Chapter Three
Kaitaku typed in the word ZERO that activated the system. What she felt was an explosion of emotion, unlike anything she's felt before in her whole life. She fought to control it, but soon lost it all. She lunged at the waiting Heero. He knew this would happen. It had happened to all the other Gundam Pilots and anybody else who used the ZERO system. Only a few pilots had achieved the great task of mastering it: Heero, Milliardo, & Quatre. Kaitaku began to hallucinate. She saw her parents being caught in an explosion on her colony. She wasn't there, since BRIVA had captured her before they ambushed the colony. A beam cannon fired by a Garider suit, a special one, different from the rest, caused that colony to explode. Instead of having a silver color, it was metallic green and was somewhat larger than a Garider.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed as she attempted to slice Zero in half.
But Heero was also using the ZERO system, so she missed.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!" she yelled & lunged once more.
"Kaitaku! Try to break through! I'm Heero." Heero replied, trying to help her gain control.
She gasped as she gripped the control stick. Breathing heavily, she went through a raging spell, "HOW COULD YOU!!!!!!! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!! AAAH!"
All the sudden, she stopped. Panting, she regained awareness of her surroundings, "I-I.He-Heero, wh-what happened?!"
Several minutes went by.
"Oh my god, Heero! Did I..." Kaitaku asked, scared.
Heero answered, " No, you didn't touch me, now you feel its power. Do you understand? Try to control it, I know it's hard, but try."
She deactivated the system, for now.
"Ready for another go?" Heero asked.
"I can't do this, it's too much!" Kaitaku confessed.
"You don't need the ZERO system to help win battles," Heero said, "but it can raise your fighting abilities, conquer your fears. You fear the system."
She decided to try again, this time she was prepared. Once again it controlled her. Heero came after her with his beam saber. He sliced her right arm and it fell off, and then floated away. Kaitaku charged her beam cannon. For this battle, she was instructed NOT to actually hit Heero. He would survive, but Zero would be badly damaged. There was a problem. No one knew Heero was going to install the ZERO system in the Tallgeese; it was uncalled for. The system showed Kaitaku yet another vision, this of her future. She saw herself fighting with the Gundam Pilots, Kazuhiko, and the Preventers against BRIVA. They were losing, miserably. Kazuhiko was in a Serpent. A Garider came up; he was the leader. He pointed his beam cannon dead at her brother's suit. It fired, her brother screamed, and the Serpent exploded. Kaitaku had not trained well or long enough. It was her fault. She wasn't strong enough.
"IT CAN'T BE!!!!! I WON'T LET HIM DIE!!!!!!" she screamed.
Kaitaku fired. Heero flew aside. She kept lunging at Heero, over and over. He dodged & ducked, then took his beam saber back out. Kaitaku did as well. They engaged in a duel. Zero flapped its wings up and over the Tallgeese. Heero went for the head, she blocked. Raged, she chopped off some of Zero's wings. Zero headed for Tallgeese, seeking victory. Block after block, neither pilot could touch the other after that. Then, Zero's image became the Garider suit.
She charged, "YOU!!!!!!!!!! AAAAH!!"
She collided with Zero with a huge melting noise. Both suits were damaged and the danger light flashed in both cockpits.
"Kaitaku!" Heero yelled.
She was panting again, just staring blankly outside her suit. She could see Zero again, the way it was supposed to be. Her grip loosened on the controls.
Heero's image came up on the screen in the cockpit, "Are you alright?"
She responded, shakily, "Y-yeah, I'm fine."
She glanced at Zero and she noticed the damage. She did that, to her trainer that was going to help her save earth and space.
"I'm so sorry, Heero!"
"It'll be fine, let's go back to the colony, you did a good job today."
That was the first & only other time she used the ZERO system. Wednesday arrived. All the suits had been repaired and modified to the best ability of the Preventers' mechanics.
"Are you ready, Kaitaku? It's not going to be easy. You'll pretty much be on your own, everyone else will be fighting, but stay kinda close, ok?" Duo asked.
How well did I actually do? How much of a difference will I really make??? She thought. Along with the Gundams will be the Preventers, the Maguanacs, and of course Kazuhiko and Kaitaku. Kaitaku had a suit constructed from all 5 Gundams' spare parts to create a new Gundam. She had named it 'Tornado'. It had a beam rifle, beam saber, & shield. Those were the weapons she was most familiar with. Tornado was dark purple & black with torpedoes on the shoulders like all the other Gundams. She wasn't too confident. She knew all the Gundam Pilots were much stronger than her when it came to combat. She became antsy as she sat in her mobile suit carrier. Quatre had said it was best if she rested during that time. But she just couldn't make herself sleep. She was extremely nervous. She would be up against 3 hundred, maybe even more Gariders. And what's worse, they weren't Mobile Dolls. Living, breathing pilots were going to be in those cockpits. She'd have to kill them. A murderer, that's what she would become. A murder was someone who just spontaneously killed someone without a real reason. War was not a good reason at all. Kaitaku hated war; she couldn't stand it. But she was desperately needed here.
