Chapter 06: The Monsters within and above the sea.
I hope everyone enjoys Chapter 6.
All of the Gundams launched from their respective ships, set and ready for the battle ahead. Kevin Walker already began to decipher who would do what. "Dante, Neo, Garret." Kevin began as he moved his machine into position. "Defend the ships. Yzak, Dearka, Maria." Kevin said turning to the Mass produced Tarus units heading their way. "Take on those bogies." Kevin said as he then turned to Nicola, Chris, Aelan, Kira, Ken, Shinn, and Athrun floating their right behind him.
Chris keyed his radio to Luna, and Raymond "Luna Ray, becareful underwater, we have no Idea what the mobile suits down there are capable of. Also, Luna, Ray, look after Nicola down there." He said as Nicola's jet machine plummeted into the ocean, but changed into mobile suit mode before hitting the water.
"Come on guys, we have to stop these machines as the ships flee." Aelan said as she looked at her scanners noticing a ship coming their way. "Hey what is that?" Aelan called as she looked at the red ship.
"No Idea, its not in any of the databases." Meer called relaying the info to Aelan.
"That was the ship that escaped from the Orbit battle!" Athrun said as he looked at it as he knew it be the ship that sent out the mobile suits in the sky.
"I thought so." Chris called as he flew towards the incoming ariel enemies. "Take This!" Chris called as his four Nexo's cannons charged and fired disabling several of the enemy machines. But rather than being taken out of the fight the machines continued to advance.
"Is it just me or are they continuing the attack?" Aelan wondered as she reverted into the Dragon mode and grabbed a Machine with its claws and then melted it into oblivion with the flames of its maw.
Kevin drew his beam sabres and went in sliceing one of the machines into tiny pieces. "Man there are a lot of them. And where is that gundam?" Kevin wondered as Aelan and Chris were trying to find out.
Shinn had both of his anti ship swords out and sliceing another mobile suit into four pieces as it exploded infront of him. "How many of these things are there, Arthur, do some more scans there has to be more than one ship out here, theres to many machines for just one ship." Shinn called as Athrun just thought of it as well.
Just then in the depths of the ocean, Luna, Ray, and Nicola. Nicola behind them do to her machines lack of underwater combat. Many red mobile armor type Machines were zooming at them. The Machines looked to be submarines with two spike like forelegs on the Machine. Many of them had one part of a white color each sixteen point nine meters in length, and rushing towards the three underwater machines. And behind them in the shadows was a extremely large machine. This machines overall length put the Destroy Gundam's height to shame. As the Destroy was a whopping fifty six point three meters, this machine is well beyond sixty five meters long. "Its that one again." Luna said as Raymond went on her wing.
"Nicola, you take out the drones, Luna, you and I will take out the ring master." Ray called as he told the veteran and a commanders daughter what to do.
"Roger that." Nicola called as she went towards one of the red underwater machines. Just then they moved their cone like arms below their body and aiming at the underwater machines. "What the hell!" Nicola called as the machines began to open fire with Missile salvos. Nicola was hit three times but wasn't dealt any damage do to the Phase Shift Armor.
"Nicola!" Raymond called as he fired his Recal beam cannons as the energy attacks went through the water do to the advance technology the machines had, allowing beams to be fired underwater. The two blasts went right on through the red submarine. Luna was pulling some fancy flying as you could say underwater eliminating six machines in a line of a beam.
"Nicola are you ok?" Luna asked as her machine transformed into mobile suit mode and punched one of the Red Machines in its optical sensors as it collapsed on itself.
"I'm alright a little shaken though." Nicola told her as she fired her Vulcans at one machine that got to close. Then it collapsed on itself from the puncture.
Inside the large mobile suit the pilot snickered at himself. "Pathetic fools, they think those three can take me on," The man said with a snicker as he began to have his machine head up. "I rather face to two people who have killed me once before!" He said as the dark blue Machine began to surface.
"Surface team beware, enemy machine heading up!" Ray called.
As on the Surface, the red and orange machine that Kevin had determine the pilot to be his old friend and Jason Hibiki's former fiancee. He got the radio call as he looked down to see the shadow begin to darken. Then two extremely long tentacles sprouted from the water as they wrapped around the Sturmfalke Custom's legs. "What the hell!" Kevin called as the tentacles began to try to drag the machine down to the water.
