ngg2

After the brief fight and introductions all around, the four new boys had shunned Scarlet, who simply shrugged it off and listened to the trainers while the young men all sat around gibing her, different gender slurs found ways out of their mouths, just loud enough for her to hear. She ignored them and listened to what really mattered: would the elder Gundams keep her around?

"I think I have to agree with the other pilots, Duo…" Quatre sighed. "She can't pilot a Gundam under our command."

"She can! I've taught her all I know…"

"Which isn't much." Wufei muttered.

"AND she's adept in practically everything!" he defended. Heero leaned back in his chair, and sighed.

"We need all the help we can get. Until we find a replacement… Scarlet will be able to remain in the group." He said.

Scarlet sighed, and the young men looked at her with distaste. A woman… such a thing was un-heard of.

Heero Yuy stood up with the aid of his cane, and looked to the young pilots. His own grandson Kiyo stood a little apart from the others. His looks barely seemed to have any Peacecraft or any of his mother in him, just Heero.

He turned to Max Leo Barton… a boy who took his uncle's assumed last name after his grandmother, mother, and cousin were killed in an explosion while he and Trowa were training. Heero had heard of it from his friend, Trowa.

Basim, the blonde youth of Quatre's choice to train looked much like his grandfather, except for darker hair and lighter eyes… and a earth-tone taste in clothes. His hair was also slightly shorter than Quatre's at his age.

Chen Lian was an interesting boy… trained by Wufei… not a relative by blood but a great nephew to his late wife. Wufei had taken him in, and trained him since he was a small boy.

And then there was Scarlet Erin. With hair the color of wheat and a face that could break a heart, she seemed the last person in the colonies to pilot a Gundam. She was skinny, slender; but there was something in her eyes, something that during the dawn of the War, all the pilots had… a dream of peace and justice. Her face was brutally calm, and she did not fear to show her emotions. Her expressions were radically honest, and Heero was perplexed. How had this girl trained?

Heero looked around at the five new, young pilots. They were innocent, but even with blood staining their hands they would be pure. They would experience torments that no other solider would, or could, ever face.

"Come. It is time to see your Gundams." He said, and the five old men led the way.

*~*

Heero led the group of ten down a long, stretching hallway, down a staircase, and into a lobby. Portraits of the five scientists, Doctor J, Professor G, Doktor S, Instructor H, and Master O hung in the lobby. Heero turned to the newest round of pilots, and studied the group.

"You five are the next generation of warriors who must not be afraid to die. You are Gundam Pilots. Sought by all, trusted by few, you will usher the Colonies past War." He opened the doors, and five Gundams… created from the plans of the others, stood in the hangar beyond.

Raidon, Kiyoshi's Gundam gleamed gold in the bright hangar lights. Built from the Wing Zero from the war against the Serpents, the Gundam was to be an arial unit. It had the buster rifle, the beam saber, and the shoulder block machine guns, all in gold colored reinforced gundanium. On the chest was a silver lightning bolt, representing the name of this new Gundam. Kiyoshi looked at his Gundam, nearly amazed at its potential with him as a pilot.

Bran, named at the request of Maxwell, was a black Gundam with not bat wings like Deathscythe Hell Custom, but had angel wings like Raidon. A silver pentagram, with the point facing up representing good shone on the chest. Inside the pentagram, there was a red raven. Scarlet smiled; Mr. Maxwell would do something like that. It was equipped with hyper jammers, and as a favor to Mr. Maxwell, a double-bladed beam scythe. For some reason also, it had been equipped with a long-distance attack: not a buster shield but a beam bow.

The third new Gundam was Blaze. A burning red flame on the dark gray body of the new Heavy Arms-type Gundam with the gattling machinegun for a left arm. Built almost exactly like Heavy Arms custom, Max's Gundam was powerfully built, and powerfully armed.

Faris, Arabian for Knight, was the fourth Gundam, in the place of Sandrock. He was built for close combat, with advanced sensors that were specialized to pick up hyper jammer signals from Bran. Basim would pilot this Gundam, which sported heat shorters and chest machine guns.

The last was Shen-Li, another Gundam with Dragon claws, but unlike "Nakatu" the Shen and Alto-Long, the dragon claws were detachable for easier use of the beam staff. This Gundam would be the weapon of Chen Lian.

The five replacement Gundam pilots looked upon their new mobile suits, and felt tiny.

Scarlet turned to the mentors, and asked a question that all five of them had on their minds.

"When do we begin?"

"Now." Heero answered. He quickly regretted it when his own grandson started griping, Scarlet, who like Duo (and with Duo) had grown up almost devoid of anything to whine over, was busy asking her trainer how you accessed the lead rope that would take you up to the hatch. Mr. Maxwell walked over to Bran with Scarlet, while the other four simply gaped in surprise.

Chen Lian scowled at this woman. Wufei, who had learned long ago not to assume that all women were weak, regretted passing on the assumption to Lian. He could see it in Maxwell's replacement's eyes that she was more that simply a pilot; she had the spirit that was vital to piloting a Gundam.

Kiyo also noticed this woman was much different than the others… like his Grandmother and Mother… were. From her wheat hair to her dazzling eyes, she was something else entirely. He had felt sorry for making fun of her… and had a feeling that most of the other boys did too. After all… she was quite attractive.

Duo laughed slightly at one of Scarlet's questions.

"How long has it been since you've flown?"

"A long… long time." He chuckled. "Not since I was your age." He said, almost sadly. He looked up at Bran. "Yeah… I was the pilot of Deathscythe… great Gundam… I was the God of Death…" he grinned, "I guess now you're the Goddess of Death…"

Scarlet chuckled.

