Duo looked out the window of the carrier at the base below, flames already leaped from many sectors. He let out a low whistle, �Damn, this guy moves fast. Hey, our culprit is still down there. There�s two of them!� Heero turned his attention from the controls for only a moment, �Now to see if they are friend or foe.� A message relayed from the other carrier came up on-screen, a familiar blonde teenager made up the image, �Approach with caution, deploy as soon as you reach the ground.� Duo unlatched his seatbelt and got to his feet, �Roger that Quatre. Follow us in.� He turned and yelled into the bay containing their mobile suits, �Hey Wufei, get ready to drop!� Trowa�s voice was heard on the other end of the COM system, confirming what Heero had just noticed, �We�ve got gunfire.�
Jess tossed her long braid over her shoulder, �Amber, we didn�t invite anyone else to our little party did we?� By the time her voice had passed through the installed scrambler, Amber sounded much like a teenage guy, �We should teach them that barging in like that isn�t nice.� Her dark blue Gundam looked up at the oncoming planes, �But let�s toy with them a little first.� With that, she raised her buster rifle shooting three identical beams of energy at the closer of the two, it swerved to avoid them but it�s bulky size made this movement slow. One struck its right wing; smoke billowed from the damaged part. A single mobile suit dropped from the carrier�s half open bay, followed shortly by two others. The Gundams made it out just as the plane lost its battle to gravity and plunged nose first into the flaming base. The remaining carrier circled once more before deploying its cargo.
Anger had already been triggered and none were prepared to talk peaceably. Both groups stood perfectly still, waiting impatiently for the other�s first move. The tension was broken by a snide remark from Deathscythe Hell. �So who pilots the elk?� Duo asked with a suppression of laughter. No one understood at first, Amber then assumed he was speaking to her. The headpiece of her Gundam resembled elk antlers, though she�d never really thought of it that way. Fuming with anger, she yelled across the COM system, �Who said that?� There wasn�t a reply. Amber raised her buster rifle, shifting her aim between the five standing before them, �One of you had better tell me.� A yell laden with surprise answered this, the speaker unknown. �The elk�s got a god damned buster rifle!� Duo grinned inside his cockpit, rising at once to the challenge. Deathscythe flexed its crimson-rimmed wings, igniting its beam scythe at the same time. It motioned for the other mobile suit to come forward, �Think you can take the Death Bringer, elky?� Sarcasm came from the other contestant, hiding any fear she contained, �Bring it on, Fruit bat.� On a sudden impulse, Deathscythe charged. Covering the distance that separated him from his opponent with remarkable speed. Amber sidestepped each swipe he made, the curved energy of Duo�s scythe missing her by mere inches. It peeled back paint with its extreme heat. She took a swipe at Deathscythe�s legs with her beam saber. Small components exploded as the saber ground its way easily through the mobile suit�s left leg. Duo refused to go down, taking another wild swing at Amber. The scythe skimmed past her Gundam�s arm, leaving a long gash in the armor but causing no true damage. She shoved the already off-balanced Deathscythe, causing it to crash to the ground.
Duo violently punched one of the control councils in Deathscythe�s cockpit, furious about the fail to bring down his opponent. Heavy Arms sped forward, attempting to reach Amber before she completed her action. He wasn�t fast enough. Amber shoved her beam saber into the back of Duo�s mobile suit; her finishing move opened the gates of hell. Trowa plowed into the human-like machine standing over the remains of Deathscythe, releasing his wrath in a torrent of blows and curses. Wing Zero spread its hawk wings, the thrusters hidden in the mass of feather shaped plates ignited. Jess intercepted his charge, knowing Amber already had enough to deal with. Showing no signs of stopping, Zero rammed her full speed. Jess shifted her suit to maximum power to counter-balance Heero�s assault.
A high-pitched whistle filled the battleground, overcoming all other sounds. The deafening note faded slowly, leaving most bewildered and confused. A long howl replied the whistle, followed by rapid, thunderous footsteps. HellHound, as he was called, jumped over Amber�s Gundam and tackled Heavy Arms. They rolled across the ash-covered ground, a mass of metal and machinery. Her previous enemy occupied, Amber turned the two left standing. Nataku stepped forward, edgy for battle. Sandrock backed away several paces, giving Wufei space. He once again made his quiet plea, �Please, we shouldn�t be fighting like this.� His voice was heard by all, desperate and pleading. Despite the truth in Quatre�s words, the young Arabian was ignored.
Wufei eyed his challenger, sizing her up with black, judging eyes. Not waiting for her strike, Nataku shot one of his dragons toward the awaiting foe. It snaked and twisted, just a green blur speeding through empty space. Amber tried to keep track of it, her stomach twisting in a tight knot when she realized couldn�t. In her panic, Amber hardly noticed her reflex that knocked the dragon away. The blazing beam saber cleaved the weapon cleanly just seconds before it made contact with her suit. It took her a moment to remember to breathe, her calm aurora returning almost instantly. Amber opened a voice link with the snake-like Gundam, �Was that the best you are capable of?� Deadly silence returned her question, a mock in itself.