"Kevin!" Aelan called as she began to go for her husband as did the Reaper Gundam.
"Were coming dad!" Ken called as two beam blasts came from below them as they began to detect another mobile suit in the area. "The hell!" Ken call mimicing his fathers saying. "Shit!" Ken called as he saw a serpent like body flowing through the water.
Aelan then saw what the shape was as she saw the mobile suit head come out of the water. "Ah shit, Kevin, its Kraken and Scylla!" Aelan called franticly as the Kraken's machine had its main body emerge taking aim at the Sturmfalke.
"Siren, Hydra I'm Back!" Michael called as he had his beam rifle open fire taking a piece out of the Sturmfalkes shoulder. Kevin then took instinct and drew his beam sabres and sliced himself free from the tentacles. Then he saw another underwater machine emerge wrapping a sixty six meter long tail around the Ragnarok Gundam.
"What in the world!" Aelan called as the giant tail like feature wrapped itself around the machine as though it was a python snake.
"Leave my mother alone!" Ken called as he made a deep gash into the tail of the machine with his scythe. He didn't see however that the other gundam took that reaction even more as it fired its rifles at the gundam. The shot destroyed one of the reflectors of the machine causeing some serious damage to its defence capabilities. "Damn." He said but then the loose part of the machine that looked like a Scylla that held his mother. Used the loose part of its tail to whip the machine away from it as it continued to plummet to the water.
Inside the Machine the Crimson haired pilot was loading the missile tubes of the various ones spaced throughout the tail of the machine to fire. "This is goodbye murderer!" She called as the machine let loose hundreds of missiles heading towards the Sturmfalke. She then raised her beam rifles that were in the machines hands at the Sturmfalke. 'Even with that machines zero system he wont be able to dodge everything.' She told herself as the Missiles got closer and closer to the Sturmfalke that was beeing kept busy by a enemy grunt machine.
"Kevin behind you!" Shinn called but it was to late as the missiles were getting ever closer.
"Oh no you don't!" Yzak called from above on his advanced Guul, combining his heat shotels and threw them into the path of the Missiles. Hundreds of the Missiles were blown away by the flying piece of equipment.
"Damn." She said to herself as she continued to squeeze the Ragnarok. "Oh well I got one prize." She told herself and landed in the water. But was surprised as the Dynasty Gundam came out of nowhere with its antiship sword. Useless as is against the Trans Phase shift armor the Scylla gundam had. But it sure did shake the pilot pretty bad. But then moved away as the Onyx Gundam came out of nowhere blowing the tail right off of the machine letting the Ragnarok free.
"Thanks Rey." Aelan said as she made her machine re surface.
"Damn, Scylla return to the Leviathan." Michael ordered as she nodded and had some of the red Machines help her as her main propulsion systems were in the tail.
Chris was having a good battle against the Harpy Gundam though. The Harpy was using its its wrist mounted beam sabres in a ariel sword fight with the Silver Wing. As both machines were equipped with nuclear engines, the only way to determine a victor was a better mobile suit sword fighter. The two machines danced in the sky as explosions were all around them as Dearka's Buster X Gundam kept up its assault on the Taurus units using all of his arsenal. "Damn, how many of these things are there?" Dearka asked as Athrun blew up one of the grunts that was coming up behind him.
Meyrin then called over the radio from the Minerva. "Guys that ship is launching more machines. Six of them, looking through known database." She said looking through the data. "Two of them are confirmed to be the Ragnarok lookalike, and Flay's Phoenix machine." Meyrin called, still not knowing who Flay was.
"Chris, leave Harpy, we got my sisters murderer to deal with." Aelan called as she flew by the Silver Wing.
Kevin heard her as he continued to fight with the one he thought was his 'brother', but now known as his clone. "Man I hate clones." He told himself as he combined his buster rifles at the squid like Machine and opened fire on it. He then sensed Kira take off towards the Phoenix gundam to try to talk to Flay. "Damn You!" Kevin called as he fired his Azure beam cannon at the water but was then stopped. The Beam deflected towards a nearby Island obliderating all the plant life on the Island. Infront of Kraken was a light brown machine that looked like the Red Queen gundam so many years ago. It raised its two three barreled beam rifles at the Sturmfalke.
