Low Points

Scene from my first story and regular canon happen if they are not contradicted.

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Marlene

With a gun shoved into her back, Marlene kept an even look on her face. Anew was forcing her to head to the hanger control room. Without looking at the now revealed innovator, Marlene spoke to Anew, a harsh undertone in her voice, "So, what do you want?" Marlene was beating herself mentally up for letting this happen. 'I should have examined her file more! Maybe I could have spotted a fake! Seen she wasn't human! Damnit!'

The lavender-haired innovator just responded confidently, "Taking back what belongs to us. The 00 Raiser belongs to Ribbons." Marlene growled under her breath. 'So it's Ribbons then? They want the twin drive system!' The innovators could not be allowed to get that. The 00 Raiser was their trump card and without that, she didn't know if CB could beat them, especially with the loss of two solar reactors. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't in a position to stop them, especially not with a gun to her back.

She tried to turn around and glare at Anew, but she just felt the gun shoved into her back once again, causing her to grunt in pain. Marlene could hear the satisfaction in Anew's voice as she spoke, "Keep moving and facing forward. Wouldn't want to have to shorten your lifespan any more than it already is."

'She knew! But how?' Marlene could feel the ache from the GN particles travel through her, wincing in pain. Taking a deep breath, Marlene asked something she had needed to know since Anew had begun this whole incident, "How long have you been hiding your true identity? And how much of your past was true?"

Anew laughed, "Good question. I was always an innovator. I just pretended to be a soft human to convince all of you I was one of you primitive apes. And my past? It all was made up. I had no uncle, no university degrees, none of that." Marlene could imagine the smirk on Anew's face as she continued, "You humans are so easy to convince. Just a few fake documents and you would invite your enemy into your stronghold." Marlene could catch a hint of exaggeration in her voice, like she was hiding something. 'What is she lying about?'

Anew's voice then took on a begrudging respect, "Though I have to admit, you did a good job keeping me out of your secret projects. I wanted to work on the 0 Raiser but was only allowed on the GN Archer." Marlene smirked at that. 'At least I did one thing right.' Anger quickly returned, but it was comforting she didn't let the innovators in on everything.

"Did Wang Liu Mei know? Or was she in the dark like us?"

Anew replied evenly, "Wang Liu Mei? That selfish woman?" Anew snorted, "She knew exactly what I was. Why do you think she recommended me?"

Marlene's eyes narrowed, "Are you saying that Wang Liu Mei is working with the innovators?"

"How do you think the A-Laws found you so fast after Proud? Why she was radio silent before the Memento Mori? She has been playing both sides to get what she wants. What other reason does she have to have told you nothing about the Memento Mori?"

Marlene scowled. 'I knew she was a weasel! I shouldn't have trusted her!' Objectively, she knew the woman was essential for getting Celestial Being back on their feet, but right now all she could think about was putting a bullet through her head. 'If I ever get my hands on her…'

Another thought came unbidden in her mind, turning her head slightly to catch a glimpse of the person holding her hostage. She needed to see the look in Anew's eye at the next questions. Marlene spoke, still angry, "What about the crew? All the friends you made?" Her voice took on a slightly softer tone, "What about Lyle? I saw the love and affection between you two. Was all of that fake?"

Anew's eyes widened, confusion taking over for a second before, a hint of doubt in the back of her eyes. But that quickly went away, replaced by anger, "None of you meant anything to me. I was here to infiltrate Celestial Being, to make sure you could never hide from the Federation. Your persistence has been annoying, so I'm taking the toy away that lets you do that."

Marlene caught a slip of hesitation, almost imperceptible, but she realized she had something she could use, "You may not care for the crew, but I know you care for Lyle. The way you reacted to him saying he loved you couldn't be faked, not how you reacted. So are you going to pretend you are above love? Above caring for someone?"

Anew's eye blazed with anger, and Marlene felt the barrel of the gun pressed into the back of her head, "If you value your life, I would suggest you not imply I can care for such… base humans. Innovators don't need humans to do their part in the plan." More anger grew in Marlene. 'How could someone throw away love like that?' Ruido and her daughter were the two most important people in the world to her and she would never talk about them like that, never say they were meaningless.