She was going to be fighting with the ZERO system. Kaitaku had begged and pleaded not to install it, but Heero had said it was best. After all, not just Kaitaku would be using it. Every able pilot, or in this case, the ones that mastered it: Heero, Milliardo, & Quatre, would also be fighting with the system. They were almost at their destination.
"Everyone ready?" Trowa asked.
"Ooh yeah! I'm ready to kick some BRIVA ass!" Duo replied.
"Uh, yes, I am. Duo! Do you mind?" Quatre said as he motioned his head towards Tornado.
"Oh, heh heh, oops. Oh well! She's just gonna have to get used to it!" Duo said, as if the world was just going to have to revolve around him.
"Baka."
"What did you call me?"
"Oh, pardon. I called you a dumbass!" Quatre yelled out, irritated.
Everyone turned their heads in the direction of Sandrock Custom, a little baffled.
"Quatre? It's ok, I don't mind." Kaitaku said, surprised that best friends could get into such a quarrel over.well, her well-being.
"Oh, don't worry, I don't care anymore!" Quatre yelled.
Heero said, quietly, "Like you couldn't tell."
It would be twenty minutes until they reached the L4 Colony area.
The fight resumed, and Quatre didn't hold back, "You have always been the clueless one, 'Huh?' Like when we were fighting against Libra back in A.C. 195?"
"Yeah, but, but, I was only 15! I'm 18 now." Duo said defiantly.
"You are? Really? I couldn't tell! I haven't seen much of a change."
"Hey, I could go on forever saying everything you've done wrong.."
"What about that whole 'scratching nose while I'm trying to direct a battle plan' thing? How disrespectful! Yeesh! At least I'm capable of doing that."
"What about," Duo reminded Quatre with a sly smile, "what about that Libra incident? Eh? What would've happened if Trowa hadn't came."
"Arrgh! Must you constantly remind me of her! Ewww!!"
"But, oooooooh! Is there more you feel?" Duo said, mockingly, "Mmmm, pucker up!" "Ugh! I was only 15, and besides, I didn't think I needed to know how to fence when I was a Gundam Pilot!"
Then Quatre just registered what Duo had said.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT?!" Quatre raged, already on Deathscythe.
Wufei exploded, "MAXWELL!"
Quatre started, "Ha ha h-"
"WINNER!"
Both pilots cringed.
"BOTH OF YOU! SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!!!!! I can't stand you anymore! 'Oh, but he did neh neh neh neh neh! And he said bla bla bla bla!!!!!!!!!!'" Wufei was on fire.
Kazuhiko had been TRYING to rest during the time, in fact every one but Quatre and Duo were.
"Sooorry!" Duo said, asking for it.
"Are you asking for a kick in the ass?" Wufei threatened.
"Maybe, maybe you should just keep outta our fight!" the American pilot argued, then quickly regretted it.
"Both of you shove it!" Kazuhiko had the guts to say.
"Stay out of it, weakling!" Wufei advised angrily.
He did.
"Wufei, you should be used to their ramblings by now." Trowa stated.
"Well, I'M not the one who always starts it!" the Arabian pilot added.
"What was that, blaming it all on Shinigami now?"
Duo was getting started up again, thanks to Quatre.
"Do you want to die before we even reach the battleground, Winner? Maxwell?"
"Don't get your little nuts in a knot." Quatre quickly blurted out.
Duo burst out laughing, "Good one, Quatre! Gimme five! Well, you know!"
The two Gundams physically high-fived each other, dismissing the fight that had subsided no more than five minutes ago. They now had an enraged Wufei on their hands.
Duo's next reaction was, "Thanks a lot! Now he's really pissed!"
"You just wait, Winner!!!!!"
All the others sighed wearily.
But before Shenlong could move, they had reached their destination. The fight was immediately put aside.
Heero, "Everyone, shut-up and look!"
They looked. What they saw amazed them, or at least Kaitaku. They could now see the L4 Colonies. There were close to about 500 Gariders attacking the colonies. The Gundams didn't need to announce their arrival they knew exactly when they came, precisely at 1400 hours, 12:00 midnight.
"Ok, Maguanacs! Attack!" Rashid directed his army.
The Gundams followed, next Noin, Sally, & Milliardo. The battle had begun.
