I do not own Chris, Liz, or Johanna Dante, Saul, Ian, or Diana Kessel, John Alaric, the 11th Fleet, the Raven, or the Surge Gundams. They all belong to Akatsuki_Leader13. Nor do I own Gundam. Nor do I own Martin Nightengale, as he is Meteorthunder3's OC. I only own Akira, Tao, Nisha, NASA/NAZAFT, the 7th Fleet, the Wing, Z.A.M., and Diver Gundams.

CT7567Rules: I will give Patrick a few, but Uzumi is still knocked out. Sorry. ^^'

Titanic X: Glad you like it. :)

A0930: Lockhart is female. Sorry. ^^' And I have actually responded to all your reviews. I am glad I can make your day! :3

Bvh - Inconsistently named guest: PLEASE use the same guest name! Geez... But I am glad you still like it. But I want to know WHAT you love about it, not just that you like it, even though I like hearing that as well.

gagasgumilang208: Glad you liked it. :3

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Phase Thirty-One: The Opening Door

Inside Mendel

The Buster, the Surge and the Neo Blitz landed. Across from them, the Duel landed as well. All four pilots climbed out of their machines. All of them were on edge, unsure of how this would play out. Dearka, Nicol, and Saul all hoped that it wouldn't come to violence. But before any of them could say anything, Yzak drew his sidearm and aimed it at them. His three former teammates tensed up. "Whoa there. There's no need for that, Yzak." Saul said.

"You honestly think I'd be naïve enough to just talk to an enemy?" Yzak sneered.

Dearka put his hands up. "So now we're your enemy just like that?" he asked.

"The only people I see here are enemies and traitors."

The trio stiffened. "We didn't choose to become your enemy, Yzak. And we're not trying to betray the PLANTs. But..."

"Then what is it?" Yzak shouted, interrupting him. "Why are you fighting alongside the Strike? The very machine that almost killed you Nicol!"

A silence descended on the four pilots. "All of us can no longer agree with what ZAFT's doing." Nicol said, breaking the silence. "Not if it's only about senselessly killing Naturals."


Inside the Mendel Lab

"This place is like a forbidden temple." Rau said, gesturing to the laboratory around them. "It's the remnants of the dreams of fools thought they were gods." He then looked straight at Kira, staring into his eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that the people you called mother and father were in fact not your real parents?"

Kira shuddered. There had been times when he thought along those lines. But he always believed that it was because his parents had been Naturals and he was a Coordinator. But if they really weren't his parents…

"If you had truly known…" Rau continued. "Then perhaps you would've turned out different. You wouldn't have been so normal, without a trace of your tainted past. Even when Athrun first mentioned your name, it hadn't dawn on me that you may very well be the one. I had heard that both twins died, as along with your real father, Dr. Ulen Hibiki, you were at the top of Blue Cosmos' hit list."

"What?" Kira whispered.

"But you've survived, grown up, and plunged into this war, and still, you're alive." Rau said, "Now why do you think that is? Seeing you now, even I'm convinced that those fools were on to something. Perhaps their dream wasn't so far-fetched."

Kira's body shook more and more and raised his gun at Rau's head and thumbed back the hammer. "I'm what?" he demanded. "What is it you think I am?"

Mu grunted in pain from his wound as he saw the words of that psychopath get into Kira's head.

"You are humanity's dream." Rau sneered, "Kira Yamato, you were supposed to be the Ultimate Coordinator."

Kira froze, wondering what that statement meant.

"It was Dr. Hibiki who created the artificial womb, in the pursuit of that dream. Out of all the specimens, you were the only one to survive, even if you were only in there a short time. A great many of your siblings had to be sacrificed along the way." Rau said harshly to Kira.

Kira was overcome with shock. He dropped his gun on the ground and started to tremble as he looked to the side and stared at the glass containers. If what Le Creuset said was true? What if he had been born here? Did that mean that all these dead fetuses were his unborn brothers and sisters? He felt bile rise up his throat but he managed to suppress it before it reached his mouth. Kira slumped back slightly, utterly shocked at this outpouring of truth and realizing that all of his life had been a lie. Everything he had known had been a lie...

"Shut up!" Chris shouted, firing a couple of rounds at Creuset.

Heero also fired, barely missing the man.

Rau ducked behind a table. Chris turned to Kira. "Don't listen to this nutjob Kira! He's trying to get into your head!" he said to his confused friend, trying to shake him from his stupor.

But Creuset hasn't done yet. "And you, Christopher Dante. How many children were born dead because of your parents' work? Born deformed. Born insane? All to give birth to you…What your parents had hoped would be their greatest success. That those lives lost would count for something." the masked man said, poking his head up from the table. "Instead, you were they're greatest failure! A failure that shattered their dreams completely! Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't kill a pathetic failure like you after you were born!"

"I said, shut the hell up!" Chris screamed, firing at Creuset again. "I've had it up to here with your lies! I'm not falling for any of your mind games!"

Rau pulled his head back down. "All I've told you is the truth." he smugly replied.

"Then where's the proof?" Chris shouted back. "All you've shown us is some photos! They could have come from anywhere! They aren't enough to back up your claims!"

"Take a look on your left then." Rau replied.

Against his better judgment, Chris turned to his left. There were several doors along the wall. The doors all had names written on them. They were offices. His eyes scanned the names until he came across one door. His body froze as his eyes locked onto the words written on that door...

DR. DAVID AND CLAIRE DANTE

His parents' names. He had tried to deny Rau's claims. Passing it off as Creuset's demented mind games. But he couldn't deny it anymore.

