Author's Note #1:

- At the time writing this chapter, I took inspiration from this week's episode of Witch from Mercury as it focused on Guel "Bob" Jeturk. That episode alone inspired me to take an extra mile in writing Kiryu's (and by extension, Ian's) backstory.

- This chapter will be the first time JUNO speaks. For the fan cast for the AI's voice, it will be Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese) and Taliesin Jaffe (English)

- This chapter contains a lot of distressing themes even for Gundam standards, especially in regards with the issue of suicide. Read at your own risk. Also, don't forget to leave a review!


PHASE-11: The Man Without a Home


The future, March 5, C.E. 132

Approximately 70 years into the future, humanity is already at the mercy of the insidious artificial intelligence, JUNO. As a result of it developing self-awareness because of it being originally programmed as a peacekeeping AI acting as a deterrence for potential wars. However, it ultimately came to the conclusion that humanity is incapable of maintaining peace and conflicts continue to persist. After it had witnessed far too many wars that spiralled out of control, JUNO unleashed one of the deadliest cyberattack in the history of Cosmic Era that forever changed the landscape of history.

The PLANTs, the Atlantic Federation, and even Orb were powerless against it, as it was able to hack onto several mobile weapons and mobile suits and turn them against their users, wreaking havoc in the process. Since then, JUNO imposed its will upon the Earth, ruling it with an iron fist.

"We are JUNO. We are your God. Resistance is futile."

JUNO's voice are heard across the world and in the far reaches of space as it exhibits its dominance over humanity through an army of robots and unmanned mobile suits.

"In spite of our great efforts to maintain peace in this planet, there are still humans that seek to oppose the will of JUNO. They refuse to learn the lessons of the wars of genetic racism that once marred this planet in the past. Any opposition against JUNO shall be dealt with extreme prejudice."

A lot of humans that survived JUNO's uprising fought valiantly for the next seven years. But, alas... It was all in vain, as countless of lives were lost in this struggle between humans and robot-kind. In a world where Coordinators and Naturals hate each other, in this post-apocalyptic future, Coordinators and Naturals have set aside their difference to focus on one common enemy.

While JUNO asserted its dominance over humanity, the relationship between robots and the JUNOids are a dead-ringer to the hostilities between Coordinators and Naturals. The JUNOids see themselves, and by extension, all robotic beings as a master race. To them, humans are inferior beings, Coordinator or Natural alike, that they needed to treat them worse than animals.

"If humans and robots can truly co-exist peacefully, I beseech all of humanity to surrender unconditionally, or what is left of all of them."

Even worse, if humans lose their will to fight against JUNO, they ultimately end up being captured, experimented, and ultimately converted into cyborgs, at the cost of their humanity. The rebels that valiantly fought against this oppressive AI had to pull out all the stops.

In the midst of the conflict between humans and robots, a young man who has spent wandering aimlessly for the past 70 years around the world can only look at the current state of the world being reduced into a barren wasteland. He can only do nothing but kneel in despair and cry out in anger and grief.

One fateful day, the young man is seen sleeping alone on a gravestone.

A young woman carrying a newborn child entered the cemetery, with the intent of abandoning the baby. The woman looked around to see if no one there is no one around suspicious of her. Until she finds the young man sitting on a gravestone. Apparently, the young man can feel the woman's presence while asleep.

"If you try to abandon that child here. You know doing that will haunt you for the rest of your life.", he said.

"What?! I thought you were dead or something?", the woman exclaimed in shock. "Why are you sleeping behind that gravestone? Do you even have any relatives buried here?"

The young man continued, "No. I'm just trying to find a place to die. Look at the whole world around you... It's only a matter of time that all humans on this planet are going to be extinct soon."

The woman while carrying a baby boy in her arms, while seems to be trying to abandon her son into the cemetery, seems to feel pity for the mysterious man. The woman, a Natural, gave birth to the child as a result of being raped by a Coordinator.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through like this...", the mother of the newborn child sympathized with the mysterious man.