"I don't think I could ever fight as well as you Mr. Maxwell."

*~*

Soon, all the pilots had figured out how to get in, turn on, and pilot their Gundams. Being fast learners and trained in old mobile suits, they caught on quickly. Soon they were holding mock battles using virtual reality. The four boys had grown very close, but Scarlet had been forgotten.

Things had been like that for nearly ten weeks.

Scarlet lay in her room, alone, and wrote in a notebook she had gotten as a gift from Mr. Maxwell. In her careful script, she wrote about training, different discussions she had with Mr. Maxwell that day, and also how lonely she felt. She rose, and walked out to the hangar.

By now, she was familiar with the codes that they used all around the base, and got around easy. She opened the doors to the massive hangar, and walked over to Bran. She sat on the foot, leaning back and closing her eyes.

"Mr. Maxwell said he used to talk to Deathscythe… I wonder if Deathscythe ever answered him like you do me, Bran." She said quietly. She nodded, she didn't know whether the Gundam actually spoke or if it was something invented by her mind to solve her loneliness, but Bran replied that Deathscythe must have if he could. Scarlet drew her blanket around her and fell asleep on Bran's foot.

And that is just how they all found her the next morning.

*~*

Not a single one of the Gundams or New Gundam pilots knew that this day would be their last of training.

They were all in spacesuits, their helmets on.

"This is New Gundam 01 ready for training exorcises." Kiyo said, switching on the boosters, warming them up.

"This is New Gundam 02, ready for action!" Scarlet announced as she typed in a command.

"This is New Gundam 03, at your mark." Max said, putting his hands on the joystick controls.

"New Gundam 04, ready for flight." Basim stated, a little nervous.

"All systems go on New Gundam 05." Lian stated, ready for battle.

Duo looked at the monitor, showing the five faces of the new Gundam pilots. They were all sure of themselves just as he was at their age … hopefully none were as fool hardy.

"This is Central Command, at my mark you will all take off. Ten… nine…"

Kiyo listened to his grandfather's voice… and Raidon told him something was wrong…

"Eight… seven…"

Scarlet tightened her grip on the joysticks; her double braids pinned back with lock picks (after all… Duo DID teach her all he knows!), whispering that something wasn't right.

"Six… five…"

Max looked at the monitors; nothing was showing… why was he nervous?

"Four three…"

Basim longed to be out of the Gundam, like his own grandfather he had a kind heart, but he also wanted to please his grandfather.

"Two… one…"

Chen Lian closed his eyes, ready for the pressure of the launch. He opened his eyes as the last word came…"

"Go!"

All five pilots took off into the sky, just as the horizon was beginning to darken.

"Yuy, they are troops coming over the horizon, I do not know if they are friendly or not."

'I don't think they're friendly Wufei… uh… they're starting to fire on the mountain.

"THEY FOUND US! Call the kids back in!" Quatre shouted, worry in his voice for his grandson.

"There's no time, it's futile to call them in." Trowa said quietly. He turned to the other pilots. "There's only one thing to do."

They all nodded. Heero walked over to the control panel, and lifted the cap off a button.

"Thanks to Lyla, we HAVE the EROS system!" Duo tried to laugh, remembering the woman Gundam pilot. Heero looked at him.

"This is Bran to Base… what's going on?" Scarlet's voice came over the comm.

Heero turned the comm to all the pilots.

"Pilots, we're sending you into space. There's nothing you can do here." He said.

"Heero, the kids are turning around! They're coming back!"

"We're trained! Let us fight!" Lian shouted, he readied the Dragon claws.

The others had followed suit.

"No! Turn back! Scarlet that's an order!" Duo shouted, his eyes wide as he grabbed the comm away from Heero, the others began to plead with their replacement pilots, and the New Gundam pilots didn't listen. They kept coming.

Heero didn't want to do this, but he had to. These new pilots, however foolish they were, would be the only people to stand up against this new army of evils. He activated the EROS… Emergency Relocation Operational System, and watched on the monitor as all five Gundams turned, and started flying into space.

"Mr. Maxwell! You can't do this! You'll die!" Scarlet pleaded. None of the boys said a word, in utter astonishment.

"Scarlet, someday you'll understand. You are too precious to loose in this fight, and there are still so many things you five need to learn, like teamwork. We all learned the hard way that we must fight as one to win a war."

Scarlet listened to Mr. Maxwell's voice as her Gundam flew into the darkening sky. She felt tears threatening her eyes.

"Scarlet, you have what it takes to be a Gundam Pilot. Don't let anyone take anything from you, especially your flame. You're the closest thing I ever had to a child, with your fiery heart you could easily be the best pilot… beyond even the God of Death. Go, Scarlet… remember the most important thing I taught you, Scarlet." Duo said. For only the fifth time in his life, he found tears in his eyes.

"No regrets… no fear." Scarlet whispered. She bowed her head; the tears from her eyes floated down her cheeks as the gravity began to lessen.

"You're gonna be OK Scarlet… just remember what I taught you and…"

The sound of an explosion came to Scarlet's ears. She threw her head up and watched as the explosion demolished some of the advancing suits, but also killed the five trainers.

"Mr. Maxwell?" she whispered, almost urging him to continue… "MR. MAXWELL!" She cried out, repeating the name of the only person she ever knew to care about her. She tried with all her might to turn her Gundam around, but the system wouldn't stop. She cried out again, frantically repeating

"MR. MAXWELL! MR MAXWELL PLEASE GO ON!" she squeezed tears from her eyes, and repeated "No regrets… no fear…"