Chapter 18- The Eventful Battle
"I can't believe Zechs would do this." Noin sighed sadly.
"I know what you mean." Howard agreed with her.
"A carriers aproachin', and judgin' by its speed there are at least ten mobile suits on board." Duo walked in with his usual gleeful smile.
"I have to take the small shuttle to go pick something up." Noin announced.
"Something or someone?" Duo smiled.
"Both."
Noin exited and Duo walked up to Howard.
"Are you three gonna deploy?" Howard asked.
"Two, Quatre's too worried about Trowa, so he agreed to stay behind while we take care of the OZ carrier."
"OZ?"
"With Trieze having taken over Romefeller, it's once again OZ. This carrier seems to be some advanced troops headed for Barge."
"Off the subject, Duo, but have you found..."
"No luck. She's alive though, she's not the kind of person to lay down and die. I have a feeling that OZ is involved somehow."
"What makes you say that?"
"The fact that once that battle was over, Gilly and her Gundam were no where to be found."
"Oh."
"Anyway, we're heading out now." He walked towards the door.
"Duo, you've been different ever since you met her. When she's brought up in a conversation your personality changes, but after a while you go back to being the God of Death, why?"
Duo stopped; "I've never felt this way around anyone else before. When she looks at me it makes me want to be a better person. I think that I love her, and if getting her to love me in return means losing a bit of the old me, I'm fine with that."
"So, the God of Death now has a heart to go with his black soul?"
"Guess so." Duo smiled as he headed for the hanger.
Duo walked down the various halls. Quatre would be waiting in the hanger for him. They needed to take care of this, but his mind kept wandering back to the subject of Gilly. He wondered if she really had changed him that much. He sauntered into the hanger where Quatre was inspecting his newly repaired Sandrock.
"You ready?" Duo asked.
"Sure, this'll be no problem." Quatre sighed.
"Than let's go!"
* * * * *
"Up and at 'em, sleepyhead!" Sumire shook Gilly's shoulders.
"Huh?" Gilly opened her eyes and looked up into Sumire's green eyes.
"You fell asleep, and we have a situation."
"Situation?" Gilly sat up and was suddenly wide-awake.
"Two mobile suits believed to be Gundam 02 and 04 are headed our way."
"What?!"
"What's wrong?"
"We have to go, now! They're Gundams! We can't let them get too close!" Gilly jumped out of her chair and ran for the cockpit, "Everyone suit up!"
Gilly reached the cockpit where Troit was piloting their shuttle.
"Do you see 'em?" Gilly asked.
"Yes, are you going?"
"Yes, we're taking off, keep heading for Barge, we'll take care of them in the Tauros suits."
"And you?"
"Of course I'll go in Knightsaber."
Troit gave a little gulp, than nodded for Gilly to head out. She remembered that 02 was the one that had been with 06. She gave a little laugh and wondered what kind of trouble this would bring. Unknown to her was that this battle would bring trouble of all sorts, and send things hurdling in the wrong direction.
"Alright!" Gilly called to her team, "Are ya'll ready to go?"
"Gotcha leader!" They replied.
The hatch opened and the eleven Tauros suits dropped out the back. One by one they took formation after they came out. Gilly dropped behind them, concealing Knightsaber behind the others.
"Move out!" Gilly yelled, and the team moved towards the two Gundams.
"How many are there?" Quatre called to Duo.
"I see eleven, but they're in a formation that's concealing." Duo replied.
"Concealing what?"
"I have no idea. Perhaps, we should wait for them to take up there full formation."
"Too late, the front line is parting."
"What the hell is that?!" Duo yelled as the dark shape came up to the front.
"It's coming to the front, what is that?"
Duo was in shock; "It's..."
"A Gundam?"
"...Knightsaber!"
"What's Knightsaber?"
"That! I can't believe it! Gilly!"
Gilly charged towards the two Gundams, screaming. She released her beam saber and pressed forward, the rest falling in behind her.
"Gilly!" Called a familiar voice.
Gilly slowed a second than sped up.
"Gilly! What are you doing?!" It was the voice of the guy in her dream.