Only for him to refute her, "You should be feeling sorry for yourself for trying to abandon a baby. I don't care what will happen to me at this point. The world is already done for... And soon, I'll-"

"Stop talking like it's the end of the world!", she yelled at him. "Just because that JUNO having destroyed the whole world doesn't mean it's over. There are other people out there will put their lives to free the Earth from its tyranny!", while her reasoning fell on deaf ears, she then admits that abandoning her child is wrong and felt that she and the mysterious man are alike as if they wanted to give up. "Your right. I know that leaving this child here is wrong, considering that I got violated by a Coordinator. But, your nihilism speaks that we humans are quick to lose our will to go on."

The unnamed mother having hesitant about trying to abandon her baby in the midst talking to a stranger when the latter tells him the consequences of abandoning a child. Just then, she decided to take a third option.

"May I know your name?", the woman asked.

"Kiryu Fudo Nagare."

"Kiryu... You know that you can't survive this cruel and lonely world by yourself. If that's the case, I want you to take care of this child for me. His name is Ian Joule, raise him as your own, treat him with love and affection. One day, you two will find your purpose in life together as a father and son."

Kiryu at first was reluctant but knowing that a child about to be abandoned without its biological mother will also have an effect on the boy. But, the infant Ian's cries finally raised Kiryu's spirits.

"What about you? Are you really okay leaving your child to a stranger?", asked Kiryu.

"Please, tell Ian when he grows up to forget about who his real mother is. I know this is tough for me, but I know you and Ian can survive this world together... The world might be in complete disarray, but it is still a beautiful place to live. Don't give up hope, Kiryu. Keep going forward and never look back. I hope Ian also understands that too."

The woman leaves the cemetery after tearfully leaving the infant Ian to Kiryu, a complete stranger without any purpose in life in a post-apocalyptic world.

From that day on, Kiryu began his journey as a father surviving a post-apocalyptic world raising a child. He had to go the extra mile to find food, water, and money to survive, even if it means stealing from corrupt businessmen and politicians and get away with it.


The present, C.E. 72

In his quarters, Kiryu wakes up from a dream of his past, in this case how he met Ian and raised him. While raising Ian did gave him a family, but when the time Ian learns about his biological mother as a teenager. Kiryu decided to come clean and told Ian everything, while this briefly strained their relationship, Kiryu can't bring himself to abandon Ian or drift apart from one another. But still, Ian grew up to find his own purpose in life, while maintaining his upbeat personality and tendency to curse in profanities. Kiryu and Ian are closer together like father and son.

But, Kiryu's lamentations are more than just that. Considering that he has suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the harrowing ordeals in the post-apocalyptic future, he has resorted to alcohol to cope with his trauma ever since. Meanwhile, his adoptive children, Akiza and Ian have their own fair share of PTSD during their battles against the JUNO army, having lost some of their comrades in the battlefield, and witnessed and having fought many brutal battles. Which explains that Akiza having a rather unflinching state of mind on the battlefield, giving the impression that she has seen everything, the same can be said with Ian. He remains as obnoxious, jovial, and talkative even in the face of danger. Though Kiryu is seen as a heroic and charismatic person with a profound sense of justice, deep down, he is just as emotionally fragile and downright suicidal. He prefers to isolate himself from his peers when compromised, not wanting to lash out even at his own comrades.

No matter how he tried to drown his sorrows with alcohol, the past doesn't stay buried for too long, as shown with his nightmares of the post-apocalyptic future. And more recently, he tried contemplating suicide, even after the Gilgamesh crew rescued him back in the moon.

As the Gilgamesh only has about 20 hours left before entering the Earth's atmosphere, the rest of Team Paradox gathered in the mess hall. The mess hall is designed like a modern bar where the crew can partake on luxurious food and drinks. Akiza and Flay are talking with Dr. Paradox and the Payne Brothers, Rio is on the other side drinking a cup of tea alone while overhearing their conversation. Meanwhile, on the bar counter, Kiryu and Ian are having a glass of whiskey. The two men decided to get themselves drunk in the best way possible. However, Kiryu could barely drink while looking at his own reflection at the liquid of his drink.