Marlene shut her mouth, looking forward again. As the pair continued travelling, something became more and more apparent to Marlene. 'If she was aware the whole time, then why didn't she do anything earlier?' It would have been easy for Anew to shoot any of them on the bridge during any of the attacks. That would have crippled their command structure. Hell, just killing Sumeragi would have done a ton of damage to their ability to react to enemy plans. And it's not like any of the meisters could have helped. 'Why wait four months for this? What is there to gain? She only activated after we brought the innovator onbo…'

Marlene's eyes widened in realization and something Tieria said triggered in her mind. 'Innovators of the same type have a special connection.' Tieria had told her and Sumeragi that he had mentally talked with someone who looked just like him before the A-Laws party. 'Could this innovator we captured be the same type as Anew?' Part of her anger shifted as she realized more and more that Anew wasn't nearly as in control as she thought. Anew certainly had Marlene under relative control, but the innovator couldn't stop Marlene's words.

The blonde woman smirked, and she could hear the innovator speak in an annoyed tone, "What are you feeling so confident about?"

Marlene kept a deliberate even tone, "You know I almost believed you had been aware of your status the entire time, but it struck me as strange that you never struck before this. Surely there was ample opportunity before this? To either kill us or steal the 00?"

Anew growled at Marlene, "What do you mean?"

"Surely such a superior group could easily cripple the ship and capture the 00 Raiser before this, especially with Setsuna out of commission. You could have kept Setsuna from recovering or taken the 00 when no one was looking. Maybe have killed one or two of us by surprise." Marlene stopped and turned around, Anew keeping a harsh grasp on her forearm and aimed the gun squarely at her face. Marlene looked at her, nonplussed, still even-faced, "Or maybe you were lying and you did genuinely like us. And you had no idea what you were. Am I close to the mark?"

Anew just pulled her closer, growling, "Tell me one reason I shouldn't shoot you right now." Her grip in the gun tightened, finger just above the trigger, trembling.

"Because if you do, you lose a hostage on a ship with two super soldiers, a child soldier and a resistance fighter, along with another innovator. I'm sure you don't like those odds." Marlene kept an even face, only betrayed by the slight tilting of her lip at the end.

Anew breathed harshly out her nose, gun shaking slightly on Marlene's forehead, "Keep moving." Anew smacked the blonde woman harshly on the right side of her face with the gun, Marlene closing her eyes and wrinkling her nose in pain. The rest of her body did not like that either, a dull ache spreading through it. She gently touched the side of her face, her eye fluttering from discomfort. 'That's definitely going to bruise. But at least I got under her skin. Seems these innovators aren't as superior as they say.' Her body winced in pain once again. 'Damn GN particles.' Marlene began to move again, facing forward as the rest of the trip was silent. 'There is no way I can convince her to surrender. I'll have to play along for now. I hope the rest of the crew has a plan.'

Feldt

Feldt had been following Soma ever since the lights had turned out. She had checked on her after Andrei had almost killed her in the most recent battle. She had seemed overwhelmed from the communication chatter, but pretty quickly after meeting her, the lights had shut off and the feeling in the back of her head she felt when quantum brainwaves were around activated. Soma had said that two people were actively using quantum brainwaves and for Feldt to follow her as she tracked the source of one side of it. Feldt wished she could do that too, but that wasn't in the cards right now. Her powers were still too fuzzy to rely on. 'At the very least it doesn't bother me too much. It used to give me headaches.'

The two women made their way through the hallways of the ship, decreasing the distance to one of their targets. They had no idea what was going on, but Feldt could tell something had been done to the ship, based on the facts the doors didn't work and the emergency lights were on. There was a worried anxiety in the back of her head, telling her something was very wrong. 'Did this have anything to do with the innovator we brought onboard? They are the only other people with quantum brainwaves. But why are there two origin points for the waves?' The thought did not help her unease one bit.

As Soma and Feldt reached a T-Junction, the elusive target they were tracking came into sight, which caused Feldt's eyes to widen and a storm of emotion rage in her head. In front of her was Anew, eyes glowing gold, holding a gun to her mother's back, who's expression was completely even, eyes betraying no fear. The biggest emotions rushing through her in the swirl was confusion and anger. 'Why is Anew holding my mom hostage? Why are her eyes glowing gold? Is she an…innovator?' That was the only thing she could think of. 'That must be how they tracked us!'

