New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Retaliation
By: Shadow Chaser and Sephy
Chapter 2 - Racer's Speed
The artificial sun that was in Colony 04 shone down on a black ring of asphalt. Clouds roamed the artificial sky, occasionally parting a bit to show the other side of the circular-band of the Colony. The clouds never moved that much, only the Colony did; rotating slowly to create an artificial gravity like that of the Earth, only the gravity was five percent less than the Earth's.
Down at the black ring of asphalt, multiple colors flew on the track, their speed blinding to anyone, blurring their colors to the track to form little dots that moved quickly. The racetrack of Colony 04 was home to some of the Space Grand Prix's finest drivers.
"Miss Winner," a deep voice startled Neo Winner out of her gaze at the clouds. She blinked her ocean blue eyes as she reverted her gaze to a gruff looking middle aged man who was dressed in the blue suit of a tech worker.
"Oh…uh, sorry Kenan," Neo stuttered, climbing out of the driver's seat of her sleek red racecar. She smiled faintly as she reached in the chair and grabbed her red helmet and tucked it under her left arm. "All yours Kenan, take good care of her!" Neo called back as she walked away from her racer.
"Will do Neo!" Kenan called back then proceeded to wheel the car away into its little garage tucked beneath the huge pagoda where the press box was.
Neo stared at the track once more, her eyes not really looking at the other racers out for their practice runs. Most of the other racers were in their twenties, she and a couple of others were the exception. It was only a few months back that Neo thought she wouldn't make it to another race, much less a practice…she had almost died that time…
Flash!
It was as if her mind was ripped out of her body, and stuck into a jar. She screamed as pain coursed throughout her body, touching every joint, fiber, and nerve of her. It hurt so much, so much more since they strapped some kind of device that amplified her abilities and made her feel more pain than any human would.
"Up the amplification, I want her to break," Locke Dabnerba ordered Dr. Parker who nodded gruffly and twisted a knob on a control board.
"Oh, God, Allah, why are you doing this to me?" Neo whispered as more surges of pain shot throughout her, making her muscles twitch to the own accord. Her senses were overwhelmed with the agony of her suffering. She hung limply from the metal bonds that strapped her to a bed of electric currents. Another current of electricity ran though her, and she winced a bit as the electric fiber touched the nape of her neck and entered her, running through her windpipe, making her open her mouth involuntarily and she spewed out electricity mixed with her own blood.
"It hurts doesn't it Neo? Hurts so bad that you want to die right now, don't you?" Xylon whispered into her ear as he stood next to her.
Flash!
Neo blinked her eyes as the flashback cleared her eyes. She shook her head a bit, her shoulder length blonde hair swaying against her driver suit. Her mind automatically clamped up from any thoughts or musings about Xylon Riyet or her experience with the Hidden Agent Project. No…no, I don't want to go back there; he's dead, Neo thought as she walked towards the locker room where the other drivers usually showered and put their stuff in. She was so intent on the sounds of the speeding cars passing on the track and lost in her own thoughts that she didn't realize anyone coming up to her until a hand slapped itself on her shoulder.
"Lost in the clouds again…aren't you Winner?" a husky high alto voice spoke up beside her, the voice full of arrogance and bossiness.
Neo turned her head slightly to acknowledge a girl about her height. She had dark brown hair that ran down to the middle of her back, all wavy like the ocean. Right now, that hair was clipped back and accented her pale purple eyes. Anima Ryoiji was a year older than her, and a damn good driver for the Colony Circuit, but she was her rival…her Colony 01 rival. "Yeah, I'm lost…you look like that yourself too," Neo replied back, her voice neutral. She wasn't really in the mood to pick a catfight with the girl at this moment, though her conscience was telling her to do so.
"Sorry Neo, but I'm not lost. I'm standing right next to you, seeing what you can do in the face of being lost in your own thoughts. You know, it would have been funny if you'd walk straight into a pole or the garage doors in your muddling," Anima replied and Neo raised and eyebrow at her comments.