"Nice Try Hydra!" the familiar voice called from the machine as Kevin instantly knew it.
"Alec!" He called as the pilot smiled inside his machine.
"You got that right, now time for you meet my Death Stare Attack!" He called as two Dragoon pods detached themselves from the beam rifles. Kevin had to dodge eight beam attacks at once, and four of them came from other places, as two normal beam attacks and three Hyper Impulse attacks came from the machine.
"Damn." He said as the Dark Green machine that attacked Chris and Nicola back at Orb came from behind and added its own Dragoon pods into the mix. Kevin dodged franticly as he felt the mind of a woman he once knew touch his.
(Its been a while Kevin.) The voice called as Kevin couldn't belive his ears or mind which ever he was hearing the voice.
"Aelan." He said in a grim voice on his pannel. "We may have a problem here." He said.
As a few Kilometers away, Aelan and Chris were both battleing the Dark blue, white, and gold version of Ragnarok in a frantic air battle as it was having help from, six Dragoon pods from the Phoenix Gundam. "hahahaha Nice to see you again Nexus." Carter mocked as the two winged machines had their sabres clash. Inside the Silver Wing Chris was having his anger grow incredibly. His hair and his hands had already changed from human to his zoanthrope form. "Its time for me to kill all who you care for, just like I did so long ago." He mocked.
"Shut up!" Chris called as the blue seed behind his eyes shattered, as his dormant berserker state came from its hidden depths. His beam sabre connected to the double bladed sabre as he used his free hand to punched the machine with a lot of force. Not far from them, Kira and Flay's machines have clashed their beam sabres together.
"Kira, you let me die you filthy coordinator!" Flay called as he machine dodged a sabre attack and fired its beam gatling gun from its chest. Kira activated his shield generator which blocked the attacks.
"Flay, I tried believe me!" Kira called franticly as Flay brought out what looked to be a cannon being carried in the same fashion the buster carried its weapons. The Phoenix Gundam then combined the two cannons in the same fashion and aimed it at Kira.
"Shut up, and Die!" she yelled as she fired the cannon as a huge beam of azure that was the colors of red and green. The beam went close to Kira who dodged it in time as the beam went into the ocean. A large hole was now in the ocean as the water evaporated instantly leaving the large crater of water.
Kira looked in shock to see such power coming from Flay's Machine. Everyone stopped to see the carnage of such a weapon had dealt. "A machine with that much power." Kevin said as he was dodging the attacks from the two machines he never faced before. Each using moves similar to each other from their attacks.
Chris continued his attacks on Carters Gundam with sabre strikes where neither could get a hit. 'Damn, this guys attacks are way better then before' Chris thought as he dodged an attack from the machines chest beam cannon. "Take this!" Chris yelled as he fired all four of his nexo's cannons at the machine. But it was the protected from Flay's Dragoon pods which were made into an energy shield. "What?" was all Chris could say as the mobile suit changed into its Dragon Mode and attached itself to Chris' via its claws. The head of the machine aimed its giant maw at the chest and aimed down on the Silverwing.
"Oh no you don't!" Aelan called as her own machine in Dragon mode tackled the machine that held Chris, as the battle between Dragons began. The two machines bit and snapped at each other while using beam weapons to try ta slice the machines to pieces. The two machines roared as though they were Dragons, but then the Dynasty emerged from the water in jet mode.
"Nicola to Guardian, send out the Jeckla pack, I feel like testing a new function." Nicola said as inside the Guardian Cagalli nodded.
"Ok sending the pack now" Cagalli called as the Launcher flew out of the back of the ship. Nicola changed her machine into bot mode and put the sword in its right hand. The launcher then attacked itself to the left arm and a beam gatling gun went on the right shoulder.
Nicola then re activated her phase shift which had to go down to get the new pack. She aimed her hyper impulse cannon at the Dragon battle. "Aelan move." She radioed as Aelan knew what was going on from Nicola's voice. "Leave my family alone!" Nicola called as she fired her cannon and her Gatling gun at Carters Gundam. The hyper impulse blast fired from the cannon and scored a lucky hit melting away the neck and the right arm of the Dragon and heavily damageing the wing.
