G-Gundam: New Deals
Ante up.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam, be it alternate universe, universal century, or model kits. Bandai has the American release rights...
by Tremor3258
***************
Once again, a day dawned within Neo America, thanks to the carefully calculated slow rotation of the colony. Down a relatively quiet urban street, a man in his early twenties took the opportunity to check his bearings. "Well... now that I can see, I'm SURE I'm lost," Trenton Wage remarked. Blond hair and blue eyes helped frame a handsome visage, and the patches on the long overcoat he wore indicated he was in Neo-America's Defense Corps Reserve. The caduceus necklace he wore was a tribute to his area of study, the field of medicine.
"You leave the old neighborhood for a few years... and they rebuild everything!" Wage remarked to himself, looking around. The area was mainly several-story apartment buildings, and the streets were still deserted at the early hour. "Four hundred million people on board... and not one around to ask for directions," he sighed.
Trenton looked at his map, one he'd, foolishly, decided was good enough not to bother with the expense of buying a new one. Trenton slapped his forehead with one hand. "Duh," he said morosely, "Everyone everywhere is busy trying to pave over the damage from the Dark Gundam. I guess I should be glad I managed to find the city!" Trenton reslung his duffle, and started marching resolutely down a street, before catching himself and walking briskly. "Still, I've only got two weeks for this vacation before everyone gets called up for the Gundam Fight. I promised I'm not going to waste them... and if it means calling home and being laughed at, so be it!"
Trenton's search for a pay phone didn't even last until the next intersection, instead the young medic ran into a gaggle of children, charging across his line of travel. "They're up early," he commented, before realizing they were probably local. "Hey kids!" he shouted, "Do any of you know the way to 4 Block D, Apple Drive?"
The children stopped, and whispered among themselves for a moment. All Trenton could catch was "Apple". Then, eerily, they all turned and stared at it for a moment. Trenton, involuntarily, took a step backwards under the combined force. One child pushed himself free of the crowd, the evident leader, though he couldn't be more than eight.
"Sir, do you know a man named John Garrison then?" the young one asked.
Trenton blinked in surprise, and replied, "I should. He's one of my neighbors, worked as an architect, mainly, did some other neat tricks at picnics and the like. Why? He's not hurt or anything, is he? Or are we close to the street?" he asked, bending down to be closer to their eye level.
The child, however, merely turned and looked at the others. Now that they were still, Trenton could count heads and determine there was an even dozen of the grade-scholars. One more hushed discussion later, the leader turned to him again and asked, "Are you here to help get our park back, then?"
Trenton blinked in confusion, before a kid in the middle of the horde called out, "Better bring him along, anyway, Timmy. I bet they'll fight fair if there's an adult present." Various agreements were murmured in high-pitched voices.
"Adult? I'm 22!" Trenton insisted, and then the responsible part of his brain kicked in. "Wait a minute? Fight?" A few more memories, dim after six years of various colleges and work, came to the fore, of what his old neighbor did. "I remember now! He ran a fighting school on the side! Is Mr. Garrison running an exhibition or something?" Trenton grinned, and shrugged. "Why not? Maybe he'll help me find my way out of this labyrinth. Lead on, kids!" he ordered, and followed the gaggle through the awakening streets.
***************
On the other side of the colonies, others were receiving necessary intelligence as well. In the Neo-Russian defense complex, a young recruit's hand shook as he pressed an intercom button next to a door simply marked 'Gym'. "Lieutenant Gulskii?" he asked, voice cracking. "We've received an intelligence report on one of the critical subjects."
There was a moment of tense silence, before a sharp female voice demanded, "Bring them in, then, soldier!" Gulping the orderly moved into the large room, equipped with a large variety of physical training equipment. In the center of the room, one of the largest men the soldier had ever seen was lifting weights, an attractive, though severely dressed women counting off repetitions to the side.
