Author's Note One

Usual reminder about canon scenes

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Soma/Hallelujah speech"

Ptolemy Conference Room

The pilots and Sumeragi glared at the innovator. Allelujah spoke frustratedly, "What do you mean you don't know where Veda is?"

Revive smirked at him, "Let's say I do know where it is. What do you people intend to do with Veda?"

Tieria replied in a low tone, "Take it back."

Revive chuckled, smiling, "But Veda was originally made for us innovators to use."

Sumeragi looked at her with a stern, questioning look, "Let me ask you this. What do you intend to use Veda for?" Based on their previous actions, Sumeragi would need one hell of an explanation to justify their crimes.

"It's to make sure the future of humanity isn't guided by war and cruelty as they expand beyond Earth."

Sumeragi looked at the innovator baffled, "So you commit cruel acts in order to stop cruelty from happening in the future?"

Allelujah narrowed his eyes, "How would that create a more peaceful future? You control people through force."

Revive just shook her head, "Humans need to be controlled. It's the only way that they can advance into the future. If that requires using Veda to manipulate them, then that's the cost. We innovators have the wisdom and understanding to lead them."

Lyle responded condescendingly, "You guys aren't so perfect yourself. We managed to kill some of you and even captured you."

Revive just smirked at the group, "Don't be absurd. I allowed that to happen."

"You what!?" Lyle began to step towards the innovator, but the tactical coordinator stopped him by putting a hand in front of his shoulder. Just then they heard the sound of a communication opening up behind them.

They saw Lasse's face on the screen, worried look on his face, "Ms. Sumeragi!"

Fear growing in the back of her mind, Sumeragi replied coolly, "What's wrong?"

"It's Anew."

Lyle looked at the screen, confused, "What about Anew?"

Lasse's voice reflected his still present shock, "She shot Saji and took Mileina hostage!" The pilots and Sumeragi could hear the sounds of Saji as he tried to fight the pain. Sumeragi's mind began to rush. 'We have to get him to medical.' Lasse continued, "She said she was an innovator."

The crew in the room reacted in shock. Out of everything, they did not expect an innovator besides Tieria on the ship. Lyle balled his fists. 'It wasn't just my imagination then. Her glowing eyes must have been them tracking us. Damnit!' He needed to get to Anew, to talk her down or at least do something. They all heard Revive begin to get up and turn towards her. Setsuna pulled out his pistol and aimed at him, voice commanding, "Don't move!"

Revive spoke in the same frustrating smug tone, putting a hand on his helmet, "You know what is happening, right? If anything should happen to me, I cannot guarantee the safety of the hostage." His eyes began to glow gold, "Because we are the same type, Anew and I are connected by thought." He looked intently at Tieria, "I trust you understand."

Tieria muttered quietly, "Quantum waves." Allelujah narrowed his eyes. 'So, innovators use quantum brainwaves. I must have felt the signal being sent to Anew. It must be the brainwaves that make them such dangerous enemies.' Now he knew what it felt like to be on the other side of a super soldier, besides Soma from five years before.

The innovator began walking past everyone, helmet in hand. Lyle moved to try to stop him, but was once again stopped by Sumeragi, who gave him a stern look. Lyle glowered at the purple haired enemy, being forced to watch him get away. Just as they exited the door and it closed, the power went out.

Sumeragi spoke worriedly, "The shipboard systems!"

Hallways of the Ptolemy

Soma and Feldt moved through the hallways, the pink-haired girl following Soma as she tried to trace where that quantum message she felt went. It felt like it was going in the direction of the cockpit, so they went that way. Suddenly the lights died and she stopped, feeling a connection on the ship moving. Feldt stopped as well, looking at the super soldier curiously, "What's going on? What killed the ship systems?"

Soma spoke tersely, "I can sense a quantum connection on the move. Someone must have infiltrated the ship."

Feldt was confused. 'Who could have done that? We only brought on the innovator?' She asked evenly, "What do we do?"

Soma's soldier instincts took over, drawing out her pistol, "We follow one of those ends of the connection and see what is going on. We need to be ready for a fight." Feldt nodded at that, drawing out her own gun as the two of them followed the connection to the source.

