Dark Entity: @--;-
Return of a Legend
By: CrimsonDaybreak 2003 (aka. Shukujo Une. or Cat) Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gundam Wing, its characters, its plot, or the rights to mess with Lady Une-and everyone else's-mind. hehehe. I wish I did, but I don't. yet. Dedicated to: My really cool English teacher!! ^_- LCS RULZ!!!
Note: Dark Entity was re-titled from my previous fic: "MSGW II: Return of a Legend".
*********************************************************************
The Eve of Wars was a legend,
The Romafeller was a legend,
The Gundams were a legend,
Etched into the pages of new MS history.
.But only four years later, a new legend is born; alas not without help from the past. Who is the new threat to the World Nation? And who are the familiar faces that have returned to center stage in this new and dangerous revolution? When trouble that has secretly been brewing on the L2 finally makes a move for Earth, the Preventers are caught off guard and completely powerless. or so it seemed. With Lady Une at the helm of the Preventers Organization, and the Gundam pilots at her side, the Earth heads for an uncertain future. Like once before, this fire won't be so easy to put out.
*********************************************************************
Rating: PG-13 [for language, violence, and sexual reference] Author's notes: OK, apologies in advance 4 the following story quirks-
- Revolutionists speaking in half English and half German.
- Duo infiltrating secret bases, NOT Trowa.
- Other characters speaking random Japanese phrases.
- Zechs/Noin coming back from Mars married, but WITHOUT children.
- Lady Une having really freaky psychotic dreams.
- Any random references to Sailor Moon and its plot.
- The use of Christmas Eve to break out the climax in the 'war' for
sentimental purposes towards the Eve of Wars three years ago.
And of course:
Relena being a part of this story. .
Well, enough with the bore-you-to-death intro, and ON TO THE STORY!! (yay.) ^__^
*********************************************************************
CHAPTER ONE: AWAITING REBIRTH
LaGrange Point Two Colony: August 12, 199 A.C.
A young officer strode swiftly down the marble corridor, his black regiment boots tapping lightly against the ground. He made a quick turn and knocked twice on the solid oak door. "Wer1?" came a strong voice from the other side. "I am officer zero-seven." "Herein2." The officer opened the door and stood before the council. He waited for a nod of approval from one of the men before speaking, and then he turned to the man sitting at the head of the table. "Herr3, the preparations have been completed." "Everything is ready for launch, then?" "Yes, Herr." "I see," he mumbled, running a gloved hand through his wavy brown hair. The man stood up from the head of the table, dismissing the officer with a swift gesture of his hand, and then he turned to the others who sat with him. "My friends, it has begun," he said. "The Neu-Ro shall launch for Earth morgen Abend4, at 2100 hours, when the night falls upon the colony." They nodded. "We await the rebirth, Count Dreizehn5, and we know that it is safe in your hands," an older, slightly rounded man, declared amiably, his thick German accent distinguished in his practised English. "The General was on his mark when he chose you." The others agreed readily with enthusiastic applause. "You do me too much honour, Count Zwei5," the young man laughed, his blue eyes sparkling, and then he turned again to the others. "Danke schön6, all of you." He bowed and quickly saluted them before taking his seat once more. "But there is still the matter of our codenames to be dealt with. Shall we be keeping them when we reach the Earth?" "Nein7. Most likely not," another man with a thick white beard said softly. The blue-eyed count looked at him with blatant curiosity. "And why would we not, dear Count Vierzehn5? Ich verstehe nicht8... Your motives, I mean..." The older man smiled. "And why would you not use your real name? I do not mean we completely abandon our titles. I just ask: would the Earth not take us more seriously if they heard of you, not as a codename, but as the valiant knight of the stellar battlefield? The Count-..." The blue-eyed man held his hand up sharply to silence the other. "I see what you mean." He smiled as he remembered something. "But do not speak my name until we reach the Earth, my friend. That is a request upon a past I value as well as deeply regret. I hope you understand." The other nodded, as did the rest of the council. He stood again. "Morgen Abend?" he asked. "Morgen Abend," they agreed, and he saluted them once more before turning to leave, his hand placed firmly on the hilt of his sword. With a swish of his long, dark cape, he was gone. The heavy door closed behind him, and the men remained seated until their leader's footsteps disappeared down the dark marble corridor.