Argo paused, seeing the soldier, and nodded equitably as Natasha took the missives and began to read them. Lions den entered and being not yet eaten, the soldier now escaped the way he had come. Dropping into Natasha's sphere of influence wasn't always the most pleasant of experiences, and it was generally good to leave before she found something for you to do.
"They're more scared of you than of me, you know," Natasha noted, flipping through the intelligence gathered on other Gundams.
"Am I that easy to read?" Argo asked, more reflexively than out of surprise as he dropped the weights on their rack and sat up. More comfortable, he asked of genuine curiosity, "How is it I've managed to beat you in being frightening?"
Natasha grinned, and sat down on the bench, Argo shifting around to make room for her. The Neo-Russian controller poked her husband in his chest, Argo letting out a mock off. "Simple," she stated, "You may think you've softened up a bit with marriage... but you've still got your reputation, you old pirate, and you look the part."
Argo nodded at that. Life was a lot more comfortable in the last few years than he'd ever had it, but decades of rough living out on the edges of civilization could not be erased from one's face once set, giving him a bit of an evil look. Argo motioned for Natasha to get off the bench as he went back to his repetitions. "Anyone I should look out for on Earth?" Argo asked casually as he lifted the titanic weights.
"Well, nothing beyond what we were expecting," Natasha said, paging through the document. "We've gotten at least hazy pictures of most of the other Gundams already. As for the Shuffles-" Natasha's voice trailed off as her face lost color. Argo stood up, heaving the bar out of the way as he rushed to his wife's side. Wordlessly, Natasha passed the pad over, which Argo read silently, before tossing the pad down and moving towards the entrance.
"Argo!" cried Natasha as she moved to follow him, placing her hand on his shoulder in a calming gesture. Argo knocked it aside.
"Chibodee has been attacked, and I must ensure the perpetrators will pay for this crime!" he vowed, marching towards the door
"Argo!" Natasha said, in her best commanding tone, causing the massive Gundam Fighter to freeze. "How do you expect to do that? Neo-America will not let the Neo-Russian Gundam Fighter anywhere near the colony currently." Natasha sighed, and picked up the datapad from where it had skittered, pressing it into Argo's palm. "Read the rest of it: Neo-America believes one of his rivals in the ring is responsible. He should make a full recovery, and if you do this now.. there's no way, even if I called in all the favors I'm owed, could keep you your Fighter position."
Argo slumped, the mighty fighter struck in his soul. "Fine," he rumbled, "But there's no way you can keep me from tracking down whatever coward becomes Neo-America's Gundam Fighter and smashing them to dust!" he warned.
"Of course not," said Natasha, seeming hurt, "That's the whole point, Argo!"
Argo blinked once, thinking about his last statement, and started to laugh, deep in his throat. A few moments later, the laughter subsided. Argo slammed his fists together once, and went back to his training, filled with grim determination.
***************
Meanwhile, Trenton and the group of children entered a block-sized urban park. Moving quickly through the trees, Trenton spotted a playground set in its center. A swing set and a small slide flanked an imposing and labyrinthine set of brightly colored pipes making up what looked like some highly complex climbing equipment. With the canopy blocking his vision to a degree... Trenton could see someone standing on top of the structure, but couldn't make anything out... though he thought the legs didn't look stocky enough for the man he remembered before heading off to the military.
Trenton shielded his eyes as the group moved out from under the canopy. As his eyes cleared, and he was able to see the top of the climbing set, his mouth dropped open. The figure was DEFINITELY not Mr. Garrison. For one thing, it was a she, and relatively young, probably in her twenties. The female's back was to them, wearing jeans and a denim jacket, color matching shoulder-length, flat-lying hair. Despite the fairly restrictive clothing, she was standing as casually on the twenty centimeter-wide pole as if she was on the ground.
Trenton noted, "Kids, I'm trying to find my house.. not a martial artist" The young woman turned around at that. Eyes widening in surprise, she leapt from the pole, and hit the ground running. Looking confrontational, she stopped in front of the group, hands on hips. Trenton revised his age estimate down slightly upon looking at her. She couldn't be more than twenty or so.
