Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: Where the Hero Fell…

Act 7: Hatred Starts. .

Start Date: 2/9/03

Finish Date: 2/24/03

Ukraine Land, Europe

November 8th, UC 0079

08:30 A.M.

The Battle of Odessa was just getting started. A nice symphony of gunshots filling the void within the skies were finally realized. Chaos was erupting on every turn, as massive land bound battleships drove through the light opposition. The resistance was light, consisting of tyrannical Zeon mobile suits in limited quantities. The 4th Division was in full force, as their own mobile suit forces were deployed. The land based GM, and Gundam models were fully utilize to the extreme, and nothing less than exceptional. Zaku mobile suits were brought down in heart beats, as the 4th Division went with it's follow through at full force. Just hours ago, they brought through the main Zeon defense line in the north, and ever since, the northern lines were forced into a panic and disorganized terror. The halcyon setting was shattered when a second EFF mop-up force was perusing not too far behind the 4th Division.

In one of the many battles occurring among the immense battlefield, a conflict between a Gundam [G] and a Zaku II was under way. The Zaku pilot was feeling hesitation running among his veins, mainly due to the fact that he has never trained with anti-mobile suit combat maneuvers. He drove his Zaku with excellent precision, even though the budding enemy pilot seemed much more skilled, given Federation mobile suits were still not on roll out. The Gundam [G] vaulted forward, with twin azure flames proving the extra precision the pilot needed. The pilot could feel the G forces pound on his fragile human form, something that he wasn't accustomed to. The Zaku's eye rotated to the left of the rapidly approaching Gundam look-alike.

"Oh ****, here he comes!" the Zaku pilot screamed to nobody in particular. Anxiety was filling his mind as he forced his Zaku forward, to face the enemy in a head on collision. "He'll never be able to get me!" Another line said to the invisible occupant. The Zaku raised it's machine gun in a combat-ready position, and a volley fired off at unheard speeds. The Gundam [G] faltered back, but didn't flinch in a major detail. The Gundam reached towards it's backpack to a component foreign to the Zaku pilot. The Gundam held the object in hand, as a direct stream of energy quickly emitted from it's captivity. The Zaku pilot gasped to himself, launching himself back in his chair to attempt to halt his mobile suit from the direct course.

"My first kill!" Screamed the Gundam pilot, as he drove his beam saber right in front of him. The Zaku pilot reached for it's melee weapon around the when the Gundam [G] pilot made it's swing. The Zaku pilot was a step slower though, as all that accompanied his death, was an ear-piercing scream. The beam sword struck through the cockpit, thus silencing the Zaku pilot from any more pain of death. The Gundam [G] forced it's leg into the ground, as it forced it's beam saber to the side. The plasma emitting from the super-heated sword was immense, as sparks emitted from the metal it was gorging against. Using excessive pressure on the slash, it was formally completed in a pose like fashion. The Gundam [G] held it's beam saber up, as the wrecked Zaku slumped forward. Several former parts flew into the horizon, as the Zaku violently erupted into flames, shadowing the Gundam [G]'s humanoid visage. As soon as the enemy destruction was confirmed, the blade of the saber cut itself off. The Gundam lifted it's arm, resetting the weapon in it's holstered position. Another mobile suit came within the vicinity of the Gundam [G]. It was yet another Gundam [G], whom was much more damaged than the first, just due to the various battle scars upon it's shoulder pad and torso. Both of the suits made a friendly comrade jester by lightly pounding their free fists with each other.

"Nice kill there, man." The second Gundam [G] pilot said. Both of them walked in the direction they should be advancing in. It would seem that even on a battlefield, good friends can converse.

"Yeah. Pretty hard for a first time, but it's pretty fun. ." The first Gundam [G] pilot said. He rubbed his forehead filled with sweat, and breathing in the stuffy air filling the confined cockpit. He could hear the battle still in the surroundings, and he was rather confident of every Zeon mobile suit he faced.

"Heh. . We're having those Zeeks running scared." The second Gundam [G] chattered onwards. It was a miracle why neither of them got killed in crossfire. . In the background, the Bulldog was passing. .

The Bulldog was overly mellow and somber. Senra's Guntank had ensued emergency repairs, judging from the lopsided cannon it adored. The Guntank was upon one wing of the Bulldog, randomly firing it's shells upon any target that got close to the Bulldog. It would be expected that the 4th Division would be under chaos due to the sudden loss of the Colonel the previous night, but that wasn't the case. Command was immediately transferred to another leader, and the 4th Division kicked an even higher gear than when the Colonel was in the position of authority. The Bulldog was merely following orders. Upon the other wing, the Guncannon was kneeling downward, firing it's twin cannons wherever it need be. Inside the bridge, Tolen was absent, and the crew was managing their own. Satoru was absent from all present activities, and it was unknown where the remaining pilot was. .