Anew reacted quickly, pulling Marlene close, putting her gun to the side of the blonde woman's head, which showed signs of bruising. Soma spoke in a cold, collected voice as she aimed at the traitorous member of the crew, "You aren't getting out of here, Anew." Feldt was amazed by how calm Soma was at the scene, but raised her gun the same, narrowing her eyes.

Anew's eyes widened slightly, frustration clearly visible. She growled out a response, "How did you find me?"

Soma responded simply, "You aren't the only one with quantum brainwaves." Feldt resisted nodding along with that, hoping Anew wasn't aware of what was going on with her and Setsuna.

The lavender-haired woman just snorted, "Ah, the C-level quantum brainwave user. I forgot about you." Her eyes then turned to Feldt, pointing her gun at the pair of women, "And the other thief. Would you really shoot, knowing I have your precious mother? You seemed so desperate to be with her."

Feldt growled under her breath and responded, keeping her gun trained on Anew, "Let her go and we won't be forced to kill you."

Soma spoke next, her voice still cold, "And don't think I wouldn't kill you. Marie may have mercy, but I don't for traitors." Her voice then picked up in anger, "You were the one that caused all those people to die! The ones that got my father killed!"

Marlene spoke out, "Don't let her go! I can take a hit or two."

"You stay quiet!" Anew hissed at Marlene, before turning to the armed pair in front of her, "Colonel Smirnov was simply a bug that stood in our way. I don't think Ribbons even cared about him."

Soma's hands began to shake slightly, her eyes narrowing as her finger got closer to the trigger. 'Please don't! Not my mom!' The standoff was interrupted when the welcome voice of Feldt's husband came from down the hallway behind them, "Thanks for keeping her here, Soma." Feldt turned to see Setsuna and Lyle coming around a corner, both men instantly taking in the scene. Feldt fought back a retort asking if she was chopped liver, knowing now was not the time. Setsuna smiled at her, which she responded with an equally warm smile, before both of them put on a neutral face.

Anew glared at the two men, and Feldt smirked, happy that Anew was in a worse situation. She wasn't happy that Anew was the person they were facing and certainly wanted some answers from all of this, but now the certainly had the advantage over her. 'Now we have to get my mother out of her grasp.'

Lyle landed in front of everyone, and the redhead could hear the desperation in his voice, "This has gone on long enough Anew!" But Feldt was caught by surprise at the sudden shift in his voice, which became more friendly, "You were planning on leaving without me?" Feldt's eyes widened in shock and concern. 'What is he talking about!? She is holding my mom hostage! She was trying to sabotage us!' Was Lyle willing to betray them for the woman he loved?

Anew looked just as shocked as Feldt, eyes softening and her tone softening as well, "You want to come with me? We can see the reformation of the world." Feldt gripped her gun tightly and she could see her mother's eyes narrow and her gritting her teeth. 'Why would he join them? He has seen what they are willing to do!'

"I'll even bring the Cheridum too!" Lyle turned around to look at the group, a casual smile on his face, but a surprising edge to his voice, "There you have it. Thanks for everything guys."

Setsuna spoke again, anger in his voice, "Well then, so be it!" Feldt could Setsuna pulling the gun out of her hand and in the split second they matched eyes, she instinctively let Setsuna take the gun, who took a shot, hitting Lyle in the armored shoulder.

Anew reacted instantly, loosening her grip on Marlene as she reached out for Lyle, her eyes full of worry and desperation, "Lyle!" Lyle instantly took advantage of the scene, pulling Marlene out of Anew's grasp, Marlene rolling with it as she braced against the wall, stopping her momentum.

Feldt looked at her husband, who looked back at her, a small, prideful smile on his face. She let a sigh of relief, speaking quietly, "You knew he would do that, didn't you?" He just nodded, giving her back her gun. Feldt also noticed the feeling in the back of her head disappeared. 'Did something happen between the two innovators?'

Anew looked around desperately, now realizing her shield is gone. As she started to try to leave, Marlene launched into Anew, trapping her against the wall, "What are you…?!" She began to struggle against the older woman, but couldn't throw her off, eyes wide. Lyle floated there, looking a bit lost despite his actions before.