"What?" Carter wondered in complete surprise. "Damn, another one of those. Another Strike and Impulse lookalike." He sneered as he managed to change his machine into Dragon mode. "Take this bitch." He sneered as he fired his chest cannon and the two beam cannons that were still left on the wing. The three beams raced for Nicola as Chris had a flash back for when Nicola Stratos died. He moved as fast as he could but was to late. The beams hit their mark haveing a large amount of smoke surround the area.
"NO NICOLA!" Chris called as he witnessed his daughter die infront of him.
"Dad, you don't have to yell." Came his daughters voice over the radio. "I'm alright." She said as he saw what saved his daughters life. When the smoke cleared She was floating there as five Dragoon pods floated infront of her emitting a web of energy creating an energy shield.
"Hey don't worry about your daughter Chris, just take out that murderer once and for all." Mwu called as his Dragoon pods rushed back to their master.
Chris' mobile suit turned to Carter as its silver eyes glowed with the power into them. "Oh man." He said as he then dodged easily from an attack of a azure beam. Then the alarm went off inside his cockpit as he began to detect a large force of mobile suits headin their way. The large group consisted of ZAFTs old ZAKU units each on a Guul and with their warrior wizard packs. Below them were ZAFTs ASH units heading their way all ready for combat. "Damn, to many, Destroyers retreat, we will live to fight another day." Carter called as Flay looked at the Strike Freedom.
"Kira, I'm sorry but we will have to finish this spat another day." Flay told her and him as her machine transformed into bird mode and went back towards the ship. The other three machines did the same, as the dark green one turned to look at its opponents then retreated.
"Well now, that was interesting." Ken said as he wondered what was going on as he looked at the ocean to see several destroyed pieces of the drone machines floating in the water.
"Attention ORB survivors this is ZAFTs 4th Platoon coming to escort you the rest of the way to Carpentaria base where you obviously need some good rest." Came a ZAFT pilots voice as Athrun went on the radio.
"This is Chairman Athrun Zala, I thank you for the timing." Athrun told them as Kevin nodded and went back towards the Silverwind II so he can dock for repairs on his machine. Everyone else returned to their respective ships, Luna had to be raised however but Ray did not do to his backpacks abilitie giving him the ability to fly.
Onboard the Silverwind. The four machines powered down as Alexis walked up to Garret and gave him a hug as she didn't go into battle. She was ordered to sit out and stay on the bridge knowing how to use the weapons and all. "Chris, Meer would like to see you in her office." Alexis told him as he nodded and went obeying his captains orders.
Garret looked at the Solomon as he kept his wife in his embrace as Kevin and Aelan went off into the Silverwinds Corridors. "Hey Alexis, what do you say we contact Dante, to see how he is doing?" Garret asked her as she nodded.
In the Corridors, Aelan and Kevin walked down the hall learning of more of their dead friends are actually piloting the new enemy machines. "I can't believe it, Alec King is piloting one of those machines along with Michael and Erica." Aelan said as Kevin nodded.
"Yeah I can't believe it either, but it was in a way to be expected, especially with Racola so many years ago." Kevin told her. "I'm partially not surprised they got the DNA of them, a lot of blood was shed when everyone got their argumentations" He said walking beside his wife.
"Yeah, and now, I think that they went through the same things I have." She told him as he looked at her.
"The Nexus Project?" He asked her as she nodded.
"Yeah, the same thing I went through my entire life, and now, they are after us." she thought on how she felt having to fight the people she promised to avenge by taking her husbands life when the time would come. "I just can't beleive it, I have to actually do what I was made for." She said almost with tears in her violet eyes.
"I feel the same way, its going to be hard for me to kill them a second time." Kevin told her with sadness in his voice. "Should we tell Luna about Erica?" He asked her as she nodded.
"Yeah, we may be ready to fight and kill our friends, but she has to fight her sister, someone of her own Kin." She told him walking along beside him.
"But there is one thing, we can't tell the children, if they knew it was our friends that destroyed ORB, it be chaos." Kevin told her in a serious tone. "And now for some reason, it will be like Kira and Athrun all over again, this time they do want to Kill us, well Flay, Carter, and Mike are definites in that category." Kevin said nodding thinking of his so called brothers in a way.
Later in Meer's office, Chris entered and then saluted to his captain. "Commander Nexus reporting as ordered m'lady." He said giving the salute.
