Lost In Time

Part VII

December 26, AC196

"What do you mean, you couldn't find them anywhere?" Lady Une, the woman in charge of the Preventer's Unit, shouted to one of her subordinates, "They're two goddamn Gundams, they can't just have disappeared into thin air!"

"I agree, ma'am – but we really can't find them! Not on any colony, not on Earth. The only traces of Gundanium we're picking up are those of Gundams 02, 03 and 04. The last time we were able to trace 01 and 05, was approximately one or two days ago. Since then… they just seem to have vanished from our scanners."

"And you don't think it's a little odd something like this has never happened before?"

"No, ma'am! I mean – yes, ma'am!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, ma'am – it just happened again, a couple of hours ago."

"What?"

"An entire unit of Serpents just vanished from our scanners, messages on the Barton Foundation's frequency confirm it."

Une sighed. "Very well. I'll alert the President and Miss Peacecraft. Meanwhile, you go and search those three remaining Gundam pilots. They might be of some assistance when the time comes."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Present Day

That guy's as scary as the other one, Jack thought as he was introduced to Chang Wu Fei – or Wu Fei Chang, whatever. Does that come standard with being a pilot to one of those things?

However, Jack's thoughts were interrupted by yet another arrival – that of the Yellow Squadron pilots… What are they doing here? Shouldn't they be trying to kill us, or something like that? I don't like it, I really don't… There's something about this whole event, and I don't like it.

"Mr. Yuy, if you'd care to explain what the hell is going on here, I'd like to hear it," the General said. Jack couldn't agree more with him. "First, you run away from us – granted, you defended us from a horrible death – but now, you just stand here with the same people you were just fighting against minutes ago. I ask you again, what the hell is going on here?"

"We agreed to a truce," Wu Fei answered instead, "But only until we're back in… the future."

"That's all very nice and well, Mr. Chang," General Hammond replied, "But what about those… Serpents?"

"They're too afraid to do anything. They maybe thought they could defeat one Gundam, but with two they're not so sure," Heero said, giving Mariemeia's soldiers an defying look.

"We ain't no chickens!" the Yellow Squadron Commander yelled, "And for one, Altron's on our side if you hadn't noticed yet!"

"Oh, shut up, you stupid pig," Altron's pilot said, referring to the Serpents' leader, "Don't you know what a truce is? It's when both sides agree to seize fire. So, if you would've attacked Yuy here, which by the way would've been pretty useless, I might've felt the need to strike back. Got that?"

"Y-Yes, sir…"

"And by the way," he continued, "What the hell made you think that you could take on a Gundam – and especially this Gundam in particular – with just one squadron? If you had any brains at all, you might've realized that you'd be dead if me and Yuy here hadn't agreed to a truce."

"But, sir-"

"Do I need to repeat myself, Commander? Have you forgotten what Yuy, plus his friends of course, did to OZ last year? To the White Fang?"

"No, sir!" the Commander replied.

"Then shut your mouth and do as I say!"

"Yes, sir!"

At Chang's antics, Zero One's pilot actually had to smile a little – in the time he had joined the Barton Foundation, 05 had become a real drill sergeant.

"Oh, cut the crap, Yuy," Wu Fei said, looking at Heero's face, "I might have created this shit in the first place, but I'm still a man of honor – and I got the feeling that I owed you one. So, enjoy the moment, 'cause it's not going to happen again."

There seemed to be a lot of raised eyebrows that day, but Jack couldn't help it and add one to it. He hadn't understood a single word that had been said, except for the conversation in general – the Yellow Squadron Commander was put in his place by that Chang-fellow, who acted as if he were his superior – while the Commander was at least thirty years of age, but Chang couldn't be any older than sixteen or seventeen, tops. So, what created this kind of fucked up hierarchy? Did it have anything to do with those Mobile Suits… it probably did, judging at the phrases expressed by Wu Fei at the previous 'conversation'.

"So, campers – what's next on our agenda?" he inquired, not feeling up to spending the rest of the day in the woods.

"I'd say, let's head back to the SGC," General Hammond stated, "I don't feel like staying much longer in this forest than necessary."

"Yes, sir!"

Forty-five minutes later, the two Humvees were approaching Cheyenne Mountain at a high speed. The ride back to base had been a little uncomfortable, mainly due to the fact that no less than twenty-seven people were spread over the two vehicles – General Hammond, SG-1, Heero, Wu Fei, sixteen Serpent pilots and four Airmen (the remaining eight had stayed behind to guard the eighteen Mobile Suits – after Hammond had agreed that he'd send reinforcements as soon as he reached the SGC).

Heero resisted the urge to slap an Airman in his face, as he felt one really heavy military boot on his right foot. Wu Fei, on the other hand, could not resist the urge – the Serpent soldier responsible would probably be dead before he ever got the chance to get back to After Colony 196.

Jack couldn't get out any faster. Oh no, this had been a ride from hell. Not only had he been crushed by two of those damn Serpent soldiers, that damn Wu… Wu… - whatever his name was, had been yelling at the top of his lungs the whole time. I wonder what's wrong with that damn kid… like he's got some sort of superiority-complex. If there is such a thing…

Another fifteen minutes later, the sixteen soldiers had been appointed to their 'quarters', and Heero and Wu Fei – along with SG-1 and General Hammond – had settled in the briefing room.

"So, what is it that you don't want us to see?" Wu Fei was the first to speak.

"What do you mean?" came General Hammond's innocent reply.

"Oh, cut the crap," Altron's pilot said, "Something's behind that 'wall of iron' and you don't want us to see what. Which of course, adds up to the many questions that I – and Yuy probably too – already have."

"What's behind that wall of iron," Jack interrupted, "Is none of your goddamn business! You came to us for help, and it's not like-"

"I did not come to you for help!" Chang returned, "That was Yuy's stupid decision."

"I am not stupid, Chang," the pilot in question replied icily.

"Yes, you are!" Wu Fei replied, "Leave it to the great Zero One to get us into this deep pile of shit!"

"Need I remind who pushed the button in the first place?"

"No, you don't! And if you could've just waited one more minute-"

"One more minute?"

"Or one more day, whatever, we could've figured our way home on our own!"

"Please, gentlemen-" General Hammond tried to calm the two pilots – Wu Fei in particular – down.

"Oh, no! Don't you even dare to 'gentlemen' us-"

"Chang?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

Alright, Jack thought, I am so definitely missing this chain-of-command structure here. First, that Chang guy to that guy who was way older than him, now Yuy commanding Chang? I'm lost here.

"What?" Wu Fei repeated, "What did you just say?"

"I said shut up," 'Zero One' said expressionless, "You have no right to insult these people. For the moment, they're the only allies we've got, and if you hadn't noticed yet – we're completely alone here. They don't need to help us, they might as well lock us up in some godforsaken lab and examine every single piece of our skin until the end of time. I think we're lucky I encountered them first. When I first got here, I saw nothing. I tried to contact MO-2, I tried to contact the Lunar Base – hell, I even tried to contact you."

"I'm honored," Chang muttered.

"And then they replied," Heero continued, "Granted, after they'd tried to nuke me, but-"

"What?" Wu Fei interrupted, "They tried to nuke you?"

There was a short silence – and Zero Five started laughing hysterically for a moment, and there was completely silence again.

"No way, they're actually more stupid-"

"Chang," Heero gave the other pilot his famous death glare, "Don't."

The people of the SGC currently present in the briefing room, were stunned at hearing Heero's tirade and Wu Fei's odd reply – but no one could've been more stunned than the two Gundam pilots as everyone suddenly heard a weird sound… and Colonel O'Neill dissolved in a brilliant flash of white light.