"The suit is ready, then?" Count Dreizehn asked, turning to face the mass of gleaming blue and white metal. The insignia glowed with a radiant pride; this new model marked what was soon to be the dawning of a new era. The original had met its fate gallantly and vanished upon the Eve's battlefield. Even the Count himself wondered whatever had become of the once great knight who piloted it so many years before; so many countless years and lost memories before. These were memories of a past that no one wanted to remember. A past that some could not remember.
"Yes, Herr. It will be loaded heute Abend9. As soon as the others are in place." She motioned across the hangar to where the last unit of suits were still waiting. The Count smiled at her.
"You are very efficient with your tasks, Countess Eins5, I will be glad when you are with me on the Earth..." He paused for a moment, as the young woman eyed him with undefined interest. "...Oh, how I have missed the Earth... My home... Have you ever been there, Countess?" She hesitated for a moment.
"Ja10, Herr. Once, a long, long time ago-" He turned around to face her, his blue eyes sparkling again as he gazed into the azure depths of her own.
"How foolish you must think I am to ask you," he said. "Of course you have been there. How else would you-" Dreizehn shook his head, then smiled tremulously. "Do you remember, Countess?" "Yes," she replied softly, knowing exactly of what he was speaking. "Yes, I remember. We were reckless children back then, Lord-" The Count held his hand up to silence her. She did not speak further.
"Reckless, maybe, but nonetheless life was simpler. I would have given anything to return to those days, Countess. Now it seems too late for that, but one can always hope..." He shoved aside those nostalgic thoughts. "Please, Countess, I have already explained to the rest that my name shall not be spoken again until we have reached the Earth. My name, and the name of this," he said, pointing up at the suit they had been discussing earlier. "I hope you understand."
"Ja, Herr. I will see to it that the other suits are loaded, then." She smiled, saluting her superior before turning away. The Count remained where he stood, staring up at the suit, as if he were desperately trying to remember something.
She remembers, he thought. She remembers, but I can't. He sighed deeply. My memories are faded, gone. The only ones I have left are the ones I have been told. And I have been told that she was the one... But it doesn't feel like that. She doesn't feel like the one... There was another woman... Oh, I wish I could remember who...
"Herr Dreizehn?" A voice jerked him out of his private reverie, and he turned around to face the older man.
"Guten Abend11, General," the blue-eyed Count greeted him.
*******************************************************************
"Hmmm, the new scrap yard was supposed to be here somewhere," Duo mumbled to himself. "Maybe I took a wrong turn." He returned to the back alley he had followed, scrutinizing over the directions Hilde had written down for him. Sudden voices broke him out of his thoughts, and instinctively, he ducked into the shadows.
"The last preparations have been completed," the first voice said.
"And the launch will commence heute Abend?"
"Ja." From the darkness, a suspicious Duo listened intently as the two men, who seemed to be on a cigarette break, continued to discuss the launch amongst themselves. Their heavily accented English made it hard to understand what they meant. "Herr Dreizehn and the General will travel hidden, far behind the convoy, so as not to have attention drawn to them."
"They are taking all precautions, then?"
"Ja. To make sure everything goes as planned when it begins." The two men turned and disappeared, the sound of a heavy metal door closing behind them. Duo sat in the shadows for a moment.
"Who are they? And what are they up to?" he asked himself, and then decided that he would find out. He scanned the area for the presence of anyone else, then like a snake he slipped through the shadows to where he had seen the men disappear. There was no door. "What the hell?" he asked himself. "There's nothing here."
An idea struck him then, and he began to feel of the seemingly normal brick wall, until he pinpointed a switch which was so cleverly hidden, disguised as one of the dark red bricks. He pressed down and the secret door swung open. "Who ever they are, they don't look like they want anyone to find out about them..." he muttered as he descended into the darkness that lie below.
"This is the last of them, Count," a man said, pointing to a large metal entity, draped over and hidden by an enormous dark cloth. Duo watched as it was loaded into an unmarked freighter.