Hanger Controls of the Ptolemy

Mileina sat at the console loading up the 0 raiser and 00 onto the launch pad, a gun aimed at her. She was terrified out of her mind right now, confused as to why their friend had betrayed them and scared for her life. The 00 raised up in front of them, Mileina wanting to not do this but being forced to. She looked at Anew desperately, "Ms. Returner, you don't have to do this. Everyone will-"

"Shut up!" Anew emphasized her words by pointing her gun in the brunette's face.

Mileina went back to focusing on the controls, voice shaky, "Ok." Anew, satisfied in seeing the 00 on the catapult, led the girl back out into the hallway, heading towards the hanger. As they reached a T junction, the innovator saw Feldt and Soma with guns aimed at her. Soma sent a message through quantum brainwaves telling Allelujah where she was and that she found Mileina and Anew. Anew quickly aimed her gun at Mileina's head, holding her from behind.

Soma spoke in a cold voice, "You aren't getting out of here." Feldt nodded in agreement, looking worriedly at Mileina. Mileina tried her best to contain tears, but it was becoming harder and harder to.

Anew asked confusedly, "How did you find me?"

Soma responded in an even tone, "You aren't the only one with quantum brainwaves."

Anew spoke in an annoyed tone, "Of course. You are the low-grade quantum brainwave user. I forgot you were on this ship." She aimed her gun away from Mileina and aimed it at Soma, "The defective super soldier." Her eyes then drifted to Feldt, "Also the wannabe pilot." Feldt bristled at that. 'How dare she! What happened to Anew? Why is she acting this way?' She was caught between her worry about Anew and curiosity at what was going on with their supposed friend.

Soma spoke with anger, "You are the ones who caused everything!" She contained her anger, "Let the girl go and you will live!"

Both of the pilots were caught by surprise when they heard Setsuna's voice come from behind, "Thanks for keeping her here Soma." Setsuna and Lyle appeared from the junction behind them, Setsuna standing beside the girls and Lyle standing close to Anew and Mileina. Soma nodded at the two but kept a neutral face. Feldt looked gratefully at the two of them, giving her boyfriend a warm smile.

Lyle spoke desperately to Anew, "This has gone on long enough Anew!" Anew re-aimed the gun at Mileina, knowing the odds were getting worse for her. 'I have to get out of here. I don't know if I can get the 00 at this rate.' Suddenly his voice changed, sounding more friendly, "Were you planning on leaving without me?" Anew looked at him confused. 'What is he talking about?' Mileina was shocked. 'Lyle, no!'

Feldt and Soma looked equally confused, as well as betrayed. They glanced at Setsuna, trying to gauge his reaction, but he seemed stone faced with an even look. Both kept their aim on Anew, not wanting to be unable to react in time

Anew replied hopefully, "You want to come with me? You'll witness the reformation of the world!"

Lyle smiled at that, "I like the sound of that."

Milieina spoke up, sounding betrayed, "What?!" 'What is he doing?! He knows how bad they are! How could he join them, even if it's for love?!"

"I'll even bring the Cheridum too!" He looked over at Setsuna, voice with a harder edge, "There you have it. Thanks for everything you've done for me." He gave him a serious look, narrowing his eyes.

Setsuna stood there for a second, before he responded angrily, "Well if you're sure, so be it!" 'I hope you are ready Lyle. Just make sure you Get Mileina to safety.' He grabbed the gun out of Soma's hand in a split second, taking her by surprise. He took aim and shot, hitting Lyle in the shoulder. Mileina cried out in fear.

Anew reached out towards Lyle, loosening her grip on the brown-haired girl, her voice desperate and worried, "Lyle!" Lyle took advantage of the confusion, grabbing onto Mileina and pulling her out of Anew's grip. Anew, realizing that her shield was gone, fled down the hallway, away from the direction of the 00. 'Damnit! Looks like we aren't getting the 00.' Another regretful thought came through her mind as a tear ran down her cheek. 'Oh Lyle. I'm so sorry!'

Feldt quickly moved to comfort Mileina as Lyle looked at Setsuna annoyed, "You didn't have to hit me! C'mon!"

Soma looked at the two men, asking, "What is going on? And why is Anew an innovator?" Lyle quickly filled her in on what they had learned. Soma nodded, now realizing why she had felt quantum brainwaves every time before they were attacked. 'I should have put it together sooner!'

