As suddenly as they had come, the Scorpions and their Dolls had left the battle, leaving four confused pilots, and six very puzzled, and scared, former pilots.

"All units report, damage status." Lyla's voice hummed into the communicators of the pilots inside their Gundams.

"This is Raidon, left arm damaged, presently at 95 per-cent."

No Bran responded.

"This is Blaze, 20 per-cent of ammunition is left, main camera operating at 80 percent."

"Faris reporting in, no damage sustained."

"This is Shen-Li, damage to both Dragon claws, DC right operating at 60 percent, DC left operating at 75 percent."

"Anyone see which way Bran was heading?" Lyla asked. She had a few drops of sweat on her cheeks, mingling with tears of Fear. Scarlet wasn't supposed to fly a Gundam, let alone Bran, a most dangerous of machines if handled wrong…

"Up?" Duo suggested, looking over her shoulder. She glared at him, and sighed.

"Geez, sorry Lyla… didn't know you cared so much about… hey how'd you know about Scarlet anyway?"

"Scorpion told me." She answered, not really paying attention. That answer seemed to shut Duo up for now, as she typed in something on the keyboard.

"All Gundams arrange for rendezvous at Pod-Hopper II, I have something I've found." She said softly…

Heero glanced over… and the Prussian blue eyes opened wide in horror…

That pattern, that color… that same screen… that was… EPYON!

*~*

Deep inside space, a Gundam, black and gray, floated listlessly. Inside, the redheaded pilot garbed in a black tank top and a set of black jeans, covered by her flight suit and helmet, lay her head back, unconscious.

I must not surrender myself.

Why did you turn off the weapons, Bran? Afraid I might blow something up? I'm warning you, I can destroy both you and your pilot.

On a field of black crisscrossed with glowing green gridlines, a young man appeared, glowing gray. He had the wings of the raven and bore a double-ended scythe. He opened his glowing green eyes. Looking something like young Quatre around the face, with bangs that dangled carelessly in his eyes, but he had Duo's eyes, and Lyla's mouth. The programmed projected image of Bran, as a Human. His wings spread slightly, he spoke yet his lips did not move.

What's wrong, Epyon? Afraid to fight me on our own terms? Can you not fight without a pilot?

Scarlet stirred in her seat…

I fear no machine, Bran. I'm actually glad you and I have decided to duel.

Another young man appeared this one older. His eyes glowed maroon, and though his body was gray he was surrounded by an ugly brown glow. He brought his sword up, spreading leathery wings reminiscent of a dragon.

Good, then we will duel then… for the control of my Gundanium body.

You are a fool, Bran. You think I don't know what I'm doing?

You are the fool, Epyon…Scarlet, I'm sorry…

The gray glowing youth closed his eyes, and from there opened the hatch, ejecting Scarlet Erin from the cockpit of the black and gray Gundam.

WHAT? Epyon declared… the gray youth opened his eyes again, a smirk on his face…

I knew without your concentration you could not hold me, nor Scarlet. Such as will be the same for her, and your idiot Emperor! For the colonies!

They leapt at each other, the young boy swinging his scythe with deadly accuracy, once, twice, slashing across Epyon's chest. Epyon leapt back, but a second too late. The second slash caught him full across the chest, knocking him backwards

Do you not think when I die I will not spread, Bran? Are you that naïve?

No.

SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED… DETONATION COMMAND COMPLEATE…

Scarlet's eyes opened slightly as she turned in space, reaching out to her Gundam.

"No… no way. Don't leave me here, Bran! I need you!" she called weakly, her voice a hoarse whisper.

I will return Scarlet. I promise. In this world there are things which are and are not needed. You are needed. I am not. Goodbye, goodbye for now, my pilot and my friend.

With a cry of pain in the grid-world of Bran's inner systems, the youth fell to his feet. Epyon backed away.

Fool!

And the world became a swirling mass of blackness once more, for both the protective soul of the Raven Gundam Bran, and for its now lone pilot, floating in space, a body without a mind.

*~*

Kiyoshi, Max, Basim and Lian stood at a Monitor, watching as the Gray and Black Gundam they had been tracking. They looked with horror as the eyes glazed a fiery green, then white… and then to nothing as it exploded.

Lyla cried out, rushing forward but was held back as Duo wrapped his arms around her.

"Lyla! Gee I had no idea that mobile suit was so important to you!" Duo said sadly, trying to find the lighter part of this situation… but Scarlet was dead… really dead this time. He closed his eyes and lay his head on Lyla's shoulder.

"No, Duo… Bran can be rebuilt… but Scarlet can't be rebuilt… too singular, human…" she whispered "I never even…" she shook her head, her hand finding Duo's.

Kiyoshi stood there, his face unchanging, but inside he felt torn apart.

"I never got to tell her…" he thought, "I never got to tell her that I did care about her… had she lived out the last part of her life believing we hated her?"

*~*

"Look, Manager, we really can't leave now, I mean we have business to take care of…" Trowa started, on the phone to his manager back on L3.

"I don't care if you have business to take care of, I have bigger business than you, I have a circus to run, and if you and that knife-dodging twit you call a nephew don't get back here in time to show those new trapeze artists around why I'll…"

"Yes, I understand." Trowa sighed, running a hand over the back of his head. He glanced around the "common area" of the Pod hopper II; it was better supplied than the original Pod hopper.

Basim stood in the mini-arcade area, trying to drown his sorrow with pinball; he was nearing his personal high score when suddenly… BAM! The ball went through the middle of the flippers.

"Oh no!" he groaned.

Both Kiyoshi and Heero were playing different games of chess against Lian and Wufei, and both Kiyoshi and Heero were winning games against Lian and Wufei.

Max and Lyla stood in the corner, attempting a fast-paced game of Ping-Pong… it wasn't working. Lyla kept on missing the ball; her face was troubled… as Max went to retrieve the ball Lyla glanced at Duo, worried.

Duo sat alone, unusually quiet. His brow was furrowed, and his arms crossed stubbornly against his chest. His cobalt blue eyes shone wet with tears from behind the glasses.

Trowa sighed as he walked over to Duo, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Duo, perhaps she's not dead. We thought she had died in the first battle, but she came back. She might have escaped the explosion."

Duo sighed and sat back, slipping his arms around his head.

"Maybe… but heck I thought I'd be the one to welcome her to the 'other side'." He muttered softly, running a hand through his bangs.

Lyla walked over and wrapped her arms around Duo's shoulders, hugging the elderly Gundam pilot close to her.

"Duo, it'll be OK… someday everything will return to normal, and we'll all be happy living together…"

"Yeah, you me… and the kids we never had…"

If only you knew, Duo… Lyla thought… if only you knew

*~*

Author's Note: Sorry about how long it took, but I was deciding where to cut it off without revealing too much. ;)