Wings of Destruction
Chapter 28
the Tourniquet to Life

-

Tourniquet: (noun) bandage that stops the flow of blood from an artery by applying pressure

-

No more. No more Hell, no more Heaven, no more life.

No more life. No more breathing, no more crying, no more fighting.

No more fighting. No more blood, no more death, no more sin.

No more sin. To officially be rid of sin you must rid of it yourself and all known traces of it, or else history is destined to repeat in a casual, endless waltz. First the knowledge of the past is learned, and then the imagery of copying the character that thought up the story, then lastly the actions.

The actions are what really kills the idea of the purpose, defeats the significance of the whole effect. If life didn't try and repeat the process of its ancestry then peace could actually be obtained and maintained; but since information regarding the past is still out, the ideals can not yet be set to rest.

And as the famous quote goes, 'so long as mankind exists, there will always be battles'. It's not the person's fault for thinking destructive; rather, its nature's fault, for the way all humans are born, is for the soul purpose to survive.

And to survive, one must fight.

And to fight, one must kill.

-

"Masons—hand me that key," Vix extended his hand and frowned down at the notes before him. "This doesn't make sense and if I switch the two commands together I can turn Zeus into more than just the average killing machine."

Mason's frowned in worry as he stepped up to Vix and handed his partner the key for the machinery parts. "Be careful, Vix… this isn't another one of your Angel of Death patients—if you destroy Zeus Justin will come back with a vengeance."

Vix snorted. "Don't be absurd—that boy owes me his life."

"I can't say the same about Vincent," Evan started up as he stepped into the hangar with several papers in his hands. "I wish that boy relied on me for resources but his knowledge is vast beyond his age."

Mason's chuckled. "Well I know for a fact that Mandy owes me her life. If I had ignored the chance two years ago she would be the mother of about eleven children and married at her young age to a man twice age and four times erected."

Sanders' brows knitted together as he raised his head. "Talk in such a way reminds me of how Chris has become since the war started." All three paused and turned back to him. "The young lad's gone insane, almost; practically to the point of become the devil himself."

"Chris?" Evan frowned. "You mean the innocent boy?"

Sanders hid himself away in his papers and mumbled. "I wouldn't consider him innocent anymore. He's taken in several whores after he killed the first man of his life and even threatened to rape Mandy. Even Vincent and Justin were startled by his returning attitude and sudden change of personality."

"Chris deserves to be an innocent man and not a guilty criminal," a new voice barked out. All four men raised their heads and saw Uno's fierce gaze upon them as she stepped into their circle. "You all have made him change and frankly, I prefer the older version better."

"You do?" Vix asked in stunned shock. At her nod, he questioned it further. "Why? He could have been killed if he wasn't careful and smart."

"He could be killed if he gets too bloodthirsty or fucks the wrong girl," Uno shot back. "Much like the way you fucked with their lives."

"Now wait just a damn minute," Evan shot out. "In what way do you say we destroyed them? We've given them a life!"

"Wrong," Uno snarled. All four paused and stared at her in shock at her outburst for she never bothered to even speak to them. "You have destroyed the lives on four individuals and for that you deserve to burn in Hell. Wars shouldn't be fought by children or anybody who's not in a military. Wars shouldn't be a select few to battle against an enemy so large—so unpredictable—that death can be at every turn. And above all… wars shouldn't be fought by these select few when the enemy is none other than Synodd!"

"What does Synodd have anything to do with this?" Sanders questions.

"Synodd is this war! Synodd is my war! Synodd has destroyed my life—not Professor G or Doctor J! Synodd! Synodd!" Uno whipped out the gun and pointed it squarely on Sander's face, in between his eyes. "And you all think you know that company—you all think you have any ties to it. I've lost my life because of that company! I've lost my best friend because they tried to kill me when I was little! I've lost my boyfriend because he couldn't assassinate me for their fucking assignment! I lost my family because they tried to eliminate all obstacles and they couldn't kill me!"

"Uno—wait just a moment—" Sanders was silenced as Uno pulled the trigger and shot a bullet straight through his head. The remaining three leaped back at the spray of blood that had coated itself all over her and a little upon them.

"What the—Uno Maxwell, what's going on?" Evan roared out. She turned and aimed the gun at his face.

