Day 5- 4:45 a.m.
It was still too early to do anything. The workers at the port were still asleep, the pilots, the captain, and the mercenaries were all getting much-needed rest. Everything was already set-up, the factories, the rigs, the materials. Production would begin soon, in two hours, and within a month or so, they'd have a suitable army.
Wufei managed to convince Sally Po, a member of the Preventers to aide in their cause. At around seven, they'd come in full force with Aries, Leos, and Cancer suits. It just wasn't Sank's war. It was the whole world. Not World War Three, but a war of between the maniacal genius and his niece. He didn't really want to rule the world. He just wanted it because it was there. He had purpose for creating the war. He was creating a war because he could and because he thought he would win. Good luck.
Kirin sat in the dark, gazing up at the lightening sky through a window in the port. In an hour it would be light enough for her to begin warming up the computers. In another hour, she'd wake-up her production team and start the first phase of her operation. She couldn't sleep at all, so she sat, star gazing, and hoping when all this was over, she'd finally get a good night's rest and have a nice life with her significant other and her amazing friends.
As a safety precaution, she had already called in her Gundam. She was grateful for having the Gundam respond to her remote activation, but almost swore when she remembered she still needed to repair it. She didn't know if it would actually come to her. Low and behold, five torturous minutes later, Gundam Archangel was landing outside the port, shining like its namesake and fully repaired. She smiled at the thought of Heero fixing her Gundam for her. She'd give him a kiss later. She couldn't have been more happier when Morning Star and Dragon Slayer landed beside Archangel, also shining and repaired. Now that one aspect of her job was finished, the suits and dolls were next on her list.
Kirin moved silently through the port, watching not to step on the people that littered the floor. It had been awhile, too long for her, since she had sat in the cockpit of Archangel. She had been on earth for such a long time that she almost believed that she'd forgot how to pilot the magnificent machine.
She found the manual switch to the cockpit and used the wire to bring herself up. She hung just out of the reach of the open cockpit, gazing into her seat. Archangel was built from scratch, from blueprints that appeared in her mind like a prophecy. At sixteen, she began creating life-size weapons that she eventually created for her Gundam. She was proud of her creation. Meeting Yume and Shin, she proved that she was one of the rare and few who could create Gundams. Eventually this information leaked out and Lee- more so the Elders of White Lotus- had demanded she create more for the Elite. She did, of course, but not without a little insurance. She refrained from putting in the ZERO system and in extreme cases, there was a little code that would shut down the system leaving the Gundam utterly useless. Added just because she was feeling mean.
She slid into the seat, sighing as everything around her brought back memories. Hands felt across buttons and switches, brushed against the hand controls. And just because the Gundam belonged to her, she started up the system, waiting for her screens to come on and the Gundam to come to life.
As soon as her radar flashed to life, several red blips bombarded the center of the surface. Red blips meant air and ground enemies, yellow blips meant underwater enemies, white was her and the other Gundams' position, blue was battleships, and orange meant flying projectiles. Six large, red blips were coming from the northeast. Three blue blips came from the opposite direction and yellow blips littered the lower portion of her screen, closer to the port. Coming quickly behind the six blips were smaller red dots, too many for her to count on her screen.
"Shit!" Kirin swore, closing up her cockpit. She secured herself into the seat and pulled up the hand controls and console closer to her body. She pressed a sequence of buttons and swore again when the screen just above her head remained blank. "Doesn't anyone wake up in the morning and take a piss?"
The red blips and the sounds resonating from them began increasingly louder and closer to her position. Kirin pulled up another screen and had an outside view. She spotted six Gundams, one which was headed by a maroon and gray mobile suit. Gundam Centaur. Mike Lane's Gundam. What seemed to be a dark cloud was none other than a swarm of Aries, Leos, and Virgo's, dolls more likely, each setting the space port in their sights. The six Gundams split, only Centaur heading straight for Archangel.
"I'm coming for you, you little bitch!" Mike screamed over the link.
"Come and get me, asshole!"
Archangel and Centaur met in a flash of green and a spray of sand and water. The grappled for a moment, the sound of metal scraping against metal. There were deep indentations in the sand now, the crash of waves filling up craters. The scene was too surreal to be witnessed so early in the morning. Archangel pushed forward, kicking up sand in the process while igniting its beam saber.
