When the ground shook, she knew something bad was happening. She drove off on her motorbike to see what the commotion was. When she reached a clearing, she could see in the distance that the ground started to open up. As she balanced the bike between her legs so her hands can grab for her camera, it was in her peripherals that she saw the horror her body had warned her about. She started to take pictures as the ground moved to make way for what lied beneath. It was black shadow for now but what loomed in there raised her hairs on her arms.
The emergence of the red and gold Archangel made Miriallia freeze in shock. She had to remind herself to take pictures. She couldn't believe her eyes on what she was seeing. When the legged ship made its way out and the ground closing up, she wanted to go after it, but the vessel sped up. She braced against the wind it created.
She placed the camera to her side. She needed to see where it was going. Miriallia turned her bike around to go down a clear path. As she got closer, she could hear the missiles being launched. It was already in battle. She couldn't see who it was up against. Miriallia kept following it until it reached the sea. There she stopped on a cliff edge. She took out her camera again, getting as much pictures as she could.
When the Providence ZAKU came out, she took pictures of it too. As she watched it travel at an astonishing speed, that's when she saw their opponent. It was ZAFT. That mobile suit was the Destiny. She took pictures of the battle between the two and pictures of the vessel again. She watched as the Destiny as almost cut in half.
As both parties retreated, Miriallia kept following the legged ship back. She lost track of it as it disappeared into a small canyon. It didn't matter on following it anymore. She needed to get to another clearing. She rode her motorbike far enough to not be detected by the vessel. In the open area, she started to setup a pop-up satellite when she spotted a familiar mobile suit. She put her belongings back in her bag, started up her motorbike, and headed straight to it.
Inside the cockpit, there was an argument going on.
"So, you didn't get the signal of whatever vessel it was?" Jess crossed his arms.
The screen prompted some words. No. But I do have a small signal that is headed our way.
"What!?" Jess moved his arms to watch click a few buttons. An image of a young woman on a motorbike headed for them. She looked slightly familiar.
Doesn't seem dangerous. The screen flashed.
"No, its not lethal 8," Jess was racking his brain of where he has seen her. He noticed her camera slung on her side. He let out a sigh. "I remember now. Miss Miriallia Haw. Freelance photographer. She's only a danger to my profession. Let's see what she wants." He opened the cockpit to see that she had just arrived.
Jess came down from a chain to meet her. Miriallia parked her bike. The two started to walk towards one another.
"Greetings," Jess stopped a short distance from his mobile suit. "Not out here for vacation. My guess is you just came from the mysterious signal 8 and I just received. My bet is you also need a stronger device to report your findings. How about we make a deal?"
Miriallia stood her ground. "So, you already know what I am going to ask."
"Not that hard," Jess shrugged. "I've been in the business far longer than you have. You claim you're a 'freelance photographer' but some of us know you were part of the Archangel and a job like this seems like a step down or maybe just a step to the side." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"What do you want?" Miriallia wanted to get straight to the deal.
"You let me see what you got there," Jess pointed to her camera. "As well as what had happened. I think between the two of us, we could, perhaps, work together. Your motorbike will get you far but its not enough protection. Trust me. But then again, you should already know that by now."
"And if I don't?" Miriallia wasn't afraid of him.
"Well then, I guess you get to go back where ever you were and get to try to send out a message your usual way," Jess beamed.
"You're not going to get credit for my images," Miriallia lifted her chin a bit. She viewed past him to see the camera gun on his mobile suit. "I say 60/40."
Both eyebrows have been raised. He let out a whistle. "Miss, it seems like you came to me for help." He pointed at himself. "Its 40/60."
"I have intel," Miriallia rebutted. "70/30."
"You have intel, you have friends in high places," Jess countered. "But you don't have your own mobile suit. How about an even 50/50?"
"Deal," Miriallia smiled before he could counter again.
Jess was shocked by her answer. He thought the two here going to haggle some more. He waved out an arm. "Welcome aboard then." The two walked over to his mobile suit. When Jess got back in the cockpit, he moved the arm down to allow her to step on it. He slowly moved it up, to allow her to get into the cockpit just fine.
Miriallia looked around to see there were changes. It was unusual to see. The back had been equipped to become living quarters. Jess noticed her curiosity.
"I have friends in high places too," Jess boasted. "Thanks to Lowe and the Junk Guild."
And me. The words on the screen flashed.
"Yes, also designed by this guy, 8," Jess waved his hand to the screen. "This is 8, a support system. 8 has the ability to pilot any mobile suit it comes upon. 8 this is Miriallia Haw."
Nice to meet you. 8 greeted.