"I'm erasing all known evidence of this war to end all traces of the previous wars," she explained clearly. "I want to put a stop to this fight and I'll stop at nothing to accomplish that!" She pulled the trigger and shot Evan in the chest. He stumbled back and hit the desk with his tailbone.

"Uno," Evan put his hands in the air and gasped for breath, "stop this at once!"

Her eyes narrowed just then and she squeezed the trigger once more. His hand blew off with the breeze of the bullet and a gaping hole now sat within the nose of his face. She turned and faced Vix and Masons.

"Hold on a moment, Uno." Vix cleared his throat and glanced over to Masons before turning back to her. "Please… just explain yourself."

"I just did," she growled. "Now I must say Mandy probably deserves a better life than the one she would have led had you not found her," she noted to Masons, "but she was weak and could have said no to that fucking, crazed lunatic that wanted her clearly for sex. Yeah—so what, she'll die of starvation; hey, at least she's kept her dignity."

"Uno," Masons' shot to his feet, "please."

"But that's something you don't like your employees to have—dignity."

"Uno!"

"Go to Hell," she growled out. She shot and fired Masons and took his life with a bullet to the brain as well then turned back to Vix.

"Woah," Vix backed up a step. "Now I must say—you've got skill."

She took a step forward. "I've got hatred."

He took another step back. "You've got great aim."

She took another step forward. "I've got a great target."

Vix gulped back his fear and stepped back again but bumped into another desk. "Uno," he tried.

"You're an Angel of Death and I'm Shinimegami," she smirked. "In a way, we are both alike. You're a doctor who kills his patients and I'm death that comes to claim souls."

"Please—leave me alive," he urged on.

"No," she spat back. "You've scarred this life and you're going to pay dearly for it."

"Uno…"

"Goodbye, Doctor Vix. May the souls you delivered to Heaven or Hell torture you for the rest of eternity."

"Please!"

She pulled the trigger and watched as his body flew over the top of the desk then collapsed onto the floor behind it. She took a deep breath and lowered the gun before turning around and heading towards the inner offices where the main two contractors worked.

Upon entering, she stood in the doorway and found the two of them bent over the computer screens. They turned their heads when they heard the door to the room open.

"What a surprise," J retorted. Professor G's eyes narrowed as he noticed the blood covering her body.

"Uno—you're hurt."

"Not my blood," she murmured. "It's somebody else's."

"Whose?" J asked. Professor G had a strong hunch as he noticed the lack of life in the next room.

"You killed the others, didn't you?" J frowned and G only continued. Uno raised the gun and aimed it at his face. "You've killed everyone else and now you've come to kill us."

"Wrong," she mumbled. "Libra's explosion killed you. Your ghosts are just haunting me."

"Then how do you get rid of the ghosts?" G shot back.

Uno's eyes narrowed. "You eliminate its shadow."

"Clever," J murmured. Uno fired the gun and shot G in the forehead. She turned and glared J.

"You have caused enough lives to be spared. You don't deserve to live."

"I couldn't agree more," he remarked. "Do tell me… what are you planning on doing once you finish this war?"

"I'm not planning for anything. I don't belong here anymore than you."

"I understand. I shall see you on the next side?"

"I'll be in Limbo… wondering if I'm innocent and you've made the monster… or if I really am guilty for all the lives I've taken."

J nodded. "Very well then. What will your last words be?" He smirked.

She smirked back and before squeezing the trigger, she retorted with, "Burn baby, burn."

-

Life is no more than just a wave in a sea of existence. There are millions of waves—millions of lives—each of which may last for a good distance and few which will die out after a short time. Each wave is different; some may be larger than others while some may even be as small as a ripple, barely causing even a dent within life itself. Where the wave heads is towards the end of the rope, wondering how far it can reach before life entirely stops moving.

Stops breathing.

To sit in the darkness and watch life go by is like sitting down and watching the waves. It's a peaceful thing, to sit down and be alone, to watch the waves of life as they carry everyone else down the path of success or failure. After all, what's a few ripples to a lake or a few tidal waves to a beach?

