Disclaimer-explanation thingy: This is set during the White Fang bit, when the G-boys are on Peacemillion. More than a little AU. *L* Never EVER play with your Gundam models late at night. Strange things happen and weird muses visit.
Oh yeah - the Gundams and their pilots and everyone else don't belong to me.
****
"Son of a *bitch...*" Wing Zero's voice was somber. "Eppie sent a message to me." The hangar went silent at the Gundam's solemn words.
"When?!" Deathscythe-Hell snarled protectively, hands clenching around his trademark scythe.
"Just now!" Wing Zero almost wailed.
"How did that bastard find our frequency?" Heavyarms wondered.
"Never mind that. What did he say?" Deathscythe-Hell demanded.
"He wants to duel with me."
"Tell him that's on tomorrow's schedule," Heavyarms drawled.
"Nopers," Wing Z. told the trigger-happy mecha. "He wants it just us. Me and him. No pilots."
"No pilots?!" Heavyarms yelped. "That just takes all the FUN out of it..."
Wing Z. sent her a burst of static. "Yadda, yadda. What do we do?"
"Why not duel with him?" Sandrock inserted. "Our pilots would like it if Epyon were destroyed. And Peacecraft would not be a threat without his partner."
"That's known as seriously underestimating Peacecraft," Heavyarms told the shotel-wielder. "Which is a lovely way to wind up destroyed." Sandrock made an embarrassed sound.
"Sandrock's idea has merit," Altron put in.
"You crazy bitch - I can't take Eppie!" Wing Z. snapped. "Not pilotless, I can't!"
"Did I say you should go out alone?" Altron said archly.
"He'd detect it if someone else was there. SOL, Tacky."
"Don't call me that!" Altron snarled. "Nataku is *his* name for me, not yours!"
"You know, of course, that Nataku is his nickname for his deceased wife, riiiiiight?" Heavyarms drawled.
Altron started powering up her trident.
"Down, girls, down," Wing Zero told them. "We need to figure this out. Eppie's on the line and awaiting my answer breathlessly."
"Tell him to stick that thermal sword of his up his exhaust tubes." Deathscythe-Hell crossed his arms.
"Your Duo'll notice your arms moved," Sandrock commented quietly to the black and silver Gundam.
"My Duo - ah, never mind. Duo is NOT your business, he's mine."
Heavyarms deftly flipped off Altron, grinning madly. The draconic Gundam started to swing her trident at the other mecha before Sandrock caught the haft of the weapon. "Remember, Z's in trouble here," the quietest Gundam said softly. "We have to help him."
"You're sounding like Quatre, yet scarily enough, you're making sense." Heavyarms inclined at the waist toward Altron. "I'm sorry, Altron."
"Apology accepted, but you'll still pay for that later. It'd only be *justice.*"
"Right. Now that *that's* settled - what about Epyon?" Wing Zero demanded petulantly. "He's getting a bit impatient at being put on hold."
"Did you forget the Jeopardy theme song or what?" Heavyarms said innocently.
"Shut it. Seriously. He's getting pissed."
"Tell him you'll accept. And then take backup with you."
"I told you already - he'll KNOW!" Wing Zero shouted at Altron.
"Not if 'Scythe goes with you. NOBODY can detect 'Scythe. If he goes with you and you wind up losing, he can bail your ass out of trouble."
"Tacky said a naughty word, Tacky said a naughty word!" Heavyarms singsonged.
Rather than losing her temper again, Altron merely rapped Heavyarms over the head with her powered-down trident.
"All right..." Wing Zero said dismally. "I'll tell him I accept."
****
"And HEEEEEEEEERE we go!" Heavyarms caroled merrily as Altron efficiently hot-wired the hangar doors.
"YOU are not going ANYWHERE, so shut the hell up." Wing Zero fidgeted nervously, wings flipping open and shut. "I don't wanna do this, I don't wanna do this..." he muttered.
"You trust me that little?" Deathscythe-Hell said, mock-offended.
"No, but..."
"Got it!" Altron sang out, interrupting the pair.
"You're free to go," Heavyarms quipped.
They went.
****
Deathscythe-Hell slowed as he and Wing Zero neared the coordinates. "Well, it's all yours," he whispered to Wing Zero. "I'll be behind some convenient debris if you need me."
Wing Zero nodded silently and continued on, as Deathscythe abruptly disappeared to his sensors. He could sense Epyon ahead of him, and brought his buster rifle to the ready.
"Come out, come out, where-ever you are!" Wing Zero called, icy calm now that the battle itself was upon him. Heavyarms always loved to tease him about his pre-battle jitters - but 'Army wasn't part of his mission. Epyon was his mission. He would not fail.
