They all stared at the person whom stood before them, mouths slightly ajar.
"YOU'RE the new Gundam Pilot?" Scoffed Wufei, in a less than friendly tone.
"Why yes I am. Do you have a problem with that?" She answered, glaring at him coldly as her tone changed from soft to harsh.
Breaking the tension, Duo looked at her. "What's your name? You seem a bit too young to be a pilot."
She smiled and laughed. "Well, my name is Shita Maki, and for your information, I'm 19-years-old. I will pilot the Gundam of Shadows."
"Aren't you against us in this battle, however?" Trowa piped in. "I mean, your whole corporation's motive is---"
"The motive is to bring about a purifying act of this world. My father believes in the ways of Christianity and follows the Bible and its words as if it were a sin not to do so. He also believes that even with the peace between the colonies and Earth, that this world is condemned to Hell if the scum is not sent away." She only shook her head is dismay, "Meaning, he's going to follow the testaments of the Bible in order to bring about a world of only purified people."
Sally looked to Shita with interest. "So really, he just wants to see what people God saves for they and they alone are pure. Is that it?"
"Exactly."
"This is a bit more complex then we first thought then."
Shita turned her head in the direction of the speaker and her eyes fell upon Heero. She gasped. "Heero Yuy, or rather, Darlian. The predecessor of the step towards peace, I'm surprised to see you here. But then again, maybe not as much as I thought I would have been."
Heero merely inclined his head with a nod.
"Too bad Quatre isn't here, he'd think of something. Some course of action." Duo muttered as he fiddled idly with his braid.
"…" Trowa returned to his silent self, deciding not to comment again. It was probably the hardest for him, than anyone else, to allow the Arabian to stay where he remained. It had been a long time of their separation, and Trowa had hoped to spend time catching up, but it was not to be.
Duo noticed his mistake, and quickly changed the subject. "So, why do you want to help us again?"
"Because I know my father is in the wrong. Killing innocent people in the ways that he will, won't bring salvation, but only more suffering. The Gundams he got for myself and two others, to say in the least, they're fakes. Shinji Motowatsu and Raems Takero are my companions. They are in on the scheme and are willing to do what orders follow."
The dog tag upon Dorothy's neck glistened in the sunlight and she asked Shita calmly, "What is the name of your father?"
"Daimon Maki. Why do you ask?"
Shaking her head, Dorothy smiled. "No reason in particular."
**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
"Sir, the virus has been completed and several thousand capsules have been filled. Everything else is in place and your soldiers await further orders." The vid.com shut off with the report of the soldier, and the man upon the receiver smiled with contempt.
"Excellent. You serve me well, Commander Ziet. Shinji, Raems!"
"Hai?" The answer came in unison from the two young men who stood side-by-side, shoulders almost touching. [1]
"Have either of you seen Shita, it is almost time to begin."
"No, Sir."
"Well find her. Your Gundams await their pilots, and there will be no room for faults."
"Hai."
The two passed a nod between each other as they bowed and left the command center. Now was the time to act, before innocent bystanders would be pulled into the mayhem of another war to come.
Tilting her head, Shita saw the two forms of Shinji and Raems coming this way. She waved, resisting the urge to shout out to them, for the risk of a soldier overhearing. Both nodded their heads, and walked over to where she stood with the others.
"I take it these are the notorious Gundam Pilots of Operation Meteor?" Inclined Shinji, a tall man with short flaming red hair as well as amber eyes. His garb was that of a uniform that all three of them wore, a black top decorated with various white feathers that were embroidered; the bottom hanging a bit below the red sash used for a belt, covering the top of the white pants which were trimmed with red.
"Of course they are, who else would they be?" Answered the shorter of the two, Raems. He had slightly longer hair the color of ebony black which hung to his mid back in a low set ponytail contrasting with his violet eyes.
Shaking her head, Shita motioned to the two as she spoke their names. "This is Shinji, and the other is Raems. Shinji pilots Gundam Mystic, and Rames, Gundam Lunar."
"Shita, your father sent us to look for you, he said that the preparations are all ready, and that it's time to attack. There isn't much time if you're going to fill everyone in with the information needed. As long as your father, Commander Daimon doesn't see all three of us together, we'll be set."
"I know, Raems. Shinji, would you mind filling in the rest of the information? I've told the motives, and a bit of my father. Raems, you come with me, we need to make sure that that virus doesn't get out." With a nod, Raems followed Shita.
"Wait! You never said anything about a virus!" Sally called after the two, but received no answer. She sighed.
"I'm assuming that Shita explained of her father's way of following the Bible, yes?"
"Indeed she did." Answered Trowa.
"Well, to be more precisely, he's following Moses' Plagues upon Egypt. He's been working on this project for quite some time now, and it is very delicately mapped out. Almost flawless. The virus has been specially created by the scientists of his laboratories and is to only seek out the cells within the eldest son of every family. I'm surprised it was actually a successful transmit." Shinji continued his explanation.
Duo froze, his mouth hanging open, eyes wide with horror. "Koin…"
All present looked at him, but it was Heero who placed a reassuring hand upon his shoulder. "Don't worry, Duo. We'll stop them before anything goes wrong. Your son isn't going to die."
Looking to Heero with a slightly scared expression, Duo fought his best to nod and remain strong. After all, he'd have to be strong so that he didn't jeopardize the mission.
"I noticed you picked the phrasing 'almost flawless', Shinji." Mused Wufei speaking up again. "Do you know the flaws?"
Shinji merely laughed, though all knew this was something to be taken lightly. "Of course. If I didn't, I don't know where we'd be."
Wufei scoffed at being shown off, and folded his arms across his chest, only to be chuckled at by Sally.
**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
Back in the large office building, Quatre was pacing his steps over and over, with a worried expression planted all over his face. He had left his comrades to fight a battle against the odds of the world. He had so foolishly backed out of it, using the excuse that he had family. Duo had family, and so did Heero from what Trowa said, and yet they were risking it all just to save the world.
"Quatre Raberba Winner. Born Pacifist, not a world saver…" He muttered beneath his breath as he stopped pacing to stare out the large window. Looking down, he saw the actions of the people in the city, bustling about doing their work without a care in the world.
They didn't know.
They didn't know their lives were in danger and yet, he knew, and here he was standing, doing nothing. No. This wasn't the Quatre he had become those years back, this wasn't the Quatre his friends had depended upon. This was the childish Quatre who always depended upon his sisters to take care of him, the one who he thought he had left behind with his dead father and sister.
"What do I do…?" Quatre asked, his hand upon the window. "Should I fight, or should I be a spectator?"
[1]: For those of you who do not know Japanese, "hai" can be translated to either "yes" or "yes sir".