"No way!" he exclaimed softly from behind the pile of crates he had chosen as his hideout. But it was. The shape that lie beneath that dark veil was unmistakably the outline of a mobile suit.
"The Earth will be taken by quite surprise, Herr," the man continued, and when the Count turned around, Duo caught a glimpse of the young man's eyes.
"Yes, my friend. Yes, they will," he said with a smile, then pointed to a carrier on the far side of the hangar. "The M-13 will travel behind the rest," he explained, "With myself, the General, and the Countess."
"I see."
"Please find the Countess Eins and tell her that I will be waiting onboard until the launch." The man nodded.
"What shall be done with this post?" the officer asked, referring to the 'base' they had set up on the L2 colony.
"Nichts12." The officer looked taken aback. "We will have no more need for it once we leave." He nodded and the officer was dismissed.
"No way," Duo whispered again. "It couldn't be..." He stood up slowly and turned to leave, but an angry voice stopped him in his tracks.
"You there, stop!" Duo froze for a moment, and then bolted out of the hangar. More angry shouts followed by footsteps chased him until he reached the door that he had taken before. "Bloody fuck!" A rain of gunshots echoed around him, and Duo found himself just barely ducking the rounds of automatic fire. He was unarmed and outnumbered, and if lady luck didn't take his side, he knew what would happen. He'd seen plenty of hell-damned corpses lying dead in their own blood, and he wasn't going to be one of them. not this time.
As he slipped into the shadows, his pursuers lost his trail, and the danger subsided.for the time being. "Close one," Duo muttered, and slipped back into the light of the colony's main streets. "Duo Maxwell!" Hilde exclaimed as he entered the apartment. "Where have you been? Have you any idea what time it is? Do you know how worried I was? What if-" She stopped when she saw the look that replaced his usually buoyant smile. "What is it?" she whispered. Duo motioned for her to sit down.
*******************************************************************
"Security systems on the south side of the colony have been disabled, we have twenty minutes to deploy before they come online again," an officer shouted from the control console of the M-13.
"Good. Tell them to open the docking port."
"Yes, Count." A warning sounded across the hangar, and all off-ship crews hurriedly put on their space helmets. The alarm grew louder as the docking port opened, and the dark vacuum of space revealed itself. "Port successfully opened, Herr. Port controls have been transferred to this console." The blue-eyed Count nodded.
"Countess."
"Yes, Herr?"
"Send the message. The first squadron of the Neu-Ro fleet deploys now."
"Yes, Herr." Visible only as streaks of stunning white light, the first group of carriers left the colony, their course plotted so that they made a generous detour around the colonies' interlocked grid security systems. "First squadron deployed successfully. Second and third squadrons are awaiting clearance, fourth, fifth and sixth on stand-by. Your orders, Count?"
"Deploy the second and third."
"Yes, Herr." Again, the carriers set out, entering the vacuum of outer space and disappearing in the sea of stars. "Second and third deployed successfully."
"Ten minutes until security systems return," an officer shouted over
the intercom. Dreizehn nodded. "Deploy the fourth and fifth. Tell all remaining off-ship crews to board the main carrier of the sixth and follow the rest."
The Countess nodded. As soon as the final fleet left the hangar, their ship began to move. Dreizehn stood resolutely and returned to his quarters as the ship completely left the colony, the port closing behind them and signifying the point of no return. They travelled at a slower pace, so not to remain with the rest of the convoy. He turned to face the Countess, who had followed him. "Herr, Count Zwei has confirmed the radar systems will be disabled on the Earth upon our arrival. The frequencies will be jammed, and then locked, and there will be no trace of the convoy as it enters the atmosphere." He nodded in acknowledgement, and she left. "The time is drawing near," Dreizehn said quietly.
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Preventers' Headquarters, Earth: August 16, 199 A.C.
A persistent rain fell from the dark night sky, drenching the city, and pounding on the glass paned windows of the Preventers' Headquarters. Thunder shook the building, and lightning illuminated the clouds, sending white-hot streaks snaking their way across the sky. "Preventer Une?" a voice echoed over the intercom. There was no answer. "Preventer Une?-Are you alright?"