A screen filled with Mike's face; contorted in anger and red from screaming. "Where's Yume and Shin?" He still harbored cuts and bruises from Kirin's onslaught. "You never fight without them."
To prove his point, Gundams Musca, Cerberus, Lacerta, Cetus, and Dorado surrounded the lone Archangel Gundam. Each one had centered on a point on Archangel to strike and dispatch. The only sound came from Archangel's beam saber and the release of steam from the fuel-injected shocks.
Kirin brought up the five Gundams on separate screens. She knew every nook and cranny that made up those Gundams. She'd have to time everything perfectly in order for her to make a clean getaway into the air. If she fought too close to the port, who knew what would happen in the aftereffects of the explosions. She eyed the red button by her right hand. She needed a small distraction in order to make a clean jump. That button was her only chance.
"Bring the bitch to her knees." Mike said lowly. "I'm going to make her pay for what she did to us."
"Try it." Kirin slammed on the red button, shooting backwards into her seat, bracing for the sudden flight.
Archangel bent over, the covering on its back opened, exposing two narrow crevices which harbored iridescent wings. In actuality, they were really heat panels, forged and enforced by Neo-Titanium. The wings unfurled from the back and spread eagle-wide, catching the minute rays of the pre-dawn sky. It shimmered and glowed with gathering energy, ready to set off a wave of heat.
"I know that attack, Shido." Mike laughed. "You can't scare me with that."
"Who said anything about scaring you?" Kirin pulled the hand controls in opposite direction, making the Gundam jump well over the head of Gundam Centaur. Aside from acting as heat panels, Archangel's wings also acted as gliders in space and sub-thrusters for a few extra feet of jump. It landed hard behind Centaur, connected its elbow hard into the back of the Gundams head and flew forward, giving enough distance to lure the other Gundams to her.
"Low blow, Shido." said Brad. "You never one for doing something so dirty."
"Kiss my ass, Brad." Kirin retorted.
Archangel shot its arm outwards, grabbing Lacerta by the head. Archangel lifted the other Gundam from the ground and tossed it over its shoulder as if it were a rag doll. Instead of meeting the challenge from the other Gundams she decided to go after each Gundam, one by one. Archangel spun on its heel and struck hard into the mid-section of Brad's Gundam. The flared beam saber came close to Lacerta's neck.
"Kirin, can't we talk about this?" Brad asked, frantic. "You and I could always talk."
"Screw talking." Kirin said lowly. One screen was fixated on Dragon Slayer and Morning Star. Even with all the noise she was making, Yume and Shin still hadn't woken up. Not to mention that the port was still as dark as a closet. Kirin turned back to Brad. "Screw you."
Archangel shoved the saber into one of Lacerta's arms, moving the saber slowly towards the cockpit. Lacerta thrashed, while inside Brad was screaming for back-up. A lucky shot caught Archangel off guard, pushing the silver Gundam into the deep depths of the water.
"Good shot, Brad." said Alan. "We attack her all at once. Do not let her get up."
"Cut off the arms and limbs first. I want the final blow." Mike said lowly. "She's mine, I want her."
Archangel floundered for a few quick seconds, sending a distress call to the space port. The radar warned its pilot that Cancers were at least three leagues away. They were enclosing fast and would probably be on her within five minutes. Above the Gundam, the Aries, Leo's, and Virgo's were beginning to cluster and ready to dive-bomb the port. The radar beeped again, six large red blips surrounding her position.
"Shit, shit, shit." Kirin played with a little switch that controlled Archangel's wings. If she used the heat-shorter, everything underwater would surely be boiled to death. She decided that sticking to her main weapons would work for the best. She pressed a switch that brought the wings back into Archangel's back and switched her Gundam to battle mode.
Cerberus dropped above her, floating down like a piece of paper. Two buster rifles were mounted on each arm, each pointed directly at her. White energy particles gathered at the barrel, one aiming at the head, the other at the section where the cockpit was positioned. One shot was too slow that Archangel simply moved its head. The other shot got Archangel in the arm, turning the Gundam to face two Gundams she hadn't had the chance to fully look-over. Truthfully, they were faulty, not even complete.