Setsuna approached his girlfriend and Mileina, asking Mileina softly, "Are you ok?"

She nodded, tears in her eyes, replying, "Thank you for rescuing me! I think they are trying to steal the 00 and 0 Raiser. Ms. Returner was trying to get the 00." Setsuna narrowed his eyes. 'Of course. If they can get those two they can learn what makes them so powerful. We have to stop them!'

Feldt smiled at the interaction, before saying, "We need to get to the gundams. If they failed with the 00, then the innovator we captured must be going for the 0 Raiser. I'll stay here with Mileina. You and Lyle get moving." While she was annoyed that her vehicle was being taken, she knew she wouldn't be useful if they captured the 0 Raiser.

Lyle and Setsuna quickly left the two women at the junction, heading towards their gundams.

Hanger 3

After knocking out Ian in the hanger, Revive entered the cockpit of the 0 Raiser. She might have killed the human, but it seemed like a waste of time. 'It wasn't worth the bullet.' He felt a twinge of annoyance at the fact Anew was taking a shuttle instead of the 00. 'That's what we get for making her a woman. She got caught in her emotions.' Looking over the system as she turned it on, he was annoyed at the system of the 0 Raiser. 'Someone custom modified this. It must have been that pink-haired girl.' Cursing under his breath, he managed to get the system functional, though he couldn't get full power.

Launching from the ship, Revive saw the shuttle Anew was piloting and got a communication from her, Anew sounding apologetic, "I'm sorry I screwed up."

In a cold voice, Revive replied, "Save your excuses for ribbons." The two ships began to get a distance away when suddenly he noticed her power output began to drop and a password prompt appeared on the display. The controls also refused to respond. 'Damnit! Must have been a system trap! The file on the pilot said she was good with computers.' Once again humans frustrated him. 'How can they keep beating us?'

Anew spoke to him again worriedly, "What's wrong?" The shuttle overtook the 0 Raiser and stayed at a safe distance, knowing the gundams would soon appear.

Revive replied annoyed and frustrated, "The pilot of this set a system trap! I can't control it and I have minimum power." As he began to try to figure out what to type, she saw the 00 and Cheridum quickly approach. 'Damn these humans.'

The 00 got close to the floating 0 Raiser, aiming its gun at it. Setsuna opened up communications with the 0 Raiser, "Surrender and we won't kill you."

Knowing he was beat, Revive sneered at the raven-haired pilot, "I'll give up the 0 Raiser, but it's going to cost you." Setsuna saw him pull out his rifle and fire wildly into the cockpit, destroying the controls and systems till the communications drop. 'Let's see them use the 00 Raiser now!'

The cockpit was then shoved open and Revive flew out. Setsuna and Lyle hesitated at shooting so close to the 0 Raiser, granting an opportunity for Anew to come around with the shuttle. As the shuttle began to fly away, Lyle took aim at the shuttle and quickly drew a bead on it. His hands shook nervously. 'You can do it. She's a threat to us now. She's our enemy.' 'Why is love so complicated?'

Even though he could see the shuttle getting away, memories of Anew flashing through his mind. Of the flirting. All the time they spent together, laughing and joking. The happiness he felt being with her. Tears of frustration began to rise. 'Why can't I do it? Why am I even here?' He watched as the shuttle flew out of range, crying out in anguish, "Why am I so pathetic?!"

Setsuna watched in sympathy. Setsuna couldn't shoot the shuttle. He knew that it would be better in the long run, but this was someone Lyle loved. He put himself in Lyle's shoes. If it was Feldt, Setsuna would have hated Lyle if he killed her. 'And If that was Feldt, I don't know if I would be able to fire.' He had killed loved ones before, but it was different then. He was different then. 'Could I do it again? Would I do it again?'

Bridge of the Ptolemy

After having moved Saji to the medical wing, the crew investigated what caused the loss of ship systems. They discovered there was a virus in their systems after scanning, Mileina spoke to Lasse, Sumeragi, Mileina and Tieria in an unusually serious tone, "I removed the virus, but we lost a lot of data. Currently trying to restore as much as possible. It looks like the innovators took some data too!"

Sumeragi replied in a curious and serious tone, "How long till everything's restored?"