"You sound like Cavan…" Neo muttered under her breath. Cavan Merquise was a big pain in the ass in her opinion and always made snide remarks when someone wasn't paying attention. But at least Cavan has the heart to stop…this girl's like a blabbermouth; Neo thought shrugging Anima's hand off of her shoulder. She turned to face the Japanese girl who stood a few inches taller than she was. She had to tilt her chin up to look into the face of Anima. "Anima…shove it," Neo replied then walked away from the girl who's jaw was dropped straight on the ground.
She walked towards the locker room, her mind sharp and focused. She didn't want anyone to find her again on the racetrack with her mind millions of miles away. A sudden thought invaded her mind and she realized that there were three people she had to contact. Her father, who was on the Maganac Base in the Arabic Desert; her best friend Tani, and her boyfriend Adler, who was on the Space Force station-teaching potential Preventer-Space Force officers. Neo opened the door to the track's locker room and entered it quickly. Finding her locker she keyed in her code and began changing as fast as she could.
* * *
Anima glared at the retreating Neo Winner's form as she shoved her hands in the pockets of her driver's suit. The girl seemed distracted recently as if she remembered something important or some event had led her to ignore all of her rebukes. Usually Winner would get so worked up, so flared up that Anima would be laughing on the inside, but this time, she felt as if there was a suspicion that hadn't been there since…
Anima put that thought from her mind as she closed up her feelings from her past. But a few memories of her past leaked through and Anima winced at bit at the harshness of them. Her childhood through pre-teen years was the worst time of her life. There were so much torment, sadness, and betrayal by so many people. Her mother was the worst of it. She was a double agent for something she didn't even understand, and she was caught in the middle of it. Her mother didn't care about her; all she cared for was about her mission and what she had to do to complete it. It was like her childhood friend's father…she hated him too. But his son…that was a different story… He used to be so kind to her, almost like a brother of sorts and she had made a secret promise that she would marry him when she grew up. But that all changed when he betrayed her; he had sold her out when they were both in the military academy. He had her kicked out of the academy because of her grades-in cases; he had forged them himself. She hated him for that…but now…
"Miss Ryoiji," a deep voice startled her out of her musings and Anima glanced up to see her manager, Tero Cehill. "Anima, I need you to take the car out again, for one lap before you go in. There's something on the car I want to check before next Sunday's race."
"Yes sir," Anima replied then turned around and headed back to the direction where the car's garages were. She put Neo and her childhood friend on the back of her mind…they weren't that important at the moment, what was, was that her signal had been given and she had a mission to perform.
* * *
Neo waited patiently for her father to answer her vid-call as she pulled absently on a lock of her sun-blonde hair. Suddenly her father's image appeared on the screen and Neo gave him a sunny smile. "Hey dad, what's up?" Neo asked, tucking the lock of hair behind her ear.
"The usual…work and more work," Quatre replied tiredly and Neo nodded in sympathy.
"How's mom and the others?" Neo asked noticing the faint wrinkle lines that ran through her father's forehead, showing the stress of managing his company; he was also whiting a bit at the temples.
"They're fine…oh Neo, you want to take a trip to the Space Academy?" Quatre asked and Neo wrinkled her eyebrows in puzzlement.
"Huh?"
"There's supposed to be a meeting for the company and Space Force. They want to negotiate some contracts and shipments for the resources we're extracting from the Mars asteroids. I can't get there because of my job and so since you know the company really well…" Quatre let the words hang unspoken.
"Yeah, why not," Neo replied and smiled secretly to herself. I can also see Adler then…she thought slyly. Ever since the 2nd G-Team parted ways a few months back, they rarely got to see each other. Adler had only called when he got the chance, and that was rare…she didn't even have time to reply to him because of her racing career and running a bit of her father's company with her aunts in his occasional absence.
