Chapter 21 - The Future
Shawn's body was literally trashed. His skin was about ready to peel off, his face deformed, his hair gone, and his bones underneath were cracked, broken, splintered, and crushed. How could such a small weapon do this to him? He was supposed to be invincible! That deal he made with Sven, he screwed himself.
"That is why you musn't underestimate your enemies, Shawn," Sven said.
Shawn just looked at the Dark Lord from his laying position on the lander. How could he say that at a time like this?
"I guess I'll have to fix you up," Sven sighed. "I need you after all."
The Dark Lord concentrated hard on a small dense mass that was appearing in front of his face. It had a bright glow, almost like a sparkle, then Shawn felt himself becoming whole again as his body was engulfed in the sparkle. After it dissapated, he sat up and felt all around his body. His head was full of hair, has skin felt smooth and strong, and he kept patting all over his being. When he came to his crotch, feeling all three important pieces were present, he thanked Sven like he was a god.
Soon, the small beaten landing craft docked with the cruiser. The loud clicks and clangs resounded within the smaller craft until it gave one last arrested jolt. Then, the door slid open, revealing the metallic crew of the cruiser. Shawn and Sven exited the lander and headed toward the flight deck. Once there, they flew back into outer space with the same white flash enveloping the cruiser.
"We have gone through the time rift," the head scientist proclaimed.
"Captain," Shawn called. "Set a course for home."
"Roger," the tinny voice replied.
"Sir," one of the female officers said. "It seems that six months have gone by since we left."
"What did you say?" Shawn asked slowly.
"I said, that it seems six months have gone by since the last time we were in the After Colony time period."
Shawn's face suddenly broke into a delirious smile. Six months! His Gundam was complete! But what else had taken place over the last six months?
The large videoscreen on the flight deck suddenly glowed to life. The face of King Charles appeared on it, looking quite relieved. His eyes shone with a victorious zeal, as did his smile.
"Ah," the king laughed. "So, you're all alive, eh, Shawn?"
"Why yes, your majesty," Shawn bowed. "And, may I say it is good to see your face again my liege."
"Thank you, I must say the same. We've been searching the entire galaxy it seems. Where did you go?"
Shawn smiled, "Back in time."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me correct. Somehow, as we were chasing the Gundams, we came across a rift in time itself as we entered the atmosphere and were sent back in time. Funny thing, we were only there for a few days and six months has passed here."
"Well, on behalf of all the conquered colonies," the king chuckled, "welcome home."
Shawn thought he was dreaming. Did he say all the conquered colonies? Did they capture the colonies? What a day! Shawn could only hope the Gundams would break now that their homes were taken over.
"Your majesty, I have a humble request," Shawn informed.
"What is your request?" the king inquired.
"May I speak to my fiancee?"
"Absolutely! She's been crying here eyes out since you were reported missing."
The screen blurred, then, the ecstatic face of Elizabeth appeared. She was still crying but her tears were of joy. Her eyes were still glistening with fresh tears, the tip of her nose bright red. Shawn couldn't help but cry himself, he missed that face so much.
"My dearest princess," Shawn croaked.
"My handsome pilot," she half-laughed, half-cried.
Nothing was said between the two, they just looked at each other. The British colony was just within sight, and getting closer by the minute. All the sudden, a loud warbling tone sounded in the flight deck. Shawn went to see what was the matter.
"What is it?" he demanded.
"It is the Gundams' shuttle, sir," the ensign replied.
"Get me my Xonyx," Shawn seethed.
"Sir!" the officer said.
The Gundam came rocketing out of the colony hangar, completed and fearsome. It hovered above the cruiser, waiting for its pilot to occupy the cockpit. Shawn quickly dressed in his spacesuit and jammed on a helmet. He leapt into the upper airlock, waited for it to clear, then he bolted outside and into the Gundam.
Once inside, he was greeted with the bright glow of monitors situated all around him. He contacted a battalion of mobile suits and they flew off, trailing the Xonyx.
'Not this time, Tre Young,' Shawn thought, acid dripping off every word.
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"Let's go, dammit!" Tre hissed.
He was sitting outside Mina's window, waiting for her to leave a note to her parents telling them to not worry about her and that she would miss them. Unbeknownst to Tre, she was packing most of her clothes ("I'll buy you some new ones in the future!") as a reminder of her life in the past. She attempted to squeeze the last dress into the already overstuffed duffel bag. Artemis sat there on his haunches, watching the blonde girl hurriedly pack her things.
"So you're leaving the past, huh, Mina?" the cat asked.
"Yeah," Mina answered. "And you're coming with!"
"WHAT!!! Whoa, hold on, Mina!" Artemis was surprised.
"Look, Serena is bringing Luna," she soothed. "Besides, I need you in the future."
"(sigh) Guess I'm still going to be your guide after all," the cat said.
"Come on," Mina groaned at the zipper.
As she was about to give up, Tre's hands flattened the zipper's track and Mina slid the fastener across the track, closing the bag. Tre immediately scooped up the bag and dropped it out the window. It landed with a loud whump! and all three winced in the anticipation of someone waking up. However, nothing in the house moved.
"We gotta get going," Tre whispered. "We're already behind schedule!"
"Well a girl needs a few things to take with her, you know?" she retorted.
"No, you don't need all those things!" Tre hissed through gritted teeth.
"But I can't just leave it here," Mina whined. "Who would wear them?"
Heaving a heavy sigh of hopelessness, Tre covered his face with one hand and shook his head. Peeking through the cracks of his fingers, he spied the unamused face of his girlfriend. Taking her hand, he forcefully led her to the window and swept her off her feet and jumped out. As they departed through the opening, Tre's hand shot through and grabbed the scruff of Artemis' neck. They all loaded up onto the bike and sped off.
"I hope to God we still make it out of here on time," Tre voiced.
Mina gave an exasperated sigh, and pouted. Artemis just laid idly on Mina's lap.
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"Nice digs you got here," Duo said with a grin plastered on his face.
"Shut up, Duo," Lita retorted from the bathroom.
She was scooping the last of her toiletries into her travel bag, which was almost everything in her bathroom. She knew they were pressed for time, but hopefully they could still make it before the hole closed up forever. Trista's words still rang in her head.
~Flashback~
"Well, now we all know who each other is?" Trista asked the group.
Each Sailor Scout was wrapped in the arms of their respective Gundam pilot, their identities no longer secret. Trowa and Michelle were holding each other very close, their eyes closed with Trowa resting his head on Michelle's. Tre and Mina couldn't break eye contact with each other, they were that desperate for each other's touch. Trista and Pyrone were playing grab ass with one another, behind their backs. Quatre and Amy just stood there, Quatre's arm around Amy's waist, and Amy leaning against Quatre with one arm across his chest and one around his waist. Heero and Serena were still kissing, their tongues wrestling to get into the other's mouth. Duo and Lita had to sit on the ground in order to kiss for Lita was much taller than her new boyfriend in her high heeled boots. Wufei and Raye, well, let's just say that they would get the low-down on what was happening at that moment some other time...when they weren't busy behind that tree.