"About 5-6 hours."

Lasse looked at Sumeragi curiously, "What about Anew?"

Sumeragi responded in a decisive tone, "Focus on restoring the ship. The enemy is going to come back." 'Not only are we down the 00 Raiser, but Anew might come back with them. I hope you are ready for that Lyle.' She opened up communications with Ian, "Ian, what is the status in the 0 Raiser?"

He replied in an even tone, "We have to replace the whole cockpit unit, but that's the easy part. The trickier part is retuning the Raiser system. We won't have the 00 for a while."

Sumeragi swore under her breath. Their trump card was out of commission. 'I can only hope the other pilots are good. And even Soma can't fight, so we are down another gundam.' She replied quietly, "I understand."

Lyle's room

Lyle stood in the dark room, looking down at the console his arms were resting on as he leaned over it. He quietly said, "Anew, how could you? How could you do it?!" 'If she was an innovator, was what we went through fake? How much of her story was true? How could he kill her? Could he even kill her if she came back?'

His thoughts were interrupted be Setsuna's voice coming from his door, "We're about to see her on the battlefield." Lyle slowly turned to face Setsuna as the Krugis man continued, "I don't think they are going to miss this opportunity." Lyle saw Feldt behind Sestuna as both of them walked into his room.

Lyle looked down, "Yeah, I know that. You don't have to tell me what to do. That girl is an innovator. She is the enemy. Pulling the trigger will-"

"Don't try to act tough." Lyle glared at Setsuna as Setsuna interrupted him. Setsuna didn't react to the glare, continuing, "She is the woman you love. I'll be the one to pull the trigger. I don't mind if you hate me." Feldt looked at Setsuna disappointed, noticing his lack of tact.

Lyle shook his head, "Stop playing the hard case kid."

"Look, you don't have a reason to fight her."

Lyle glowered at Setsuna, "Sure I do!"

Setsuna continued, "You have more of a reason not to fight her." Lyle just glared at him before looking away. Feldt grabbed Setsuna by the arm, bringing him back to their room. He didn't resist, following her.

Feldt and Setsuna's Room

When they entered their room, Feldt gave Setsuna a disappointed look, voice stern, "Setsuna, you could have been more understanding. You were talking about the woman he loves. I don't think he would want to hear anyone would want to kill her."

Setsuna looked down at the disappointment in her voice. 'I just don't want him to have to go through what I did?' A rogue thought went through his head. 'Maybe you can trust her. She's been by my side ever since we got together.'

He spoke in a tersely, "I told him that because I know what he's going through, what it feels like."

Feldt looked at him worried, yet curious, "What do you mean you know what it feels like?" She could see Setsuna look uncomfortable.

He took in a deep breath and began, "Remember when you asked me about my parents on the date?" She nodded, remembering how he never answered the question and they just moved on. He continued, "When I was recruited as a child by Ali al Saachez, I believed he was a man of god. So when he said me and my friends could become holy warriors if we joined his cause. He took us on a training trip and told us not to tell our parents."

Feldt held her hand to her chest, "Your parents must have been worried."

Setsuna nodded, sorrow filling his tone, "They were. But that didn't matter, not to Ali. He told us in order to truly become warriors, we had to sever our connections to the people closest to us, our families." Feldt laid a hand on his arm, seeing how heavy this topic was to him. 'Ali al Saachez must have killed his parents.' He smiled for a second at that, happy she was here. He continued with the story, "We were so caught up in the fervor of it, we didn't question it. We all showed up back in town and when our parents met us all worried, we…" He trailed off, not wanting to say it. Not wanting to experience the memories again. He looked away from Feldt, not wanting to see her disappointed face. He could feel some tears fighting desperately to come out, but he fought them down.

Feldt took in the story silently. 'I knew he had a bad childhood, but to have to kill his own parents? He stayed strong for so long, despite what happened to him?' This did explain why he was so anti-social five years ago. He not only was a child soldier, but he also killed his family at the command of someone who didn't care about his life. 'No wonder his hometown still haunted him, and we showed up in that place. I'm sorry you had to suffer those memories so long, but not any longer.'

