gotta point."
"So," Mina asked, heading into the kitchen, "you guys finish reading all that material yet? Or do I need to make some coffee for an all-niter?"
Quatre shook his head. "We've got it all taken care of. So, it looks like we can be fully ready in about three days and -"
"No!", Mina shouted. "No, you guys don't get this! It has to be tomorrow night!" She stormed out of the kitchen. "I've had this planned down to the last detail and it will never be more perfect than then! Half, no, almost two-thirds of their forces have been transferred to another set of bases, due to a threat of attack on them. This threat is really just something I concocted and made sure it was believable enough for them. Three days from now, they will have started to figure out there's nothing there and will start bringing forces back here! If you guys can't do it tomorrow night, then you can't do it at all!"
The pilots sat in stunned silence. After some time, Heero spoke. "Well," he said impassively, "if it has to be tomorrow night, then it'll be tomorrow night. Now…one question."
Mina cocked her head to the side. "I'm all ears."
"I want to know about this suit of yours," Heero said.
Mina grinned. "You'll know about it. You get to see it tomorrow night. Until then, I'm saying nothing. So, who wants coffee?"
"Could you please explain to me why we're outside the Preventer base?", Duo asked, as the pilots and Mina approached the south fence of the compound.
"We've got to pick up something," Mina said, pausing at a small gate in the fence. "Not to mention the seventh member of our little group." She pulled a small packet from her pocket and flipped it open. Removing a lock pick, she inserted it into the keyhole of a small box on the fence. The small door swung open to reveal a keypad. Mina typed four keys, a green light blinked three times, and the gate swung open easily when she pushed on it.
"Follow me," she whispered. Carefully, they slid through the maze of warehouses and hangers until they reached Hanger 5. She entered a five-digit code on a keypad by a side door and slid inside, beckoning the others in.
"What? Am I not invited, too?", a sultry, all-too-familiar voice asked from the shadows.
Mina smiled in the half-light. "Of course you are. The question is, are you coming or not?"
Zechs smiled back. "Of course I am." He surveyed the Gundam pilots. "No surprise to see you all here." They studied him for a moment, then nodded indifferently.
"I know this is gonna be hard for you, but let's stop the chatter and head inside," Mina sighed, after a few moments more. The others followed her obediently into the hanger.
"Wow," Quatre whispered as they stared upward at the mobile suit that drew all their focus.
It was an immense weapon, unmistakably a Gundam. It's lines were sleeker than the original Gundams, however, giving the impression of great speed. The chestplate was deep teal, with blue stripes along the suit's shoulder boards. Mina walked up to it, pride and deep familiarity written across her face.
"This is her," she said softly, running her fingers across the Gundam's leg. "Starfarer."
Heero walked over to her. "This is the little thing you were working on?"
Mina turned to him and nodded. "Yeah…She doesn't seem so little now, does she?"
He shook his head. "No…not at all…I've heard the reports about you and her…Quite impressive…only I've heard there's a price, that no one can seem to find out much about."
Mina hesitated, biting her lower lip uncertainly.
"Is it like the Zero system?", Heero asked.
"In a way," Mina murmured, running her fingers across the silver armlet. Suddenly, she stretched her left arm out as far as it would go and blurted, "This…this…this thing binds me to her! I can control almost all of her functions by pure thought! Only…only when she gets hurt, I feel it……and trust me, the feeling of getting your arm blown off is not something you want to go through more than once."
Heero took several startled steps backwards, and the others stood in stunned silence. After what seemed like eternity, one of them spoke.
"How many times have you gone through it?", Trowa whispered.
"Three," Mina responded quietly. "But it was my decision! My choice! I accepted it and…and I don't…I don't…"
"You can't say you don't regret it," Trowa said, careful to keep his voice gentle. "I know I would, if I was you. You just take things as they come and move on. Sometimes it seems like our choices are made for us."
Mina nodded, sniffling slightly. "I know what you mean." She swiped a hand violently across her eyes and looked at the other Gundam pilots. "It…it looks like the only problem will be trying to get her out of here without setting off all the alarms."
"No problem," Zechs replied. "I told everyone I'd be doing a small training exercise. They won't be surprised if I take out a suit or two."
Mina smiled. "You're a lifesaver. Now, think you boys can get out of here and to your Gundams by yourselves?"
Wufei nodded. "I think we can handle it."