"That's a given," Tre piped.
"Well, I suppose you would have a good explanation for why you're all here," Uranus said. "After all, it isn't for any random reason, right? There has to be some basis."
"Yes," Pyrone jumped in. "Fate: the ruling force behind any unknown occurance."
"We aren't here by choice," Tre aided. "Rather a chance that fate caught up to us and decided that the bond between us all was inevitable and therefore necessary. Thank God we're all subjects of fate!"
This raised a few giggles. Then Wufei and Raye finally joined the group, their hair disorderly and clothing wrinkled, but their goofy expressions told everyone that it was worth it. The Tre added, pointing to Wufei and Raye,
"And here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about!"
An uproar of laughter, and Wufei's battle cry as he chased Tre down with his drawn katana. Eventually, Wufei caught his prey and demanded an apology. However, it was impossible for Tre to do so because he was laughing too hard to apologize and Wufei just stopped. Tre got up again, and listened to the end of the conversation.
"I just found out," Trista said seriously, "that there is only one more tear in the fabric of time that will take us out of here and into the future you pilots know."
"When you say us-" Trowa began.
"-it means the Scouts are coming with us pilots," Pyrone finished.
"How?" Heero querried, releasing himself from his new girlfriend's lips.
"I don't know," Duo intervened. "But, if worse comes worse, they could just sit on our laps the whole way there!"
"DUO!" everyone shouted in unison.
"No, if there aren't enough seats, we guys can hang out in our Gundams," Tre suggested.
"Where's the fun in that?" Mina pouted.
"Oh ligthen up, Mina," Serena said cheerily. "We can have girl talk the whole way there without interruption and play all kinds of games!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Serena," Heero soothed. "But one of us has to fly the shuttle, unless one of you can fly an advanced technological machine?"
"No, we can't," Serena said dejectedly.
"Anyway," Trista interrupted. "The tear only stays open for about five minutes, so we have to be prompt or else we're stuck in the past for all eternity."
"Jeez, make it sound more mortifying," Duo muttered under his breath.
"How long until it opens?" Tre asked.
"Three hours," Trista answered. "Which means, you girls have only enough time to pack a few things and get back here."
The girls in the circle nodded, and some started to leave with their respective pilot/bough. Soon, everyone left. Trista and Pyrone went in Trista's Camaro, along with Quatre and Amy. Heero, Serena, Wufei, and Raye drove off in Tre's car. Tre and Mina went on the jetbike, leaving Duo, Lita, Trowa, and Michelle to go with Amara.
~End Flashback~
Lita finished in the bathroom and soon moved to her bedroom to collect the last of the money that would cover the rent she owed for the month. Since she wasn't coming back and the money she owned now would be worthless in the future, she gave the landlord almost everything she had. She held on to a few bills as a souvenier of the past.
Emerging from her bedroom with her many bags slung across her body, Lita looked like a pack mule ready to collapse. Duo saw, snickered, and then doubled over laughing. Lita was pissed, and swung a heavy purse over his head. He yelled in pain, then rubbed his aching head. Lita's face was contorted into an expression of extreme anger, her breathing heavy. Duo smiled and peacably approached her, taking some of the heavier bags ("Here, lemme take some of those!") and placing a loving peck on Lita's lips. She instantly felt her heart melt and began to well up. Duo, being the sensitive guy he is, said,
"Hey baby, no need to cry."
"Yes, there is," she replied. "You're just so cute sometimes it's romantic."
"Um, sure," Duo said. "Let's go wait for Amara to come back and get us."
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Back at Trista's apartment, loud feminine yells of extreme pleasure were breaking the still silence of the night. The squeaks of the bedframe also pierced the tranquility of the dark building. Finally, one last dragged out scream then peace and quiet returned.
Trista and Pyrone's nude forms were both covered in a light sheen of both their own and each other's perspiration, gasping heavily after the intensity of the now halted activity. As they continued breathing heavily, Trista turned to her partner and smiled,
"You are amazing! Where did you learn to do it like that?"
"Well," Pyrone panted. "It just came with reading a lot of sick material and special courses in high school, believe it or not. Sex ed has come a long way from today's shitty excuse of an education in sexuality."
"I must say I'm very impressed with your performance," Trista breathed.
"You think so?"
"Twentith-century men are so inexperienced and full of hot air," she answered.
"Hmm," Pyrone grunted. "Wonder when Amy and Quatre are getting back?"
"We have time," Trista cooed. "Trust me."
She rolled toward him and kissed him, full on the lips then shoved her tongue deep inside his mouth. He rolled toward her and held his hand behind her head, giving her a taste of her own medicine by shoving his tongue in her mouth. Pyrone came for air, saying,
"Batter up!"
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"Amy, are you sure you don't want any help?" Quatre whispered.
"No, I'm fine Quatre," Amy answered quietly.
She was moving silently about her room, gathering her books, clothing, favorite blanket and pillow, and fitting it all in one medium-sized duffel bag. Not five minutes ahd passed until they had gotten into Amy's room up to the point when they left. Amy left a note on her desk, which read like so:
Dear Mother,
I had to leave for good, and I won't be coming back. But it is not because you didn't raise me well or because of you and dad splitting up. You were both great parents and I love you both, very much. The reason I'm leaving is to discover new ventures and to embark on a very long and hopefully rewarding voyage. I will miss you both, and I will think about you everyday.
From your loving daughter,
Amy Mizuno
"Let's go, Quatre," Amy said quietly.
They both turned toward the window, slipping out silently. Quatre jumped down first, then caught Amy's duffel, and finally he caught Amy. As they continued on their way to Trista's apartment, Amy stopped staring at the house where she grew up, and shed a silent tear. Drawing a shuddering breath, she said silently,
"Goodbye."
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"Serena, could you please be a little more quiet?" Heero hissed.
"I'm sorry," she squeaked. "I just can't see."
During the time that they had been there, Serena had managed to wreck every fragile item in her room, leaving her carpet littered with shards of glass, split contents of these containers, and her mirror cracked. The couple had been there three seconds and already there was so much wreckage in her room that it seemed more like a kidnapping than a dead-of-the-night-pack-and-leave. Heero, using his training to see his way around the room, slunk to the closet to try and find a suitcase or a duffel bag that he could use to pack Serena's stuff in. He approached the doors, and swung them open. He was met with an avalanche of stuffed animals of varying species: squeaky, soft, beanie baby, with bells, etc. until he was buried by the cotton-filled toys.
Serena was beside herself with laughter, quiet laughter, mind you. Heero was dazed to be brought to his back by such insignificant toys. But he could see what would be so amusing about this situation, because he is the Perfect Soldier and he was defeated by some stuffed toys. But this many? How could a girl own so many of these-these...things? Heero put the question out of his mind when he saw the suitcase and yanked it out of the closet. He slowly got to his feet, the suitcase in hand, and walked to Serena's location. He put a finger on her lips, she immediately stopped her laughing; his cold eyes bore deep within her, freezing her to soul. He lifted the corners of his mouth without even wanting to, in a smile...well, as best a smile an emotionless soldier could muster. Serena smiled too, and closing her eyes she gave him a kiss. He just stood there, suitcase in hand, thinking,
'Hell, we've got almost forty-five minutes until we have to be back.'
