Part Two
The Avenging Angels
"In war there are no ends, only eternal beginnings"
Chapter I
Hostility in the Hospital
Right after he said farewell to his Gundam and his friends, he fell to the ground.
*****
Cat was blown to a colony opposite of 19. She barely made the entrance to the hatch. She had not sustained as many injuries as Ray or Lance had, but she was still pretty beaten up. However, she did move quickly and agilely for a person with two broken ribs, a broken arm, and a broken leg, of course she was also Heero Yuy's daughter. She removed her mask and data glasses and sighed. The she peered into space. Cat looked hard and long into the other colonies and saw Ray lying on the floor in Colony 19.
"At least he survived," she said with relief and a hint of anger. She then collapsed onto the ground and fell to sleep.
*****
Lance, too, had stayed alive after the explosion. He checked each other colony and saw his friends. And he too fell unconscious after a few minutes, not to awaken again.
*****
Ray awoke. He struggled to stand but quickly realized he was strapped to a medical table. He looked around for a few moments then saw the mirror on the opposite wall. 'Ha they still use double-sided mirrors,' he thought to himself. His scythe was unextended and at his side. The weapon had two buttons, one green and one blue. Normally it's a silver cylinder, a little bigger than a person's hand with one blue button, but when you press the button it extends to about Ray's height. Then a green button appears. When it is pressed a beam scythe will erupt from near the top.
He slanted his hand and grabbed the weapon. He slid his finger over the blue button and it extended. Then, he ignited the beam and snapped the shackles. He then sliced the mirror in two. He saw a ship to the right of where he had been brought in.
"Yes, a way out," he thought to himself. "Next I'll pick up Cat and we can get back to Earth and regroup. I just hope, if he's alive, Lance can find us," He opened the shuttle and cleared the port. Very soon after he'd left Colony 19 he arrived at the colony Cat was on. She was laying on the floor near the main hatch. Ray quickly ran to her side and slapped her face. Her hand blocked his and her other one slammed him in the stomach. He sprawled back, the wind knocked out of him. She climbed to her feet and helped him up.
"Sorry, reflex," she said quietly.
"Sure," he responded breathlessly. They walked back over to the shuttle and Cat took over the controls. It was a long trip to earth, and they had plenty of time.
Chapter II Tokens Of Faith
With Cat at the pod's controls it left nothing for Ray to do for the long 29-hour journey back to Earth Sector 4. He periodically extended his scythe and polished the main shaft. No one talked much during the flight, and Ray felt as though Cat was angry for what he had done to Matt's Gundam. Finally, after what had seemed eons, Cat spoke.
"He was already dead you know," she said.
"Who? Matt?" he responded.
"Whom ELSE have you vaporized today," she spat.
"I did what I thought necessary."
"What made you think he had to be space dust?"
"If his Gundam hadn't been totally destroyed they would have repaired it and used it against us. Besides, you saw his vitals drop. You know he was dead on impact."
"Well, I guess you're right," she replied dubiously.
"Was there ever a doubt?" he asked sarcastically. She quickly lifted her arm and slammed him in the ribs.
"Ugghmmph," he grunted in pain. "How 'bout a truce. at least 'till we get to earth?"
"Sure," she said after giving it some thought.
*****
Almost immediately after Ray fell asleep, Cat pushed him awake.
"Wha?" Ray asked sleepily although it sounded more like "whavu".
"We're here," Cat said pointing to the digital map on screen.
"Where's here?" he asked, waking up fully.
"The New World Republic, or what used to be Hawai'i."
"Why are we landing here?"
"Well one reason is the sensors are indicating a large deposit of Gundanium and the second is we're almost out of fuel."
"Well, okay." Cat's landing was so smooth that Ray hardly felt it. They grabbed their weapons and clipped them to their belts before they jumped out. They looked around and realized they were in the middle of nowhere.
"Where did you get the Gundanium traces from?" Ray asked. Cat grabbed a pair of data glasses and started to look for the traces. She quickly found the source and took off the glasses.
"That way," she said pointing to a large volcano. They set out on foot for the volcano. It looked more than a mile away but almost as quickly as they had started they had arrived.
"Well," Ray sighed, looking up the tall rock wall in front of them, "what now?"
"It's inside the volcano," Cat replied confidently. She began to climb up to a ledge overlooking the entire island. Ray followed. They arrived at the top after only moments.
"Looks like you need a key of some sort," Ray said, pointing to a circular hole. He studied it for a few minutes. "Wait a minute," Ray exclaimed, extending his scythe. He inserted the top of the weapon into the hole, ignited it, and twisted. The entire volcano began to break in two just after Ray removed his scythe.
"Whoa," said Ray and Cat together. An ominous black Gundam loomed over them.
"It's a Deathscythe!" Ray exclaimed. "That was my father's Gundam!"
"Well let's take a look," Cat said, leading the way.
"Wait, you forgot your shoes!" Ray called after her.
"I hate shoes, leave 'em," she replied. They climbed up into the Gundam's cockpit and Ray sat down in it.
"Hey there's a message on the screen," he said softly. He accessed the message and the face of Duo Maxwell appeared on the screen. His face looked sad, as though he knew he was about to die. The former Gundam pilot took a deep breath and prepared to give his message.
The message of the warrior Duo Maxwell.
"My son, Ray," he began. "I have left this message for you and your brother so you will know my story and why you were abandoned. If my sources are correct you are in the company of Katazyna Yuy, the daughter of my old friend Heero Yuy. Do not worry about your brother Lance; he will be fine where he is going. You two must only worry about completing your mission. This Gundam was built and designed solely for you. An old friend of mine named Howard created it. I have sent this message through the internal memory banks of this Gundam, Kai Deathscythe Hell. There are two hidden Gundams left; a variation of Wing ZERO for Katazyna and a variation of Gundam Epyon for the descendant of Zechs Marquiese, if he is still alive. Now the ZERO version of the Gundam is hidden in the depths of the Red Sea. Good luck my s."
End Transmission
Stunned silence followed the message.
"Ray?" Cat asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at her touch.
"I'm fine, Cat," he said, thankful that his words masked his feelings. "Let's head back to camp." He walked the Gundam from inside the volcano, turning toward the place where Cat had landed the shuttle. Silence fell over the pair again.
"So, my Gundam's in the Red Sea. How're we going to get it?" Cat asked.
"There should be an OZ base nearby. We take out a couple of guards, then steal another shuttle," Ray replied distantly.
"Where is the nearest OZ base?"
"Beats me. When we get back to the shuttle, I'll drop you off, and then I'll go scouting in Deathscythe. I want you to use the shuttle's computers to scan the area. Contact me if you find anything," Ray said flatly. Cat opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it.
"Okay. Take as long as you want," she said. She climbed down Deathscythe's leg. She waved at Ray, and then turned to go into the shuttle. Ray turned the Gundam around and fired the jets.
Flying low over the ground, he scouted for a base. His communicator beeped and Cat's face appeared.
"Found one. I'm assuming that you're the little blinking yellow dot on the radar screen. Go south south east for about three kilometers, and you'll find it I'll meet you there. Hide your Gundam in the nearby woods."
"Great. How are you going to get there?" Ray asked. Cat grinned slyly. "I don't like that smile."
"Get used to it." The screen went blank. Ray sighed and turned his Gundam toward the coordinates Cat had uploaded to his Gundam. He landed in the woods outside the compound and waited. His radio buzzed.
"Ray? Are you there?"
"Yeah."
"I'm about five minutes away from your position. I'm following the radar right now. Use your cloaking device. It should be on there somewhere. Don't worry about me finding it. I'll find you," Cat said.
"How are you getting here?" Ray asked. "You're not in the shuttle, are you?"
"Heck, no. You think I'm crazy?!" she exclaimed. I'll be there in three minutes. You'll know when I get there." The radio gave a quick burst of static, then cut off. Ray shook his head.
"That girl is insane," he said, opening the hatch. He grabbed his pair of binoculars and turned them toward the base. He let his mind wander while keeping watch on the base. He supposed they hadn't picked up his Gundam, otherwise he would have had a fleet of Mobile Dolls on his tail with in minutes.
He was shocked out of his thought a few minutes later by an explosion. He scrambled into the cockpit of his Gundam and fired it up. His radio buzzed.
"Ray? The entire base knows I'm here now," Cat said.
"What the hell did you do?!" he yelled back.
"I set off a few bombs in the base. They exploded a few seconds earlier than I had planned, but I'm fine, other then a major headache."
"Where are you?"
"The south side of the base, in the hanger. I found a transport shuttle. You coming or not?"
"I can't come in Deathscythe. They'll know for a fact that the Gundams are back then. Can you do a fly-by and pick me up?"
"Sure. Give me a few minutes. I've got a few OZ guards on my tail right now. 'Bye." She clipped the radio to her belt, but didn't turn it off. Ray heard a few laser shots and some shouting, then a few regular gunshots.
"Closing in on your position. Be ready to board in 5...4...3...2...1!" Ray fired his jets and shot out of the trees. He landed neatly in the shuttle. After securing the Gundam, he joined Cat in the cockpit.
"Nice of you to join me," Cat said as he sat in the co-pilot's seat.
"It's nice to see you too," he replied. "Where did you get those bombs?"
"They were something I rigged up from the shuttle parts," she said modestly. "I practically tore up the steering system trying to find the parts I needed."
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that. I'm going to sleep," he said. Cat shrugged.