She turned her chair slightly away from the window to face the vidalink. "What? Oh, Jiina, sorry. I must have drifted off..." Anna smiled. "What is it?"
"Are you alright?" Jiina asked again, noticing the distant look in Une's deep brown eyes. "You seem a bit-distracted." The young Preventer smiled and waved it off with her hand.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine, just a bit tired." She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "What was it you wanted?"
"Preventer Water is on the line for you, Ma'am."
"Thank you, Jiina."
Sally's face appeared almost immediately on the small vidalink screen. She seemed quite cheerful.
"Just thought I'd check up on things," she said as a means of greeting. "Anything happen lately?" Sally smiled again.
Une turned completely away from the window to face her friend. "Not in particular. Why are you so happy?" She eyed the other Preventer suspiciously. "It's not like there's anything pleasant about being stationed on an isolated Mediterranean island with a Chinese psychopath. I could have had you assigned to the Tokyo sector, you know." Sally just grinned more.
"Oh, the view is wonderful from here. And there's plenty of time to enjoy it, since my only job lately has been to monitor the radar systems. It's funny, the system went down without warning, and I'm trying to get it back online-Oh, well, it's just a minor technicality. The signals are being jammed; they probably locked on to some other frequency. I'll fix it. And besides, your 'psychopath' came down with the flu," she laughed. "And why, might I ask, are you in such a dreary mood?"
"Oh, just something," Anna sighed.
"Remembering something?"
"Maybe. But I told you already," she began, knowing exactly what Sally was on about, "that doesn't matter anymore. That's over and done. And it's NOT what I'm worried about." "Oh?" Sally raised her eyebrows as Une went to fetch two file folders from her filing cabinet. She opened them out and laid them on the desk in front of her.
"THIS is what's bothering me," she said in a no-questions tone of voice as she pointed to the stack of papers. "This is the report from the Mediterranean region, near your sector, Sally. There's some suspicious activity occurring near that abandoned-" Anna cringed slightly as she continued, "-Oz base... The SchwarzRe?en13..." Sally nodded for her to continue. "It's probably nothing. But then there's this," she said, pointing to the second stack of papers. "The entire south side security system on the L2 colony mysteriously went down for a full twenty minutes a few days ago. There was no power failure, and the techs don't know what happened. The Preventers on L2 are checking it out."
"So, what happened?"
"They don't know yet. But if the Mediterranean problem develops any further, I'll have you check it out."
"No problem. Good-night, Anna."
"Goodnight." Une stood up, dropping the files back into the cabinet, and kicking the drawer shut. She managed to catch one more glimpse out the window before shutting off her light and leaving her office for the night.
"Good-night, Ma'am."
"Good-night, Jiina." Lightning flashed again, and behind the opaque clouds, unseen to the young Preventer, a single shooting star lit up the sky.
"Hmm," Sally muttered. The radar systems had gone down without notice hours ago, and she had only managed to bring her sector online for a few moments, but something just wasn't right. "What could that have been?" An unidentified object had flashed across the otherwise empty radar screen.
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1 Wer: "Who is it?" 2 Herein: "Come in." 3 Herr: (honorific) "Sir" 4 morgen Abend: "tomorrow night" 5 Neo-Ro codenames-
Dreizehn: "thirteen"
Zwei: "two"
Vierzehn: "fourteen"
Eins: "one" 6 Danke schön: "thank you" 7 Nein: "no" 8 Ich verstehe nicht: "I do not understand." 9 heute Abend: "tonight" 10 ja: "yes" 11 guten Abend: "good evening" 12 nichts: "nothing" 13 SchwarzRe?en: "black rain" (a rough translation; the name of a former OZ
military base on the Mediterranean.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Phew! What a LONG chapter. A couple of cliff-hangers here and there,
but only to give you a taste of the "better" things to come. if I have
the right to say that. Anyway, thanx for reading!! ^_^
Oh, and btw: Anna and Une are the same person (and possess the SAME
psyche, even though you may not like to believe so.) Preventer Water
is Sally Po, Jiina is Une's secretary, AND the "Chinese psychopath"
refers to WuFei Chang. (Sorry to all his fans!!)