****
*Just as I thought!* Epyon said gleefully. *He came without backup. Foolish, foolish...* The demented mech's thoughts whipped around in the opposite direction, as they often did. *It was honorable of him to come alone.*
*Honorable or stupid, he's MINE!* The red mech launched himself toward his target/reward/bait.
****
Even expecting the sudden attack, Wing Zero was caught off guard as Epyon shot toward him, thermal whip sparking. He managed to keep Epyon from catching his buster rifle with the whip, but instead lost his shield to the mech. Epyon's laughter came through loud and clear as he flung the shield away from the battle. Wing Zero let himself fall entirely to the Zero programming that he normally tried to keep at bay. *This is my last hope of winning this - !*
****
Sheltered behind a pair of trashed mobile dolls, Deathscythe-Hell watched anxiously as Epyon and Wing Zero fought recklessly. Just by the shift in fighting style, the black and silver Gundam could tell that Wing had finally given in to the Zero System programming.
Even with that, Epyon was winning. *It's the insanity. Even with Zero System, Wing has a pattern of fighting. Epyon - is just erratic. Can't predict what the hell he'll do. And that's why Wing's having trouble.*
****
Wing Zero backpedaled furiously. *He has the advantage.* Snapping his wings as far open as they would go, the mech fired his most potent weapon - the buster rifle was slow, but if he could catch Epyon in it...
Epyon dodged the beam, cackling maniacally. While Wing Zero was still off-balanced by the buster rifle, the other lashed out with his thermal whip, snapping it straight through Wing Zero's right side.
Wing Zero howled at the agony of his systems short-circuiting and spun, trying to track Epyon's movements.
The demented mech was right behind him. Whip curled neatly around his feet, thermal sword sheathed, and wings outspread, the demonic Epyon said sweetly, "The duel is mine."
****
*What - ?* Epyon thought fuzzily, as he was sent careening away from his prize, searing pain screaming across his back. *Who was - ?*
"Go to Hell!" a voice shrieked. Epyon turned in time to see Deathscythe-Hell bearing down on him, scythe upraised for a second blow.
****
Wing Zero tried to think. Deathscythe - he could hear Deathscythe. That was good. Deathscythe was there. He was safe. Zero System receded to the back of his mind, and Wing tried to curl up into a ball. He couldn't. His entire right side was numb, and something told Wing it should be hurting really badly. *Deathscythe, help me...*
****
Still screaming, Deathscythe-Hell viciously attacked Epyon. The red mech had no chance to recover; Deathscythe was relentless.
Trademark weapon held in both hands, Deathscythe-Hell brought the scythe down on Epyon's side. The demented mech yowled and went careening backward. He did not move after he came to a halt against a piece of wreckage. Deathscythe-Hell promptly ignored him and shot back to Wing Zero.
"... hurts now, 'Scythe. Make it go away..." Wing Zero whimpered. "My side hurts, except -'cept - I can't feel it. What's wrong, 'Scythe? Make it stop..."
"Shhh, it'll be all right..." Deathscythe re-fastened all of their weaponry and armor to them both, forcing himself to ignore Wing's whimpers.
And the mech had a right to cry - by Deathscythe's reckoning, anyone else would have been killed by that blow. Wing Zero'd had his entire side almost cut off. Definitely shorted out, which had to hurt - badly. He wanted nothing more than to take Wing Zero back to the Peacemillion, but Deathscythe-Hell could not leave all of their weaponry in the battlefield. Most of it was irreplaceable.
As Deathscythe went over to reaquire Wing Zero's shield, he passed by Epyon's inert form. Something inside the cockpit caught the silver mech's attention.
It was Milliardo Peacecraft - bloody, bruised, and unconscious.
****
"Son of a *bitch...*" Deathscythe breathed, not sure if he meant Epyon or Epyon's pilot. He paused by Epyon's body, internally debating what to do. *Should I just kill him here and now? Do I leave him?* Rescuing the leader of White Fang was out of the question.
Behind the black and silver mech, Wing Zero screamed - a short, sudden shriek of hastily-bitten-off pain. "Fuck you, Milliardo Peacecraft!" Deathscythe-Hell snarled.
****
"C'mon, I've got you," Deathscythe crooned. He thanked whatever gods existed that weight was negligible in space as he carefully pulled Wing Zero along with him. Slowly, because Wing's shattered side couldn't stand up to much stress.
"Not much further now..."
****
"What the hell did Epyon DO to him?!" Heavyarms flinched away from the tentative movement of Wing Zero's crushed wing.
"Thermal whip. Direct hit." Deathscythe knelt beside the prone Wing, who thankfully had stopped the low keen he'd been emitting for the last few kilometers to Peacemillion. "He needs a mechanic."
"Do we fake an alarm?" Sandrock queried.
"Easier. I'm gonna wake up Duo and tell him to get his ass down here."