"Fine with me. Next stop, Egypt," Cat said.
Chapter III ZERO Reborn
"Ray! Wake up," Cat said. Ray grumbled and opened his eyes. "I stole a couple of OZ uniforms from the soldiers I knocked out. I didn't really kill anyone."
"What for?" Ray asked, stretching.
"We're going to land at an OZ base, and we need to look like soldiers. Go get dressed. You'll find them in the closet to your right of the cockpit door. I think it's about you size," Cat said. Ray sighed and got up. He found the uniform and pulled it on. It was a little short, but it would do. He walked back into the cockpit.
"The pants are a bit short," Ray said.
"You can deal with it. You'll only be in it for a few hours." She got up and left as Ray took over the controls. He checked the radar to see where they were. They were over the Red Sea. The communicator beeped, and an OZ soldier appeared.
"Shuttle, you are authorized to land."
"Roger, base. ETA three minutes," Ray replied and the screen went blank. Cat reappeared, smoothing out her shirt. She sat in Ray's seat.
"We're cleared for landing in three minutes," Ray said. Cat nodded as Ray looked over at her. She had on makeup and was braiding her hair.
"Why are you putting on makeup?" Ray asked.
"I needed a disguise. As an OZ bodyguard, I visited a lot of bases. I don't want to take the chance of somebody recognizing me. This was the best one I could come up with in three minutes," she said. Ray sighed and shook his head. He turned his attention back to the controls as he prepared for the landing. He set down smoothly and coasted to a stop. He and Cat got out to face the same OZ officer that Ray talked to on the communicator. The officer saluted as Ray and Cat passed.
"I'll show you to your quarters," the officer said. Ray looked at Cat, confused. She smiled.
"Lead on," Cat said in clipped tones. The officer nodded and started off. Ray and Cat followed him. Ray was still wondering what the heck was going on. The officer showed them to two separate room, eerily similar to the ones the ones the had had at the OZ base that they had escaped from. Ray walked into Cat's room. She was typing away at a computer.
"Did you arrange all this?" Ray asked, motioning around the room. "And why?" She motioned for him to come over to her.
"I did. Tomorrow we're going to take and underwater Mobile Suit and get ZERO," Cat said.
"Okay. I would take you in Deathscythe, but it can't go underwater. I don't know why Howard built it that way, but it can't," Ray said. He sat on the desk beside the computer. What are you doing?"
"Searching for information on Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell," she replied distantly.
"Did you..."
"Yes, I firewalled this computer from OZ's main network," she interrupted. "I've also ordered a Pisces II to be ready for takeoff at 0900."
"So we're going to take it after you use it?' Ray asked. Cat just shrugged. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before let out a shriek of frustration.
"I give up!" she exclaimed. She clicked a few more keys before shutting the laptop. "Nothing."
"Well, according to OZ, the original Gundam pilots didn't even exist. Look through Colony 12's files when we get back," Ray suggested. Cat stood and stretched, then nodded.
"You're right. I'm going to go to sleep." Ray nodded and got up.
"Good night," he said.
"Night," Cat yawned. Ray left. He walked into his room and sat on the bed.
"This has got to be the craziest thing I've ever done," he muttered to himself. He covered his face with his hands and sighed. He fell backwards onto ht bed and laid there, deep in thought. He thought about his brother, Lance, and his other fallen comrades. But, most of all, he thought about his father. It had taken him and his brother eighteen years to find their father. And when he finally does find his father, Lance isn't there.
Before he knew it, it was morning. He drug himself out of bed to wash his face. He caught a glimpse of himself as he was drying his face. He looked like he had aged overnight. He just put the towel down and walked back into the main room. He let Cat in, since she had been banging on the door for the past five minutes.
"About time," she said as she walked in.
"If that's the kind of mood you're in, I should have let you stay out there," he replied tiredly. "What's up?"
"We've got about thirty minutes before we have to leave. Now, you're going to go back to the shuttle and take off while I go out in the Pisces," she said.
"I'll land the shuttle on the Saudi Arabian coast so you'll know where I am. Just get ZERO and get out of there. We're not taking the Pisces with us; it'll just slow us down. Let's go," Ray said. "I've got to take off before you do, otherwise it'll look suspicious."
"Okay. See you in Saudi Arabia," Cat replied, and retreated back to her room. Ray left and headed toward the shuttle. He got clearance and lifted off after making sure that Deathscythe was secure and hadn't been tampered with. He picked up his radio.
"Cat, I've lifted off. I want to leave within fifteen minutes, find ZERO, and get out of there," he said.
"Roger. I'm getting a bad feeling about this, so I'm leaving now," she replied. "See ya there." She turned off the radio.
"Come on, Cat. Hurry up," he muttered as he veered towards his target.
*****
Cat walked down the hallway towards the Mobile Suit hanger. She found the Pisces ready for launch. She made sure that no one was around before she launched the suit. Putting on her data glasses, she dove to the door that would let her out into the Red Sea. She set the data glasses to search for any traces of Gundanium. They locked onto a location, and she headed that direction.
"Cat? Are you there?" she was started out of her thought by Ray's call over the radio.
"I'm here. I found where the Gundanium is, and I'm heading North-north- east. It's about two hundred kilometers in that direction. I'll be there at my current speed in about... an hour," Cat replied.
"Okay. I'm flying over the Red Sea, following you. When you find ZERO, I'm going to dock at the OZ base on the other coast, near a town called Duba, so that I can refuel. I want you to come in and attack the base, but after I've taken off. I'll pick you up by fly-by. After that, we go back to Colony 12, if it's still there," Ray said.
"It's still there," Cat said. "Trust me."
"Alright. How far from ZERO are you?"
"Give me another thirty minutes. You might want to go ahead and land and refuel. This might not take as long as I had planned," Cat replied, checking her location. "They've made a major improvement as far as speed in this suit. I didn't realize how fast it was going. I'll need fifteen minutes. Good luck."
"Same to you," Ray replied, and signed off. Cat returned to her search. She found a spot relatively close to where the ZERO was and surfaced the Pisces II there. After she found some scuba gear, she dove into the water. After searching for a few minutes with the data shades, she found the Gundanium traces again. She headed in that general direction, trying to imagine what the suit would look like. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed the suit. She dove down towards the suit.
*****
Ray docked at the base and refueled. He gave orders through the ship's communicator, but otherwise didn't speak to anyone. He was silently willing Cat to hurry up. He tried calling her radio, but she didn't pick up.
"She must be out of the Pisces," he said out loud. He was silently wishing that he were telepathic.
'You know you are, don't you?' Cat's voice echoed in his head.
'How'd you do that?' he asked.
'I could hear, if that's what you could call it, trying to hurry me up. I'm fine; don't worry. Yes, I am out of the ship.'
'I'm lifting off in fifteen minutes. I want you to attack in twenty, so that I'll have time to lift off. Five minutes after that, I'll make a fly- by so that I can pick you up. Got it?'
'Loud and clear. I'm stuck at a glass dome right now, and I don't know how to get around it. I'll catch up with you later, I guess.'
*****
Cat tried everything to get through that glass dome. Just as she was going to give up, she spotted the door. She swam down and tried it. Another dead end. She let out a shriek of frustration and slammed her fist into the door.
"If my name is Katazyna Yuy, and I am the daughter of Heero Yuy, then why can't I get even a freaking door to open!" she yelled. And to her great surprise, the door opened. The hatch it led to quickly filled with water, taking Cat with it. The doors closed, and the water drained out. She removed her helmet and studied the door. A picture flashed through her head of someone running their finger down the door that she was facing.
"What the heck," she muttered, and ran her finger down the middle of the door. It silently slid open, and she entered.
There, standing proud in the middle of the dome was her father's suit. Gaping, she looked up at her father's suit, graceful but deadly. It awoke something inside of her, a fire that had just been a spark before. She scaled the Gundam's right leg, and climbed into the open cockpit. She accessed the message that she had both anticipated and dreaded since Ray had found Deathscythe.
Heero Yuy's face showed up on the screen. He was famous for have a face like stone, never showing any emotion, but now sadness showed. That same flat voice came over the speakers.
The message of the warrior Heero Yuy.
"My daughter, Katazyna. Cat, if you're seeing this, then I'm not here. Please listen to me carefully: You are probably with Ray, Duo Maxwell's son, and you probably already know that the others that were stolen that same night that you were are related to the other Gundam pilots and Zechs Merquise. There are two other suits hidden, a Deathscythe and an Epyon.
"You have probably noticed that you have special abilities. Quatre was empathic. I am clairvoyant, meaning I could see things through an inner sight, with just a small amount of precognition. Use these abilities well, and you will have an advantage over your enemies, though it may be a small one.
"The ZERO system is still installed. You may choose to use it, you may not. I don't know how much the technology has advanced since you were taken. Don't let your emotions get into the battle. That will only make things worse. Your mission is to stop Neo OZ from taking full control of everything, and if they already have, to destroy them completely. Please, don't turn this into Operation Meteor. I'm sure that you have fared well against OZ, but you are in dire need of help. Take this suit, and use it well. Make me proud, Katazyna Yuy, daughter of the perfect soldier." And for the first time, Heero Yuy had tears in his eyes. "Farewell, my daughter."
The screen went blank. She sat staring at it for a minute, locking her father's picture into her memory.