But it didn't make sense. His parents were doctors. They cared for the sick, healed the injured. They strove to save lives. They wouldn't work in this insane place. Not the mother and father he knew. They would never be a part of this insanity.

Suddenly, Rau rose up and fired another round. Mu leaped up and pulled both teens down to the ground while Heero dove to the ground on reflex. Quickly, rising back up after that, Mu fired two rounds at Rau, who quickly retreated into an empty corridor. Chris mentally cursed himself for getting distracted in the middle of a gun fight. Heero was no doubt disappointed in him. Now wasn't the time for this. He had to deal with this later. Mu glanced at him. Chris waved him off. "I'll be fine. We need to stop him."

Mu nodded and turned to Kira. He was in worse shape, at least mentally. Kira looked stunned and horrified. Like a soldier suffering from shellshock. "Come on kid, don't take his nonsense serious even for one second. He doesn't know what he's talking about." Mu said, trying to comfort him.

This seemed to knock Kira at least partially out of his dazed. He weakly nodded. And the four of them chased after Creuset.


The Archangel

Inside the Mendel Harbor

Back at the harbor, repair work on the Archangel was completed and now everyone stood around, waiting anxiously. They waited for the Dominion and its escorts to make another move or for the newly-discovered ZAFT forces on the other side of the colony to move, and most importantly, for any word on the missing members of their group inside the colony.

"There are five Nazca-class vessels behind us?" Murrue asked.

"Aye." John replied from his cockpit. "Hilda's group just came back with the confirmation. This is going to be a problem for us."

"Indeed it will." Andrew said. "At the moment, we're missing a good chuck of our mobile suit strength. While I'm confident that we could stand a chance against the ZAFT forces and most of the Earth forces here, I'm not sure how we'll fair against both forces at the same time. And, I'm not sure how we'll be able to fair against those four without Kira or Heero."

John nodded. "Yes. At best, we'll be able fight to a stalemate." He sighed before continuing, "Those four are unlike any pilots I've encountered before. They're as good as any ZAFT aces. But they're wild and reckless. And those machines of theirs are very powerful. We have to hope the Kira and the others return before either group moves in."


The Eternal

Athrun felt the most anxious of everyone. He thought that Kira would've at least contacted them by now. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to act. "I'm going to go looking for them." he said, powering up the Justice.

Suddenly, Lacus appeared on the screen before him. "I cannot permit that." she said. "Please remain on standby for the time being."

"Lacus. We're facing a situation with seven of our pilots and mobile suits missing. You can't expect me to just sit here and do nothing, can you?"

"That is the very reason you must stay here." She replied. "We cannot afford to reduce our numbers any further. The ZAFT forces are nearby and we don't know when the Earth Forces will attack again. No matter what, we must press on, even if Kira, Heero, Chris, and the others don't make it back."

Athrun felt powerless. She was right of course. They couldn't spare anyone at the moment. If the Dominion and those four attacked again or if the ZAFT forces attacked, he'd be needed here. All he could do was hope that everyone would return safely.


Inside the Mendel Lab

Down in a deeper level of the lab, Mu, Chris, Heero, and Kira slowly moved through the lab. Mu's injuries were starting to affect him more severely. While his adrenaline rush numbed most of the pain, he knew he needed to get medical attention soon or he'd be in trouble. But before that, he had to kill Rau. The four entered a room filled with bottles and vials of medical supplies and medication. Mu and Kira took cover behind a lab table while Chris crouched behind a pile of debris and a fallen cabinet on the other side of the room. Heero was against the wall, trying to hide behind the door frame.

Out of the dim light of the room, the sound of descending footsteps echoed. Mu peered out to see a shape proceeding down the staircase. Rau reloaded his pistol and twisted his head, searching for his adversaries. "My fellow humans, I'm now revealing a secret I have kept from you all.'" He called out in a mocking tone, speaking the words of the late George Glenn. "I did not come into the world through natural birth. My genes were artificially operated on during the early embryonic stage."

He stopped. "Those were the words of George Glenn, humanity's very first Coordinator." he said, pressed a button on a wall panel.

A series of lights came on, illuminating a medicine cabinet of sorts. "Little did he realize what chaos was to follow after his announcement…He set a wave of avarice into motion unlike anything before! So many parents wanted their dream children, choosing traits that fulfilled their own desires. It was as they were special ordering of some catalog." he said, his voice filled with disgust. "People paid a great price for their dream, but not everything goes as planned. Babies that weren't miscarried were born with traits different than what their parents wanted. No one wants to see their hopes and dreams destroyed! That's what drove them on!"

Rau reached the bottom of the stairs. They were close. He could feel it. "And what did people gain from this? What did they get? What was the result of their dreams?"

Kira was mortified by all of this. Again, Kira found himself lost in thoughts of what he was exactly, while Chris and Mu had both had enough of his mind games and rants, Heero included. "Shut up!" Chris shouted, standing up and firing wildly at the man.

Rau dodged every shot and fired a single shot. The well-aimed bullet struck his sidearm, sending it flying. He quickly dove back behind the debris. "And your parents were no better." Rau said, aiming at Chris. "They sought to advance humanity up the next step of the evolutionary ladder, to create a new, better breed of man. Not Natural. Not Coordinator, but something greater. They used the method for creating Coordinators as the base of their experiments to create this new human. But in the end, dozens of children were dead or suffered psychical and mental deformities! How many children suffered and died to give birth to you! How many died to give birth to a failure! Children like my...my..." Rau paused for moment, seemingly lost in thought. He shook his head before continuing. "Tell me, is there anything you'd like for me to pass onto Miss Allster before I do what should have been done years ago?"