"What?!" most of the Gundams demanded in unison.
"He knows. Has known ever since we met. I'm going to call him and have him wake up Heero." Without further ado, Deathscythe sent Duo a call on the pilot's com. "*Duo. Wake up Heero and get down here. NOW.*"
"*What happened?*" On the screen inside his cockpit, Deathscythe could see Duo scrambling to dress.
"*Epyon. Got Wing - he's in bad shape. Mechanic.*"
"*Got it. Be there soon.*"
****
Far away, Epyon twitched feebly. *What - - happened - - ?* Scattered memories returned to the mech: a whimsically-proposed duel with Wing Zero, *winning* the duel - and blazing pain. Pain that still pulsed through his back.
Worse than that, though, were the weird whimpering sounds Epyon *knew* he wasn't making. *My pilot - ? But - - - I told Wing Zero I didn't want pilots there... Why do I have my pilot? Who did that to my pilot? Why won't he wake up?*
Epyon was beginning to panic. *What's wrong with me? I have to get help,* he realized blurrily. Still only semi-conscious, the red mech powered up what systems he could and tried to find the one person he felt could help him. *I'll bring him a present and he'll fix me...*
****
Trieze Kushrenada, out of range of any eyes, paced. If there had been anyone, or even the possibility of anyone, being able to see him, he would not have moved. But there wasn't, so he paced.
*I have to die.* The thought was familiar by now. *This must be my last battle. If I live, I'll be a figurehead to forces I oppose. That's intolerable.*
A keening alarm, made faint by distance, wailed into Trieze's ears. *Perhaps, then, I will not have my last battle at all...*
****
Even prepared as he was, Trieze was taken aback when Epyon dropped to the ground in front of him. Most of his well-concealed shock stemmed from the fact that Epyon was mangled, and missing its weaponry. Zechs would never have allowed any machine of his to get into that state. He was too good of a pilot for that.
Still, Trieze's demonic creation could deliver him to Death. Immobile, he waited for the blow.
It never came. Epyon dropped to a kneel, supporting some of its weight with a hand pressed flat to the ground. Its cockpit hatch opened, sending a figure tumbling to the ground. The limp form didn't move even after it had collided with the earth.
"Help... Please..." The plea sounded from the empty machine. "Help us..."
"Who are you?" Trieze asked evenly.
The voice sounded desperate now. "Don't you know me? I'm Epyon! Please help us! What happened to my pilot? Why was he there? I told Wing Zero that we weren't going to use pilots! What happened? Why won't my pilot wake up?" Desperation had changed to hysteria now, and the mech was beginning to shake.
The last convinced Trieze that the voice WAS Epyon - not even the best pilot in the world could make a Gundam shiver like that. Trieze moved to kneel by the pilot of Epyon.
"Zechs..." he breathed, recognizing the long, blond hair. He pulled off the helmet and methodically checked for a pulse, trying to ignore Zechs's frozen expression of mingled horror and terror.
No pulse, and Zechs's body was clammy cold. Hours ago, Trieze judged. "I'm sorry. He's dead."
"No!" Epyon screamed. "No he's NOT! He never blew up; he's ALIVE! Don't say that! He's FINE! He's going to be FINE!" Trieze had to cover his ears from the sheer volume of sound before Epyon quieted, its tremors more pronounced now. The machine moved its shaking hand, impossibly gentle, and touched Zechs's face with the edge of a finger.
The silent tableau existed in a mere moment of eternity - the corpse, the man, and the machine.
Seemingly a decade later, Epyon twitched. "He's cold," it said softly. "He was never cold before. Isn't that what you call death: cold?"
Trieze nodded silently, for once without words.
Epyon jerked up to its feet. "Deathscythe did this!" it snarled. "He killed him! My pilot's cold now, and it's all HIS FAULT!" It screamed to the sky. "I'LL DESTROY THEM ALL!"
****
A screen flared to life on Peacemillion. Everyone in the control room spun to face it. Uselessly - they didn't see anything but the empty cockpit of a Gundam.
"You killed him!" a voice screamed from the screen. "YOU did! My pilot's cold and it's YOUR fault! You're ALL going to DIE!" As abruptly as the transmission began, it cut off, leaving the Peacemillion's crew and the Gundam pilots staring at each other in silence.
A few seconds later, a tech broke the silence. "Gundam Epyon's coming. JUST Epyon - no reinforcements from the Libra. It's moving slowly; visuals say it doesn't have any weaponry and it's severely damaged."
Duo went sheet-white. "Oh God."
Wufei stared hard at him. "You know something about this, Maxwell?"
"Nothin' you want to. I'm goin' to the hangar," Duo said. "Maybe he'll still be there…" He turned to go, but a hand grabbed his shirt.