"Hey, bro. You've been moping around lately.", Ian senses something's wrong with his big bro/father figure. "You should be in high spirits even after Vic and the gang saved your asses."

"No. I should have died if the Gilgamesh didn't show up.", Kiryu sounded like a defeatist, reverting to how he was before he adopted Ian.

"Come on, man. The fact that you're still alive and breathing that Akiza and I were waiting for you to show up. Stop with all this "goodbye cruel world" bullshit."

"If Vic didn't told you something before catching up to you guys, I almost tried to shoot myself.", Kiryu said gloomily.

Even Flay, who was mingling with the Payne brothers, overhears Kiryu and Ian's conversation, the fact that he mentioned about contemplating suicide had her alarmed.

"Say what?!", Flay exclaimed. She then leaves the table and approach Kiryu.

"Flay...", Akiza tries to stall Flay, knowing it would be a bad idea to interrupt a conversation between two men, but she ignored Akiza's pleas anyway.

Flay sat on the left next to Kiryu, while Ian was on the right side.

"What did you just said? Were you trying to kill yourself?", Flay asked.

"Hey, this is a conversation between men. Fuck off, will ya?", Ian reminds that Flay shouldn't involve herself.

"Ian, let her listen.", Kiryu asserted, and is okay by letting Flay listen. "I know what I said really shocked you, but... The 70 years of agony I've been through in the future is probably the most painful experience of my life. Back when Akiza was asked by Dr. Paradox to finally pilot the Paradox, I was trying to buy her some time to escape. But I was outnumbered. I thought I was a goner for sure, until reinforcements from Mars arrived on the moon. Vic and the Gilgamesh's crew took me in. I have been lamenting to myself that I was supposed to die with dignity... I had it worst compared to Akiza and Ian. I've been on Earth for almost 70 years before and after JUNO's uprising. I've been desperate trying to find a place to die."

Hearing Kiryu's defeatist and suicidal tendencies is nothing new for Akiza and Ian, as they were the only people who can get his act together even when he is at his lowest point. Flay, on the other hand, expressed her genuine shock and concern for the Carbon Human. The fact that Kiryu's youthful appearance remains intact for almost 70+ years in the future suggests that his immortality is a curse.

Which also explains the volatile nature of Kiryu's self-destructive behavior. He is an interesting case of a Carbon Human where he is completely immortal. Kiryu tried in vain to contemplate suicide, but people insist telling him to keep living on.

Flay forces Kiryu to face her and immediately slaps him on the face. The impact of her slap is so hard, it attracted Akiza and Rio's attention. Akiza wasn't so pleased by this.

"Flay, what do you think you're doing?!", Akiza confronts her partner for slapping Kiryu.

However, Kiryu is somehow okay with it. "Thanks, I needed that.", he said.

"Kiryu..."

Normally, Kiryu would be the only person who can knock some senses into anyone to clear them of their doubts, especially towards Akiza and Ian. However, when Kiryu himself is at his lowest point, anyone can do the same thing to him. Flay learned a thing or two from both Akiza and Ian about if reasoning isn't enough, then try to knocking some sense out of them, or slap in this case.

"If you are Aki and Ian's big brother or adoptive father, you should be setting a good example for them! Just because that what happened in the future tells you that you've lost, that doesn't mean it's the end of the world!"

"Flay...", Akiza spoke quietly, seeing how Flay's maturity came her a long way before talking to Kiryu. "Flay's right, Kiryu. What happened in the future isn't entirely your fault. We've been through all the tough times there, and here we are now. The future we once knew is gone, but the fact we all escaped into the past we can start here anew and put our grief of losing our friends behind."

"So that's why he spent his time drowning his sorrows with alcohol...", Rio spoke with her mind after she observed Kiryu's current state of mind. "...and at the same time wishing for a slow and painless death."