"What?" Chris quietly said. "How-"

"She talks in her sleep. And she's wearing some dog tag with the name of your grandfather if I'm not mistaken." Rau said, a sickening grin spreading across his face.

Chris's eyes widened as his face turned to a stunned expression for a second before turning to an expression of rage. "You bastard!" Chris roared as he jumped over his makeshift cover, racing for Creuset.

But Creuset didn't shoot him. He just stood there as Chris ran towards him. Just as Chris was about to reach him, Rau struck, driving his right foot into Chris's stomach. Chris stumbled back only to receive a punch to his face. He fell to the ground. Chris looked up. Rau was standing over him, his gun pointed at his head.

"No you don't!" Mu shouted, moving from his cover, firing at Rau.

But Rau seemed to predict his move and was already running for cover before Mu squeezed the trigger. Rau reached the corner of a wall while Chris dove for cover, cover fire provided by Heero. "They thirsted for knowledge! They sought to fulfill their desires! And ultimately, they forgot why they were doing it! Even when they proclaimed their reverence for human life, they toyed with it, and they destroyed it!" He shouted, more to the heavens rather than his three enemies. "No matter what knowledge humans obtain, they never learn anything! They become envious of each other! Hate each other! Destroy each other!" Rau continued to rant as he began to fire wildly at them, destroying monitors and vials of medicine. "If that's what they truly desire, why don't they simply exterminate each other?"

"What give you the right to sound so superior?" Mu shouted back in anger as he fired in Rau's direction.

His last bullet missed Rau's ear by a mere inch. But he ignored it and continued to fire until his clip ran dry. As the clip slid out of Rau's empty pistol, he screamed with a twisted smile, "I am the only one who's earned that right! In the entire universe, only I have the right to judge humanity!"

Mu spat at the raving man. "Cut the crap, you maniac! You don't really expect us to believe that?"

Rau laughed. "I'm surprised you don't remember. We've met once before, Mu, long ago before we ever met on the battlefield."

Something about that line sparked a pair of long forgotten memories in Mu's mind. He was ten at the time. It was a few months before his parents' deaths. A maid had been fixing his tie when he met a boy his age, a boy with blue eyes and blond hair like him. And he looked almost like him. In fact, they easily could have been mistake for brothers. The boy didn't say anything. He just stared at him for a few moments before walking away. He remembered how unsettled he had been by the silent boy and his empty, soulless gaze.

The other was a few years before that one. He had been walking past his father's office. The door was open slightly and he could hear his father talking to a servant. "He will be my heir. Not that woman's child. Make sure you keep a close eye on him and educate him well. Whatever you do, don't make him into another weakling." his father said.

Mu was dumbfounded. Why had these memories suddenly come back?

Rau's demeanor turned even more demented as he continued. "I am he! That arrogant fool...who thought he could thwart Death itself with his money! Al Da Flaga, your father! But I am merely that man's defective clone!"

"What?" a stunned Mu said.

Heero could hardly believe what he was hearing. Ultimate Coordinators, a new type of being, clones! It was all too much to believe and yet he believed it as there was ample proof all around him.

But the shock quickly wore off. "A clone? You expect anyone to believe that fairy tale?"

"I don't want to believe it either." Rau replied. "Unfortunately, it's true!"

Rau slapped his final clip into his handgun and slowly moved out of his cover. "The final door is about to open! And I'm the one opening it! Then the world that we know will come to an end, this world of insatiable desires will end!" Rau said, approaching Mu's position behind the corner while Mu himself continued to breathe heavily.

Neither man realized that Kira was on the move. Grabbing a piece of debris and rushing towards the two adults.

"And then the conceited fools who struggle within it will finally have their wish come true!" Rau shouted maniacally as he raised his gun in Mu's direction, thumbing back the hammer.

"No, it won't happen! I won't let it!" Kira yelled as he threw the chuck of metal at Rau as he fired at the boy.

Rau emptied his clip. But none of the shots hit Kira. While the piece of metal that Kira threw hit Rau's mask dead on. The mask fell off, revealing Creuset's face to the four. Mu, Kira, Heero, and Chris all gasped as they saw his face. It was identical to the face of Mu's father.

"Ha! Do you think you can change what's going to happen!" Rau said, ignoring the loss of his mask. "Nobody can do anything about it! For the world full of hatred is engulfing the universe!"

Suddenly, Rau ran off as Mu attempted to chase after him. However, due to the loss of blood of his injury, he stumbled and fell down. Kira, Heero, and Chris rushed over to him. "We need to get out of here. Can you stand?" Kira asked as the three of them helped him up.

Mu nodded. "Yeah. I can stand. We have to get out of here."

The three pilots headed for the exit. But Kira stopped to gather the entire collection of photos. They then slowly made their way outside, where their mobile suits were waiting.


The Dominion

Near Mendel

Back within the debris field just outside of Mendel's perimeter, the Dominion and its escorts made final preparations for reengagement. However, Natarle was still nervous about the situation. The nearby Nazca-class ships had yet to make a move, and that worried her the most. "We'll be at a disadvantage if we make the first move." She said. "I cannot guarantee success."

"It's easy to say something is impossible." Azrael replied. "It's another to actually make it happen. That's how it is in the business world."

"This is war." Natarle sharply countered, "Failure means death."