Bullets rained down on HellHound�s thick armor, each leaving their own mark on his hide. He shook them off as though they were nothing more than flies, sending several back in the direction of their deployer. Red eyes glowed fiercely as the hellish dog stalked his equally hellish opponent. Trowa slowly raised one of his twin machine guns. �Here doggy, doggy, doggy,� he called tauntingly. The hound pulled back for a moment, but this wasn�t hesitation; he lunged at Heavy Arms and bit down on the weapon. The diamond tipped teeth ground into the multi-barreled gun; the thick metal screeched its complaint before collapsing in on itself. Trowa pulled the remains of the magnificently designed weapon away from HellHound�s jaws. He quickly evaluated the damage, �Damn it!� The Gundanium hound paced around its enemy, looking for an opening to strike at. Finding one, it lashed out.
Despite Heero�s advantage with the ZERO system, he found that this Zero look alike was more than a match. It too had massive white wings, but they appeared more angelic. Painted on the cockpit door was a silver moon interlocking a golden star. Its coloration was different as well, instead of the familiar red, blue and white; purple, blue and maroon prevailed on its surface. It�s pilot held a nearly constant link with Heero�s cockpit, but the view screen never brought anything more than static. The few words that did filter through were distorted; the speaker�s voice was noticeably deeper by the time it reached Heero�s suit. He ignored the pilot�s simple attempts to distract him, putting his full concentration into bringing down the enemy. At the close range his contender kept the battle at, Heero found his buster rifle to be utterly useless. He tossed it aside and pulled his beam saber. Dream Chaser moved faster than Zero without the advantage of anticipation; it was purebred skill. It dodged the blazing energy, brandishing no saber of it�s own. Jess seized the crook of Zero�s arm and flung him to the ground, leaving an undetectable device implanted there. She backed away quickly from the downed Gundam. The timer of the tiny bomb finished countdown and the lower half of Zero�s saber arm blew off. Heero�s rage doubled in size and he charged, screaming, at his foe.
Nataku swung his staff at P.C. but was once again blocked at the last moment. He pulled away and sent the remaining dragon spiraling for it. The mechanical creature clamped onto the suit�s leg and held fast. It clenched tightly and tore at metal sheeting. He�d caused substantial damage before Amber severed the thick cord keeping the dragon under its master�s control. The yellow and green head became lifeless but still clung to P.C.�s leg. She shot a harsh comment across the battlefield, �Haven�t you learned yet?� Nataku stood, silent, dragon less but not defenseless. Amber began to pursue the battle, only to find that the round was over. Her opponent stood his ground, ready for more. P.C. did the exact opposite of what Wufei expected; instead of charging it took off in the other direction. Nataku stepped forward, �Coward!� His cry hung in the air, being replaced by silence. All separate skirmishes had stopped and breaths were caught in throats as all watched Amber�s movement. P.C. swooped into her hound�s battle and lifted the beast off the ground. Her thrusters strained to keep both machines in the air. Dream Chaser sped towards Zero, breaking her advance inches from him and took a spiraled path to the sky. The trio lit off for the west, not looking back.
Attention was immediately turned to their fallen ally. Zero strode to where the dark warrior lay and turned the carcass onto its back. It lay still, without a breath of life. Heavy Arms staggered to Zero�s side, his example quickly followed by the others. A cockpit door opened and from it emerged Heero. Light wind ruffled his hair and shirt; kicking up ashes in it�s pass. The Perfect Soldier leapt from his perch, landing silently on midnight metal. Deathscythe�s cockpit door didn�t respond at first command. Frustrated, Heero slammed his fist onto the control. The door groaned open, revealing the black clad boy inside. The right side of the cockpit was slightly melted; suggesting the saber had cut fairly close. She�d shoved the saber in diagonally, even an amateur knew otherwise. Purposefully, his mind whispered. Heero pushed the thought away; he liked the idea that they weren�t well trained a little better. He dropped into the cavity next to Duo. The boy�s dark blue eyes were closed, seemingly forever. Crimson streamed from a gash above his left collarbone, Heero smiled. If blood runs, his heart still beats. He punched the clotting wound, sending a bolt of pain screaming to Duo�s head. The death of darkness jerked, letting out a small yelp. He opened one sea-blue eye to glare at this cruel soldier. �That kind of hurts if you don�t mind,� he snarled through clenched teeth. Heero�s face remained etched of stone, telling nothing but hiding nothing. They both heard Trowa land heavily near the opening, �So, is he alive?� Duo sighed loudly, �Yeah, I�m alive and yet no one is jumping for joy. I feel so loved.� He followed this up with a mock sob. Trowa crouched next to the opening and peered inside, a barely detectable smile playing at his lips, �Actually I think we all looked forward to having no corny jokes being told at dinnertime.� The black warrior painstakingly sat up, �Very funny Trowa.�
