DISCLAIMER: The Gundam Wing pilots are not mine. However, this does not include Kumi Yuy and Sette Devion.
Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter
Episode 23: Fall of the Battlefield's Heroin
by SkyLark
with help from: Snodin, Vampira, Sam, Silver Star, Stormy, Beekay, GREETER600, Ruby and all who support and read this fic
Narrator: "Two months had past since Duo Maxwell's death. It was now late March and the snow in Virginia had melted as an early spring was rolling into the area. The pilots staying there were now able to remain on the Earth, at their hidden base as long as they wished. There was still no word on what happened to Heero Yuy and his friends were beginning to fear the worst. As much as they wanted to believe that he was alive, there was no way that they could be certain.
"It only took a short time before Kumi Yuy and Trowa Barton managed to lock into the signal that was linked to every communication sent between the men and women in power on the Earth. Using this, the Gundam pilots were able to understand what was happening on the planet. With this, there would never be any surprises as to any movements made by the people of Earth. They would always be five steps ahead of them, all the while remaining far below their feet."
* * * * * *
Novem was working in the hanger with Wufei, as they were scanning some of the maps of secluded bases that fell throughout the Earth. The Chinese pilot thought aloud, "I haven't been able to find anything strange about these bases that we located over the last few weeks. From what I can gather, they've been abandoned for quite some time."
The blonde pilot looked up from her screen and turned to face her comrade. She replied, "Looks can be deceiving. We can't afford to overlook anything, even the smallest of details." Wufei chuckled deeply, "You don't have to tell me that." He went back to taking closer looks at the facilities that he and his friends took. Zooming in on the images, the dark-eyed pilot made sure not to leave anything left unstudied.
The sound of footsteps walking downstairs captured the attention of both pilots. Zes entered the hanger and smiled to her friends, "Hello, Novem, Wufei." Novem smiled to the young queen, "Hello, Miss Relena." She then returned to her work. Zes looked to the images that Wufei and Dorothy had been searching through. "Have you found anything yet?" she asked. Wufei shook his head, "Nothing."
The young queen sighed deeply and nodded. She was not sure if she should be relieved or concerned over this news. Looking to Novem, she asked, "What, exactly, did we manage to pick up from the conversation between some of the Congregation?" Dorothy typed into the memory bank of the monitor to replay the tape she made after picking up the discussion that had taken place almost a week prior to this day.
The pilots listened to a deep voice over their transmitter as it said quietly and with noted concern in its tone, "Are you certain that there is a chance OZ has broken through our defenses, Mark?" The voice of the Congressman to follow was not as deep as the first man, but it spoke just as quietly, "Of course there's a chance that they've managed to make their way onto the Earth. There are also rumors that the Gundam pilots are also hiding somewhere on the planet." First voice chuckled deeply, "Those kids don't have the courage to try such a thing. They wouldn't last a few days here." The three pilots laughed loudly at this remark, as they had the first time they listened to this discussion. Wufei chuckled and shook his head, "If they only knew."
The voice belonging to Mark sighed deeply, "Nothing surprises me anymore...Not after everything that's happened since the start of this damned war." The deeper voice stated, "While you're right about that, we don't know for certain that any rumors that have been spread are actually true. We can't cause a panic until we have all the evidence that proves OZ is hiding somewhere on this planet." Mark's voice replied, "You're right. I have the list of some abandoned bases where OZ could have hidden some of their soldiers, among other things." Novem turned the audio off, since that was all they needed to recall.
Wufei stretched and yawned as he sat back in his seat, assuring the others, "We took pictures of every site they named. There are a few more sites that Delapan, Quatre and Sette are checking out right now. When they return, we'll look at what they found and go from there. If OZ really is hiding somewhere on the Earth, we'll find them and take care of them as we always have."
Novem asked, "What is the location of the site that the other three are checking out?" The Chinese pilot answered after crossing his arms and making himself more comfortable in his sat, "In the islands once known as the Philippines. They should be returning in a few hours." Zes locked eyes with the young man and shuddered inwardly as she asked, "Tell me honestly...Do you think that OZ might have managed to do accomplish what the rumors are suggesting...Hiding themselves on the Earth without anyone knowing?"
Wufei sighed deeply and shook his head, "Honestly, I don't know. I agree with that Congressman, Mark...Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to this war...We managed to make it here undetected. We can't say for certain that OZ didn't manage to pull the same stunt." Relena bit her lip, dreading the possibility of the organization lurking on the planet. There was no telling what OZ would be capable to doing if they were successful in doing this. Then, she heard Dorothy say gently, "Miss Relena, like Wufei said, if they did manage to sneak in, we'll find them." The queen smiled warmly back to her best friend and replied with a nod, "Thank you, Dorothy. You're right."
* * * * * *
Early that afternoon, Trowa was walking outside onto the front porch of the cabin where he and his friends were staying. It was a beautiful day, with a soft breeze coming and going every so often. The woods around the safe house made a shield around the wooden lodge as they encircled it. The sun was shining down and warming everything that it touched. The tall Gundam pilot couldn't help but close his eyes and smile as a sigh of content left him. The grass was beginning to grow again little by little. And there was the sound of some small birds chirping as they flew all around, unseen.
Leaning against the railing of the porch, where he rested his hands, Trowa looked around and took in the beautiful sight. In the distance, he could see the small hill where Kumi and Sette had placed Duo's cross. Only then did the smile on the pilot's face fade. He lowered his head and tried to forget about the pain that would never truly go away. Just then, he heard something as it was carried over the breeze. Knowing exactly what a flute sounded like when it was played, Trowa knew immediately that the sound he heard now was just that. Curiosity got the best of him and he stepped off the porch, walking forward and soon reaching the woods as he followed the music.
Walking a half-mile into the woods, Trowa found the source of the soft, beautiful song. He looked up to one of the barren trees, mixed in with the evergreens. On one of the high branches, Kumi was sitting with her back against the tree's trunk, hair down, eyes closed and lost in the song that she was playing. The Japanese pilot was not longer in need of her leather coat and her purple cape was off, leaving only her black attire. Her calloused hands were gliding along the thin, silver flute with ease and skill as the song went on. Trowa couldn't believe his eyes. He always thought that the 'Perfect Soldier' was beautiful, but as he looked to her now, he was breathless at her sight. The sun was dancing in her silver locks and making beautiful highlights in them as the wind carried them.
Kumi went on playing her flute, unaware that she was being watched since her eyes closed the whole time. The melody was sad and mesmerizing at the same time. The tall pilot on the ground leaned his back against the trunk of the tree behind him, never taking his eyes from his partner. Kumi was someone that Trowa would always hope to have as more than a friend, but he doubted he would ever have the courage to express his feelings to her...And in this moment, it made her seem even more unattainable, much like a star. Seeing her like this and hearing the sad melody she played was as wonderful as it was heart-wrenching for the European pilot. Torn, Trowa finally decided that it would be best to make a silent escape.
Just as he turned and was about to make his way back to the cabin, the last note of the song was drawn out. When the wind took the final, lovely sound with it and Trowa froze as he was, knowing that it was too late to move any further. All that could be heard was the wind in a pause that felt like an eternity. Finally, he heard Kumi's faint voice ask, "Trowa?" The nervous pilot bit his lip hard before turning back to face the tree where the object of his affection was looking down on him. The silver-haired pilot was standing on the high branch now with her arms to her side, flute held in her right hand carefully. Another breeze caused her free and long locks to float around and before her slender, yet muscular form.
While Kumi would never admit it, seeing Trowa and the way that he was looking to her caused her to forget everything around her. The sun fell broke through an opening in the trees and made a beautiful ring of light surrounding him. The silver-haired pilot finally reminded herself that she needed to breathe. Blinking once to bring herself back to reality, she began climbing down to the ground. The two pilots were soon face-to-face and with only a few inches between them. The just looked to each other in silence for a moment, neither sure as to what they should say or do.
Trowa finally just managed to whisper, "Kumi, I..." He was at a loss for words as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. His heart was racing a mile a minute as he looked into the girl's cobalt eyes. The 'Perfect Soldier' remained silent with her eyes locked on the taller pilot. Trowa whispered nervously, "I..." He closed his eyes and leaned in as his eyes drifted closed. Kumi caught her breath and leaned in the same. Finally their lips made contact in a soft caress that lasted for a moment all too brief for either pilot.
The sound of a shuttle making its way to their safe house was heard in the distance as Trowa and Kumi ended the gentle kiss. Looking up with wide eyes, they could see the bottom of the ship that their comrades had taken as it soared over the tree tops. Looking to each other with almost disappointed glances on both of their faces, they spoke with their eyes what their mouths could not say. Kumi finally suggested in her soldier tone, "We better see if they found anything." Trowa nodded, "Yea." The pair ran back to the safe house.
When they ran back into the hanger, the two pilots saw that Quatre, Delapan and Sette had returned from the Philippines safely. However, they all looked anxious and nervous over something as they were joined by Wufei, Zes and Novem. Hearing their friends enter, the six pilots turned back. Sette ran to them and cried, "Kumi! Trowa! The rumors are true. We found a base that OZ has been hiding in." Instantly, the eyes the pair's eyes widened and Kumi demanded, "Where is it?" Quatre had made his way to them and answered, "We located a large valley in the middle of one of the rainforests that is secluded from everything. We're uploading the images that we took right now."
Everyone gathered before the monitor and looked to the pictures of an enormous and hidden valley just as Quatre had said. Nothing was odd about the image, just miles and miles of the beautiful grounds. Wufei shook his head, "I don't get it. Where's the base?" Delapan replied, "That was the same thing that we saw when we first appeared at the site."
The redhead began to type some commands into the main database and said, "They, we picked up something on our ship's signal and realized that there was an interference." Her brother asked as she continued to type, "What kind of interference?" Delapan hit the last key and suddenly, the picture revealed an extremely large and impressive base, right smack in the middle of the valley.
Other than the pilots who left located this, everyone looked in shock and to the image. Slither's pilot pointed to a huge satellite located at the top of the base, wide enough to span the length of the facility. She explained, "This is causing a stealth dome that covers a five-mile radius with the base as its center. It conceals everything as if it never existed...And it's crawling with almost two hundred OZ soldiers."
Kumi said quietly as she continued to look at the base, "Son of a bitch." Zes looked to the screen with a mix of fear and concern in her eyes. Turning to Sette, she asked, "Were you able to get close enough to see what they have inside of the facility?" The ex-princess shook her head, "No. That's the bad news. Since they have that shield, we couldn't get too close if we hoped to remain hidden, ourselves. There's no telling what they're working on inside." Novem sighed deeply, "Well, there's no doubt that they have mobile suits inside, for one thing. As for what else, we'll just have to go there are find out ourselves."
"She's right," the silver-haired pilot stated. Looking to the screen, Kumi made some decisions on how they should handle taking the base out, all the while keeping their own existence on the Earth a secret from everyone on the planet. She sighed deeply, "There are a lot of risks involved...Too many to name." Trowa saw that she was having a hard time trying to come up with a good strategy. He suggested, "If we leave the Gundams here, we'll have a better chance at remaining unseen by any civilians." Quatre's eyes widened as he asked, "That's a little risky, don't you think, Trowa?" The tall pilot shrugged, "No more dangerous than being revealed by the people of Earth and sought by more than just the bounty hunters out there." Zes shivered, "I don't even want to think what would happen if anyone else knew that we were here."
Wufei shook his head, "Neither do I. We can take their explosives, guns and other weapons that we can carry. That should be more than enough to handle two hundred soldiers and destroy the base." Novem nodded, "I agree. OZ won't be expecting a fight from us without our Gundams." Kumi looked to her comrades and asked, "Is everyone alright with that strategy?"
Everyone agreed that it was the best choice and had no objections. The 'Perfect Soldier' gave a nod and stated, "All right. We'll take one of the shuttles and I'll explain everyone's parts on the way. Sette, get the OZ uniforms that we've collected from the fight that on L4. They'll come in good use." The tomboy smiled and nodded, "You got it." Everyone parted so that they could prepare themselves for the mission ahead. There wasn't any question that it would be one of the most difficult. Having to go in without the Gundams was a risk, but one that needed to be taken...and they all knew it.
* * * * * *
It was mid-afternoon the next day and the OZ base that was concealed in the Philippines was busy as ever. The soldiers under the protection of the stealth dome worked as they did every day, creating more weapons and mobile suits for the organization. Several guards on the roof of the enormous plant were watching over the surroundings, looking past the protective shield and watching over the satellite that shielded them from all eyes outside of the signal's reach. The edge of the dome's reach was marked with flares that gave the surface of the shield a bright gold tint that could only been seen when up close.
One of the young men on the roof looked with his binoculars and saw that there was a handful of OZ jeeps and trucks making their was into the area. He smiled and chuckled deeply as he lowered his hands. Turning to his comrade beside him, he motioned towards the vehicles with his head and smiled, "I told you that there wasn't anything to worry about. The crew is making their way back right now." His friend nodded with a relieved sigh, "Good. They took a much longer time than usual on this trip for supplies." The two soldiers went back to surveying the area.
On the ground, near the gold-tinted edge of the shield, some of the guards stationed there walked with their guns towards the first truck. The OZ soldier inside smiled and looked out his window as he waved to them. One of the armed men asked, "Is everything alright here, Corporal? You were out there for quite a long time." The driver nodded, still smiling as he shrugged, "Nothing to worry about. Just lost track of the time." The two men who greeted him nodded and allowed the three vehicles to enter without further discussion.
Soon, the vehicles were in the base. They entered into a large room used only for the storing of the means of transportation, with no soldiers present other than the ones that drove in. Once the doors to the room were closed, the Corporal growled deeply and turned the truck's engine off. "You little pieces of shit aren't going to get away with this," he hissed. "We'll see about that. Thanks for the lift," came the low response just before a pair of strong hands twisted the OZ soldier's neck from behind.
Wufei lowered to slant in the seat and looked to the equipment in the back of the truck. He was dressed in an OZ uniform with their deep blue and black. Black caps were also a part of the uniform, much to the advantage of the pilots. Sette and Trowa were uniformed as well and looking under the thick, brown sheets that covered the explosives the truck was transporting.
Their Chinese friend made his way to them and warned, "We don't know what kind of detonation devices all of these things have on them so watch yourselves." Sette chuckled deeply and replied, "Yes, sir...Like we don't know to be careful to begin with." Trowa smirked, but told them, "Come on, guys. Wait till we're back at the safe house to argue." After looking through everything, the pilots took the explosives that they could safely take with them before lowered themselves to the ground.
The other pilots were all making their way from the jeeps that they had hidden in, with guns of all sorts on them along with their OZ uniforms in place. Since Kumi and Sette's hair color would have given them away, their hair was hidden under the black caps while Catherine, Relena and Dorothy didn't need to be concerned and let their hair down with their caps on. Handing her comrades some of the weapons, Kumi told everyone, "You all know what you have to do. Anyone not ready for this, speak up now." There was a silence amongst the pilots as everyone was ready and willing to accept whatever was to come. The 'Perfect Soldier' gave a nod and said in monotone, "Alright. Move out." Everyone split up, keeping their own tasks in mind.
Many other soldiers made their rounds, not realizing that there were enemies amongst them. With the security as tight as it was, there were no reasons to be alarmed, as far as they were concerned. The Gundam pilots were aware that they would have this notion and used it to their advantage. They were now able to move and act with little need to look over their shoulders as they went about their tasks...
* * * * * *
Outside, Sette was walking to the top of the base when an OZ soldier was making his way down the same stairs she was climbing. The tomboy smiled and saluted. The young man gave a nod and saluted back. He passe the ex-princess without looking back and Sette took a deep breath of relief, letting a small sigh escape her. She reached the roof and Zes soon made her own way to the top of the base, at the opposite side of the roof. She and her tomboy comrade split as they moved to their posts. Expressionless, they gave a small and single nod to each other to let their partner know that everything was going according to plan.
* * * * * *
Back inside of the base, Kumi was looking to some of the shoulder-strapped missiles and launchers as she searched the weaponry storage room. Delapan and Wufei entered the same room soon after. Catherine's eyes widened as she watched the silver-haired pilot take a long missile launcher meant to be carried by a person and not a mobile suit, placing it over her right shoulder and strapping it on with ease. Wufei did not hesitate and began doing the same, working as though he was in his element, preparing for battle.
Turning to the redhead, Kumi motioned for Delapan to try one on, herself. With a nervous bit of her lip, Catherine bent and placed another missile launcher over her right shoulder, strapping it on. She was amazed at how much easier it was to carry than she thought it would be. The 'Perfect Soldier' removed her weapon and took several long missiles. She strapped a large backpack over Delapan's right left shoulder to hold a good supply. "As soon as you run out of these, move right for your gun and fire with that," Kumi told her as she placed of the missiles into the pilot's backpack. The redhead gave an affirmative nod and Kumi proceeded to place missiles in her own large bag.
Looking to her Chinese comrade, Catherine said nervously, "You know that I'm not the best at aiming. Shouldn't we get one of the others to do this in my place?" Wufei smirked as he continued to arm himself with the long missiles, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. When you aim, just try not to focus too hard on nailing your target." He stopped packing his missiles and approached Delapan.
Taking the young pilot's arms by the wrists, he stretched them forward and locked the elbows as means of demonstration. "And lock your arms," he informed her. "Once you have that down, the rest will come natural." Catherine looked and focused on her steady arms then nodded to Wufei, "Okay...Thanks." The Chinese pilot gave a small nod and returned to preparing himself.
The sound of footsteps making their way towards the room caused the pilots to freeze and look to the door. The silver-haired pilot quickly glided across the room. She pressing her back against the wall where the doorknob was. Kumi removed a pistol from the gun halter hidden in the waistband her black, baggy running pants. Holding the gun with both hands, she looked with narrowed eyes to the door, waiting for someone to enter. Wufei pulled Delapan's arm carefully and drew them backwards until their backs were against the wall on the far side of the room, where they would not bee seen if the door was to open.
The footsteps stopped just in front of the door and the knob began to turn slowly. Kumi raised the gun to her lips, still holding it with both hands and practically kissing its barrel, gazing intensely at the door. Delapan was beginning to sweat as she swallowed hard while her Chinese comrade remained still and prepared for anything, narrowing his own eyes. The knob stopped turning and Kumi was about to open fire as she lowered the gun quickly, aiming it for the entrance.
Just then, the voice of a soldier called in the distance, "We have everything that we need, Private. You may return to your post." The close voice of the man opening the door called back, "Yes, sir!" The knob was turned back and the footsteps walked away from the door again. Delapan sighed deeply in relief, leaning forward a bit to catch her breath. Wufei smirked an shook his head, closing his eyes. Kumi simply waved once with her gun, not making a sound as she told them to get moving with that one gesture. The three pilots worked quietly from that point on.
* * * * * *
Trowa was leading Quatre and Novem through the sections of the base where the mobile suits were being held. The trio broke up and began rigging explosives throughout the site. The European pilot waved to his friends across the room and nodded, letting them know that he was finished his part. The other pilots were much closer to each other and soon finished their work as well. They proceeded to make their way throughout the inside of the huge base's ground level.