Cetus and Dorado crashed into Archangel, pinning the Gundam between their bodies. Cetus' shoulder cannons gathered power, setting itself right before Archangel's head. Dorado snaked its arms around Archangel's, holding it in place. Its heat-shorters, located on its hands, began to emit an intense heat that began smothering Kirin's cockpit.
"I've got her!" cried Geneva. "Byron, disable her system!"
Byron, piloting Gundam Musca, shot out several spiked mines which attached itself to the front of Archangel's chest plate. Dorado and Cetus moved away just as a series of explosions riddled Archangel, sending the Gundam to the bottom of the sea. Its beam saber floating after it, Archangel remained still, inside, Kirin still sending out distress signals.
"Come on, come on!" Kirin began to bang on her console. She glanced at the clock. "It's already five! Come on!" She spotted Lacerta descending on top of Archangel with Centaur beside it. They stood on either side, looking down on Archangel's fallen form.
"I'll grant you one good hit and the finale goes to me." Mike said to Brad. "Do your worst, Brad."
Lacerta powered up its shoulder cannons, leaning close to create the most damage. The Gundam seemed to be smiling, hovering over Archangel like a demented murderer. "I regret in destroying your Gundam, Kirin. It's a magnificent machine. Too bad."
Kirin braced herself for the barrage of rapid shots coming from Lacerta's cannons. She felt her head slam into the back of her seat, her vision blurred and the slur of profanities melted into a growl of defiance. Archangel accepted each shot willingly, knowing that though it was a powerful Gundam, even against six it could not escape destruction.
The blank screen that Kirin had kept open finally flickered to life and Quatre's face peered down at Kirin. Apparently he had just woken up. His eyes were faintly red from an uncomfortable sleep. "Kirin! Are you all right? Where are you?"
"Bottom...of the..." Kirin gasped. Brad was charging up for one more wave. Apparently Mike wanted her weak enough so that he could deliver the devastating blow to end hers and Archangel's life. "Sea..." She tried to remember the names of her friends. The two that piloted the other Gundams. "Yume. Shin..."
Quatre began screaming to the others behind him. The lights came on and absolute chaos ensued. Yume and Shin appeared on the screen, each one screaming questions at her.
"Get...to your...Gundams." Kirin shut her eyes and rubbed her head. "Now. The Elite here. Aries...Leo's....Virgo's."
"Shit!" Shin screamed. "We don't have our Gundams here! They're not even repaired!"
"Heero-" another wave of rapid shots hit her. This time she could feel each individual shot. Her chest armor wasn't going to last another round, for that matter, a long-lasting battle with Mike's Centaur.
"Heero!" Yume screamed. She stepped aside and began barking out orders to the workers who seemed to be running around scared like little children.
"Kirin." Heero's eyes turned a deeper shade of blue. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Gundams. Outside." Kirin finished. She gazed at Lacerta who looked as if dusting off its hands. Centaur took position and ignited its lance. "Get ready for battle!"
Archangel managed to move a fraction of a second before being impaled by Centaur's lance. It reached for its saber, gripping it as if it would turn on the pilot. Lance and saber met again in a faint glow of green. The water was warming due to the intense heat both weapons were giving off.
"Die already!" Mike screamed.
With a dirty punch to the head, Archangel faltered for a split second, giving Centaur enough time to strike close to the cockpit. It lifted Archangel, more of the weapon sliding into the Gundam Archangel like a warm knife cutting into butter. Archangel struggled, legs kicking and arms straining to reach Centaur's head. Centaur pushed Archangel towards an underwater mountain, sticking it to the side like a pin cushion.
"Just how I've always wanted you." Mike said softly. "A pin-up girl for me to look at and admire. When you left, I was really sad. I had no one to play with and no one to love. But what you did to me a few days ago really hurt me. I'm going to make sure that you feel what I felt when you dragged your nails across my face, how you wrapped that wire around my neck so slowly that every movement I made felt as if it was the last sensation I'd ever feel in my life. I'm going to make you realize the pain you put me through when you took away my manhood."
Kirin smiled through a transitioning haze. "I was doing you a favor. You never really used it with anyone else but yourself, so I saved you the trouble of going through disappointment. Besides, I would die first before there was a world full of little Mike's. In fact, 'little' is the understatement of the year."
"You little bitch. I'm going to kill you once and for all!"