By: CrimsonDaybreak 2003 (aka. Shukujo Une. or Cat) Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gundam Wing, its characters, its plot, or the rights to mess with Lady Une-and everyone else's-mind. hehehe. I wish I did, but I don't. yet. Dedicated to: My really cool English teacher!! ^_- LCS RULZ!!!
Note: Dark Entity was re-titled from my previous fic: "MSGW II: Return of a Legend".
*********************************************************************
The Eve of Wars was a legend,
The Romafeller was a legend,
The Gundams were a legend,
Etched into the pages of new MS history.
.But only four years later, a new legend is born; alas not without help from the past. Who is the new threat to the World Nation? And who are the familiar faces that have returned to center stage in this new and dangerous revolution? When trouble that has secretly been brewing on the L2 finally makes a move for Earth, the Preventers are caught off guard and completely powerless. or so it seemed. With Lady Une at the helm of the Preventers Organization, and the Gundam pilots at her side, the Earth heads for an uncertain future. Like once before, this fire won't be so easy to put out.
*********************************************************************
Rating: PG-13 [for language, violence, and sexual reference] Author's notes: OK, apologies in advance 4 the following story quirks-
- Revolutionists speaking in half English and half German.
- Duo infiltrating secret bases, NOT Trowa.
- Other characters speaking random Japanese phrases.
- Zechs/Noin coming back from Mars married, but WITHOUT children.
- Lady Une having really freaky psychotic dreams.
- Any random references to Sailor Moon and its plot.
- The use of Christmas Eve to break out the climax in the 'war' for
sentimental purposes towards the Eve of Wars three years ago.
And of course:
Relena being a part of this story. .
Well, enough with the bore-you-to-death intro, and ON TO THE STORY!! (yay.) ^__^
*********************************************************************
CHAPTER ONE: AWAITING REBIRTH
LaGrange Point Two Colony: August 12, 199 A.C.
A young officer strode swiftly down the marble corridor, his black regiment boots tapping lightly against the ground. He made a quick turn and knocked twice on the solid oak door. "Wer1?" came a strong voice from the other side. "I am officer zero-seven." "Herein2." The officer opened the door and stood before the council. He waited for a nod of approval from one of the men before speaking, and then he turned to the man sitting at the head of the table. "Herr3, the preparations have been completed." "Everything is ready for launch, then?" "Yes, Herr." "I see," he mumbled, running a gloved hand through his wavy brown hair. The man stood up from the head of the table, dismissing the officer with a swift gesture of his hand, and then he turned to the others who sat with him. "My friends, it has begun," he said. "The Neu-Ro shall launch for Earth morgen Abend4, at 2100 hours, when the night falls upon the colony." They nodded. "We await the rebirth, Count Dreizehn5, and we know that it is safe in your hands," an older, slightly rounded man, declared amiably, his thick German accent distinguished in his practised English. "The General was on his mark when he chose you." The others agreed readily with enthusiastic applause. "You do me too much honour, Count Zwei5," the young man laughed, his blue eyes sparkling, and then he turned again to the others. "Danke schön6, all of you." He bowed and quickly saluted them before taking his seat once more. "But there is still the matter of our codenames to be dealt with. Shall we be keeping them when we reach the Earth?" "Nein7. Most likely not," another man with a thick white beard said softly. The blue-eyed count looked at him with blatant curiosity. "And why would we not, dear Count Vierzehn5? Ich verstehe nicht8... Your motives, I mean..." The older man smiled. "And why would you not use your real name? I do not mean we completely abandon our titles. I just ask: would the Earth not take us more seriously if they heard of you, not as a codename, but as the valiant knight of the stellar battlefield? The Count-..." The blue-eyed man held his hand up sharply to silence the other. "I see what you mean." He smiled as he remembered something. "But do not speak my name until we reach the Earth, my friend. That is a request upon a past I value as well as deeply regret. I hope you understand." The other nodded, as did the rest of the council. He stood again. "Morgen Abend?" he asked. "Morgen Abend," they agreed, and he saluted them once more before turning to leave, his hand placed firmly on the hilt of his sword. With a swish of his long, dark cape, he was gone. The heavy door closed behind him, and the men remained seated until their leader's footsteps disappeared down the dark marble corridor.