* * * * * *
Some of the guards that were working in the facility at the control room were typing and working away, business as usual. The clock in the back of the room now read 12:52 pm. The highest ranked of the OZ soldiers present was supervising everything that was happening in the room as he paced around, scanning through all of the soldiers. He continued giving orders to his subordinates as he did this. Looking to two of his soldiers, he ordered, "Our crew that left for the supplies must still be unloading the trucks and jeeps. See if they need any help." The soldiers saluted and went off to do so.
* * * * * *
Sette looked to her watch as she remained on the edge of the building's roof. Seeing that it was only five minutes to one o'clock that afternoon, she gave a small, sly sneer. Turning back to see the young princess standing at the opposite end of the roof behind her, the tomboy saw that she was waiting for a signal. Checking to see that none of the other guards were watching her, the ex-princess removed a thick blade from her pocket and carefully drew the sharp end before her neck, from right to left. Zes nodded in understanding of the signal and prepared herself, removing the safety from her semi-automatic gun.
At 12:58 pm, The two soldiers sent to find those who returned to the base with their new provisions reached the room where the vehicles were stored. Seeing that there was no one in sight and all was silent, the men knew instantly that there was something wrong. Their eyes narrowed and their removed their guns, carefully making their way to the lead truck. Leaning against the truck below the driver's seat door, the young men nodded to each other after preparing themselves and quickly threw the door open. The body of the Corporal who's neck Wufei had snapped fell from the driver's seat ant onto the cold ground, far below, with a sickening thud.
Again, there eyes of the soldiers widened and the first of the two OZ troops shouted, "SHIT!" They instantly and they made their way into the front of the truck. As the first soldier uncovered the thick blankets over the missiles and bombs, gun ready to open fire on anyone that may have been hiding, his partner shouted into his headset frantically, "SIR, WE'VE BEEN INFILTRATED!" The voice of the Lieutenant screamed, "WHAT!?! HOW!?!"
Just then, the soldier looking through the back of the truck uncovered one of the last blankets with a swift, hard tug. When the material fell to the ground, he looked to the large bomb that was protected beneath it. The color in his face disappeared as he looked to the device. The bomb had been armed and the timer was on. It now counted down to 00:02. Paralyzed, the brown eyes of the soldier remained wide and focused on the red numbers of the timer. 00:01...00:00. The entire room where the vehicles had been stored was up in a mass of huge explosions, which were echoed by a chain of explosions from the storage room of the mobile suits.
The Lieutenant in the control room shouted over the transmitter with a look of rage to all of his soldiers, "DESTROY THE SATELLITE! I KNOW THOSE FUCKING GUNDAM PILOTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! IF WE GO DOWN, WE'RE TAKING THEM WITH US WHEN EVERYONE ON EARTH KNOWS THAT THEY'RE HERE!"
The OZ soldiers were at a loss after with everything that was happening as they frantically shouted and tried to understand what was going on. Sette spun and opened fire on all those she could see as she sent them screaming in agony, and some over the edge of the plant with bullets ripping through them. Amazingly, Zes was able to take out the soldiers on her side of the roof in the same manner, never allowing herself to freeze or become frightened. As they made their way to each other to meet in the middle of the roof, the pilots were taking out the soldiers left and right until everyone of them had been cut down. There were fifteen soldiers in all.
The tomboy and her half-sister looked to each other as they were now just a few feet from each other. The young queen's eyes widened as she became pale. Sette looked to her friend with concern as she asked, "Are you alright, Zes?" She did not see that behind her, there was a soldier who had not been killed as he lied wounded and on his stomach. He removed a pistol from under his body and aimed for the ex-princess, a nasty sneer on his face. Just before he could pull his trigger, Zes took aim with her own gun and shot the man in a spray of bullets, cutting him to shreds. Sette spun in shock with a startled cry as she looked behind her. She gasped loudly as she gazed on the dead body, quickly realizing what happened.
Turning back to her partner, the tomboy let out a relieved sigh and as she said before she could think her words through, "Thanks, sis." Relena paused, taken back by this and looked in shock and confusion to Sette. The ex-princess closed her eyes, painfully, as she realized what she just said. With a disappointed growl towards herself, Sette grabbed Zes's wrist and gently led her to the stairs, "Come on," she told her. "We still have a lot of work to do." Relena knew that she would have to have a talk with the ex-princess when this fight was over, but for now, there was much more work that needed to be done.
Three OZ mobile suite- one Aries, one Taurus and one space Leo- shot their way through the destruction inside the base. In the Aires, Quatre called to his comrades, "Fan out and do what you can to keep everyone within the barrier of the shield. We have to keep everyone on Earth from knowing that we're here." In the Taurus suit that she stole, Novem informed her comrades, "OZ is out to destroy the satellite. I'll take care of the soldiers who try to take it out."
Trowa nodded from his Space Leo, "Alright. Our ground support will be backing us up when they can. Till then, it's just the three of us so be careful." The three shot off and went on their way to securing the mission. At the same time, some of the soldiers shot off in the few suits that remained in tact after the flames and explosions raged through their supply. Many others went off in a charge on-foot with their guns as they screamed loudly.
The moment the first several soldiers ran out of the base and into the opened, they froze in terror. Before them, about a mile ahead, on a hill that looked over them, Kumi was kneeling with her missile launcher ready, still strapped over her right arm, as she took aim. Her hair was in a braid with blew in the wind now that her cap was no longer on her head. A sneer crossed her face just before she pulled the trigger. The long missile sent all of the men and women that left the base into the air as it exploded on top and before all of them. Wufei and Delapan walked from either side of the base's walls, missile launchers ready for the next swarm of soldiers who attempted to escape. They, too, sent missiles flying and crashing into them.
Quatre and Trowa focused themselves on keeping the suited OZ soldiers as far from the edges of the shield as possible. Novem was striking other suits from the sky that came close to the satellite. She held her own extremely well, soaring with grace, speed and skill as she sliced through all of the pilots tried to take out the satellite.
As the base continued to fall apart, Sette and Zes ran to the supply room of mobile suits, shooting OZ soldiers that they came across along the way. The tomboy jumped into a Virgo while the young queen took another Taurus suit. Together, they flew through the base, with flames from another explosion chasing them on their heels all the way out.
Kumi was running along the field, shooting down mobile suits and destroying ground soldiers. Without any difficulty, she fired and reloaded, moving at a very quick pace and hitting every mark. As she did this, she saw that she had only one missile left and chose to save it. In her training, the 'Perfect Soldier' was taught to never use up every resource unless it was required. Slipping the missile launcher from her body, Kumi left the equipment on the hill where she was at this time. She ran on a head a few feet, taking her pistol from her waistband and fired upon the ground troops with that.
Much closer to the base, Wufei and Delapan had been moving, shooting their missiles with great ease. The Chinese pilot ran out of missiles and proceeded to remove a long, thin sword from its sheath on his waist upon shedding the missile launcher from his body. He let out a loud cry and without blinking, went and took out the opponents with his sword.
Not far from where Wufei was, the redhead looked up and around when she had a moment to look to her surroundings, surveying what was happening. As she looked to all of the soldiers running and screaming as they attempted to kill the Gundam pilots. Suddenly, her gaze went up as she looked to see that Quatre was in trouble, being surrounded by OZ troops in the Aries that he piloted.
The Arabian growled deeply as he struggled to keep himself from being killed. Managing to take care of almost half of the force against him, Quatre panted and feverishly went on fighting. Despite his attempts, the Arabian was soon overpowered by the uneven score and was held back by two OZ pilots. A Taurus suit was making its way to the helpless blonde pilot, blade raised over its head as it shot for the Aries suit.
Delapan shouted with wide eyes, "QUATRE!" as she looked to the scene. Dropping onto her right knee, Catherine narrowed her eyes and aimed her missile launcher up to the struggle. "Lock the arms," she said sternly and quietly to herself as a reminder. Her joints locked and remained firm in place. With only a split second to react before Quatre would have been stabbed through by the mobile suit, the redhead fired her last missile. At that same time, Quatre closes his eyes tightly, expecting the blade of the Taurus suit to stab him through. A small growl of anguish of what was to come left him.
The OZ soldier flying the Taurus suit shouted madly to the blonde pilot, "YOU'RE MINE!" Just then, he heard something screeching towards him. Looking to his monitors with a look of pure terror, the older man screamed, "NOOOO!" The missile that Catherine had sent crashed into the Taurus, causing it to explode just before Quatre. The Arabian gave a sharp gasp as his eyes shot open. Seeing that there wasn't anything before him other than the smoke that remained, he gazed in wonder. Not taking another moment to question what happened, the blonde pilot quickly maneuvered through the grasps of his shocked captors. Before the soldiers could react, they were destroyed at the hands of the Arabian.
Now alone and safe, Quatre noticed Delapan below, as she smiled brightly and waved up to him from where she shot the missile that saved his life. He smiled brightly and laughed in relief. Wufei managed to make his way to the redhead, gazing to her with wide eyes. Finally, he smirked and rubbed Catherine's head, telling her sincerely, "Nice work." He quickly helped her remove the missile launcher from her shoulder.
Wufei pulled the gun from Catherine's waits halter and handed the gun to her. "Do the same thing with that, now," he told her just before running off again. Delapan looked to the gun in her hand for a moment, a look of awe on in her face. A sneer reached her lips and a look of certainty and acceptance of her calling in life as a warrior...a Gundam pilot. She went on to shoot at the soldiers that now were reduced to fighting on foot.