She turned to the control panel. Her fingers danced over the controls. The screens hummed to life as she bowed her head, searching inside of herself. Her head shot up, eyes shining with unshed tears. The dome around her started to crack, and the sea that surrounded it started rushing in. She fired the ZERO's jets, and shot out of the water. She found the suit's Beam Saber and sliced the Pisces in half before jetting off towards her destination.
"Ray?" she contacted the shuttle. "I found ZERO."
"Good. I've just lifted off, so I want you over here A.S.A.P. Blow up the Pisces first, though," he replied.
"Got it. Hey, don't worry about picking me up. This thing has a bird mode, so I'll rendezvous with you just outside the atmosphere," Cat said. Ray nodded, and closed communications.
Cat turned the suit towards the OZ base. She aimed her Buster Rifle at the control tower, and fired. The tower burst into flames, along with several of the surrounding buildings and Mobile Suits. As alarms started sound throughout the base, she shot off and transformed into bird mode. The suit started glowing red from the friction of going through the atmosphere. She easily caught up with Ray's shuttle.
"Hey, I'm having deja vu. How about you?" Ray asked when he saw her.
"Definitely. Colony 12 is straight ahead," Cat replied.
"I know. How'd you get through that glass dome?"
"I yelled my real name and that I was Heero's daughter at the hatch I found. After that, it was simple. Am I going crazy, or were we talking without a radio back there?"
"Yeah," Ray replied
"To which one?"
"Both."
"Oh, shut up," Cat said, grinning. "It's not like you're not a little crazy yourself."
"But at least I have shoes," Ray retorted.
"That's it! You are so freaking going to get it when we get back to the colony!" Cat exclaimed, still grinning. Ray laughed.
"I haven't seen you act like this since... well, I don't remember when," Ray replied. Cat sighed, all the laughter gone from her voice.
"I haven't had reason to act like this. Too many deaths, and not a moment to grieve."
"I know what you mean. And I don't even know if Lance is alive or not. And when we get him back, we'll be unbeatable! Do you agree with me?" he asked. The hope in his voice caught her off guard.
She didn't respond. They flew the rest of the way in silence.
Chapter IV Good-bye, Brother
They arrived at the Colony and docked the shuttle and took their Gundams to the hanger. Cat looked up at her father's Gundam, studying it. The wings made it look like a fallen angel. She sighed and walked away. Ray caught up with her.
"I propose that we go back to our rooms," Ray said. Cat shook her head.
"You go ahead. I've got something I want to do," she replied, and walked off. Ray walked back to their room. His sketchbooks were still lying where he had thrown them before the battle. He shook his head and smiled sadly.
'I wonder where Lance is,' he thought to himself. He climbed into his bed and lay down. He stared at the ceiling, running through the entire thing that had happened in his head. He sat up and got out of bed. He walked out the door.
*****
Cat was walking through the hanger, looking at all the different Mobile Suits and Dolls. She stopped and looked up at one of the Dolls.
"They're pretty magnificent, aren't they?" came a voice from her left. She turned and looked at the person standing beside her, then turned back the Doll.
"Yeah, they are, Logan. You and your technicians are doing a good job," she replied. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ray step up beside her. "Hello, Ray."
"Hey. Is this what you were going to do?" he asked. She nodded.
"Ray, this is Logan Estes. Logan, this is Ray," she replied. The two men shook hands. Logan turned his attention to the two Gundams that Ray and Cat had brought back. He whistled softly.
"So those are the Gundams. Well, I never expected to see them again," he said. Ray looked over at him sharply.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"I was in the fight that your fathers fought many years ago. Those Gundams were an awesome sight, I'll tell you. They were deadly graceful, and they entranced me. But I'm to old to fight now, so I build Mobile Suits instead," Logan replied. "I was in a fight against Gundam 05."
"Wufei Chang's Gundam," Cat commented. She turned to leave. "You coming, Ray?" she asked. He turned to look at her.
"Sure," he replied. They said good-bye to Logan, then left. They walked through the crowded colony streets in silence.
"What's eating you?" Ray asked, pulling her down on a bench under a nearby tree. She sat obediently. Her eyes were fuzzy and unfocused. Ray shook her.
"Snap out of it!" he said. She slowly shook her head, as though trying to shake away some of the thoughts that were going through her head. She lifted her head to meet Ray's eyes.
"Where is Lance?" she asked. Her piercing blue eyes were no longer fuzzy, but they were a little unfocused, as though she were looking through him, rather than at him. Ray shook his head.
"I don't know," he replied.
"You can't feel him? You're his twin. Twins have a bond that goes deeper than blood. Can you feel your brother, Ray?" she asked, her voice flat. Ray's eyes went wide.
"We're going to Colony 21," Ray said. He grabbed Cat's hand and started running down the street. He led her through the crowds and into the hanger. They boarded their Gundams and took off, making a beeline for Colony 21.
Cat started laughing. "I'll tell you one thing. I thought I was dying when I self-destructed. And you know what?"
"What?" Ray replied, sound like he wasn't really paying attention
"Dying hurts like Hell," she finished. Ray looked over at her, and started laughing himself.
They arrived at Colony 21 after about an hour. They left their Gundams on the outside of the outside of the Colony, and entered a hatch, unnoticed, in their space suits. They ducked into a closet and stashed their suits in a corner before they entered the main colony.
Ray led her to a large gathering of people. They slipped through the crowd until they were on the front row. There was a preacher at a pulpit giving a sermon. Ray tried to go closer, but a security guard stopped him.
"I'm looking for my brother. That might be him in there," he explained. The security guard just looked at him.
"What does your brother look like?" he asked.
"He looks like me. He's my twin," Ray replied. He caught a snatch of the sermon.
"And my God take this nameless boy's soul up to his kingdom..." he was saying. The security guard led Ray over to a man sitting behind the preacher.
"This boy says he is looking for his brother," he said to the man. The man looked Ray over.
"Yes. You're brother is in that casket. I'm sorry, my boy," the man said, clapping Ray on the shoulder. Ray just stood there, dumbstruck, before turning and racing away. Cat followed him.
"Ray! Ray! What's wrong?" she asked him when she caught up with him. She saw the tears in his eyes.
"That was Lance. Lance is dead!" he yelled, putting on a sudden burst of speed. She followed him to the closet where they had hidden their space suits. Before she could even enter, he was already out the door. She put hers on and followed him. By the time she got to her Gundam, his was gone. She cursed under her breath before taking off.
The colony exploded behind her. Cat was thrown forward into the controls. She straightened, wiping blood off of her face. She turned and saw Deathscythe jetting out of the blast. She followed his Gundam to the next colony. She turned her Gundam to face his.
*****
Anger seethed inside of him. He turned the next colony, only to see ZERO in front of him.
"What the heck are you doing?" she yelled, opening communications.
"Get out of my way, Cat," he said evenly. His eyes were burning with anger. "I'm going to blow up every single colony I can."
"No, you're not," she replied. "Not while I'm around."
"Okay, then. I'll just go around you," he said, and then shot up. Cat stayed there, shocked, before following him. She appeared in front of him yet again, ZERO's wings spread. The suit looked for all the world like an angel shoved this turbulent time.
"You're not going to blow up this colony," she said. "I've lost more than you have. You barely even knew Quro and Taro and Matt. I've lost all of them, but do you see me flying off and blowing things up?"
"You're not going to talk reason into me, Cat," he replied. Cat sighed sadly.
"I'll have to shoot you then," she said, raising her Twin Buster Rifle. Deathscythe gave a warning beep that signified that she had locked onto his suit. "Please, Ray, don't make me do this. All I have to do is turn on the ZERO program and push the button."
Ray turned his Gundam and shot off the other direction. Cat followed, cutting him off again.
"Please, don't do this Ray!" she exclaimed, leveling her gun at him again. Ray sighed and turned off his Triple Beam Scythe. "You don't have to do this!"
Ray didn't respond. He just turned his Gundam around and headed towards Colony 12. Cat breathed a sigh of relief, put her gun down, and followed him.
Ray turned his Gundam out towards the stars just before he went into the colony. Cat tensed again, ready to stop him. But she didn't need to.
"Good-bye, brother," he whispered, and entered the colony.
Chapter V Attack Over Dinner
The next day, Ray and Cat were working hard on the improved versions of the Mobile Dolls. They didn't talk except to request tools that they needed.
Finally, around lunch, Ray broke the silence.
"I'm sorry for how I reacted," he said. Cat looked at him in mild surprise.
"It's okay. You did what I've felt like doing since our first encounter with Lanoll," Cat replied.
"But you didn't do it. I did. I destroyed the entire colony," Ray said. He looked away from her. "I let my emotions get in the way." Cat laid her hand on his cheek.
"We've all done that at one point or another. Heero Yuy did, and he was the 'perfect soldier,'" Cat replied. "Let's go grab some lunch and get back to work."
They found a nearby deli and grabbed a couple of sandwiches. They ate them on the way back, and between bites discussed the Dolls that they were building.
"What weapons are they going to have?" Cat asked. Ray chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed.
"A Beam Rifle, probably. But they're more than likely going to have shields, too. I'm going to see if I can get them to be controlled manually from the colony," he replied. They entered the hanger and started working again.
Four hours and several grease stains later, they were done for the day. They both walked into Cat's quarters. Cat picked up the black pawn and moved the white pawn up one space. She also removed two of the white pawns and a white bishop before perching on the desk. Ray sat on the bed.
He picked up her notebook that was lying beside her bed and started looking through it. The next thing he knew, he was staring at air.