"Okay, then," Mina replied. "Three klicks further south of the fence we came in, there's a huge field. Zechs and I will meet you there as soon as we can."
"Do you believe her?"
Trowa looked up at the comm screen. It was Quatre. "Believe what?"
"That stuff she said. About Starfarer. And that armlet and everything. Do you believe it? You think that's really what it's for?"
Trowa shrugged. "I…I guess I do. Did you see her, Quatre? Did you? You…you can't fake pain like that. Trust me. That was real. She's real. Why? You don't believe her?"
Quatre shook his head. "No! I believe her. I…I know what you're saying. You should have seen her when she talked about her brother…it was like part of her died. I've never seen anybody look like that. That Starfarer sounds like something very hard to handle. This may sound…I don't know…unsympathetic…but I'm glad it's not me, Trowa. I'm really glad it's not me."
"I hear you, Quatre," Trowa whispered back. "I hear you."
The seven mobile suits stood ready in the field. Mina opened a link to all six of the other suits. "Okay, you guys. Listen up. We're gonna head out to the base shortly. Once we get there, we'll have to fight our way to where we need to get: right outside the lab. As soon as that happens, I do what I have to do, then three of you go in on foot while the others cover you. The three on foot get in to the main part of the mobile suit lab, and you have to destroy everything. If it looks even remotely related to mobile suits, dolls, or seek and destroy programs, I want it gone. As soon as you're done, get out and back in your suits. From there, we beat a speedy getaway. Understood?"
The other pilots nodded. "Okay, then. Let's do this."
She broke the comm link, leaving six minds wondering what it was she had to do.
"Heero."
The boy looked up and found Trowa staring out of the comm screen. "Yeah?"
"What do you think? That she has to do, I mean."
"Do you really want to know."
There was a moment's pause. "Yes."
"I think…that Kamikaze Yoshiro is going to live up to her name."
"You don't mean…self-detonate?"
"That's exactly what I mean. You saw those blueprints. The lab is easily the most fortified building on the base. It would take a sizable explosion to put a hole in it. I don't even think all the firepower in all our Gundams could do it. It would take a huge blast, like the kind that follows a self-detonation."
"You're telling me that a self-detonation has more force than seven Gundams?"
"Starfarer's might. That thing is deadly technology. I bet it's rigged to blow so there's not a part left bigger than my finger. After all, would you want that stuff in enemy hands?"
"No…but why didn't she tell us what she's going to do?"
"Would you tell anybody?"
"…I see your point…but still…"
"Minami is a soldier, first and foremost. After that, she starts thinking about other things. Like life. Her training program was similar to mine. I know how she thinks. Her brother was one of the best reconnaissance agents there was. After his death, everything she was went into piloting Starfarer. It was supposed to be his, her brother's. She wouldn't let anyone else touch it….because it was his…It became almost sacred to her…Other than that necklace…it's all she has of him. She's accepted her mission, Trowa. She won't hesitate to complete it."
******
Dun, dun DUN!! Cue the dramatic music!! BWAHAHA!! I love cliffhangers! Anyway, you'll just have to keep reading to see how it turns out.
Until next time,
Ja ne! ^_^\/
~KatLady86~
By KatLady86
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing (not that I'd mind...). All I own is Minami Kamikaze Yoshiro and this story. Don't flame me; out of marshmallows. Other comments are appreciated.
It wasn't too much longer when the doorbell rang. Mina opened the door and let in the four young men. She smiled. "This way." And she led them over to the couch and chairs. Seeing the group, Quatre leapt up from his seat on the couch.
"Guys!", he shouted and grinned widely. "It's great to see you!"
"Great to see you, too," Trowa smiled, then paused. "Quatre…what happened to you?"
"Oh…" Quatre reached an unsure hand up to his face and fingered a bandage on his cheek. "I…got roughed up…and Mina found me…She…made them stop…and…she brought me here…cleaned me up…Then I called you…and the rest you know."
Trowa studied him for a moment longer, then sat down on the couch. Duo took the last space on the couch and Wufei took an armchair. Mina offered the remaining chair to Heero, but he shook his head. "I'd rather stand," he said, so Mina shrugged and sat down.
"Okay," she began, "you all know I'm here with a mission. I'll tell you up-front that you don't have to take it. I was instructed to offer it to you, and if the answer is not unanimous, then nobody takes it."
"So it's all or nothing," Heero mused. "Who instructed you?"
Mina looked up at him. "I can't tell you that. If I did…then I'd have to kill you."
