Chapter 23- Go Forth Gundam Team
She pulled on her fingerless gloves. She had never really noticed them before. They just came as a natural part of her. The gloves were a light blue and she realized that that was why her OZ uniform was the color it was. It matched her gloves perfectly and she had worn them while with OZ. The gloves were something she had done for as long as she could remember. They made up her image in a way. To her they seemed formfitting and in a way, sexy.
Now was the time for the battle that could change lives. This war had already changed her life greatly, but was going to end in the hands of those who believed in peace the most. She didn't like fighting; it sent chills up and down her spine. She knew the cause and was all for it, but she didn't want to fight.
What she did want was to help, but the only way she could was to fight. No one else could pilot Knightsaber but her so it seemed a waste to just let it sit there while she did nothing. Knightsaber was her only way of helping. It gave her the strength and the will to fight that she needed, but if Duo weren't there, her heart just wouldn't be in it.
Duo was the reason Gilly was alive. Nothing else mattered anymore, but her being with him. She loved him, she'd never felt this way before, and she'd do anything for him. What was more is he loved her in return, and that gave her the strength, the will, the passion to live. To live knowing that he would always be there for her, and that she had to be there for him, in order for him to be there for her. It was a cycle that she had learned to love.
A few months ago, Gilly had thought that it wasn't meant to be. Every time she and he tried to express their emotions, something had happened to stop them. Interruptions, such as battles and kidnappings all seemed to find her. This was the other reason she hated battles and fighting. Aside from the senseless slaughter, those battles had kept them apart. She now hated Trieze and Scott, for kidnapping her. The other interruptions she could deal with. She'd never be able to bring herself to hate Heero, or even Tak for that matter.
Since being back with Duo, Gilly hadn't had the chance to sit in Knightsaber. The two had some catching up to do. Gilly wondered how Knightsaber's systems would've reacted to the jamming device.
Gilly remembered the ring on her left ring finger. She looked at that finger. The glove was covering it up. She frowned and removed the glove. Gilly moved her hand from side to side so the ring would glitter. With a small smile, she took the ring off, put the glove back on, and slid the ring on over the glove.
She began to walk towards the control room when she ran into Amanda.
"Amanda!" She said loudly, "What are you doing here?"
"Me? What are you doing here?"
"You know the answer to that."
"I suppose I do." Amanda scratched her head and Gilly laughed.
"Seriously. Why are you here."
"The truth?"
Gilly folded her arms in mock annoyance.
"Okay. Okay. I left shortly after you did. I came to space to see how I could help. I had D'hara with me, so I would occasionally join in battles with Wufei Chang. He didn't exactly enjoy my presence at first, but little by little, he became more tolerant."
"Wufei? From what I've heard, he hates being helped, and the help of a woman is something that he hates even more."
"He just couldn't get rid of me. When he would try to attack me, I just flew away. D'hara is quite fast. Anyway, one day I got careless and D'hara kind of got impaled, than exploded."
"I'm sorry."
"Me too. Wufei couldn't just let me float in space, so he brought me to where he kept Nataku. I regained consciousness, and he let me stay with him, beings I really didn't have anywhere else to go."
"How sweet. Anything else?"
"Aside from the fact that I have found myself in love with him and we are becoming good friends? Um, no."
"Wow. Quite a tale."
"Yeah, so how have you been?"
"I'm sure you've heard the stories."
"I guess I have."
"That's it. If you've talked to Duo, he knows practically all of what's happened since we arrived in space. I don't wish to go into a bunch of painful memories, so I won't bore you with the details."
"Thanks, I think."
"I have to go now, so I'll see you around, okay?"
"See you."
The two parted and Gilly headed for the control room. She walked into the room and caught the conversation as it was barely beginning.
"Destroy Libra, that simple." Wufei said plainly.
"But will that end the war, though?" Major Sally Po asked.
"No, it won't. On earth Trieze is getting ready to send a military force into space. The colonies will retaliate against that." Quatre replied.
"But we can't just leave Libra." Duo added. "I agree that we should destroy it." He said as he raised his hand.
"Sure thing, Duo, but can we destroy it?" Trowa asked.
"Are you saying we take on Zechs as our enemy?" Noin inquired.
"Are you saying he's an Ali?" Duo jested.
"Well, I...."
"Heero, what's your opinion?" Howard asked.
"Zechs is our enemy, he feels the same way about us." Heero nodded.
"I agree." Gilly sighed.
Duo looked up as Gilly walked up behind him. Alarms sounded.
"There you have it, they've beaten us to the punch!" Duo sighed as signs of White Fang troops were spotted.
"Let's go, Heero." Duo smiled.