"Good, its settled then…there's a shuttle waiting for you at docking bay 32 with your stuff," Quatre replied and was about to terminate the link when Neo held up a hand.
"Wait, dad…did you plan for me to go even if I disagreed?" Neo asked, curious.
Quatre nodded and smiled, "I know that Adler's stationed at the Space Academy so you would have gone regardless of whatever I said for you to do at Space Academy…"
"Ah, that's the dad I know…always reading my mind-well, more like my emotions," Neo laughed a lightly then waved a bit before closing the link. She turned around and saw Kenan walking towards her. "Hey Kenan! Tell Mr. Whitfield that I'll be gone a day or two…something to do with my father's company!" Neo yelled to the young mechanic.
"Um…all right Neo! See you in a couple of days," Kenan replied and Neo jogged off to docking bay 32, which was close to the racetrack.
* * *
Location: Space Academy- LaGrange Point AA-41
Adler Barton glanced around at the raised classroom at his students who were all trying to pay attention to him. Well, mostly the girls were paying attention to him, the boys…they were trying to hide the fact that they couldn't wait until mobile suit instruction. "Only a few more minutes before lunch break guys…try to keep it together and I might let you out early," Adler said in the best patient voice he could muster up. Even he was getting tired; the day seemed unusually long.
"Now then, what significant event happened on April 7th, AC 175?" Adler asked, picking a random question from the test he had created for his students. He was teaching a history/mobile suit piloting class as a junior instructor at the Space Academy.
One young fourteen-year-old brown-haired boy raised his hand and Adler nodded, "Yamato? You know the answer?"
"April 7th, AC 175, Colony representative and leader Heero Yuy was assassinated by an unknown sniper. Afterwards, chaos ensued and the Colonies broke away from the Earth, severing ties," the young teen called Yamato replied then added, "Colony representative Heero Yuy has no relation or ties to Commander Yuy of Preventer."
Adler nodded, "Thank you Yamato. Now who-", he was cut off as the bell rang, signaling lunch break for all students. He sighed in relief as the students rushed out of his classroom and headed towards their dorm-rooms or the mess hall for lunch. He glanced down at the paperwork that the students had to write - a five to six page essay on the military history during the time of the pacifist leader Heero Yuy. He could feel a headache coming on as he counted the number of papers handed in to him…every single of his 48-student class.
"So then it would mean that you have 400 pages to read tonight and hand back tomorrow, Officer Barton, give or take a few pages," a gruff voice said from the door way of the now empty classroom and Adler glanced up to see his advisor Lieutenant Jun Arakawa smiling faintly.
"Yeah…mind taking over for the next few classes?" Adler asked mock seriously. He was only a junior teacher at the Space Academy, one of the youngest to apply for the position. Usually enlisted and ranked officers applied for the job, but he came in under the recommendation of his father.
"No, you're supposed to learn what's it like to have a migraine for the next night or so," Jun chuckled lightly as he came into the empty classroom.
"Thanks," Adler replied sarcastically then put the papers on his desk and stood up, stretching a bit. "Jun, got any reason why this day's so long?" he asked with a first name basis since he was good friends with the Lieutenant.
"Don't know," Jun shrugged, "but your father's here along with some important people to discuss some political things. He's currently having lunch with a few of them." He lowered his voice and said slyly, "I also heard that a representative from the Winner Corporation is here also."
"Neo?" Adler replied back and Jun gave a mysterious smile.
"Could be…why don't you check it out," Jun replied then left the room, laughing a bit.
Silence hung in the air as Adler contemplated what Jun had to say. Usually Neo would give him a message to say that she was coming, but she had arrived, unannounced. Hnn, crazy girl trying to surprise me, Adler thought while smiling a bit. He stretched again before leaving his classroom and headed towards the mess hall, not the student one, but the faculty/guest one. He was going to have a talk with Neo Winner about a certain something.