"You don't go through my notebook," she said, jumping back up on the desk.
"Okay, okay. I was just curious about what you write in there," he said. "I noticed one about a little girl."
"That's the one I wrote when we first got to the colony," Cat explained
"Will you read it?" Ray asked. Cat opened her notebook to the poem.
"In the dark of the night, Father gone off to fight. Everything to gain, Everything to lose. Would you do the same in his shoes? Daughter and mother left wondering, Afraid and pondering. "Hold me tight, mommy," says the girl. Wrapped safe in her mother's arms, Waiting to see what comes with the dawn. Slowly the day breaks, Oh, how long it takes! The door blows in. It's not her dad. A foot steps on a sketchpad. A woman's shriek, She's gone in a blink. The girl looks in wonder. She starts to cry, No one left to dry her eyes. More cries join the girl. All is happening in a whirl! More children come. Five boys join the daughter. All that's left in their houses is slaughter Many lives were taken, Too many that will never awaken. Only the children are left. Five boys and a girl, All that's left of their world. As they grow, The more they know. The more they long for their pasts. Their pasts that were taken, Like the dead that will never awaken. Oh, those many years ago. Yet they don't know. Their path uncertain. Their whole lives lay ahead, Yet they face it with dread. Like father, Like son, Like daughter. They will fight. Their past will be unveiled, And may good forever prevail."
She looked up at him. Ray was deep in thought.
"Was that a memory?" he asked finally. Cat shrugged.
"I think so. But it came to me in third-person, like I was watching a movie or something," she replied.
"That little girl is you," Ray said. "Then the woman was your mother?"
Cat started to reply, stopped, and thought for a second. "No, she wasn't my mother. She was a baby-sitter, or a maid. I don't remember."
"I remember my mother. She was tall, at least to me, and she was always laughing. So was my father, come to think of it," Ray said.
"I remember my mother and father, but not very much. I was really little when they were killed and I was taken," Cat said. She stared down at the notebook. "I've got to find out all I can."
"I want to find out what I can too. But I'm not sure where to start. I've been working my way through OZ's databases, but I haven't found much," Ray replied. He turned to look out at the colony. He saw the people walking up and down the sidewalks. He watched a small girl and her parents walk into a toy store, then turned to look back at Cat. To his surprise, she was beside him, also looking out the window.
"They're so happy," Cat commented.
"They don't know what's going on," Ray said.
"They know more than you think," Cat replied softly. "They know what they want. The Earth's Sphere United Nation that Relena Peacecraft established didn't work for the long-term advantages."
"So you're saying that she was wrong?" Ray asked, perplexed. Cat shook her head.
"No, she had the right idea. But one big nation isn't the answer?"
"So what is?"
"I don't know. I was thinking smaller nations that answered to one ruler," Cat said. She stood up.
Ray stood and stretched. "I'm going to change clothes and wash up, then I'm going to dinner. You coming with me?" Ray asked. Cat just nodded. Ray exited through the main door instead of the one that would lead into Matt's room.
He changed into a clean black shirt and a pair of black jeans. He pulled out his leather jacket and went to Cat's quarters. He knocked and she let him in. She had changed into a clean white blouse and black jeans.
"Just a minute," she said, and walked into the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later with her hair in a knot at the back of her neck.
"Let's go," Ray said. They walked out into the main colony and started walking. Cat let Ray lead her to a restaurant. The host seated them and walked off.
Cat looked around. "Nice," she commented, fingering the long-stemmed rose that was in a crystal vase on the table. She turned her gaze back to Ray.
"Are we going to get Epyon?" she asked. Ray looked up at her sharply from his menu.
"Epyon? Where is it?" he asked.
"Antarctica."
"Brilliant," Ray said, clapping his hand to his forehead. "Yeah, I guess we have to before somebody else finds it. But how are we going to get it?" Ray asked, then gave the waiter his orders. Cat did the same.
When the waiter walked away, she replied, "We'll take Deathscythe and ZERO in a shuttle. We'll head down there, staying as far away from the OZ base as possible." She waited for Ray to respond.
"That'll work, I guess. When do we leave?" he asked. Cat shrugged. Her gaze wasn't on him. Ray heard a click behind him and stiffened, but didn't move. He saw Cat's hand inching towards the vase.
"You are under arrest by OZ," the guard said. Cat grabbed the vase and hurled it at the guy's head. Ray ducked as a shot rang out.
"Run!" he yelled, grabbing Cat's hand. Dodging other patrons and waiters, they headed for the exit. Another guard appeared in front of them. Ray aimed a kick near the guard's waist. He went down and they kept on going. Bursting out the doors, they headed toward the hanger.
"Go get Deathscythe!" Cat said, heading towards their quarters. "Forget the shuttle! I'll catch up with you. Don't argue. GO!" She raced off. Ray jumped and landed on the open cockpit door. He fired up Deatscythe and signaled for the hanger door to open.
"I'm sorry, but I've been ordered not to let anyone out," the operator said. Ray shrugged.
"Fine. I'll open it myself," he replied. Activating his Triple Beam Scythe, he sliced the door open and shot out. Cloaking his Gundam, he turned to wait for Cat.
She emerged a few minutes later, trying to contact him. "Ray?"
"I'm here," he said, letting his shields down. "Where'd you go?"
"I grabbed our notebooks and laptops. I didn't want OZ to find anything," she replied.
"Good idea. The last thing we need is OZ finding out everything we've found out," Ray said. "I hope you grabbed some warm clothes, 'cuz we're heading to Antarctica."
"Goody," Cat said sarcastically. "The perfect end to a perfect day. I always wanted to become a human popsicle." Ray laughed softly.
"Don't worry. Epyon can't be that hard to find, can it?"
"Famous last words."
Chapter VI Battle in Space II
They flew on for several hours. About seven hours in, Ray opened the communications.
"Do you have an exact location on this thing?" he asked.
"Not really. Father said that it was in a glacier, but that was it," she replied. Suddenly,she let out a hiss of pain. "Stupid OZ guards," she cursed.
"What's wrong?"
"My arm got grazed by a bullet," she said, scrounging through the storage containers in the cockpit. When she didn't find anything, she ripped a strip of her blouse off and tied it around her upper left arm.
"That OZ guy shot you?" Ray asked. Cat nodded.
"Yeah, but I threw off his aim by chunking that vase at him," she replied.
Ray grinned. "Yeah, that would make someone miss their mark," he said. Cat finished tying the makeshift bandage.
About and hour later, their alarms went off.
"What the... OZ troops!" Ray yelled. "They're too far off to do anything right now. Do we fight or run?"
"We fight. They've spotted us anyway," Cat replied as the shuttles turned in their direction.
"Cat, I want you to circle around behind them, but stay out the range of their radars. I'll draw their attention. If they start firing, start picking them off, but stay out of sight," Ray said. Cat nodded.
"Okay. I'm off," Cat replied, and jetted off. Ray turned his attention back to the advancing transport ships.
"Unidentified Mobile Suit, please identify yourself," came a woman's voice over the com system. "This is OZ transport fleet 809. Do you read?"
"Yeah, you're coming in loud and clear, lady," Ray responded. "How many suits are you transporting?"
"There are twenty-five suits in each ship, and we have eight ships in all," the woman responded. "About two hundred."
"Perfect," Ray said. He activated his Beam Scythe.
"Do you mean to fight us?"
"You bet," he said. "That is, if you attack." The woman's face appeared on the view screen.
"Why... You're that escaped pilot from OZ! We all have orders to kill you on sight," she said. To someone behind her, she ordered, "Release the Dolls! I don't care what our orders are!" To Ray she said, "We'll fight you."
Ray smirked. "Fine by me," he said. He shut down communications with the fleet and opened them again with Cat. "Are you in position?"
"I guess. I'm not exactly sure where to be, but I think this'll work," she replied.
"Where are you?" he asked, searching the radar. "I can't find you."
"I'm on a colony."
"On a colony?! Why are you on a colony?"
"You told me to stay off of their radars. So, I'm staying off of their radars," she replied. Ray shook his head.
"Whatever you say," he muttered, turning back to the fleet. They were releasing their Mobile Dolls. He swung his scythe in a half-circle, destroying six Dolls. One exploded to his left, another at two o' clock. He swung his scythe into one of the shuttles. Suddenly, he was hit from behind. He whirled around, but there was nothing there.
"Cat? Did you hit me from behind?" he asked.
"What? No! I'm in front of you!" she said. Her suit suddenly gave a warning beep. She caught a glimpse of something scarlet. She slowed down that tape, letting the computer have time to identify the suit. I came up with nothing.
"Ray, take a look at this," she said, sending him the image of the suit.
"No idea," he replied. Cat looked at it again, zooming in and freezing the image.
"It's not a Doll, I can tell you that much," she said. "Ray, get out of there! I'm fixing to blow this fleet to bits!" Ray shot off as Cat charged up her Twin Buster Rifles. She shot off a blast that destroyed three ships. The explosions caused chain reaction explosions with the rest of the ships and the half of the remaining Dolls. The other Dolls shut down with out something to give them orders. Ray sliced half of them while Cat vaporized the others.
"Can we go to Antarctica now?" Cat asked. "We need to find Epyon."
"We're heading there now," Ray said. They changed their suits in Bird Mode and set a course for Antarctica.
Chapter VII Where Is It?
They flew in silence for several hours. Both were on the lookout for anymore OZ troops. They hadn't encountered any so far.