"The stakes are the same in the business world." the Blue Cosmos leader said with a smug grin. "Is it that you're someone who'll only fight battles you know you can win?"

Natarle clenched her fists, but didn't say anything. Azrael took notice. "That's fine by me. I mean, no one wants to waste anything on a lost cause. But we can't keep sitting here forever, can we? Not if we want the prize."


The four Extendeds were almost ready to move out. Each took the vial of Gamma Glipheptin they were given. They wanted to finally defeat those mobile suits that they just couldn't seem to beat.

"You think we'll be in trouble again if we fail?" Shani asked.

"Probably." Clotho grunted. "That bastard doesn't give a damn about us. He only cares about us making him look good."

"Doesn't matter." Orga said with a smirk. "As long as we get to crush those three machines."

Martin dropped his empty vial on the ground. "I don't care about him. I want to tear those bastards apart so I can find him!" he said, crushing the empty vial under his foot.

His teammates nodded in agreement before they headed to their machines.

A short while later, the four Extendeds were prepped and ready to attack once more. As they took point, the remaining Strike Daggers from the three Alliance warships followed close behind.


Ensign Lockhart looked out her room window before she turned to her computer screen. Once again, she was connected to her contact.

"So, the Earth Forces are engaged with the Three Ships Alliance?" her contact asked.

"Yes, they are. So far it appears to be a draw, but that could change at any moment." She replied. "And given the circumstances, I don't expect it not to."

Her contact nodded. "I see. Are you sure you can do it now?"

"No. Not yet. It is in the middle of battle, and that would only make things worse." Ensign Lockhart explained. "If I were to take him out now, the battle would only go downhill from there."

Her contact closed her eyes and sighed. "You know the longer it is put off, the harder it will be to conceal it from the public and the world."

"Yes, I know. But in this case, we have no choice but to hold off for the moment." Ensign Lockhart pointed out. "Besides, I can actually gather data on his methods of battle planning. That will be useful since a lot of Blue Cosmos members are also in the business world."

"It will be useful, but only for a select few. The other members will not follow by the data that you are currently gathering." Her contact rebutted.

"That may be true, but those that are in the business world are often the higher-ups. That is a fact from the data and investigations carried out by NASA." Ensign Lockhart replied.

"Still, it is best to be wary and on high alert. If Azrael shows any signs of having figured out that there is a threat to his life, or if he shows signs of having found you out, leave right away." Her contact reminded her.

"I will." With that, the line closed, and Ensign Lockhart flopped back onto her bed.


Washington D.C.

President Hilson looked out the windows at the dark sky above the White House. She could see the points that were the PLANTs and the other, older colonies that were no longer in use. The ships could not be seen, but she knew that they were up there as well.

Deep down, she hoped that the war would come to an end soon; otherwise, it would be the end of the Coordinators and/or Naturals. Only one side could win, and each side was determined to wipe the other out.

Still, the president knew that war did not have just two sides. The other side involved was them, NASA itself. If NASA could end the war, then the other combatants would have to surrender to them. And yet it was also a long shot that seemed to be impossible.

The woman sighed. Just what it would take to end the war, she had no idea.


NASA missile silos

As Defense Secretary Keller made his way through one of the old silos, he could see men and women working on the missiles to try and make them work despite the N-Jammers being in effect. And yet that endeavor was already failing.

It was hard enough to overcome those things, yet the fact that all of the previous attempts had failed made it all the more bitter for those involved. Defense Secretary Keller walked over to an old missile that was still open and the device beside it.

"So the N-Jammer Cancellers we made failed?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." An engineer replied as she looked at him. "They failed ten minutes into being installed. The warheads were unable to accept the power source and failed to blow when we launched one into space. Thankfully that one was retrieved before anyone saw it."

"So the new engines worked, but the warheads didn't." Keller mused as he looked over the missile butt. Inside was a nuclear fusion reactor, allowing greater distances to be covered with less fuel used.

"It would appear so, sir." She replied. Keller looked back at the missile warhead that was still opened. "We need to find a reliable N-Jammer Canceller soon, otherwise the Earth Forces will attack the PLANTs again, and this time without much hesitation. If we have these things still operable however, then they will think twice before doing so."

The older man just nodded in agreement. "It's the physics of the N-Jammer that make it so hard to overcome. And even if we could do so, the Cancellers would have to be of a caliber that we cannot reach yet using current EA-produced tech."

"That means we would have to build them ourselves." The engineer realized. "And if we do that, then Blue Cosmos/LOGOs would have to come to us for the Cancellers. And if they have to come to us, we could deny them the tech, forcing them to forgo attacking the PLANTs!"

Her superior was stunned, but also knew what she meant. "Yes, it would appear so…"

The mere idea of building the Cancellers themselves appeared to be the most appealing, but throwing in the idea of denying Blue Cosmos/LOGOs the Cancellers made it all the more intriguing to him. Keller then realized that this would be the perfect way to extract revenge on the terrorist group for all the pain they had put the Coordinators through. Producing the very tech that they needed to launch nuclear attacks on the PLANTs once again, only to have them turned down just for merely existing was too perfect to pass up!

A grin crossed his face, the idea beginning to take hold in his mind. It was just perfect! "Let the Pentagon know about the idea at once. Then email the Congress as well. This we cannot pass up!"

The engineer realized what he was getting at and saluted. "Yes, sir!"


Washington D.C.