Trowa and Quatre were relieved to be backed up by Sette and Relena now, as the four pilots secured the furthest reached of the dome from being penetrated by the OZ soldiers. It was now much easier to keep tabs in seeing that nobody was outnumbered. Together, they worked and teamed to see that there was not one opponent left to do any harm or to escape.
The entire fight had lasted for almost twenty minutes now, and there were not even enough OZ troops left for there to be a true threat any longer. Not taking any chances, the Gundam pilots were determined to wipe every last one of them out, no questions asked. Exhausted, the eight warriors fought off the last soldiers that managed to survive. Kumi made her way through them, sweat and dirt-covered just as all of her comrades were. There was only a small handful of soldiers left in the mobile suits that continued to fly.
The gun to Dorothy's Taurus suit had been knocked from her hand in the middle of a hand-to-hand combat with a determined young pilot. The blonde hissed, "Damn it!" as she watched her laser cannon fall from the sky. Using the advances of her enemy, Novem took the blade from the Space Leo attacking her and stabbed him with his own weapon. With no more soldier to fend off at her post near the satellite, Dorothy quickly moved to land her suit to help the pilots on the ground, since they still had a good few soldiers to take care of yet.
Zes and Trowa also made their way to the ground, having killed all of their adversaries in the air. Now, they took to shooting their own guns when their feet reached firm ground. Quatre and Sette remained in the atmosphere, almost dancing as they shot through their opponents.
Far from anyone else's sight, Novem landed the Taurus suit on the steep hill where Kumi had discarded the missile launcher and the last missile. Jumping from the cockpit of the mobile suit, the blonde pilot ran to the large gun, looking to it with great amusement as the battle continued to rage around her. Suddenly, she heard Kumi scream from a mile away, "THERE'S AN OZ SOLDIER MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE SATELITTE!" Turning to the base in terror, Dorothy's eyes widened as she saw that her comrade was right. An Aires suit was just feet away from the roof of the facility, taking aim of the device with its guns. And there was no one close enough to stop them.
The pilots on the ground were still busy killing the last handful of ground forces as Quatre and Sette were too far off to reach the base. With narrowed eyes, Novem did the only thing that she could. Placing the missile launcher onto her right shoulder, Dorothy quickly placed the last missile in its barrel. Standing straight and tall, the blonde pilot screamed into a headset that she had stolen, "DOWN HERE!" The Aires suit's wounded owner turned to face the young pilot, who was standing out as she remained on the steep hill miles below her. The OZ soldier sneered as blood continued to roll from her stomach, "Brave girl." The cry echoed throughout the battlefield as all of the Gundam pilots concluded their struggles.
Zes turned to see her best friend standing out with the missile launcher ready in the distance and screamed frantically, "DOROTHY! GET DOWN!" The other pilots watched in terror from their own stations. Kumi growled deeply and sprang forward, running as fast as her feet could carry her in the direction of the hill. Trowa and Wufei threw their weapons away, no longer in need of them, and ran off behind the Japanese pilot. Sette and Quatre were just finished destroying the last OZ soldiers as they hurried to the hill, themselves, pushing forward on their controls.
Kumi continued to run for Novem. The Aires suit hovered just feet from the satellite, looking to the brave young pilot that dared to challenge it. Dorothy remained still and strong, though there was now sweat dripping down her face as she gazed to the mobile suit with narrowed eyes. That whole minute felt like an eternity for all who watched the stand-off. Finally, the OZ pilot pulled the trigger, sending a spray laser beams upon the young Gundam pilot.
Dorothy was hit several times, every penetrating shot going straight through. In shock, Dorothy stumbled back, shaking and struggling for air. Blood was dripping from her body and she looked with wide eyes up to the Aires suit. Novem's friends froze as they were paralyzed by shock and fear. Zes screamed at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOO!"
Dorothy somehow found the strength to aim the missile launcher back at the Aires suit. The OZ pilot within looked to her monitors in disbelief and shouted, "WHAT!?!" The blonde pilot fired the last missile and sent the bomb right into the mobile suit. Her friends watched as the Aires was taken by a cloud of flames and smoke, highlighted with a loud crash of thunder. The satellite remained unharmed.
The Gundam pilots couldn't breathe as they looked back up to the hill where the heroin of the mission remained standing. Dorothy's eyes were still wide as she was shaking worse than before. She undid the strap of the missile launcher and let it fall to her side. With ragged breaths, Novem fell to her knees then forward onto her stomach. Kumi's eyes widened and her face paled as she screamed, "DOROTHY!" and ran off again as fast as she could.
The Japanese pilot reached the fallen pilot and allowed a small gasp to leave her as she looked at the form of her comrade with wide eyes. Dorothy had been hit five times, two in her gut, one in her right arm, another in her left leg and the fifth in her right shoulder. She was bleeding badly and shaking as she lied on her right side now, unable to move herself. The silver-haired pilot ran to her, fell to her knees and carefully rolled Novem into her back, becoming coated in Novem's blood as she did so. The Japanese pilot ripped the jacket of the uniform off of the fallen pilot to have a closer look at the damage that had been done to her. The holes in Dorothy's body were larger than she thought they would be, and the blood just kept coming.
Looking to Novem's large wounds, the 'Perfect Soldier' hissed, "Goddamn it!" She removed the dark coat of the OZ uniform from her own back and ripped it into thick shreds using her teeth and yanking on it. Trowa and Wufei soon ran up the hill and looked to the scene in shock and disbelief. They quickly rushed to Dorothy and knelt. Trowa was next to Kumi as they were at the blonde pilot's right side and Wufei was at Novem's left. The silver-haired pilot handed them the shreds she made and they began pressing the material against their friend's wounds, doing whatever they could to stop the bleeding.
Relena ran to them with Sette, Quatre and Delapan not far behind. Her eyes widened and her jaw went slack as a loud gasp left her when she reached her friends. "DOROTHY!" she screamed as tears instantly entered her eyes again. The queen knelt by her friend's head, next to Wufei, who was working on the wounds in Novem's left leg, which was badly broken and losing blood quickly. Trowa was carefully pressing over the holes in the young woman's gut, right by her ribcage, where she was hit twice.
Dorothy's eyes slowly opened as a small moan of agony left her. Looking up directly to her friend, she said faintly, "m-Miss Relena?" Zes gasped and bit her lip before whispering with a relieved smile, "Shh. It's alright, Dorothy. We'll take care of you. Just try not to talk right now. Save your strength." Novem closed her eyes as a sharp breath was hissed in painfully. Relena choked back a sob as she could only imagine how much pain Novem was going through.
"D-did we accomplish the mission?" Dorothy asked with a strained voice. Kumi nodded as she continued to apply pressure on the wounds of the right arm and shoulder. She said quietly, "Yea, Novem...The mission was completed successfully." The blonde opened her eyes as a small, but genuine, smile crossed her lips. She whispered in a small sigh, "Good." Relena shook her head sadly. Even now, her best friend was more concerned of completing the mission than her own life. Dorothy's eyes opened again and gazed back at the other pilots. Quatre and Sette were hugging as they looked to her a few feet from those who were working on the wounds. Delapan was next to them, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist in effort to remain on her feet as she watched in fear and grief.
Turning back up to the Japanese pilot, Dorothy made sure that their eyes locked and she whispered with a frown, "Kumi, promise me that-" She took another sharp, hissed breath as a sharp stab of pain ran through her again. Novem gripped the silver-haired pilot's hand tightly with her own. Kumi nodded and waited until her comrade was able to speak again. Dorohty took a deep breath and said quietly in a plea, "Promise me that you'll find an excellent pilot for Rampage...Rampage is a magnificent suit and it deserves to stay a part of the fight against OZ and any threat against peace."
Zes's eyes widened at this request. Kumi simply nodded and squeezed Dorothy's hand back as she replied, "I promise that Rampage will fight again, Dorothy." Novem gave another genuine smile and gave a small nod back, "Thank you." Relena was shaking her head with a choked sob and all but shouted, "Dorothy, don't act like you're not going to make it through this! You can't die!" Novem looked to her best friend and her smile saddened a bit as she said faintly, "Relena..." The queen gasped, never having heard Dorothy simply call her by her first name before. A small smile on her face, the fallen pilot barely whispered in a weak and broken voice, "I have no regrets and you shouldn't, either... Thank you for being the sister I never had."
All of the pilots circled closer to Dorothy and with the full attention of all her friends, Novem said as clearly as possible, without any sadness or fear in her voice, "It's been an honor fight by all of your sides in this war...d-don't ever feel as though you're not doing the right thing. OZ can't win this war...I-I'll be looking out for all of you...hoping that you'll all get to find the peace that we've been struggling for...Along with everyone on Earth and in Space..." The last few words very faint and Novem's eyes slid closed.
Dorothy's body went limp and remained still. Relena dropped her dear friend's hand, lost in shock and grief as she shook her head and whispered, "no...no, God please..." Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her blood-covered hands came up as she buried her face in her forearms and sobbed loudly, shaking all the while.
Wufei was caught with tears in his own eyes and he threw his arms around the queen to support her, gently rocking the pilot to try and soothe her. Delapan fell to her knees beside her brother with tears running from her eyes. Trowa was crying silently. Kumi lowered her head without any tears as her eyes closed in respect for the dead. Sette and Quatre hugged tightly as they sobbed in each other's shoulders.
The sun was in the midst of setting as the sky and earth were painted with golds, oranges, and reds amongst just some of the colors. These three hues were the most prevalent on the hill where the Gundam pilots remained. There was nothing but silence and the stars were beginning to wake from their slumber and looked down on the sorrowful scene. The remaining seven pilots stayed as they were in silence on the hill with the body of their friend.