"Nice to meet you," Miriallia didn't know how to feel about an AI system. She had the card from her camera in hand. "Here is the card. This contains images of a secret facility as well as a new vessel and ZAKU that had just engaged in battle with the ZAFT ship Minerva."
Jess took the card to place it into one of the slots. Images started to load up.
A red and gold Archangel, how interesting. Nothing in by databases about who this symbol belongs to. 8 pulled up the golden bird symbol.
"According to 8," Jess explained as he moved through the pictures. "He has record of humanity's entire warfare history. If he says, he can't find anything on it, then he can't find anything on it."
"Since it's an Earth Alliance vessel," Miriallia spoke. "I would say Earth Alliance. We are on their territory, but that isn't an Earth Alliance mobile suit." She pointed to the ZAKU.
"No, that's not, but that wouldn't surprise me," Jess stated. "Look at all the knock-offs from the original mobile armors. Even though ZAFT stole the G-weapons, look at their fleet. You see all the G-weapon knock-offs? This is warfare. Nothing is safe. Everything is fair game. Who do you have as possible suspects?"
"Earth Alliance for one," Miriallia stated. "The Kingdom's Princess was on the list but since the blast came from Earth Alliance destroying her vessel, she's been crossed out."
8 perked up. The Princess can touch my code any day!
Jess and Miriallia gave the screen a look of disgust.
8 continued to communicate with them. I know a secret!
"What secret?" Jess beckoned. "I think you're lying."
I am a support system, 8 reminded him. But I have all the information on all of humanity's warfare. I may not know this symbol but I may know why my princess is targeted.
"You're calling her your princess now?" Jess couldn't believe it. "I didn't know you could be such a charmer, 8. Did Lowe configure you this way? Give you the charm of a romancer?"
8 was not happy about Jess' teasing. I will keep that secret to myself!
"What!?" Miriallia wanted to know the secret. She scolded Jess. "Now we won't know what the secret was. If this system has all of the information and you didn't cooperate with it, we won't know! It could be detrimental to the events unfolding. It may even stop this oncoming battle. Mister 8, I apologize on Jess' behalf. We would like to know the secret."
The was a moment of silence between them. 8 typed out one word. No. Jess and Miriallia had conflicted looks. Moving on. Who would you like me to send these pictures too?
The two had to go back to what they were originally doing, sending a message.
On the red and gold Archangel, Ra was still in the cockpit working on the machine. He had to work a few more things out. It was not to his specifics yet but a few more changes and it should be just right. He would need to test it out again.
On the Minerva, Shinn was rewatching the battle footage. Lunamaria was watching it with him. The two were in the briefing room.
"He's quick," Lunamaria was thinking out loud.
"According to our data, twenty percent increase in strength, speed, agility, all of that," Shinn had gone over everything he could about that machine and its pilot. "Makes the white GUNDAM seem tame."
"Mmm," Lunamaria tilted her head to the side. "The two are on different spectrums. This ZAKU is great in battle. Close range its deadly. That GUNDAM is fitted for stealth. Plus, it has that technology where it went right through your mobile suit. You pit the two against one another and I think it would could out as a tie."
"Do you think it was Rey piloting it?" Shinn muttered out.
"Huh?" Lunamaria looked over to him. "Rey died with the Captain and Chairman. They found their bodies floating. There is no coming back from that."
"But what if there was?" Shinn started to feel guilty. "There's rumors that dead people are coming back to life."
Lunamaria came over to him. She sat down next to him, placing her hand upon his. "Those are rumors. Stop beating yourself up. He chose his side. You chose yours. This person isn't him."
Shinn looked up to her with a saddened expression. "But he looked just like him." The two glanced over to the screen where it was showing the snippet of the opened cockpit. It was the last clip on the video. It ended there. The smirk that seemed to continue to mock them.
"Doesn't he remind you of someone?" Lunamaria stared at it.
"Yeah?" Shinn glanced at her. "Rey."
"No, someone else," Lunamaria's shoulders drooped.
"Oh," Shinn perked up. He stared at the picture. If it was not Rey. The only other person. Shinn stood up. "The late commander Rau Le Creuset!" He looked over to Lunamaria. She nodded in approval.
"He's a clone," Lunamaria pointed it. "That's what I think at least. Let's bring this to the captain." Shinn nodded. Shinn grabbed the video file while Lunamaria brought the lights back on. The two headed out to inform the rest.
The recent battle had the military forces buzzing with anticipation. A war was looming on the fringes. The peace they wanted started to seem like a weekend, not enough time.