"Sorry, Zero and I won't be joining this battle." Heero replied.
"Huh? What's goin' on, Heero?"
"Gotta take care of something first."
Gilly put a hand on Duo's shoulder and the two ran off to join the others in battle. Once on the field, the Gundam pilots found that the mobile dolls were loaded with strategic programs.
In the battle, Gilly allowed Knightsaber to guide her through it. In not much time at all, all of the dolls were destroyed.
"Damn! That was one hard day of work!" Duo yelled.
"Yes." Gilly agreed, panting.
* * * * *
Back on Peacemillion the Gundams were to be fueled up and repaired. Zero's eyes glowed green and Heero looked up from his work.
"Yes, I know that, Zero. As it stands we can't possibly defeat Zechs." Heero said calmly.
* * * * *
"Geez, they just kept comin' after us, no matter how hard we fought 'em off!" Duo sighed.
"Fighting like that won't get us anywhere, what we really need now is a plan." Quatre sighed with him.
"That's easier said than done! Look, we've already made it really close to Libra, right? It's too late to come up with a plan."
"But surely there will be a lot more mobile dolls guarding Libra. They'll probably separate us, than attack us." Trowa added.
"You're right. And the enemy will attack when you're most worn out." Sally agreed.
"That just means we'll have to crush Libra before they can get to us." Wufei snarled.
No, that won't work. We don't stand a chance right now, but what options do we have? Quatre contemplated.
Gilly sat listening to the Gundam pilot's conversation. At the center of her was a small hurt that seemed to come form a strange origin. She cringed with the pain, but hid it and continued to listen.
* * * * *
Heero handed Howard three data disks.
"Could you install this?"
"But this is...No way!"
"Quatre can handle that."
"You're right. I'll do it."
* * * * *
Zechs slipped the special headgear over Dorothy's head.
"Hm..."
"What do you think?"
"It's not bad at all. I'd like to try it out in real combat."
"You do that. I'm gonna have my hands full fighting Wing Zero with Epyon."
Canns walked in. "Commander Milliardo, Peacemillion is heading straight for us!"
"I'll face them, now!"
* * * * *
Heero hopped up onto Sandrock's loading platform. Quatre smiled.
"I've asked Howard to install the Zero system in this suit as well."
"But, how come?" His smile faded.
"It's a good system for leading troops into battle, try it out."
"I can't Heero! I-I can't do it! I just can't! No! Not the Zero!" His memories of his previous encounter with Zero raced through his mind. "I can't do it. I don't have what it takes! Why don't you lead us with Wing Zero?"
"Wing Zero will be fighting Epyon, but some one has to lay out a plan if we're going survive this."
"I know that."
'Than you've got to take command. This is the way you can pay back the people in outer space, okay?"
"Heero..."
"The code's Zero, you have to input the letters to activate the system!"
* * * * *
"Duo..." Gilly jumped up onto Deathscythe's platform.
"What is it?" Duo asked.
"Sumire will be coming to battle sometime..."
"Sumire?"
"My friend from OZ."
"Oh. How are you gonna handle that? Are you gonna fight her?"
"No, I'll try to reason with her, and if she doesn't listen to me, I'll make her come with me by force."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I need you to keep everyone else away while I deal with her and Tak. I'll know which ones they are, but I need your help, because I'll be very short on time."
"As you wish, milady." Duo said as he took Gilly's right hand and kissed it gently on the back, causing her to give a weak smile.
* * * * *
The six Gundams flew out of the hanger. Zero flew off.
"Heero!"
"Epyon's coming! The rest is up to you!"
Without listening to Quatre's reasoning, the other four Gundams flew off to fight. As the Zero system controlled the mobile dolls, Zero and Epyon fought it out, and Quatre watched as all the Gundams were getting their butts beaten into the colonies.
Finally, Quatre typed in the Zero code, and came up with a plan. He directed Wufei, Duo, and Trowa. Gilly was considered an extra like Noin, so she mimicked with Duo, using Knightsaber to help her out.
Dorothy and Quatre finally realized who was coming up with the strategies, and Dorothy made a decision.
"Fire Libra's main cannon and strike them!"
"What's going on?! You've gotta be kidding!" Canns yelled.
"It's the only way to destroy the Gundams!"
"Just fire! That's all we can do!"
Quatre was the first to realize it.
"Everyone get outta here!"
"Libra's firing their main weapon?!"
Barely getting out of the way, both Peacemillion and the Gundams were able to get away from the beam's blast.
"I must leave, Heero! This was too much responsibility for Dorothy!"
"Hey, Zechs, Zero says you have no future, is Epyon telling you differently?" Heero asked Zechs as he flew away from the meaningless battle.