Heero looked back down at here, unreadable thoughts flashing through his mind. "Okay, then," he said after a time. "Continue."
"Anyway, this is, as Heero said, all or nothing. The mission is this. A few of the more dangerous remnants of OZ, the Mariemaia Army and others are pulling back together and forming a new organization. From what we can gather, they are calling themselves 'the Kuro Senshi'. Also…we have reports that they have some very advanced mobile suit technology. These suits, if built, will be incredibly fast with huge weapons capabilities. We think…we don't know, but we think…that these suits will eventually be developed into mobile dolls with a special program implanted in them. This program allows them to distinguish a manned suit from an unmanned one…and all manned suits are automatically registered as targets. We need a team to go in, destroy the mobile suit lab and as much of the base as possible with minimal damage to our side."
Duo looked over at Mina. "So…what if these Kuro Senshi people all ready have manned suits out in a battle…and they send out these dolls?"
Mina closed her eyes. "A manned suit is a manned suit." She hesitated. "These things are being designed for absolute annihilation, not to pick and choose. If a suit is manned, it is a target…and these things aren't the type to let a target get away."
Duo sighed. "I was afraid that was what you were going to say. So…what's the verdict?"
All the pilots looked at each other, Mina also observing them in turn. When her eyes reached Heero, she saw the hand that had been on his hip was now behind his back and dangerous messages flashed encrypted in his gaze. She understood. Before anyone noticed, Mina was standing with her gun drawn, cocked, and aimed between Heero's eyes. The other pilots froze.
"Mina!", Quatre hissed. "What do you think you're doing?"
Mina ignored him. "Heero, would you be so kind as to turn over the little present you have waiting for me behind your back?", she asked politely. Heero scowled, but obliged. He pulled the gun from his back pocked and handed it to Mina.
"Thank you," she said. "Now, why did you feel you needed to bring this?"
Heero was silent for a moment, then spoke. "I didn't like the feel of it. I thought this was a trap…and so far you haven't convinced me of otherwise."
"True," she mused. "Very, very true. I'm not so sure I would have trusted me, either. But I am telling the truth, whether you believe me or not."
"Do you have any proof of what you claim?", Wufei demanded, eyeing Mina skeptically.
"Um…what exactly does she claim, anyway?", Duo asked. "I mean…I get that you guys don't really trust her, but what don't you trust? That there's some organization called the Kuro Senshi? That they've got killer mobile suit technology? That she's on our side? Or is it all of it you're not buying? I'd really like an answer."
Heero spoke first. "I'm not sure I believe any of it."
Mina's mouth quirked at the corners. "So, Heero. What kind of proof do you want? Proof that I have a Gundam? That I'm the one who disabled the Tallgeese? That I…that I have felt more pain in 60 seconds than you have in your whole life?" She whispered the last sentence, almost as though she wanted no one to hear, afraid of their pity. "What do you want from me, Heero Yuy? What do you want from me?"
"You…disabled Tallgeese?", he asked softly.
Mina's smile turned wider. "So you heard? I was hoping that word had gotten around." Suddenly, her smile vanished and her lips became impassive again. "But you never answered me, Heero. What do you want from me?"
He shook his head. "I don't know, Mina. I really don't know."
Unexpectedly, she lowered her gun. "I think I have something that may convince you. Don't move." She dashed into her bedroom, then returned with something in her left hand. Carefully, she pressed the mystery object into Heero's palm and closed his fingers around it.
"Do you remember these?", she asked him.
He opened his hand and gasped softly. "The last time I saw these…I had left them…You're…"
"Yes, Heero. I am. I thought they'd help you remember." The others were left to wonder about their conversation.
"What do you have in your hand, Heero?", Quatre asked.
Heero wrapped the chain around his fingers and let the dogtags slip from his grasp. They dangled in the air and swung slowly back and forth. "Just an old good luck charm, that's all." He slipped the chain over his head and ran his fingers over the tags. "Can I keep them?"
"Sure," Mina smiled. "They are yours, after all. Does that convince you?"
He almost smiled. "I suppose it does, Mina. So…what are we going to do? Do we take this mission? Or do we leave it for somebody else? Duo?"
"Take it. Trowa?"
"Take it. Quatre?"
"I don't really like the idea of having to fight again, but…I say we take it. Wufei?"
"We're the only ones who can really deal with this. Take it. Heero?"
"What do you think I'm going to say? We take it."