On the PLANTs, the leaders kept this information from the civilians. Peace had finally come to them. They didn't want to inform them just yet. Thankfully, a music award show had a good majority of the civilians' focus. It took over most of the channels and news feeds.
"And now for her debut performance of her hit single, Setona Winters singing Lightning," a presenter of the awards show spoke on an adjacent spot. The cameras moved from them to the stage that had no light. People were clapping and yelling. Their voices became hushed when they heard thundering and the crackle of lightning. Red lightning crackled across the background of the stage. It was a large screen.
The lights started to shine on Setona. A wind machine was blowing at her, keeping with the theme of a storm. Her light pink hair that was normally tied back with a bow, was curled and styled as if she was in a vintage movie. Her makeup was more mature along with her style. She wore a red jumper that had a haltered neckline. The pants tapered down allowing her to wear shiny, red boots. At her waist, was red sheer fabric that trailed behind her. She had on satin, red gloves that went to her biceps. Her microphone was covered in red crystals. If they hadn't introduced her, no one would have known that was Setona.
"I'd cross a desert and an ocean," she started to sing. "To get away from the pain of your storm." Behind her the view of a red dot started to become bigger. It became bigger with each lyric of her song. The red dot became Mars. As she was singing, she slowly walked down the stairs to be on the main part of the stage. She was putting all of her emotions into the song. As she kept drawing closer to the main part of stage the lights would shine on that part of the stage too. It slowly illuminated the dancers who had been waiting on the main part of the stage. When the chorus hit that was sung by a computer-generated voice, all of the dancers and Setona would perform the matching choreography. The crowd was loving it. They started to scream, clap, and sing along with them.
Setona would go back to singing her song. Even though it was a song about toxic love, her theme was about Mars. As it was fitting, she loved Mars but she couldn't be on Mars anymore. The background crackled with red lightning again. As the song finished with them posing, the crowd was just as thunderous as their performance.
"What an electrifying debut by Miss Setona Winters!" A host's voice spoke over the microphone. "That was amazing! Everyone, give it up for her!"
There were people all over who were watching her debut. Even a little boy who was waiting for his mom who had been talking to another stranger. He liked images on the screen. He played with the toys around him.
"Arty, mommy is ready," she crouched down to his level. He ran over to her arms. She hugged him as she picked him up.
The two head out of the doctor's office. They had a health checkup. Thankfully, her son was healthy. She was healthy too but she was worried about him the most. She followed the guide who brought her to another building about the same size. This time it was like a department store.
"This is all free," he reminded her. "The only thing is that we will scan the items just to make sure they work for you or if you want to return them for something else. Take your time." He pushed a shopping cart towards her. "We have a selection of clothes, shoes, and accessories sent to your house for your sizing and style. Here we want you to personalize your home. There is no rush. Even if you don't find something today. You can always come back."
Aisha put Arty in the kid's seat. She strapped him in. "Thank you. Let's go see what we want." Arty smiled at her.
She started down the aisles. Nothing really stood out to her. When she reached the kids section, she had a few items. They were stylish and timeless looking pieces. She got some toys for Arty as he pointed out to the ones, he wanted the most. She stopped in her tracks to see a stuffed Bengal tiger. It was cartoony. It had a long body with a white belly and white paws. She automatically reached for it. She didn't realize it was in her hands until Arty was asking for it. She got out of a trance. "Hm. Oh?" She smiled at her son who started to hug the tiger toy. "A new friend, right?" Arty nodded with his whole head. "Okay, let's get back home."
The attendant scanned all the items. He helped her back to her home with the items she had. He also informed her about the names she could pick out of herself. Also, on what to do with the clothes she liked and the one she didn't. It was such a nice atmosphere.
However, she was being watched on her behavior without any bad intentions. Anita was keeping a close watch. She noticed Aisha was still the same even though her memory was lost. Aisha was still going after things that mirrored her former life. Especially on items that reminded her of the desert, tigers, and her former life. Aisha had taken items that were made in the desert, the plush toy tiger, jewelry holders that were vintage and stylish.
When Aisha had the list of names she could choose from to start her life over again, she coincidentally chose her own with the same spelling. Anita put Aisha's memorable blue ensemble in with the clothing choices. It didn't come back, which made Anita guess that Aisha even chose that one. Aisha also kept a green trench coat. It was little things that eventually would add up over time. Anita theorized that Aisha knew who she is but its like an amnesia state. As if the traumatic death she had was holding back all of her memories. She didn't want to force them back either. The bloodwork from both of them concluded that neither of them were clones. Anita would only watch and put in items like the clothes or the tiger toys to see if she would get a reaction. She didn't want to push it. This was also a chance for Aisha to live again.