Chapter 7

"Could you please inform us not in the know what is going on?" Duo's voice says across the airwaves.

"He's gone after something big, and probably deadly."

"Alone?"

"Alone."

"God. You know, if that guy doesn't stop taking responsibility for everything, it's going to kill him."

"This time, it just might," Heero replies.

"You can't be serious Heero." Une says.

"The enemy isn't pulling any punches, this is their last ditch effort."

"Duo, how fast can you get to Washington DC?" Trowa asks.

"A matter of minutes. Why?"

"Make sure the president and cabinet get off the earth."

"That bad?"

"Quatre doesn't want to take any chances."

"Yeah, and if they don't survive, Quatre will never live it down. I guess I'm on my way."

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I have forgotten how bumpy the ride though the atmosphere is. I continue to rocket though it. Bright red sparks fly by the cameras, filling my screen. I can still see the apparatus in front of me. It flies, from side to side, across the monitors from the violent shaking of Zero.

I brake away from the atmosphere, diving into the calm sea of space. The object is also out of the atmosphere. It rests just above the invisible shield, drifting slowly along. I turn my radio back on, sensing that a conversation with the enemy is about to take place. I wait patiently as he finds my frequency.

"We haven't given up yet have me Mr. Winner?"

"Nor have you, Mr. Villa Signor." I reply in the same spiteful, yes aristocratic tone.

"Your retaliation is futile, you must see that."

"Again, same to you."

It's silent for a few more minutes. I scene that he won't strike now, not while I have the last word. I can't help but bring on the inevitable. "I can't kill you until you have answered me this. Why did you allow us to leave? You knew that we wouldn't fight for you, so why didn't you simply kill us when you had the chance? I thought it was because you wanted a challenge, but now I find that hard to believe."

Javier chuckles, "Inquisitive to the bitter end." He comments, "I was going to kill you, that was the plan before that man ruined things. Oh how I wanted to see the look on your beloved's face as I personally assassinated you."

"I see, you wanted her last sight to be of my death."

"You're still not there. She would of lived."

"But why? She knew of your plans."

"Exactly. Care to give it another go?"

I'm starting to understand his twisted plan, "She obviously would of informed my comrades, who, you undoubtfully would of tried to kill as well."

"Bravo Mr. Winner! Killing you traitorous pilots was a big part of the plan."

"By traitorous, I'm assuming, you mean our decision to not murder the inhabitants of the earth."

"All earthlings are at fault for what we were forced to endure. I will teach you all that lesson."

"You still don't get it!" I fire the twin buster rifle. The blast bounces off the armor, causing not so much as a dent. I gasp in astonishment.

Javier laughs the laugh of a mad man, "I told you your retaliation was futile."

The stand off is interrupted by Une's voice on the radio, "Be on guard, the bases are being evacuated." A light flashes, indicating an approaching object. I look down at the shuttle of evacuees as it fights its way though the atmosphere.

"Now its my turn." Javier says. A powerful beam leaves from his weapon, disengaging the ship.

I gasp at the unbelievable, uncalled for act of violence, "They were your own men!"

"Not that it maters now, they are already dead."

"How could you be so cold?"

"Its in the job description." A panel on the side of his Ararat moves away, a beam rifle is revealed; it begins its barrage against me.

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Duo is invisible in his Secret Service uniform he had snatched. He walks the maze of halls of the capital building, in search of the cabinet's offices. A group in suits passes him. He brushes shoulders with a woman. "Sorry Miss." He says, continuing on his way.

The woman turns around, "Duo?" She asks.

Duo turns, "Relena? What are you doing here?"

Relena turns to the questioning officials, "Please excuse me." She steps out of the group, and closer to Duo. "I was called in due to the current situation."

"Oh, same here."

Relena lowers her voice, "I thought you were fighting,"

"That mission's complete, I'm on a new one now." He nods to the men and women, "Who are they."

"Other foreign dignitaries."

"They important?"

She looks at him sternly, "Duo, what are you implying?"

Duo sighs, preparing to tell her, "Something big is about to go down. I've been asked to evacuate the cabinet and president. If they are important too," he nods again to the dignitaries, "might as well have 'em tag along."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Get them to the space port, gate nine. That's where the shuttle is. I'll find the others."

"Alright." She walks to the dignitaries, "There has been a change of plans." She informs them. She looks up at Duo, who is beginning to leave, "Oh, and Duo?"

He turns, "Yeah?"

"Second door down that hall."

He smiles, "Thanks."

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The Vulcan guns spring from the shoulders. They destroy the beam rifle. Another is revealed, which I also destroy, then another, and another. The only way this will end is when he runs out of guns, or I run out of bullets. I must think fast to find some other way, fearing that I will run out long before he does.