"I'll ask you again. . Where is the escape point?" Inside one of the multitude of rooms within the battleships, some sort of assembly was taking place. The room was dark. . A head light creaked whenever it moved from right to left, and showed no presence of stopping. There was a table set up directly under the light, and there resided a figure on one side. The light reflected on the lone figure's face. It was Virocana, still fully dressed in her Zeonic uniform absent the helmet. Her face expressed that of dread and fear, as several unpleasant thoughts filled her brain. Her azure hair was a mess, and bags under her eyes formulated before the interrogation, signaling how far the Zeon was pushing her. On the other side, a shadowy figure sat. The light moved, and reflected on his face. It was a massively built Federation soldier. His face showed that the man was moderate when it came to age, and he had a goatee slightly growing. Behind him, two other figures stood. The light shined on their torsos, considering their upright position. One of them was Tolen. . Tolen had a straight face alike the one he always had. His face expressed that of boredom. . Another figure was a Federation soldier armed with an assault rifle. He ensured the peace, which meant the well good of the Federation interrogator.

"I. . I don't know. ." Virocana's eyes slowly trailed to the floor. Both of her hands were handcuffed, and promptly sitting within her lamp. They told her to be at ease, but it was very difficult to do so in this situation. The interrogator caught Virocana's eye movements, as he didn't leave her unattended for a second. The interrogator chuckled to himself. Obviously, "politeness" wasn't doing any better on getting Virocana to crack, so more persuasive methods would have to be used. .

"Miss. . Vivian. . I do hope you realize that your life is on the line. ." The interrogator leaned forward, folding his hands across the desk, and in turn, giving Virocana a stern look. She eased up in her chair, as her fear turned for the worst. "I don't give a damn about your interests. . And neither does the Federation. . You're expendable. Now, you might think different. If you actually hope on getting out of the war alive, it would be in your best interest to comply. ." There was the threats. Virocana just nodded in reply, silent like as if she was a child who just got scolded by a parent.

"Shin. ." Tolen's voice was cold and stale. Obviously, he wasn't up to his subordinate giving the subject ideal threats to have her crack and leak information. Two lines formatted on the edge of Tolen's mouth, signifying how intense his mood really was. "Just get to the point. . You're dragging in circles. ."

"Yes sir. ." Shin said in a mocking tone. Tolen caught that immediately, and grunted. Shin's status as an interrogator was on the line this moment, so he'd better not mess the chance up. Shin leaned back in his chair, toying with a pen that was in his pocket. Shin had already lost his nerve in trying to psyche Virocana out with threats. "Fine. . I'll try this again. . Where is the Zeon evacuation point? Surely they must have set at least one up. . I mean, they know that we're going to win. ." Shin's arrogance struck Virocana as she slightly went in an upright position, but who was she to get riled up about this war? Personally, she could care less, which is why she eased back once more. She just wanted to get the interrogation over with. .

"I. . Don't know. ." Virocana closed her eyes. Her tone was barely at the point of a whisper. Shin slammed both of his fists onto the table in a fit of frustration. Both of the observers behind him were taken in by the sudden outburst. Shin was always known to be prone to anger in his interrogations, which was a bad combination. The man cleared his raged façade, and also vacated his throat. After that, his voice was pretty brash, boarding along the line of extreme annoyance.

I'm getting fed up with this, Shin told himself. He stood up, as Virocana just looked at him in a puzzling manner. "Miss Vivian. . Please stand up for me." Virocana obeyed Shin's command. It would be much quicker to just be the dog and follow orders, then rebel and end up getting shot because she defied the one who was stronger. The slender woman stood. Her sluggishness defined how tired she really was. Her arms dropped in front of her, as they were handcuffed to each other. As soon as Virocana stood, she felt some sort of object forced against her abdomen. She glanced down, there, Shin outstretched a gun, jamming the barrel in her soft flesh. It was painful, given the amount of pressure experienced in the mobile suit. Tolen just grunted, and buried his head within his hand, obviously ashamed of the matter at hand.

"You're not getting the situation. . I can kill you now, and throw your body out for the vultures to eat." Virocana cocked her eye at what Shin said, which just triggered the man into forcing the gun into her gut even harder than before. Virocana's level of fear was unfathomable at this moment, as her polite asseveration failed her. Tolen was more perplexed by the manner of Shin's "interrogation", but he wasn't going to step in until things got out of hand. Shin smirked, brandishing his gun like a child with a new toy. "I have this gun, and it can kill you slow. Now, unless you want to cough blood, you'd better cough up answers."

"But-" Virocana ceased functions, as Shin didn't expertly fire the gun in her stomach. Instead, he withdrew his hand, and violently punched Virocana in her stomach with her free arm. A scattered trail of saliva ejected from her mouth, as she lurched forward. It was near to an impossible task for her to regain her regular breathing. Tolen stepped forward, as Shin's expression regulated into an even more stern one. Virocana's head slumped on the table, as the pain was to great for even her to bare. . Her figure was womanly slender, but overly weak, not enough to withstand a punch from a muscle man. Her head was rested on the table, as Tolen could clearly see the tears flowing from her face. Perhaps Shin overdid it. . Shin lifted Virocana by her hair, and forced her back in the chair. She tried to use her hands as support, as Tolen could hear slight crying. The woman was like a child, and Shin was just being cruel.

"Heh heh. . Last chance. . Where. Is. The escape point." Shin waited a moment for the woman to regain her breathing, and drench her tears away. Shin pointed the gun at her forehead, obviously not playing about death being one of her options. After awhile, she just shook her head in a negative reply. Shin just grunted in frustration. It sounded like an animal for sorts. He increased the pressure on the gun, and tightly pressed the gun against her temple. Virocana's eyes widened. She was forced into a daze. . She was a newtype, but she didn't have super human abilities that would get her out of this bind. She'd rather just lay low and die. . "You've had your chance girl. . Too bad in these days, martyrs don't exist." Shin was just mere seconds from pulling the trigger. Virocana squinted her eyes, hoping that it would be short and painless. Just before death was impending, another entity intervened.