"Kids! What are you doing here?" she demanded. "This is a serious situation... not some show. I thought you had the discipline to stay away from anything this crazy." The girl looked towards Trenton, opened her mouth, and then closed it, before repeating the activity several more times. Trenton followed her gaze, and nodded in understanding. He was probably about to be yelled at, but then she was stopped by his military insignia. Trenton was glad to see something good about the military having the only decent medical schools, for once.
The kids took the opportunity to break into the false starts. "But Megan!" the leader declared, "He's looking for your teacher, so we thought he was an old student or something."
Trenton mused to himself, "Really? I don't remember Mr. Garrison teaching martial arts."
"It was more of a side-line at that point," Megan muttered, "And he doesn't like to show off." Gathering her focus again, Megan spitted the leader with a glare, "And I'm not showing off here either, Tony. This is deadly serious. You asked me here, so we handle this my way, all right?"
Tony looked worried, and then nodded vigorously. Megan smiled slightly, before looking up at Trenton, "We'll talk more later about you being around," she said quickly, "But can you watch and make sure the kids don't do anything?"
"Um.. sure, I guess," Trenton stammered. "What's up?" Wordlessly, the blue-haired woman pulled a small cylinder from her pocket and tossed it to Trenton, who lunged and grabbed it from the air. Apparently feeling her explanation done, Megan reached down and picked up a meter-long thin branch in the area, before jumping back up to her position on the climbing equipment.
Trenton studied the cylinder. It was clearly a bottle for some sort of medicine, but it took several seconds for Trenton to place the name of the chemical. Once he did, dimly remembering it on long lists of artificial hormones memorized early on, his face creased into a frown. While not technically illegal, the compound that had been in the bottle, if the labeling was correct, was one of the more addictive forms of stimulants, though lower on tissue damage on most. Some colonies used it for their space superiority fighter pilots, so the Colony Federation had never gotten it successfully banned.
Trenton opened his mouth to ask, but closed it when he saw several men, wearing casual clothes and backpacks, but seeming uncomfortable about it, like they'd rather be wearing suits and carrying violin cases. The biggest of the bunch held up his hands, stopping the five or so when they saw Megan standing on the pole, who merely crossed her arms in reply.
"Ms. Asters, I admit, I'm rather surprised you decided to show up again after yesterday," said the thug, in a surprisingly cultured voice.
"Mr. Groat," Megan said neutrally, "I'm rather surprised you decided to try and do business here again as well."
The man shrugged, "Why not? This place has been quite profitable over the last week, and, according to the government, I have every legal right to hawk my educational boosters here." Groat smiled, or, when Trenton thought more about it, he bared his teeth. "Lucky for me, and I anticipate much in the way of repeat business."
Megan tensed slightly, shifting her grip on the branch so she held it more like a staff. "You'll also note," she said calmly, "That I have every legal right to simply stand in between you and any of your customers."
"True," Groat acknowledged, "But.." he looked around, "I note there's only one of you. As well as no cops... I believe my managers can forgive the slight and occasional transgression outside the law."
Megan blinked in surprise, "You're actually going to fight, instead of just heading for safer pastures?" Megan grinned as she shifted her weapon to a guard position, and said, "I may have to upgrade my opinion of you." A soft breeze began to blow through the area as tension built.
"Bravado is such a symptom of youth," Groat sniffed, "My employers have your file, Ms. Asters. You're no King of Hearts," he warned, and Megan saluted with her switch, conceding the point, before closing her eyes and settling back to guard. The thug grinned ferally, "Besides, running away sets a dangerous precedent. Boys?" he commanded, pointing at her. The four other thugs launched themselves forward.
Trenton started to wade through the children as the thugs attacked. He wasn't a incredibly skilled martial artist who'd been training forever, but he had completed the Army training courses on self-defense. Trenton, however, found his arm being held by Tony. Looking at the boy questioningly, the eight-year-old merely shook his head and pointed back at the action. Trenton, closing his jacket as the wind picked up, watched as the thugs began climbing the playground equipment.