Mina nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll get the files." She headed for the bedroom.
The pilots looked shocked. "You have files?!?", Duo shouted over his shoulder to her.
A few moments later, she strode out of the bedroom with an armful of manila folders. She set the stack down on the coffee table and stepped back. "This is all we've got on the Kuro Senshi, their base, and their mobile suit technology. I'd advise you to look over it."
Heero reached forward, opened one, and removed a map. He pushed aside the files and spread it out on the other half of the coffee table. "Okay, so this is the base." He studied it for a few minutes. "I don't think this will be a problem for the five of us."
"Six," Mina corrected. "I'm going with you. And if I can convince a friend of mine, it'll be seven."
"Seven…Who's this friend of yours?", Heero asked.
"I'll tell you if he says yes," Mina replied. She took a battered flight jacket and a duffel bag from the closet and headed to the door. "I'll be back in a little while. Meantime, you guys have some reading to do."
Zechs stood in the hanger, staring up at the frozen Tallgeese III. *How the hell did she do this?*, he wondered. *Tallgeese doesn't move at all…and none of the techs can figure out how to undo it. I wish I at least knew where she is right now.*
"Excuse me, Colonel?", a young female tech asked. "I'm here to work on the Tallgeese ."
Zechs sighed. "You're welcome to try, but no one can fix it. I'm afraid there's only one person who can."
"And it would be too convenient if she happened to be here, wouldn't it?", the tech commented, looking sideways at Zechs.
He looked over at her, more carefully now. She carried something slightly akin to a small silver briefcase. The jumpsuit she wore was the standard issue for a mobile suit tech. Her hair was long and pulled neatly back at the nape of her neck. It was dark brown with the faint tendrils of lighter blond stripes drifting out from under her cap. She smiled and cut her eyes over at him; her blue and teal colored eyes. "So, Mil," she whispered. "Is there any place we can go that's a little more private?"
He nodded quickly, took her by the arm, and led her into a small, little used conference room just off to the side in the hanger. He had barely shut and locked the door when Mina flung her cap to the floor and launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck.
"It's great to see you, too," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly.
She pried her head from his chest and looked up at him, eyes shining. "I missed you," she whispered. "I missed you a lot."
He ruffled her hair with one hand and wiped something from her cheek with the other. "God, but you've grown. You've probably got boys camping out on your doorstep."
Mina laughed. "Speak for yourself. You probably have to beat back girls with a stick."
"Mina…" Zechs looked sheepish and blushed slightly.
Mina grinned wickedly, noting the blush. Zechs stepped in to change the subject. "So," he asked, "why did you attack our base?"
It was Mina's turn to blush. "Well…some wires got crossed…information wasn't entirely accurate…I got to see you, didn't I?"
Zechs shook his head and laughed. "You sure have a funny way of trying to keep in touch. Now, are you going to fix Tallgeese or what?"
Mina pretended to look outraged. "So, just fix your suit and get out, hm? I don't think so. As a matter of fact…I've got a bit of a proposition for you."
Zechs turned serious. "If you expect me to drag the Preventers into this…"
Mina held up her hands. "No! No, I don't. This is just…a favor I came to ask you. We could use another suit and…well…" She explained the situation with the Kuro Senshi.
Zechs frowned. "Maybe I should drag the Preventers into this…" Mina shook her head frantically. "This is serious stuff, Mina-chan," he continued. "This concerns more than just you and the Gundam pilots. If these Kuro Senshi are as powerful as you say…But I won't tell anyone else. Not yet. I'll help you, Mina-chan. But after this…if Kuro Senshi reports find their way to my desk…all bets are off. I'll have to do something about it. You know that."
Mina nodded. "Okay, then. I couldn't ask for more. By the way…I…I have to ask…Is…is he really dead?"
"Who?", Zechs asked.
"You know who," Mina whispered. "Treize. Is it true that he's dead?"
Zechs closed his eyes. "It's true, Mina-chan. I…I'd been wondering if you'd heard."
Mina wiped something from her eye. "Oh…I heard, all right. I guess…I just had to be sure. I…I think I'd better get started on Tallgeese ."
