Ayashi no Yuugi Chapter 10: Nautilus Strike Part II, a gundam wing/ac fanfic

Ayashi no Yuugi

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 10: Nautilus Strike Part II

Previously, on Ayashi no Yuugi…

April 23 AC 198; 10:34 AM

CSA L4 Orbital Base, Futune, Central Command Center

"Twenty hundred Nautilus uniforms have been reported in hotels in a two block radius of the Emperor Hotel!"

"Two hundred unidentified MS and MD lining up along the path of L4 shuttle 5983 to colony L2. Possible target, Vice Foreign Minister, Relena Dorlian Peacecraft, Princess of the Sanq Kingdom!"

11:01 AM

CSA Sanq Kingdom Headquarters, Central Command Center

A woman… dressed in a navy blue Lieutenant's uniform … frowned as reports from various contacts and agents began coming in.

"Data from Ensign Calculus is coming in!"

"Blue Strike is bringing prisoner 28XD7! Requesting permission to interrogate prisoner using the Emerald Office!"

…"Use of the Emerald Office by Blue Strike, approved," she said.

"Blue Strike, request approved!"

"Incoming message from Orbital Base Futune!"

12:00 PM

Colony L6, CSA Spica Academy Auditorium

"We have received reports from CSA bases throughout earth and her colonies, and have reason to believe that the enemy mission codenamed Nautilus Strike will take place at 1200 hours. The presumed target: Miss Relena Dorlian Peacecraft!"

…"It is possible that if the attack by the enemy is successful, there will be another war, many of you will graduate from Spica Academy as fully fledged Cosmos Star Agents, and you will find yourself thrown into the midst of war. …we are doing this for your own good, to prepare you for life in a war torn world…"

April 23 AC 198; 10:05 PM

Colony L4, Emperor Hotel

Gaia stood in the hotel room she shared with Cosmos …her hair in a bun pinned flat against her scalp, her eyes glowing… behind the silvery mask.

…Cosmos whispered. "…Nautilus Strike is scheduled to take place in one hour and fifty-five minutes..."

"Hurry! The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll get back."

"Hai, hai…!"

Gaia … leapt lightly over the rail. She descended six stories before… taking off in a swift yet silent run… and vanished into the embrace of the night.

10:45 PM

Goro Residence, 361 Silver Ave. L4

Gaia… went through the mansion, killing the guards, then targeted the Goro family quarters, killing every person, from the oldest elder to the youngest child.

Her eyes were cold… as she approached the bedroom of her main target.

… "You should have thought of the consequences before you tried anything, but it's too late now. Aku. Soku. Zan. Slay evil immediately. People like you who threaten the peace that so many people died to build are undoubtedly evil."

Pause.

"Sayonara, Goro Fujita."

Gaia slid her kodachi between his ribs and into his heart.

April 24 AC 198; 12:00 AM

Emperor Hotel, Colony L4

Soldiers dressed in the uniforms of the Nautilus… surrounded the Empire Hotel. Seventeen stood before the door of room 123, the room in which Relena Dorlian Peacecraft slept peacefully…

…the door of room 126 flew open. A figure… with a silver mask covering her eyes burst out… a drawn katana in hand.

In less than two minutes, the Nautilus soldiers in the hallway were dead…

They had just finished getting Relena dressed when the glass balcony doors shattered and dozens of Nautilus soldiers swarmed in.

Mission Nautilus Strike had begun.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoX

April 24 AC 198; 12:15 AM

Emperor Hotel, Colony L4

Cosmos had shoved Relena into the closet, and was fighting furiously to protect the Princess of Sanq. Mentally however, she was cursing her partner for taking so long with her assignment, though Cosmos knew that killing every human in a mansion would take time. All she could do now was fight, for her life as well as Relena's.

Suddenly the wall blasted apart and a familiar figure dressed in black wearing a silvery mask entered. Cold amber eyes narrowed behind the mask.

"What is going on here?" Gaia asked in an icy monotone.

All movement in the room ceased.

"You're fifteen minutes late!" Cosmos yelled.

"I can see that," Gaia's voice was harsh.

Pause.

"NOW WILL SOMEBODY TELL ME JUST WHAT THE FRIGGIN HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" she suddenly bellowed, making everyone in the room, except Cosmos, jump in surprise.

She glared at the Nautilus soldiers and with a flick of her wrist, several grenades flew forward, and with a small 'pop' there was a flash of cerulean light, and the only thing left of the Nautilus soldiers in the room were bits and pieces of flesh and bone and melted twisted hunks of metal that were their equipment with a limb or a corpse or two or three lying around in large pools of blood.

Cosmos nearly burst out laughing at the shocked looks of the other Nautilus soldiers as they looked in to see the remains of their companions.

"I kept my promise," Gaia said coolly. "Now it's time for you to keep yours, Cosmos."

Cosmos suddenly grinned maniacally, an expression that rarely appeared on her face outside of the cockpit of her MS. "Yes. Lets."

The two girls leapt into action, and for a long while, there were only the sounds of yells of fear and gunfire. There was the scuffling of booted feet and the harsh cracking sound of necks snapping and the sound of metal cutting into flesh and bone. Nearly three hours later, Gaia and Cosmos returned into Relena's rooms, covered in the blood of the enemy.

"Pack," Gaia snapped. "We're leaving." And she left.

Cosmos stood guard as Relena quickly packed her things. Gaia returned with the two suitcases which belonged to herself and Cosmos just as Relena placed her last suit into her own suitcase. Gaia handed Cosmos her suitcase while Relena snapped her luggage shut and locked it.

"Are you ready?"

Relena nodded.

"Let's go."

The three women left the hotel. Gaia and Cosmos seemed not to notice the dead piled everywhere or the overpowering smell of blood. Relena ended up grasping for every last shard of her self control to keep from retching at the sight of the carnage and the coppery smell of blood. She couldn't help but shudder.

The three women vanished into the night.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoX

4:05 AM

L4 Shuttle 5983 to Colony L2

Relena sat between her bodyguards apprehensively. The events of the previous night proved them to be deadly beyond comprehension, efficient yet horrifyingly brutal.

Gaia studied her charge from behind the screen of her laptop. Despite her dislike for the girl, Gaia couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity. It was obvious that the scene from earlier that day had been too much for the young princess, and she was exhausted. She reached over and touched Relena's shoulder gently.

Relena turned to her, her eyes showing her exhaustion. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?" Gaia asked gruffly.

"Fine."

"Get some rest then," Gaia's voice was bland. "We'll be on the shuttle for the next six hours. After last night, I'm sure you could use the sleep."

Relena nodded and leaned back against the chair and closed her eyes.

Gaia looked up and caught Cosmos's eyes and nodded. Cosmos inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoX

4:10 AM

Colony L2 CSA Orbital Base, Gosroth, Central Command Center

A woman with sandy blonde hair dressed in an Admiral's uniform stood behind the console as the officers under her command worked the computer. Her posture was relaxed, but her blue eyes betrayed her weary tenseness as the reports continued to pour in unceasingly.

One report in particular caught her attention.

"Report from Subject Specimen 07 Cosmos and Subject Specimen 08 Gaia!"

"Well?"

"Phase one of Nautilus Strike has been successfully countered. The Dove is unharmed and on her way to L2. Anticipating Phase two."