"You know Chris, you don't have to give any formalaties to me." She told him with a wink as she sported pretty much the same commanders Uniform Lacus usually wears, but rather than pink it was red. "So what happened out there? I don't know why but I could feel something." She said as Chris nodded.
"Yeah, when that bastard Carter fired at Nicola, it brought back some bad memories, and almost brought out the beast that is sealed within." He told her as she looked a bit scared. "I know you had a bad experience with it and yet you stayed with me and that is a thank you I wont let go." He told her siting on a chair as she leaned on the desk.
The room was in silence then as Meer kept her eyes closed. "I don't like having our daughter out there." She said in a nearly quiet tone as Chris could hear it. He looked as though he was going to tell her that she is right.
But he did "Your right, the children shouldn't be out there, but there are no other pilots that can fly those things, let alone keep up with those other machines. They just have to becareful, and that we can complete the T Gundam." He told her as she nodded in agreement.
"Yes that machine and the other ones of its class, should help us out big time in all major ways. But I don't like it that they are going to be the pilots! Even with most of their parents out their protecting them, the battles are to dangerous!" She pleaded as he nodded.
"Well, Meer its truly actually their decision not mine, I can't tell them how to act, but all I can do is protect them. I wont let my hatred for Carter get in the way next time. And besides, most likely all the ships will be seperating after we get to Carpentaria, news has come in that those new enemies have already captured most of the Coastal bases, in fact the one were heading to is the only one that hasn't been taken yet." Chris told her. "We should at least get the families together before we go our seperate ways." He said walking over to a kettle of coffee that Andrew Waltfeld gave to them who was actually the new commander of the base they were heading to, and most likely sent out that squad for escort.
"I just hope we can put an end to the war before we lose what is precious to our hearts." She told him as he nodded in agreement at one hundred percent.
Nicola sat in her room holding a pillow to her chest thinking of the Mistake she made leaving herself open like that. "Damn, I was a fool, if it wasn't for Mr. La Flaga, I would of been killed out there." She said to herself as Maria looked over from her bed.
"Hey, Nic don't worry about it, you know your father wouldn't let you bite the dust like that, nor anyone else would." She said as her long blue hair waved past her face. "Besides if you did, your father wouldn't stop fighting until he either joined you, or killed your murderer." She said as Nicola smiled.
"Yeah your right, and besides as I am still alive, I still have a chance to stop the destroyers of our home. Fullfill what dad and Aelan were made to do, to defeat and destroy the destroyers." She announced as Maria nodded in agreement.
"You know Nicola, I wont be letting you do that alone, trust me on that." Maria said with a thumbs up. "Besides were best friends, and from the stories dad, Kira, and Kevin told us, I don't want to go down their path." Maria told her as Nicola nodded.
"Right, and, thanks for the pep talk, I am going to go work on Dynasty, as Andy said, there are no breaks in war." She said standing up and leaving her room.
"Hey Nicola wait up!" Maria called franticly as she raced after her.
Onboard the Archangel, Kira was thinking of Flay, a girl he once cared for was now his enemy. He feels even worst than what he did when he had to fight Athrun. Lacus was siting beside him knowing the delima her husband was in. There was one thing that she learned from Chris before, a little thing from the saying, "Putting yourself in someones shoe" and at that moment, she was putting herself in Kira's shoes, and him in Flays, which just made her reel horrible.
"I can't beleive that is actually her in that machine." Kira said silently but loud enough for Lacus to hear. "Flay, the girl I hurt, is now back wanting my head on a platter." He said as Lacus put her arms around him as he put his hands around her waist.
"Kira, I'm sorry for what is happening to you." She told him.
"Listen pink princess, you have nothing to be sorry for." Neo said coming out of nowhere as he walked up to them. "Hey Kira, don't fret to much, we are all a little edgy about Flay, remember I knew her, along with Yzak, Aelan, Kevin, Murrue, and the rest of our orignal crew of the four ships alliance." He told him. "And besides, from what I have heard from Kevin, Jason's fiance is out there as well." Kira looked up in surprise about that.
"You know the mobile suit that has the wrist sabre and guns?" Neo asked as Kira nodded. "Well that would be the woman Jason was to wed, and Well, I wish he was actually here to help us, we could use his defence tatics." Neo thought as Lacus nodded.