"Shin." Tolen's voice was excessively within the boundaries of enragement. Both of his hands were behind his back, and his voice was as cold as ice. This was something that nobody under his command was accustomed to, or knew how to deal with. Shin was no exception. The massive Federation interrogator stood up, sheathing his weapon in his chest pocket. He looked at Tolen in a curious manner, mainly in concerning on why Tolen interrupted the final act of the interrogation. "You're hereby relived of your "interrogation" duty. Get out, and take the soldier with you. . Leave us in peace." Shin gasped at what just came out of Tolen's mouth. It was a direct order, but Shin laughed out of term, throwing his arms up in a playful gesture. Shin might have thought that it was a joke to lighten the mood of the moment, but Tolen's eyes were still as hard as rock, as his eyes didn't leave Shin for a second, and his expression didn't change.

"C'mon, Captain. . You can't be serious. . We both know that we'll get nothing out of this wrench. We both know that if we kept her alive, she could operate as a Zeon spy! Just let me have the luxury of finishing her off." Shin laughed to himself even further. After a few, long moments of arduous silence, Tolen stepped forward. Shin was getting rather annoyed at this point, as by that moment, he completely forgot that Tolen was his superior. To Shin, Tolen was just another uncooperative subject. "No sir. . You cannot be serious about this. . Interrogating this girl on your own?"

"Oh, but I am. ." Tolen pulled a figure from the depths of his coat pocket as well. There, he outstretched yet another fully loaded weapon with the ability to end Shin's "invincible" life immediately. The soldier occupying the interrogation took a step back, but failed to draw a weapon on any of the occupants. With an itchy trigger finger in this current situation, the soldier would be on the run for his entire life. Shin withdrew his dominant stance, obviously backing down. Tolen didn't flinch, as his aim reeked with expertise. His eyes never dilated from the target, and it was apparent that Tolen wasn't christened the rank of a Captain if he didn't have exceptional battlefield skills. . Even if there are exceptions to the law.

"What? What is this? How can you. . . Sympathize with this woman?!" Shin yelled in excessive anger. His outburst cried for attention, as Shin looked around the room, to find that non-existent person to take up his side on the argument. Tolen chuckled to himself at Shin's child-like behavior. Shin looked around the room. There was the soldier, just looking at him in return with a strange method of doing so. The soldier's defensive stance implied that the soldier would back Tolen. Shin looked over to Virocana, who was coughing violently. Her handcuffed hands were rubbing her stomach, as her rapid breathing began to cease. Shin banged upon the floor with his boot-clad foot. There, he shuffled his way to the doorway, giving Tolen a look of disapproval. The gun in Tolen's hand never trailed away from Shin, which only in turn, made him even more angry. "Fine. . Do whatever in the hell you want, "Captain". I doubt you'll get anywhere were a trained interrogator failed. ."

"Don't worry about that," Tolen said. The smirk upon his face grew even bigger as a stale laugh escaped his lips. "You surely won't be doing any interrogating for awhile." Shin's expression was blank. His pale face turned crimson as his fist balled up in a sign of anger. A few veins appeared upon Shin's forehead, which questioned if the man should even be interrogating in the first place with his high anger level. . Even though it was anger that probably got him to become an alleged interrogator. To Tolen's point of view though, that was about to end.

"**** you, old man!!" Shin yelled at the top of his lungs, as he forced his way out of the dark room. Nearly toppling over the soldier in the way, Shin waited for the door to open. Because it wasn't taking long enough, Shin vented his rapidly rising anger by impacting a dent onto the metal door. Even Tolen was taken back by this as Shin quickly stepped out of the room. Tolen made a sign of relief by sighing deeply, then putting his weapon back in his coat pocket where it belonged. Tolen looked at Virocana, who couldn't make contact with the occupants at the other side of the table. . Her eyes were closed shut, but her spasms ceased, as the she was eventually overwhelming the pain on her own. Tolen looked at the soldier, who carried a blank expression.

"You'd better get going as well. ." Tolen said. His voice began to run stale itself as the soldier sluggishly nodded. He used the same sort of unearthly motion towards the door. The door slid open, and in turn, it shut. Maybe I can make this work, is what Tolen told himself. He sat in the same seat that Shin was using. He held the dangling light in place, so it couldn't creak anymore. The spotlight was shining overhead the table, and both of the occupants had an equal share of light reflecting on them. His hands were folded amongst themselves, and Tolen started at Virocana. She couldn't help to give a glance at the Captain herself, but her trust in the Federation's "respectful" interrogation was voided. Shin's ordeal might have hurt the case rather than help. Virocana would not give Tolen a straight look though. The Captain gave her a moment to regain her breathing, until he began to talk. "Miss Vivian. . I apologize for my. . Subordinate's previous actions. It may be hard for you to accept, but please, just forget about what Shin did. He'll be facing the consequences soon enough. The matter had hand is crucial, and it's important that you tell us the escape point that the Zeon will retreat to if they lose Odessa."