She pulled on her fingerless gloves. She had never really noticed them before. They just came as a natural part of her. The gloves were a light blue and she realized that that was why her OZ uniform was the color it was. It matched her gloves perfectly and she had worn them while with OZ. The gloves were something she had done for as long as she could remember. They made up her image in a way. To her they seemed formfitting and in a way, sexy.
Now was the time for the battle that could change lives. This war had already changed her life greatly, but was going to end in the hands of those who believed in peace the most. She didn't like fighting; it sent chills up and down her spine. She knew the cause and was all for it, but she didn't want to fight.
What she did want was to help, but the only way she could was to fight. No one else could pilot Knightsaber but her so it seemed a waste to just let it sit there while she did nothing. Knightsaber was her only way of helping. It gave her the strength and the will to fight that she needed, but if Duo weren't there, her heart just wouldn't be in it.
Duo was the reason Gilly was alive. Nothing else mattered anymore, but her being with him. She loved him, she'd never felt this way before, and she'd do anything for him. What was more is he loved her in return, and that gave her the strength, the will, the passion to live. To live knowing that he would always be there for her, and that she had to be there for him, in order for him to be there for her. It was a cycle that she had learned to love.
A few months ago, Gilly had thought that it wasn't meant to be. Every time she and he tried to express their emotions, something had happened to stop them. Interruptions, such as battles and kidnappings all seemed to find her. This was the other reason she hated battles and fighting. Aside from the senseless slaughter, those battles had kept them apart. She now hated Trieze and Scott, for kidnapping her. The other interruptions she could deal with. She'd never be able to bring herself to hate Heero, or even Tak for that matter.
Since being back with Duo, Gilly hadn't had the chance to sit in Knightsaber. The two had some catching up to do. Gilly wondered how Knightsaber's systems would've reacted to the jamming device.
Gilly remembered the ring on her left ring finger. She looked at that finger. The glove was covering it up. She frowned and removed the glove. Gilly moved her hand from side to side so the ring would glitter. With a small smile, she took the ring off, put the glove back on, and slid the ring on over the glove.
She began to walk towards the control room when she ran into Amanda.
"Amanda!" She said loudly, "What are you doing here?"
"Me? What are you doing here?"
"You know the answer to that."
"I suppose I do." Amanda scratched her head and Gilly laughed.
"Seriously. Why are you here."
"The truth?"
Gilly folded her arms in mock annoyance.
"Okay. Okay. I left shortly after you did. I came to space to see how I could help. I had D'hara with me, so I would occasionally join in battles with Wufei Chang. He didn't exactly enjoy my presence at first, but little by little, he became more tolerant."
"Wufei? From what I've heard, he hates being helped, and the help of a woman is something that he hates even more."
"He just couldn't get rid of me. When he would try to attack me, I just flew away. D'hara is quite fast. Anyway, one day I got careless and D'hara kind of got impaled, than exploded."
"I'm sorry."
"Me too. Wufei couldn't just let me float in space, so he brought me to where he kept Nataku. I regained consciousness, and he let me stay with him, beings I really didn't have anywhere else to go."
"How sweet. Anything else?"
"Aside from the fact that I have found myself in love with him and we are becoming good friends? Um, no."
"Wow. Quite a tale."
"Yeah, so how have you been?"
"I'm sure you've heard the stories."
"I guess I have."
"That's it. If you've talked to Duo, he knows practically all of what's happened since we arrived in space. I don't wish to go into a bunch of painful memories, so I won't bore you with the details."
"Thanks, I think."
"I have to go now, so I'll see you around, okay?"
"See you."
The two parted and Gilly headed for the control room. She walked into the room and caught the conversation as it was barely beginning.
"Destroy Libra, that simple." Wufei said plainly.
"But will that end the war, though?" Major Sally Po asked.
"No, it won't. On earth Trieze is getting ready to send a military force into space. The colonies will retaliate against that." Quatre replied.
"But we can't just leave Libra." Duo added. "I agree that we should destroy it." He said as he raised his hand.
"Sure thing, Duo, but can we destroy it?" Trowa asked.
"Are you saying we take on Zechs as our enemy?" Noin inquired.
"Are you saying he's an Ali?" Duo jested.
"Well, I...."
"Heero, what's your opinion?" Howard asked.
"Zechs is our enemy, he feels the same way about us." Heero nodded.
"I agree." Gilly sighed.
Duo looked up as Gilly walked up behind him. Alarms sounded.
"There you have it, they've beaten us to the punch!" Duo sighed as signs of White Fang troops were spotted.
"Let's go, Heero." Duo smiled.