She approached him, gently bringing one of her hands to his face, "Setsuna." He didn't look up, not knowing what he would see, but not wanting to risk it. She spoke softly again, "Setsuna, look at me." He looked up tentatively, looking into his girlfriend warm sea green eyes. What he didn't see was any form of disappointment, but kindness and love.

He began to speak when she interrupted him, voice full of love, "Setsuna, I'm so sorry you had to suffer in silence for so long. Being alone, no matter how strong you are, is rough on anyone. Did you ever grieve for them?"

He shook his head. He was initially convinced that it was a good thing and by the time he realized the mistake he made, it was too late. Weakness was the enemy and emotions like grief were a weakness. As time passed, thinking back on it was too painful, so he shoved it into the recesses of his mind. Only recently had they come back, and they had carried the same weight as when he was younger.

Feldt rested her other hand on his chest, "I'm sorry you didn't or thought you couldn't."

Setsuna spoke sorrowfully, "It was one of the reasons why I didn't realize my feelings for you sooner. I didn't think I was worthy of love and I was only looking forward to a future of fighting."

Tears reached Feldt's eyes, "Did you think I wouldn't accept you because of what you did? That I wouldn't care for you?" He nodded. She shook her head, looking back at him with a determined look, "What I see in front of me is a man who fought for the right thing despite all the suffering and torment he went through. A man who tried to change the world and himself despite the weight of his past. A man who is still growing and changing for the better. You grew into a man I fell in love with, one I would stay with for the rest of my life. You don't have to handle all of your burdens alone anymore."

Setsuna stood in shock. Her speech was more intense than he thought anything like that would be. He hadn't expected that and one bit caught his attention. He replied hesitatingly, "Did you… did you say you love me?" The tears he had been fighting were rising up again. 'She loves me? And puts that much faith in me?' He hadn't felt attachment like this to someone for so long. 'My past held more grip than I thought.'

She nodded, beaming at him, happy tears in her eye, "Yes Setsuna. I love you. Nothing would make me not love you."

Setsuna suddenly pulled her into a close embrace, wanting to hold her. Feldt was surprised at the embrace, but pulled him close happily. Happy tears began to flow out of him. Absolution and pure happiness flowed through him, something that had been alien to him for so long. Feldt smiled, feeling his tears falling onto her shoulder. He hadn't said I love you back, but that was ok with her. This wasn't about her. This was about him facing his past. He had helped her deal with her feelings and now it was time to return the favor.

For the first time in a long time, Setsuna felt like he could face his past. It was almost like a weight had been lifted off his chest. It was so hard to do it alone, but with Feldt by his side, he could do it. 'It won't be easy, but I have to progress, get better and change. It's the only way to grab a happy future.'

A-Laws Cruiser

Andrei approached the captain's lounge, having been invited by Ribbons to join him. Andrei was actually surprised Ribbons came personally. 'I would have thought one of the innovators would have told me.' His first thought is it would have been Revive, but he had been captured in the last battle.

Frustration flowed through him thinking about the battle. He had been so close to killing Soma, yet that other defective super soldier interfered, saving her. 'How I used to respect her, I have no idea.' She had always been weak, not wanting to do the necessary acts to create world peace. Back at the Katharon base, she spoke out against using the Automatons. And once again, his Ahead had failed him in the end. 'I need that regnant."

He knocked on the door, hearing an invitation in. The door slid open and he entered, the door closing behind him. He saw Ribbons lounging on the couch in the room. Ribbons gave him a smile, "Hello Andrei. I assume you are curious as to why I invited you?"

He nodded, "Yes, but I do have a question. What happened with Revive? Should we go rescue him?"

Ribbons raised up a hand, voice casual, "Don't worry about it. If everything is according to plan, he should be on her way back, presumably with one of the gundams." Ribbons cleared his throat, "I asked you here because your new mobile armor is ready." He brought up a display showing it being attached on the outside of the ship. Ribbons shrugged, "It's too large to fit on the ship, so you will have to enter it from the outside of the ship."

Andrei missed what Ribbons said after showing him the image of the Regnant. 'I had imagined seeing it in person, but now it's right here. Within my grasp. Now I can make the gundams pay for all the chaos they created.' He stared at the image, imagining the capabilities of this suit. If it was an improved version of that mobile armor, then it would definitely be devastating against the gundams.