Kirin's screens turned yellow, shutting down and booting up with the coveted ZERO system. Readings began scrolling on her screens, the radar was emitting high beeps and clicks, warning her of the oncoming danger. Scenarios ran through her mind: the destruction of Gundam Centaur, total annihilation to the piloted Cancers, the legions of Leo's, Virgo's, and Aries turned to dust. The space port would be barely left standing, the production workers would be caught in the aftermath, and chaos, chaos, chaos.
"Kirin?" It was Quatre again. The others were huddled around the port console, watching Kirin's every move. "What happened, you blacked out for a moment."
A smile played over Kirin's lips. She leaned forward in her seat, eyes obstructed by her silver hair. She petted the screen lovingly, purring in a quite whisper. "Don't worry about me. I have everything under control."
Archangel reached for the lance and pulled it out of its chest cavity slowly. It gazed at the weapon for a brief moment before raising its head and opening its jaw. Never before had it happened previously, but before Centaur could react, Archangel's jaw snapped shut, breaking the beam lance and leaving nothing but floating particles of metal and thermal radiation. Once green and now red, Archangel's eye flickered and remained fixated on Centaur. Its wings unfurled form its back and began to gather energy, not even caring that the marine life was going to die. It stepped forward, keeping Centaur in its sights. On its radar, two white blips rushed towards Archangel where the red blips began to gather.
"What the hell is going on?" Mike demanded. He had three primary weapons left. It was Kirin's fault that he didn't have any more weapons. He could have had her dead with a few rounds from his gattling gun. All that was left was his head cannon, arm cannon, and sword. He took a chance with his beam sword and ignited the weapon. "I don't care what Lee says, I'm going to end this all now."
"Try it." Kirin dared him. She licked her lips and gripped the hand controls in a white-knuckle grasp. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."
Centaur shoved its beam sword into the leg of Archangel. Without faltering, Archangel used its free leg and jerked hard against Centaur's shoulder, dislodging the massive limb from its joint. Wires began sparking, the Gundam lurched and jerked. The remaining enemy Gundams made a half-circle behind Centaur while Dragon Slayer and Morning Star took Archangel's back.
"Kirin, you ok?" Shin asked. She stared at the screen which showed Kirin laughing maniacally. "Damn it. We won't be able to reach her anymore. Not until this is over."
"She's gone, isn't she?" Yume sighed regretfully. She popped her neck and her fingers and issued a series of buttons. "I got the ones to the right, Shin. You get Alan and Brad."
"I don't see why we can't get the ones closest to us." Shin replied, absently.
"We're trying to confuse them. We don't want to make it too easy for them. Besides, Kirin's got Mike and Byron. "Six of them, three of us. Break them in pairs." Yume replied.
"Right."
Slayer jumped backwards, giving space between itself and Archangel. It charged over Morning Star's head, just as Shin accelerated forward to the left. Archangel stood still, even as its partner's met with their enemies.
Archangel released the charge on its wings. It flashed forward, catching Centaur and Musca squarely in the chest. Archangel's beam-arrow was primed and ready, shooting short blasts of green energy, each one centered in the cockpit region. Along the way, Archangel managed to pick up its saber and began to strike at the suddenly immobile Gundams. Flashes of green flickered as she tore into metal and wire, opening a hole appearing just at the hip region of Mike's Gundam. Musca regained some mobility and tried using its saber to fend off Archangel.
With one hand striking at Centaur's weak spot, Archangel's other hand reached for its buster rifle. Even as the buster rifled charged, Musca's pilot was stupid enough to think that versus the rifle, a saber was able to withstand such a force. It still came forward, still attending to its fallen comrade. The barrel of the rifle glowed white-hot and released a single fat beam of energy directly hitting the cockpit. Musca literally flew through the water, slammed hard into the underwater mountain and nearly shattered. Musca's head cracked, its arms flailed uselessly, its legs stiffened, a gaping hole to where the cockpit should have been. There was a small figure floating to the surface, face down with a small ribbon of red floating after it. After a few seconds, Musca exploded in a brilliant flash, causing the earth to tremble at its passing.
Archangel's gun-arm turned to Centaur who began backing away. "What about you, Mike? You ready to be put down like a dog?"
"Fuck you, Shido." And like the coward he was, he shot at Archangel with its arm cannon. He escaped, leaving the rest of his comrades behind, not caring that they would think him pathetic and weak. What didn't kill him would make him stronger. He'd come to fight another day.