"Serena," he said.
"What is it, Heero?" she replied in an alluring tone, stroking his face.
"Can you stay quiet enough if we-uh...you know..." he trailed off.
"I can try," she cooed.
That did it. Heero pressed his lips upon hers, while taking his shirt off. She was doing the same, stripping her lithe young body of its garments and aiding Heero in taking his shorts off (them things look tight, man! He's gonna need all the help he can get, 'specially with a boner!). Soon, they were both nude and pressing their bodies together, caressing the other's skin. Serena led Heero to the bed, lying on her back. Their lips never parted until they got to the bed, then they had to stay as quiet as possible. The night is young, and so are those two...
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"So, you're name is Wufei?" Grandpa asked the Chinese teen.
"Yes, I am Chang Wufei," Wufei answered. "I ask that you leave your granddaughter's care in my hands, that I may have your blessing to marry her in the future."
"Well, of course you have my blessing," Grandpa laughed.
"Excellent! You have my humble gratitude," Wufei bowed. "I vow that I will love and protect her all my life."
"I'd expect no less from the man my granddaughter wants to marry," Grandpa smiled.
"Wufei, I have to pack quickly," Raye said. "Would you mind assisting me?"
"Yes," Wufei answered. "We haven't much time left."
"Raye, I need to talk to you," Grandpa said quickly. "Stay here."
They left Wufei to go pack for Raye. Grandpa made sure that Wufei had left the immediate area and then said,
"Raye, you've become a fine priestess over the last few years and I officially recognize you as such. You can open your own temple wherever you please and make sure that you banish evil spirits from this world using the skills I've worked so hard to teach you."
"Don't worry, Grandpa," Raye smiled. "I will do just that."
Raye bent down and gave her grandfather a hug, shedding a few tears in realizing that she would never see him again. Wufei cleared his throat in the doorway, jarring them from their reviere.
"Are you ready?" Wufei asked.
"Yes," Raye answered.
They walked out of the temple, waving goodbye one last time. There they waited outside for Heero and Serena to show up.
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"We haven't time for chatting about music at the moment," Amara amusingly chided the two.
Since they got to the apartment that Michelle and Amara share, Trowa and Michelle had done nothing but talk about music. Leaving their responsibilities of packing to rest, they lost themselves on subjects of Beethoven, Bach, Hayden, and Mozart. Fortunately for them, Amara brought them back to reality and they quickly started to gather Michelle's things. They packed a large rollerboard suitcase with a week's worth of clothes, one business dress, an outfit made for extreme partying, and a dress for prestigious concerts. Oh yeah, and a "little" something for those passionate nights. She then piled all her face cleansers, make-up, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, leg razor, Nair and shaving cream, etc. into a medium-sized toilettry bag. She then proceeded to get her violin, but Trowa beat her to it. He held the fragile instrument, just looking at it, before he put it in its hardshell case. Softly, she ran her hand over his while they both closed the lid of the case.
"Trowa, what's wrong?" Michelle asked with concern written in her eyes.
"I have a bad feeling," Trowa answered. "I feel as though one of our group is going to be separated from us for a long time."
"How long?" she cringed.
A pause, then, "Eternity."
Silence fell over the apartment's occupants. Michelle was to shocked for words to hear such a prediction. Amara was too skeptical to believe it anyway.
"Ah, it's just the dinner you had Trowa," Amara stated.
"No, I don't think so," Trowa argued. "I really do think that something bad is going to happen to one of us. I can't explain it but I know that what I feel is really trying to tell me something."
Trowa couldn't be more right, or rather wrong. He wouldn't know how close he was to such a prediction.
Finished packing, the threesome made their way downstairs to the car. Trowa put all the bags in the trunk, barely taking up any space in the small cavity. Shutting the large door, they piled in and sped off toward the park where the Gundams were waiting.
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Everyone met back at the park at the designated time, carrying bags of all shapes and sizes. Tre was amazed and frustrated at the amount of bags these girls packed AND the fact that he told his fellow pilots to keep their girls from packing so much. Thankfully, Wufei had managed to keep Raye's stuff in one bag. Tre was astounded that Heero had managed to cram Serena's "garbage" into one large suitcase.
'It must be the tight shorts,' Tre mused. 'It's no wonder the guy can cram such a tight package.'
The group was short about four people; where the Hell was Trista, Pyrone, Wufei, and Raye? The squeal of tires in the distance answered Tre's unspoken question. The silver Camaro pulled up to the curb rather quickly. The lights dimmed out, then the engine died as the driver obviously shut the vehicle off. Pyrone got out of the driver's side, Trista the passenger's then Wufei and Raye from the back. Tre read his best friend's mind, then laughed out loud hysterically. He could barely hold himself up from what he just found out. The rest of the group had no idea what was so funny, but from what they knew about Tre, some choice couples felt a bit uneasy by their comrade's laughter.
Able to calm himself down, Tre wiped away some tears from his face. He looked at Trista's face, which was about as red as a face could get. She grabbed for Pyrone's hand as some kind of assurance that she was safe under the amused stare from Tre. From her face, Tre's gaze shifted to Heero. Heero - the Perfect Soldier - seemed a little uneasy under Tre's gaze. So, Tre searched his mind......................tried to stifle his laugh, then fell to the ground, rolling around with maniacal laughter. For five minutes straight he was laughing with the same intensity that he began with. In fact, Tre was laughing so hard, he pissed his pants. All over the front of his pants were wet, and yet he continued to laugh non-stop.
Getting quite sick of this, several group mates kicked him and stood him up. They tried to keep themselves away from the front of his pants. Then it was Duo's turn to laugh maniacally.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! TRE PISSED HIMSELF!!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
Tre stopped laughing, and went after Duo, threatening to cut the boy's braid off if he didn't stop laughing.
"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Duo wailed. "ANYTHING but the braid!"
"Then shut up," Tre growled.
Duo obeyed, but had to release one more snicker. Tre wheeled around, glaring the younger pilot down. Duo put on his best innocent angel face, appearing to be behaving. Tre addressed the problem with his pants by transforming into Sailor Universe and then back to human.
"Good as new," Tre chuckled. "So, we all here?"
"Yep," Pyrone smiled, looking at Trista.
"Hn," Heero grunted.
"Present!" Duo quipped enthusiastically.
"We're ready," Trowa offered.
"Ready to go," Quatre announced.
Let's go!" Wufei demanded.
"Alright," Tre assessed. "Girls, you'll have to sit on the lap of your "man" while we get the Gundams off the ground and into the shuttle. The ride will be a bit bumpy and kind of uncomfortable, so bear with it while the shuttle comes to pick us up, OK?"
They nodded, obviously ready to get going. Trista cleared her throat, tapping her watch. Tre nodded, then said, "Let's suit up!"