When a fish swims beneath a wave it disrupts the flow, but waves keep on moving soon after it dies down. It's just like obstacles in life; something big drastically changes the path one may walk down the road to life but after some time, when everything settles out and calms back down, life always goes on, carries on into the world of the unknown bliss.

There is only one key ingredient to have a fulfillment of peace and that's to make certain all fish are dead; to make sure all obstacles of life are no more. And there's only one true way to accomplish that.

They must be rid of manually.

-

In a dark cabin, securely hidden away in the deepest part of the woods, sits a man with long stringy white hair. His wooden rests besides his body as he relaxes within the antique arm chair of his domain. The fireplace before him isn't lit, the windows are all boarded up, and only a little light of the sun has managed to filter in through the cracks left open on the windows, the glass long since cracked from years before.

He sighs deeply, in deep thought and remembering when his life used to have meaning. He has grown up on the soul purpose of vengeance and after that meaning has been sought out he had gone off for education. He figured to fill the world of his knowledge and express historic artifices and thoughts but he met a pupil who brought back old memories.

Those old memories remained secretly hidden all the while he educated these students but at the end something happened and stole of one his students from his vision. This action had caused his brightest pupil, the one who has brought back those painful memories to his mind's eye, to change. He changed as well and together, the two of them joined sides to battle the cruel fates of the world.

And yet, as he sat and contemplated his life and his very existence, he wished the cruel fates of the world would hurry up and claim him. Every day he would sit in the same chair, his cane resting besides him, and reminiscence the time when he had a life that he had loved. He had a relationship, a family, a career; and in one fatal moment all was stolen away from him.

In the same cabin but in another dark corner, a figure stood silent, securely hidden by the black shadows of the darkened room. The man frowned in wonder and raised his head at the figure but he saw nothing other than the outline of a thin form.

"Is that you, Uno?" He asks with a crackling voice which rasped. The lithe form raised an arm and the sound of metal clanking together whispered throughout the tiny cabin. The older man closes his eyes and lowers his face to the floor before him. A grin plays across his face as he realizes what is about to happen.

"I understand," he says. "To finally be rid of all wars, one must first eliminate all roots to the beginning thought. To finally be rid of the thoughts, one must remove all traces of all scars."

In the silence that met soon afterwards, the metal clanking returned and his lips turned into a genuine smile. He continues with a voice hushed in soft tones. "So long as scars of the past remain true peace can never be achieved."

And directly after he had said those final words, a loud bang roared throughout the little cabin in the deepest part of the woods. Birds on the outside of the walls leap up into the air and fly off at a fear of the noise. The sound of the loud scream continues to ring off in the distance, carrying with it the memory that has once been an explanation of life.

The figure lowers the arm and tears fall from its face.

-

Uno powered up Angel and flew out of the forest at its given speed from Tallgeese. She didn't want to think about the remaining choices she had left open for her. She had nothing open and thinking about it only left her to despair what could have been.

What could have been a wonderful childhood.

What could have been a wonderful relationship.

What could have been a wonderful family.

What could have been a wonderful friend.

What could have been a wonderful life.

No. She didn't have a wonderful life and she couldn't have one. She wasn't allowed to have one. Duo made that decision the moment he took her in and asked her to become Shinimegami. She has lived years preparing to become Shinimegami and finally, after battling Synodd for the past two years, contemplating her very existence for more, she had finally become her one, true, dream.

She has finally become Shinimegami.

She was the Goddess of Death and Angel was her ride, her dragon to Hell. With it, the two of them could eliminate all known traces of the wrongful humanity and the thoughts that they obtain.

Together, she could finish the war that had started the day she was born and finally let her sins pull her down to rest.

She slowed Angel down as she neared one of the main Synodd buildings for the mobile suit factories and grinned. They have noticed her arrival and set the alarms. Now the air was littered with mobile suits and it only grew in amount as they continued to disperse their units.

Angel withdrew the beam cannon from the harness at its legs and split the double gun apart. A grin slowly formed on her lips as Zero's mind control begun to kick in.

"You don't deserve to live," she mumbled as the enemies neared her. Angel raised its cannon to prepare its attack. "You don't deserve to fight in this war." The beam cannon began charging.

"You don't deserve to go on living!" Tears of hatred stung in her eyes as she squeezed the level of the control for Angel to fire the gun and within a brief moment, nothing happened. For a brief moment, nothing moved.