Mina fastened the silver box to her belt and began searching for handholds. She found two, gripped tightly, and in no time she had scrambled halfway up the side of Tallgeese . Zechs stared open-mouthed as she climbed the rest of the way up to the suit's shoulder. Sitting down, she opened a panel on the side of its neck. She took several cables from her pocket and hooked them from the silver box to corresponding ports inside the suit's neck. She opened the box, and it became obvious that it was a small laptop computer. She typed for a few moments, frowned, and typed again. She smiled as the lights in Tallgeese's eyes flared brightly and the suit came to life. Grinning, she undid the cables and closed the panel, clipping the box back to her belt. Without a second thought, she jumped off Tallgeese 's shoulder.
Zechs gasped in shock, too stunned to scream. Mina spread her arms out wide to slow her fall. Abruptly, she snapped her knees to her chest, turned several mid-air somersaults, and flipped out into a perfect three-point landing. Mina strode calmly over to Zechs and patted his cheek gently. "Don't worry about me, Mil," she smiled. "I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself. See you tomorrow night at midnight sharp. Outside Hanger 5. Be there and bring your toy with you." She jerked her head in the direction of Tallgeese . "I'll be waiting." She walked out of the hanger.
"Your friend is WHO?!", Heero demanded.
"Zechs Merquise, Miliardo Peacecraft, whatever you want to call him." Mina shrugged. "Don't see why his name matters. He's one hell of a pilot and we need all the help we can get."
"He agreed to help us?", Duo asked.
Mina nodded. "I went and asked him myself. Where do you think I was, anyway?"
Duo mouth quirked slightly. "You've gotta point."
"So," Mina asked, heading into the kitchen, "you guys finish reading all that material yet? Or do I need to make some coffee for an all-niter?"
Quatre shook his head. "We've got it all taken care of. So, it looks like we can be fully ready in about three days and -"
"No!", Mina shouted. "No, you guys don't get this! It has to be tomorrow night!" She stormed out of the kitchen. "I've had this planned down to the last detail and it will never be more perfect than then! Half, no, almost two-thirds of their forces have been transferred to another set of bases, due to a threat of attack on them. This threat is really just something I concocted and made sure it was believable enough for them. Three days from now, they will have started to figure out there's nothing there and will start bringing forces back here! If you guys can't do it tomorrow night, then you can't do it at all!"
The pilots sat in stunned silence. After some time, Heero spoke. "Well," he said impassively, "if it has to be tomorrow night, then it'll be tomorrow night. Now…one question."
Mina cocked her head to the side. "I'm all ears."
"I want to know about this suit of yours," Heero said.
Mina grinned. "You'll know about it. You get to see it tomorrow night. Until then, I'm saying nothing. So, who wants coffee?"
"Could you please explain to me why we're outside the Preventer base?", Duo asked, as the pilots and Mina approached the south fence of the compound.
"We've got to pick up something," Mina said, pausing at a small gate in the fence. "Not to mention the seventh member of our little group." She pulled a small packet from her pocket and flipped it open. Removing a lock pick, she inserted it into the keyhole of a small box on the fence. The small door swung open to reveal a keypad. Mina typed four keys, a green light blinked three times, and the gate swung open easily when she pushed on it.
"Follow me," she whispered. Carefully, they slid through the maze of warehouses and hangers until they reached Hanger 5. She entered a five-digit code on a keypad by a side door and slid inside, beckoning the others in.
"What? Am I not invited, too?", a sultry, all-too-familiar voice asked from the shadows.
Mina smiled in the half-light. "Of course you are. The question is, are you coming or not?"
Zechs smiled back. "Of course I am." He surveyed the Gundam pilots. "No surprise to see you all here." They studied him for a moment, then nodded indifferently.
"I know this is gonna be hard for you, but let's stop the chatter and head inside," Mina sighed, after a few moments more. The others followed her obediently into the hanger.
"Wow," Quatre whispered as they stared upward at the mobile suit that drew all their focus.
It was an immense weapon, unmistakably a Gundam. It's lines were sleeker than the original Gundams, however, giving the impression of great speed. The chestplate was deep teal, with blue stripes along the suit's shoulder boards. Mina walked up to it, pride and deep familiarity written across her face.
"This is her," she said softly, running her fingers across the Gundam's leg. "Starfarer."
Heero walked over to her. "This is the little thing you were working on?"
Mina turned to him and nodded. "Yeah…She doesn't seem so little now, does she?"
He shook his head. "No…not at all…I've heard the reports about you and her…Quite impressive…only I've heard there's a price, that no one can seem to find out much about."
Mina hesitated, biting her lower lip uncertainly.
"Is it like the Zero system?", Heero asked.