The girls went with their respective pilot and loaded their bags behind the seats in the cockpit. The pilots rode the cable up first, got situated in the cockpit, then sent the cable down to their respective Scout. They then rode the cable up and were pulled into the cockpit as the door shut behind them.
Soon, the grounds around the Gundams was alight with the green glow from the eyes of the machines. Soon, all seven of the mettalic monstrosities erected themselves, often moving jerkily sometimes as the pilots had trouble moving the controls around their new cargo. Two of the Gundams retrieved the vehicles belonging to Tre and Trista. DreadScythe looked up at the sky and saw the fiery streak of the shuttle reentering the atmosphere. Then, all Gundams blasted off toward the sky.
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Amara and Hotaru just looked on as the rest of the Sailor Scouts left the only home they've known for the past 18 years.
"Amara, are they going to be OK?" Hotaru asked.
"Yes," was the reply. "Those pilots wouldn't let anything happen to our princesses. They'll keep them alive; they'll do what they have to do."
"I hope so," the small girl sighed.
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The shuttle was flying a large circle in the upper atmosphere, as not to lose the location of the tear. The two Gundams with the vehicles stashed them all on the platforms, the smart hooks grabbing the vehicles securely. Then the ramp closed, leaving the seven pods to open themselves. The Gundams maneuvered into the pods, cramming their large metallic forms into the pods. Once settled, the machines quickly died as the pod doors closed around their cargo.
The Scouts leapt out of the cockpits first, followed by their pilots. They all proceeded toward the flight deck...to find fourteen seats and seven more spacesuits made for females. Tre just laughed, knowing that the future had changed indeed. He told the girls to suit up as the shuttle was forced toward the already collapsing tear. The shuttle's throttle was increased to full blast, knocking some of the Scouts off balance and against the bulkhead. Tre apologized quickly as the shuttle burst through the tear, only milliseconds before it collapsed for eternity.
Then, Tre slowly backed off the throttle and hailed the beacon that would situate him. It calibrated the date, time, direction of the rally point, and so on. It also fed him any news that he might need to fight against the Brits. Once he hailed the beacon, he was astonished at the readouts. According to the onboard clock, it was six months since last they left and all the colonial clusters had been taken over by the British. A headline stored in the news archives ran a short news report:
"...With the sudden absence of the Gundams that defend the peace within the colonies, the British autocracy has conquered the last stronghold against total colonial control under the British regime. L2 colony X-66618, the colony ran as a free American democracy under the Young family, finally surrendered due to lack of supplies resulting from a blockade. When asked by British interrogaters the whereabouts of their youngest child, Tre Jason Young, the family replied that they knew their son would not bow to British wishes at the expense of his family..."
Tre had heard enough. His blood began to boil and his temper got the best of him. He yelled out in rage, scaring the rest of his group and then he smashed the small screen to pieces. The glass bits floated ahout the cabin as Tre continued to smash the small glass screen. His hand was becoming quite bloody as the jagged glass cut into his hand. The girls cringed against the bulkhead, afraid of what he might do to take his rage out on something, or someone, else. He got up and kicked off toward the aft portion of the shuttle, no one stopping him. He slammed his helmet on, then opened the door to his Gundam's pod. He slid into the cockpit, strapped himself in and opened the large pod doors. He fired the rockets and blasted out of the pod, igniting the scythe. He then flew off, full throttle toward the British colony.
"Tre! TRE!" Pyrone's voice came on the intercomm. "ANSWER ME, GODDAMIT!!"
"What is it?" Tre answered darkly.
"What you are doing is suicide!"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!!" Tre roared. "THEY PICKED THE WRONG GUNDAM PILOT TO FUCK WITH!!!"
"Look, at least let one of us help you," Pyrone pleaded. The Scouts were shaking their heads no.
"No," Tre seethed. "This is my battle."
With that, he blasted the rockets past their max. He then heard the early warning radar go off, signalling a whole wall of mobile suits coming his way. DreadScythe lifted the large beam cannon out of its holster and prepped the weapon to fire. Then, without warning, DreadScythe was broadsided by another mobile suit. Tre saw bleach spikes in the left-side monitor, wondering what kind of mobile suit this was. The enemy suit wrestled the beam cannon out of DreadScythe's grasp. It dodged each swipe DreadScythe delivered with the scythe. The enemy fired a barrage into DreadScythe's face, leaving Tre blinded by the explosions of the rapidly contacting slugs. Then, the scythe was confiscated by the enemy suit. DreadScythe went for the sword, but a large beam struck its right arm, tearing away at the appendage much the way Deathscythe's arm had when it first encountered the Taurus suits. The sword twirled around in the beam before being blown into outer space. Tre was starting to get worried at this point, then the Gundam jolted again. Tre saw the same mobile suit standing on DreadScythe's left side, trying to pull the Gundams other arm off. The moaning metal, stressed to the breaking point, snapped under the strenuous power of the enemy suit. Now, DreadScythe had no weapons, no arms, and had shut down. Tre was worried, to say the least.
"Tre Young," Shawn's voice was heard over the intercomm.
"Oh shit," Tre whispered dejectedly.
"Surrender yourself to the British Royal Family or we will open fire," Shawn continued.
"That your new toy Shawn?" Tre chuckled, looking at the enemy mobile suit.
"Surrender or die, Tre! It is very simple!"
Tre opened the door to the cockpit and floated out, landing on the end of the door. He had the self-destruct switch in hand, ready to blow himself to smithereens. He finally took a good look at the new Gundam. It looked like Shawn in green fatigues, but with metallic skin. Tre looked up at the Heavens, closed his eyes, and shook his head. He raised his hand with the self-destruct switch in it, then he pressed the little red button. The Gundam began to glow an angry red, then Tre was knocked into a sitting position by the cockpit chair as the seat ejected him into outer space, away from impending doom. The instant the seat cleared the open door, the Gundam DreadScythe exploded into an intense red-orange fireball. The fireball spread wider, its spherical shape increasing in size and engulfing some of the mobile suits. Tre looked back at the Gundam that had served him so well for the past four years. He shed a silent tear, in realization that he had lost a friend.
"Farewell, DreadScythe," Tre spoke.
The seat continued to carry him to a nearby colony, where he was lost within the depths of the darkened bowels.
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~Back on the shuttle~
The explosion caused many on the shuttle to gasp out loud. Tre had sacrificed himself rather than to surrender to the British. Pyrone, his jaw hanging to the floor, slowly raised his lower portion of his face and clenched the two halves together. He smashed the control panel underneath his fist, shedding tears of grief at the death of his friend. Mina, too shocked for words, held her hands to her mouth, crying silently. Trista wrapped an arm aound her smaller blonde companion, trying to comfort her. Then Mina just broke down completely and let loose into Trista's bosom. She hugged her older comrade, and cried her eyes out. The other Scouts couldn't even find the words to say, they just let their mouths hang open. The rest of the Gundam pilots just hung their heads, saying a silent salute to their short-lived leader.