For a brief moment, life was frozen solid.

The suddenly, as if compelled by the unnatural forces of Hell, itself, the powerful blast exploded from the gun's barrels, and fired away at the swarm of enemy mobile suits. Uno screamed as she blew up hundreds of mobile suits and stole the lives of millions. Pilots from the opposing military died as she tore through their machines and citizens on the ground were crushed to death by falling debris. Normally, she would grow angry at harming the public but she no longer cared. The public accepted the trash talk Synodd expressed about; they deserved the same fate as the company that tried to play with the forces of God.

When the gun died down and Angel lowered its arm, Uno found every mobile suit of the fleet had been taken down within one long squeeze of the trigger and the building, as well, had crumbled beneath the force of the attack. She stared down at the ground and saw the amount of debris that had fallen due to gravity and for a shocking revelation, she couldn't find herself caring for the lives of innocent civilians she had stolen.

Uno directed Angel away from the massive destruction she had just caused and towards the next base, ready to take out even more of her enemy. She sped up the pace as she replayed the battle in her mind. She grinned when she watched the debris of the crumbled mobile suits fall to the ground.

What she didn't notice, however, were the tears that were currently strolled down her cheeks.

-

"What the hell is going on!" Vincent roared out. Mandy frowned and stepped up to him and Justin ran into the room at hearing his comrade's loud voice. Chris's brows knitted together in worry as he looked up from the gun book he was currently reading.

"Uno is wiping out at least half of Synodd's population!" Vincent pointed at the laptop screen where a news broadcasting station displayed the video of Angel—Uno's Gundam—destroying dozens of enemy mobile suits. They all watched as the gundam carried on before finally leaving the scene, not doing anything beyond destroying the fleets and building, when the debris had killed hundreds of citizens down below.

"I think she flipped," Vincent retorted. "I actually think the girl's lost her mind," he choked out through a laugh.

"Seeing if she ever had a mind of peace to begin with," Chris retorted as he stepped up to the group. Justin frowned over at his changed comrade, still not used to the new side of his once innocent friend.

"Do you think we should go and see what's wrong with her?" Mandy asked, worry seeping into her tone. Vincent stared down at her with weary before returning to the screen.

"Let me try and ask Evan what's wrong first. He might know why she's flipped out." Vincent begun sending commands but the commands were immediately sent back with negative replies. "What the hell?"

"Look," Justin pointed to the tiny vid window at the bottom corner of the screen where the news continued to broadcast. Vincent frowned and brought the screen up to its full size then all of them felt their blood turn to ice.

Now the A-A Hangar was being shown on the news, saying an explosion had hit earlier in the day, and no one knows how.

"I think I know how," Justin murmured.

"As do I," Vincent added in. Chris only nodded and Mandy frowned.

"What's happened to her?" She asked.

"I don't know," Vincent turned away from the laptop. "But I intend to find out. There's only one other large building left for her to care about."

Mandy turned to him and frowned. "Which is?"

"Headquarters."

-

By the time the four of them reached Headquarters Angel was already besides it, the tripod fighting a number of suits while the other defeated ones piled around the ground. Justin frowned when he saw how bloodthirsty Angel appeared—how bloodthirsty Uno seemed to have become.

"Uno," he murmured to himself, "please… stop this."

"Uno!" Vincent shot by Justin and slowed down as his gundam neared Angel. "What's going on?"

Angel finished piercing its tripod into the stomach of a mobile suite and swiped the scythe around until the remaining suits were taken out. It stopped and put away the staff then appeared to just float in mid air, if not for the suits it was currently standing upon.

"Uno!" Vincent tried once more.

A vid window appeared in his cockpit—along with everyone else's—and displayed a figure in nothing but black with a long braid trailing down the back of the chair.

"Vincent," Uno said nonchalantly. She wasn't looking at the window or anything else; in fact, she was staring at the ground, her head lowered in her lap. "Leave this place at once."

"Not until you tell us what the fuck you're doing!"

"I'm removing the only obstacle I've ever known in my life," she returned in the same, nonchalant voice. "You four have a chance to live peaceful lives, one which I have never been granted the opportunity for."