Archangel watched as Centaur shot out of the water. And because she didn't care, Archangel raised its gun-arm into Centaur's passing, and charged it to its full capacity. After a few seconds, the rifle let out another steady stream of power. She could barely make what was above her, but the explosions were enough to encourage a smile upon the pilot's face. Inside, Kirin was laughing as if it were the greatest comedy she had ever seen. She turned back to the other battles in the water. No, she wouldn't help. There was a whole battalion that she needed to massacre. She'd might as well respect their wishes.
Archangel uncovered its wings once more and shot upwards, forgetting about the current repairs it desperately needed. It shot out of the water and floated high above the sea, the pilot's eyes staring down at the gathering fleet. Yes, a massacre was in place.
Slayer watched Archangel leave the underwater battlefield. Yume turned back to the two women that were an enigma to her. She remembered Kirin mentioning two Gundams that she hadn't yet inspected. As for the other two, she knew Shin could handle them, especially if one was her old boyfriend. Slayer reached for a large weapon from its back, and like its design, hung by a thick wire at its side like a yo-yo. Inside the other cockpits, she could hear laughing. "Oh, think this is a joke, eh?"
Slayer began to swing the large yo-yo around its head, creating a whirlpool of water. Cetus and Dorado continued to watch, still entertained by the fact that the Gundam was swinging a Gundam-sized child's toy. In the midst of the yo-yo spinning, Yume pressed a button that released several diamond tipped curved spikes on her secret weapon. She thanked Kirin for the present and made sure she'd put it to good use. With the yo-yo still in motion, Slayer swung it closer to Cetus who stood like an idiot. The spikes hit Cetus on the side of its head, knocking the Gundam clear across the water. The spinning yo-yo faltered then moved the opposite way, striking Dorado. Now that the two were separated, she'd get some work done.
Placing the yo-yo back onto Slayer, it advanced to Cetus who was barely aware of what had happened. Slayer ignited its three-branched thermal weapon and spun it quickly in its hands. It raced towards Cetus and pinned it to the ground, letting loose a series of shots to Cetus' head. Slayer then released several homing missiles to Dorado who thought it could sneak up on it while it was busy with Cetus.
Cetus was still fidgeting under Slayer's weapon but managed a series of bullets to knock Slayer back a few feet. Slayer spun the thermal in its hands and began jabbing hard at Cetus' midsection. Slayer managed to stick it hard into Cetus' gut and lift it unceremoniously into the air. Swinging towards Dorado, the two Gundams smashed into each other with a hard enough boom that had the ocean floor resounding. Slayer began powering up its shoulder cannons, aimed directing for the head of both Gundams. One thing she learned was that if she disabled the head first, the screens in the cockpit would blank. Everyone knew that if you had to fight an enemy, you had to see it first.
Slayer let fly two beams onto the heads of Cetus and Dorado. Both Gundams flung its head back as if sucker-punched and flew, together, against the side of the mountain. Wires exposed in the head flickered and flashed. Cetus and Dorado remained still even as Slayer came forward, homing missiles armed and ready.
"Yume."
Distracted, Yume turned to the screen closest to her. "What, Heero? I'm almost done here."
"Kirin needs your help on the surface. As soon as you and Shin are done down there, attend to Kirin. She's losing blood."
"I'll be up in a minute." Yume grinned, teeth bared. She eyed Cetus and Dorado, both were as blind as bats. She pushed a button near one of her manual controls and braced for the ride.
Slayer shifted its weight and removed the yo-yo from its back once again. Glowing with energy, the blades protruded farther from its cover, sparkling with a dangerous light. Like before, Slayer began to spin the yo-yo wide overhead until it became a blur of silver and green energy. Timing it perfectly, Slayer released the hold of the yo-yo which landed between Cetus and Dorado. A white flash emitted from the yo-yo, releasing the charge as well as silver spikes shooting out to destroy the Gundams.
Above surface, a geyser of water shot through from the water, bringing Cetus and Dorado up in the torrent. They disabled and nearly destroyed Gundams landed hard on the beach, arms and limbs dislodged, wires sparkling, and system in total shutdown.