There was a pause in between responses, as Virocana's response was dimmed. She hacked and coughed violently before stumbling out her own response to the matter. "Why. . Should I trust you? I did. . Nothing to you. . Yet you abuse me like this. ." Virocana coughed before she looked to the ground. She muttered something that Tolen could not understand. "Why do you hate me?"

"What is done is done. . If anything, I would give the shirt off my back in order to help you out, because I sympathize with your problem. ." Tolen said slowly. Virocana's expression was none the short of absolute bewilderment, as Tolen folded his hands as he leaned forward. This was an opportunity to get Virocana's respect. Not like she was naïve or anything, but the mere fact that Tolen presented Virocana as a confused woman, placed under an eviction that she should not be in. Tolen smiled, as Virocana's tensed form began to lighten and lift. Tolen's suddenly soft voice was but a murmur outside of the interrogation room. "Tell me. . Where do you originate from?"

"Where do I. ." Virocana trailed off. Her origin was solely not for the discussion of outsiders who had no regarding to the matter at hand. Especially a Federation Captain. However, Virocana looked at her options. . If I'm ever going to see her again. . I'm going to have to live, Virocana thought to herself. She wanted to live to finish business not previously attended to, and she was bent on doing so. Besides, with her life in the clutches of the Federation, she was expendable, but at the same, invaluable. What did she have to lose if she didn't tell? Her life. "I am NT Experiment Number 298, Virocana Vivian. I come from the Flanagan Institute Lab Number 4. I am the highest ranking subject in my lab, which is why I was assigned to pilot the Stealth Dom."

I don't believe the Zeon. . Using women like this for their dirty work, for newtype experiments?! These are humans. . But don't they have any shame? If any bit more intensified, Tolen probably would have said these words out loud. A silent anger rose within him. Virocana seemed to be a nice, caring woman of a young age, contrary to how old she really was. Tolen coughed, attempting to suppress his anger for a future use elsewhere. "Why would you work for the Zeon as an experiment?"

"I. ." Her voice cracked. "They said if I would work under them for the remainder of my life, I would receive my memories back. . I have gotten fragments of my memory back over time, as I have been an experiment since before the war started. I want to know who I really am. ." After the woman mentioned these lines, Tolen leaned in even closer.

"Do you think you can regain your memories naturally?" Tolen asked. Virocana looked down to her lap, just containing her legs, and her cuffed hands.

"The doctors say that it'll take at least a decade for that to happen. ." Virocana said. Tolen leaned back, sighing deeply. At least Tolen uncovered a bit about Virocana's persona, and the reason why she acts the way she does. It wasn't like Tolen would ever use that to his advantage.

"I understand your position. . But are you willing to cooperate with us?" Tolen asked. Virocana shook her head in a negative reply. Tolen leaned back, accompanied by silence. Within this silence, was his mind playing an orchestra. Processing several thoughts on how he should go about this situation. Indeed he knew that newtypes were special beings, and not easy to come by. Tolen had tempting thoughts on replacing the late Avery with Virocana, given the circumstance that she's within. . It was shallow, but it may be the only way that things can properly play out. At least then, the Bulldog would have crucial information on the Zeon's next move, which may affect the war drastically in the long run. Tolen leaned forward once again, to give Virocana the drill of the situation.

"Very well. I see that you're not too open with me, Virocana." Tolen said. He stood up, as his form rocked the table. His form disappeared into the darkness that was not illuminated by the head light due to his dark uniform. Virocana could see his sickly wrinkled skin however, even though the low visibility. When Tolen was speaking his moves, his hand moved about the words, to put emphasize on them and to reach the woman. "On your attack, it has been confirmed that you've eliminated a Gundam [G] model. The man in that machine, was one of our pilots. Sure, they're pilots. . But they're humans. The 4th Division may be backing us with their suits, but that doesn't fill the gap left by that pilot's death. From your existence, I can see that there's always another side of the coin, granted what they do, might not always be right. So here, as a man, an oldtype, and a captain, I give you a request. You may stay alive, under some conditions. . You're going to have to break your connections with the Zeon. Also, you may stay on this ship as a military officer. . I may not have the clearance to do so. . But your "resume" will prove different."

"But. . Won't the others hate me? For the life I've took?" Virocana spoke. Her voice was once more barely above a whisper, but Tolen managed to hear it directly.

"They may. . But by being on this ship, you may pay retribution. You don't want to be hated, correct? Then maybe here, you can prove your worth. If at all possible, the Federation may be able to get your memories back. But you're going to be have to be willing to cooperate with us. . And by that, you're going to have to be open to us, like tell us anything we need to know. Do you understand, or do you chose death as your option?"

"I'll. ." Virocana swallowed. "I'll cooperate. ."

"Good. Good. Now. . Where is the Zeon escape point?" Tolen said. Virocana rose her head in question.

"Which escape point?" Virocana said in an innocent matter. Tolen raised a brow in complete surprise.

"The escape points have to be in the same vicinity, correct?"

"If they informed me correctly. . The spots are in numerous places. Do you require a list?" Virocana asked. Tolen sighed deeply, as obviously, this wasn't the answer he bargained for. The simple task of stopping the Zeon would be a bit more complicated than expected. Tolen just nodded, and the woman cleared her throat, attempting to pull together her memories. She pointed a finger on the desk where the light was shining. "This is Odessa. If I recall. ." She moved the finger up. "This is one escape point beyond Belarus."