Justin finally found his voice but it was weak nonetheless. "What are you saying?"

"You four can go on living like normal people, never afraid to show yourself in public, never afraid to meet new faces." Uno finally raised her head and Justin gasped as he saw the dried tears that have stained her cheeks and swollen her eyes. "All my life I've been watched by Synodd, followed by their eyes. All my life I've been the target for elimination and several times they have tried to take me out… each one failed."

"Uno," Chris muttered out in shock.

Uno glanced down and carried on. "I have had a best friend who was taken in place of me, because Ricky couldn't bring himself to shoot me." Justin's lips parted in shock; she was explaining everything!

"Ricky… during those times was my other best friend and my boyfriend. I thought he cared for me—I thought he loved me. I guess he did," she smirked suddenly, "seeing as he couldn't bring himself to shoot me in point blank range and wound up taking his own life."

"Uno," Mandy murmured out.

"But when I saw him the second time I learned he really had died back there, in that alleyway." She raised her head and Justin felt his heart breaking; she was crying again. "He used every feeling, every thought, every memory against me and I felt my heart die at the sight of him so devilish against me, so aggressive and so… evil."

"Ah geeze," Vincent mumbled, "Uno."

She lowered her gaze once more. "I don't have the ability to live peacefully."

"Yes you do," Justin muttered out. She only shook her head. "Yes you do! Together we will all fight this war and after it's over I will take you away from it all and I will prove to you that you have a chance for happiness!"

She raised her head and stared back at him. "Justin," she smiled suddenly, "you're so sweet to me. I have to say I think I had a crush on you…" Justin felt his heart freeze.

"I always pitied Chris for being so innocent and so free," Chris frowned then and realized what's happened to himself, "hated Vincent for his humongous ego," Vincent felt his heart breaking at the thought Uno held of him, "and loathed Mandy for her perfectness and lack of willpower to control any of it," Mandy wanted to cry at how jealous Uno had always been of her and she now understood why Uno acted the way she had those times in the past—the dedication, devotion, and the threats with the gun.

"But I never had anything against you," she stifled a smile and ignored the tears that fell. "I never hated you for your knowledge or loathed you for your abilities. Of all the things, I found myself actually attracted to you."

"Uno," Justin mumbled, "please don't do this. You can still live happily. I'll show you."

She pressed her lips together and shook her. "No… I can't."

"Yes you can!" Justin roared out.

"No," she murmured, "I can't. Like Zechs, I will forever live in agony but only hide it behind a fake smile—one that I have the ability to do by blood. I can't live a lie like he did and even then, he was happy when I took his life for him."

"What?" Justin's world just froze. "I thought he was dead."

"No," she shook her head again. "That's why I always left for my missions earlier than needed or came home later than planned, or why I had to run to the store for a few items."

"Zechs was alive and you were helping to hide him," Vincent answered. She nodded. "Why didn't you have him stay with us?"

"Because he believed the same thing I did," she murmured. "You see… Zechs and I are alike. We both were born from the wars—only I was literally physically and mentally born while he was only mentally born from it all. We both shared the triumphs of attempting at a normal life and failed at it. We were both reminded of who we are and we both fought in the war that had bred us to gain vengeance for the life that was stolen from us. You see… Zechs and I were afraid that if another war happened, another child would be created from it all. He was afraid of another Milliardo Peacecraft being born and sadly, it was; I was born from the White Fang and I lived much the same as he, only I started by living on the streets as a rodent until Duo took me in when I was five. So you see… no matter how much I try and live from this moment on, I will always be reminded of the past, much as he was. And as long as I am reminded of the past, I will never rest and the thoughts will always be there to taunt me. And so long as those memories are in the crest of my mind, so fresh within me and my soul, history is destined to repeat."

"Uno—you can't possibly believe that," Justin groaned out.

"Chris," Uno called; Chris blinked as he realized she was talking directly to him. "Please don't lose touch with that young boy I first met. He may have been immature but at least he knew right from wrong. Never bother on what others may think of you; so long as you know you can outmatch them you should be alright."

"Uno," Chris breathed out; he felt the sting of fresh tears burn in his eyes.