TBC
Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter
Episode 23: Fall of the Battlefield's Heroin
by SkyLark
with help from: Snodin, Vampira, Sam, Silver Star, Stormy, Beekay, GREETER600, Ruby and all who support and read this fic
Narrator: "Two months had past since Duo Maxwell's death. It was now late March and the snow in Virginia had melted as an early spring was rolling into the area. The pilots staying there were now able to remain on the Earth, at their hidden base as long as they wished. There was still no word on what happened to Heero Yuy and his friends were beginning to fear the worst. As much as they wanted to believe that he was alive, there was no way that they could be certain.
"It only took a short time before Kumi Yuy and Trowa Barton managed to lock into the signal that was linked to every communication sent between the men and women in power on the Earth. Using this, the Gundam pilots were able to understand what was happening on the planet. With this, there would never be any surprises as to any movements made by the people of Earth. They would always be five steps ahead of them, all the while remaining far below their feet."
* * * * * *
Novem was working in the hanger with Wufei, as they were scanning some of the maps of secluded bases that fell throughout the Earth. The Chinese pilot thought aloud, "I haven't been able to find anything strange about these bases that we located over the last few weeks. From what I can gather, they've been abandoned for quite some time."
The blonde pilot looked up from her screen and turned to face her comrade. She replied, "Looks can be deceiving. We can't afford to overlook anything, even the smallest of details." Wufei chuckled deeply, "You don't have to tell me that." He went back to taking closer looks at the facilities that he and his friends took. Zooming in on the images, the dark-eyed pilot made sure not to leave anything left unstudied.
The sound of footsteps walking downstairs captured the attention of both pilots. Zes entered the hanger and smiled to her friends, "Hello, Novem, Wufei." Novem smiled to the young queen, "Hello, Miss Relena." She then returned to her work. Zes looked to the images that Wufei and Dorothy had been searching through. "Have you found anything yet?" she asked. Wufei shook his head, "Nothing."
The young queen sighed deeply and nodded. She was not sure if she should be relieved or concerned over this news. Looking to Novem, she asked, "What, exactly, did we manage to pick up from the conversation between some of the Congregation?" Dorothy typed into the memory bank of the monitor to replay the tape she made after picking up the discussion that had taken place almost a week prior to this day.
The pilots listened to a deep voice over their transmitter as it said quietly and with noted concern in its tone, "Are you certain that there is a chance OZ has broken through our defenses, Mark?" The voice of the Congressman to follow was not as deep as the first man, but it spoke just as quietly, "Of course there's a chance that they've managed to make their way onto the Earth. There are also rumors that the Gundam pilots are also hiding somewhere on the planet." First voice chuckled deeply, "Those kids don't have the courage to try such a thing. They wouldn't last a few days here." The three pilots laughed loudly at this remark, as they had the first time they listened to this discussion. Wufei chuckled and shook his head, "If they only knew."
The voice belonging to Mark sighed deeply, "Nothing surprises me anymore...Not after everything that's happened since the start of this damned war." The deeper voice stated, "While you're right about that, we don't know for certain that any rumors that have been spread are actually true. We can't cause a panic until we have all the evidence that proves OZ is hiding somewhere on this planet." Mark's voice replied, "You're right. I have the list of some abandoned bases where OZ could have hidden some of their soldiers, among other things." Novem turned the audio off, since that was all they needed to recall.
Wufei stretched and yawned as he sat back in his seat, assuring the others, "We took pictures of every site they named. There are a few more sites that Delapan, Quatre and Sette are checking out right now. When they return, we'll look at what they found and go from there. If OZ really is hiding somewhere on the Earth, we'll find them and take care of them as we always have."
Novem asked, "What is the location of the site that the other three are checking out?" The Chinese pilot answered after crossing his arms and making himself more comfortable in his sat, "In the islands once known as the Philippines. They should be returning in a few hours." Zes locked eyes with the young man and shuddered inwardly as she asked, "Tell me honestly...Do you think that OZ might have managed to do accomplish what the rumors are suggesting...Hiding themselves on the Earth without anyone knowing?"
Wufei sighed deeply and shook his head, "Honestly, I don't know. I agree with that Congressman, Mark...Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to this war...We managed to make it here undetected. We can't say for certain that OZ didn't manage to pull the same stunt." Relena bit her lip, dreading the possibility of the organization lurking on the planet. There was no telling what OZ would be capable to doing if they were successful in doing this. Then, she heard Dorothy say gently, "Miss Relena, like Wufei said, if they did manage to sneak in, we'll find them." The queen smiled warmly back to her best friend and replied with a nod, "Thank you, Dorothy. You're right."
* * * * * *
Early that afternoon, Trowa was walking outside onto the front porch of the cabin where he and his friends were staying. It was a beautiful day, with a soft breeze coming and going every so often. The woods around the safe house made a shield around the wooden lodge as they encircled it. The sun was shining down and warming everything that it touched. The tall Gundam pilot couldn't help but close his eyes and smile as a sigh of content left him. The grass was beginning to grow again little by little. And there was the sound of some small birds chirping as they flew all around, unseen.
Leaning against the railing of the porch, where he rested his hands, Trowa looked around and took in the beautiful sight. In the distance, he could see the small hill where Kumi and Sette had placed Duo's cross. Only then did the smile on the pilot's face fade. He lowered his head and tried to forget about the pain that would never truly go away. Just then, he heard something as it was carried over the breeze. Knowing exactly what a flute sounded like when it was played, Trowa knew immediately that the sound he heard now was just that. Curiosity got the best of him and he stepped off the porch, walking forward and soon reaching the woods as he followed the music.
Walking a half-mile into the woods, Trowa found the source of the soft, beautiful song. He looked up to one of the barren trees, mixed in with the evergreens. On one of the high branches, Kumi was sitting with her back against the tree's trunk, hair down, eyes closed and lost in the song that she was playing. The Japanese pilot was not longer in need of her leather coat and her purple cape was off, leaving only her black attire. Her calloused hands were gliding along the thin, silver flute with ease and skill as the song went on. Trowa couldn't believe his eyes. He always thought that the 'Perfect Soldier' was beautiful, but as he looked to her now, he was breathless at her sight. The sun was dancing in her silver locks and making beautiful highlights in them as the wind carried them.
Kumi went on playing her flute, unaware that she was being watched since her eyes closed the whole time. The melody was sad and mesmerizing at the same time. The tall pilot on the ground leaned his back against the trunk of the tree behind him, never taking his eyes from his partner. Kumi was someone that Trowa would always hope to have as more than a friend, but he doubted he would ever have the courage to express his feelings to her...And in this moment, it made her seem even more unattainable, much like a star. Seeing her like this and hearing the sad melody she played was as wonderful as it was heart-wrenching for the European pilot. Torn, Trowa finally decided that it would be best to make a silent escape.
Just as he turned and was about to make his way back to the cabin, the last note of the song was drawn out. When the wind took the final, lovely sound with it and Trowa froze as he was, knowing that it was too late to move any further. All that could be heard was the wind in a pause that felt like an eternity. Finally, he heard Kumi's faint voice ask, "Trowa?" The nervous pilot bit his lip hard before turning back to face the tree where the object of his affection was looking down on him. The silver-haired pilot was standing on the high branch now with her arms to her side, flute held in her right hand carefully. Another breeze caused her free and long locks to float around and before her slender, yet muscular form.
While Kumi would never admit it, seeing Trowa and the way that he was looking to her caused her to forget everything around her. The sun fell broke through an opening in the trees and made a beautiful ring of light surrounding him. The silver-haired pilot finally reminded herself that she needed to breathe. Blinking once to bring herself back to reality, she began climbing down to the ground. The two pilots were soon face-to-face and with only a few inches between them. The just looked to each other in silence for a moment, neither sure as to what they should say or do.
Trowa finally just managed to whisper, "Kumi, I..." He was at a loss for words as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. His heart was racing a mile a minute as he looked into the girl's cobalt eyes. The 'Perfect Soldier' remained silent with her eyes locked on the taller pilot. Trowa whispered nervously, "I..." He closed his eyes and leaned in as his eyes drifted closed. Kumi caught her breath and leaned in the same. Finally their lips made contact in a soft caress that lasted for a moment all too brief for either pilot.
The sound of a shuttle making its way to their safe house was heard in the distance as Trowa and Kumi ended the gentle kiss. Looking up with wide eyes, they could see the bottom of the ship that their comrades had taken as it soared over the tree tops. Looking to each other with almost disappointed glances on both of their faces, they spoke with their eyes what their mouths could not say. Kumi finally suggested in her soldier tone, "We better see if they found anything." Trowa nodded, "Yea." The pair ran back to the safe house.
When they ran back into the hanger, the two pilots saw that Quatre, Delapan and Sette had returned from the Philippines safely. However, they all looked anxious and nervous over something as they were joined by Wufei, Zes and Novem. Hearing their friends enter, the six pilots turned back. Sette ran to them and cried, "Kumi! Trowa! The rumors are true. We found a base that OZ has been hiding in." Instantly, the eyes the pair's eyes widened and Kumi demanded, "Where is it?" Quatre had made his way to them and answered, "We located a large valley in the middle of one of the rainforests that is secluded from everything. We're uploading the images that we took right now."
Everyone gathered before the monitor and looked to the pictures of an enormous and hidden valley just as Quatre had said. Nothing was odd about the image, just miles and miles of the beautiful grounds. Wufei shook his head, "I don't get it. Where's the base?" Delapan replied, "That was the same thing that we saw when we first appeared at the site."