The military personnel of the big pentagonal-shaped building, the Pentagon, ran around, contacting all defense contractors and builders they could, alerting them of the plan that would take effect once N-Jammer Cancellers were able to be produced. Many of the military personnel were more than pleased with the idea, as it seemed to be perfect. Denying Blue Cosmos/LOGOs the N-Jammer Canceller tech just because they existed, what better way than that to attain perfect revenge?

The military brass also agreed, fully aware of what the Earth Forces did just to please the group. Hurting Coordinators and killing them for reasons that were only imagined, taking their families away from them just because they were not born in a normal manner, it was all too much for even NASA's top military officers and combat veterans. So the idea for revenge made it all the more appealing to them.

In the Capitol building, the members of both the House of Representatives and Senate agreed to the plan as well, although there were people who disagreed with it. Still, a majority agreed that Blue Cosmos/LOGOs could not be trusted with the N-Jammer Canceller tech once it was produced. If anything, they would nuke the PLANTs again, forcing NASA to use yet another one of their most powerful missiles, and that they wanted to avoid at all costs.

Politicians murmured and debated the idea, but most agreed that it was for the best. Aware of what Blue Cosmos/LOGOs did to their own Coordinator citizens while abroad, the idea seemed to be the best way of saying that what they did was wrong. If the group was denied the tech, then it would show the rest of the world that Blue Cosmos/LOGOs was not all powerful and controlling.

Defending the PLANTs would be no trouble once the N-Jammer Cancellers were modified and reproduced. Of course, it all came down to how long it would take NASA to redo the concept of the N-Jammer Canceller and the design as well. And that in itself was hard enough to figure out. Still, they had to try, and it was not going to be easy…

Looking back at the massive flag that was within the chambers themselves, the leaders of the nation knew that they had the ability to overcome the challenge. But it all came down to how it was done and how long it actually took.

And it all began with the research into what went wrong with the previous N-Jammer Cancellers.


Great Lakes Naval Base

The base was abuzz with activity as researchers and engineers ran around, trying to analyze the N-Jammer Cancellers that were now pulled from production. Several of the devices lay on the ground in bunches/piles of up to thirty each.

"Do you know what went wrong with the old N-Jammer Cancellers?" an engineer asked a researcher. She shook her head.

"No, we have no idea other than the parts we used were old and defunct. Not to mention the mineral used was not that effective at blocking the N-Jammer radiation." She replied.

The older man shook his head in aggravation. "So, the right mineral and materials continue to elude us…"

The researcher just looked down, disappointed that her words did little to ease the frustration that everyone was feeling at the moment.

"Maybe…we can try something new?" she suggested.

Her boss shook his head. "No. We can't. We just don't have the materials or the resources the Earth Forces and ZAFT have. We need those missiles if we are to have any way of defending ourselves as well as the PLANTs!" he reminded her.

The researcher fell back into her chair out of frustration. "Damn it! Of all the things the PLANTs could have done, they just had to drop those fucking N-Jammers into the Earth and cause the April Fools Crisis!" she snarled.

The chief engineer growled at her use of language, but given the circumstances, he could not fault her for feeling so angry and frustrated. So he decided to let it slide for now.

"Defeating the Earth Forces will not come so easily, and they know that. That is why they were so willing to risk an invasion. They are aware that we are weaker than before and that we lack nuclear weapons capabilities, and so they tried to attack us with force. They know we don't have those missiles, so that is why they are so willing to be up front with us and fight us in such ways. We NEED those missiles if we are to have a chance against them. If we can retaliate with a nuclear assault, then they will back off from both us AND the PLANTs." A soldier replied as he walked by with another warhead.

Everyone there knew that he was right. In light of recent events, the FBI and CIA had found intelligence that mentioned another potential attack on NASA soil. And of course, the ones who had the data were the Earth Forces.

"Defending our home is one thing, but having the ability to wipe out other cities is quite another. And if we have such a capability, the Earth Forces, or Blue Cosmos/LOGOs to be honest, will be less willing to mess with us." The researcher remarked as she sat up. "That is why we need to regain the capacity we lost: the capacity to wage nuclear war."

Everyone there agreed with her. And they knew that they had only a limited amount of time before another attack could be waged on the PLANTs again…


Archangel's Bridge

Suddenly, Sai's console flashed red. "Captain, they're coming back!" he shouted.

Dread hit hard for everyone. With a chuck of their mobile suit forces missing, including two of their most powerful machines, it wouldn't be easy to fight on equal footing.

"The Dominion is closing in with the two Agamemnon-class warships behind it." Miriallia reported. "Distance 50, Green, Bravo.

"All hands, level one battle stations!" Murrue ordered. "Prepare to move out!"


The Vesalius

The Other Side of Mendel

The ZAFT forces were in a state of confusion. There had been no contact with the Commander, Zane or Yzak for quite some time. Ades, Shiho and Saya stood on the bridge, waiting. "Captain Ades, the Earth Forces ships are reengaging the rogue vessels again!" a controller shouted.

Ades cursed under his breath. "Where is the Commander?" he muttered. "What could be happening inside that colony?"

"Should we go and check on them?" Saya asked.

"No. Not yet." the captain replied. "The Commander told us to wait here for them. And for now, we will wait for them."


Inside Mendel

Dearka, Nicol, and Saul had taken turns explaining some of the recent transgressions involved with their defection. Things were tense with Yzak still aiming his gun at them. They liked to believe that he wouldn't pull the trigger. But it was a dicey situation at best.

"So you're saying that's why Commander Waltfeld and the 11th Fleet joined Lacus Clyne?" Yzak asked. "And the same goes for Athrun as well? And the 7th Fleet, they joined NAZAFT?"