"Please… all of you… do with my house as you wish." She lowered her gaze. "Some of you have already seen what its capabilities are of and I hope you find good use for the remaining parts."

"Uno?" Mandy frowned. "What are you saying?"

"I leave you, Chris—not your father who's ideas are only copied by one of my guardians, Quatre Raberba Winner, the entire fortress of Winner Corporation, the stability and operations of the Preventors Program, the Governmental Program and its durability of the Earth Sphere Unified Nations, and the seat of Prime Minister, which also ties in with the leader of all nations and colonies." Chris gawked at the statement she had just delivered and stared wide-eyed at her. "I'm certain the rest of you will back him up and aid him along the way with your support. Take whichever positions you desire, but remember the will has left it all in his name—unless he has changed once more and tyranny has become his goal. If that is the case, I leave it in the second known person, Justin."

"Uno," Chris gasped, "what… how…?"

"Quatre Raberba Winner raised me to understand the values of human nature and should he die, his corporation belongs to me; with the corporation comes several colony clusters and satellites and half the population known to mankind. Une has left the Preventors Program in my name, knowing full and well that I would be prepared to defend my people should the time come. Sally Po and Wufei Chang felt it best that if they were to disappear, the Governmental Program and its durability of the Earth Sphere Unified Nations were to be set into my hands, with my vast knowledge to obtain it. And rightfully speaking, Relena Peacecraft, also know as Prime Minister Relena Dorlian, had left her entire estate, her vast fortune, and her duties to me incase she were to disappear as well. With her duties comes ruling the people of the human race—that is all of mankind—and controlling the other half of the population that Winner Corporation does not own."

"Oh my God," Mandy muttered out. "You're… famous."

Uno ignored the remark and carried on. "I leave you all those possession and I bid you the ability to know what to do and how to bring the nations back up to stability. You will be looked upon as the leader of the world, in which you must declare no wars in the future so long as you exist and your teachings exist."

Chris and Justin nodded. "Without anything holding me back… I ask you all to leave this location so I can finally put an end to these wars."

Justin was about to protest but Uno silenced him. "Please… just go. Enjoy the mansion—the computer can help you with whatever ideas you have in mind for it's a human brain logged into a computer system."

Mandy nodded and began backing away. "Goodbye Uno," she whispered. "You were like a sister to me."

Uno closed her eyes and hung her head as a smirk formed on her lips. "You're no longer in need to deal with your sister, Mandy."

Mandy nodded and Vincent backed away as well. "Take care, Uno," he saluted. Uno simply nodded at him. "I'll make sure Chris sets out on the right foot to take control of the situation."

"You do that," she murmured back. Chris backed away afterwards.

"Thank you, Uno. Thank you and goodbye."

"Stay sane, Chris," Uno told him. "Don't let the stress get to you and remember who you are."

Chris nodded and his vid window, along with the others, closed out. Now all that was left was Justin. Uno closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I really did like you," she murmured.

"Uno," Justin breathed out. "Please don't do this."

"I'd tell you I love you but I don't think I can ever feel love again," she raised her head and he begun to cry at the sight of her swollen face, still filled to the brim with more tears. "Each person I ever loved had died in some fashion and I can't lose you either. You are too human and yet… still so perfect."

"Uno…"

"Goodbye Justin," she whispered.

Justin swallowed back his breath and choked out on his final words to her. "I love you too, Uno."

She closed her eyes as a few tears cascaded down her cheek. The vid window closed and she begun feeling her heart breaking away from the little life it had left within it. Zeus flew away from her and all that was left was the headquarters building, the alarm still blaring for what was probably an hour by now, and people scurrying around to get away from the massive gundam. She raised her head and took a deep breath.

"Here we go Angel," Uno choked out on her sobs. "Shinigami is waiting to be reunited with his Goddess at long last."

From off in the distance, the four other gundams watched as Angel wrapped its arms around headquarters, a beam of light surrounded both figures, then finally with a rumble, the largest explosion of mankind erupted into billowing clouds of orange, fiery smoke.

I practically was crying at the end... but... I wonder... did anybody notice the meanings exchanged between Uno and Justin at the very end? And yes... it is a shock that if Uno stayed alive... she'd be the Queen of ALL mankind!

Stay tuned for the Epilogue.