The blonde woman looked at the group, using her commander voice, "One of you help me! She was trying to steal the 00!" The members of Celestial Being acted in a split second, Soma and Setsuna restraining the lavender-haired woman. Marlene, now confident that the situation was in her control, began relaying more orders, "Setsuna, Lyle. Get to your Gundams. If one innovator was going for the 00, the other was going for the 0 Raiser. And I don't know if we can stop that." The two meisters took off, leaving Soma, Marlene and Feldt floating there with Anew, their prisoner easily held by the female super soldier after Setsuna let her take control. Lyle gave Anew a look of confusion before he steeled his expression, turning around the corner.

Marlene then looked at Soma, "Take her to the brig." She pulled out a card, handing it to the super soldier, "This has an override command that will let you reset the password."

Soma nodded, "Understood." She roughly shoved the Anew, hard edge in her voice, putting the card away and putting the gun to Anew's back, "Get moving." Anew silently followed her command, moving slowly and glaring at the women around her, her eyes no longer glowing. 'Well that explains why the buzzing in the back of my head stopped. The glowing eyes must have been her connecting with the captured innovator. Well formerly captured innovator.'

Taking a deep breath, Marlene looked at her daughter, "I'm sorry they probably got to the 0 Raiser. But those two will get it back."

Feldt looked at her mother, baffled by that response, "Mom, you were being held hostage! I'm more concerned about you than the 0 Raiser! She could have shot you! Look at your face!" Feldt could see the right side of her face was starting to bruise.

"It's fine. I've had worse." Marlene just pursed her lips, "I had to stop her from escaping. Who knows what she would have done if we let her escape?" She then smirked, "And now we have a much more secure prisoner to interrogate." Feldt could hear the disdain in her mother's voice, her disgust at the betrayal.

The redhead looked at her mom, confusion crossing her features, "Mom, what happened? All Soma and I knew was the power went out and there were innovators on the loose."

Marlene cleared her throat, "It turns out our pilot was actually a plant by the innovators. She says she knew the whole time, but I suspect there is something else going on."

Feldt could feel loss and confusion bubbling up in her chest and throat, "But Anew was our friend. She hung out with us, ate with us. How could she be a traitor?" Feldt admitted she didn't hang out with her a lot, but it was a breath of fresh air to hang out with a woman closer to her age. 'And now she was a traitor apparently.'

"I intend to find that out. All I know is that she was let in like a fox in a henhouse. Wang Liu Mei knew about all of that and still let her in."

Feldt clenched her fists. 'Not only was Anew a traitor, but Wang Liu Mei was as well? Just how compromised are we?' She let out a breath, cooling her head. 'No, I have to focus on right now. Thoughts like that can come later.'

She hugged her mom tightly, resting her forehead on her chest. Some tears rolled down her face, "I'm just happy you are safe. If I lost you…"

Marlene ran a hand through her hair, "I'm right here beside you. Everything will be alright."

Marlene

Marlene sat in her office, scanning through her files. Setsuna and Lyle had left the ship, chasing after the innovator, and the crew was trying to examine the damage done to the ship. Marlene was luckier than the rest of the ship it seemed. Many of the most important files were kept on a separate drive, just in case they were lost, so they were safe. Many other files were lost, though most of them were in the process of recovery, being sped up by Marlene having the backup. There was other damage to other systems, so they had a lot to do.

A violent cough came over her and as the painful coughing subsided, Marlene spotted something that worried her. Her desk was stained by splattering of blood and Marlene could easily guess where that came from. 'Damnit! I didn't think I was that close.' She closed her eyes, trying to filter out the dull pain. At this point she honestly had no idea how long she had left. 'Can't be more than a month or two.' Getting up, she got a towel to wipe up the blood, hoping to clean up the evidence of her condition. As she wiped it, Marlene frowned, guilt at not telling Feldt what was going on. 'She doesn't need the distraction, not right now.' She focused back on her screen, hoping she would hold out for now.

Her eyes did strain a bit at the loss of the main lights, the computer display much brighter than the room. 'I hope we get them back on soon.' She heard a knock at her door and saw it was Soma, the card she gave her earlier in her hand. Opening the door from her desk, she turned around to see the super soldiers looking at her, nodding, "Prisoner is locked up. She didn't resist or try anything."