* * *
Though not her first time in the Space Academy, Neo was still breathless at the sight of the school. It never ceased to amaze her with all its angular, crystalline build. Metal alloys, cut to be like crystals adorned every corner of the Space Academy, their bluish tint changing the area into a mysterious pool of ocean space. The Space Academy also offered grand views of the earth and the near by Colony 01.
"Your first time on the Space Academy?" a quiet, thoughtful voice spoke to her right and Neo turned to face Captain Trowa Barton.
"No…but every time I come here, I'm totally breathless. It's more like a museum in space than an academy. I mean without all these cadets, "she indicated the various teens and teachers all dressed in the military white shirt and dark blue pants milling around, "I'd think it is a museum."
Trowa laughed lightly, "You're right Neo. I guess I'm just used to it." The two of them walked away from the shuttle that had transported all the people for the summit meeting and headed towards the faculty/guest mess hall.
"I hope this summit meeting goes well. My father wants me to start learning his way of the trade, but…" Neo commented then sighed.
"You don't want to," Trowa finished for her and she nodded, looking around at the cadets and teachers who were milling around, trying to get to class or trying to get out of class.
"Yeah…I don't want to become heir to my father's corporation. I'll probably leave that to Dumas when he gets older," Neo replied as both stepped off an escalator that took them to a circular place with gold-plated guardrails that overlooked the student mess hall.
"Speaking of which, how's your family? I heard that Quatre just signed a big contract with Sweepers last week or so-to send them some of the mining surplus so they can start to rebuild some of the Colonies that were damaged by Locke," Trowa commented as both sat down at a table that was near the edge of the circle. "You want anything to eat?"
"No thanks…business first, then I can eat," Neo replied, grinning slightly, "so what's your purpose in this summit meeting?"
"Observe and watch the meeting. The bureaucrats you'll be talking with won't tell the head guys at Space Force everything, so that's where I come in. I'm supposed to memorize everything that happens at the meeting then give a full analysis of the people at the meeting, including you," Trowa explained and Neo wrinkled her eyebrows in puzzlement.
"But won't the bureaucrats suspect and choose their words carefully?" she asked tentatively.
"Of course…but being a soldier of the field, conformist, and Gundam pilot means a whole lot when the meeting starts," Trowa replied, smiling mysteriously.
Neo blinked a bit as the real meaning of the words hit her. So that's why Space Force sent him along…his skills as a former Gundam pilot can help in looking at what those pig-headed bureaucrats are thinking. Good thinking…she thought as she grinned at Trowa.
"Ah, so that's why dad has the face of the proverbial cat that ate the canary," a mellow pleasant voice interrupted their conversation and Neo turned to see Adler Barton standing in a dark blue uniform of Space Force. The outfit made him look sexy; but then again, the mysterious look Adler always had did the work for her beating heart. With his hair like his father, Neo could have sworn she was seeing twins…but due to the face that Adler's hair turned a slight shade of dirty blonde during the summer months (like now), Neo could tell the difference.
"Hey Adler, come to pick up Neo before her summit meeting?" Trowa asked, a glint that showed slight sadness in his eyes, but his face was all smiles.
"Oh, so that's why this crazy girl didn't call…yeah, if you don't mind," Adler shrugged, "when's her meeting anyway?"
"In around forty-five minutes, thank you for leaving me out of the conversation," Neo said with mock severity then got up and took Adler's hand and pulled him away from the table. Looking back, she smiled at Trowa, "Captain Barton, I'll met you at the front door to the meeting hall."
Pulling her boyfriend down the escalator and through crowds of slightly surprised students, Neo dragged him out the door to the cafeteria and into an empty hall. She released him and stood facing him, her face showing mock anger, "Now, tell me about why you're all of the sudden calling me 'crazy girl'?"
* * *
"Now, tell me about why you're all of the sudden calling me 'crazy girl'?"