He was broken out of his trance by Ribbons calling out, "Andrei, this is for you." In Ribbons outstretched hand was a flash drive. Andrei looked at it curiously and Ribbons explained, "It contains the manual for the Regnant. I expect you to familiarize yourself with it for the next operation against the gundams."

Andrei grabbed it with a determined looked, "Understood. The gundams won't escape our wrath, not with this."

Ribbons smirked, "See to it they learn in the hard way. This operation will be an innovator one, not A-Laws, so wait for my message."

Andrei saluted him, "Yes sir!" Ribbons smirked at his reaction, though inwardly he was frustrated. 'I'll destroy your little toys Celestial Being. Especially the 00. If I can't have it then neither can you.'

Bridge of the Ptolemy

Tieria sat at the pilot controls, waiting for the enemy to appear. 'They will show up eventually. They know we are weak.' He felt a hand on his chair and turned to see Sumeragi facing him. In a commanding tone, she said, "Get the Seravee ready for launch. I'll handle things here."

The purple-haired man looked at her curiously, "But your ship handling skills aren't the best."

Sumeragi shrugged, voice humble, "That may be, but someone needs to pilot it and you are needed on the Seravee to protect us."

Tieria closed his eyes and looked down, "Roger." Just then, they heard the door open and saw Soma enter in her pilot suit. She floated towards Sumeragi, her tone even, "Sumeragi, I am ready to pilot the ship if you want me to."

The tactical forecaster internally sighed. While she knew she wasn't great, they needed Lasse on the guns more, which only left her. 'I should have thought to ask Soma.' Sumeragi nodded, her tone grateful, "Thank you Soma."

Just then, the sensors went off, showing three mobile suits and one mobile armor. Sumeragi looked grimly at the info before looking at Tieria, nodding. He nodded back and left the bridge, headed toward the hanger. Mileina called out about the approaching enemies to the ship over the PA, telling the pilots to get ready for launch.

With the gundams

The Seravee, Arios, and Cheridum headed towards the approaching mobile suits, trying to keep them as far from the ship as possible. The 00 Raiser still needed more time before it was operational again. Their job was to delay the enemy as long as possible. They saw the group opposing them was made up of the Gadessa, Garazzo, a mobile suit similar to the Garazzo but blue with a physical sword instead energy claws, and lastly the red and black mobile armor.

Tieria called out to the other gundams, "Only a few enemy units, but one of them is a mobile amor. It looks like an improved version of the one we fought before, so be careful."

Allelujah replied evenly, "Roger that." He then saw a large blast come out of the front of the Regnant, heading towards them. He yelled out a warning to his fellow pilots, them dodging out of the way. What caught them by surprise was the fact the beam twisted, shooting towards them once again. The Cheridum easily got out of the way, but the beam continued to chase the Seravee. Tieria put up his GN field, stopping the blast, but he could still feel the raw force of the energy blast. He grunted out, "It's so powerful!" 'It's even more powerful than the old one!' Seeing that it began to focus on Alleujah, he focused his fire on the innovator's mobile suits, trying to tie them down.

Allelujah dodged blast after blast, barely avoiding getting hit. He grit his teeth. 'It almost hit me. We definitely need to be careful.' While he couldn't beat it in a straight fight, he could certainly keep it busy and away from the ship and his allies.

With the Cheridum

Lyle looked at the approaching mobile suits, hoping to spot Anew. 'She will be back. Which one of them is her?' He wouldn't kill her. Despite his conversation with Setsuna earlier, Lyle had no idea if he even could bring himself to kill her. They could capture her and maybe he could convince her to join them again. The innovators must have done something to her to make her turn. They would figure it out. 'Hopefully.'

He spotted the new suit approaching him. 'This must be her.' Every innovator seemed to have their own suit and this was the only one the crew hadn't seen. Dropping his rifle, he headed towards the suit, drawing his pistols as he saw the new Gaddess swinging its sword as it charged. He blocked the blow with his weapons, holding the sword in place. He heard Anew speak to him in an even tone, "Don't lose you head, Lyle. You've got an image to live up to."

Lyle frowned at her voice. It lacked all the compassion and friendliness she had before. All the love the two had. 'What happened to her?' She showed worry when he got shot but now she seemed to have no problem trying to kill him.