"The suit is ready, then?" Count Dreizehn asked, turning to face the mass of gleaming blue and white metal. The insignia glowed with a radiant pride; this new model marked what was soon to be the dawning of a new era. The original had met its fate gallantly and vanished upon the Eve's battlefield. Even the Count himself wondered whatever had become of the once great knight who piloted it so many years before; so many countless years and lost memories before. These were memories of a past that no one wanted to remember. A past that some could not remember.
"Yes, Herr. It will be loaded heute Abend9. As soon as the others are in place." She motioned across the hangar to where the last unit of suits were still waiting. The Count smiled at her.
"You are very efficient with your tasks, Countess Eins5, I will be glad when you are with me on the Earth..." He paused for a moment, as the young woman eyed him with undefined interest. "...Oh, how I have missed the Earth... My home... Have you ever been there, Countess?" She hesitated for a moment.
"Ja10, Herr. Once, a long, long time ago-" He turned around to face her, his blue eyes sparkling again as he gazed into the azure depths of her own.
"How foolish you must think I am to ask you," he said. "Of course you have been there. How else would you-" Dreizehn shook his head, then smiled tremulously. "Do you remember, Countess?" "Yes," she replied softly, knowing exactly of what he was speaking. "Yes, I remember. We were reckless children back then, Lord-" The Count held his hand up to silence her. She did not speak further.
"Reckless, maybe, but nonetheless life was simpler. I would have given anything to return to those days, Countess. Now it seems too late for that, but one can always hope..." He shoved aside those nostalgic thoughts. "Please, Countess, I have already explained to the rest that my name shall not be spoken again until we have reached the Earth. My name, and the name of this," he said, pointing up at the suit they had been discussing earlier. "I hope you understand."
"Ja, Herr. I will see to it that the other suits are loaded, then." She smiled, saluting her superior before turning away. The Count remained where he stood, staring up at the suit, as if he were desperately trying to remember something.
She remembers, he thought. She remembers, but I can't. He sighed deeply. My memories are faded, gone. The only ones I have left are the ones I have been told. And I have been told that she was the one... But it doesn't feel like that. She doesn't feel like the one... There was another woman... Oh, I wish I could remember who...
"Herr Dreizehn?" A voice jerked him out of his private reverie, and he turned around to face the older man.
"Guten Abend11, General," the blue-eyed Count greeted him.
*******************************************************************
"Hmmm, the new scrap yard was supposed to be here somewhere," Duo mumbled to himself. "Maybe I took a wrong turn." He returned to the back alley he had followed, scrutinizing over the directions Hilde had written down for him. Sudden voices broke him out of his thoughts, and instinctively, he ducked into the shadows.
"The last preparations have been completed," the first voice said.
"And the launch will commence heute Abend?"
"Ja." From the darkness, a suspicious Duo listened intently as the two men, who seemed to be on a cigarette break, continued to discuss the launch amongst themselves. Their heavily accented English made it hard to understand what they meant. "Herr Dreizehn and the General will travel hidden, far behind the convoy, so as not to have attention drawn to them."
"They are taking all precautions, then?"
"Ja. To make sure everything goes as planned when it begins." The two men turned and disappeared, the sound of a heavy metal door closing behind them. Duo sat in the shadows for a moment.
"Who are they? And what are they up to?" he asked himself, and then decided that he would find out. He scanned the area for the presence of anyone else, then like a snake he slipped through the shadows to where he had seen the men disappear. There was no door. "What the hell?" he asked himself. "There's nothing here."
An idea struck him then, and he began to feel of the seemingly normal brick wall, until he pinpointed a switch which was so cleverly hidden, disguised as one of the dark red bricks. He pressed down and the secret door swung open. "Who ever they are, they don't look like they want anyone to find out about them..." he muttered as he descended into the darkness that lie below.
"This is the last of them, Count," a man said, pointing to a large metal entity, draped over and hidden by an enormous dark cloth. Duo watched as it was loaded into an unmarked freighter.