Soma handed her back the card, which Marlene happily took. 'One less issue to deal with right now. Once I'm certain the ship is doing better, I'll go down to talk to her.' Marlene nodded at Soma, "Good job. Thanks for the help."

"It was no problem. I owed you for helping me out before." Soma looked away, a hint of shame very obvious.

Marlene looked at her, curious about that reaction, "You don't owe me anything. You were doing what I told you to do."

Soma let out a sigh and shook her head, "Remember months ago when you were trying to tell me to give up my quest for revenge." Marlene nodded, remembering her angry response at her. 'She also did warn me about the quantum brainwave thing, which I really should have asked about more.' Soma continued, "After you talked to me, I was angry at you for a while, but I started to realize you had a point. I needed to tell Allelujah how I felt and after I did, our relationship improved when he realized I was well…a person in my own right."

She let out a frustrated sigh, "And it took me almost dying to Andrei to realize how much I fucked up. I was inches from dying when I was saved. Your words hit me after the battle, and I can't help but still feel like I should have learned it sooner. Maybe I wouldn't have almost killed two people." She took a deep breath, "So that is why I owed you, even if it took me awhile to take in your words."

"You don't owe me anything." Soma was shaking as Marlene stood up and walked to the super soldier, putting a hand on her shoulder. Marlene spoke kindly, "Soma, you simply made a mistake. Everyone does that. You managed to survive a nearly lethal end, but you were rescued by someone who cared about you." Marlene was caught by surprise seeing Soma blush, even in the darkness. 'What is she blushing about? I though Allelujah rescued her.' She resisted shrugging. 'It must be embarrassing for her.'

Marlene continued, "Now you just try to move forward. What are you going to do about Marie?" The blonde was still curious about how that relationship was going, now that Soma had calmed down.

Soma smiled at that, "Now that I know that people care for me and how stupid I was, I am happy to let Marie be in charge again. I separated her and Allelujah long enough. I could feel her frustration and longing over the last several months."

Marlene smiled back, "Does that mean we won't see you?"

"No, I will still show up, just when we need to fight. Marie still is not exactly comfortable with fighting." Soma just shook her head good naturedly, relaxing.

Marlene took her hand off Soma's shoulder, "Well it's good to see that you won't be completely gone. Just remember that you aren't alone."

"Understood. I'm reporting to the bridge to pilot the ship." The white-haired super soldier saluted Marlene then turned on her heels, leaving the office. Marlene went back to her seat, the smile not leaving her face. 'At least one good thing happened in this mess.'

Setsuna

Setsuna gripped his controls tightly, looking at the display on the 00 as the closed in on the escaping 0 Raiser. Well the currently floating 0 Raiser, its thrusters shut down. 'It must have triggered Feldt's emergency measure.' Ever since Ribbons had shown interest in the 00 Raiser, Feldt had programmed in a system trap for any unauthorized user trying to pilot the 0 Raiser. She had said it wasn't likely to matter, but it was better to be safe than sorry. 'And it seemed her forethought paid off.'

The 00 got right in front of the 0 Raiser, weapon raised and spoke on the private channel, "Surrender now and we won't kill you." Revive just smirked at him, seemingly not bothered by the situation at hand. It infuriated Setsuna just how egotistical the innovators acted. Revive was cornered and he still was acting like this. He was versus two gundam in a disabled support suit.

Revive sneered at him, assault rifle raised, "I'll give you the 0 Raiser, but it's going to cost you~" The innovator raked the cockpit with gunfire, the electronics getting more and more destroyed before Setsuna lost the connection with it. He let out a growl of frustration, unhappy the innovators could get away with that.

The hatch of the 0 Raiser opened and Revive exited the it, standing confidently near the hatch, smirking. Lyle spoke, anger lacing his voice, "Looks like you are cornered. And Anew can't help you escape." Setsuna could hear the pain in Lyle's voice as he mentioned Anew.

Revive just continued smirking, "Oh I do have backup, don't you worry." Suddenly an orange energy ball appeared on the 00's sensors, forcing Setsuna to dodge out of the way, moving away from the 0 Raiser. Turning to face where the attack came from, he saw a lithe black mobile suit with silver highlights and two large horns coming off of the head holding a curved swords charging in. 'Another enemy mobile suit?'

