Inside was the unmistakable shape of a generation one Gundam. Even with the sprues in pieces the parts were clear, easy to identify and relatively undamaged. All things considered, this was going to be a hell of a project...until I noticed something. My heart sank as I found the primary chest pieces...all cracked and deformed. I knew it wouldn't be fixable. The main frame that held the chest pieces was horribly twisted, and broken. The armor itself was shattered into 3 pieces and the sockets for the arms and legs were completely detached. In the end there was no hope of saving the kit. There would be no putting this together. A new one would have to be ordered ...assuming I could figure out which one it was. That was the other thing.

Though clearly a gen one it was not an rx 78, guncannon or even a guntank. There was a variety of designs used in the later series but this was early...very early. Could it be an unreleased prototype? The basic colors and styles matched some concept art, but not exactly. For example the coloring was more silver then white and the chest was painted to look like it was supposed to be chromed. It looked good, but either way it didn't matter, I had to order a new one. The first thing I did was pull out my phone and take a picture of the kit. FLASH. Oops. Forgot to turn the flash off. As I adjusted the setting I glanced at the kit again...something about it...I put the phone down and examined it again.

Its so far gone, but...It might be one of a kind. What if I can't find another? Crossing my arms I came to a decision. Possible or not, I had to try. If it didn't work out I'd just toss it out and go on with my life. At worst I'll lose a little time and probably sanity, but in the end I was a model kit builder. Sure there was a possibility of failure but I've always been a "glass half full" kinda guy. "To hell with it! I'll try it!" I picked up my tools, settled in my chair and started work. By 9 o'clock that night my back ached and my eyes burned from the bright flourescent lighting. The table before me was strewn with tiny pieces of plastic. Despite all the hours of painstaking effort, all I had to show for it was a partially repaired chest armature. The various glues I had failed to set so I'd had to resort to the terrifying process (to a kit builder at least) of plastic welding; melting the sections slightly and bonding the pieces together.

One wrong move and you'd have a puddle of glup instead of a whole piece. A few years back I saw someone do that and the resulting kit was nothing but a sad excuse for garbage. If I messed up now, the kit would be a total loss. I stared at my work. With only 1 piece or armor left to go, the chest was almost complete. As I set my tools aside to admire my work I heard a soft beep from my phone. "Damn it!" I sighed and checked the missed message. Some BS coding error that one of the rookies made that was somehow now my problem. "Amatures. What would the do without me?" I sent a quick reply and set the phone aside, returning to the task at hand. Finally I managed to complete the last piece, sanding the welded edges smooth. Nice work if I do say so myself.

As I turned the part around in my hand I say something on the inner surface. Did I miss some of the sprue? No...it was writing. "What the? I reached for my magnifying glass. I had to have missed it somehow. As I leaned forward I noticed that the writing wasn't on the plastic but etched into it...and due to my welding it was distorted. I took the part closer to the light and tried to make sense of what it said. Pr..t..pe Mo..l 3.0 Gu..am Azel. Axel? Never heard of it. A quick Google search later and there was no mention of any such Gundam; prototype or otherwise. Where the hell did it come from?

That was the mystery. There were many famous obscure model kits. Kits such as the new MGEX Strike Freedom Gundam and the PG Unicorn Gundam Perfectibility from the new MGEX line, but never had I heard of this. Even in a world flooded with new and old kits it would have caught someones attention. It was simply too different looking. To be honest, it looked like a cross between a gen one RX-78 Gundam and a Char Aznable's Zaku II. A custom prototype? Comissioned? No...there were factory marks in the proper places. It was meant to be mass produced. Scratching my head Went to but the piece down...? Smooth. I stopped. The front of the armor plate...was smooth. Quickly turning it around I tried to find the weld marks, but they weren't there.

Thats not possible. Even with decent sanding the hairline join would still be visible until repainting. I inspected the piece again. Nothing. It was like it was new. It was in perfect shape, not a crack or crevice in it. I set the piece down on the table and decided that my addled brain needed rest. If this wasn't the product of a delusion fueled dream it had to be a hallucination brought about by some mysterious chemical agent that had escaped into the air. Maybe the lighting was playing tricks on me. Either way I slept...and dreamt. I was in a field, sitting against a rock. I could see around me, but I couldn't move. Looking down...What? My..legs...were silver and black, but...they weren't human. My legs were those of a machine...I could see the pistons behind the knee joints and scored armor plating.

Try as I might my "legs" wouldn't respond. It was like I was paralyzed. I felt panic rising as I tried to push myself up with my arms. Nothing happened. The more I struggled the more panicked I became. Please...wake up...why can't I wake up?! ?! There was no sound...my voice...I couldn't even scream. I could hear a whirring noise coming from...where? I looked up. The sky above me was dark and the stars shone brightly, but something was moving across them. It was huge. A massive black form that grew bigger and bigger, its shadow sweeping over the ground below. A massive ship, one that would have put even jumbo jets to shame.

There was no way this was Earth. This thing had to be at least twice the size of the biggest space station ever built. I couldn't see it all but I could tell that it had a streamlined body, covered in thrusters, cannons and...were those the engines? A cluster of round discs the size of stadiums. The shadow of the ship enveloped me and I was only then I ..."detected" movement next to me. Turning, I saw a small woman standing beside me. She wore a military uniform and her hair was tied back in a pony tail. I'd never seen her before, but I somehow felt a strange sense of familiarity. She seemed to know what was happening. Her face was stern but her eyes showed an underlying sadness. She suddenly addressed me.