"Where are you?" She asked aloud.
"I am right here!" The voice was coming from the Gundam 02.
"What?!"
"What's goin' on, Gilly?"
Gilly became angry; "I want ya'll on 04, I'll handle 02, myself!"
Everyone confirmed, than went for Sandrock. Gilly continued on for Deathscythe.
"How do you know my name, Gundam?!" She yelled as Deathscythe's scythe caught Knightsaber's beam saber.
"Gilly! Don't you remember? What happened to you?" Duo asked again.
"I don't know what you're talking about, how do you know my name, and who are you?" The two collided again.
"I'm your best friend! My name is Duo Maxwell!"
"That's a lie!" Gilly fired her buster shield, but missed.
"Gilly Hathaway! Listen to me!"
"You are misinformed," Gilly smiled, "Gundam pilot! My name is Gilly Kushrenada, not Hathaway!"
"No! You are Gilly Hathaway, pilot of the Knightsaber Gundam, someone's messing with your mind!"
"Liar!" Gilly shouted
"Quatre!" Duo called, "We have to retreat, I'll explain once we get back to the ship!"
"Right!" Quatre yelled as he beat back the rest of the suits.
Quatre had taken out four of the eleven suits, but they were very strong. He beat the others away and headed back to the Peacemillion. Duo followed, leaving Gilly in the middle of a blast that allowed him to escape.
When the blast cleared, Knightsaber floated in space watching the two Gundams go. Her team came up to her.
"What now?" Tak asked.
"Head to Barge, I'm going to take care of something." Gilly replied, not taking her eye off of 02 and 04.
"What?"
"You heard me. I'll join up with you, but I have to take care of something." She fired up her engines to go, but Tak moved in front of her; "Tak, get in my way and I'll kill you. Sorry, but this is my business, now go!"
Gilly took off and Tak watched her go. The other seven Tauros suits moved behind him.
"You heard what she said, let's get to Barge." Tak shouted and took off, he than whispered; "Be careful, don't go ruinin' Trieze's plot."
"I can't believe Zechs would do this." Noin sighed sadly.
"I know what you mean." Howard agreed with her.
"A carriers aproachin', and judgin' by its speed there are at least ten mobile suits on board." Duo walked in with his usual gleeful smile.
"I have to take the small shuttle to go pick something up." Noin announced.
"Something or someone?" Duo smiled.
"Both."
Noin exited and Duo walked up to Howard.
"Are you three gonna deploy?" Howard asked.
"Two, Quatre's too worried about Trowa, so he agreed to stay behind while we take care of the OZ carrier."
"OZ?"
"With Trieze having taken over Romefeller, it's once again OZ. This carrier seems to be some advanced troops headed for Barge."
"Off the subject, Duo, but have you found..."
"No luck. She's alive though, she's not the kind of person to lay down and die. I have a feeling that OZ is involved somehow."
"What makes you say that?"
"The fact that once that battle was over, Gilly and her Gundam were no where to be found."
"Oh."
"Anyway, we're heading out now." He walked towards the door.
"Duo, you've been different ever since you met her. When she's brought up in a conversation your personality changes, but after a while you go back to being the God of Death, why?"
Duo stopped; "I've never felt this way around anyone else before. When she looks at me it makes me want to be a better person. I think that I love her, and if getting her to love me in return means losing a bit of the old me, I'm fine with that."
"So, the God of Death now has a heart to go with his black soul?"
"Guess so." Duo smiled as he headed for the hanger.
Duo walked down the various halls. Quatre would be waiting in the hanger for him. They needed to take care of this, but his mind kept wandering back to the subject of Gilly. He wondered if she really had changed him that much. He sauntered into the hanger where Quatre was inspecting his newly repaired Sandrock.
"You ready?" Duo asked.
"Sure, this'll be no problem." Quatre sighed.
"Than let's go!"
* * * * *
"Up and at 'em, sleepyhead!" Sumire shook Gilly's shoulders.
"Huh?" Gilly opened her eyes and looked up into Sumire's green eyes.