"No way!" he exclaimed softly from behind the pile of crates he had chosen as his hideout. But it was. The shape that lie beneath that dark veil was unmistakably the outline of a mobile suit.
"The Earth will be taken by quite surprise, Herr," the man continued, and when the Count turned around, Duo caught a glimpse of the young man's eyes.
"Yes, my friend. Yes, they will," he said with a smile, then pointed to a carrier on the far side of the hangar. "The M-13 will travel behind the rest," he explained, "With myself, the General, and the Countess."
"I see."
"Please find the Countess Eins and tell her that I will be waiting onboard until the launch." The man nodded.
"What shall be done with this post?" the officer asked, referring to the 'base' they had set up on the L2 colony.
"Nichts12." The officer looked taken aback. "We will have no more need for it once we leave." He nodded and the officer was dismissed.
"No way," Duo whispered again. "It couldn't be..." He stood up slowly and turned to leave, but an angry voice stopped him in his tracks.
"You there, stop!" Duo froze for a moment, and then bolted out of the hangar. More angry shouts followed by footsteps chased him until he reached the door that he had taken before. "Bloody fuck!" A rain of gunshots echoed around him, and Duo found himself just barely ducking the rounds of automatic fire. He was unarmed and outnumbered, and if lady luck didn't take his side, he knew what would happen. He'd seen plenty of hell-damned corpses lying dead in their own blood, and he wasn't going to be one of them. not this time.
As he slipped into the shadows, his pursuers lost his trail, and the danger subsided.for the time being. "Close one," Duo muttered, and slipped back into the light of the colony's main streets. "Duo Maxwell!" Hilde exclaimed as he entered the apartment. "Where have you been? Have you any idea what time it is? Do you know how worried I was? What if-" She stopped when she saw the look that replaced his usually buoyant smile. "What is it?" she whispered. Duo motioned for her to sit down.
*******************************************************************
"Security systems on the south side of the colony have been disabled, we have twenty minutes to deploy before they come online again," an officer shouted from the control console of the M-13.
"Good. Tell them to open the docking port."
"Yes, Count." A warning sounded across the hangar, and all off-ship crews hurriedly put on their space helmets. The alarm grew louder as the docking port opened, and the dark vacuum of space revealed itself. "Port successfully opened, Herr. Port controls have been transferred to this console." The blue-eyed Count nodded.
"Countess."
"Yes, Herr?"
"Send the message. The first squadron of the Neu-Ro fleet deploys now."
"Yes, Herr." Visible only as streaks of stunning white light, the first group of carriers left the colony, their course plotted so that they made a generous detour around the colonies' interlocked grid security systems. "First squadron deployed successfully. Second and third squadrons are awaiting clearance, fourth, fifth and sixth on stand-by. Your orders, Count?"
"Deploy the second and third."
"Yes, Herr." Again, the carriers set out, entering the vacuum of outer space and disappearing in the sea of stars. "Second and third deployed successfully."
"Ten minutes until security systems return," an officer shouted over
the intercom. Dreizehn nodded. "Deploy the fourth and fifth. Tell all remaining off-ship crews to board the main carrier of the sixth and follow the rest."
The Countess nodded. As soon as the final fleet left the hangar, their ship began to move. Dreizehn stood resolutely and returned to his quarters as the ship completely left the colony, the port closing behind them and signifying the point of no return. They travelled at a slower pace, so not to remain with the rest of the convoy. He turned to face the Countess, who had followed him. "Herr, Count Zwei has confirmed the radar systems will be disabled on the Earth upon our arrival. The frequencies will be jammed, and then locked, and there will be no trace of the convoy as it enters the atmosphere." He nodded in acknowledgement, and she left. "The time is drawing near," Dreizehn said quietly.
*******************************************************************
Preventers' Headquarters, Earth: August 16, 199 A.C.
A persistent rain fell from the dark night sky, drenching the city, and pounding on the glass paned windows of the Preventers' Headquarters. Thunder shook the building, and lightning illuminated the clouds, sending white-hot streaks snaking their way across the sky. "Preventer Une?" a voice echoed over the intercom. There was no answer. "Preventer Une?-Are you alright?"