The branch Megan was using as a make-shift staff began to vibrate in the increasing gale, and Megan opened her eyes, leaning back as she threw the staff overhand like a javelin, the winds seemed to catch it as it left her hand, causing it to hurl itself forward. Megan's arms windmilled for a moment as she centered herself again on the pole. The thugs paused in confusion as the woman aimed nowhere near them. A grunt behind them made them realize the real target, as Groat hit the ground, clutching his stomach. The shattered branch fell around him, broken by the force it had been imbued with. The thugs jumped off the climber, heading over to their boss.
"Don't worry about me! Get her!" Groat wheezed. The four turned around, raising up their fists. Megan stared at them, a bit incredulous.
"Didn't get the hint the first time?" Megan huffed. She pulled herself, a little shakily, into an attack stance. "Well, I guess if you stick around there's more chance of the cops finding something to put you away for, since you made it difficult by not bringing guns!" she noted with forcible cheer. The thugs looked at her, and Megan said cheerfully, "What, you think I'm crazy enough to take on five grown men by myself? The cops got a quick tip... I'm sure they'll find something to put you away for. My job's just to make sure you STAY!" she yelled, jumping off the pole with the last exclamation. She landed in front of the second thug from the right, dropping into a crouch as she landed.
The goon launched a punch as soon as he saw her apparently in range, but whiffed overhead as she ducked. Megan shot her arms up, grabbing onto the thug's arm, and then rolling backwards. The remnants of the man's momentum, combined with her's, tossed the man into the air. His sudden yell of panic was cut short as he smacked face-first into the climber.
Megan rose smoothly to her feet, but didn't have time to reset herself as all three rushed her at once. Allowing herself a quick yelp in surprise, Megan moved towards the thug who'd been by his lonesome to the right of the Chief Goon, moving into a spin crescent kick that connected with his head. Megan used the temporary daze to get in a foot sweep, dropping him to the ground and leaving him out of it for the moment. The kids cheered as Goon Number 2 went down. Megan spitted them momentarily with a glare before she was caught up in the action again.
Goons 3 and 4 came in swinging, covering each other's flanks. Megan blocked the first round, sidestepping and delivering a few knife-hand blows to the upper arm of Goon 3. Gasping, he grasped it reflexively, and Megan moved in for a judo throw, but a right cross from 4 forced her to dance backwards, and move back to parrying.
Tony and the other kids watched in awe, caught too much up in Megan's ballet of fighting. It was no Gundam Fight, but it could have come out of one of Neo Hong Kong's movies, except that the goons weren't attacking one at a time.
Trenton, however, wasn't quite so enamored of violence. Even his untrained eye could see she wasn't trained to handle multiple opponents. Worse yet, the trick she'd pulled against the leader had worn her out, or he'd eat his medical degree. Trenton pushed through the enthralled children, ready to end this before someone got seriously hurt, before his eyes caught movement on the ground. Trenton started to run, neglecting to even take off the bag on his shoulder.
Goon 2, having been dropped but not hard enough, had managed to gather his few wits again. He wasn't ready to stand up again, but though his vision was blurry, he could see the punk girl who had hit him being forced his way by his co-workers, though, judging by the moans, they were paying for it. Reaching into his back pocket, he drew his switchblade and flicked it open, readying to lance out, pausing as Megan rushed forward suddenly, using the surprise to box Goon 3's ears and drop him.
Megan's final opponent's face was starting to go puffy, and the young fighter was sure she'd heard at least a few bones crack. Still, he were grinning for some reason and didn't look ready to give up. Her arms were about ready to fall limp after blocking the combined assault, and her bag of tricks was running low."This is taking too long," she wheezed, sidestepping a punch designed to drive her sternum through her spine, and making Goon 4 pay with another quick shot to his ribs. Finally, the pain messages caught up to his brain, and he was forced to stumble. Megan, rather than something fancy, stomped on his foot. Yelping, he started to hop, before the bizarre sight of a two-hundred pound linebacker-lookalike half-skipping was mercifully cut short by an axe kick.