Adler smiled at her remark; Neo didn't look angry, but he couldn't tell with her masking most of her emotions behind her well-honed in empathic powers. God, she looked beautiful, he thought as he looked her over. She had some light brown tanned skin, and her hair was a cream-yellow shade. She must have done some serious racing since the last time I talked to her, he thought as he looked over what she was wearing. Her business suit was cut to the latest professional edge, being a dress pants; tan for the most part, with a black diagonal cut that ran from her right left shoulder to her right hip.
"Well?" Neo asked, and Adler noted that her face showed a hint of pink as she realized he was looking at her.
Adler cleared his throat slightly then sighed as he looked down at her medium height form, "Well, Miss Crazy-Girl, its because you haven't called for the longest time and now you just show up."
"Its supposed to be a surprise…wait…how did you know?" Neo demanded looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes.
Adler bowed his head for a moment, a grin tugging on the corner of his lips. Neo was just so…so…he couldn't think of a word to describe the beautiful Arabian. "A friend," he replied mysteriously.
"Dammit! Stop sounding like your father!" she laughed a good sound to Adler's ears since he hadn't heard her or talked with her for over a month and half, "so that's why you picked me up."
He nodded slightly then something clicked in his mind. When his father had asked if he had come to pick her up, he noted the sad look his eyes showed; it opened up the wound in his heart even more. Neo knew about his mother…but he wondered if she saw the look in his father's eyes. "So, want me to take you on a tour of Space Academy? I've got about fifteen minutes before I have to teach my next class," he offered, spreading a hand out to the main hall.
"Sure…by the way, what's your next class?" Neo asked as they walked out of the empty sub-hall and into the main hall, her right hand holding onto his left.
"Mobile suit training," Adler replied, "wanna check out the greens?" He knew that she would like to watch anything with mobile suits and having her watch the new people, the greens, would be fun for him and torture for his students since she'll probably want to train them.
"Sure, lead the way…um…"
"Officer."
"Okay…lead the way, Officer Barton."
* * *
Neo couldn't keep her jaw from dropping to the floor in sheer awe as she looked at the zero-gravity simulator room where various students were sitting in chairs that were molded like the mobile suits' cockpits. The students were engaged in maneuvers, trying to sense each other as they sat blindfolded. She stifled a giggle as two crashed into each other, startling both pilots of the mock-suits.
"Wow…impressive simulation you've got," she commented softly as she pressed her hands on the glass, itching to get into one of those cockpits and fly circles around the students. She knew she was acting like a kid, but this was way wicked cool.
"If you want to try one, I guess I can let you in-"
"I'm leaving as soon as the negotiations are done…"
"But what if they take a few days?"
"Then go ahead, sign me up so I can kick their ass!" Neo grinned at Adler then glanced back to the various pilots who were maneuvering around.
Neo saw Adler shake his head and grin. "You're a bit hyper I see…"
"You should have seen her on our shuttle to here…" a deep voice interrupted the two of them and Neo turned around to see Adler's father standing there, a faint grin on his weathered face.
"Oh, hi dad," Adler greeted and Neo could sense that Adler was a bit angry at his father for interrupting his private time with his girlfriend.
"Meeting, I suppose?" Neo interjected before Adler could say anything else. She didn't want to see the two of them with a rift right now since she knew that Adler's mother had abandoned him since he was young. Adler needed his father's support at his critical age.
Trowa nodded slightly then glanced behind him. Neo and Adler followed suit to see an officer running up to them, his face red with exhaustion. "Captain Barton!" the man gasped in between breaths as he threw a hasty salute, coming up next to Trowa.
Neo probed the mind of the man and felt a jolt of fear leaking through his senses. She could feel that it was bad news the man had come to report, but she couldn't pinpoint it for some odd reason.
"What is it Lieutenant Peirno?" Trowa asked, returning the salute, his face etched into a frown.