He called out to her desperately, "Anew!" She didn't respond, pulling back as she fired her wrist blasters at him. He was forced to evade the shots, returning fire at her. 'Looks like I'll have to defeat her before I can do anything.' The two went back and forth firing at each other, with her occasionally coming into melee reach to try to attack him, but he managed to block those attacks.

The Gaddess pulled back once again, raising its sword as Anew yelled out, "Fangs, fly!" Parts of her armor flew out like drones, headed towards the Cheridum. Lyle saw that and looked at haro, telling him, "Haro. Deploy the shield bits in assault mode."

"Roger! Roger!"

The armor on the Cheridum broke off, dogfighting with the drones from the Gaddess. Lyle assisted with destroying the enemy drones, destroying a few himself. Seeing the number of drones decreasing and those remaining distracted, he charged towards the Gaddess, clashing her blade with his pistols. He spoke to Anew with frustration, "Why do we have to fight each other like this?!"

Anew responded in a cold voice, though he caught a bit of wavering in it, "It's because you're human. And obviously I am an innovator!" One of the Gaddess's drones pierced the Cheridum's leg, causing it to explode. Lyle responded by firing a waist missile, hitting the left arm of the Gaddess, destroying it below the elbow.

He tried to appeal to her once again, "We understood each other!" Feelings began to flow through Anew, ones connected to the memories she had. She fought those encroaching feelings, shoving them to the back of her mind.

Anew replied in slightly shaky voice, "It was a false reality."

Lyle's voice picked up in intensity, "So it was all false?! The things I wanted and the things you felt!? Well then, have it your way." He activated trans-am as regret flowed through Anew, her head a mess of suppressed feelings and her role as an innovator. 'Why am I doing this? Why am I fighting him?'

Lyle began to strafe around the Gaddess, easily dodging any return fire and causing a good deal of damage to the suit. The Gaddess tried to engage the Cheridum in melee, but he easily dodged out of the way. Anew's cockpit was sparking and her displays were static-y and she saw the Cheridum approach, both guns raised and aimed at her cockpit. Lyle was then joined by the surviving shield bits, who all turned their aim on her. 'I'm sorry Lyle.' All of her affection and love for Lyle came flowing back in, tears beginning to form.

What caught her by surprise was when Lyle threw away his pistols, hands grabbing the opening to the cockpit of her suit. She asked in confusion, "What are you doing?" 'I'm still his enemy.'

Lyle responded in a decisive tone, "It's obvious, isn't it? I'm going to do my best to make you my woman again!" He ripped off the cover of her suit's cockpit with some effort and she looked up at the Cheridum, eyes full of tears. He continued, "And I'm not taking no for an answer!"

She spoke out, not believing what she is seeing, "Lyle…" 'But I'm an innovator.'

Lyle replied confidently, giving her a warm smile, "I'm getting what I want. Even if you are only an innovator."

She smiled warmly, looking down, "Oh Lyle. I feel like I can… like I can…" He lowered his hand to let her on the Cheridum, waiting for her to move. She sat there for a second, before beginning to move to leave the open cockpit. 'Maybe I can be happy, innovator or not.' Just as she was about to push out of the suit's cockpit, she felt Ribbons seize control of her mind, her eyes glowing gold. 'Please no! Not now!'

She heard a callous reply to her thoughts. 'It seems you have failed me. Oh well, at least I can take out one gundam thanks to you.'

Her mind was quieted as the green haired innovator took control of her body. Lyle looked on in worry, "Anew, is everything ok?" He was caught by surprise when he was kicked back by the Gaddess. 'We were so close! Anew? What is going on?' The suit then sliced through the remaining shield bits, leaving Lyle defenseless. Ribbons launched two last drones, who began to rake the Cheridum with fire. Lyle called out in confusion and desperation, "Anew!"

Ribbons, speaking through Anew, replied coldly, "Innovators are meant to guide humanity. That's right, we are superior beings, absolute and perfect. I can't stand us being treated as lowly as humans. Let me show you the real difference in our powers. Something in the voice was distinctly not…Anew. It was almost like it was an entirely different person. 'What's going on?'