"A salute," Trowa spoke gravely. "To our friend and leader, Tre Young."
Shawn's body was literally trashed. His skin was about ready to peel off, his face deformed, his hair gone, and his bones underneath were cracked, broken, splintered, and crushed. How could such a small weapon do this to him? He was supposed to be invincible! That deal he made with Sven, he screwed himself.
"That is why you musn't underestimate your enemies, Shawn," Sven said.
Shawn just looked at the Dark Lord from his laying position on the lander. How could he say that at a time like this?
"I guess I'll have to fix you up," Sven sighed. "I need you after all."
The Dark Lord concentrated hard on a small dense mass that was appearing in front of his face. It had a bright glow, almost like a sparkle, then Shawn felt himself becoming whole again as his body was engulfed in the sparkle. After it dissapated, he sat up and felt all around his body. His head was full of hair, has skin felt smooth and strong, and he kept patting all over his being. When he came to his crotch, feeling all three important pieces were present, he thanked Sven like he was a god.
Soon, the small beaten landing craft docked with the cruiser. The loud clicks and clangs resounded within the smaller craft until it gave one last arrested jolt. Then, the door slid open, revealing the metallic crew of the cruiser. Shawn and Sven exited the lander and headed toward the flight deck. Once there, they flew back into outer space with the same white flash enveloping the cruiser.
"We have gone through the time rift," the head scientist proclaimed.
"Captain," Shawn called. "Set a course for home."
"Roger," the tinny voice replied.
"Sir," one of the female officers said. "It seems that six months have gone by since we left."
"What did you say?" Shawn asked slowly.
"I said, that it seems six months have gone by since the last time we were in the After Colony time period."
Shawn's face suddenly broke into a delirious smile. Six months! His Gundam was complete! But what else had taken place over the last six months?
The large videoscreen on the flight deck suddenly glowed to life. The face of King Charles appeared on it, looking quite relieved. His eyes shone with a victorious zeal, as did his smile.
"Ah," the king laughed. "So, you're all alive, eh, Shawn?"
"Why yes, your majesty," Shawn bowed. "And, may I say it is good to see your face again my liege."
"Thank you, I must say the same. We've been searching the entire galaxy it seems. Where did you go?"
Shawn smiled, "Back in time."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me correct. Somehow, as we were chasing the Gundams, we came across a rift in time itself as we entered the atmosphere and were sent back in time. Funny thing, we were only there for a few days and six months has passed here."
"Well, on behalf of all the conquered colonies," the king chuckled, "welcome home."
Shawn thought he was dreaming. Did he say all the conquered colonies? Did they capture the colonies? What a day! Shawn could only hope the Gundams would break now that their homes were taken over.
"Your majesty, I have a humble request," Shawn informed.
"What is your request?" the king inquired.
"May I speak to my fiancee?"
"Absolutely! She's been crying here eyes out since you were reported missing."
The screen blurred, then, the ecstatic face of Elizabeth appeared. She was still crying but her tears were of joy. Her eyes were still glistening with fresh tears, the tip of her nose bright red. Shawn couldn't help but cry himself, he missed that face so much.
"My dearest princess," Shawn croaked.
"My handsome pilot," she half-laughed, half-cried.
Nothing was said between the two, they just looked at each other. The British colony was just within sight, and getting closer by the minute. All the sudden, a loud warbling tone sounded in the flight deck. Shawn went to see what was the matter.
"What is it?" he demanded.
"It is the Gundams' shuttle, sir," the ensign replied.
"Get me my Xonyx," Shawn seethed.
"Sir!" the officer said.
The Gundam came rocketing out of the colony hangar, completed and fearsome. It hovered above the cruiser, waiting for its pilot to occupy the cockpit. Shawn quickly dressed in his spacesuit and jammed on a helmet. He leapt into the upper airlock, waited for it to clear, then he bolted outside and into the Gundam.
Once inside, he was greeted with the bright glow of monitors situated all around him. He contacted a battalion of mobile suits and they flew off, trailing the Xonyx.
'Not this time, Tre Young,' Shawn thought, acid dripping off every word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Let's go, dammit!" Tre hissed.
He was sitting outside Mina's window, waiting for her to leave a note to her parents telling them to not worry about her and that she would miss them. Unbeknownst to Tre, she was packing most of her clothes ("I'll buy you some new ones in the future!") as a reminder of her life in the past. She attempted to squeeze the last dress into the already overstuffed duffel bag. Artemis sat there on his haunches, watching the blonde girl hurriedly pack her things.
"So you're leaving the past, huh, Mina?" the cat asked.
"Yeah," Mina answered. "And you're coming with!"
"WHAT!!! Whoa, hold on, Mina!" Artemis was surprised.
"Look, Serena is bringing Luna," she soothed. "Besides, I need you in the future."
"(sigh) Guess I'm still going to be your guide after all," the cat said.
"Come on," Mina groaned at the zipper.
As she was about to give up, Tre's hands flattened the zipper's track and Mina slid the fastener across the track, closing the bag. Tre immediately scooped up the bag and dropped it out the window. It landed with a loud whump! and all three winced in the anticipation of someone waking up. However, nothing in the house moved.
"We gotta get going," Tre whispered. "We're already behind schedule!"
"Well a girl needs a few things to take with her, you know?" she retorted.
"No, you don't need all those things!" Tre hissed through gritted teeth.
"But I can't just leave it here," Mina whined. "Who would wear them?"
Heaving a heavy sigh of hopelessness, Tre covered his face with one hand and shook his head. Peeking through the cracks of his fingers, he spied the unamused face of his girlfriend. Taking her hand, he forcefully led her to the window and swept her off her feet and jumped out. As they departed through the opening, Tre's hand shot through and grabbed the scruff of Artemis' neck. They all loaded up onto the bike and sped off.
"I hope to God we still make it out of here on time," Tre voiced.
Mina gave an exasperated sigh, and pouted. Artemis just laid idly on Mina's lap.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nice digs you got here," Duo said with a grin plastered on his face.
"Shut up, Duo," Lita retorted from the bathroom.
She was scooping the last of her toiletries into her travel bag, which was almost everything in her bathroom. She knew they were pressed for time, but hopefully they could still make it before the hole closed up forever. Trista's words still rang in her head.
~Flashback~
"Well, now we all know who each other is?" Trista asked the group.
Each Sailor Scout was wrapped in the arms of their respective Gundam pilot, their identities no longer secret. Trowa and Michelle were holding each other very close, their eyes closed with Trowa resting his head on Michelle's. Tre and Mina couldn't break eye contact with each other, they were that desperate for each other's touch. Trista and Pyrone were playing grab ass with one another, behind their backs. Quatre and Amy just stood there, Quatre's arm around Amy's waist, and Amy leaning against Quatre with one arm across his chest and one around his waist. Heero and Serena were still kissing, their tongues wrestling to get into the other's mouth. Duo and Lita had to sit on the ground in order to kiss for Lita was much taller than her new boyfriend in her high heeled boots. Wufei and Raye, well, let's just say that they would get the low-down on what was happening at that moment some other time...when they weren't busy behind that tree.