"Yes, Mr Hibiki would be very good with us, especially as all four of our most powerful Warships are together soon to be split." Lacus said in weary. She had become friends with Jason, even though he was assigned to her as a bodyguard by her father. She heard that Jason convinced Kevin to live which allowed Kevin to try all that he could to get out of there in time. "But anyways, now is the time we fight." She said as Kira looked at her. "I actually understand more of what people who fight in war fight for, its not mainly for the medals or their orders or even for the love of battle." She said with tears. "People fight to protect the ones they love, not themselves, but for their hearts, and when their heart dies, they have no more emotions, so they fight, fight until they are slain, just like an ordinary warrior." Lacus told them.
"Now that is what I would never hear from you sis." Kevin said from the shadows as he and Aelan both appeared out of nowhere.
"Listen Lacus, never give up on your site of Piece, and I repeat never." Aelan told her. "We fight to bring piece and to protect, and with a common enemy everyone feels the same way, and I'm sorry Kira they will try non stop to kill the Destroyers." She told him. "And trust me on this Kira, we feel the same way you do about Flay." Aelan told him.
"Yeah, remember we all knew her, and as far as Aelan and I know we are fighting as well, each of them friends, that we lost once before." Kevin told him leaning on the wall opposite of Kira. "And we already came up with a decision to destroy them if need be." he voiced to them.
On the bridge of each ship the pilots were gathered onboard as they looked at the ZAFT base they were heading to. Many Earth Forces ships were on the surface and many ZAFT subs were waiting for an attack. On the Silverwind, Chirs and Kevin were looking off into the ocean as Alean was with Meer after the small transfer. "I see they are using both forces with good work on defence, but no matter, Destroyers have ways of moving through these people." Kevin said as communication monitors were full of friends. One from each of the ships and two from the Earth Forces ships who were Invictus and Meryl.
"But that is why its a good thing we have you and Aelan, even though we don't like using our friends like this, but you two are our best bet to find out how these destroyers work." Murrue told them as Cagalli nodded.
"I hate to admit it, but Murrue is right, you two are the best we got, and Chris as well, he and Aelan were designed to fight the Destroyers after all." Cagalli told them as everyone nodded.
"So, as of right now, Chirs? Aelan? Kevin? any Ideas on what their next moves will be? And any Idea on which ones are clones of the original set?" Cagalli asked as Kevin took some time to think.
"Well lets see, I have looked at each of the machines that were face." Kevin said walking over to a terminal to take a look at the Machines, as all thirteen came up. "I will now signal out the ones we know already." He told them as he brought Carters machine, Flay's Machine, The squid like machine, and the other sea surpent, along with the flying gundam they fought many times already. "These five have been confirmed as ones we do know to be piloting them. First off, this machine that is much like Aelans Ragnarok, is being piloted by my clone Jack Carter." He said bringing up the winged Gundam of Flays. "This one belongs to Flay Allster, as far as we can tell, that this machine resembles the creature that her code name is of the bird of fire the Phoenix." He said looking at the machine change from bird mode to robot mode.
"Next is a machine that was in that last battle, this one is being piloted by Michael Carnehan, Kevin's long time brother as he once thought of, and assassin of Lacus back way back when." Aelan said remembering accidently thinking Lacus was Meer. "Other then that, the next one the longest of the machines yet, we have determined its pilot. And Meyrin, Luna, Shinn, Dearka, Olania, and Gordon. We should let you all know this, the pilot of this machine is Erica Hawke." She said as Luna and Meyrin were in shock of what was just said. Their sister is piloting one of the enemy machines.
"And the last one, is of Jason's old engagement, the woman he died to rejoin. Tanya Coleson aka Harpy, if these are the only ones, if there are more, we are in some serious trouble, especially as the original Nicola died so long ago we only have three of the originals, and they are a large number." Kevin told them. "Now of these grunt machines, Athrun care to explain what you saw in their ship?" Kevin asked.
"Yes of Course, inside the ship not a single person was aboard and the machines were being created automaticly, it is safe to say that there is a high chances that they are not being piloted by anyone." Athrun said as everyone looked shock, they were facing Destroyers and machines that are in a way living beings themselves.