The three ZAFT pilots nodded.

"But why?" Yzak demanded. "What justifies this treason?"

"I've learned some things." Dearka explained. "We all have. The Freedom's pilot is the same guy who piloted the Strike. He's a Coordinator. And it turns out that he and Athrun have been friends since they were kids."

Yzak was surprised. Was that why Athrun had hesitated during their earlier battles with the Strike? "What are you saying?"

Nicol sighed. "I'm not quite as devoted to the cause as the others. I just wanted to protect the PLANTs. But at this point, I simply can't go with ZAFT's methods anymore."

"Nicol, that's enough!" Yzak shouted.

"He's not the only one." Saul added. "I never really wanted to be in the military. I was forced into it by my family. Even with the war, I still didn't desire to be a soldier. But ever since ORB, I've felt like what I'm doing has a real meaning. A real purpose. For the first time, I've felt like I should be a soldier."

"Even Akira defected, and to the United States Armed Forces no less!" Nicol shouted back at Yzak.

"But that's treason!"

"Think about it Yzak! What is ZAFT even fighting for now?" Dearka said. "Alaska, Panama, ORB, NASA, this war is getting worse by the day! And for what?"

Yzak couldn't come up with an answer. It didn't make sense. Just then, the entire colony shook heavily.

"Yzak! Zane! Are you there?" Le Creuset's voice came from Yzak's wrist comlink, "We're leaving at once." With that, the channel went silent.

Dearka, Nicol and Saul turned and headed back towards their machines. Yzak raised his guns at their backs. Nicol glanced back. "If you think we're your enemies now, then go ahead and shoot us."

Yzak couldn't stand it. Someone had gotten into their heads, filling them with strange ideas. "You're being deceived!" he shouted, half-pleading.

Dearka glimpsed over his shoulder. "I wonder which one of us is really being deceived. None of us have anything else to say. We're going now. I speak for all of us when I say that given the choice, we'd rather not fight you."

They climbed into their machines, powered them up and took off, leaving Yzak behind, confused and alone.


"Yzak! Zane! Are you there? We're leaving at once." Creuset said over the comm.

Zane sat in the cockpit of his GuAIZ, near the building Rau, Chris and the others entered. He could have taken a shot at Chris as he left the Exia. But that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to defeat Chris in combat. Picking him off when he was defenseless like that was meaningless. He wanted to prove he was superior to him regardless of the mobile suit.

Creuset rushed out of the building, towards his crippled GuAIZ. Zane came out of his hiding space as the Commander entered the cockpit. "Zane, take me back to the Vesalius, now." he said, his voice becoming strained.

"Yes sir." he said, scooping up the headless and legless torso.

At that moment, the Duel appeared. "Yzak, I have the Commander. We're heading back."

"Right." Yzak responded before the two took off.


Outside Mendel

As the Archangel, the Kusanagi, the Eternal, and six Nazca-class ships launched, Athrun took the lead, flanked by the Dynames, the Wing, the Diver, the Z.A.M. Gundam, and several Astrays. "You all hang back and protect the ships." he ordered.

"Roger that." Asagi replied as the Astrays pulled back.

"Are you kidding? Those four will tear you apart if you go it alone." Liz argued.

"Yeah. But your brother would kick his ass if something happened to you." John said as the Farsight launched from the Odin.

"He doesn't need to treat me like a baby." Liz said with a scowl.

"He's your older brother. He's supposed to worry about you." John replied as he pulled along the two mobile suits. "You and Tao lead the Astrays in the defense of the ships. I'll help Athrun out with those four punks."

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Aki' exclaimed as he flew up alongside as well.

"Leave one for me as well." Nisha added as he flew up.

"Fine."

The Dynames and Diver pulled back as the Justice, the Wing, the Z.A.M. Gundam, and the Farsight rushed forward, ready to engage the closest enemies.

Orga grinned. "Hey, there they are."

"That white one's missing." Clotho commented.

"Then we'll just have to capture those others." Orga replied.

Martin growled at the sight of the Farsight. "That one. He's a tricky coward. He's mine."

Charging forward, the two sides clashed. The Raider, the Forbidden, and the Calamity circled the Justice, the Wing, and the Z.A.M. Gundam like a pack of sharks circling their prey, while the Massacre fired its missiles at the Farsight.


Aboard the Eternal, Lacus watched and wished that there was more her ship could do to support the forward units. "Can we use the METEOR?" she asked, hoping they were ready.

DaCosta turned his head "Negative, the unit is still charging."

Lacus tensed, knowing that Athrun would have to make due with just the Justice.

On the Archangel, Murrue had to make a snap decision for the ship's next move. "We'll use the debris for cover." she ordered. "What about the ZAFT forces?"

"They still haven't moved." Sai answered.

"Captain, it's the Freedom!" Miriallia shouted. "No, it's everyone! They're coming back!"

Murrue was relieved. "Alert the hanger crews. Tell them to do a rush resupply job on the machines that need it now!" she ordered.

Kira opened a channel to the ship. "We're all here but Mu's been wounded."

Murrue gasped when she saw the damaged Strike being pulled along by the Freedom. The seven machines landed in the hanger. Kira quickly secured the Strike before heading out again with Heero and Chris behind him, while the Surge, the Neo Blitz, and the Buster secured themselves and powered down as the crews quickly connected their power cables so they could recharge their batteries.