"In a way," Mina murmured, running her fingers across the silver armlet. Suddenly, she stretched her left arm out as far as it would go and blurted, "This…this…this thing binds me to her! I can control almost all of her functions by pure thought! Only…only when she gets hurt, I feel it……and trust me, the feeling of getting your arm blown off is not something you want to go through more than once."
Heero took several startled steps backwards, and the others stood in stunned silence. After what seemed like eternity, one of them spoke.
"How many times have you gone through it?", Trowa whispered.
"Three," Mina responded quietly. "But it was my decision! My choice! I accepted it and…and I don't…I don't…"
"You can't say you don't regret it," Trowa said, careful to keep his voice gentle. "I know I would, if I was you. You just take things as they come and move on. Sometimes it seems like our choices are made for us."
Mina nodded, sniffling slightly. "I know what you mean." She swiped a hand violently across her eyes and looked at the other Gundam pilots. "It…it looks like the only problem will be trying to get her out of here without setting off all the alarms."
"No problem," Zechs replied. "I told everyone I'd be doing a small training exercise. They won't be surprised if I take out a suit or two."
Mina smiled. "You're a lifesaver. Now, think you boys can get out of here and to your Gundams by yourselves?"
Wufei nodded. "I think we can handle it."
"Okay, then," Mina replied. "Three klicks further south of the fence we came in, there's a huge field. Zechs and I will meet you there as soon as we can."
"Do you believe her?"
Trowa looked up at the comm screen. It was Quatre. "Believe what?"
"That stuff she said. About Starfarer. And that armlet and everything. Do you believe it? You think that's really what it's for?"
Trowa shrugged. "I…I guess I do. Did you see her, Quatre? Did you? You…you can't fake pain like that. Trust me. That was real. She's real. Why? You don't believe her?"
Quatre shook his head. "No! I believe her. I…I know what you're saying. You should have seen her when she talked about her brother…it was like part of her died. I've never seen anybody look like that. That Starfarer sounds like something very hard to handle. This may sound…I don't know…unsympathetic…but I'm glad it's not me, Trowa. I'm really glad it's not me."
"I hear you, Quatre," Trowa whispered back. "I hear you."
The seven mobile suits stood ready in the field. Mina opened a link to all six of the other suits. "Okay, you guys. Listen up. We're gonna head out to the base shortly. Once we get there, we'll have to fight our way to where we need to get: right outside the lab. As soon as that happens, I do what I have to do, then three of you go in on foot while the others cover you. The three on foot get in to the main part of the mobile suit lab, and you have to destroy everything. If it looks even remotely related to mobile suits, dolls, or seek and destroy programs, I want it gone. As soon as you're done, get out and back in your suits. From there, we beat a speedy getaway. Understood?"
The other pilots nodded. "Okay, then. Let's do this."
She broke the comm link, leaving six minds wondering what it was she had to do.
"Heero."
The boy looked up and found Trowa staring out of the comm screen. "Yeah?"
"What do you think? That she has to do, I mean."
"Do you really want to know."
There was a moment's pause. "Yes."
"I think…that Kamikaze Yoshiro is going to live up to her name."
"You don't mean…self-detonate?"
"That's exactly what I mean. You saw those blueprints. The lab is easily the most fortified building on the base. It would take a sizable explosion to put a hole in it. I don't even think all the firepower in all our Gundams could do it. It would take a huge blast, like the kind that follows a self-detonation."
"You're telling me that a self-detonation has more force than seven Gundams?"
"Starfarer's might. That thing is deadly technology. I bet it's rigged to blow so there's not a part left bigger than my finger. After all, would you want that stuff in enemy hands?"
"No…but why didn't she tell us what she's going to do?"
"Would you tell anybody?"
"…I see your point…but still…"
"Minami is a soldier, first and foremost. After that, she starts thinking about other things. Like life. Her training program was similar to mine. I know how she thinks. Her brother was one of the best reconnaissance agents there was. After his death, everything she was went into piloting Starfarer. It was supposed to be his, her brother's. She wouldn't let anyone else touch it….because it was his…It became almost sacred to her…Other than that necklace…it's all she has of him. She's accepted her mission, Trowa. She won't hesitate to complete it."
******
Dun, dun DUN!! Cue the dramatic music!! BWAHAHA!! I love cliffhangers! Anyway, you'll just have to keep reading to see how it turns out.
Until next time,
Ja ne! ^_^\/
~KatLady86~