"You fell asleep, and we have a situation."
"Situation?" Gilly sat up and was suddenly wide-awake.
"Two mobile suits believed to be Gundam 02 and 04 are headed our way."
"What?!"
"What's wrong?"
"We have to go, now! They're Gundams! We can't let them get too close!" Gilly jumped out of her chair and ran for the cockpit, "Everyone suit up!"
Gilly reached the cockpit where Troit was piloting their shuttle.
"Do you see 'em?" Gilly asked.
"Yes, are you going?"
"Yes, we're taking off, keep heading for Barge, we'll take care of them in the Tauros suits."
"And you?"
"Of course I'll go in Knightsaber."
Troit gave a little gulp, than nodded for Gilly to head out. She remembered that 02 was the one that had been with 06. She gave a little laugh and wondered what kind of trouble this would bring. Unknown to her was that this battle would bring trouble of all sorts, and send things hurdling in the wrong direction.
"Alright!" Gilly called to her team, "Are ya'll ready to go?"
"Gotcha leader!" They replied.
The hatch opened and the eleven Tauros suits dropped out the back. One by one they took formation after they came out. Gilly dropped behind them, concealing Knightsaber behind the others.
"Move out!" Gilly yelled, and the team moved towards the two Gundams.
"How many are there?" Quatre called to Duo.
"I see eleven, but they're in a formation that's concealing." Duo replied.
"Concealing what?"
"I have no idea. Perhaps, we should wait for them to take up there full formation."
"Too late, the front line is parting."
"What the hell is that?!" Duo yelled as the dark shape came up to the front.
"It's coming to the front, what is that?"
Duo was in shock; "It's..."
"A Gundam?"
"...Knightsaber!"
"What's Knightsaber?"
"That! I can't believe it! Gilly!"
Gilly charged towards the two Gundams, screaming. She released her beam saber and pressed forward, the rest falling in behind her.
"Gilly!" Called a familiar voice.
Gilly slowed a second than sped up.
"Gilly! What are you doing?!" It was the voice of the guy in her dream.
"Where are you?" She asked aloud.
"I am right here!" The voice was coming from the Gundam 02.
"What?!"
"What's goin' on, Gilly?"
Gilly became angry; "I want ya'll on 04, I'll handle 02, myself!"
Everyone confirmed, than went for Sandrock. Gilly continued on for Deathscythe.
"How do you know my name, Gundam?!" She yelled as Deathscythe's scythe caught Knightsaber's beam saber.
"Gilly! Don't you remember? What happened to you?" Duo asked again.
"I don't know what you're talking about, how do you know my name, and who are you?" The two collided again.
"I'm your best friend! My name is Duo Maxwell!"
"That's a lie!" Gilly fired her buster shield, but missed.
"Gilly Hathaway! Listen to me!"
"You are misinformed," Gilly smiled, "Gundam pilot! My name is Gilly Kushrenada, not Hathaway!"
"No! You are Gilly Hathaway, pilot of the Knightsaber Gundam, someone's messing with your mind!"
"Liar!" Gilly shouted
"Quatre!" Duo called, "We have to retreat, I'll explain once we get back to the ship!"
"Right!" Quatre yelled as he beat back the rest of the suits.
Quatre had taken out four of the eleven suits, but they were very strong. He beat the others away and headed back to the Peacemillion. Duo followed, leaving Gilly in the middle of a blast that allowed him to escape.
When the blast cleared, Knightsaber floated in space watching the two Gundams go. Her team came up to her.
"What now?" Tak asked.
"Head to Barge, I'm going to take care of something." Gilly replied, not taking her eye off of 02 and 04.
"What?"
"You heard me. I'll join up with you, but I have to take care of something." She fired up her engines to go, but Tak moved in front of her; "Tak, get in my way and I'll kill you. Sorry, but this is my business, now go!"
Gilly took off and Tak watched her go. The other seven Tauros suits moved behind him.
"You heard what she said, let's get to Barge." Tak shouted and took off, he than whispered; "Be careful, don't go ruinin' Trieze's plot."