The Avenging Angels
"In war there are no ends, only eternal beginnings"
Chapter I
Hostility in the Hospital
Right after he said farewell to his Gundam and his friends, he fell to the ground.
*****
Cat was blown to a colony opposite of 19. She barely made the entrance to the hatch. She had not sustained as many injuries as Ray or Lance had, but she was still pretty beaten up. However, she did move quickly and agilely for a person with two broken ribs, a broken arm, and a broken leg, of course she was also Heero Yuy's daughter. She removed her mask and data glasses and sighed. The she peered into space. Cat looked hard and long into the other colonies and saw Ray lying on the floor in Colony 19.
"At least he survived," she said with relief and a hint of anger. She then collapsed onto the ground and fell to sleep.
*****
Lance, too, had stayed alive after the explosion. He checked each other colony and saw his friends. And he too fell unconscious after a few minutes, not to awaken again.
*****
Ray awoke. He struggled to stand but quickly realized he was strapped to a medical table. He looked around for a few moments then saw the mirror on the opposite wall. 'Ha they still use double-sided mirrors,' he thought to himself. His scythe was unextended and at his side. The weapon had two buttons, one green and one blue. Normally it's a silver cylinder, a little bigger than a person's hand with one blue button, but when you press the button it extends to about Ray's height. Then a green button appears. When it is pressed a beam scythe will erupt from near the top.
He slanted his hand and grabbed the weapon. He slid his finger over the blue button and it extended. Then, he ignited the beam and snapped the shackles. He then sliced the mirror in two. He saw a ship to the right of where he had been brought in.
"Yes, a way out," he thought to himself. "Next I'll pick up Cat and we can get back to Earth and regroup. I just hope, if he's alive, Lance can find us," He opened the shuttle and cleared the port. Very soon after he'd left Colony 19 he arrived at the colony Cat was on. She was laying on the floor near the main hatch. Ray quickly ran to her side and slapped her face. Her hand blocked his and her other one slammed him in the stomach. He sprawled back, the wind knocked out of him. She climbed to her feet and helped him up.
"Sorry, reflex," she said quietly.
"Sure," he responded breathlessly. They walked back over to the shuttle and Cat took over the controls. It was a long trip to earth, and they had plenty of time.
Chapter II Tokens Of Faith
With Cat at the pod's controls it left nothing for Ray to do for the long 29-hour journey back to Earth Sector 4. He periodically extended his scythe and polished the main shaft. No one talked much during the flight, and Ray felt as though Cat was angry for what he had done to Matt's Gundam. Finally, after what had seemed eons, Cat spoke.
"He was already dead you know," she said.
"Who? Matt?" he responded.
"Whom ELSE have you vaporized today," she spat.
"I did what I thought necessary."
"What made you think he had to be space dust?"
"If his Gundam hadn't been totally destroyed they would have repaired it and used it against us. Besides, you saw his vitals drop. You know he was dead on impact."
"Well, I guess you're right," she replied dubiously.
"Was there ever a doubt?" he asked sarcastically. She quickly lifted her arm and slammed him in the ribs.
"Ugghmmph," he grunted in pain. "How 'bout a truce. at least 'till we get to earth?"
"Sure," she said after giving it some thought.
*****
Almost immediately after Ray fell asleep, Cat pushed him awake.
"Wha?" Ray asked sleepily although it sounded more like "whavu".
"We're here," Cat said pointing to the digital map on screen.
"Where's here?" he asked, waking up fully.
"The New World Republic, or what used to be Hawai'i."
"Why are we landing here?"
"Well one reason is the sensors are indicating a large deposit of Gundanium and the second is we're almost out of fuel."
"Well, okay." Cat's landing was so smooth that Ray hardly felt it. They grabbed their weapons and clipped them to their belts before they jumped out. They looked around and realized they were in the middle of nowhere.
"Where did you get the Gundanium traces from?" Ray asked. Cat grabbed a pair of data glasses and started to look for the traces. She quickly found the source and took off the glasses.
"That way," she said pointing to a large volcano. They set out on foot for the volcano. It looked more than a mile away but almost as quickly as they had started they had arrived.
"Well," Ray sighed, looking up the tall rock wall in front of them, "what now?"
"It's inside the volcano," Cat replied confidently. She began to climb up to a ledge overlooking the entire island. Ray followed. They arrived at the top after only moments.
"Looks like you need a key of some sort," Ray said, pointing to a circular hole. He studied it for a few minutes. "Wait a minute," Ray exclaimed, extending his scythe. He inserted the top of the weapon into the hole, ignited it, and twisted. The entire volcano began to break in two just after Ray removed his scythe.
"Whoa," said Ray and Cat together. An ominous black Gundam loomed over them.
"It's a Deathscythe!" Ray exclaimed. "That was my father's Gundam!"
"Well let's take a look," Cat said, leading the way.
"Wait, you forgot your shoes!" Ray called after her.
"I hate shoes, leave 'em," she replied. They climbed up into the Gundam's cockpit and Ray sat down in it.
"Hey there's a message on the screen," he said softly. He accessed the message and the face of Duo Maxwell appeared on the screen. His face looked sad, as though he knew he was about to die. The former Gundam pilot took a deep breath and prepared to give his message.
The message of the warrior Duo Maxwell.
"My son, Ray," he began. "I have left this message for you and your brother so you will know my story and why you were abandoned. If my sources are correct you are in the company of Katazyna Yuy, the daughter of my old friend Heero Yuy. Do not worry about your brother Lance; he will be fine where he is going. You two must only worry about completing your mission. This Gundam was built and designed solely for you. An old friend of mine named Howard created it. I have sent this message through the internal memory banks of this Gundam, Kai Deathscythe Hell. There are two hidden Gundams left; a variation of Wing ZERO for Katazyna and a variation of Gundam Epyon for the descendant of Zechs Marquiese, if he is still alive. Now the ZERO version of the Gundam is hidden in the depths of the Red Sea. Good luck my s."
End Transmission
Stunned silence followed the message.
"Ray?" Cat asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at her touch.
"I'm fine, Cat," he said, thankful that his words masked his feelings. "Let's head back to camp." He walked the Gundam from inside the volcano, turning toward the place where Cat had landed the shuttle. Silence fell over the pair again.
"So, my Gundam's in the Red Sea. How're we going to get it?" Cat asked.
"There should be an OZ base nearby. We take out a couple of guards, then steal another shuttle," Ray replied distantly.
"Where is the nearest OZ base?"
"Beats me. When we get back to the shuttle, I'll drop you off, and then I'll go scouting in Deathscythe. I want you to use the shuttle's computers to scan the area. Contact me if you find anything," Ray said flatly. Cat opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it.
"Okay. Take as long as you want," she said. She climbed down Deathscythe's leg. She waved at Ray, and then turned to go into the shuttle. Ray turned the Gundam around and fired the jets.
Flying low over the ground, he scouted for a base. His communicator beeped and Cat's face appeared.
"Found one. I'm assuming that you're the little blinking yellow dot on the radar screen. Go south south east for about three kilometers, and you'll find it I'll meet you there. Hide your Gundam in the nearby woods."
"Great. How are you going to get there?" Ray asked. Cat grinned slyly. "I don't like that smile."
"Get used to it." The screen went blank. Ray sighed and turned his Gundam toward the coordinates Cat had uploaded to his Gundam. He landed in the woods outside the compound and waited. His radio buzzed.
"Ray? Are you there?"
"Yeah."
"I'm about five minutes away from your position. I'm following the radar right now. Use your cloaking device. It should be on there somewhere. Don't worry about me finding it. I'll find you," Cat said.
"How are you getting here?" Ray asked. "You're not in the shuttle, are you?"
"Heck, no. You think I'm crazy?!" she exclaimed. I'll be there in three minutes. You'll know when I get there." The radio gave a quick burst of static, then cut off. Ray shook his head.
"That girl is insane," he said, opening the hatch. He grabbed his pair of binoculars and turned them toward the base. He let his mind wander while keeping watch on the base. He supposed they hadn't picked up his Gundam, otherwise he would have had a fleet of Mobile Dolls on his tail with in minutes.
He was shocked out of his thought a few minutes later by an explosion. He scrambled into the cockpit of his Gundam and fired it up. His radio buzzed.
"Ray? The entire base knows I'm here now," Cat said.
"What the hell did you do?!" he yelled back.
"I set off a few bombs in the base. They exploded a few seconds earlier than I had planned, but I'm fine, other then a major headache."
"Where are you?"
"The south side of the base, in the hanger. I found a transport shuttle. You coming or not?"
"I can't come in Deathscythe. They'll know for a fact that the Gundams are back then. Can you do a fly-by and pick me up?"
"Sure. Give me a few minutes. I've got a few OZ guards on my tail right now. 'Bye." She clipped the radio to her belt, but didn't turn it off. Ray heard a few laser shots and some shouting, then a few regular gunshots.
"Closing in on your position. Be ready to board in 5...4...3...2...1!" Ray fired his jets and shot out of the trees. He landed neatly in the shuttle. After securing the Gundam, he joined Cat in the cockpit.
"Nice of you to join me," Cat said as he sat in the co-pilot's seat.
"It's nice to see you too," he replied. "Where did you get those bombs?"
"They were something I rigged up from the shuttle parts," she said modestly. "I practically tore up the steering system trying to find the parts I needed."
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that. I'm going to sleep," he said. Cat shrugged.