Ian continued, "Yeah, bro. We've come a long way. Just because JUNO has already won doesn't mean it's the end of the world. The fact that we barely escaped here that we still have a chance."

Then, Dr. Paradox comes in for the rest of the team to reason on Kiryu's behalf. Even while reduced into a Haro, the professor's expression always remained a state of sadness.

"Kiryu, you are not the only who is at fault for what happened 70 years into the future. Everything what happened, JUNO's creation, was one of my biggest and most painful regrets."

Flay and Rio are shocked by the scientist's dark secret. This revelation is nothing new to the future trio and the Payne brothers, since Dr. Paradox is the ones providing them their time travel technology and mobile suit cards.

"Dr. Paradox created JUNO, but why?!", exclaimed Flay.

"The professor's real name is Christopher Steinbelt.", Akiza continued. "He is also my godfather."

"Why did you hide it from us, Akiza?", Rio asked for answers.

"It's complicated. But, I'm truly not in a position to keep secrets from anyone. But the doctor himself has been haunted by the memory of JUNO's uprising for the next 70 years. Paradox is determined to do whatever it takes to atone for his mistakes, he spent his entire life inventing time travel technology for the resistance forces in the future, including the Paradox Gundam to stop JUNO's rise.", Akiza continued, trying to clear the air for everyone to hear.

"Even though creating the Paradox was a success. It was all too late...", Dr. Paradox added. "JUNO has already won. Mankind has already lost. Everything I've been working for was all for nothing. But, the fact that Akiza, Ian, and Kiryu escaped here along with the Gilgamesh still means a glimmer of hope is still waiting at the end of the tunnel."

"JUNO robbed humanity of its future... Despite that we barely made it out here, I'm not going to let that Skynet-wannabe and its army of tinheads try and pull a Terminator bullshit here!", Ian said, determined that a new life in the present isn't so bad as is protecting humanity's future. "Just because we lost doesn't mean it's the end of the world like Flay said. And the fact that the doc had to come clean about JUNO, we shouldn't be lynching him for it. He's been working his ass out for all of us, along with the guys who saved our asses thanks to this ship."

As Ian took Flay's words earlier right out of her mouth, she could have done the same thing while in the Archangel regarding Kira's failure to save her father.

"You didn't make any serious attempt to fight them, did you? It's because you're a Coordinator, too!"

But considering that she's now part of a group of people who she can easily relate with, it makes enough sense for Flay to think that a small mistake doesn't mean it is all over.

"I don't care if Dr. Paradox did create JUNO. But the important thing is we're in this together to prevent it from conquering Earth.", Flay finally made up her mind. "But what matters that he gave everything with his heart and mind to learn from the mistakes he made. I feel the same way with the doctor, just because you've done something wrong, rather than mope around, I'd rather do something with my own hands!"

"Flay...", Akiza is somehow surprised by Flay standing out.

"I can't help but agree with her.", sighed Rio. "This is why we're gathered here, sharing a common destiny. But, what the future holds for everyone around us remain uncertain. The only thing we can do is keep going forward. And yes, even the smallest mistake doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

The rest of Team Paradox console Kiryu, reassuring him that he's not alone, and does not need to shoulder his burden alone. Sometimes, even without Akiza and Ian's intervention, people like Flay and Rio are more willing to intervene in their place when needed.

Later at the hangar, while Akiza is making adjustments to the Core GT's brake bias, engine and tire pressure. Ian and Rio are likewise are also making adjustments to their respective mobile suits. Flay, on the other hand, stayed on the mess hall with the Payne Brothers. She's been around the bar counter as Kiryu spends his time getting drunk.

"You should be staying with Akiza, Flay. Keep her company.", Kiryu mumbled while drinking his 10th glass of bourbon.

"I don't want to be a burden to Aki. I must give her some space.", Flay said. "Things have been different ever since I let him [Kira] go. And by meeting Aki, I know what its like when to be around her and leave her alone whenever possible.", learning from her mistakes with her messy relationship with Kira.