Megan slumped, supporting herself with hands on her knees as she wiped sweat from her face. "Okay... there's the drug pusher," she noted after she got some of her breath back, "And one, two, and three goons," she tallied, and paused, before turning to the kids and asking, "Hey, Tony! Where'd the last of the legitimate businessman's club sneak off to?"
"Behind you!" Trenton shouted. Megan whirled towards her back and scooted to the side, feeling something icy touch her side below her ribs. The knife came back into view, having managed to slip in through the open front of her jacket. Megan tried to kick the knife out of the goon's hand, but her body didn't quite seem interested in responding yet, before the knife dropped from the man's suddenly nerveless hands, which then hit the ground.
Surprised, Megan shifted her gaze up from where the knife had been to the rest of the goon. Clutching her side, she found herself completely unable to reply as Trenton jumped up and down on the goon's back enthusiastically, his duffel resting on the goon's head. Voice croaking a little at first, she said, feeling spent, "I think you beat him."
Trenton blinked, and then moved off the battered man's body. He looked at Megan, surprised that he could see clearly over her head now that she was standing still. More importantly, the side of her jean jacket was starting to be tinged red. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the wail of sirens in the distance.
Megan's face, a bit pale, went white, "Oh, now the cops show up! I really don't need this... I'm going to be in so much trouble!" she moaned. She twirled, and then grunted as the wound cut through her panic. "Tony," she gasped, "If the cops ask: what happened here?"
"Big burly men we've never seen before beating up on other bad burly men?" Tony said, evidently from rote.
Megan flashed a quick smile, "Good boy. I'll see you at class tonight! Now scoot!" she commanded with false cheer, managing a quick wave. The kids broke ranks and scattered. After they disappeared, Megan slumped down, now clearly favoring her side.
"Here, I'm a doctor," Trenton said, reaching out. "Let me take a look at that." Megan shifted back from him.
"Not here, Trenton," Megan grunted, "Let me get out of here. I've got enough of a history that wasn't sealed at eighteen to make sure the cops would not appreciate me handing out beatings, and then when my father gets me...." The young woman trailed off, but apparently was spurred enough by the internal end of the sentence to start limping forward. Trenton picked up his bag and moved to support her, not wanting to just see an injured person leave. Megan leaned against him, as, at less than five and a half, the balance didn't work out for the six foot Trenton to hold her shoulders.
"How'd you know my name?" Trenton asked, trying to help her move. The lady had done a major service to the community, and she was right that sticking around for questioning probably wouldn't be healthy in her condition.
"You don't remember me? Thank god!" Megan said fervently. Trenton blinked, and Megan laughed weakly, "Well, you're taller, but your face looks the same from before you left, and it looks like you passed your studies. John will be glad. He always held you as an example I needed to shape up to." Megan's head drooped slightly, worn out from the quick sentences, but she pointed, "Once we get out of the park, take a right and head into the café. They're not open yet, but the owner's a friend of Dad. He let me store some spare clothes and bandages there this morning."
Trenton nodded, and said, "Stay quiet for right now... I've got a medical kit myself but it'd be better to clean that off where there's somewhere with water." Megan nodded, focusing on staying awake until the two reached the shop. Trenton banged on the door, and a heavyset man in what was probably his late thirties came to the door, looking irritated.
"We're closed-" he said to Trenton, before spotting Megan. "Oh no! What happened?" Trenton started to open his mouth to reply, but the echoing, steadily louder sirens caught the man's attention. "Bring her into the back.. I'll get some coffee going," the man stated moving to help take the load. Trenton nodded his thanks as they went into the coffee shop.