"Sir…" the man wheezed out, "we have to get Miss Winner out of here! There is an armed mob within the civilian population of Space Academy, mixed with some of the cadets waiting out near your shuttle. They claim that the Winner Corporation has caused all the problems of the Colonies and Earth!"
"Whoa, whoa! Wait!" Neo narrowed her eyes angrily as she stepped in front of Trowa and glared at the Lieutenant, "what the hell are you talking about?"
"Miss Winner!" the Lieutenant huffed, "haven't you heard?"
Neo shook her head, puzzled. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't pinpoint it.
"Sweepers base has just been bombed and the blame has fallen upon Winner Corporation and the Preventers," the Lieutenant replied gravely.
Neo felt her jaw drop open a few centimeters in surprise. Never had she expected something like this to occur.
* * *
Adler blinked a few times at the news. He could see that the devastating news hit Neo hard…but why didn't it all add up? He frowned as his mind sorted out the news. Then Neo's next statement was what brought the house down.
"You're lying," she hissed, her eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared at the Lieutenant.
Adler felt his feet moving a bit back and saw that his father had done the same. His battle senses were up and alert for any possible attack from the Lieutenant…but still something didn't add up. "You sure Neo? I mean…we can check the news from my link," he said.
"No need Adler. He's telling the truth all right with Sweepers being bombed and the blame set squarely on my father's corporation and Preventers; but he's lying about getting us out," Neo replied and Adler looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Miss Winner-"
"Cut that 'Miss Winner' crap, you piece of shit! You're part of a conspiracy to overthrow the Unified Earth and Colonies, aren't you?" Neo glared at the Lieutenant, who had an interesting look on his face.
Adler had never seen that type of look on any person's face when facing Neo Winner. The Lieutenant was actually smiling. He put a hand to his side to reach for his gun when the Lieutenant whipped out a pistol and pointed it at him. Adler froze, his eyes narrowed as he watched the barrel move just so slightly in the man's grip.
"I wouldn't if I were you, Barton," the Lieutenant spat.
"Hidden agent," the words were barely audible that Adler could barely hear them from his father. He glanced at him and saw that he had a sad look on his face.
"What?!" the man pointed the gun at his father.
"You're one of Locke's remnant programs, aren't you. But you're working for someone else now. Working undercover, but not really knowing that you're betraying your own friends," Trowa said in a sad, thoughtful voice.
Adler saw that the grip the Lieutenant had on his gun was shaking uncontrollably and he realized that Locke might have programmed some to take up her mission after she was dead. This was probably one of them.
"No…no…NO! I'll kill you all!" the man that was once Lieutenant Peirno screamed.
"Watch out!" Adler yelled as he saw the trigger being squeezed.
Suddenly the Lieutenant dropped like a bag of stones, Neo behind him, her face grim as her hand was in a knife position. Her eyes glowed slightly as she stood from her guard position then ran a hand over her face. "Had to do it while he was focused on you two…sorry."
"No worries," Trowa replied, "you okay?"
"Yeah…" Neo replied and Adler could tell that she wasn't telling the whole truth. Was there something else to her empathic powers that she never told him? Did something happen over the months while he didn't see her? He shook his head slightly as he walked towards Neo, but stopped at her head shaking a no.
"Don't come near…I only knocked him out with a light pressure point, but if anyone trips over him or moves him, he will wake up. I'm just buying time for us to get out of here," Neo said and Adler nodded, stepping back.
"Shuttles?" Trowa suggested.
"No…there is a mob of people waiting over there. Adler, do you have anything at all to transport us out of here?" Neo asked, and Adler nodded.
"Yeah, come on," he gestured to the two of them to follow him. He had a private one-man shuttle that he built during his spare time at the academy. It was perfect for disguise to get to Earth or wherever Neo had to go to get out of Space Academy with her life intact.