"That's a given," Tre piped.
"Well, I suppose you would have a good explanation for why you're all here," Uranus said. "After all, it isn't for any random reason, right? There has to be some basis."
"Yes," Pyrone jumped in. "Fate: the ruling force behind any unknown occurance."
"We aren't here by choice," Tre aided. "Rather a chance that fate caught up to us and decided that the bond between us all was inevitable and therefore necessary. Thank God we're all subjects of fate!"
This raised a few giggles. Then Wufei and Raye finally joined the group, their hair disorderly and clothing wrinkled, but their goofy expressions told everyone that it was worth it. The Tre added, pointing to Wufei and Raye,
"And here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about!"
An uproar of laughter, and Wufei's battle cry as he chased Tre down with his drawn katana. Eventually, Wufei caught his prey and demanded an apology. However, it was impossible for Tre to do so because he was laughing too hard to apologize and Wufei just stopped. Tre got up again, and listened to the end of the conversation.
"I just found out," Trista said seriously, "that there is only one more tear in the fabric of time that will take us out of here and into the future you pilots know."
"When you say us-" Trowa began.
"-it means the Scouts are coming with us pilots," Pyrone finished.
"How?" Heero querried, releasing himself from his new girlfriend's lips.
"I don't know," Duo intervened. "But, if worse comes worse, they could just sit on our laps the whole way there!"
"DUO!" everyone shouted in unison.
"No, if there aren't enough seats, we guys can hang out in our Gundams," Tre suggested.
"Where's the fun in that?" Mina pouted.
"Oh ligthen up, Mina," Serena said cheerily. "We can have girl talk the whole way there without interruption and play all kinds of games!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Serena," Heero soothed. "But one of us has to fly the shuttle, unless one of you can fly an advanced technological machine?"
"No, we can't," Serena said dejectedly.
"Anyway," Trista interrupted. "The tear only stays open for about five minutes, so we have to be prompt or else we're stuck in the past for all eternity."
"Jeez, make it sound more mortifying," Duo muttered under his breath.
"How long until it opens?" Tre asked.
"Three hours," Trista answered. "Which means, you girls have only enough time to pack a few things and get back here."
The girls in the circle nodded, and some started to leave with their respective pilot/bough. Soon, everyone left. Trista and Pyrone went in Trista's Camaro, along with Quatre and Amy. Heero, Serena, Wufei, and Raye drove off in Tre's car. Tre and Mina went on the jetbike, leaving Duo, Lita, Trowa, and Michelle to go with Amara.
~End Flashback~
Lita finished in the bathroom and soon moved to her bedroom to collect the last of the money that would cover the rent she owed for the month. Since she wasn't coming back and the money she owned now would be worthless in the future, she gave the landlord almost everything she had. She held on to a few bills as a souvenier of the past.
Emerging from her bedroom with her many bags slung across her body, Lita looked like a pack mule ready to collapse. Duo saw, snickered, and then doubled over laughing. Lita was pissed, and swung a heavy purse over his head. He yelled in pain, then rubbed his aching head. Lita's face was contorted into an expression of extreme anger, her breathing heavy. Duo smiled and peacably approached her, taking some of the heavier bags ("Here, lemme take some of those!") and placing a loving peck on Lita's lips. She instantly felt her heart melt and began to well up. Duo, being the sensitive guy he is, said,
"Hey baby, no need to cry."
"Yes, there is," she replied. "You're just so cute sometimes it's romantic."
"Um, sure," Duo said. "Let's go wait for Amara to come back and get us."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at Trista's apartment, loud feminine yells of extreme pleasure were breaking the still silence of the night. The squeaks of the bedframe also pierced the tranquility of the dark building. Finally, one last dragged out scream then peace and quiet returned.
Trista and Pyrone's nude forms were both covered in a light sheen of both their own and each other's perspiration, gasping heavily after the intensity of the now halted activity. As they continued breathing heavily, Trista turned to her partner and smiled,
"You are amazing! Where did you learn to do it like that?"
"Well," Pyrone panted. "It just came with reading a lot of sick material and special courses in high school, believe it or not. Sex ed has come a long way from today's shitty excuse of an education in sexuality."
"I must say I'm very impressed with your performance," Trista breathed.
"You think so?"
"Twentith-century men are so inexperienced and full of hot air," she answered.
"Hmm," Pyrone grunted. "Wonder when Amy and Quatre are getting back?"
"We have time," Trista cooed. "Trust me."
She rolled toward him and kissed him, full on the lips then shoved her tongue deep inside his mouth. He rolled toward her and held his hand behind her head, giving her a taste of her own medicine by shoving his tongue in her mouth. Pyrone came for air, saying,
"Batter up!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Amy, are you sure you don't want any help?" Quatre whispered.
"No, I'm fine Quatre," Amy answered quietly.
She was moving silently about her room, gathering her books, clothing, favorite blanket and pillow, and fitting it all in one medium-sized duffel bag. Not five minutes ahd passed until they had gotten into Amy's room up to the point when they left. Amy left a note on her desk, which read like so:
Dear Mother,
I had to leave for good, and I won't be coming back. But it is not because you didn't raise me well or because of you and dad splitting up. You were both great parents and I love you both, very much. The reason I'm leaving is to discover new ventures and to embark on a very long and hopefully rewarding voyage. I will miss you both, and I will think about you everyday.
From your loving daughter,
Amy Mizuno
"Let's go, Quatre," Amy said quietly.
They both turned toward the window, slipping out silently. Quatre jumped down first, then caught Amy's duffel, and finally he caught Amy. As they continued on their way to Trista's apartment, Amy stopped staring at the house where she grew up, and shed a silent tear. Drawing a shuddering breath, she said silently,
"Goodbye."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Serena, could you please be a little more quiet?" Heero hissed.
"I'm sorry," she squeaked. "I just can't see."
During the time that they had been there, Serena had managed to wreck every fragile item in her room, leaving her carpet littered with shards of glass, split contents of these containers, and her mirror cracked. The couple had been there three seconds and already there was so much wreckage in her room that it seemed more like a kidnapping than a dead-of-the-night-pack-and-leave. Heero, using his training to see his way around the room, slunk to the closet to try and find a suitcase or a duffel bag that he could use to pack Serena's stuff in. He approached the doors, and swung them open. He was met with an avalanche of stuffed animals of varying species: squeaky, soft, beanie baby, with bells, etc. until he was buried by the cotton-filled toys.
Serena was beside herself with laughter, quiet laughter, mind you. Heero was dazed to be brought to his back by such insignificant toys. But he could see what would be so amusing about this situation, because he is the Perfect Soldier and he was defeated by some stuffed toys. But this many? How could a girl own so many of these-these...things? Heero put the question out of his mind when he saw the suitcase and yanked it out of the closet. He slowly got to his feet, the suitcase in hand, and walked to Serena's location. He put a finger on her lips, she immediately stopped her laughing; his cold eyes bore deep within her, freezing her to soul. He lifted the corners of his mouth without even wanting to, in a smile...well, as best a smile an emotionless soldier could muster. Serena smiled too, and closing her eyes she gave him a kiss. He just stood there, suitcase in hand, thinking,
'Hell, we've got almost forty-five minutes until we have to be back.'