"Fine with me. Next stop, Egypt," Cat said.
Chapter III ZERO Reborn
"Ray! Wake up," Cat said. Ray grumbled and opened his eyes. "I stole a couple of OZ uniforms from the soldiers I knocked out. I didn't really kill anyone."
"What for?" Ray asked, stretching.
"We're going to land at an OZ base, and we need to look like soldiers. Go get dressed. You'll find them in the closet to your right of the cockpit door. I think it's about you size," Cat said. Ray sighed and got up. He found the uniform and pulled it on. It was a little short, but it would do. He walked back into the cockpit.
"The pants are a bit short," Ray said.
"You can deal with it. You'll only be in it for a few hours." She got up and left as Ray took over the controls. He checked the radar to see where they were. They were over the Red Sea. The communicator beeped, and an OZ soldier appeared.
"Shuttle, you are authorized to land."
"Roger, base. ETA three minutes," Ray replied and the screen went blank. Cat reappeared, smoothing out her shirt. She sat in Ray's seat.
"We're cleared for landing in three minutes," Ray said. Cat nodded as Ray looked over at her. She had on makeup and was braiding her hair.
"Why are you putting on makeup?" Ray asked.
"I needed a disguise. As an OZ bodyguard, I visited a lot of bases. I don't want to take the chance of somebody recognizing me. This was the best one I could come up with in three minutes," she said. Ray sighed and shook his head. He turned his attention back to the controls as he prepared for the landing. He set down smoothly and coasted to a stop. He and Cat got out to face the same OZ officer that Ray talked to on the communicator. The officer saluted as Ray and Cat passed.
"I'll show you to your quarters," the officer said. Ray looked at Cat, confused. She smiled.
"Lead on," Cat said in clipped tones. The officer nodded and started off. Ray and Cat followed him. Ray was still wondering what the heck was going on. The officer showed them to two separate room, eerily similar to the ones the ones the had had at the OZ base that they had escaped from. Ray walked into Cat's room. She was typing away at a computer.
"Did you arrange all this?" Ray asked, motioning around the room. "And why?" She motioned for him to come over to her.
"I did. Tomorrow we're going to take and underwater Mobile Suit and get ZERO," Cat said.
"Okay. I would take you in Deathscythe, but it can't go underwater. I don't know why Howard built it that way, but it can't," Ray said. He sat on the desk beside the computer. What are you doing?"
"Searching for information on Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell," she replied distantly.
"Did you..."
"Yes, I firewalled this computer from OZ's main network," she interrupted. "I've also ordered a Pisces II to be ready for takeoff at 0900."
"So we're going to take it after you use it?' Ray asked. Cat just shrugged. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before let out a shriek of frustration.
"I give up!" she exclaimed. She clicked a few more keys before shutting the laptop. "Nothing."
"Well, according to OZ, the original Gundam pilots didn't even exist. Look through Colony 12's files when we get back," Ray suggested. Cat stood and stretched, then nodded.
"You're right. I'm going to go to sleep." Ray nodded and got up.
"Good night," he said.
"Night," Cat yawned. Ray left. He walked into his room and sat on the bed.
"This has got to be the craziest thing I've ever done," he muttered to himself. He covered his face with his hands and sighed. He fell backwards onto ht bed and laid there, deep in thought. He thought about his brother, Lance, and his other fallen comrades. But, most of all, he thought about his father. It had taken him and his brother eighteen years to find their father. And when he finally does find his father, Lance isn't there.
Before he knew it, it was morning. He drug himself out of bed to wash his face. He caught a glimpse of himself as he was drying his face. He looked like he had aged overnight. He just put the towel down and walked back into the main room. He let Cat in, since she had been banging on the door for the past five minutes.
"About time," she said as she walked in.
"If that's the kind of mood you're in, I should have let you stay out there," he replied tiredly. "What's up?"
"We've got about thirty minutes before we have to leave. Now, you're going to go back to the shuttle and take off while I go out in the Pisces," she said.
"I'll land the shuttle on the Saudi Arabian coast so you'll know where I am. Just get ZERO and get out of there. We're not taking the Pisces with us; it'll just slow us down. Let's go," Ray said. "I've got to take off before you do, otherwise it'll look suspicious."
"Okay. See you in Saudi Arabia," Cat replied, and retreated back to her room. Ray left and headed toward the shuttle. He got clearance and lifted off after making sure that Deathscythe was secure and hadn't been tampered with. He picked up his radio.
"Cat, I've lifted off. I want to leave within fifteen minutes, find ZERO, and get out of there," he said.
"Roger. I'm getting a bad feeling about this, so I'm leaving now," she replied. "See ya there." She turned off the radio.
"Come on, Cat. Hurry up," he muttered as he veered towards his target.
*****
Cat walked down the hallway towards the Mobile Suit hanger. She found the Pisces ready for launch. She made sure that no one was around before she launched the suit. Putting on her data glasses, she dove to the door that would let her out into the Red Sea. She set the data glasses to search for any traces of Gundanium. They locked onto a location, and she headed that direction.
"Cat? Are you there?" she was started out of her thought by Ray's call over the radio.
"I'm here. I found where the Gundanium is, and I'm heading North-north- east. It's about two hundred kilometers in that direction. I'll be there at my current speed in about... an hour," Cat replied.
"Okay. I'm flying over the Red Sea, following you. When you find ZERO, I'm going to dock at the OZ base on the other coast, near a town called Duba, so that I can refuel. I want you to come in and attack the base, but after I've taken off. I'll pick you up by fly-by. After that, we go back to Colony 12, if it's still there," Ray said.
"It's still there," Cat said. "Trust me."
"Alright. How far from ZERO are you?"
"Give me another thirty minutes. You might want to go ahead and land and refuel. This might not take as long as I had planned," Cat replied, checking her location. "They've made a major improvement as far as speed in this suit. I didn't realize how fast it was going. I'll need fifteen minutes. Good luck."
"Same to you," Ray replied, and signed off. Cat returned to her search. She found a spot relatively close to where the ZERO was and surfaced the Pisces II there. After she found some scuba gear, she dove into the water. After searching for a few minutes with the data shades, she found the Gundanium traces again. She headed in that general direction, trying to imagine what the suit would look like. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed the suit. She dove down towards the suit.
*****
Ray docked at the base and refueled. He gave orders through the ship's communicator, but otherwise didn't speak to anyone. He was silently willing Cat to hurry up. He tried calling her radio, but she didn't pick up.
"She must be out of the Pisces," he said out loud. He was silently wishing that he were telepathic.
'You know you are, don't you?' Cat's voice echoed in his head.
'How'd you do that?' he asked.
'I could hear, if that's what you could call it, trying to hurry me up. I'm fine; don't worry. Yes, I am out of the ship.'
'I'm lifting off in fifteen minutes. I want you to attack in twenty, so that I'll have time to lift off. Five minutes after that, I'll make a fly- by so that I can pick you up. Got it?'
'Loud and clear. I'm stuck at a glass dome right now, and I don't know how to get around it. I'll catch up with you later, I guess.'
*****
Cat tried everything to get through that glass dome. Just as she was going to give up, she spotted the door. She swam down and tried it. Another dead end. She let out a shriek of frustration and slammed her fist into the door.
"If my name is Katazyna Yuy, and I am the daughter of Heero Yuy, then why can't I get even a freaking door to open!" she yelled. And to her great surprise, the door opened. The hatch it led to quickly filled with water, taking Cat with it. The doors closed, and the water drained out. She removed her helmet and studied the door. A picture flashed through her head of someone running their finger down the door that she was facing.
"What the heck," she muttered, and ran her finger down the middle of the door. It silently slid open, and she entered.
There, standing proud in the middle of the dome was her father's suit. Gaping, she looked up at her father's suit, graceful but deadly. It awoke something inside of her, a fire that had just been a spark before. She scaled the Gundam's right leg, and climbed into the open cockpit. She accessed the message that she had both anticipated and dreaded since Ray had found Deathscythe.
Heero Yuy's face showed up on the screen. He was famous for have a face like stone, never showing any emotion, but now sadness showed. That same flat voice came over the speakers.
The message of the warrior Heero Yuy.
"My daughter, Katazyna. Cat, if you're seeing this, then I'm not here. Please listen to me carefully: You are probably with Ray, Duo Maxwell's son, and you probably already know that the others that were stolen that same night that you were are related to the other Gundam pilots and Zechs Merquise. There are two other suits hidden, a Deathscythe and an Epyon.
"You have probably noticed that you have special abilities. Quatre was empathic. I am clairvoyant, meaning I could see things through an inner sight, with just a small amount of precognition. Use these abilities well, and you will have an advantage over your enemies, though it may be a small one.
"The ZERO system is still installed. You may choose to use it, you may not. I don't know how much the technology has advanced since you were taken. Don't let your emotions get into the battle. That will only make things worse. Your mission is to stop Neo OZ from taking full control of everything, and if they already have, to destroy them completely. Please, don't turn this into Operation Meteor. I'm sure that you have fared well against OZ, but you are in dire need of help. Take this suit, and use it well. Make me proud, Katazyna Yuy, daughter of the perfect soldier." And for the first time, Heero Yuy had tears in his eyes. "Farewell, my daughter."
The screen went blank. She sat staring at it for a minute, locking her father's picture into her memory.