The redhead began to type some commands into the main database and said, "They, we picked up something on our ship's signal and realized that there was an interference." Her brother asked as she continued to type, "What kind of interference?" Delapan hit the last key and suddenly, the picture revealed an extremely large and impressive base, right smack in the middle of the valley.
Other than the pilots who left located this, everyone looked in shock and to the image. Slither's pilot pointed to a huge satellite located at the top of the base, wide enough to span the length of the facility. She explained, "This is causing a stealth dome that covers a five-mile radius with the base as its center. It conceals everything as if it never existed...And it's crawling with almost two hundred OZ soldiers."
Kumi said quietly as she continued to look at the base, "Son of a bitch." Zes looked to the screen with a mix of fear and concern in her eyes. Turning to Sette, she asked, "Were you able to get close enough to see what they have inside of the facility?" The ex-princess shook her head, "No. That's the bad news. Since they have that shield, we couldn't get too close if we hoped to remain hidden, ourselves. There's no telling what they're working on inside." Novem sighed deeply, "Well, there's no doubt that they have mobile suits inside, for one thing. As for what else, we'll just have to go there are find out ourselves."
"She's right," the silver-haired pilot stated. Looking to the screen, Kumi made some decisions on how they should handle taking the base out, all the while keeping their own existence on the Earth a secret from everyone on the planet. She sighed deeply, "There are a lot of risks involved...Too many to name." Trowa saw that she was having a hard time trying to come up with a good strategy. He suggested, "If we leave the Gundams here, we'll have a better chance at remaining unseen by any civilians." Quatre's eyes widened as he asked, "That's a little risky, don't you think, Trowa?" The tall pilot shrugged, "No more dangerous than being revealed by the people of Earth and sought by more than just the bounty hunters out there." Zes shivered, "I don't even want to think what would happen if anyone else knew that we were here."
Wufei shook his head, "Neither do I. We can take their explosives, guns and other weapons that we can carry. That should be more than enough to handle two hundred soldiers and destroy the base." Novem nodded, "I agree. OZ won't be expecting a fight from us without our Gundams." Kumi looked to her comrades and asked, "Is everyone alright with that strategy?"
Everyone agreed that it was the best choice and had no objections. The 'Perfect Soldier' gave a nod and stated, "All right. We'll take one of the shuttles and I'll explain everyone's parts on the way. Sette, get the OZ uniforms that we've collected from the fight that on L4. They'll come in good use." The tomboy smiled and nodded, "You got it." Everyone parted so that they could prepare themselves for the mission ahead. There wasn't any question that it would be one of the most difficult. Having to go in without the Gundams was a risk, but one that needed to be taken...and they all knew it.
* * * * * *
It was mid-afternoon the next day and the OZ base that was concealed in the Philippines was busy as ever. The soldiers under the protection of the stealth dome worked as they did every day, creating more weapons and mobile suits for the organization. Several guards on the roof of the enormous plant were watching over the surroundings, looking past the protective shield and watching over the satellite that shielded them from all eyes outside of the signal's reach. The edge of the dome's reach was marked with flares that gave the surface of the shield a bright gold tint that could only been seen when up close.
One of the young men on the roof looked with his binoculars and saw that there was a handful of OZ jeeps and trucks making their was into the area. He smiled and chuckled deeply as he lowered his hands. Turning to his comrade beside him, he motioned towards the vehicles with his head and smiled, "I told you that there wasn't anything to worry about. The crew is making their way back right now." His friend nodded with a relieved sigh, "Good. They took a much longer time than usual on this trip for supplies." The two soldiers went back to surveying the area.
On the ground, near the gold-tinted edge of the shield, some of the guards stationed there walked with their guns towards the first truck. The OZ soldier inside smiled and looked out his window as he waved to them. One of the armed men asked, "Is everything alright here, Corporal? You were out there for quite a long time." The driver nodded, still smiling as he shrugged, "Nothing to worry about. Just lost track of the time." The two men who greeted him nodded and allowed the three vehicles to enter without further discussion.
Soon, the vehicles were in the base. They entered into a large room used only for the storing of the means of transportation, with no soldiers present other than the ones that drove in. Once the doors to the room were closed, the Corporal growled deeply and turned the truck's engine off. "You little pieces of shit aren't going to get away with this," he hissed. "We'll see about that. Thanks for the lift," came the low response just before a pair of strong hands twisted the OZ soldier's neck from behind.
Wufei lowered to slant in the seat and looked to the equipment in the back of the truck. He was dressed in an OZ uniform with their deep blue and black. Black caps were also a part of the uniform, much to the advantage of the pilots. Sette and Trowa were uniformed as well and looking under the thick, brown sheets that covered the explosives the truck was transporting.
Their Chinese friend made his way to them and warned, "We don't know what kind of detonation devices all of these things have on them so watch yourselves." Sette chuckled deeply and replied, "Yes, sir...Like we don't know to be careful to begin with." Trowa smirked, but told them, "Come on, guys. Wait till we're back at the safe house to argue." After looking through everything, the pilots took the explosives that they could safely take with them before lowered themselves to the ground.
The other pilots were all making their way from the jeeps that they had hidden in, with guns of all sorts on them along with their OZ uniforms in place. Since Kumi and Sette's hair color would have given them away, their hair was hidden under the black caps while Catherine, Relena and Dorothy didn't need to be concerned and let their hair down with their caps on. Handing her comrades some of the weapons, Kumi told everyone, "You all know what you have to do. Anyone not ready for this, speak up now." There was a silence amongst the pilots as everyone was ready and willing to accept whatever was to come. The 'Perfect Soldier' gave a nod and said in monotone, "Alright. Move out." Everyone split up, keeping their own tasks in mind.
Many other soldiers made their rounds, not realizing that there were enemies amongst them. With the security as tight as it was, there were no reasons to be alarmed, as far as they were concerned. The Gundam pilots were aware that they would have this notion and used it to their advantage. They were now able to move and act with little need to look over their shoulders as they went about their tasks...
* * * * * *
Outside, Sette was walking to the top of the base when an OZ soldier was making his way down the same stairs she was climbing. The tomboy smiled and saluted. The young man gave a nod and saluted back. He passe the ex-princess without looking back and Sette took a deep breath of relief, letting a small sigh escape her. She reached the roof and Zes soon made her own way to the top of the base, at the opposite side of the roof. She and her tomboy comrade split as they moved to their posts. Expressionless, they gave a small and single nod to each other to let their partner know that everything was going according to plan.
* * * * * *
Back inside of the base, Kumi was looking to some of the shoulder-strapped missiles and launchers as she searched the weaponry storage room. Delapan and Wufei entered the same room soon after. Catherine's eyes widened as she watched the silver-haired pilot take a long missile launcher meant to be carried by a person and not a mobile suit, placing it over her right shoulder and strapping it on with ease. Wufei did not hesitate and began doing the same, working as though he was in his element, preparing for battle.
Turning to the redhead, Kumi motioned for Delapan to try one on, herself. With a nervous bit of her lip, Catherine bent and placed another missile launcher over her right shoulder, strapping it on. She was amazed at how much easier it was to carry than she thought it would be. The 'Perfect Soldier' removed her weapon and took several long missiles. She strapped a large backpack over Delapan's right left shoulder to hold a good supply. "As soon as you run out of these, move right for your gun and fire with that," Kumi told her as she placed of the missiles into the pilot's backpack. The redhead gave an affirmative nod and Kumi proceeded to place missiles in her own large bag.
Looking to her Chinese comrade, Catherine said nervously, "You know that I'm not the best at aiming. Shouldn't we get one of the others to do this in my place?" Wufei smirked as he continued to arm himself with the long missiles, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. When you aim, just try not to focus too hard on nailing your target." He stopped packing his missiles and approached Delapan.
Taking the young pilot's arms by the wrists, he stretched them forward and locked the elbows as means of demonstration. "And lock your arms," he informed her. "Once you have that down, the rest will come natural." Catherine looked and focused on her steady arms then nodded to Wufei, "Okay...Thanks." The Chinese pilot gave a small nod and returned to preparing himself.
The sound of footsteps making their way towards the room caused the pilots to freeze and look to the door. The silver-haired pilot quickly glided across the room. She pressing her back against the wall where the doorknob was. Kumi removed a pistol from the gun halter hidden in the waistband her black, baggy running pants. Holding the gun with both hands, she looked with narrowed eyes to the door, waiting for someone to enter. Wufei pulled Delapan's arm carefully and drew them backwards until their backs were against the wall on the far side of the room, where they would not bee seen if the door was to open.
The footsteps stopped just in front of the door and the knob began to turn slowly. Kumi raised the gun to her lips, still holding it with both hands and practically kissing its barrel, gazing intensely at the door. Delapan was beginning to sweat as she swallowed hard while her Chinese comrade remained still and prepared for anything, narrowing his own eyes. The knob stopped turning and Kumi was about to open fire as she lowered the gun quickly, aiming it for the entrance.
Just then, the voice of a soldier called in the distance, "We have everything that we need, Private. You may return to your post." The close voice of the man opening the door called back, "Yes, sir!" The knob was turned back and the footsteps walked away from the door again. Delapan sighed deeply in relief, leaning forward a bit to catch her breath. Wufei smirked an shook his head, closing his eyes. Kumi simply waved once with her gun, not making a sound as she told them to get moving with that one gesture. The three pilots worked quietly from that point on.
* * * * * *
Trowa was leading Quatre and Novem through the sections of the base where the mobile suits were being held. The trio broke up and began rigging explosives throughout the site. The European pilot waved to his friends across the room and nodded, letting them know that he was finished his part. The other pilots were much closer to each other and soon finished their work as well. They proceeded to make their way throughout the inside of the huge base's ground level.