"How does the Zeon expect to move beyond Federation territory?" Tolen asked.

"Underground passages and water ways." Virocana moved her finger down back to the assumed part of Odessa, and trailed it along to the right. From Tolen's visage, it was obvious that the woman preserved a keen, remarkable ability of geography. "Some are at the Russian border. The closest one to Odessa is near the Dnieper River. The craft carrying the leader of Odessa operations, Captain M'Quve's escape point, is unknown. Last, there are two near Simferopol."

"Dnieper Point. . I'll talk to my superiors and see how they will do this. It's obvious that the Federation will win this. ."

"What of my agreement?" Virocana asked impatiently. Tolen stood up, and walked off to the door. There, he flipped a few switches which promptly resulted in the overhead light turning on. Virocana glared at the distance, as she wasn't adjusted to the high degree of light within the room. "You promised me that I would have a place here if I told you what you needed to know. ."

"Well. That's true. And I'm not about to go back on my word. You'll have a place here, but for the moment. ." Tolen trailed off. The woman stood up, and began to stretch her limbs outward. She'd been sitting for so long, she was about to loose feeling in her arms and legs. The cuffs that bided her wrists together still proved of a nuisance. Tolen just folded his arms behind his back. "I'll have to work some things out. So, I'll show you to your room." Tolen pulled a key out of his pocket, and approached Virocana. He inserted the key into the slot, and then the cuffs unlatched themselves. It wasn't customary to possess such low-grade material like key handcuffs, but material constraints proved otherwise. There was a thick red band around Virocana's wrists were the cuffs were. That gave hint of her prior "treatment". "All you need to do, is just to follow me."

Virocana nodded, and the walk of death ensued. From the departure of the dark room, Virocana was given the sights that she had no obtained until recently. Activity. She saw Federation soldiers at every corner, doing their job, or if they weren't, they quickly went into a salute from the sight of Tolen passing by. In some ways, this was something Virocana didn't want, as with every person she saw, she got a weird stare in supply. Her Zeon piloting garb was still fresh, and the Zeon insignia gave away any discreet fashion the woman was attempting to portray. She could also hear the sound of battle, even through the metallic walls. The Bulldog rocked whenever an explosion drew near, but it would appear the occupants got adjusted. She walked past a trio of Federation soldiers, and she could hear curses from them. Tolen just raised a hand to forget about the entire affair, but it stung Virocana's pride, which went back on why she agreed to stay on the ship anyway.

At their destination, the dorms, Tolen went around several corners. The battleship was immense, and each hallway looked like the last. When Tolen froze in front of a dorm, the electronic door slid open. Both beings stepped inside. This room. . Smells like. . Gunpowder, Virocana thought to herself. As soon as she entered, she heard a rhythm of clanging. Stepping in, Tolen took his hat off. As Virocana stepped in, she witnessed the sight of several boxes scattered all over. They were filled with magazines, guns, and items relating to that. Virocana saw a boy with black hair cleaning out one of the drawers. The boy ceased, and looked over towards Tolen and his guest.

"Satoru. . Are you done yet?" Tolen asked. Satoru didn't even bother a salute.

"Not yet. ." Satoru's voice was very monotone. His facial expression seemed blank, and emotionless. He was throwing things out of the drawer, as they landed into the box, accompanied by a loud crash for everything he threw. His expression drew into a violent one as he looked straight at Virocana. She seemed like a beautiful woman at first, as her blue hair was alike that of the waves of the sea. However, the Zeon insignia that her suit adored seemed to shred that personification of the woman to be a cold hearted killer. Plus, the very person that he took in, was the one piloting the special Dom. The one who killed Avery, but the one who he managed to defeat somehow. By luck? Possibly. He stood up, as he frowned at the two of them. "Why, why is she still on board?"

"Well Satoru. . She's going to be the replacement pilot in Avery's place." Tolen said in a stern manner. Silence pervaded Satoru, as his fist balled up. He snarled as he shook his head in disagreement.

"A replacement. . A replacement?! Is that all pilots mean to you?!" He yelled. Virocana took a step back from the boy's sudden anger, but Tolen failed to falter an inch.

"No, but he's dead. Unless you plan on doing something about it." Tolen said. Satoru was silent, as Tolen began his move again. "There you go. We're fighting humans, not monsters-"

Satoru threw his arm out in anger. "The Zeon are monsters!! All they do is kill without remorse. Kill citizens just for their morale. That's all they do! They don't regret it! They gas colonies for personal enjoyment, without putting themselves in the place of the victims! Even now, all they are concerned about is killing!!"

"I see. . But isn't that why you're here as well? To kill?"

"But. . That's different. ."

"It's no different. You're here killing murders. Does that make you any better?" Tolen said as his voice rose. Satoru was forced into submission, and defeat. "We'll talk no more of this. Virocana here will replace Avery and stay in this room. I expect you to cooperate with her. What's done is done, Avery's dead, and nothing is going to bring him back. Now, you can defy me, or you can go back to your Zeon killing. It's your choice." Tolen promptly turned, and walked into the opposite direction. Satoru sighed as he looked down, resuming his cleaning operations. Virocana was silent for the moment, as she tried to approach him.