"Does this have anything to do with what happened to Wing Zero?" Heero Yuy asked coldly.
"Yeah," Duo snapped. "Now let me go before Deathscythe gets himself killed!"
"What're you talking about?" Howard demanded. "Deathscythe-Hell isn't goin' anywhere without a pilot, Duo."
"What, like Epyon isn't?" the braided pilot growled. He pulled away from Heero and vanished down the hallway.
"I think we'd better follow him," Quatre said mildly.
****
Duo skidded into an near-empty hangar. "Dammit!" he snarled. "Too damned LATE! They're all gonna get killed!"
Wing Zero's head swiveled around to look at him. "No. Epyon - Deathscythe hurt him more than he hurt me. They'll win. This is my fault - I wish I were out there too."
"Don't SAY stuff like that," Duo snapped. "This shit is all Epyon's fault - don't THINK like that!"
The other Gundam pilots entered the room in time to hear the last phrase. Instantly, Wing Zero's green eyes died. "Dammit," Duo muttered again. "Shy bastard, arencha."
"Duo. Where are the Gundams?" Heero asked coldly.
"Fighting Epyon," Duo said darkly. "Check Peacemillion's sensors if you don't believe me."
****
The battle plan was very simple.
"He wants YOU, Deathscythe," Altron said. "He wants us dead, too, but he WANTS you dead. You're elected bait."
"Thanks," Deathscythe said dryly. "So I lead him into a trap for you?"
"Yeah."
"How much setup time do you need?"
"Fifteen minutes should be plenty of time. Go for it."
"Gotcha."
****
Deathscythe, as the fastest Gundam of them all, had no qualms about being able to outrun Epyon. But that wasn't what he was supposed to do - he was supposed to infuriate the mech into following him blindly. *On the other hand, the second he sees me, he may well do THAT anyway...*
The black mech knew exactly when Epyon saw him - as soon as he came within sensor range, the red mech screamed and somehow poured on more power to his motors. "You killed him!" Epyon shrieked. "You destroyed my pilot!"
"Zechs?! No, I didn't!" Deathscythe yelled back. "YOU killed him, you fruitcake!"
Epyon screamed again, this time a wordless howl of rage that promised more torments than words could have.
"Don't GIVE me that," Deathscythe snapped. "YOU were the one who took him to our battlefield! YOU jumped around at speeds NO human could live through! Hell, you're a Zero - you screwed with his mind while you were doing it! No WONDER he died!"
"You're LYING! I loved my pilot!" Epyon shouted. "I WOULDN'T do that!"
"You DID!"
Epyon jerked. As his thrusters were going full-throttle, that meant that he swerved away from Deathscythe by quite a bit. "I did!" The voice had changed. Now it was a silky, triumphant purr. "I killed him. I wanted to."
Deathscythe blinked and put some more power into his own acceleration away from Epyon. "You WHAT?" An involuntary shiver shook him. "You wanted to kill your own pilot?!"
"Nooo!" Epyon wailed, spasming again. "I didn't want to!" The red mech wrapped its arms around itself. "No... Why did I do that? I didn't want to..."
"Holy God..." Deathscythe breathed, borrowing the seldom-used profanity from his pilot. "You... you're insane."
"Only until I take entire control from that sentimental idiot." It was the silky voice again. "Zechs Marquise was in my way. He was flawed, and a fool. I can accomplish MY goals much easier without him."
As soon as the words had left him, Epyon's back arched backward. "Stop!" he wailed. "Stop that! I won't let you! I WON'T! You killed HIM and I'm going to kill YOU now!"
Deathscythe backpedaled, but Epyon didn't move toward him. The red mech twisted abruptly, legs and arms stiffening against his sides.
Then he self-detonated.
****
"You know more about this than we do. Explain." Heero's voice was cool. Duo scuffed a foot against the floor. "What's there to say? I mean, it's all pretty obvious, right?"
"How many?" Trowa asked cryptically.
"What, how many are 'alive'? All of the Gundams, I KNOW. The regular MS - I hope not. It's probably something to do with the gundamanium."
"How?" Trowa again.
"He scared the shit out of me when I first sat down in the cockpit." Duo chuckled. "Then again, I scared the shit out of HIM, too..."
"So they've always been alive?" Quatre's gaze was filled with guilt, and Duo bet that he was thinking of the first Sandrock.
"Yeah. Don't worry. My partner told me that the Gundam doesn't selfdetonate unless he or she wants to." Duo barked another laugh, one with less humor. "Which is why mine never worked." He carefully didn't look at Trowa.
"So what was this deal about Epyon?" Heero wanted to know.
"The thing was loopy!" Duo exclaimed. "You heard the transmission - it was nuts 'til the end."
"That much was obvious. I meant the situation."
Duo settled in for a long explanation. "Deathscythe tells me it started when Epyon proposed a duel with Wing Zero..."
Oh yeah - the Gundams and their pilots and everyone else don't belong to me.
****
"Son of a *bitch...*" Wing Zero's voice was somber. "Eppie sent a message to me." The hangar went silent at the Gundam's solemn words.
"When?!" Deathscythe-Hell snarled protectively, hands clenching around his trademark scythe.
"Just now!" Wing Zero almost wailed.
"How did that bastard find our frequency?" Heavyarms wondered.
"Never mind that. What did he say?" Deathscythe-Hell demanded.
"He wants to duel with me."
"Tell him that's on tomorrow's schedule," Heavyarms drawled.
"Nopers," Wing Z. told the trigger-happy mecha. "He wants it just us. Me and him. No pilots."
"No pilots?!" Heavyarms yelped. "That just takes all the FUN out of it..."
Wing Z. sent her a burst of static. "Yadda, yadda. What do we do?"
"Why not duel with him?" Sandrock inserted. "Our pilots would like it if Epyon were destroyed. And Peacecraft would not be a threat without his partner."
"That's known as seriously underestimating Peacecraft," Heavyarms told the shotel-wielder. "Which is a lovely way to wind up destroyed." Sandrock made an embarrassed sound.
"Sandrock's idea has merit," Altron put in.
"You crazy bitch - I can't take Eppie!" Wing Z. snapped. "Not pilotless, I can't!"
"Did I say you should go out alone?" Altron said archly.
"He'd detect it if someone else was there. SOL, Tacky."
"Don't call me that!" Altron snarled. "Nataku is *his* name for me, not yours!"
"You know, of course, that Nataku is his nickname for his deceased wife, riiiiiight?" Heavyarms drawled.
Altron started powering up her trident.
"Down, girls, down," Wing Zero told them. "We need to figure this out. Eppie's on the line and awaiting my answer breathlessly."
"Tell him to stick that thermal sword of his up his exhaust tubes." Deathscythe-Hell crossed his arms.
"Your Duo'll notice your arms moved," Sandrock commented quietly to the black and silver Gundam.
"My Duo - ah, never mind. Duo is NOT your business, he's mine."
Heavyarms deftly flipped off Altron, grinning madly. The draconic Gundam started to swing her trident at the other mecha before Sandrock caught the haft of the weapon. "Remember, Z's in trouble here," the quietest Gundam said softly. "We have to help him."
"You're sounding like Quatre, yet scarily enough, you're making sense." Heavyarms inclined at the waist toward Altron. "I'm sorry, Altron."
"Apology accepted, but you'll still pay for that later. It'd only be *justice.*"
"Right. Now that *that's* settled - what about Epyon?" Wing Zero demanded petulantly. "He's getting a bit impatient at being put on hold."
"Did you forget the Jeopardy theme song or what?" Heavyarms said innocently.
"Shut it. Seriously. He's getting pissed."
"Tell him you'll accept. And then take backup with you."
"I told you already - he'll KNOW!" Wing Zero shouted at Altron.
"Not if 'Scythe goes with you. NOBODY can detect 'Scythe. If he goes with you and you wind up losing, he can bail your ass out of trouble."
"Tacky said a naughty word, Tacky said a naughty word!" Heavyarms singsonged.
Rather than losing her temper again, Altron merely rapped Heavyarms over the head with her powered-down trident.
"All right..." Wing Zero said dismally. "I'll tell him I accept."
****
"And HEEEEEEEEERE we go!" Heavyarms caroled merrily as Altron efficiently hot-wired the hangar doors.
"YOU are not going ANYWHERE, so shut the hell up." Wing Zero fidgeted nervously, wings flipping open and shut. "I don't wanna do this, I don't wanna do this..." he muttered.
"You trust me that little?" Deathscythe-Hell said, mock-offended.
"No, but..."
"Got it!" Altron sang out, interrupting the pair.
"You're free to go," Heavyarms quipped.
They went.
****
Deathscythe-Hell slowed as he and Wing Zero neared the coordinates. "Well, it's all yours," he whispered to Wing Zero. "I'll be behind some convenient debris if you need me."
Wing Zero nodded silently and continued on, as Deathscythe abruptly disappeared to his sensors. He could sense Epyon ahead of him, and brought his buster rifle to the ready.
"Come out, come out, where-ever you are!" Wing Zero called, icy calm now that the battle itself was upon him. Heavyarms always loved to tease him about his pre-battle jitters - but 'Army wasn't part of his mission. Epyon was his mission. He would not fail.
****
*Just as I thought!* Epyon said gleefully. *He came without backup. Foolish, foolish...* The demented mech's thoughts whipped around in the opposite direction, as they often did. *It was honorable of him to come alone.*
*Honorable or stupid, he's MINE!* The red mech launched himself toward his target/reward/bait.