* * * * * *
Some of the guards that were working in the facility at the control room were typing and working away, business as usual. The clock in the back of the room now read 12:52 pm. The highest ranked of the OZ soldiers present was supervising everything that was happening in the room as he paced around, scanning through all of the soldiers. He continued giving orders to his subordinates as he did this. Looking to two of his soldiers, he ordered, "Our crew that left for the supplies must still be unloading the trucks and jeeps. See if they need any help." The soldiers saluted and went off to do so.
* * * * * *
Sette looked to her watch as she remained on the edge of the building's roof. Seeing that it was only five minutes to one o'clock that afternoon, she gave a small, sly sneer. Turning back to see the young princess standing at the opposite end of the roof behind her, the tomboy saw that she was waiting for a signal. Checking to see that none of the other guards were watching her, the ex-princess removed a thick blade from her pocket and carefully drew the sharp end before her neck, from right to left. Zes nodded in understanding of the signal and prepared herself, removing the safety from her semi-automatic gun.
At 12:58 pm, The two soldiers sent to find those who returned to the base with their new provisions reached the room where the vehicles were stored. Seeing that there was no one in sight and all was silent, the men knew instantly that there was something wrong. Their eyes narrowed and their removed their guns, carefully making their way to the lead truck. Leaning against the truck below the driver's seat door, the young men nodded to each other after preparing themselves and quickly threw the door open. The body of the Corporal who's neck Wufei had snapped fell from the driver's seat ant onto the cold ground, far below, with a sickening thud.
Again, there eyes of the soldiers widened and the first of the two OZ troops shouted, "SHIT!" They instantly and they made their way into the front of the truck. As the first soldier uncovered the thick blankets over the missiles and bombs, gun ready to open fire on anyone that may have been hiding, his partner shouted into his headset frantically, "SIR, WE'VE BEEN INFILTRATED!" The voice of the Lieutenant screamed, "WHAT!?! HOW!?!"
Just then, the soldier looking through the back of the truck uncovered one of the last blankets with a swift, hard tug. When the material fell to the ground, he looked to the large bomb that was protected beneath it. The color in his face disappeared as he looked to the device. The bomb had been armed and the timer was on. It now counted down to 00:02. Paralyzed, the brown eyes of the soldier remained wide and focused on the red numbers of the timer. 00:01...00:00. The entire room where the vehicles had been stored was up in a mass of huge explosions, which were echoed by a chain of explosions from the storage room of the mobile suits.
The Lieutenant in the control room shouted over the transmitter with a look of rage to all of his soldiers, "DESTROY THE SATELLITE! I KNOW THOSE FUCKING GUNDAM PILOTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! IF WE GO DOWN, WE'RE TAKING THEM WITH US WHEN EVERYONE ON EARTH KNOWS THAT THEY'RE HERE!"
The OZ soldiers were at a loss after with everything that was happening as they frantically shouted and tried to understand what was going on. Sette spun and opened fire on all those she could see as she sent them screaming in agony, and some over the edge of the plant with bullets ripping through them. Amazingly, Zes was able to take out the soldiers on her side of the roof in the same manner, never allowing herself to freeze or become frightened. As they made their way to each other to meet in the middle of the roof, the pilots were taking out the soldiers left and right until everyone of them had been cut down. There were fifteen soldiers in all.
The tomboy and her half-sister looked to each other as they were now just a few feet from each other. The young queen's eyes widened as she became pale. Sette looked to her friend with concern as she asked, "Are you alright, Zes?" She did not see that behind her, there was a soldier who had not been killed as he lied wounded and on his stomach. He removed a pistol from under his body and aimed for the ex-princess, a nasty sneer on his face. Just before he could pull his trigger, Zes took aim with her own gun and shot the man in a spray of bullets, cutting him to shreds. Sette spun in shock with a startled cry as she looked behind her. She gasped loudly as she gazed on the dead body, quickly realizing what happened.
Turning back to her partner, the tomboy let out a relieved sigh and as she said before she could think her words through, "Thanks, sis." Relena paused, taken back by this and looked in shock and confusion to Sette. The ex-princess closed her eyes, painfully, as she realized what she just said. With a disappointed growl towards herself, Sette grabbed Zes's wrist and gently led her to the stairs, "Come on," she told her. "We still have a lot of work to do." Relena knew that she would have to have a talk with the ex-princess when this fight was over, but for now, there was much more work that needed to be done.
Three OZ mobile suite- one Aries, one Taurus and one space Leo- shot their way through the destruction inside the base. In the Aires, Quatre called to his comrades, "Fan out and do what you can to keep everyone within the barrier of the shield. We have to keep everyone on Earth from knowing that we're here." In the Taurus suit that she stole, Novem informed her comrades, "OZ is out to destroy the satellite. I'll take care of the soldiers who try to take it out."
Trowa nodded from his Space Leo, "Alright. Our ground support will be backing us up when they can. Till then, it's just the three of us so be careful." The three shot off and went on their way to securing the mission. At the same time, some of the soldiers shot off in the few suits that remained in tact after the flames and explosions raged through their supply. Many others went off in a charge on-foot with their guns as they screamed loudly.
The moment the first several soldiers ran out of the base and into the opened, they froze in terror. Before them, about a mile ahead, on a hill that looked over them, Kumi was kneeling with her missile launcher ready, still strapped over her right arm, as she took aim. Her hair was in a braid with blew in the wind now that her cap was no longer on her head. A sneer crossed her face just before she pulled the trigger. The long missile sent all of the men and women that left the base into the air as it exploded on top and before all of them. Wufei and Delapan walked from either side of the base's walls, missile launchers ready for the next swarm of soldiers who attempted to escape. They, too, sent missiles flying and crashing into them.
Quatre and Trowa focused themselves on keeping the suited OZ soldiers as far from the edges of the shield as possible. Novem was striking other suits from the sky that came close to the satellite. She held her own extremely well, soaring with grace, speed and skill as she sliced through all of the pilots tried to take out the satellite.
As the base continued to fall apart, Sette and Zes ran to the supply room of mobile suits, shooting OZ soldiers that they came across along the way. The tomboy jumped into a Virgo while the young queen took another Taurus suit. Together, they flew through the base, with flames from another explosion chasing them on their heels all the way out.
Kumi was running along the field, shooting down mobile suits and destroying ground soldiers. Without any difficulty, she fired and reloaded, moving at a very quick pace and hitting every mark. As she did this, she saw that she had only one missile left and chose to save it. In her training, the 'Perfect Soldier' was taught to never use up every resource unless it was required. Slipping the missile launcher from her body, Kumi left the equipment on the hill where she was at this time. She ran on a head a few feet, taking her pistol from her waistband and fired upon the ground troops with that.
Much closer to the base, Wufei and Delapan had been moving, shooting their missiles with great ease. The Chinese pilot ran out of missiles and proceeded to remove a long, thin sword from its sheath on his waist upon shedding the missile launcher from his body. He let out a loud cry and without blinking, went and took out the opponents with his sword.
Not far from where Wufei was, the redhead looked up and around when she had a moment to look to her surroundings, surveying what was happening. As she looked to all of the soldiers running and screaming as they attempted to kill the Gundam pilots. Suddenly, her gaze went up as she looked to see that Quatre was in trouble, being surrounded by OZ troops in the Aries that he piloted.
The Arabian growled deeply as he struggled to keep himself from being killed. Managing to take care of almost half of the force against him, Quatre panted and feverishly went on fighting. Despite his attempts, the Arabian was soon overpowered by the uneven score and was held back by two OZ pilots. A Taurus suit was making its way to the helpless blonde pilot, blade raised over its head as it shot for the Aries suit.
Delapan shouted with wide eyes, "QUATRE!" as she looked to the scene. Dropping onto her right knee, Catherine narrowed her eyes and aimed her missile launcher up to the struggle. "Lock the arms," she said sternly and quietly to herself as a reminder. Her joints locked and remained firm in place. With only a split second to react before Quatre would have been stabbed through by the mobile suit, the redhead fired her last missile. At that same time, Quatre closes his eyes tightly, expecting the blade of the Taurus suit to stab him through. A small growl of anguish of what was to come left him.
The OZ soldier flying the Taurus suit shouted madly to the blonde pilot, "YOU'RE MINE!" Just then, he heard something screeching towards him. Looking to his monitors with a look of pure terror, the older man screamed, "NOOOO!" The missile that Catherine had sent crashed into the Taurus, causing it to explode just before Quatre. The Arabian gave a sharp gasp as his eyes shot open. Seeing that there wasn't anything before him other than the smoke that remained, he gazed in wonder. Not taking another moment to question what happened, the blonde pilot quickly maneuvered through the grasps of his shocked captors. Before the soldiers could react, they were destroyed at the hands of the Arabian.
Now alone and safe, Quatre noticed Delapan below, as she smiled brightly and waved up to him from where she shot the missile that saved his life. He smiled brightly and laughed in relief. Wufei managed to make his way to the redhead, gazing to her with wide eyes. Finally, he smirked and rubbed Catherine's head, telling her sincerely, "Nice work." He quickly helped her remove the missile launcher from her shoulder.
Wufei pulled the gun from Catherine's waits halter and handed the gun to her. "Do the same thing with that, now," he told her just before running off again. Delapan looked to the gun in her hand for a moment, a look of awe on in her face. A sneer reached her lips and a look of certainty and acceptance of her calling in life as a warrior...a Gundam pilot. She went on to shoot at the soldiers that now were reduced to fighting on foot.