**********
Fifteen minutes later, Megan's light wound was bandaged and had stopped bleeding, and she had switched to a level of clothing that seemed more school-appropriate. The three were now drinking some of the owner's coffee. The man, Mr. Drake, had reported the parade of police cars had ended, but that it probably wasn't wise to head out quite yet. Megan, having been mainly silent while being bandaged, now had some color back in her cheeks and placed the cup down. Trenton, thankfully, mirrored the move, as the coffee had been brewed strong enough to burn Gundam armor.
"Thanks for your help, Mr. Drake," Megan said politely, "That didn't go quite as well as I hoped," she admitted.
"Oh, it's nothing, Megan," the owner assured her, polishing some salt shakers in preparation for opening. "I hadn't heard but rumors about Groat moving into this area... and it'll be a while before they try anything again, since they were defeated by an eighteen year old."
"I had some help," Megan corrected, and held her hand out. "I really haven't been able to thank you properly, Trenton, both for the help with my wound and in the fight."
Trenton shook, but reminded her, "I'd still like to know how you know so much about me. I'm not even sure which part of the colony I'm in, but I know I haven't been over on this side for six years! I wandered over because I heard that my old neighbor would be involved, but you're not John. Are you one of his students?" Mr. Drake snorted lightly, but Megan nodded.
"Yes, thankfully... though it's also a bit unofficial as well, considering I'm his daughter," Megan reported, and, when Trenton opened his mouth, Megan continued, "Yeah, you're right not remembering a wife. She died in the riots of 53, after all the problems the colonies had after the Eleventh Fight. I lost my parents, and got bounced around until John took me."
Megan stared at him quizzically for a moment before asking, "Are you sure you don't remember me? Your parents used to volunteer you to look after me when they got irritated with you." Megan laughed and looked up at the ceiling before continuing, shaking her head, "I can't believe how much I enjoyed causing trouble for people. If John hadn't show me the way, I'd probably be out there pushing pills to kids myself now, or worse," she reflected, shuddering slightly.
Trenton snapped his fingers. "Now I remember! The worm of Apple Drive." Megan winced, and then glared at Mr. Drake, who was laughing so hard he nearly dropped the shaker he was polishing. Trenton studied her, "There's definitely a resemblance, especially when you were angry. Well, you're a little taller, and your hair was black then," Trenton's mouth twitched slightly into a grin.
Megan pointed a threatening finger at him, the other hand grasping a lock of hair, and said, "I'll have you know this ISN'T some sort of fan worship, it's actually my natural color. Something in the family because of the pollution before the colonies rose. You're a doctor," she chided, "I'm sure you know more about it than me."
Trenton nodded in agreement. Oddly colored hair was one of the less damaging mutations that had arisen on the battered planet in the first years of the Future Century, and also one of the more successful. He asked, "So, are we actually near Apple Drive?"
Megan shook her head, "No, this is close to Dad's training school. A lot of those kids take classes, and I usually stop by for early-training before classes, so I was hoping I could deal with the problem without anyone getting involved, because John hates it when I get into brawls, so I try to not let him worry about this sort of thing."
Trenton nodded. "Relax, your secret's safe, though can I ask a favor in return?" he asked hesitantly.
Megan mirrored her old neighbor's nod. "Naturally. I owe you quite a bit," she stated.
Trenton said weakly, "How do you get to the neighborhood from here?" Megan looked at him for a moment, and then started to chuckle, dissolving into helpless laughter and falling out of her chair. Trenton and the shop owner followed her descent, before a hand, still trembling as she quaked with laughter, held itself in the air, signaling that no assistance was required. After a few seconds, it grasped the table, joined by its mate, before Megan hauled herself back into her seat.
After a few sips of coffee to help her contain the giggles, she said. "I don't think that quite makes us even, but yes, yes I can."
*************
One of the tricks that most schools had either developed, earned, copied, or stolen was the ability to quickly recover from blows. An hour after the fight, to Trenton's eyes, she was fully recovered, and was helping out a little with the shop after it opened. The cops had apparently moved on, deciding to let the mysterious do-gooders be for the time being. The two took the short walk in silence, alert for any friends of those they had taken down, in what seemed to Trenton almost another life time ago.