She turned her chair slightly away from the window to face the vidalink. "What? Oh, Jiina, sorry. I must have drifted off..." Anna smiled. "What is it?"
"Are you alright?" Jiina asked again, noticing the distant look in Une's deep brown eyes. "You seem a bit-distracted." The young Preventer smiled and waved it off with her hand.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine, just a bit tired." She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "What was it you wanted?"
"Preventer Water is on the line for you, Ma'am."
"Thank you, Jiina."
Sally's face appeared almost immediately on the small vidalink screen. She seemed quite cheerful.
"Just thought I'd check up on things," she said as a means of greeting. "Anything happen lately?" Sally smiled again.
Une turned completely away from the window to face her friend. "Not in particular. Why are you so happy?" She eyed the other Preventer suspiciously. "It's not like there's anything pleasant about being stationed on an isolated Mediterranean island with a Chinese psychopath. I could have had you assigned to the Tokyo sector, you know." Sally just grinned more.
"Oh, the view is wonderful from here. And there's plenty of time to enjoy it, since my only job lately has been to monitor the radar systems. It's funny, the system went down without warning, and I'm trying to get it back online-Oh, well, it's just a minor technicality. The signals are being jammed; they probably locked on to some other frequency. I'll fix it. And besides, your 'psychopath' came down with the flu," she laughed. "And why, might I ask, are you in such a dreary mood?"
"Oh, just something," Anna sighed.
"Remembering something?"
"Maybe. But I told you already," she began, knowing exactly what Sally was on about, "that doesn't matter anymore. That's over and done. And it's NOT what I'm worried about." "Oh?" Sally raised her eyebrows as Une went to fetch two file folders from her filing cabinet. She opened them out and laid them on the desk in front of her.
"THIS is what's bothering me," she said in a no-questions tone of voice as she pointed to the stack of papers. "This is the report from the Mediterranean region, near your sector, Sally. There's some suspicious activity occurring near that abandoned-" Anna cringed slightly as she continued, "-Oz base... The SchwarzRe?en13..." Sally nodded for her to continue. "It's probably nothing. But then there's this," she said, pointing to the second stack of papers. "The entire south side security system on the L2 colony mysteriously went down for a full twenty minutes a few days ago. There was no power failure, and the techs don't know what happened. The Preventers on L2 are checking it out."
"So, what happened?"
"They don't know yet. But if the Mediterranean problem develops any further, I'll have you check it out."
"No problem. Good-night, Anna."
"Goodnight." Une stood up, dropping the files back into the cabinet, and kicking the drawer shut. She managed to catch one more glimpse out the window before shutting off her light and leaving her office for the night.
"Good-night, Ma'am."
"Good-night, Jiina." Lightning flashed again, and behind the opaque clouds, unseen to the young Preventer, a single shooting star lit up the sky.
"Hmm," Sally muttered. The radar systems had gone down without notice hours ago, and she had only managed to bring her sector online for a few moments, but something just wasn't right. "What could that have been?" An unidentified object had flashed across the otherwise empty radar screen.
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1 Wer: "Who is it?" 2 Herein: "Come in." 3 Herr: (honorific) "Sir" 4 morgen Abend: "tomorrow night" 5 Neo-Ro codenames-
Dreizehn: "thirteen"
Zwei: "two"
Vierzehn: "fourteen"
Eins: "one" 6 Danke schön: "thank you" 7 Nein: "no" 8 Ich verstehe nicht: "I do not understand." 9 heute Abend: "tonight" 10 ja: "yes" 11 guten Abend: "good evening" 12 nichts: "nothing" 13 SchwarzRe?en: "black rain" (a rough translation; the name of a former OZ
military base on the Mediterranean.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Phew! What a LONG chapter. A couple of cliff-hangers here and there,
but only to give you a taste of the "better" things to come. if I have
the right to say that. Anyway, thanx for reading!! ^_^
Oh, and btw: Anna and Une are the same person (and possess the SAME
psyche, even though you may not like to believe so.) Preventer Water
is Sally Po, Jiina is Une's secretary, AND the "Chinese psychopath"
refers to WuFei Chang. (Sorry to all his fans!!)