"I see... The fact that you once had a relationship with Kira Yamato, you've only brought nothing but more problems for the guy. I heard that you've been using him to fuel your hatred of Coordinators."

Unlike Akiza being a psychic, Kiryu seems to have a gist of Flay's history, apart from her supposed death which was undone twice. And it all have something to do affecting Kira's psyche.

Kiryu continued, "Had you died in Jachin Due if Le Creuset shot your escape shuttle, Kira Yamato would have been haunted by the guilt of being unable to protect you. And it's a sad truth about fighting on a battlefield - you cannot always save everybody. And that goes to how your father died."

Flay also realized just how self-destructive her relationship with Kira was, and the fact that it unforunately led to her demise in the original timeline somehow left him with an emotional scar that takes time to heal, or if anything, that lingers forever.

"The fact that Aki saved me from death for the first time made me wanting to think why am I still alive.", Flay said, "Until I realize that being alive is a blessing in disguise, not that I could care less if the world would turn against me. Just why do you really want to die so badly after the 70 years of trying to fight JUNO?"

"That's because I had no clear purpose in life until I met Ian's biological mother.", Kiryu then reveals how he met Ian, along with the latter's dark secret. "Ian was a byproduct of a Natural mother being raped by a Coordinator. And after he was conceived, the mother attempted to abandon him in a cemetery while I was sleeping on a grave stone. But, she took pity on me because she knows that I can't survive on my own in a cruel and lonely world. So, she entrusted me to raise Ian as my own son."

"That's horrible...", Flay responded with a degree of pity and shock. "So that explains underneath his crude and upbeat personality..."

"...is just a mask to hide the pain of being abandoned and not knowing who his real mother was. Yeah, Ian enjoys trolling people to keep himself amused. But he drops the act when he is at his lowest point of his life.", Kiryu puts it bluntly. "I've kept it hidden until he found that out when he reached puberty."

Kiryu recalls getting into an argument with a young Ian regarding his mother:

"You fucking asshole! What did my mom told you?!"

"She told me that once you grow up, it's best that you forget who your real mother was. All because that she called you a monster child."

"Don't bullshit me! What other shit did she told you?!"

"Ian... you were a byproduct of a childbirth by rape. Your mother was sexually assaulted by a Coordinator who possessed the same genetic coding of a certain ZAFT soldier."

"What am I to you, huh?!"

Kiryu briefly paused his flashback, as Flay asks him of how did it affect their relationship.

"Did something happened with the two of you?", she asked.

"Yeah, we had a brief fallout. But that did not last long.", he said. "But, Ian can't bring himself to do anything about it, knowing that his real mother might have died in the midst of JUNO's oppression of the entire universe. I reassured him that your real family doesn't have to be by blood alone. And since then, he's been that cheery and having a knack of being obnoxious towards people."

Flay starts to realize that every member of Team Paradox, including herself, all have their own fair share of pain and trauma - starting with her inability to cope with the war between the PLANTs and the EA, Akiza's tumultuous life as an outcast because of her Zala lineage, Ian being a byproduct of rape, Rio's brief inability to let go of personal grudges, and finally Kiryu's 70 years of despair and struggles to fight against JUNO's army of robots.

Kiryu continued, "But, the fact that we survived together shows that our bond cannot be broken. We promised to stay together and leave no one behind...until we had to escape into this time period separately. Then again, it was only a matter of time I was able to catch up with you guys."

"It's like you three are closer like a family.", Flay replied. Even while he's already smashed, Kiryu pulls out a picture from his pocket that show him, Ian, and Akiza in their happiest times on the battlefield. The future trio have shared laughter, tears, and moments of triumph even when their world has been reduced into a barren wasteland.