"Serena," he said.
"What is it, Heero?" she replied in an alluring tone, stroking his face.
"Can you stay quiet enough if we-uh...you know..." he trailed off.
"I can try," she cooed.
That did it. Heero pressed his lips upon hers, while taking his shirt off. She was doing the same, stripping her lithe young body of its garments and aiding Heero in taking his shorts off (them things look tight, man! He's gonna need all the help he can get, 'specially with a boner!). Soon, they were both nude and pressing their bodies together, caressing the other's skin. Serena led Heero to the bed, lying on her back. Their lips never parted until they got to the bed, then they had to stay as quiet as possible. The night is young, and so are those two...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, you're name is Wufei?" Grandpa asked the Chinese teen.
"Yes, I am Chang Wufei," Wufei answered. "I ask that you leave your granddaughter's care in my hands, that I may have your blessing to marry her in the future."
"Well, of course you have my blessing," Grandpa laughed.
"Excellent! You have my humble gratitude," Wufei bowed. "I vow that I will love and protect her all my life."
"I'd expect no less from the man my granddaughter wants to marry," Grandpa smiled.
"Wufei, I have to pack quickly," Raye said. "Would you mind assisting me?"
"Yes," Wufei answered. "We haven't much time left."
"Raye, I need to talk to you," Grandpa said quickly. "Stay here."
They left Wufei to go pack for Raye. Grandpa made sure that Wufei had left the immediate area and then said,
"Raye, you've become a fine priestess over the last few years and I officially recognize you as such. You can open your own temple wherever you please and make sure that you banish evil spirits from this world using the skills I've worked so hard to teach you."
"Don't worry, Grandpa," Raye smiled. "I will do just that."
Raye bent down and gave her grandfather a hug, shedding a few tears in realizing that she would never see him again. Wufei cleared his throat in the doorway, jarring them from their reviere.
"Are you ready?" Wufei asked.
"Yes," Raye answered.
They walked out of the temple, waving goodbye one last time. There they waited outside for Heero and Serena to show up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We haven't time for chatting about music at the moment," Amara amusingly chided the two.
Since they got to the apartment that Michelle and Amara share, Trowa and Michelle had done nothing but talk about music. Leaving their responsibilities of packing to rest, they lost themselves on subjects of Beethoven, Bach, Hayden, and Mozart. Fortunately for them, Amara brought them back to reality and they quickly started to gather Michelle's things. They packed a large rollerboard suitcase with a week's worth of clothes, one business dress, an outfit made for extreme partying, and a dress for prestigious concerts. Oh yeah, and a "little" something for those passionate nights. She then piled all her face cleansers, make-up, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, leg razor, Nair and shaving cream, etc. into a medium-sized toilettry bag. She then proceeded to get her violin, but Trowa beat her to it. He held the fragile instrument, just looking at it, before he put it in its hardshell case. Softly, she ran her hand over his while they both closed the lid of the case.
"Trowa, what's wrong?" Michelle asked with concern written in her eyes.
"I have a bad feeling," Trowa answered. "I feel as though one of our group is going to be separated from us for a long time."
"How long?" she cringed.
A pause, then, "Eternity."
Silence fell over the apartment's occupants. Michelle was to shocked for words to hear such a prediction. Amara was too skeptical to believe it anyway.
"Ah, it's just the dinner you had Trowa," Amara stated.
"No, I don't think so," Trowa argued. "I really do think that something bad is going to happen to one of us. I can't explain it but I know that what I feel is really trying to tell me something."
Trowa couldn't be more right, or rather wrong. He wouldn't know how close he was to such a prediction.
Finished packing, the threesome made their way downstairs to the car. Trowa put all the bags in the trunk, barely taking up any space in the small cavity. Shutting the large door, they piled in and sped off toward the park where the Gundams were waiting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone met back at the park at the designated time, carrying bags of all shapes and sizes. Tre was amazed and frustrated at the amount of bags these girls packed AND the fact that he told his fellow pilots to keep their girls from packing so much. Thankfully, Wufei had managed to keep Raye's stuff in one bag. Tre was astounded that Heero had managed to cram Serena's "garbage" into one large suitcase.
'It must be the tight shorts,' Tre mused. 'It's no wonder the guy can cram such a tight package.'
The group was short about four people; where the Hell was Trista, Pyrone, Wufei, and Raye? The squeal of tires in the distance answered Tre's unspoken question. The silver Camaro pulled up to the curb rather quickly. The lights dimmed out, then the engine died as the driver obviously shut the vehicle off. Pyrone got out of the driver's side, Trista the passenger's then Wufei and Raye from the back. Tre read his best friend's mind, then laughed out loud hysterically. He could barely hold himself up from what he just found out. The rest of the group had no idea what was so funny, but from what they knew about Tre, some choice couples felt a bit uneasy by their comrade's laughter.
Able to calm himself down, Tre wiped away some tears from his face. He looked at Trista's face, which was about as red as a face could get. She grabbed for Pyrone's hand as some kind of assurance that she was safe under the amused stare from Tre. From her face, Tre's gaze shifted to Heero. Heero - the Perfect Soldier - seemed a little uneasy under Tre's gaze. So, Tre searched his mind......................tried to stifle his laugh, then fell to the ground, rolling around with maniacal laughter. For five minutes straight he was laughing with the same intensity that he began with. In fact, Tre was laughing so hard, he pissed his pants. All over the front of his pants were wet, and yet he continued to laugh non-stop.
Getting quite sick of this, several group mates kicked him and stood him up. They tried to keep themselves away from the front of his pants. Then it was Duo's turn to laugh maniacally.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! TRE PISSED HIMSELF!!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
Tre stopped laughing, and went after Duo, threatening to cut the boy's braid off if he didn't stop laughing.
"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Duo wailed. "ANYTHING but the braid!"
"Then shut up," Tre growled.
Duo obeyed, but had to release one more snicker. Tre wheeled around, glaring the younger pilot down. Duo put on his best innocent angel face, appearing to be behaving. Tre addressed the problem with his pants by transforming into Sailor Universe and then back to human.
"Good as new," Tre chuckled. "So, we all here?"
"Yep," Pyrone smiled, looking at Trista.
"Hn," Heero grunted.
"Present!" Duo quipped enthusiastically.
"We're ready," Trowa offered.
"Ready to go," Quatre announced.
Let's go!" Wufei demanded.
"Alright," Tre assessed. "Girls, you'll have to sit on the lap of your "man" while we get the Gundams off the ground and into the shuttle. The ride will be a bit bumpy and kind of uncomfortable, so bear with it while the shuttle comes to pick us up, OK?"
They nodded, obviously ready to get going. Trista cleared her throat, tapping her watch. Tre nodded, then said, "Let's suit up!"