"That's odd," Megan murmured, breaking the silence when they reached the station. Trenton looked at her, and Megan explained, "There aren't usually soldiers stationed here... and even the qualifiers don't start for a few weeks. We're no where near the Gundam labs, either, so I doubt the security is to improve the sector's image," she said, scorn in her voice for a moment, before asking aloud, I wonder what happened?"
"Well, they could be moving a Gundam through this area?" Trenton mused, and then was surprised to find himself walking alone.
"I seriously doubt it!" Megan said adamantly, "You can't bring Gundams along passenger lines safely, and this IS a private sector of the colony." Trenton stared at her, and Megan blushed slightly, explaining, "Well, I've memorized most of the Gundam regulations."
Trenton chuckled to himself. Not too loudly, of course. The girl, basically, next to him had casually taken out several men who probably could lift him with one hand. "Training to be a Gundam Fighter?" he asked. Megan looked at him, a tad shocked, and Trenton chuckled. "Oh, come on!" he started to laugh. "You're a martial artist with some talent. It's expected!"
Megan grimaced slightly, "Well, yes, I've done some work now and then, but it's only to get familiarized with a Gundam's systems. I'm not totally crazy. Chibodee Crocket is a member of the Shuffle Alliance, has years of experience in a Gundam, and has mastered his own potential. I haven't finished mastering the first energy technique of John's Cyclone school." Megan admitted/
"That wind thing?" Trenton asked, "It seemed to work out pretty well."
Megan sighed, suddenly looking haggard as her defenses slipped. "That left my reserves almost totally drained," she admitted, "And if I was actually in BALANCE!" Megan angrily scuffed her foot against the ground, "all it would take would be a nudge from me."
Trenton nodded, "Yeah. I could see what you were doing. It's about using the other people's momentum, right?"
Megan nodded, impressed, "Not many people catch it that quickly. It works pretty well for me, because I just don't have the upper body muscle to grapple against male fighters," she said matter-of-factly. Trenton nodded. She was, quite simply a petite build. Megan sighed and looked down, and said, ashamed, "And the control aspect helps me out too. But I'm still hoping for next tournament!" she finished more cheerfully and flashing a victory sign. Megan explained, "Chibodee may show you can crawl your way out of the gutters... but they're still there. I've seen a LOT worse than what they were peddling this morning... and it'd be nice to see a woman in the tournament for once."
Trenton grinned slightly, "Well, as a guy, yes more women in the tournament would be-" Megan looked at him funny, and Trenton changed the subject, "Well, we're almost to the tram station! What train do we want?"
"Three," Megan, said a bit icily.
"Relax," Trenton said, trying to appease her, "I'm sure Mr. Crocket won't be around after this fight. You'll have a chance for you at the next fight."
"You think so?" she said hopefully as they showed Ids to the soldiers. "Well, I'm going to try to make a good showing this qualification anyway. My dad recommended me to some people in defense, so I'll be able to pilot a Gundam in battle, even if Chibodee's a little much for me. Next time I may be able to win some championships and attract some serious private sector attention!"
The soldier who swiped their identification cards looked at them, shocked. "Haven't you heard, doctor?" the private asked. Trenton blinked twice, confused. The soldier explained, "There was an attack last night... Chibodee is in a coma. The whole colony's in the midst of lockdown, sir."
Megan blinked, and then blinked again, paused. Trenton, mouth dropped in shock, looked at her. She shrugged, "I don't know whether to cry... or scream with joy."
To be continued....
Author's Notes. Here we go. A more ordinary fighter to see how most people look upon the giants of the FC battle field. Hence, most of this is introduction, but the Shuffles will feature far more prominently next time, don't worry. Megan is an example of a more ordinary Gundam fighter hopeful.... though she's not exactly Neo-America's fighter yet...
Please send me reviews, positive or negative!