"Get away from me. ." Satoru said, not even turning around to look at Virocana. The woman sat down on the ground, hugging her feet to her chest.

"Why do you hate me?" Virocana said. Satoru made a sound of disgust. After all, Virocana was like a child in this situation.

"Because all you do is kill. ." Satoru said.

"I don't want to go battle with the thought that I'm killing. ." Virocana said.

"Then how do you?"

"I don't want to go into battle. . That sortie was my first. I'm not used to all of this. . Despite how "different" they say I am. ." Virocana stood up, looking down at the boy who froze his activities. "What I feel is. . Fear. Fear that I'm ending another's life. That my existence denies the other's. I don't want the pleasure on ending other's lives. What do you think when going into battle?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" Satoru asked. Virocana closed her eyes.

"Because I'm capable of knowing regardless. However. . I don't think that method would be suitable." Virocana said. "By that. . They tell me that I'm one of the evolved humans. I don't have a place with anybody else."

"Evolved Humans. . Zeon Zum Deikun. . They're real?" Satoru asked in astonishment. He turned around, and saw Virocana. She was laughing at Satoru's reply, taking into consideration nobody has ever been concerned about her well being. At one point, she thought that all people were like her. That's where Dr. Ren came in and shielded Virocana from all things like that. Before that, she doesn't have a clue.

"Yes. . I used to think there wasn't much different to us. . But now I'm not sure. When I was fighting your friend. . I was wondering, why couldn't he dodge all the shots that I could see coming? Why did he lack the reflexes I didn't? He was about to defeat one of my friends. . You see, I have a right to be angry as well. Neither of them were heartless. . They were just humans. They had a home to go to, they had a family to be with, and they had loved ones they wanted to see."

"I don't have any of that. . The Zeon took that all away from me. . Wait, why am I telling you this?"

"Have you told anybody else since then?" Virocana asked in a curious manner.

"I haven't. . Because I'll fix the problem myself. . I just wish I was as famous as the Gundam pilot. I wish I could be in his place. ."

"Are you sure? Perhaps the Gundam pilot is truly the hero in this case. . I'll let you decide. ." Satoru felt a foreign presence looming over him. The woman looked down towards Satoru, as he had a gun in his hand. One of Avery's revolvers. She put her hand on his shoulder, and felt an entirely different presence. Her touch was soft, but he felt some sort of dimension expanding from him. His body felt warm, and in a peaceful state. It wasn't a symptom from his body, but it was more coming from his mind. The feeling, was alike that of the assistance presence that he saw in battle. Something about him that made him an entirely different person. . It was also like the feeling when he was in Guru 10. . The sickening feeling he had, and the thousands of abruptly ending screams. It was much irregular for him, but as soon as Virocana's hand left his shoulder, he began to feel as he did previously, and simply disregarded the strange feeling.

A peaceful presence for such a hostile boy. . I wonder, Virocana thought to herself. She left the boy to himself as she went out the way she came. She was going to explore the ship, so that she wouldn't get lost. On the way out, she saw a small girl with black, shoulder length hair that went wild in several places. Virocana raised an eyebrow, and bent down to the girl's height. She was dressed in a green skirt and white shirt, obviously not of Federation decent. "Hello little girl. . Can I help you with anything?"

"No, I just need to see Satoru." The girl known as "One" said. Virocana smiled, and stood upward. However. . Through both of the women, a superior feeling took over. A strong shock jolted One, as she held her forehead. One felt her head burning, but then stepped away from Virocana. Virocana also felt the feeling, but it wasn't much different from her old tests. One stumbled back in fear. "No. . You're. . Get away. . Get away!!" One said as she took off in a dash. Virocana raised an eyebrow at the odd girl, and walked off. Satoru, who was silently behind the events, also took an odd note on it. .

"So many things are getting weird here. ."

*****

That fierce battle raged on for hours. That very day, countless soldiers died. The Federation was surely seeing their chances at victory right upon them, as their main hope to make the plan work, was White Base. The autonomous search and attack ship headed off in the opposite direction in order to throw off Zeon forces. Otherwise, the plan was an easy walk in the park. The 4th Division broke through all main lines of the ZMF Defense, and began it's attempts to attack Odessa directly. As one would expect, Zeon did not lie their and allow their precious Earth strong-hold to be apprehended so easily. The Zeon pilots fought for their lives, and even made desperate attempts for victory at the cost of their own lives, by doing kamikaze attacks. The Bulldog suffered damage from a lone Zaku II, who collided it's own frame into the main hull in an attempt to stop at least one Big Tray. It was around 7:00 P.M., and the savage battle was still strong in the night sky. To make matters worse for the Zeon, the 3rd Division attacked from the Carpathian Mountains just hours before, placing them almost entirely in a pincer attack.

