A/N: Another Chapter up about the strange things happening in the tournament! No Gundam fights in this one, mostly talking. But oh well. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

Lord Darkflame: Hey, glad you liked it. There'll be more from where that came from, rest assured.. But Alex won't have a Shuffle Crest for two reasons: One, I want to stay true to the original series, and second… I can't quite think up what it would be.

Saffron: Well, for the first question, look at what I said to Lord Darkflame. Second, read the chapter to find out. And don't worry, there will be plenty of Sai/Cecil in this story, including when Alex and him fight.

            Rain looked out of the transport's window and sighed. She, Allenby, and Domon had taken off as soon as everything had been loaded onto the transport, which had taken about an hour. But she still couldn't understand why Argo was so troubled by this incident. As she stared at the sky, memories came back to her…

**flashback**

            Everything was so dark, so… cold. Every part of her body was enslaved, tearing her mind away. She couldn't understand why he had done this. Why Major Ulube had done this to her. She was treated like some part of a machine, ensnared in the Devil Gundam's grasp. She couldn't understand.

            A voice broke through the silence. It was familiar, but threatening. It was… Domon? Was that his name, the man that she… loved? No, her body told her, he is an enemy. Destroy him! Destroy him, before he destroys you! You and the Gundam! That is all you need!

            Willingly, her body obeyed the commands, the only sign of her thoughts a tear running down her cheek…

**end flashback**

            Another tear went down her cheek, as she remembered what it was like to be the servant of evil, to become a helpless slave to a… a machine's will. She hoped that nothing like that was going on, that Alex would be able to avoid a similar fate to what had happened to her. But the incidents seemed too similar to be just coincidences. More than likely, something terrible had attacked the fighter, and she hoped that nothing had permanently damaged him. Mostly because of Allenby. Before, she had been jealous of the younger woman, for getting Domon's attention and respect like she had never had. But now, she wanted her to be happy. Alex was the only one she had been connected to this way in four years. She loved him, that was plain to see. A crush, really.  Much like what she had had on Domon. But now, she had no one in her way.

            Domon was stretched across the seat next to her, fast asleep. Allenby was off checking on the Gundam. Wiping the tear away with one hand, Rain walked up to the cockpit, and prepared to take the transport down to land…

            The first thing that Allenby felt as she walked out of the door of the transport was the wind. Harsh and cold, it bit at her face, tearing away the warmth. Hastily, she put some mittens on, then stepped out of the transport fully. Snow whipped around her in a blanket, melting on her cheeks. Domon and rain followed, Rain in a parka, and Domon in his usual attire. She still couldn't understand how he could survive like that.

            Before them, two shapes came out of the sheet of white. Argo and Nastasha walked foreword, and stood before the group. For a few seconds no one spoke. Then, Argo's face broke into a small smile. "It's good to see you, Domon."

            The tension broke, as Domon grinned broadly. Holding out his hand, he shook Argo's, which was about twice the size. Nastasa still had her riding crop out, but her face told them that she was not mad at all. Smiling, she greeted Rain and walked away with her, starting a discussion. Argo's face once again returned to the stone-like expression that it usually had on. "Domon, you need to talk to Alex immediately. He's not doing well."

Turning to Allenby, he said, "You should come as well. You might be the only way we can do this. Hurry."

            With that, Domon and Allenby followed Argo inside of the complex that served as the Neo Russian base. Allenby began to feel scared, hoping it wouldn't be as bad as she thought…

            Inside, Argo led them through a twisting corridor to a simple door with a small, one way window. Inside, Alex was on his bed, curled up in a ball. Tears were running down his cheeks, as he slowly rocked back and forth.

            Allenby was shocked. This was very different from the eager, confident young man that they had left behind in Neo England. Looking up at Argo, she cleared her throat. "Um… Argo? Is it alright if I go in there and see him?"

            The huge man looked down at her. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I think that's what would be best."

            Allenby quietly opened the door and entered the room. As she closed the door, Alex slowly looked up at her. "A…Allenby? Is that you?"

            She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. "Alex, what's wrong? What happened to you?"

            Alex remained quiet. Then, he started to talk. "It… it was terrible, Allenby. You don't understand. You don't know what it's like."

            Putting an arm around him, she hugged him. "It's ok, Alex. I'm here. Can you tell me what happened?"

            Taking a deep breath, Alex started. "It happened one week ago. Two days before the start of the tournament. I had gotten word that one of the prototypes that was in the hanger of our colony had been stolen. It seemed no concern to me. Then, I got word of the man who had stolen it. I… I couldn't believe them." Alex wiped the tears away with one hand. "The man in the picture? The one I keep showing to everyone? His name is John Walters. He was like a father to me… even more than that. He was my best friend."

            Taking another breath, Alex continued. "He took care of me after my parents… well, I guess I should explain. Thirteen years ago, my parents were on their way top see me here on Earth. But something went wrong. Their shuttle exploded right over the city I was in. After that, I was alone. I have no other relations- no brothers, sisters, uncles, anything. I was the only one left." A small smile crossed his face. "That's when John found me. I was wandering the streets, trying to get money from begging, when I ran into him. He had no other family as well- we were like the same person. He took me in, raised me like a son. But five years ago, I told him that I wanted to go to the colony. After I left, he came to visit, occasionally. But I haven't heard from him in a year."

            He sighed. "That thing that attacked me? It's called the Satan Gundam. It was designed for one purpose only,"

            "War."

            Allenby was terrified. "You mean…?"

            Alex quickly looked at her. "No, not that. We never planned to start a war with anyone.  You remember in FC 52, when all the colonies were arguing with each other?" Allenby nodded. "Well, our government thought that war was near. So we sent agents to each colony to find out if there would be any useful information that we could use."

            "And you found out about the Devil Gundam and the Nano-technology."

            Alex spun around. The door was open, and Domon was standing there. The Neo Canadian sighed. "Yes. We decided to build a Gundam that would outlast any other, if push came to shove and a war started. But something was wrong. Every test pilot they used couldn't be removed from the Gundam. It was as if they had become one. With a shared spirit, soul, mind. Every one of them died once removed. The Satan Gundam was put into cold storage, once things had smoothed out. But for some reason, Jonathon stole it. He changed. Before, he wouldn't do anything to me. Now, all he wants to do is kill me. I don't know why."

            Domon looked at the young man with pity. "Alex, I know how it is to have to fight a loved one. I had to fight my brother, my teacher, even my wife. Two of them died because of me. I know how you feel, and if you ever need anything, you can just call Rain, Allenby, or me. Or any of the Shuffles, once we're all introduced. Alright?"

            Alex managed a weak grin. "Yeah. Great."

            Domon smiled back. "Good. Now, I'll just leave you two alone for a bit. Besides, I have to find Rain." With that, he walked out the door.

            Allenby looked back at Alex. He seemed more relaxed now, calmer. But tears were still running down his cheeks. Leaning closer, Allenby gently pulled his face up until it was level with hers. "Alex, listen. No matter what happens, we'll be here for you. Understand?"

            Alex nodded, and Allenby hugged him again, and then smiled. "So… do you like video games?"   

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