She turned to the control panel. Her fingers danced over the controls. The screens hummed to life as she bowed her head, searching inside of herself. Her head shot up, eyes shining with unshed tears. The dome around her started to crack, and the sea that surrounded it started rushing in. She fired the ZERO's jets, and shot out of the water. She found the suit's Beam Saber and sliced the Pisces in half before jetting off towards her destination.
"Ray?" she contacted the shuttle. "I found ZERO."
"Good. I've just lifted off, so I want you over here A.S.A.P. Blow up the Pisces first, though," he replied.
"Got it. Hey, don't worry about picking me up. This thing has a bird mode, so I'll rendezvous with you just outside the atmosphere," Cat said. Ray nodded, and closed communications.
Cat turned the suit towards the OZ base. She aimed her Buster Rifle at the control tower, and fired. The tower burst into flames, along with several of the surrounding buildings and Mobile Suits. As alarms started sound throughout the base, she shot off and transformed into bird mode. The suit started glowing red from the friction of going through the atmosphere. She easily caught up with Ray's shuttle.
"Hey, I'm having deja vu. How about you?" Ray asked when he saw her.
"Definitely. Colony 12 is straight ahead," Cat replied.
"I know. How'd you get through that glass dome?"
"I yelled my real name and that I was Heero's daughter at the hatch I found. After that, it was simple. Am I going crazy, or were we talking without a radio back there?"
"Yeah," Ray replied
"To which one?"
"Both."
"Oh, shut up," Cat said, grinning. "It's not like you're not a little crazy yourself."
"But at least I have shoes," Ray retorted.
"That's it! You are so freaking going to get it when we get back to the colony!" Cat exclaimed, still grinning. Ray laughed.
"I haven't seen you act like this since... well, I don't remember when," Ray replied. Cat sighed, all the laughter gone from her voice.
"I haven't had reason to act like this. Too many deaths, and not a moment to grieve."
"I know what you mean. And I don't even know if Lance is alive or not. And when we get him back, we'll be unbeatable! Do you agree with me?" he asked. The hope in his voice caught her off guard.
She didn't respond. They flew the rest of the way in silence.
Chapter IV Good-bye, Brother
They arrived at the Colony and docked the shuttle and took their Gundams to the hanger. Cat looked up at her father's Gundam, studying it. The wings made it look like a fallen angel. She sighed and walked away. Ray caught up with her.
"I propose that we go back to our rooms," Ray said. Cat shook her head.
"You go ahead. I've got something I want to do," she replied, and walked off. Ray walked back to their room. His sketchbooks were still lying where he had thrown them before the battle. He shook his head and smiled sadly.
'I wonder where Lance is,' he thought to himself. He climbed into his bed and lay down. He stared at the ceiling, running through the entire thing that had happened in his head. He sat up and got out of bed. He walked out the door.
*****
Cat was walking through the hanger, looking at all the different Mobile Suits and Dolls. She stopped and looked up at one of the Dolls.
"They're pretty magnificent, aren't they?" came a voice from her left. She turned and looked at the person standing beside her, then turned back the Doll.
"Yeah, they are, Logan. You and your technicians are doing a good job," she replied. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ray step up beside her. "Hello, Ray."
"Hey. Is this what you were going to do?" he asked. She nodded.
"Ray, this is Logan Estes. Logan, this is Ray," she replied. The two men shook hands. Logan turned his attention to the two Gundams that Ray and Cat had brought back. He whistled softly.
"So those are the Gundams. Well, I never expected to see them again," he said. Ray looked over at him sharply.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"I was in the fight that your fathers fought many years ago. Those Gundams were an awesome sight, I'll tell you. They were deadly graceful, and they entranced me. But I'm to old to fight now, so I build Mobile Suits instead," Logan replied. "I was in a fight against Gundam 05."
"Wufei Chang's Gundam," Cat commented. She turned to leave. "You coming, Ray?" she asked. He turned to look at her.
"Sure," he replied. They said good-bye to Logan, then left. They walked through the crowded colony streets in silence.
"What's eating you?" Ray asked, pulling her down on a bench under a nearby tree. She sat obediently. Her eyes were fuzzy and unfocused. Ray shook her.
"Snap out of it!" he said. She slowly shook her head, as though trying to shake away some of the thoughts that were going through her head. She lifted her head to meet Ray's eyes.
"Where is Lance?" she asked. Her piercing blue eyes were no longer fuzzy, but they were a little unfocused, as though she were looking through him, rather than at him. Ray shook his head.
"I don't know," he replied.
"You can't feel him? You're his twin. Twins have a bond that goes deeper than blood. Can you feel your brother, Ray?" she asked, her voice flat. Ray's eyes went wide.
"We're going to Colony 21," Ray said. He grabbed Cat's hand and started running down the street. He led her through the crowds and into the hanger. They boarded their Gundams and took off, making a beeline for Colony 21.
Cat started laughing. "I'll tell you one thing. I thought I was dying when I self-destructed. And you know what?"
"What?" Ray replied, sound like he wasn't really paying attention
"Dying hurts like Hell," she finished. Ray looked over at her, and started laughing himself.
They arrived at Colony 21 after about an hour. They left their Gundams on the outside of the outside of the Colony, and entered a hatch, unnoticed, in their space suits. They ducked into a closet and stashed their suits in a corner before they entered the main colony.
Ray led her to a large gathering of people. They slipped through the crowd until they were on the front row. There was a preacher at a pulpit giving a sermon. Ray tried to go closer, but a security guard stopped him.
"I'm looking for my brother. That might be him in there," he explained. The security guard just looked at him.
"What does your brother look like?" he asked.
"He looks like me. He's my twin," Ray replied. He caught a snatch of the sermon.
"And my God take this nameless boy's soul up to his kingdom..." he was saying. The security guard led Ray over to a man sitting behind the preacher.
"This boy says he is looking for his brother," he said to the man. The man looked Ray over.
"Yes. You're brother is in that casket. I'm sorry, my boy," the man said, clapping Ray on the shoulder. Ray just stood there, dumbstruck, before turning and racing away. Cat followed him.
"Ray! Ray! What's wrong?" she asked him when she caught up with him. She saw the tears in his eyes.
"That was Lance. Lance is dead!" he yelled, putting on a sudden burst of speed. She followed him to the closet where they had hidden their space suits. Before she could even enter, he was already out the door. She put hers on and followed him. By the time she got to her Gundam, his was gone. She cursed under her breath before taking off.
The colony exploded behind her. Cat was thrown forward into the controls. She straightened, wiping blood off of her face. She turned and saw Deathscythe jetting out of the blast. She followed his Gundam to the next colony. She turned her Gundam to face his.
*****
Anger seethed inside of him. He turned the next colony, only to see ZERO in front of him.
"What the heck are you doing?" she yelled, opening communications.
"Get out of my way, Cat," he said evenly. His eyes were burning with anger. "I'm going to blow up every single colony I can."
"No, you're not," she replied. "Not while I'm around."
"Okay, then. I'll just go around you," he said, and then shot up. Cat stayed there, shocked, before following him. She appeared in front of him yet again, ZERO's wings spread. The suit looked for all the world like an angel shoved this turbulent time.
"You're not going to blow up this colony," she said. "I've lost more than you have. You barely even knew Quro and Taro and Matt. I've lost all of them, but do you see me flying off and blowing things up?"
"You're not going to talk reason into me, Cat," he replied. Cat sighed sadly.
"I'll have to shoot you then," she said, raising her Twin Buster Rifle. Deathscythe gave a warning beep that signified that she had locked onto his suit. "Please, Ray, don't make me do this. All I have to do is turn on the ZERO program and push the button."
Ray turned his Gundam and shot off the other direction. Cat followed, cutting him off again.
"Please, don't do this Ray!" she exclaimed, leveling her gun at him again. Ray sighed and turned off his Triple Beam Scythe. "You don't have to do this!"
Ray didn't respond. He just turned his Gundam around and headed towards Colony 12. Cat breathed a sigh of relief, put her gun down, and followed him.
Ray turned his Gundam out towards the stars just before he went into the colony. Cat tensed again, ready to stop him. But she didn't need to.
"Good-bye, brother," he whispered, and entered the colony.
Chapter V Attack Over Dinner
The next day, Ray and Cat were working hard on the improved versions of the Mobile Dolls. They didn't talk except to request tools that they needed.
Finally, around lunch, Ray broke the silence.
"I'm sorry for how I reacted," he said. Cat looked at him in mild surprise.
"It's okay. You did what I've felt like doing since our first encounter with Lanoll," Cat replied.
"But you didn't do it. I did. I destroyed the entire colony," Ray said. He looked away from her. "I let my emotions get in the way." Cat laid her hand on his cheek.
"We've all done that at one point or another. Heero Yuy did, and he was the 'perfect soldier,'" Cat replied. "Let's go grab some lunch and get back to work."
They found a nearby deli and grabbed a couple of sandwiches. They ate them on the way back, and between bites discussed the Dolls that they were building.
"What weapons are they going to have?" Cat asked. Ray chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed.
"A Beam Rifle, probably. But they're more than likely going to have shields, too. I'm going to see if I can get them to be controlled manually from the colony," he replied. They entered the hanger and started working again.
Four hours and several grease stains later, they were done for the day. They both walked into Cat's quarters. Cat picked up the black pawn and moved the white pawn up one space. She also removed two of the white pawns and a white bishop before perching on the desk. Ray sat on the bed.
He picked up her notebook that was lying beside her bed and started looking through it. The next thing he knew, he was staring at air.