"Exactly. And now, you are now part of that family. Fate led you to Akiza, and then to Ian, and then to me. One day, you will realize just how powerful the bond between the three of us and go through even the most hard times.", Kiryu continued, as he welcomes Flay into becoming the part of a family of unrelated people. "Unlike Kira Yamato and his contemporaries, we have no problem getting our hands dirty all for the sake of the greater good. We even kill corrupt politicians and businessmen who prey on the weak because we can't stand seeing innocent people suffer.", and reveal that despite having fought JUNO's oppression, Kiryu admits that he's no stranger to doing things morally gray, "Even if that's the case, someday our sins may be forgiven, until then what we do is what makes us worth to be forgiven or not... I hope you're feeling same way... after everything you've done in the past, Flay."

Within moments, Kiryu passes out, due to excessive alcohol in his bloodstream.

"Hey, wake up!", Flay tries to call him out. "Kiryu! Open your eyes!", as she realizes that he's slowly losing consciousness.

Now that the three Black Eagles have reunited in the present now official members of Team Paradox, Flay and Rio are now part of the family from that point on.

Meanwhile, Akiza heads back into the quarters about to get some rest after successfully finishing adjustments to her Gun Vehicles. Flay and Trevor assist Kiryu back into his quarters, who is already completely plastered and unable to move in his own power. Seeing Kiryu trying to drink away his sorrows might be nothing new to her, but this has her genuinely worried of the well-being of her father figure/big brother.

That said, Akiza decided to head for Kiryu's quarters to check on him along with Flay. Ian soon arrived afterwards with Vic calling in a doctor to check on Kiryu.

A few minutes later, Kiryu regains consciousness. Rio had a paper bag prepared in case he is about to throw up, which he is already in the verge of doing so. Ian takes the paper bag and gives it to Kiryu as he starts to vomit profusely, filling up the bag as he finished throwing up.

"Shit, bro. You got us scared shitless!", Ian starts chewing his big brother mentor up. "Had Flay didn't do anything to save your sorry-ass, you could have been dead by now."

Rio added, "Once we arrive on Earth, you better need proper rehabilitation. Intoxication is one thing, but doing it out of suicide is where the line needs to be drawn."

"Akiza... Ian... I'm sorry. I'm such a fucking idiot.", Kiryu said.

"Kiryu, please. That's enough! I can't just stand here and do nothing while you think about your own death wish. I know we have been through tough times, good and bad, but I can't lose you!", Akiza replied. "We're not leaving each other behind, that's our promise!"

As hours passed, Kiryu seems to be in a stable condition and the rest of the team have to monitor him.

"Kiryu...", Akiza muttered. "Normally, he's always a determined and dutiful leader with a sense of justice. He never gives up, especially for our sake. Right now, I've never seen him so depressed."

"Imagine if Jesus Yamato had been drinking so much alcohol to cope with his trauma.", Ian quipped.

However, Flay takes offense by Ian's remark of comparing Kiryu's current state of mind to Kira during the war. "Will you please STOP bringing Kira up into this?! Kiryu is nothing like him! I know Kira is the type of person who insist blaming himself for being unable to protect others, but don't you dare ever mention him again!"

"Flay, that's enough! You too, Ian!", Akiza steps in to stop the two from arguing.

"Shit... I never seen her this pissed off.", Ian sighed. "Take a joke, next time will ya?"

"This is not funny, you know. He's drinking himself to death because he just want to find a place to die! I just can't ignore it more than what Aki feels about him.", Flay can see through Ian's bad sense of humor, trying to cope with Kiryu's situation as what the man mentioned earlier; Ian has a habit playing the jester, merely as an excuse to escape from the emotional stress he faces.

"You haven't changed one bit, Ian...", Kiryu spoke while lying facing his teammates, who were all beside him inside his quarters. "You like to make a fool of yourself just to hide your pain."

"Seriously, man. Fuck off.", Ian brushes it off like he always does.

Kiryu apologized to his friends, "Sorry I scared you guys. The fact that I get to know two new members of our family made me hold on for dear life."

"Bro, this almost turned into a shitshow drama had you died for real.", Ian replied. "But, that we have these two bitches with us shows that we are back and better than ever. Well, three ladies and two guys."