Meanwhile, at the Dnieper River, General Jackson's 13th Battalion was safe-guarding a zone crucial for future Zeon survival. Beyond the river, was nothing but grazing land, which in it's entirety, began to become much harsher in it's environment, given that Russia was not far. The 13th Battalion acted along many other straggling Zeon forces who were among the first to evacuate from Odessa. Near the river, a collection of Zaku II mobile suits, and even a few Gouf mobile suits maintained their time at the river bed. They all seemed to be setting up massive cylinders into the ground. A Zaku II held onto the top of the cylinder, resembling the shaft of an umbrella. It's hydraulics creaked, as it's arm forced downward, gorging the cylinder into the soil. As soon as the pillar was set, the Zaku II walked backwards. Three arms extended from the cylinder immediately, and a high pitched sound emitted from it. This must have been a radar cloaker or something to that degree, considering the other mobile suits were copying the same sort of pattern, all the way along the river bed.

From the limited point of Zeon activity, a mass array of light was focused in different directions. Banging and other noises were directed from every far reach of the horizon. In the distance, there was a massive structure where a majority of the headlights were focused. The figure appeared to be a shuttle, as the night visibility concealed the craft due to it's dark green coloration. Cargo was being loaded onto the shuttle, as a few Zaku II mobile suits assisted with the loading procedures.

Focusing on the campground itself, several workers were running amok. They were all attempting to bide into the chaotic situation, and load the cargo on crates. One important load of cargo, was the frame of a mobile suit. It's interior was completely visible, as only it's frame was completed. One could see the wiring that made the mobile suit operational, and the skeleton of the suit itself. The trademark one-eye itself also wasn't completed, as the lens deviated off in succession. It's frame was an irregularity, and that was due to it's sleek appearance.

"Set the Prototype Gelgoog! Man. . The guys upstairs will have our asses if we put a scratch on this thing. ." Said one of the workers. The workers were straining, to the assumed unnecessary effort being put into not damaging an uncompleted mobile suit.

"Why are we even moving this thing? I thought Ridden already tested it. ." Said one worker who was on the ground. In the distance, he could hear the leader ranting off commands, but it wasn't like he was paying any attention. The person he was talking to replied.

"He might have. . But they want this thing in space for some reason." The second worker said. The first just held his head low. His physical fatigue was apparent from the lanky posture he had, and the massive bags beneath his eyes. All the worker could think of, was just getting off the slave driver of a job.

"I can't believe it'll be this mobile suit that can defeat the White One." The first worker said.

On a tent that wasn't too far from the main camp ground, there was Jackson. He was smoking a cigar while both Apollo, and Lisa where sitting in front of him. Jackson's legs were on top of a table while he enjoyed his recumbent position. He exhaled a deep trail of smoke from his mouth, and Apollo coughed. Lisa wasn't phased, as she was probably used to it, even though she didn't smoke. A map was on the table, as several points where marked in red. Tacks were littered across the map in various coast locations. Lisa couldn't make too much of eye contact towards Apollo as her latest "victory" over Virocana may or may not have a drastic affect on the newtype. Apollo has been discouraged ever since.

"Well. . I guess there's no use on crying over the dead. ." Jackson said. His voice wasn't impaired one bit by the heavy intake of tobacco, which was an odd thing in itself. Apollo sighed at Jackson's lack of interest on Virocana's faith. "Now. . I'm wondering if she survived or not."

"No way in hell she did. ." Lisa said. Jackson couldn't help but give a strange look at Lisa. Her actions where if anything, very strange. "That woman has to be dead."

"Why are you so bent on her dying? She probably survived. ." Jackson said, which in turn, provoked Lisa to flinch. Apollo was still sulking. .

"I'll get the Federation for this. ." Apollo said barely above the tone of a whisper. Jackson withdrew his feet down, as he lurched over the table.

"Now you slow down. You'll need all that energy for tomorrow. After all. . Tomorrow is where the real fight begins." Jackson leaned back in his chair, tipping it backwards to a slight degree. "What I mean is. . The retreat. It's going to be pretty frantic tomorrow."

"Now the only problem is if Apollo can do his job. ." Lisa said sternly. Knowing Apollo's nature, he didn't get worked up about Lisa. Instead, he might as well just drop his own verbal counterattack.

"You sure can't get the job done in bed. ." Apollo said. Apollo snickered when he said this, which caught Lisa into a mute period of rage. Jackson tried to conceal his mood of humor as well, if it wasn't for the trail of smoke emitting from his nose whenever he tried to hold his breath. Lisa then lashed out at Apollo for a pretty personal remark.

"Why you little. ." Lisa started, and was cut off by Jackson. By the latest inversion, Lisa sat down in her seat the moment she saw the least bit of activity from the General. Quickly forced into submission, Lisa folded her arms across her torso. A look of hostility stained her expression, not even giving Apollo a second glance. That comment however, did sting her emotions, as something like that wasn't a comment that any person should have to endure. . "Oh sure. . You let him off the hook, but not me. ." The woman said in a monotone attempt. Jackson just gave a nonchalant representation.

"Both of your little arguments don't really have a place here, as I could care less what you do out my jurisdiction. Just as long as you don't bring in another soldier for me to take care of. ." Jackson seemed to get a bit of a chuckle at his comment, at which Apollo shared as well. Lisa on the other hand, did not share the humor out of it. Jackson coughed, as he tapped his cigar upon the map, emptying any excess waste or ashes that he already used up. The length of the cigar shortened dramatically as he did so. "The main concern is that Virocana is missing. . Not to mention that we lost all of our Doms in a single skirmish."

