Celestial Being Chronicles - Chapter 125

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Gundam series, nor any of the various series which are used or referenced in my fic, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else, also, don't read this if you are not of legal age to read such material. The story contains possibly disturbing content and should not be read by close-minded people (i.e., people who are easily offended.) Everything in the story is fictional. I am also not responsible for any actions taken by people who read this story and society's problems. I do, however, own my original character; Hope Yamato.

"This is Intercept One to Excalibur air control." Kira reported from the cockpit of the CB-X60D Divinity Gundam, which was currently in its flight mode. "Divinity is now prepared for take off. Please relay launch instructions."

"This is control." Lexi's voice replied over the radio. "Please board elevator five."

"Orders acknowledged." He answered, and slowly eased the Divinity's power up, causing the machine to slowly roll forward. The craft soon joined a trio of P-51D Mustang fighters, a pair of B-29 Superfortress bombers, and two pair of X-02 Wyvern superfighters on the massive elevator, which began its slow ascension once they were safely locked into it.

"Intercept One, please taxi to pad B-5 and await further orders." Lexi relayed to Kira.

"Roger that." He complied, even as the fighter lurched forward slightly, soon expertly parked behind one of the large lines of fighters setting idly on the Excalibur's centerline runway.

Kira glanced off towards the right as he felt a slight rumble shake the fighter, four Jet Daggers soon visible speeding through the air towards the empty horizon, having launched from the bays in the side of the Excalibur.

Another quake soon overtook the Divinity, this one much more powerful than the last, as three more mobile suits shot out from the Excalibur's side launch bays. One of the three mobile suits was Meyrin Hawke's GuIAZ Experimental Firearms Type II, which contained features from both the Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice Gundams. One such feature was the Infinite Justice's flight pack, which could be mounted on the GuIAZ's back or stood on like a flying platform. Each configuration had its own advantages, considering the amount of weaponry built into the module alone.

The two machines escorting Meyrin's GuIAZ were GINNs, heavily modified versions of the Reconnaissance Type. They were a variant exclusively produced by Celestial Being, dubbed the Tactical Aerial Attack, or TAA, Type. They moved even faster than their predecessors in regard to speed, and were more heavily armed, equipped with a variant of the beam rifle used by the Freedom and Justice Gundams, with a 175mm grenade launcher like that from the GAT-X102 Duel Gundam's beam rifle attached underneath for good measure. The mobile suit also sported a set of multi-missile launchers attached to its legs, each able to unleash a single missile barrage capable of wiping out several unaware fighters at once. A pair of 120mm anti-ship Vulcan cannons could also be attached to the shoulders if there was a need for heavy weaponry, but because of the nature of the exercise, the GINNs were not equipped as such, primarily due to the fact that ZAFT neither used such weaponry, nor would they encumber their air combat mobile suits in such a fashion, as speed and maneuverability were often the deciding factors in an aerial dogfight.

"This is control to Intercept One." Lexi's voice reported a few minutes later. "The attack team has reported that they're in position. You are the first marked for take-off, so please do so with all haste."

"Roger that." Kira complied. "Divinity is now moving onto the runway."

Without another word, Kira maneuvered the Divinity off of the parking pad and onto the main launch strip, lining the nose up with the catapult at the end of the runway. An instant later, the machine lurched forward in acceleration.

"Kira Jesus Yamato, Divinity Gundam, engaging!" Kira reported shortly before the fighter hit the catapult, launching it high into the air.

The streetlights far below began to flicker as angry looters scanned the streets, looking for items to steal. Small fires seemed like they were lit down the blocks of the same street that Kira's Divinity Gundam was now flying high above on this cold, wintery night. "What the...?" Kira muttered as he zoomed his camera in on four teenagers carrying big screen tvs, camcorders, video games and iPods.

Police cars, ambulances and fire trucks screeched by the four teenagers as though they didn't exist. Obviously something was going on down there. With a scowl, Kira brought the Divinity's left plasma cannon to bear, aiming it at the four civilians far below and began to squeeze the trigger.

"Now they are amongst us and setting two or three nuclear suitcases off every week killing millions." The voice of a news reporter suddenly blared from the Divinity's cockpit speakers, causing Kira jump, and to remove his finger from the trigger. "The problem is where they are detonating them. They have planted suitcases around our 130 nuclear reactors and have caused several meltdowns across the country." The reported paused for a moment, but finally continued. "The explosions really only kill a few hundred each time. The real problem is the highly radioactive cloud that is hundreds of miles wide. The radioactive isotope, Cesium 137, infiltrates the clouds and eventually dissipates to the Earth's surface in the form of rain. It kills hundreds initially, but the real problem is that Cesium 137 has a half life of 30 years. Scientests say that any areas which are contaminated will remain completely uninhabitable for at least a few hundred years." After pausing for a moment in order to catch his breath, the reporter finally continued. "Each week, for the last two months, they have been blowing up two or three nuclear suitcases near a reactor causing a meltdown. The containment buildings are not designed to withstand nuclear blasts, and the radioactivity shoots into the clouds with the hot steam." The reporter paused again before continuing. "We have no way of knowing where the next attacks will be. The organization, which is known only as ZAFT, has threatened that they will continue to blow up their nuclear suitcases near our reactors until we surrender. The remaining population now lives on small pieces of uncontaminated land awaiting the end of our world."

After taking a moment to digest what he had just heard, Kira opened a communications line to all forces taking part in the combat exercise. "Attention all forces participating in the current military exercise." He said. "As of this moment, the intercept exercise is being called off. We have a huge problem in North America, specifically in the United States." He continued, pulling the Divinity into a sharp turn, thin contrails forming at the tips of the machine's angelic wings. "All forces are hereby ordered to return to the Excalibur."