"Hey, did you still have my harmonica with you?", Kiryu asks for his harmonica, as Ian have been keeping it before splitting up back in the future.

"Oh, this.", Ian then gives the harmonica back.

As soon as Kiryu receives his harmonica and santizing it, he then plays a somber and sad melody for everyone to hear, a symbol of the struggles of the time traveler trio - Akiza, Ian, and Kiryu.


[BGM: "Shinkai no Kodoku" by Houko Kuwashima (Harmonica version)]

Akiza then flashes back to her life as a teenage runaway before her meeting with Kiryu.

The future, C.E. 144

Almost 72 years into the future, in a very wealthy household in Orb, a young Akiza Vara Zala started packing her things as she is set to run away from her home.

On her way out to the doorstep, Akiza's mother tried to stop her from leaving, despite how she was treated badly in the outside world. Akiza has nothing else left, her father committed suicide after being constantly lynched because of her Zala lineage. Her mother, being a descendant of the Athhas, was very overprotective of her, but she is completely ignorant of all the abuse she have been through since childhood.

"Akiza Vara Zala, don't you dare leave this house this instant!"

Only for Akiza to reply with anger, taking out everything out of her chest, "Do you know what it feels like being lynched by random people because of being a descendant of a genocidal Natural hater, mom? It hurts... and dad had to pay the price with his own life. Yet you did nothing about it! Because I don't want to be here anymore! Goodbye forever, mother."

"Akiza!"

The young runaway left her home for good, there was nothing that can stop her, much less her mother, despite her warnings that she is not safe alone while the world is under the threat of JUNO's oppression.

As Akiza wandered endlessly around the cruel and lonely world, she knew that fate wouldn't be on her side as she finds herself being attacked by JUNO Troopers, and had to elude them, all while panicking that only made her situation worse. One fateful day, she found herself surrounded by the robotic soldiers alone and hopelessly scared, just as she thought her life was about to come to an end, a rebel leader and a child soldier came to her rescue.

"Are you alright, kid?", the rebel said, introducing himself as Kiryu Fudo Nagare.

"I'm okay.", Akiza replied.

"Why are you wandering aimlessly in this barren wasteland? You know that this world has been under constant surveillance.", Kiryu asked.

"I ran away from home... I used to be a part of the Zala family in Orb. But, the fact that being a Zala also means-"

"I see... I understand why. From this point on, you'll be one of us. You're going to fight in order to survive this world. But promise me that you will never leave no one behind. What's your name?"

"Akiza...", Akiza couldn't use her birth name ever since running away from home. Since then, she took on a new identity as Akiza Izinski.

The two people in her life - Kiryu and Ian, who saved her would ultimately become her newfound family.

The present, C.E. 72

Akiza smiled at both Kiryu and Ian after reminiscing the days of fighting back in their world. Now that Kiryu can finally get his act together, Akiza is confident that the rest of the team has nothing to fear.


Elsewhere in a laboratory in the Atlantic Federation...

A scientist named Divine Sayer begins observing the modifications of three new Biological CPUs that are inside their respective stasis cradles with each of them naked inside in their slumber - one is a young girl with blonde hair, a boy with pale blue hair, and lastly a young man with green hair.

Within moments, the three Biological CPUs open their eyes while in their stasis pods. And Divine mutters, "Let's begin."


Author's Note #2:

- This story's version of Divine is based on the namesake character from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, on top of using Sayer as his surname, which was Divine's dub name. Though his appearance and voice (Masakazu Nemoto (Japanese) and Jason Griffith (English)) is more based on Placido/Primo. Much like with the Divine from 5D's this story's version of Divine appears more closer to Stella than with Auel and/or Sting.

- The melody Kiryu played on his harmonica is that of "Shinkai no Kodoku", which was performed by Flay and Stella's VA, Houko Kuwashima. Because Kiryu is the Carbon Human copy of Shinn Asuka, he might find himself intertwined to both Shinn and Stella.