Kaitaku typed in the word ZERO that activated the system. What she felt was an explosion of emotion, unlike anything she's felt before in her whole life. She fought to control it, but soon lost it all. She lunged at the waiting Heero. He knew this would happen. It had happened to all the other Gundam Pilots and anybody else who used the ZERO system. Only a few pilots had achieved the great task of mastering it: Heero, Milliardo, & Quatre. Kaitaku began to hallucinate. She saw her parents being caught in an explosion on her colony. She wasn't there, since BRIVA had captured her before they ambushed the colony. A beam cannon fired by a Garider suit, a special one, different from the rest, caused that colony to explode. Instead of having a silver color, it was metallic green and was somewhat larger than a Garider.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed as she attempted to slice Zero in half.
But Heero was also using the ZERO system, so she missed.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!" she yelled & lunged once more.
"Kaitaku! Try to break through! I'm Heero." Heero replied, trying to help her gain control.
She gasped as she gripped the control stick. Breathing heavily, she went through a raging spell, "HOW COULD YOU!!!!!!! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!! AAAH!"
All the sudden, she stopped. Panting, she regained awareness of her surroundings, "I-I.He-Heero, wh-what happened?!"
Several minutes went by.
"Oh my god, Heero! Did I..." Kaitaku asked, scared.
Heero answered, " No, you didn't touch me, now you feel its power. Do you understand? Try to control it, I know it's hard, but try."
She deactivated the system, for now.
"Ready for another go?" Heero asked.
"I can't do this, it's too much!" Kaitaku confessed.
"You don't need the ZERO system to help win battles," Heero said, "but it can raise your fighting abilities, conquer your fears. You fear the system."
She decided to try again, this time she was prepared. Once again it controlled her. Heero came after her with his beam saber. He sliced her right arm and it fell off, and then floated away. Kaitaku charged her beam cannon. For this battle, she was instructed NOT to actually hit Heero. He would survive, but Zero would be badly damaged. There was a problem. No one knew Heero was going to install the ZERO system in the Tallgeese; it was uncalled for. The system showed Kaitaku yet another vision, this of her future. She saw herself fighting with the Gundam Pilots, Kazuhiko, and the Preventers against BRIVA. They were losing, miserably. Kazuhiko was in a Serpent. A Garider came up; he was the leader. He pointed his beam cannon dead at her brother's suit. It fired, her brother screamed, and the Serpent exploded. Kaitaku had not trained well or long enough. It was her fault. She wasn't strong enough.
"IT CAN'T BE!!!!! I WON'T LET HIM DIE!!!!!!" she screamed.
Kaitaku fired. Heero flew aside. She kept lunging at Heero, over and over. He dodged & ducked, then took his beam saber back out. Kaitaku did as well. They engaged in a duel. Zero flapped its wings up and over the Tallgeese. Heero went for the head, she blocked. Raged, she chopped off some of Zero's wings. Zero headed for Tallgeese, seeking victory. Block after block, neither pilot could touch the other after that. Then, Zero's image became the Garider suit.
She charged, "YOU!!!!!!!!!! AAAAH!!"
She collided with Zero with a huge melting noise. Both suits were damaged and the danger light flashed in both cockpits.
"Kaitaku!" Heero yelled.
She was panting again, just staring blankly outside her suit. She could see Zero again, the way it was supposed to be. Her grip loosened on the controls.
Heero's image came up on the screen in the cockpit, "Are you alright?"
She responded, shakily, "Y-yeah, I'm fine."
She glanced at Zero and she noticed the damage. She did that, to her trainer that was going to help her save earth and space.
"I'm so sorry, Heero!"
"It'll be fine, let's go back to the colony, you did a good job today."
That was the first & only other time she used the ZERO system. Wednesday arrived. All the suits had been repaired and modified to the best ability of the Preventers' mechanics.
"Are you ready, Kaitaku? It's not going to be easy. You'll pretty much be on your own, everyone else will be fighting, but stay kinda close, ok?" Duo asked.
How well did I actually do? How much of a difference will I really make??? She thought. Along with the Gundams will be the Preventers, the Maguanacs, and of course Kazuhiko and Kaitaku. Kaitaku had a suit constructed from all 5 Gundams' spare parts to create a new Gundam. She had named it 'Tornado'. It had a beam rifle, beam saber, & shield. Those were the weapons she was most familiar with. Tornado was dark purple & black with torpedoes on the shoulders like all the other Gundams. She wasn't too confident. She knew all the Gundam Pilots were much stronger than her when it came to combat. She became antsy as she sat in her mobile suit carrier. Quatre had said it was best if she rested during that time. But she just couldn't make herself sleep. She was extremely nervous. She would be up against 3 hundred, maybe even more Gariders. And what's worse, they weren't Mobile Dolls. Living, breathing pilots were going to be in those cockpits. She'd have to kill them. A murderer, that's what she would become. A murder was someone who just spontaneously killed someone without a real reason. War was not a good reason at all. Kaitaku hated war; she couldn't stand it. But she was desperately needed here.
