"You fell for it! You fell right into my trap!" A dark voice whispered around Cole. He was floating in a large void. "Did you really think I would let myself be so weak? You humans amuse me so much I might let you live for a while longer." Cole's hand twitched, his eyes moving around under his lids. "In the end, no one can defeat me! I am the omega of the human race!" Cole's hands twitched again, his eyes still moving around. He tried to open his mouth, but to no avail. "What? Want to prove me wrong! What is it you want to say to me?" Cole opened his eyelids, revealing blood red eyes.
"Up yours!" Cole suddenly leaned forward, hitting his head against the front screen. He had fallen asleep in the Full Armor Enhanced ZZ's cockpit, as he did many times. The ZZ had been floating around space for quite some time, Cole taking a rest from his antics on the moon. He sat back up in the chair, shifting the ZZ's main systems back online. The mobile suit fired off a few bursts, straightening up its stance. Cole opened up a map of where he was and the nearest colony. "So, Heliopolis... They finally finished the newer colony." After closing the map, he turned the ZZ's thrusters on, blasting towards Heliopolis.
Every once in a while, Cole had to maneuver past bits and pieces of debris. "This is all left over from the destruction of the first Heliopolis. The debris has gotten so spread out now that they had no choice but to bring new materials to make a new colony." He sighed, watching as the colony came into view. "At least now they allow mobile suits to stay inside the hangar, considering the newly-established peace." Cole shut down the thrusters as the ZZ came up to the lane that led to the hangar of the new Heliopolis. He pressed a few switches, turning on random thrusters to align the mobile suit and land it.
As it passed the first bay door, it closed behind it, turning the lights a red color as the systems began pressurizing the entryway. When the systems finished, the light turned green, opening the inner bay door. The ZZ slowly walked to a vacant space and stood, shutting down. Cole pulled a few last switches and opened the cockpit, climbing out. He was wearing a long black trench coat along with black pants and a black shirt. As Cole jumped out, a few maintenance people walked up to it. "It doesn't need maintenance. Just needs a bit of a rest, that it does," Cole said, shooing off crews. He smiled, looking towards the doorway that led to inside the colony. He climbed out onto the catwalk and headed to the door, watching as some crewmembers worked on what looked like a white Epyon mobile suit. Cole simply ignored it and headed to the doorway, entering the bright city of Heliopolis.
As Cole entered, he looked around at the vast colony, seeing very few signs of continued work. "I guess they're just about done. I guess it took a while for them to approve of its construction." He walked to the road and onto the sidewalk, heading for the center of Heliopolis. Cole looked around, watching small families pass by, looking at a few of the houses. How nice it must be... To be able to live in peace like this And while they live here in a state of bliss, I am outside, fighting to keep this peace the way it is. To make sure they can keep on living in this state. Though, is it worth it? True peace... It's more of a fool's Elysium than a practical utopia. He passed by a few suburbs, watching school kids chattering and walking around. But if that is the case, then I'd rather be a fool and keep on fighting.
Cole stopped as he peered into the business district of Heliopolis, seeing a bar near the edge of the district lines. He stepped across the dividing line and headed for the bar. The sign above its black doors read, 'O'Shale's Bar' in bright neon lights. Cole smirked, walking to the door and opening it, entering. The bar looked like any bar you'd find on Earth. It was traditional wood floor with the lower walls made of stone and the rest of regular brick. At the back of the bar was the actually bar itself, the bartender walking away from a man who was hunched over the railings of the counter. Cole sat down on one of the red cloth stools and shook his hand at the bartender. The bartender, a slender man with short blonde hair, walked up, slinging a cloth over his shoulder.
"What can I get ya?" The bartender asked, pulling out a mug.
"Just some water... For now." The bartender chortled a bit, filling the mug with water and putting it in front of Cole. He grabbed the mug, looking over at the hunched over man, who was staring off into his mug, which was almost empty.
"I never understand why people are so dead set on seeing if it's half full or half empty," The man spoke with a somewhat deep British accent. "What's the point if eventually you either drink the rest of it or toss it out?"