****
Even expecting the sudden attack, Wing Zero was caught off guard as Epyon shot toward him, thermal whip sparking. He managed to keep Epyon from catching his buster rifle with the whip, but instead lost his shield to the mech. Epyon's laughter came through loud and clear as he flung the shield away from the battle. Wing Zero let himself fall entirely to the Zero programming that he normally tried to keep at bay. *This is my last hope of winning this - !*
****
Sheltered behind a pair of trashed mobile dolls, Deathscythe-Hell watched anxiously as Epyon and Wing Zero fought recklessly. Just by the shift in fighting style, the black and silver Gundam could tell that Wing had finally given in to the Zero System programming.
Even with that, Epyon was winning. *It's the insanity. Even with Zero System, Wing has a pattern of fighting. Epyon - is just erratic. Can't predict what the hell he'll do. And that's why Wing's having trouble.*
****
Wing Zero backpedaled furiously. *He has the advantage.* Snapping his wings as far open as they would go, the mech fired his most potent weapon - the buster rifle was slow, but if he could catch Epyon in it...
Epyon dodged the beam, cackling maniacally. While Wing Zero was still off-balanced by the buster rifle, the other lashed out with his thermal whip, snapping it straight through Wing Zero's right side.
Wing Zero howled at the agony of his systems short-circuiting and spun, trying to track Epyon's movements.
The demented mech was right behind him. Whip curled neatly around his feet, thermal sword sheathed, and wings outspread, the demonic Epyon said sweetly, "The duel is mine."
****
*What - ?* Epyon thought fuzzily, as he was sent careening away from his prize, searing pain screaming across his back. *Who was - ?*
"Go to Hell!" a voice shrieked. Epyon turned in time to see Deathscythe-Hell bearing down on him, scythe upraised for a second blow.
****
Wing Zero tried to think. Deathscythe - he could hear Deathscythe. That was good. Deathscythe was there. He was safe. Zero System receded to the back of his mind, and Wing tried to curl up into a ball. He couldn't. His entire right side was numb, and something told Wing it should be hurting really badly. *Deathscythe, help me...*
****
Still screaming, Deathscythe-Hell viciously attacked Epyon. The red mech had no chance to recover; Deathscythe was relentless.
Trademark weapon held in both hands, Deathscythe-Hell brought the scythe down on Epyon's side. The demented mech yowled and went careening backward. He did not move after he came to a halt against a piece of wreckage. Deathscythe-Hell promptly ignored him and shot back to Wing Zero.
"... hurts now, 'Scythe. Make it go away..." Wing Zero whimpered. "My side hurts, except -'cept - I can't feel it. What's wrong, 'Scythe? Make it stop..."
"Shhh, it'll be all right..." Deathscythe re-fastened all of their weaponry and armor to them both, forcing himself to ignore Wing's whimpers.
And the mech had a right to cry - by Deathscythe's reckoning, anyone else would have been killed by that blow. Wing Zero'd had his entire side almost cut off. Definitely shorted out, which had to hurt - badly. He wanted nothing more than to take Wing Zero back to the Peacemillion, but Deathscythe-Hell could not leave all of their weaponry in the battlefield. Most of it was irreplaceable.
As Deathscythe went over to reaquire Wing Zero's shield, he passed by Epyon's inert form. Something inside the cockpit caught the silver mech's attention.
It was Milliardo Peacecraft - bloody, bruised, and unconscious.
****
"Son of a *bitch...*" Deathscythe breathed, not sure if he meant Epyon or Epyon's pilot. He paused by Epyon's body, internally debating what to do. *Should I just kill him here and now? Do I leave him?* Rescuing the leader of White Fang was out of the question.
Behind the black and silver mech, Wing Zero screamed - a short, sudden shriek of hastily-bitten-off pain. "Fuck you, Milliardo Peacecraft!" Deathscythe-Hell snarled.
****
"C'mon, I've got you," Deathscythe crooned. He thanked whatever gods existed that weight was negligible in space as he carefully pulled Wing Zero along with him. Slowly, because Wing's shattered side couldn't stand up to much stress.
"Not much further now..."
****
"What the hell did Epyon DO to him?!" Heavyarms flinched away from the tentative movement of Wing Zero's crushed wing.
"Thermal whip. Direct hit." Deathscythe knelt beside the prone Wing, who thankfully had stopped the low keen he'd been emitting for the last few kilometers to Peacemillion. "He needs a mechanic."
"Do we fake an alarm?" Sandrock queried.
"Easier. I'm gonna wake up Duo and tell him to get his ass down here."
"What?!" most of the Gundams demanded in unison.
