Gundam 00

"Every generation needs a new revolution." - Thomas Jefferson

Africa Tower

The hanger door exploded and everyone in the immediate area saw the Mobile Suit, black-on-white color scheme and emitting golden GN particles.

"This is the Shadow Gundam!" Veritas announced through a speacil intercom system that broadcasted his words within a 30-mile radius, "and I am a Gundam Meister that will ignite the Great Revolution, all in accordance to the Master Plan!"

CGUNDAMC

Almost as soon as the Shadow Gundam appeared, the A-Laws began sending their Aheads to attack. The new Gundam dived so that it was flying within the mess of cables and small structures connecting the Low Orbital Station to the main pillar. An Ahead got into position right above the Gundam, ready to take it out in one shot, before the Gundam unexpectedly…

"What the-?"

"Pilot, is something wrong?"

"The Gundam, it just…dropped off my sensors."

"That's because you never use your eyes, you second-generation GNX (jinx) hoodlum!" The Gundam suddenly reappeared and severed the Ahead in two with a GN-blade. All the other Aheads were now moving to avoid getting close to the Tower while trying to keep the Gundam in check. Very smart, but it didn't do much good. The Shadow Gundam continued to disappear, reappear and destroy an Ahead, then vanish again. In the cockpit, Veritas was (in a incorrect sense of the word) having fun. Perhaps it was his first mission and everything was going so well. The coup de'tat forces and Katheron will manage to get the civilians to safety, the Innovators will be frustrated beyond comparison, the A-Laws will soon be losing their control over the government and the populace, and his Gundam was so unique that the A-Laws completely helpless against him (or rather, helpless this time around; next time he probably won't be so lucky).

Ptolemaios II

Celestial Being looked on at the action unfolding on their computer screens. They had just picked up Setsuna F. Seiei after his skirmish with Mr. Bushido and were now watching the footage being sent to them via Katheron.

"Great, it is just like Team Trinity all over again," Allelujah Haptism complained, rubbing his mismatched eyes.

"I don't think so," said Sumeragi, looking closely at the footage. "Unlike the Thrones, this Gundam appears to be emitting genuine GN particles. The only way anyone could achieve an actual GN Drive would be to have a link of some kind to Aeolia Schenburg."

"Could he be a rogue Innovator?" asked Setsuna. Teiria shook his head.

"Highly unlikely; if he was, then he would've been flying a model similar to the Thrones."

"So what do we do?" Lockon Stratos looked at Sumeragi for an answer.

"This 'Veritas' seems to know what he's doing. I guess we just wait until the civilians have reached safety."

Space around

Africa Tower's

Low Orbital Station

12...13...14...15...16...huh…guess that was the last one. The remaining A-Laws have withdrawn. Veritas leaned back, sighing in relief.

"Intervention complete," he said to himself. But he shouldn't rest for too long, he had to get back to Nexus Halos and wait for things to play out. He turned the Shadow around and started heading off. But then one of the alert lights started blinking. What the heck? He brought up the Alert Camera footage and then gasped in shock. "What the hell? I thought Setsuna was supposed to destroy that thing!" He started to panic, then pressed a button labeled "ceR" and navigated his Gundam toward the Orbital Elevator.

Ptolemaios II

Sumeragi suddenly gasped.

"Feldt, bring up the air speed data for within 30 kilometers of the Tower!"

"Huh? Yes Ma'am." The data was then posted on-screen.

"What? No…no way!"

"Sumeragi, what is it?" asked Lockon Stratos.

"They…the A-Laws are preparing their forces for falling debris! Which means…that they have another satellite weapon!"

Orbital Elevator

Hercury and Smirnov piloted their mobile suits down the inside of the elevator shaft. Below them the Linear Trains continued to head to the surface at their fastest speed. When they noticed the regular Federation Forces positioning themselves for falling debris they instantly ordered a full evacuation.

"I still don't believe that the A-Laws built a another satellite weapon, much less use it against their own citizens," Smirnov said.

"You must agree that it's not that far from believable though," Hercury pointed out. They continued to fly down, almost in sync with the Trains. "Come on," Hercury ushered, "faster, faster!"

Ptolemaios II

"Why can't we go up there and take it out?" Setsuna argued. "We have the O-Raiser now, we don't need a complex plan like last time."

"I would do exactly that," Sumeragi snapped, "but we just don't have enough time here."

"So we are going to do the next best thing?" Lockon pondered.

"Correct," Sumeragi replied, now pointing toward the digital map on the floor of the bridge. "We'll set up a make-shift safety net centered on these three areas. These areas have very high populations. I will also send out a plea video to all other factions to do the same. I admit it's a gamble, but I don't think the regular forces are just going to stand down while innocent civilians die at the hand of a falling Orbital Elevator."

"I'm coming too," spoke Marie Parfacy. This made Alleluia nervous and partially shocked.

"But Marie, I promised the Colonel that-"

"It's okay Alleluia," she soothed, holding both of his hands in her's. "This isn't a fight. It's a rescue mission." Alleluia remained unsure for a few seconds, but then smiled as he brought Marie into a tight embrace.

"Ahem," Sumeragi cleared her throat, "Alright then, 00 and Saravee will protect the settlement closest to the Tower, Arios and the GN-Archer will protect area two, and Cherudim will handle area three. Ptolemy will patrol the outside of the areas to try and protect anyone else who happens to be in danger."

Orbital Elevator

"Crap!" Veritas turned the Shadow Gundam this way and that, trying to avoid hitting any part of the Elevator. Clang! He hit a section of cable. "Crap!" Clunk! Something hit the Gundam from above. "Double crap!" Then when he thought things couldn't get any worse, he looked down at the footage from his Alert Cam.

DGUNDAMD

On the Orbital Ring, Memento Mori was aimed…and fired at a point just below the center of the Low Orbital Station, right though the center of the Tower.

EGUNDAME

"Crap-crap-crappity-crap, CRAP!" Veritas increased the Gundam's speed and brought his blaster out in front. Darn, he should've known that Setsuna wouldn't have destroyed it. Besides, he didn't exactly destroy it last time. Some fragments of the Elevator began falling around him. He had to make sure at least one of the Trains survived. He continued down, shooting one of his blasters every few seconds to blast away some debris that happened to be in his way. Is that…yes, a Tieren Taozi and a Federation mobile suit. He adjusted the frequency on his radio.

"Colonel Smirnov, come in, do you read me?" He registered an audible gasp before he answered.

"That voice, you're younger than that Gundam pilot. Who are you?"

"Never mind that, the Tower has begun auto-purging! Have one of the Trains detach from the rail."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it!" The collapsing Tower was catching up (or in this case, down) to both the diving mobile suits and the Trains. Veritas pulled ahead of the Trains and waited. One of the Trains then popped off the track and started to free fall. Veritas moved to the Train and took hold of it before continuing down.

"Come on," Hercury urged the seemingly slow Linear Trains, but to no avail.

"No!" The Tower's auto-purge system was designed to keep the orbital ring intact in the case of any and all serious damage to the Tower's outer shell. But the Linear Train tracks are part of the outer shell. And without the ability to carry a Train, there was nothing Smirnov or Hercury could do…except watch as the Trains fell off the collapsing tracks.