Slayer floated above surface for a moment, waiting for the Gundams to arise again. Yume didn't mind using her weapon's special again. It would just mean her Gundam would have to charge for a week or so. When both Gundams didn't respond to Slayer's thermal staff prodding, it turned, going airborne.
Half a mile down, Archangel was in a circle of death. However, Kirin, in her current state of mind, saw the odds as good. She'd use anything and everything in her disposal to rid of the battalion of ships and dolls. Yume had to check her energy gauge on her yo-yo to make sure that it had enough to help out her friend. This was as much use as the yo-yo had gotten in awhile. She was glad Kirin had finally agreed to add it to her weapon list. Now, it was point break. If her yo-yo survived the next battle, she just might ask Kirin for another one and discard her thermal staff.
Morning Star was flung hard into the side of the mountain. Just minutes ago, herself, Alan, and Brad were underwater. Somehow they had gotten out of the water and onto the beach. The space port was only meters away and one wrong attack could have the people end up in a watery grave. Shin tried to judge distance between herself and the port. Her weapon's special, when she had clearance, would disable anything within a mile radius and destroy anything in between. She had to make sure that destroying her friends wasn't a part of it.
Alan, Shin's old boyfriend, was stalking towards her with Cerberus. Brad was coming up from behind, Lacerta's left arm extended and beam tail gleaming in the early rays of the sun. They moved as one unit, hitting her from both sides. Cerberus unhooked one of its buster rifles from its back and aimed at Star's head. Lacerta let fly several projectiles which hit Star at all directions. Cerberus came forward again, buster rifle charged and ready. Alan didn't care for the woman inside the cockpit. Like Mike, he only wanted a warm body.
Star turned in time just as Cerberus let out a wave of energy. Just as Star fell, it's chest cannon began to charge. At the same time, Star let loose a round of bullets at Lacerta while trying to get back to its feet. With Lacerta at bay and Cerberus charging, Star drew its S-shaped double-sided scythe and swiped at Cerberus who ducked in time. With Cerberus on low, Star let out the charge on its chest, blasting Alan back into the water. With only Brad, she knew she could take him, no problem.
Lacerta shifted and rushed past Star, tail failing and burning like trail of fire. Star sidestepped, grabbing at the base of the tail. With concentrated hit to the back, Star had purposely hit the self-destruct button. Lacerta thrashed again like a wild animal, shooting its shoulder cannons at Star's feet.
Star shot several missiles at Cerberus who emerged from the water and was too close for comfort. Throwing Lacerta like a rag doll into Cerberus, Star jumped into the air and activated its thrusters. It was airborne for a moment before jumping away from the presence of the space port. Further out to sea, Shin could see Archangel and Dragon Slayer fighting the battalion. She couldn't see the other enemy Gundams, but knew that Kirin had at least gotten one of them.
Cerberus and Lacerta were tangled in one another, Lacerta's Gundam still emitting a high frequency of warning. Cerberus pushed at Lacerta and directed itself directly at Morning Star. Buster rifle and scythe met in a flash of silver. Cerberus powered up its rifle while Star's scythe burned too close to home near Cerberus' cockpit. They stayed close until Star pulled back, just as Lacerta tried an attack from behind.
"Brad, you idiot! I had her!" Alan screamed. Sweat poured off his forehead as he maneuvered the manual controls to try and parry Star's scythe. She had gotten three good hits and no more. He was going to blast the bitch to the ends of the earth.
"I had an open shot!" Brad replied. "It doesn't work if we keep pissing on each other. In order for us to get her, we have to work as one, Alan!"
"Fine!" With that accentuated, Cerberus lurched forward and pinned Star's arms at its side. "Attack her now!"
Lacerta shot forward, shoulder cannons flaring. The thermal tail flailed after it, striking across Star's abdomen. Cerberus turned and firmly planted Star into the sand, handing Lacerta its buster rifle.
"Charge it and shoot! Just make sure you don't hit me, Brad!" Alan had moved the Gundam a little ways to give Brad a clear shot to the back of Star's head. With the head disable, the rest of the body would blow.
Lacerta looked awkward with Cerberus' black buster rifle. Nonetheless, the rifle began to charge, white particles gathering at the barrel. Star began to shift under Cerberus, while inside Shin was screaming.
"They're gonna finish me off!" Shin screamed at the screens. "Yume! Kirin!"
"Good-bye, Shin." Alan whispered. "It was fun while it lasted."