"You don't go through my notebook," she said, jumping back up on the desk.
"Okay, okay. I was just curious about what you write in there," he said. "I noticed one about a little girl."
"That's the one I wrote when we first got to the colony," Cat explained
"Will you read it?" Ray asked. Cat opened her notebook to the poem.
"In the dark of the night, Father gone off to fight. Everything to gain, Everything to lose. Would you do the same in his shoes? Daughter and mother left wondering, Afraid and pondering. "Hold me tight, mommy," says the girl. Wrapped safe in her mother's arms, Waiting to see what comes with the dawn. Slowly the day breaks, Oh, how long it takes! The door blows in. It's not her dad. A foot steps on a sketchpad. A woman's shriek, She's gone in a blink. The girl looks in wonder. She starts to cry, No one left to dry her eyes. More cries join the girl. All is happening in a whirl! More children come. Five boys join the daughter. All that's left in their houses is slaughter Many lives were taken, Too many that will never awaken. Only the children are left. Five boys and a girl, All that's left of their world. As they grow, The more they know. The more they long for their pasts. Their pasts that were taken, Like the dead that will never awaken. Oh, those many years ago. Yet they don't know. Their path uncertain. Their whole lives lay ahead, Yet they face it with dread. Like father, Like son, Like daughter. They will fight. Their past will be unveiled, And may good forever prevail."
She looked up at him. Ray was deep in thought.
"Was that a memory?" he asked finally. Cat shrugged.
"I think so. But it came to me in third-person, like I was watching a movie or something," she replied.
"That little girl is you," Ray said. "Then the woman was your mother?"
Cat started to reply, stopped, and thought for a second. "No, she wasn't my mother. She was a baby-sitter, or a maid. I don't remember."
"I remember my mother. She was tall, at least to me, and she was always laughing. So was my father, come to think of it," Ray said.
"I remember my mother and father, but not very much. I was really little when they were killed and I was taken," Cat said. She stared down at the notebook. "I've got to find out all I can."
"I want to find out what I can too. But I'm not sure where to start. I've been working my way through OZ's databases, but I haven't found much," Ray replied. He turned to look out at the colony. He saw the people walking up and down the sidewalks. He watched a small girl and her parents walk into a toy store, then turned to look back at Cat. To his surprise, she was beside him, also looking out the window.
"They're so happy," Cat commented.
"They don't know what's going on," Ray said.
"They know more than you think," Cat replied softly. "They know what they want. The Earth's Sphere United Nation that Relena Peacecraft established didn't work for the long-term advantages."
"So you're saying that she was wrong?" Ray asked, perplexed. Cat shook her head.
"No, she had the right idea. But one big nation isn't the answer?"
"So what is?"
"I don't know. I was thinking smaller nations that answered to one ruler," Cat said. She stood up.
Ray stood and stretched. "I'm going to change clothes and wash up, then I'm going to dinner. You coming with me?" Ray asked. Cat just nodded. Ray exited through the main door instead of the one that would lead into Matt's room.
He changed into a clean black shirt and a pair of black jeans. He pulled out his leather jacket and went to Cat's quarters. He knocked and she let him in. She had changed into a clean white blouse and black jeans.
"Just a minute," she said, and walked into the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later with her hair in a knot at the back of her neck.
"Let's go," Ray said. They walked out into the main colony and started walking. Cat let Ray lead her to a restaurant. The host seated them and walked off.
Cat looked around. "Nice," she commented, fingering the long-stemmed rose that was in a crystal vase on the table. She turned her gaze back to Ray.
"Are we going to get Epyon?" she asked. Ray looked up at her sharply from his menu.
"Epyon? Where is it?" he asked.
"Antarctica."
"Brilliant," Ray said, clapping his hand to his forehead. "Yeah, I guess we have to before somebody else finds it. But how are we going to get it?" Ray asked, then gave the waiter his orders. Cat did the same.
When the waiter walked away, she replied, "We'll take Deathscythe and ZERO in a shuttle. We'll head down there, staying as far away from the OZ base as possible." She waited for Ray to respond.
"That'll work, I guess. When do we leave?" he asked. Cat shrugged. Her gaze wasn't on him. Ray heard a click behind him and stiffened, but didn't move. He saw Cat's hand inching towards the vase.
"You are under arrest by OZ," the guard said. Cat grabbed the vase and hurled it at the guy's head. Ray ducked as a shot rang out.
"Run!" he yelled, grabbing Cat's hand. Dodging other patrons and waiters, they headed for the exit. Another guard appeared in front of them. Ray aimed a kick near the guard's waist. He went down and they kept on going. Bursting out the doors, they headed toward the hanger.
"Go get Deathscythe!" Cat said, heading towards their quarters. "Forget the shuttle! I'll catch up with you. Don't argue. GO!" She raced off. Ray jumped and landed on the open cockpit door. He fired up Deatscythe and signaled for the hanger door to open.
"I'm sorry, but I've been ordered not to let anyone out," the operator said. Ray shrugged.
"Fine. I'll open it myself," he replied. Activating his Triple Beam Scythe, he sliced the door open and shot out. Cloaking his Gundam, he turned to wait for Cat.
She emerged a few minutes later, trying to contact him. "Ray?"
"I'm here," he said, letting his shields down. "Where'd you go?"
"I grabbed our notebooks and laptops. I didn't want OZ to find anything," she replied.
"Good idea. The last thing we need is OZ finding out everything we've found out," Ray said. "I hope you grabbed some warm clothes, 'cuz we're heading to Antarctica."
"Goody," Cat said sarcastically. "The perfect end to a perfect day. I always wanted to become a human popsicle." Ray laughed softly.
"Don't worry. Epyon can't be that hard to find, can it?"
"Famous last words."
Chapter VI Battle in Space II
They flew on for several hours. About seven hours in, Ray opened the communications.
"Do you have an exact location on this thing?" he asked.
"Not really. Father said that it was in a glacier, but that was it," she replied. Suddenly,she let out a hiss of pain. "Stupid OZ guards," she cursed.
"What's wrong?"
"My arm got grazed by a bullet," she said, scrounging through the storage containers in the cockpit. When she didn't find anything, she ripped a strip of her blouse off and tied it around her upper left arm.
"That OZ guy shot you?" Ray asked. Cat nodded.
"Yeah, but I threw off his aim by chunking that vase at him," she replied.
Ray grinned. "Yeah, that would make someone miss their mark," he said. Cat finished tying the makeshift bandage.
About and hour later, their alarms went off.
"What the... OZ troops!" Ray yelled. "They're too far off to do anything right now. Do we fight or run?"
"We fight. They've spotted us anyway," Cat replied as the shuttles turned in their direction.
"Cat, I want you to circle around behind them, but stay out the range of their radars. I'll draw their attention. If they start firing, start picking them off, but stay out of sight," Ray said. Cat nodded.
"Okay. I'm off," Cat replied, and jetted off. Ray turned his attention back to the advancing transport ships.
"Unidentified Mobile Suit, please identify yourself," came a woman's voice over the com system. "This is OZ transport fleet 809. Do you read?"
"Yeah, you're coming in loud and clear, lady," Ray responded. "How many suits are you transporting?"
"There are twenty-five suits in each ship, and we have eight ships in all," the woman responded. "About two hundred."
"Perfect," Ray said. He activated his Beam Scythe.
"Do you mean to fight us?"
"You bet," he said. "That is, if you attack." The woman's face appeared on the view screen.
"Why... You're that escaped pilot from OZ! We all have orders to kill you on sight," she said. To someone behind her, she ordered, "Release the Dolls! I don't care what our orders are!" To Ray she said, "We'll fight you."
Ray smirked. "Fine by me," he said. He shut down communications with the fleet and opened them again with Cat. "Are you in position?"
"I guess. I'm not exactly sure where to be, but I think this'll work," she replied.
"Where are you?" he asked, searching the radar. "I can't find you."
"I'm on a colony."
"On a colony?! Why are you on a colony?"
"You told me to stay off of their radars. So, I'm staying off of their radars," she replied. Ray shook his head.
"Whatever you say," he muttered, turning back to the fleet. They were releasing their Mobile Dolls. He swung his scythe in a half-circle, destroying six Dolls. One exploded to his left, another at two o' clock. He swung his scythe into one of the shuttles. Suddenly, he was hit from behind. He whirled around, but there was nothing there.
"Cat? Did you hit me from behind?" he asked.
"What? No! I'm in front of you!" she said. Her suit suddenly gave a warning beep. She caught a glimpse of something scarlet. She slowed down that tape, letting the computer have time to identify the suit. I came up with nothing.
"Ray, take a look at this," she said, sending him the image of the suit.
"No idea," he replied. Cat looked at it again, zooming in and freezing the image.
"It's not a Doll, I can tell you that much," she said. "Ray, get out of there! I'm fixing to blow this fleet to bits!" Ray shot off as Cat charged up her Twin Buster Rifles. She shot off a blast that destroyed three ships. The explosions caused chain reaction explosions with the rest of the ships and the half of the remaining Dolls. The other Dolls shut down with out something to give them orders. Ray sliced half of them while Cat vaporized the others.
"Can we go to Antarctica now?" Cat asked. "We need to find Epyon."
"We're heading there now," Ray said. They changed their suits in Bird Mode and set a course for Antarctica.
Chapter VII Where Is It?
They flew in silence for several hours. Both were on the lookout for anymore OZ troops. They hadn't encountered any so far.