"Virocana is alive. . I can still sense her. ." Apollo said. Lisa jumped in her chair. Neither of the men caught the woman's action, but Lisa slumped once more in her seat. Things were going from bad to worse, and thoughts of dread overwhelmed her mind.

She's still alive?! What if. . What if she saw me? My cover will be blown, Lisa thought to herself. What the woman committed earlier was an act of treachery that would have earned her some time in confinement. They would assume that Lisa was probably at the plot of Federation inversion, rather than at the whim of losing the one that she really wanted to be the special being to. Regardless of the consequences, Lisa hit Virocana's Dom anyway. It was even worse that she talked to Virocana, and she knew. If she ever went to Apollo. . Everything she tried to set up would be erased. There weren't any witnesses, and maybe Apollo was even wrong. . When it came to it, Lisa couldn't regret her dread, which led her to being silent in the conversation.

"Apollo has spoken. If she's still alive, wouldn't that mean that she's in Federation territory? And with her submissive personality. ." Jackson trailed off. A grin reached to both sides of his mouth as Apollo remained quiet. Already, the pilot could predict what the General was going to unravel. Jackson tapped his cigar on the table, confidently letting it discard more excess ashes onto the small pile on the map. Apollo even knew that his hopes on abating the General's mental refinements would prove to be futile in reality. "She's probably already talked. . God gives us hope once more." Jackson stood up, as Apollo peered up to the older man.

"God gives us hope. . What do you mean?" Apollo asked.

"What I mean, is that we can use this opportunity to set a trap. The Federation expected Odessa retreat, and for sure, they'll be rushing to get here." Jackson replied. Apollo cocked his head to the side in a vexed manner.

"But. . What would telling the escape points do? The Federation would already know where they would evacuate by following the Zeon. . It was luck that we got out before the main force arrived." Apollo replied.

"Well. . I have experience in this field, Apollo. You may be a newtype, but you have much to learn in the backgrounds of a battle. It's better that they have the heads up, so they can organize their forces rather than come all disorganized. The forces are tied up at Odessa. If they wanted the HLV so badly, they would have came hours ago. They want to finish Odessa first, and move on. Otherwise, we still have a fighting chance. ." Jackson said. The old man turned, and began to walk out of the tent. In a disposition of respect, Lisa and Apollo both stood up, saluting. Jackson just raised his hand for the "at ease" beckoning. "I'm going to approve of the strategy to the other leaders. . Get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be hell." Jackson said. A silent departure ensued, as both Lisa and Apollo were walking to their tents. Apollo was farther ahead than Lisa, until the woman broke the silence.

"And why are you so silent?" Lisa's voice was tainted with the stream of annoyance, among other of those sort of negative feelings. Even more so resentment. "You're disappointed because you lost your girl? Get over it. Women come and go."

"And I'm sure all women are like you." Apollo stopped his trek, and turned around to face Lisa. Lisa's long blonde hair flapped in the wind, as her Zeon uniform shuffled along with the wind. Apollo's hair also blew along. He took a step back, and Lisa's expression turned for the worst.

"Huh. And I thought you didn't love me because of what? I'm not a newtype?" Lisa said sternly. Apollo backed off a bit, trying to attain her question for answering.

"No, that's not true. . That's not true at all. . I still love you, but why do you treat me so badly?" Apollo said softly. Lisa threw her arm out in frustration.

"You still love me?! Ha! Just what you said in that tent proves that I'm right. . You know it. You wanted Virocana because she was like you! She was a freak just like you! I'm just a normal woman, why can't you except that?" Lisa straight up yelled. Apollo's eyes deviated from Lisa's line of visage.

"I. . You wouldn't understand what it's like. ." Apollo said softly. Lisa stepped up, attempting to stand at his level.

"You're using that same excuse again, aren't you? Saying that I'm too inferior to understand. . Why don't you get off your high horse Samuel, when it comes down to it, newtypes have human traits as well. They make mistakes. . Just like Virocana did, eh?" Lisa used her act to her advantage, as now she was blaming the blunder on Virocana herself. Apollo still could not find a way to answer Lisa's questions directly. "What's the matter? Can't say anything?"

"I'm sorry, but. . You just. . You could never understand. The fear of becoming somebody else even foreign to myself. . Just because of the circumstances. . You'll never be able to understand." Apollo said as he turned in the opposite direction, and walked away. Lisa kicked the dirt hard, attempting to vent out her anger on some object without beating an actual human to death. She yelled and cursed at Apollo as he walked on, taking the stones, and baring the punishment.

"You know what, **** you Samuel! All you can do is love people like you, treating me like I'm inferior!! I hope you'll learn what it's like to be inferior!!" Tears started to pour down Lisa's cheeks, as she collapsed on the ground to her knees, planting her palms in the cold dirt. Her words were distorted and erratic as she seemed to speak to nobody in particular. "I love you. . Why can't you return that love back to me? What am I inferior to her in?" Lisa began to cry even harder. Soldiers that looked, simply disregarded it, and passed onward. The feel of rejection overwhelmed Lisa, as she seemed like a child who lost her mother. . Unknown where to go, or how to take the path. . To herself, she thought, What is the secret of the newtype? What makes them so superior to us? Superior to me?

Cutting to the distance. . Things were about to get more out of hand than this, as the Battle of Odessa was about to draw to a close. .

To Be Continued