The girls went with their respective pilot and loaded their bags behind the seats in the cockpit. The pilots rode the cable up first, got situated in the cockpit, then sent the cable down to their respective Scout. They then rode the cable up and were pulled into the cockpit as the door shut behind them.
Soon, the grounds around the Gundams was alight with the green glow from the eyes of the machines. Soon, all seven of the mettalic monstrosities erected themselves, often moving jerkily sometimes as the pilots had trouble moving the controls around their new cargo. Two of the Gundams retrieved the vehicles belonging to Tre and Trista. DreadScythe looked up at the sky and saw the fiery streak of the shuttle reentering the atmosphere. Then, all Gundams blasted off toward the sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amara and Hotaru just looked on as the rest of the Sailor Scouts left the only home they've known for the past 18 years.
"Amara, are they going to be OK?" Hotaru asked.
"Yes," was the reply. "Those pilots wouldn't let anything happen to our princesses. They'll keep them alive; they'll do what they have to do."
"I hope so," the small girl sighed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The shuttle was flying a large circle in the upper atmosphere, as not to lose the location of the tear. The two Gundams with the vehicles stashed them all on the platforms, the smart hooks grabbing the vehicles securely. Then the ramp closed, leaving the seven pods to open themselves. The Gundams maneuvered into the pods, cramming their large metallic forms into the pods. Once settled, the machines quickly died as the pod doors closed around their cargo.
The Scouts leapt out of the cockpits first, followed by their pilots. They all proceeded toward the flight deck...to find fourteen seats and seven more spacesuits made for females. Tre just laughed, knowing that the future had changed indeed. He told the girls to suit up as the shuttle was forced toward the already collapsing tear. The shuttle's throttle was increased to full blast, knocking some of the Scouts off balance and against the bulkhead. Tre apologized quickly as the shuttle burst through the tear, only milliseconds before it collapsed for eternity.
Then, Tre slowly backed off the throttle and hailed the beacon that would situate him. It calibrated the date, time, direction of the rally point, and so on. It also fed him any news that he might need to fight against the Brits. Once he hailed the beacon, he was astonished at the readouts. According to the onboard clock, it was six months since last they left and all the colonial clusters had been taken over by the British. A headline stored in the news archives ran a short news report:
"...With the sudden absence of the Gundams that defend the peace within the colonies, the British autocracy has conquered the last stronghold against total colonial control under the British regime. L2 colony X-66618, the colony ran as a free American democracy under the Young family, finally surrendered due to lack of supplies resulting from a blockade. When asked by British interrogaters the whereabouts of their youngest child, Tre Jason Young, the family replied that they knew their son would not bow to British wishes at the expense of his family..."
Tre had heard enough. His blood began to boil and his temper got the best of him. He yelled out in rage, scaring the rest of his group and then he smashed the small screen to pieces. The glass bits floated ahout the cabin as Tre continued to smash the small glass screen. His hand was becoming quite bloody as the jagged glass cut into his hand. The girls cringed against the bulkhead, afraid of what he might do to take his rage out on something, or someone, else. He got up and kicked off toward the aft portion of the shuttle, no one stopping him. He slammed his helmet on, then opened the door to his Gundam's pod. He slid into the cockpit, strapped himself in and opened the large pod doors. He fired the rockets and blasted out of the pod, igniting the scythe. He then flew off, full throttle toward the British colony.
"Tre! TRE!" Pyrone's voice came on the intercomm. "ANSWER ME, GODDAMIT!!"
"What is it?" Tre answered darkly.
"What you are doing is suicide!"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!!" Tre roared. "THEY PICKED THE WRONG GUNDAM PILOT TO FUCK WITH!!!"
"Look, at least let one of us help you," Pyrone pleaded. The Scouts were shaking their heads no.
"No," Tre seethed. "This is my battle."
With that, he blasted the rockets past their max. He then heard the early warning radar go off, signalling a whole wall of mobile suits coming his way. DreadScythe lifted the large beam cannon out of its holster and prepped the weapon to fire. Then, without warning, DreadScythe was broadsided by another mobile suit. Tre saw bleach spikes in the left-side monitor, wondering what kind of mobile suit this was. The enemy suit wrestled the beam cannon out of DreadScythe's grasp. It dodged each swipe DreadScythe delivered with the scythe. The enemy fired a barrage into DreadScythe's face, leaving Tre blinded by the explosions of the rapidly contacting slugs. Then, the scythe was confiscated by the enemy suit. DreadScythe went for the sword, but a large beam struck its right arm, tearing away at the appendage much the way Deathscythe's arm had when it first encountered the Taurus suits. The sword twirled around in the beam before being blown into outer space. Tre was starting to get worried at this point, then the Gundam jolted again. Tre saw the same mobile suit standing on DreadScythe's left side, trying to pull the Gundams other arm off. The moaning metal, stressed to the breaking point, snapped under the strenuous power of the enemy suit. Now, DreadScythe had no weapons, no arms, and had shut down. Tre was worried, to say the least.
"Tre Young," Shawn's voice was heard over the intercomm.
"Oh shit," Tre whispered dejectedly.
"Surrender yourself to the British Royal Family or we will open fire," Shawn continued.
"That your new toy Shawn?" Tre chuckled, looking at the enemy mobile suit.
"Surrender or die, Tre! It is very simple!"
Tre opened the door to the cockpit and floated out, landing on the end of the door. He had the self-destruct switch in hand, ready to blow himself to smithereens. He finally took a good look at the new Gundam. It looked like Shawn in green fatigues, but with metallic skin. Tre looked up at the Heavens, closed his eyes, and shook his head. He raised his hand with the self-destruct switch in it, then he pressed the little red button. The Gundam began to glow an angry red, then Tre was knocked into a sitting position by the cockpit chair as the seat ejected him into outer space, away from impending doom. The instant the seat cleared the open door, the Gundam DreadScythe exploded into an intense red-orange fireball. The fireball spread wider, its spherical shape increasing in size and engulfing some of the mobile suits. Tre looked back at the Gundam that had served him so well for the past four years. He shed a silent tear, in realization that he had lost a friend.
"Farewell, DreadScythe," Tre spoke.
The seat continued to carry him to a nearby colony, where he was lost within the depths of the darkened bowels.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Back on the shuttle~
The explosion caused many on the shuttle to gasp out loud. Tre had sacrificed himself rather than to surrender to the British. Pyrone, his jaw hanging to the floor, slowly raised his lower portion of his face and clenched the two halves together. He smashed the control panel underneath his fist, shedding tears of grief at the death of his friend. Mina, too shocked for words, held her hands to her mouth, crying silently. Trista wrapped an arm aound her smaller blonde companion, trying to comfort her. Then Mina just broke down completely and let loose into Trista's bosom. She hugged her older comrade, and cried her eyes out. The other Scouts couldn't even find the words to say, they just let their mouths hang open. The rest of the Gundam pilots just hung their heads, saying a silent salute to their short-lived leader.
"A salute," Trowa spoke gravely. "To our friend and leader, Tre Young."