"Maybe they need something to argue about." The man looked at Cole, who took a drink of the water. "Then again, maybe it's just to test a person's psyche." The man scooted down a few stools. "So, what is your name?"
"Call me Mat. I'm not much for anything but drinking and sleeping, eh?" He drank the rest of the mug, putting it on the counter in front of him. "And what about you?"
"I'm stuck here. I get sick on planes... Always worrying if the shuttle will malfunction or if someone goes insane and tries to open the door. I'm stuck here," Cole said, taking a drink, watching Mat give him a weird look out of the corner of his eye.
"Yeah, right. That's a piss poor excuse for someone like you. I know that you just got here to Heliopolis." Cole chuckled quietly, taking a large drink of his water.
"Well, the reason's about as fake as your accent, Mat. And so is the fact that you suddenly know where I came from. I'd say you have some sort of camera installed in your Epyon out there." Mat sat up slowly, no longer smiling or anything. "My name is Cole. I'm here because I need to find out something." Mat waited for the bartender to grab his mug before speaking.
"Well well, the great Lunar Lion decides to ask poor, lowly me about the newest rising faction, Psy Ops," Mat replied, holding his hands up in an 'As a matter of fact' position. "I know a lot, but why should I tell you?" Cole put down the mug and turned his head slowly.
"Because, considering you and the bartender are the only ones in here, it'll take only a few seconds to take you down and force the information out of you without hindrance. Also, the fact that there's only the bartender around means there's no one here to save your ass when my gun is pointed at your heart." Mat laughed at Cole's threat, grabbing his now filled mug from the bartender, who was unaffected by Cole's words.
"So, that's why they call you the Lunar Lion." He took a swig and gasped. "Well, I can tell you only a little bit... They're so new that even I haven't been able to get very much info." Cole looked down at his empty mug, pushing it aside. "But I guess you wanna hear it all anyways, eh?" Cole nodded his head, turning to Mat, who took another swig. "Psy Ops is a faction started by a combination of coordinators and naturals who abandoned the ideals of both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. This faction has amassed a great deal of members over the passage of only two weeks. Their leader is a man named Airon Hito, most commonly known as Sazabi Unknown. Two facts are given on this man: One, he pilots the rare Sazabi mobile suit, and two, no one knows who he is, where he came from, or why he's here. Though we do know he's what some would call a newtype." Cole sighed as Mat finished.
"In other words, he basically can bond with the machines and control them. Their MO is the use of Bits and Funnels along with other weapons." Mat smiled, taking another swig.
"But also, he's a coordinator. First Generation. So he has amazing skills and strategies. Even the best pilots would have a hard time outmaneuvering him," Mat took a swig and sighed. "Well, so far. I haven't tried, but I know the outcome. I'd beat him in a heartbeat." Cole smirked, putting some money down on the counter and standing up. "You leaving?"
"Yup. I've heard enough information to last for a while. Now I need to go to Earth and find some information about something else." Mat took one last swig and put his money down as well. Cole walked out of the bar, heading to the hangar, Mat close behind. "I need to ask some people about a mysterious Gundam that appeared about two years ago on the surface of the death planet." Mat stopped walking, a bit shocked.
"The death planet? You mean the large ball of space debris that was caught in Earth's gravitational pull and became a second moon... That death planet!" Cole nodded, still walking. Mat sighed, catching up. "That place is purely uninhabitable. What makes you think that demon is on that thing?"
"Don't you think it's the ideal place for something so evil to house itself?" Cole finished, keeping silent the rest of the way to the hangar, putting Mat in a position to mouth off all he knew on the planet, things Cole already knew, allowing him to block out Mat's blabbering. Eventually, after a long walk, the two made it up to the hangar and to the catwalk.
"So, Cole, you're gonna hunt it down? The devil that has never been defeated?" Cole nodded, provoking Mat to growl a bit and sigh. "Well, shit, I'll keep on sniffing around, see if I learn anything about it or Psy Ops, a'ight?" Cole nodded. Mat turned, holding his hand out. "Make sure and remember my name, okay? We might be able to fight each other some time. See who's stronger." Cole laughed, shaking Mat's hand.