Star's arms were neatly pinned at its sides, back exposed and vulnerable. It shifted slightly to look face to face with Alan's buster rifle. It struggled harder, trying to free its arms and reach its scythe. "Damn it! Someone, help!"
The charge of the buster rifle hit close to Star's head. Turning, both Gundams looked to Lacerta who was caught in a strangle hold by Archangel. Archangel lifted Lacerta from its feet and tossed it into the ocean with Slayer standing by.
Cerberus rose and met Archangel's next attack, shoving the silver Gundam into the water. Archangel grabbed at Cerberus' arms and jerked, ripping the limps from its sockets. Cerberus, knowing that it could no longer fight, turned to leave.
"Brad, let's go! We've lost this battle!" Alan began swearing even as Star got to its feet with Archangel standing like a demon, with red eyes, and its wings unfurled. "Brad!"
Lacerta's head was floating on the surface of the ocean. Slayer stood to Archangel's left, the spikes on its massive yo-yo receding into its cover. The three Gundams stood as one, staring down at Cerberus who had nothing else but to self-destruct.
"Leave while you still can." Shin said softly. "Kirin won't be so merciful next time."
Cerberus let out a strangled howl and shot up into the air. It sped across the ocean and passed the broken battalions. Their first real battle in a few months and they were beaten horribly by the Triad. When Lee found out, heads would be rolling, aside from Lacerta's.
Shin tuned to Kirin and Yume's frequency's. "Hey, you guys okay?"
"I'm good." said Yume. "What about you, Shin? Kirin?"
"A little freaked." Shin admitted. "I thought they had me. Thanks, Kirin."
Kirin was quiet. She sat in her cockpit, blood seeping over her eyebrow. There was a wound on her mouth when her teeth had clamped down. During the battle with the battalion, she had been tossed around like a puppet on strings. The damn legions of Aries, Leos, and Virgos had reached a high of five hundred each. There was more coming, but judging how the battle was weighing, Lee must have called back the reserves.
If Kirin was right, she knew that Lee would have Mike's head for going into battle without his permission. That little glimmer of rebelliousness would get Mike into more trouble than trying to jack-off with something he no longer has.
A smile appeared on Kirin's face. The aftereffects of the ZERO system were quickly fading. A laugh emerged from Kirin's throat and she threw her head back and laughed as maniacally and demonically as she could. She continued laughing even as her cockpit opened and Yume and Shin stared at her with worried eyes.
"Kirin, come, let's get back to the port. Everyone's waiting for us." Shin pulled at Kirin's right arm while Yume tugged at her left. "Come on, Kirin. That's enough. The battle's over."
Kirin slid from her seat and into the arms of her friends. Still hysterical and sliding into shock, Kirin nuzzled her head against Yume and Shin. "The battle would never be over until the bastard dies."
"Let's get in inside. She's lost a lot of blood." Shin began to lift Kirin onto her shoulders.
"That's never stopped her before." Yume murmured. "Heero will be pissed he missed all the fun."
"He'll be even more upset if Kirin is bleeding to death."
With much difficulty, Shin and Yume managed to get Kirin down in one piece. Even as they stood for a moment, gazing at the droplets of blood in the sand, a jeep filled to the rim with people sped towards them.
"Shin! Yume! Kirin!" Quatre called, jumping before the jeep could stop. "Are you all right?"
"We're fine." replied Shin. She let Kirin slide to the sand and waved a hand at her. "Except Kirin. She's a bit bloodied and bruised."
Trowa slid out of the passenger's seat. "There's a medic and a transport for the Gundams coming. Heero's with them."
Yume helped Kirin prop herself against Archangel's foot. "Send out a ship towards the northwest section of the ocean. There should be some parts there that we can salvage."
"I'll go." said Duo, standing on one of the seats on the jeep. "I'm pretty good at salvaging parts."
"Take someone with you." said Quatre. "For precaution."
Wufei gazed at the battle marks on all three Gundams. "If I had known that we would have been attacked so early in the morning, I would have called for the Preventers sooner."
"You didn't know." said Shin. "Except Kirin. I wish we could have woken up the first time."
Zero sat in the driver's seat of the jeep. "That was exciting, though I wish I knew what Kirin meant by she had everything under control. If she did have everything under control, why is she the one all busted up?"