She was going to be fighting with the ZERO system. Kaitaku had begged and pleaded not to install it, but Heero had said it was best. After all, not just Kaitaku would be using it. Every able pilot, or in this case, the ones that mastered it: Heero, Milliardo, & Quatre, would also be fighting with the system. They were almost at their destination.
"Everyone ready?" Trowa asked.
"Ooh yeah! I'm ready to kick some BRIVA ass!" Duo replied.
"Uh, yes, I am. Duo! Do you mind?" Quatre said as he motioned his head towards Tornado.
"Oh, heh heh, oops. Oh well! She's just gonna have to get used to it!" Duo said, as if the world was just going to have to revolve around him.
"Baka."
"What did you call me?"
"Oh, pardon. I called you a dumbass!" Quatre yelled out, irritated.
Everyone turned their heads in the direction of Sandrock Custom, a little baffled.
"Quatre? It's ok, I don't mind." Kaitaku said, surprised that best friends could get into such a quarrel over.well, her well-being.
"Oh, don't worry, I don't care anymore!" Quatre yelled.
Heero said, quietly, "Like you couldn't tell."
It would be twenty minutes until they reached the L4 Colony area.
The fight resumed, and Quatre didn't hold back, "You have always been the clueless one, 'Huh?' Like when we were fighting against Libra back in A.C. 195?"
"Yeah, but, but, I was only 15! I'm 18 now." Duo said defiantly.
"You are? Really? I couldn't tell! I haven't seen much of a change."
"Hey, I could go on forever saying everything you've done wrong.."
"What about that whole 'scratching nose while I'm trying to direct a battle plan' thing? How disrespectful! Yeesh! At least I'm capable of doing that."
"What about," Duo reminded Quatre with a sly smile, "what about that Libra incident? Eh? What would've happened if Trowa hadn't came."
"Arrgh! Must you constantly remind me of her! Ewww!!"
"But, oooooooh! Is there more you feel?" Duo said, mockingly, "Mmmm, pucker up!" "Ugh! I was only 15, and besides, I didn't think I needed to know how to fence when I was a Gundam Pilot!"
Then Quatre just registered what Duo had said.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT?!" Quatre raged, already on Deathscythe.
Wufei exploded, "MAXWELL!"
Quatre started, "Ha ha h-"
"WINNER!"
Both pilots cringed.
"BOTH OF YOU! SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!!!!! I can't stand you anymore! 'Oh, but he did neh neh neh neh neh! And he said bla bla bla bla!!!!!!!!!!'" Wufei was on fire.
Kazuhiko had been TRYING to rest during the time, in fact every one but Quatre and Duo were.
"Sooorry!" Duo said, asking for it.
"Are you asking for a kick in the ass?" Wufei threatened.
"Maybe, maybe you should just keep outta our fight!" the American pilot argued, then quickly regretted it.
"Both of you shove it!" Kazuhiko had the guts to say.
"Stay out of it, weakling!" Wufei advised angrily.
He did.
"Wufei, you should be used to their ramblings by now." Trowa stated.
"Well, I'M not the one who always starts it!" the Arabian pilot added.
"What was that, blaming it all on Shinigami now?"
Duo was getting started up again, thanks to Quatre.
"Do you want to die before we even reach the battleground, Winner? Maxwell?"
"Don't get your little nuts in a knot." Quatre quickly blurted out.
Duo burst out laughing, "Good one, Quatre! Gimme five! Well, you know!"
The two Gundams physically high-fived each other, dismissing the fight that had subsided no more than five minutes ago. They now had an enraged Wufei on their hands.
Duo's next reaction was, "Thanks a lot! Now he's really pissed!"
"You just wait, Winner!!!!!"
All the others sighed wearily.
But before Shenlong could move, they had reached their destination. The fight was immediately put aside.
Heero, "Everyone, shut-up and look!"
They looked. What they saw amazed them, or at least Kaitaku. They could now see the L4 Colonies. There were close to about 500 Gariders attacking the colonies. The Gundams didn't need to announce their arrival they knew exactly when they came, precisely at 1400 hours, 12:00 midnight.
"Ok, Maguanacs! Attack!" Rashid directed his army.
The Gundams followed, next Noin, Sally, & Milliardo. The battle had begun.