"Oh, we know the outcome," Cole said, smiling. When Mat removed his hand, he turned and headed to the Epyon, leaving Cole to move back to the ZZ. As he moved to the cockpit, he saw a maintenance man standing near the cockpit. "What's wrong? Something off?" The maintenance man smiled, shaking his head.
"I'm just impressed. Well, you see, I own the local junkyard and I know quite a few packages that could easily be fitted onto a Gundam of this caliber. Wanna see?" He held out a clipboard to Cole, who took it and read down a few pages. When he reached the third page, he stopped at the very top and pointed it out to the junkyard guy. He laughed, looking at the choice. "That one's a pretty powerful addition, though few ever try it out. Is this the only one you want?" Cole nodded. The man turned and headed down to the lower levels.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
The Full Armor Enhanced ZZ peered down at the Earth as the Hawaiian Islands passed. Inside, Cole was waiting for Australia to come into view, along with Onogoro. "If anything, they should know about it. Especially considering they were the ones who found all of the lost technology in the first place." He kept watching for his cue, having plenty of time to spare.
After some time of silence, the sensors beeped, picking up eleven mobile suits coming from behind. The ZZ turned, facing ten white Tauruses and a Buster Gundam. The communicator beeped, opening a visual to the Buster's cockpit, showing the face of the pilot Cole met on the moon.
"Well now, Cole... Looks like I found you!" The pilot sneered, getting only a yawn from Cole as a response.
"Oh... You... Nobody but Zns." He sighed, peering at the other suits. All ten Tauruses. With beam cannons and sabers no doubt. He sighed again as Xns growled, annoyed.
"XNS! You damned fool! I'll make you pay for that and what you did to me on the moon!" The Tauruses surrounded the motionless ZZ. "I have orders to destroy you on sight!" The Buster connected its gun launcher and beam rifle, aiming at the ZZ, the Tauruses aiming their beam cannons as well. Cole smiled, peering at the thermals, which revealed no human pilots in the Tauruses.
"So, Psy Ops has access to lost technology, and some good stuff at that..." The Taursues' sensors glowed as the Buster completed the circle surrounding the ZZ. Xns sneered before the visual closed.
"Now you die!" he yelled as all eleven suits fired their cannons at the ZZ. Cole laughed as the ZZ dashed upward, offloading a large wall of missiles onto the Tauruses, destroying a few as the rest dodged and kept firing.
"Good thing they're dolls or else I'd have to hold back!" Cole commented as the ZZ drew a saber and threw it into one of the Tauruses, immediately pulling it out and slashing into a second one down the middle, destroying both. "Six to go!" The ZZ fired the cannon on its arm, shooting down two more. It then spun downward, firing side-winding missiles in every direction, leaving only one Taurus and the Buster undamaged. Xns looked out at the debris, shocked.
"I don't believe it! He took out nine of the dolls in mere seconds!" Xns growled as the Buster fired every weapon it had at the ZZ, the Taurus joining in. the ZZ simply turned, its front completely unblocked.
"Say hello to my little friend!" Cole yelled as the ZZ fired its Torso Cannon, overpowering the other attacks and blasting through the Taurus, taking it and the left arm of the Buster into oblivion.
"Bastard!" Xns screamed as the ZZ came up to the Buster and kicked it in the head, slashing into the suit's arm as well. The Buster grabbed the ZZ's arm, Xns chuckling. The ZZ yanked the Buster's arm from its side, putting the other hand to its head. The hand suddenly glowed red, Xns shaking with fright. "Wha-What the--?"
"God Finger." Cole said calmly as the ZZ crushed the Buster's head and kicked the rest of the suit away. "I have some things to take care of, so if you'll excuse me." The ZZ bowed and backed up towards the Earth, eventually turning after Cole let out his last comment, "Later, Zns."
"IT'S XNS!" he screamed, unable to see where he was drifting. The ZZ kept descending, Onogoro now in plain sight.
"Aube... Home away from home, eh, ZZ?" Cole sighed as the Full Armor began its entrance into the atmosphere, taking very minimal damage from the descent.