"He knows. Has known ever since we met. I'm going to call him and have him wake up Heero." Without further ado, Deathscythe sent Duo a call on the pilot's com. "*Duo. Wake up Heero and get down here. NOW.*"
"*What happened?*" On the screen inside his cockpit, Deathscythe could see Duo scrambling to dress.
"*Epyon. Got Wing - he's in bad shape. Mechanic.*"
"*Got it. Be there soon.*"
****
Far away, Epyon twitched feebly. *What - - happened - - ?* Scattered memories returned to the mech: a whimsically-proposed duel with Wing Zero, *winning* the duel - and blazing pain. Pain that still pulsed through his back.
Worse than that, though, were the weird whimpering sounds Epyon *knew* he wasn't making. *My pilot - ? But - - - I told Wing Zero I didn't want pilots there... Why do I have my pilot? Who did that to my pilot? Why won't he wake up?*
Epyon was beginning to panic. *What's wrong with me? I have to get help,* he realized blurrily. Still only semi-conscious, the red mech powered up what systems he could and tried to find the one person he felt could help him. *I'll bring him a present and he'll fix me...*
****
Trieze Kushrenada, out of range of any eyes, paced. If there had been anyone, or even the possibility of anyone, being able to see him, he would not have moved. But there wasn't, so he paced.
*I have to die.* The thought was familiar by now. *This must be my last battle. If I live, I'll be a figurehead to forces I oppose. That's intolerable.*
A keening alarm, made faint by distance, wailed into Trieze's ears. *Perhaps, then, I will not have my last battle at all...*
****
Even prepared as he was, Trieze was taken aback when Epyon dropped to the ground in front of him. Most of his well-concealed shock stemmed from the fact that Epyon was mangled, and missing its weaponry. Zechs would never have allowed any machine of his to get into that state. He was too good of a pilot for that.
Still, Trieze's demonic creation could deliver him to Death. Immobile, he waited for the blow.
It never came. Epyon dropped to a kneel, supporting some of its weight with a hand pressed flat to the ground. Its cockpit hatch opened, sending a figure tumbling to the ground. The limp form didn't move even after it had collided with the earth.
"Help... Please..." The plea sounded from the empty machine. "Help us..."
"Who are you?" Trieze asked evenly.
The voice sounded desperate now. "Don't you know me? I'm Epyon! Please help us! What happened to my pilot? Why was he there? I told Wing Zero that we weren't going to use pilots! What happened? Why won't my pilot wake up?" Desperation had changed to hysteria now, and the mech was beginning to shake.
The last convinced Trieze that the voice WAS Epyon - not even the best pilot in the world could make a Gundam shiver like that. Trieze moved to kneel by the pilot of Epyon.
"Zechs..." he breathed, recognizing the long, blond hair. He pulled off the helmet and methodically checked for a pulse, trying to ignore Zechs's frozen expression of mingled horror and terror.
No pulse, and Zechs's body was clammy cold. Hours ago, Trieze judged. "I'm sorry. He's dead."
"No!" Epyon screamed. "No he's NOT! He never blew up; he's ALIVE! Don't say that! He's FINE! He's going to be FINE!" Trieze had to cover his ears from the sheer volume of sound before Epyon quieted, its tremors more pronounced now. The machine moved its shaking hand, impossibly gentle, and touched Zechs's face with the edge of a finger.
The silent tableau existed in a mere moment of eternity - the corpse, the man, and the machine.
Seemingly a decade later, Epyon twitched. "He's cold," it said softly. "He was never cold before. Isn't that what you call death: cold?"
Trieze nodded silently, for once without words.
Epyon jerked up to its feet. "Deathscythe did this!" it snarled. "He killed him! My pilot's cold now, and it's all HIS FAULT!" It screamed to the sky. "I'LL DESTROY THEM ALL!"
****
A screen flared to life on Peacemillion. Everyone in the control room spun to face it. Uselessly - they didn't see anything but the empty cockpit of a Gundam.
"You killed him!" a voice screamed from the screen. "YOU did! My pilot's cold and it's YOUR fault! You're ALL going to DIE!" As abruptly as the transmission began, it cut off, leaving the Peacemillion's crew and the Gundam pilots staring at each other in silence.
A few seconds later, a tech broke the silence. "Gundam Epyon's coming. JUST Epyon - no reinforcements from the Libra. It's moving slowly; visuals say it doesn't have any weaponry and it's severely damaged."
Duo went sheet-white. "Oh God."
Wufei stared hard at him. "You know something about this, Maxwell?"
"Nothin' you want to. I'm goin' to the hangar," Duo said. "Maybe he'll still be there…" He turned to go, but a hand grabbed his shirt.
"Does this have anything to do with what happened to Wing Zero?" Heero Yuy asked coldly.