Athrun threw his beam boomerangs at the Raider. The machine dodged the boomerangs and their rebound. Suddenly, the Raider fired its railgun at the Justice. Athrun panted as he frantically dodged the wild, undirected slugs.

Aki' flew at the Calamity, forcing the pilot to dodge the wing-blades before they cut him in half.

"Shani! Watch it!" Clotho shouted at his teammate. "We have to capture these guys! Remember!"

"I know that!" Shani yelled back. "That's what I'm trying to do!"

"Knock it off!" Orga said, firing at the Wing. "We have a job to do!"

Both pilots grumbled and focused on their opponents again. The Raider's hammer flew at him. Athrun ducked under it, only to have the Raider bring its handle down on his head. Athrun pulled up his shield, blocking the hit. He pushed the Raider back.

Nisha blocked the massive assault of energy beams with the Z.A.M. Gundam's shield, letting loose the missiles as soon as there was an opening. The Forbidden was impacted by the warheads, making Shani cry out as his machine was hit.

Elsewhere, the Farsight dove behind a piece of debris as the Massacre fired wildly at him. "Quit hiding!" Martin giggled. "Fight me like a man!"

He was getting annoyed. The machine had pulled away from the red one and deeper in the debris field. The coward was constantly moving in and out of the debris, hiding like a rat.

"Why should I fight like a man when my opponent is little more than an animal?" John asked, firing from behind a large chuck of metal.

The Massacre sidestepped and fired back with his Gatling guns. But the Farsight was already gone. Martin howled in frustration. "Damn you! Quit hiding rat!"

Suddenly, a barrage of beams struck the Massacre. The missile pods on its right leg were blown. The left Gatling gun exploded. And the Ragnarok beam cannon was destroyed. "What?"

The Freedom appeared with the Exia and Wing Zero behind it. "Mr. Alaric, are you alright?" Kira asked.

"I'm fine. Athrun's one of those that needs help. The other three are fighting him, Aki', and Nisha right now." John replied, leaving his hiding spot.

"Alright. We'll help them." Kira said as he took off. "But be careful."

"Don't worry. This feral dog will never be able to catch a flying hawk. No matter how hard they try." John said turning to the Massacre.


The Vesalius

The Other Side of Mendel

Flay was startled by the sound of the opening door. She stood back as Rau rushed in and over to his desk. He was panting and groaning and moaning in pain. He opened the drawer, pulled out the bottle of pills and swallowed down a handful. He then pulled out a spare mask and put it on. Flay cautiously approached the quivering man, unsure of what would happen next.

Rau slowly recovered enough to where his body had stopped shaking. He pressed down on the intercom. "Ades! Have our forces move out now! Send out every mobile suit we have; the same goes for the Nion, the Burton, the Heusinger and the Helderton!"

"Commander?"

"Just do it!" Rau shouted. "We didn't come out here to just sit back and watch! I'll be going out again as well, so have my CGUE ready!" With that command, he turned off the intercom. He let out a shuddering gasp, his breathing labored. He turned to Flay, predatory grin returning. "And I'll need your help too, my dear."

Flay took a step away, frightened for her safety and the safety of her unborn child. She placed a hand on her abdomen. Rau didn't seem to notice it. If he did, he didn't care. He took out a familiar disk and held it out to Flay. "Please deliver this for me. If this key is brought to the Earth Forces, then this terrible war can come to an end."

Flay looked up, surprised. Slowly, she accepted the disk. She could only guess what sort of information it contained. "If I do this, the war will be over?" she said, more to herself than to Creuset.

This war had already taken her father. She desperately wanted it to end before it claimed Chris's life. She didn't want her child to grow up without a father. Like how she had with her mother. If this would end the war, than she would deliver it.

"Yes. Now let's get you ready." Rau answered, taking her by the hand.

A short while later Flay was in a locker room, putting on a spacesuit. Once she was suited up, two ZAFT soldiers took her to an escape pod and motioned for her to go inside. She climbed in, strapping herself into the seat. As she did so, a ZAFT officer handed her a USB drive. Flay looked at in questioningly. "Just get that to NASA." The officer whispered to her. She nodded. After the hatch was sealed, one of the soldiers turned to the other. "Any idea what the Commander has in mind?"

The second, the one who had spoken to her, only shrugged. "Who knows? But he must have some plan for her."

The pair left, leaving her alone in the pod. Flay clutched the disk and USB in her hands. She kept telling herself that she just had to take it and pass it along to the Earth Forces. And then, the war would finally be over.


The Dominion

"The six Nazca-class ships are moving towards us!" the radar operator shouted as the ship shuttered from a barrage from the Archangel.

Natarle froze. Had the ZAFT forces waited for her group to engage the Archangel and its allies so that they could attack while they were in the middle fighting each other?

"They're hailing us!" the comm officer said.

"What?" a stunned Natarle said.

This was a move that she had never expected.

"Attention, Earth Forces." the voice of the ZAFT Commander said. "Before we engage, I'd like to take this time to return a prisoner to you."

Both Natarle and Azrael exchanged confused looks. What was the enemy doing? What prisoner were they talking about?

The Archangel and Dominion kept at their closely matched battle. Almost every move was countered and then any counter was met with yet another maneuver. As was the battles between their allied ships. Even the various mobile suits of the two respective groups had no clear advantage against over the other. Murrue gritted her teeth as she tried to think of something to try and deal a critical blow to Natarle and her ship. Of course, she did notice the other ship seemed to be lagging at the moment.

"Captain, the ZAFT Nazca-class ships are moving in!" Chandra called out.