Lyle took some shots at the suit, but the pilot managed to dodge all of them easily, moving faster than any other suit he had seen before. Setsuna tried to move to intercept him, but the black mobile suit was right next to the 0 Raiser before he could get there. Revive casually launched into the hand of the enemy suit, smiling at the meisters, "It looks like my ride is here."

The new mobile suit pointed a blade towards Setsuna, a familiar male voice coming from it, "Next time we meet young man, you and I will have our promised duel!" He instantly realized this was the same pilot he fought several times over the last five years, Graham Aker.

Setsuna called out in frustration, "Why are you here!?"

Graham just called out, his voice full of passion, "Next time young man, next time!" His suit then began to glow red and shot off away from the two Gundams, both meisters firing at the suit in a desperate attempt to hit him. Unfortunately for both of them, it was soon out of sight, leaving the 00 and Cheridum floating with a crippled 0 Raiser.

Lyle looked at Setsuna, more confused than anything, "Who was that? And why did he have trans-am?"

Setsuna sighed heavily, "Just someone from my past." Lyle rolled his eyes at that, slumping in his seat as much as he could. Setsuna just looked at the 0 Raiser with furrowed brow, "We have to get this back to Ptolemy. My wife won't be happy. And now it seems the enemy has trans-am"

With the 0 Raiser returned, Ian and Feldt began to work like demons to get the 0 Raiser back to full functionality. While those two were doing that and others helping restore the ship systems, especially with the almost certainty that the innovators were going to attack, Setsuna went to talk with Lyle, who had sequestered himself in his room.

Setsuna knocked and heard Lyle's muffled voice saying to enter. Opening the door, Setsuna saw Lyle leaning against his desk with one arm, staring at the wall. Setsuna could sense an overwhelming presence of confusion and loss coming from him, his empty eyes a clear sign of that.

Lyle looked up at him, sounding resigned, "Come to check up on me? Or here to interrogate me?"

Setsuna gave him a concerned look, "Mainly here to see how you are doing, but I was curious if you were aware of anything about Anew before she turned out to be an innovator."

Lyle leaned back in his chair, sighing dramatically, "Thanks. I feel like shit and hurt as well, though confusion is fighting against both of them." He leaned forward, looking at Setsuna, "Honestly? I had no idea, but the signs were obvious in hindsight. Every time before we were attacked, she would always seem to blank out. And right before the recent battle, she and I were making out when suddenly she just stopped, her eyes glowing. I had to shake her to get her focus back. She always said she was probably just tired whenever she blanked out like that."

Lyle gripped the sides of his chair, "I should have said something. I should have told one of you! Instead, she's a prisoner and the 00 Raiser is out of commission. I can't help but feel I could have stopped this. I could have kept the woman I loved from betraying us."

Setsuna shook his head, "Lyle, there is no way you could have known. Her betrayal was a shock to everyone, and it even got passed Marlene. If it fooled her, it would have fooled any of us."

"I know. But I'm just so…" He let his arms fall to his sides, "I don't know. The woman I love betrayed us and it turns out she was a double agent for our biggest enemy. I would laugh at the irony if the wound wasn't so fresh." He looked down at his hands, "Now I'm questioning if our relationship meant anything or was I just a convenient cover for her." He put his hands on his head, shaking slightly, "I don't know what to do or feel."

Setsuna walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, "Then maybe you have a talk with her. Ask her how she feels and make sure she knows how you truly feel. If she loves you, then you'll know." His voice picked up a tone of sadness, "And you should cherish the memories and feelings you had, no matter what happens."

Lyle smiled at Setsuna, "Thanks." A new determination lit a fire in his eyes, "I think I have to ask Marlene something."

Setsuna just patted his shoulder, silently encouraging him. Lyle punched him on the shoulder, "Let's hope your wife and Ian can get the 0 Raiser fixed before we are attacked."

"Me too. Me too."

Author Note

Well that was chapter 16! That hostage scene sure went differently. And more changes are to come. I hope you are excited for more! I'll see you guys next week and please review and comment!