Bang! And When the Dust Cleared

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D'arcy woke up in the middle of the night. Something was wrong. She put on trousers and a long-sleeved shirt. She opened the tent flap. There was a black shape hovering in the sky. She knew that shape.

Duo was sleeping peacefully D'arcy shook him awake. Her voice was a harsh whisper. Duo! Wake up! There's an OZ carrier in the sky. They're hoping to blast us to pieces while we sleep!

D'arcy, it's just a bad dream. OZ doesn't exist any more.

Lord Une is supposed to be the last member of OZ. Therefore, it's an OZ carrier. Listen to me, Duo! I know what they look like.

Why me?

She gave him a look to remind him of why he was in her tent in the first place.

You can cloak. I'll give you a booster pack. He didn't respond. Either you do it, or I'll take Deathscythe Hell and do it myself. I'll kill myself and your Gundam in the process though, because I don't know how to work it.

His eyes snapped open. No, I'll do it.

She got him a booster pack, and just as he was taking off, grabbed hold of the left ankle. They went up. Just then, the suits began to drop.

Those are dolls, D'arcy said. She began to climb up the back of the Gundam's leg. Duo moved, and she had to cling. She continued to climb.
Duo tried to fight them off, but there were just so many! Soon they'd start aiming at the tents. He hated to think of that. He fought harder.

D'arcy was almost there now. She got to the middle of its back, and pulled out a small screwdriver. Working carefully, she opened the panel just enough to let her get in. Her sleeve caught, and she jerked it free. He lurched. She nearly lost the screwdriver, but caught it in time. She closed the panel, and was in the back of the cockpit. She got out her laptop and began typing.

Duo thought he must be going crazy. Under everything else, there was a tap-tap, something new. Just then, one of the dolls pointed its gun at a tent. He swooped towards it. It started to pull the trigger, then suddenly turned to another doll and fired at it instead. Fighting broke out among the dolls. They moved out over a meadow with nothing in it, and continued to fight. There was nothing more Duo could do. He landed.

People had woken up by then, and were starting to come out of their tents. Quatre ran up to Duo as he got out. What happened?

Some mobile dolls tried to attack us. D'arcy woke me up just in time. He scratched his head. The odd thing though, is that, just as they were beginning to win, they started fighting. Whoever did that, I'd like to thank them.

You're welcome. Everyone turned to see D'arcy standing in the doorway to the cockpit. She held a case in her right hand. Her left arm was hidden.

How did you do it? asked Vingte.

Laptop. Quite useful for hacking. Then, once you're in, turn one half against the other, and tell em all to move out over that field.

You say that like it's easy, Heero said.

D'arcy seemed surprised. I think it is. I seem to have a talent for it. She jumped down.

Uh, D'arcy, your arm Duo trailed off.

She held up her left arm, and looked at it. The sleeve and the binding that she had put on underneath were both ripped, showing a gleam of metal. She ripped the sleeve up to the shoulder, and unwound the binding. This shirt was ruined anyway. She held up her arm. It had gundanium running up and down it like muscles. She pitched her voice so it could be heard by everyone. You might as well see what happens to you when you're caught in an explosion and you're not superhuman. I was lucky.



She didn't respond. She was remembering a certain day seven years ago.

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Look, mother! Isn't it beautiful? A ten-year-old D'arcy said.

Of course it is, dearest. Anything you make is beautiful. But it's so big!

They were standing at the feet of a somewhat smaller Mobile Suit than is usual. Mother! That's not big. The real ones are bigger than this.

Aurelia leaned over her daughter, and rumpled her hair. Well, then I guess it's just the right size for you.

Mmm, hmm. Just wait, mother! This one really works! She scrambled over to the cockpit.

D'arcy! Come back! There's an OZ carrier in the sky!

D'arcy looked up just in time to see missiles zooming down right on top of her. She saw another going right towards her mother. she screamed. Suddenly, she was flying. She heard booms, crashes, and screams. Over it all was maniacal laughter. It seemed to go on forever. Then she hit the ground with a thud, and there was nothing.

~~~

When she woke up later, she hurt all over. There was something on top of her, and it was so heavy. She nearly screamed when she tried to use her arms, but if she very carefully used only her stomach muscles, then she could sit up. The first thing she saw was rubble. Then she saw a hand sticking out of it. she cried. Her legs wouldn't work, but by inching herself along, she finally reached the hand. Dimly, she saw eyes in the shadows. She hooked her shoulder under the edge of the rock, and just managed to shove it away. Her mother's eyes looked in her direction, but her face had no expression. D'arcy soon discovered why. The back of her head was completely bashed in. Aurelia was dead.
D'arcy's body shook with dry heaves, then with sobs. she said, I promise you. I'll kill every one of those damned OZ soldiers for what they did to you. I'll never wear white again. I'll never cut my hair again. I hope it grows as long as yours. Fired by new determination, she inched herself along, looking for Gundanium Alloy. Itsmelled different, somehow. Ignoring the pain, she strapped pieces of it to her arms, then her legs. Her feet were a complete mess, so she just strapped all the toes together, and made a brace and a pair of crutches. She got out her spare clothes, black, from the grubby pouch that she and her mother used, and put them on. The laces on her shoes were no good, so she used a strip of red cloth from her mother's dress to tie them. And she cut off her mother's long, braided hair, stuffed it in the pouch, and hid in the shadows to wait.

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She looked up at Duo, Quatre, Heero, everyone. Don't ask. It's not a pretty story. Suffice to say that an OZ soldier, Louis Une-Kerson, did this to me.

Louis Une-Kerson? Relena asked. But that's Lord Une's real name!

D'arcy stepped into the light. There was a collective gasp. D'arcy's eyes were green, so pale you could only just see what color they were. She was furious. D'arcy spoke in her loudest voice. Louis Une-Kerson! Imposter, Maimer, Murderer, Filth! You have your spies here, I know that! Well, listen to me! The next time you go blowing up mobile suits for fun, remember to kill both victims, not just the mother!

A leo landed. What is this? the supposed Lord Une said.

Seven years ago, you were an OZ soldier. Colony L600792. You had just finished killing about three hundred people because you thought it was funny, she said scathingly. On your return journey, you noticed a miniature mobile suit in the middle of a junkyard. You destroyed it completely. There were two heat-sources, two people. You found one. But what of the other? She went into the shadows, and she waited and trained and got strong. She set out to kill you. And I will.

The leo leveled its gun at her.

If your going to act like Treize, then at least have his sense of justice, of fairness. Fight me one-on-one, or are you afraid that you'll be disabled by a missing finger on your left hand?

D'arcy Collins!

Yes, that's me. Are you going to fight or not?

He got out of the Leo and drew his sword. I'll fight you, bastard girl.

I'm a bastard by birth, that's true, but not in character, unlike you. Wufei, may I borrow your sword?

Of course. It is only just.

Thank you. Louis, it's a pleasure to meet you at last. Have at you! She ran forward. Louis laughed and raised his blade leisurely. D'arcy had almost spit herself on it when she dropped and rolled on the ground, between his legs. She stood in the same motion, turned, and Wufei's sword went into Louis Une-Kerson's heart from the back. He fell to the ground. She grabbed his hair, and cut off his head. Holding it high in the air, she cried, May the souls of Aurelia Collins and all other murdered victims rest in peace at last!