"Sorry, Zero and I won't be joining this battle." Heero replied.
"Huh? What's goin' on, Heero?"
"Gotta take care of something first."
Gilly put a hand on Duo's shoulder and the two ran off to join the others in battle. Once on the field, the Gundam pilots found that the mobile dolls were loaded with strategic programs.
In the battle, Gilly allowed Knightsaber to guide her through it. In not much time at all, all of the dolls were destroyed.
"Damn! That was one hard day of work!" Duo yelled.
"Yes." Gilly agreed, panting.
* * * * *
Back on Peacemillion the Gundams were to be fueled up and repaired. Zero's eyes glowed green and Heero looked up from his work.
"Yes, I know that, Zero. As it stands we can't possibly defeat Zechs." Heero said calmly.
* * * * *
"Geez, they just kept comin' after us, no matter how hard we fought 'em off!" Duo sighed.
"Fighting like that won't get us anywhere, what we really need now is a plan." Quatre sighed with him.
"That's easier said than done! Look, we've already made it really close to Libra, right? It's too late to come up with a plan."
"But surely there will be a lot more mobile dolls guarding Libra. They'll probably separate us, than attack us." Trowa added.
"You're right. And the enemy will attack when you're most worn out." Sally agreed.
"That just means we'll have to crush Libra before they can get to us." Wufei snarled.
No, that won't work. We don't stand a chance right now, but what options do we have? Quatre contemplated.
Gilly sat listening to the Gundam pilot's conversation. At the center of her was a small hurt that seemed to come form a strange origin. She cringed with the pain, but hid it and continued to listen.
* * * * *
Heero handed Howard three data disks.
"Could you install this?"
"But this is...No way!"
"Quatre can handle that."
"You're right. I'll do it."
* * * * *
Zechs slipped the special headgear over Dorothy's head.
"Hm..."
"What do you think?"
"It's not bad at all. I'd like to try it out in real combat."
"You do that. I'm gonna have my hands full fighting Wing Zero with Epyon."
Canns walked in. "Commander Milliardo, Peacemillion is heading straight for us!"
"I'll face them, now!"
* * * * *
Heero hopped up onto Sandrock's loading platform. Quatre smiled.
"I've asked Howard to install the Zero system in this suit as well."
"But, how come?" His smile faded.
"It's a good system for leading troops into battle, try it out."
"I can't Heero! I-I can't do it! I just can't! No! Not the Zero!" His memories of his previous encounter with Zero raced through his mind. "I can't do it. I don't have what it takes! Why don't you lead us with Wing Zero?"
"Wing Zero will be fighting Epyon, but some one has to lay out a plan if we're going survive this."
"I know that."
'Than you've got to take command. This is the way you can pay back the people in outer space, okay?"
"Heero..."
"The code's Zero, you have to input the letters to activate the system!"
* * * * *
"Duo..." Gilly jumped up onto Deathscythe's platform.
"What is it?" Duo asked.
"Sumire will be coming to battle sometime..."
"Sumire?"
"My friend from OZ."
"Oh. How are you gonna handle that? Are you gonna fight her?"
"No, I'll try to reason with her, and if she doesn't listen to me, I'll make her come with me by force."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I need you to keep everyone else away while I deal with her and Tak. I'll know which ones they are, but I need your help, because I'll be very short on time."
"As you wish, milady." Duo said as he took Gilly's right hand and kissed it gently on the back, causing her to give a weak smile.
* * * * *
The six Gundams flew out of the hanger. Zero flew off.
"Heero!"
"Epyon's coming! The rest is up to you!"
Without listening to Quatre's reasoning, the other four Gundams flew off to fight. As the Zero system controlled the mobile dolls, Zero and Epyon fought it out, and Quatre watched as all the Gundams were getting their butts beaten into the colonies.
Finally, Quatre typed in the Zero code, and came up with a plan. He directed Wufei, Duo, and Trowa. Gilly was considered an extra like Noin, so she mimicked with Duo, using Knightsaber to help her out.
Dorothy and Quatre finally realized who was coming up with the strategies, and Dorothy made a decision.
"Fire Libra's main cannon and strike them!"
"What's going on?! You've gotta be kidding!" Canns yelled.
"It's the only way to destroy the Gundams!"
"Just fire! That's all we can do!"
Quatre was the first to realize it.
"Everyone get outta here!"
"Libra's firing their main weapon?!"
Barely getting out of the way, both Peacemillion and the Gundams were able to get away from the beam's blast.
"I must leave, Heero! This was too much responsibility for Dorothy!"
"Hey, Zechs, Zero says you have no future, is Epyon telling you differently?" Heero asked Zechs as he flew away from the meaningless battle.