Trowa and Quatre were relieved to be backed up by Sette and Relena now, as the four pilots secured the furthest reached of the dome from being penetrated by the OZ soldiers. It was now much easier to keep tabs in seeing that nobody was outnumbered. Together, they worked and teamed to see that there was not one opponent left to do any harm or to escape.
The entire fight had lasted for almost twenty minutes now, and there were not even enough OZ troops left for there to be a true threat any longer. Not taking any chances, the Gundam pilots were determined to wipe every last one of them out, no questions asked. Exhausted, the eight warriors fought off the last soldiers that managed to survive. Kumi made her way through them, sweat and dirt-covered just as all of her comrades were. There was only a small handful of soldiers left in the mobile suits that continued to fly.
The gun to Dorothy's Taurus suit had been knocked from her hand in the middle of a hand-to-hand combat with a determined young pilot. The blonde hissed, "Damn it!" as she watched her laser cannon fall from the sky. Using the advances of her enemy, Novem took the blade from the Space Leo attacking her and stabbed him with his own weapon. With no more soldier to fend off at her post near the satellite, Dorothy quickly moved to land her suit to help the pilots on the ground, since they still had a good few soldiers to take care of yet.
Zes and Trowa also made their way to the ground, having killed all of their adversaries in the air. Now, they took to shooting their own guns when their feet reached firm ground. Quatre and Sette remained in the atmosphere, almost dancing as they shot through their opponents.
Far from anyone else's sight, Novem landed the Taurus suit on the steep hill where Kumi had discarded the missile launcher and the last missile. Jumping from the cockpit of the mobile suit, the blonde pilot ran to the large gun, looking to it with great amusement as the battle continued to rage around her. Suddenly, she heard Kumi scream from a mile away, "THERE'S AN OZ SOLDIER MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE SATELITTE!" Turning to the base in terror, Dorothy's eyes widened as she saw that her comrade was right. An Aires suit was just feet away from the roof of the facility, taking aim of the device with its guns. And there was no one close enough to stop them.
The pilots on the ground were still busy killing the last handful of ground forces as Quatre and Sette were too far off to reach the base. With narrowed eyes, Novem did the only thing that she could. Placing the missile launcher onto her right shoulder, Dorothy quickly placed the last missile in its barrel. Standing straight and tall, the blonde pilot screamed into a headset that she had stolen, "DOWN HERE!" The Aires suit's wounded owner turned to face the young pilot, who was standing out as she remained on the steep hill miles below her. The OZ soldier sneered as blood continued to roll from her stomach, "Brave girl." The cry echoed throughout the battlefield as all of the Gundam pilots concluded their struggles.
Zes turned to see her best friend standing out with the missile launcher ready in the distance and screamed frantically, "DOROTHY! GET DOWN!" The other pilots watched in terror from their own stations. Kumi growled deeply and sprang forward, running as fast as her feet could carry her in the direction of the hill. Trowa and Wufei threw their weapons away, no longer in need of them, and ran off behind the Japanese pilot. Sette and Quatre were just finished destroying the last OZ soldiers as they hurried to the hill, themselves, pushing forward on their controls.
Kumi continued to run for Novem. The Aires suit hovered just feet from the satellite, looking to the brave young pilot that dared to challenge it. Dorothy remained still and strong, though there was now sweat dripping down her face as she gazed to the mobile suit with narrowed eyes. That whole minute felt like an eternity for all who watched the stand-off. Finally, the OZ pilot pulled the trigger, sending a spray laser beams upon the young Gundam pilot.
Dorothy was hit several times, every penetrating shot going straight through. In shock, Dorothy stumbled back, shaking and struggling for air. Blood was dripping from her body and she looked with wide eyes up to the Aires suit. Novem's friends froze as they were paralyzed by shock and fear. Zes screamed at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOO!"
Dorothy somehow found the strength to aim the missile launcher back at the Aires suit. The OZ pilot within looked to her monitors in disbelief and shouted, "WHAT!?!" The blonde pilot fired the last missile and sent the bomb right into the mobile suit. Her friends watched as the Aires was taken by a cloud of flames and smoke, highlighted with a loud crash of thunder. The satellite remained unharmed.
The Gundam pilots couldn't breathe as they looked back up to the hill where the heroin of the mission remained standing. Dorothy's eyes were still wide as she was shaking worse than before. She undid the strap of the missile launcher and let it fall to her side. With ragged breaths, Novem fell to her knees then forward onto her stomach. Kumi's eyes widened and her face paled as she screamed, "DOROTHY!" and ran off again as fast as she could.
The Japanese pilot reached the fallen pilot and allowed a small gasp to leave her as she looked at the form of her comrade with wide eyes. Dorothy had been hit five times, two in her gut, one in her right arm, another in her left leg and the fifth in her right shoulder. She was bleeding badly and shaking as she lied on her right side now, unable to move herself. The silver-haired pilot ran to her, fell to her knees and carefully rolled Novem into her back, becoming coated in Novem's blood as she did so. The Japanese pilot ripped the jacket of the uniform off of the fallen pilot to have a closer look at the damage that had been done to her. The holes in Dorothy's body were larger than she thought they would be, and the blood just kept coming.
Looking to Novem's large wounds, the 'Perfect Soldier' hissed, "Goddamn it!" She removed the dark coat of the OZ uniform from her own back and ripped it into thick shreds using her teeth and yanking on it. Trowa and Wufei soon ran up the hill and looked to the scene in shock and disbelief. They quickly rushed to Dorothy and knelt. Trowa was next to Kumi as they were at the blonde pilot's right side and Wufei was at Novem's left. The silver-haired pilot handed them the shreds she made and they began pressing the material against their friend's wounds, doing whatever they could to stop the bleeding.
Relena ran to them with Sette, Quatre and Delapan not far behind. Her eyes widened and her jaw went slack as a loud gasp left her when she reached her friends. "DOROTHY!" she screamed as tears instantly entered her eyes again. The queen knelt by her friend's head, next to Wufei, who was working on the wounds in Novem's left leg, which was badly broken and losing blood quickly. Trowa was carefully pressing over the holes in the young woman's gut, right by her ribcage, where she was hit twice.
Dorothy's eyes slowly opened as a small moan of agony left her. Looking up directly to her friend, she said faintly, "m-Miss Relena?" Zes gasped and bit her lip before whispering with a relieved smile, "Shh. It's alright, Dorothy. We'll take care of you. Just try not to talk right now. Save your strength." Novem closed her eyes as a sharp breath was hissed in painfully. Relena choked back a sob as she could only imagine how much pain Novem was going through.
"D-did we accomplish the mission?" Dorothy asked with a strained voice. Kumi nodded as she continued to apply pressure on the wounds of the right arm and shoulder. She said quietly, "Yea, Novem...The mission was completed successfully." The blonde opened her eyes as a small, but genuine, smile crossed her lips. She whispered in a small sigh, "Good." Relena shook her head sadly. Even now, her best friend was more concerned of completing the mission than her own life. Dorothy's eyes opened again and gazed back at the other pilots. Quatre and Sette were hugging as they looked to her a few feet from those who were working on the wounds. Delapan was next to them, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist in effort to remain on her feet as she watched in fear and grief.
Turning back up to the Japanese pilot, Dorothy made sure that their eyes locked and she whispered with a frown, "Kumi, promise me that-" She took another sharp, hissed breath as a sharp stab of pain ran through her again. Novem gripped the silver-haired pilot's hand tightly with her own. Kumi nodded and waited until her comrade was able to speak again. Dorohty took a deep breath and said quietly in a plea, "Promise me that you'll find an excellent pilot for Rampage...Rampage is a magnificent suit and it deserves to stay a part of the fight against OZ and any threat against peace."
Zes's eyes widened at this request. Kumi simply nodded and squeezed Dorothy's hand back as she replied, "I promise that Rampage will fight again, Dorothy." Novem gave another genuine smile and gave a small nod back, "Thank you." Relena was shaking her head with a choked sob and all but shouted, "Dorothy, don't act like you're not going to make it through this! You can't die!" Novem looked to her best friend and her smile saddened a bit as she said faintly, "Relena..." The queen gasped, never having heard Dorothy simply call her by her first name before. A small smile on her face, the fallen pilot barely whispered in a weak and broken voice, "I have no regrets and you shouldn't, either... Thank you for being the sister I never had."
All of the pilots circled closer to Dorothy and with the full attention of all her friends, Novem said as clearly as possible, without any sadness or fear in her voice, "It's been an honor fight by all of your sides in this war...d-don't ever feel as though you're not doing the right thing. OZ can't win this war...I-I'll be looking out for all of you...hoping that you'll all get to find the peace that we've been struggling for...Along with everyone on Earth and in Space..." The last few words very faint and Novem's eyes slid closed.
Dorothy's body went limp and remained still. Relena dropped her dear friend's hand, lost in shock and grief as she shook her head and whispered, "no...no, God please..." Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her blood-covered hands came up as she buried her face in her forearms and sobbed loudly, shaking all the while.
Wufei was caught with tears in his own eyes and he threw his arms around the queen to support her, gently rocking the pilot to try and soothe her. Delapan fell to her knees beside her brother with tears running from her eyes. Trowa was crying silently. Kumi lowered her head without any tears as her eyes closed in respect for the dead. Sette and Quatre hugged tightly as they sobbed in each other's shoulders.
The sun was in the midst of setting as the sky and earth were painted with golds, oranges, and reds amongst just some of the colors. These three hues were the most prevalent on the hill where the Gundam pilots remained. There was nothing but silence and the stars were beginning to wake from their slumber and looked down on the sorrowful scene. The remaining seven pilots stayed as they were in silence on the hill with the body of their friend.
TBC