As the Cheridum began to take more and more damage, the Gaddess aimed its sword and charged at the Cheridum, aiming for the cockpit. Lyle called out for her to stop, but Ribbons paid him no heed. Just as the blade was about to hit the Cheridum, two energy blasts hit the Gaddess, destroying the sword arm and the head of the suit. The innovator's suit flew harmlessly into the chest of the Cherium, the remaining arm holding onto the suit. The console in the cockpit of the Gaddess began to spark, unnoticed by Lyle. GN particles began to fill space as the 00 Raiser flew by. 'Setsuna, please don't kill her!'

Lyle felt a strange pull on his mind and everything went white. He found himself in his room in his casual uniform and looked down to see Anew in her uniform looking at him in desperation and love. He pulled her into a crushing hug, equal amounts of desperation and love radiating off of him.

He began to tear up, "Anew, I'm so sorry. I tried to-"

She put a finger to his lips, her voice weak, "It's alright. I never wanted to fight you. I love you so much Lyle."

"I love you too!"

Her eyes began to slowly close, "Stay strong Lyle. Stay strong for…" He saw her go unconscious as it went bright white again. He opened his eyes to see Anew slumped over a ruined console. He rushed out of his cockpit to Anew, chanting under his breath for her to please be ok. 'Setsuna better not have killed her.' He found her with a cracked helmet, unconscious but breathing weakly. He only had one thought on his mind. 'I have to get her out of here!'

He could hear the sound of distant battle, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was Anew. 'If she dies Setsuna, you will pay.'

Trinities Ship

Wang Liu Mei stood looking out into space, the location of Veda in her hands on a small note. 'That will show Ribbons for thinking he's so superior. Now I just need to get this to Celestial Being.' While Celestial Being wasn't her favorite group, they were the only threat to Ribbons and the innovators. 'And once Celestial Being eliminates Ribbons, I will advance in this new world.'

Her victorious thoughts were interrupted by Hong Long calling out to her as he struggled with the controls of the ship, "My mistress, the controls aren't responding! Something isn't right."

She looked at him in confusion, "What's going on?"

"I don't know, but all our systems have been erased."

She looked out the window in fear, realizing what's going on, "Veda is interfering!" She looked at Hong Long and spoke with a commanding tone, "We are getting out of here now! Get the shuttle ready!"

He spoke frustratedly, "I can't! The systems aren't responding anymore!"

Just then, the screen in front of them crackled with static and the voice of Nena giggled as a communications channel opened. Wang Liu Mei called out in confusion, "Nena Trinity? Can you hear me? We can't control the ships systems! Please come and help us!"

Nena continued to giggle, her tone became taunting, "You dummy! I already know that, because I'm the one doing it."

The Chinese woman recoiled in shock, "You're the one!?" 'Nena betrayed me! How could she?!'

Hong Long spoke in a strained even tone, "Something's coming up on the monitor." The screen cleared up, showing Nena's shuttle in front of the ship.

Nena's voice became bitter, "You've got everything. And yet you want even more." The shuttle opened up at the top, Nena's Throne unit rising out of the shell of the shuttle. Nena smirked viciously. 'I bet you didn't expect that.' The gundam approached the ship, stopping in front of it. Nena continued, "On the inside, you are hollow." Her voice picked up anger, "You know, I've always hated you for that." She opened up the vents on her suit, spreading particles around the area, creating a blanket hiding their radar signatures. Nena glared at the Chinese woman, "That's why I think you would be better off dead!"

Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long looked on in fear as Nena opened fire on the ship, easily hitting the motionless and defenseless vessel. Wang Liu Mei stood there shocked, unable to vocalize anything. 'I was supposed to see the reformation of the world. I was supposed to live.' Hong Long got up out of his chair and grabbed his mistress as the ship began to explode around her. Seeing that she was still in shock, he pulled her to the shuttles. 'I'll get us out of here sister!'

Author Note Two

So in this timeline, Anew is alive, at least for now. I hope you commenters who mentioned what happened to Anew are happy and those who are Anew fans the same. I tried not to make it too contrived how she survived. I basically realized her death wasn't needed and is part of the tiring gundam trope of love interests of main characters dying. I feel like there are ways to replicate the dramatic effect but without the death part. Also Lyle needs some love.

Other than the confession, which speaks for itself, I don't have much to comment on. I hope you guys enjoy and I'll see you next chapter! Keep those reviews coming!