* * *
Adler ran toward where the auxiliary hanger bays where. Not too many people knew about this place. When he was still a student at the Space Academy he had stumbled upon the place and found it fascinating with its various large windows, good for looking at stars, Colonies, and Earth rotating around. It was his favorite place in the Academy. It was a place where he could think alone without anyone to interrupt him. Once he had skipped a day worth of classes and spent his entire time here. The administrators had asked where he had been and he lied saying that he was accidentally stuck outside on working on the repairing class section of the Academy and his tether broke.
Exiting the dark hallway that brought him to the aux-hanger bay, he glanced around, his senses alerted for any attack.
"Never thought you'd help an enemy, Adler Barton," a voice brought his head to the right as he froze in the middle of the huge hanger bay.
Over the dim light of the stars and sun twinkling he saw his old friend Lieutenant Jun Arakawa. "Jun…" Adler breathed watching as whom he thought was his most trusted friend in Space Academy walk slowly towards him, a gun drawn and pointed to his chest. Without thinking, Adler drew his gun with a blur and pointed it unwavering at Jun. "Stop, or I'll kill you."
Jun stopped where he was and stared at Adler. He met his old friend's gaze without flinching. He knew that he would not hesitate to kill Jun even if it meant a death of a friend. That was a soldier's life, which was the way they taught at Space Academy. Adler suspected that Val Yuy's code was also the same since he joined the Alexandria Ground Corps.
He shook his head mentally. Why did his thoughts suddenly wander to Val? Must be the same thing happening to him, I guess, Adler thought as he kept watching Jun.
"The shuttle is behind me Neo Winner, all prepped and ready for your departure. Captain Barton, Adler and I will stay behind to ensure your safe retreat. We don't want you, one of the deadliest Gundam pilots to die in such a futile way," Jun suddenly spoke up, his voice gruff with emotion.
"What?!" Neo asked and Adler knew that his thoughts mirrored the same as his girlfriend's.
"I knew you would do that, Jun," Adler turned his head while lowering his gun as his father spoke, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Same here Trowa. We weren't war buddies for nothing when you were with us back before you turned as Colony 03's Gundam pilot," Jun replied then lowered his gun and gestured to the three of them. "Come on! We need cover. Neo Winner, Godspeed to you and bring back Sandstorm to kick some ass! Now go!" Jun shouted just as various soldiers and cadets burst through where Adler, Neo, and Trowa came through a few minutes ago.
Adler could see that Neo was hesitant to leave them and he walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Neo," he stated, looking deep into her ocean blue eyes. Those eyes of the girl he had fallen in love with since the ballroom incident before Locke Dabnerba declared herself alive.
"Ad-" Neo started before Adler reached down and kissed her with all the passion he had kept pent up inside of him for all these months. He could feel her presence inside of his mind…then broke off the mental and physical contact as he looked at her for a long time.
"Now…go…" he gently pushed her backward into the direction of her one-man shuttle. He watched as she nodded numbly then ran towards the shuttle and moments later, the whine of rocket engines firing filled the hanger then he saw her shoot out of there. She was free.
Adler turned back and set his jaw. Whoever was pulling the strings right now, was going to get it, but first, he needed to stop some of the cadets before making his escape. There was no turning back now, he knew that he was a liable target. We need to get into hiding…he thought as he drew out his gun and started to fire wounding shots at the various cadets, his mind fully knowing that it was some of his favorite students he was shooting at.
* * *
Neo grimly set her jaw as she flew away from the civil warring Space Colony. She knew that Adler and Trowa would survive; Gundam pilots had a high rate of surviving the impossible. But she was worried about Captain Barton's friend. Somehow, she knew that this time, whoever was responsible for the mess, would not let so many people off the hook of escaping death so easily.
"I will return…Sandstorm will be the one that destroys this new evil," Neo whispered as she shot off to the secret Maganac base in the Sahara Desert.
* * *
Author's Notes:
Well, finally I finished that chapter! It took me a while to complete it, but I finished it. Next chapter, Sephy will be writing, so check ya soon! Hope you enjoyed Retaliation so far!