I'm surprised that he beats me to the punch, "This little game is meaningless. Shall we play a new one?"

"What are you planning Javier?"

"Oh, only a little game of nerve. I see you have a fine weapon there, that buster rifle."

"And?"

"Isn't that the same weapon that destroyed Libra? Our last chance at achieving our goal."

"What's it to you?"

"You can still atone for that, you know."

"Stop talking in circles."

"At this present moment, we are drifting over Moscow, not my first choice, but it will suffice. I will forget that that ever happened if you do something."

I shake my head, "I'm not firing this on Moscow, I will not take part in your little game."

"Fine, then it's my turn." The outer shell of the Ararat moves away, suspended outwards by thick, heavy, metal bars. I gape at what I see. As the armor leaves, it exposes the main weapon, a rifle the size of Zero. The gun tilts and points at me and begins the long process of charging. "If you won't kill them, I'll just kill you."

It's obvious that I can escape the slow charging, powerful blast. So I can't help but wonder what he has in mind. Suddenly an alarm goes off. "EMP EMP" the monitor flashes only twice before all goes black.

I curse under my breath, so that was the big idea. All my systems are down; I'm a sitting duck. The Ararat has sent out an electric magnetic pulse, that one wave disabled everything. I quickly set to work, trying to get Zero back online. I'm racing against the clock; at any time he will fire.

The monitors come back online first. The gun is almost fully charged. Next comes the radio. I hastily reconnect the wires, trying to get my mobility back. Suddenly, my arms drop from my work, it's no use, I can't finish in time. A strange calm flows over me: I am not afraid of what is about o come. I close my eyes as the beam barrels forward, "So this is how it ends huh?" I ask myself.

The broad yellow beam shuts straight at me. At the last moment I am thrown out of the way, from what, I do not know. I bite down hard as I watch the suit take the full impact of the onslaught. Wait, I recognize this suit. "Zechs!" I yell.

The beam subsides, leaving a heavily damaged Tallgeese, crackling from severed wires. "I will not have to tell Noin why you aren't sitting by her side when she wakes up." He says bluntly.

"Zechs, you fool! What did you do that for? Quick, you must leave Tallgeese before it explodes." I yell. /Just like Trowa. Just like Trowa./ The phrase repeats in my head.

"Don't worry about me, first take care of him."

"But-"

"No buts, the earth is more important then my miserable life."

I look over at the Ararat. He is repositioning the cannon; this time at the earth. I quickly go back to work. The diagram of Zero on the monitors show what is still down, and what is coming online. Zero System: online Mobility: offline. I need that mobility! Something is wrong though. The mobility won't come online.

Both my hands are working feverishly, both are doing totally different things as I try and get the mobility back. As my right hand types in codes and commands the left hand continues to reconnect wires.

I glance up at the Ararat. The yellow light at the tip of the weapon is getting brighter; he is almost ready to fire. /Zero, please help me though this./ I say to the mobile. The monitors glow yellow, in response to my plea. I get one more idea, I type in one more code.

ONLINE the big bold letters blare across the screen. I'm ready for action. Without thinking it though I charge the monster, unsheathing my saber as I approach. I scream a war cry of pure anger as I thrust the saber though the gap between the armor, straight into the heart of the weapon.

"What are you doing!? You idiot, the blast will kill us both!"

That is obvious, I didn't think the move though, not that it's concerning me much, even though it should. "I would escape, but it seems as though the arm is jammed between your armor." I say this truthfully; I cannot pull it away.

"No! I will not let it end so quickly. I will not let you be the final victor!" He re-aims the weapon at my suit. Because of the angle the beam is inaccurate. The blast skims Zero's head, ripping off the gold throngs, and melting half of the face. The blast thrusts me backwards, ripping the jammed arm from its socket. It's to late; with the saber still melting though the inner workings, irreversible damage has been done. As I sore backwards from the power of the blast, Ararat explodes in a massive serge of fire and smoke. The explosion is sucked up from the lack of oxygen to feed the flames.

"Zechs we did it!" I yell happily. ". Zechs? Zechs!" I search franticly for him. I look down at my remaining hand. A blue scrape of Gundamium, about the size of me, is drifting by. I grab it and stare at it. ".No. Zechs!" I begin to cry, fearing that he truly is dead.

When I open my eyes I see a flashing light on the dash. It's a message that was sent to me only a moment or two ago. I open the mail. Zechs' face comes on screen, "Well it appears as though this is it." He says over the crackling of the damaged electrical systems. His image fades in and out. I watch as I drift among the wreckage of Ararat and Tallgeese.

"Take care of her for me, will you Quatre?" The screen goes black, only adding to the horrible silence that surrounds me.

There is one more chapter left, I would never leave you all in this suspense. I promise to upload it next Friday.