Murrue and most of the bridge crew gasped. If the ZAFT forces were making their move now, there was the chance that the Archangel and the other ships would be boxed into a pincer attack with no way of escape.

"All mobile suits! Form up around the ships! We need to punch out of here now before we're pinned between ZAFT and the Alliance!" Samuel ordered.


The Vesalius

Yzak waited for his turn to launch again. Zane was in front of him, in his GuAIZ and the Commander in his CGUE. Behind him, Shiho sat in her CGUE DEEP Arms and Saya in her purple GuAIZ. As he sat, Yzak thought about what had happened with him and his former teammates. What had Dearka meant when he said, "I wonder which one of us is really being deceived?" Was there something happening within the ranks of ZAFT that he couldn't see? He had never worried about politics before; he had only focused on fighting and winning battles. Like any good soldier should. But now he was beginning to wonder.

"Yzak? Yzak!"

Yzak was brought back to reality when he heard Shiho.

Her face appeared on the screen. "Is there something wrong Yzak?"

He hesitated. "No." he lied as the Commander launched, followed by Zane. "Nothing's wrong."

"Remember, we are to concentrate on the Eternal and the rest of the traitors. The Burton and the Nion will focus on the other ships." Creuset reminded them.

Yzak stepped onto the mobile suit catapult and then launched into the battlefield. Once the last of the ZAFT mobile suits launched, Rau opened a channel to the Vesalius. He had taken the first step in his plan, now all he needed was to ensure that everything went the way he wanted. "Ades, send out the pod."

"Yes, sir."


Flay felt the pod shake for a brief moment as it was launched into space. She closed her eyes and silently prayed for her safety, the safety of her child, and that the war would soon end as the pod headed for the ongoing battle.


Dominion

Ensign Lockhart could only stare in disgust at what ZAFT was doing before she looked back at the radar. The mere sight of what was happening made her want to punch out the console; ZAFT was launching an escape pod into the middle of a battle with a prisoner on board.

No one really cared as the pod drifted along, the combatants unaware of what had just taken place.

She, an agent for the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth, was unable to do anything to help the pod containing the prisoner! It made her blood boil with anger and helplessness. She instantly regretted taking on such a mission. Maybe if she hadn't, the pod could have been saved upon launch…maybe the prisoner could have been transferred to a NAZAFT ship…maybe-She shook her head. If she hadn't taken on the mission, then she would not have been aware of the pod and Azrael would have eliminated the pod and its occupant.

She tried to remain focused on her duty as an Earth Alliance soldier, but it was just too difficult. Her instincts were telling her that now was the time to eliminate Azrael, but she also knew that it was not the right time as they were in the middle of a battle.

Doing so would make things even more chaotic than they already were. Fighting two groups of enemies at once was hard enough, but taking out the leader of Blue Cosmos/LOGOs? It would only lower the morale of the crew and make them more likely to be killed in combat. Killing him when the battle was not going in his favor would be the ideal time.

Yet it seemed that the battle was going in his favor. Every time the ships came under attack by the Dominion, they seemed to get more and more damaged. Not to mention, ZAFT was also losing to them as well.

Azrael looked over in her direction, making her tense even more. But if he did notice her tense form, he did not mention it. Or he did not care either. He looked away again, making Ensign Lockhart wonder just how much longer she could take, hiding under such pressure. She didn't even want to know how the president handled this type of pressure. It had been hard then, but never for as long as this.

She could only wonder how Azrael could sleep at night, knowing what he was doing. The man just did not seem to be human, given his nature and how he treated other human beings. Yet, he was still able to live and breathe like a normal human could.

Ensign Lockhart closed her eyes, hoping that the ship could retreat soon, giving them time to retrieve the pod that ZAFT had so carelessly launched into space.


Mexico City

Mexican President Diego Gonzalez looked up at the sky above him. Stars flickered in and out of view, making him feel serene. Yet, he was unaware of what the president of his northern neighbor was doing right at that moment.

He wondered why he had not heard from her in so long. Given how busy she was, it was likely that President Hilson was in another country or even in the PLANTs, working on a way to end the war.

Gonzalez did not put it past her to be doing so, and yet, when he had tried to contact her on multiple occasions, she had not answered, or the she had answered and then turned to a more important matter.

Still, he did not dwell on it, and let the stars glimmer before him…


Ottawa

Prime Minister Travis Warson looked up at the northern lights above his city. They were so calming to him. Yet, deep in his mind, he wondered how President Hilson was doing and what she was up to.

Like Gonzalez, he had tried to contact her more than once, only for her to reply and say to caller later. It seemed to him that she was rather busy with the duties her nation called for.

Warson sighed, wondering just how she could not be answering the calls of her two most favored allies. It was not like President Hilson to avoid such calls.

Briefly he wondered if she had been killed, but shoved that thought aside immediately. If she had been, there would have been news on it already. That meant she was either busy as a nation's leader should be, or she was taking a break from her leadership role.

The last idea seemed to be the most plausible, and the most logical, considering what she was going through as the U.S. leader. So it was fitting that she took a break anyway.

He just shrugged and went back to observing the northern lights, unaware of what was going on above his very head concerning his own allied leader.


Mendel Colony's combatants escape to recover while Kira and Chris try to figure out who, and what, they are while NASA tries to eliminate Azrael and regain their nuclear power. What awaits now? Read on to find out! :3 Flames, AKA, hate filled/spamming reviews, will be deleted AND/OR reported depending on if they are signed or not. Anyway, read and review! ^^