"You try fighting against six." said Wufei. "Those Gundams were dishonorable. I'm disappointed Shido didn't finish them all off."
"Hey," said Shin. "We were there, too, remember?"
Yume didn't comment that Shin was almost destroyed. Kirin, once again, had saved her. Shin was a good pilot, more so for support, but wasn't as good as herself and Kirin who battled each other almost everyday on the Forgotten Colony.
The sirens of the ambulance became louder as they neared. Each one could tell that Heero was driving with Poa driving one of the transport trucks. Ayako was sitting beside her in the passenger's seat while Mark drove the second and one of Zero's pirates drove the third.
Yume looked up as Heero and several personnel emerged from the ambulance. "Well, the gangs all here."
"How is she?" Heero asked, as he passed Yume and kneeled next to Kirin.
"Gee, I'm fine, bro. Thank you for asking. Shin's okay, too. We're not hurt at all. Oh, and Kirin's lost a lot of blood and is probably going into shock. But I suppose you were so worried about me that you could look at Kirin later." Yume crossed her arms even as Heero lifted Kirin into his arms and glared at her. "Don't mind me, I'm just a poor second to her."
"I don't see you doubled over in pain or slumped on your side." Heero snapped. "When that happens, I'll ask."
Yume would have flipped Heero off, just because she'd feel better, but knew that Heero hadn't gotten into the 'brother ideology' in his mind yet. She'd let it pass. For now.
Heero place Kirin on a stretcher and watched grimly as the medical technicians began to clean up the blood and bandage wounds. Most of Kirin's injuries were at the head with a cut above her right eyebrow, one at the corner of her mouth, and a massive blow to the back of the head. She must have been shaken like a rattle. He could see the blood staining the back of her suit and some deep scratches on her arm. How did she get those? He ripped at the fabric and found there were several long scratches from her elbow to her forearm. She had scratched herself. For what? "What were you doing, Kirin?"
At her silence, Heero shook his head and nodded to the medics. "Take her inside. When Sally Po arrives, tell her to take a look at Kirin. This is priority."
"Yes, sir."
Heero moved away from the ambulance and turned to the others who were gazing at the repairs needed to be made on the Gundams. He moved towards the front of Archangel and looked up, the red lights in Archangel's eyes were fading and returning to the usual green. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the others. "We're starting production now. I'll repair the Gundams while the rest of you tend to your other duties."
"I'm going to salvage parts." Duo announced. He pointed into the sea. "Yume said there's some parts we could use out there."
"Then do it and hurry back." Heero turned to Trowa. "And you?"
"I'll help repair. Two is better than one."
"Fine." He looked at Shin and Yume. "One or both of you will have to go to the other production plants to ensure the mobile dolls are going on as scheduled. Quatre, get the rest of the plants in our name and ask Rasheed to man one of them. Wufei, you'll man the Preventers and the space port for the time being. Zero, your pirates will have to keep a low profile, but you'll go with Duo and salvage the parts. If there's anything you like, you can keep, except those beneficial to the repairs. You'll keep them as payments. Ayako-"
"Kirin has already given me a job. Before any of this happened." Ayako replied. "She's giving me a week to do it."
"All right." Heero slowly nodded his head. "A week. We work fast and efficiently, I'm not giving Lee another chance to attack us."
Mark stood beside himself, simmering with anger. Heero had purposely avoided him. He looked at Poa who didn't seem to mind. He turned just as Heero got into the jeep with the other pilots. "Hey, what do I do?"
Heero glared at him. "Help Poa. Get the Gundams on the transports and whatever she asks you to do, do it."
"What?" Mark looked at Poa who smiled. She certainly knew what she was doing. Heero had intentionally put her in charge instead of him. "This is bullshit."
"I don't care. I don't have time to give orders to everyone. When Poa gives an order, follow it, or else you'll deal with me."
Mark watched as the others began to branch off to do their own assigned jobs. He turned to Poa, trying not to sulk. "What do you want me to do?"
"Well, then, lad, put these Gundams on the truck." She turned to Morning Star before stopping and looking at him. "And don't sulk. That's an order."
Mark swore viciously as he moved towards Dragon Slayer. He wasn't going to even think about touching Archangel in fear of it self-detonating with him in it. Who knew what Kirin did to rig that Gundam?