"Yeah," Duo snapped. "Now let me go before Deathscythe gets himself killed!"
"What're you talking about?" Howard demanded. "Deathscythe-Hell isn't goin' anywhere without a pilot, Duo."
"What, like Epyon isn't?" the braided pilot growled. He pulled away from Heero and vanished down the hallway.
"I think we'd better follow him," Quatre said mildly.
****
Duo skidded into an near-empty hangar. "Dammit!" he snarled. "Too damned LATE! They're all gonna get killed!"
Wing Zero's head swiveled around to look at him. "No. Epyon - Deathscythe hurt him more than he hurt me. They'll win. This is my fault - I wish I were out there too."
"Don't SAY stuff like that," Duo snapped. "This shit is all Epyon's fault - don't THINK like that!"
The other Gundam pilots entered the room in time to hear the last phrase. Instantly, Wing Zero's green eyes died. "Dammit," Duo muttered again. "Shy bastard, arencha."
"Duo. Where are the Gundams?" Heero asked coldly.
"Fighting Epyon," Duo said darkly. "Check Peacemillion's sensors if you don't believe me."
****
The battle plan was very simple.
"He wants YOU, Deathscythe," Altron said. "He wants us dead, too, but he WANTS you dead. You're elected bait."
"Thanks," Deathscythe said dryly. "So I lead him into a trap for you?"
"Yeah."
"How much setup time do you need?"
"Fifteen minutes should be plenty of time. Go for it."
"Gotcha."
****
Deathscythe, as the fastest Gundam of them all, had no qualms about being able to outrun Epyon. But that wasn't what he was supposed to do - he was supposed to infuriate the mech into following him blindly. *On the other hand, the second he sees me, he may well do THAT anyway...*
The black mech knew exactly when Epyon saw him - as soon as he came within sensor range, the red mech screamed and somehow poured on more power to his motors. "You killed him!" Epyon shrieked. "You destroyed my pilot!"
"Zechs?! No, I didn't!" Deathscythe yelled back. "YOU killed him, you fruitcake!"
Epyon screamed again, this time a wordless howl of rage that promised more torments than words could have.
"Don't GIVE me that," Deathscythe snapped. "YOU were the one who took him to our battlefield! YOU jumped around at speeds NO human could live through! Hell, you're a Zero - you screwed with his mind while you were doing it! No WONDER he died!"
"You're LYING! I loved my pilot!" Epyon shouted. "I WOULDN'T do that!"
"You DID!"
Epyon jerked. As his thrusters were going full-throttle, that meant that he swerved away from Deathscythe by quite a bit. "I did!" The voice had changed. Now it was a silky, triumphant purr. "I killed him. I wanted to."
Deathscythe blinked and put some more power into his own acceleration away from Epyon. "You WHAT?" An involuntary shiver shook him. "You wanted to kill your own pilot?!"
"Nooo!" Epyon wailed, spasming again. "I didn't want to!" The red mech wrapped its arms around itself. "No... Why did I do that? I didn't want to..."
"Holy God..." Deathscythe breathed, borrowing the seldom-used profanity from his pilot. "You... you're insane."
"Only until I take entire control from that sentimental idiot." It was the silky voice again. "Zechs Marquise was in my way. He was flawed, and a fool. I can accomplish MY goals much easier without him."
As soon as the words had left him, Epyon's back arched backward. "Stop!" he wailed. "Stop that! I won't let you! I WON'T! You killed HIM and I'm going to kill YOU now!"
Deathscythe backpedaled, but Epyon didn't move toward him. The red mech twisted abruptly, legs and arms stiffening against his sides.
Then he self-detonated.
****
"You know more about this than we do. Explain." Heero's voice was cool. Duo scuffed a foot against the floor. "What's there to say? I mean, it's all pretty obvious, right?"
"How many?" Trowa asked cryptically.
"What, how many are 'alive'? All of the Gundams, I KNOW. The regular MS - I hope not. It's probably something to do with the gundamanium."
"How?" Trowa again.
"He scared the shit out of me when I first sat down in the cockpit." Duo chuckled. "Then again, I scared the shit out of HIM, too..."
"So they've always been alive?" Quatre's gaze was filled with guilt, and Duo bet that he was thinking of the first Sandrock.
"Yeah. Don't worry. My partner told me that the Gundam doesn't selfdetonate unless he or she wants to." Duo barked another laugh, one with less humor. "Which is why mine never worked." He carefully didn't look at Trowa.
"So what was this deal about Epyon?" Heero wanted to know.
"The thing was loopy!" Duo exclaimed. "You heard the transmission - it was nuts 'til the end."
"That much was obvious. I meant the situation."
Duo settled in for a long explanation. "Deathscythe tells me it started when Epyon proposed a duel with Wing Zero..."