The hot desert sun woke him. Kelima grumbled then rolled over. He hated the heat, but since their retreat from Siberia, he, Segundo and Duo were guests of Quatre and the Maganac's in their desert community. It had only been a week, but still they should have gotten some word from Jeden and San. The other Gundam pilots Kelima had discovered, didn't communicate with one another. Even if they were in hiding, there were ways of communication in the day of electronic mail. OZ would never suspect missions planned in plain text of an email. Terrorists weren't supposed to think like that. They were supposed to use crafty methods and difficult codes to communicate with one another.

Quatre had told him when they'd first been teamed up, that the Maganacs were his friends. They were a group that knew his family and were willing to help any way they could. Kelima remembered Quatre mentioning something about his father disapproving of violence as a way to solve problems. But Quatre had disagreed and taken the Gundam to Earth despite his father. The Maganacs had welcomed him and become his biggest supporters offering their tiny country to him as a safe haven. Silently thankful to the Maganacs for putting up with him and the other pilots, Kelima was happy to see that there were people willing to fight OZ.

Someone knocked on his door.

"In!" He called ignoring the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt at the moment. Hey his pants were on, that's all that counted. Segundo stepped inside, a serious look on her face.

"Kelima, have you noticed anything strange about the men outside?" she asked. Having no idea what she was talking about, Kelima got up and went to the open window. Below him in the street were soldiers.

"When did those guys get here?"

"They showed up about forty-five minutes ago. Their commander talked with the mayor. Something is fishy though. What do you notice about them?" Segundo asked.

"They're wearing OZ uniforms." He said flatly. "And I don't like the looks of those crates."

"What do you think is in them? They're placing them all over the city." She said coming up next to him.

"Off hand, I'd say they're explosives. Look at the way the soldiers are placing them." Segundo nodded.

"That's what I was thinking. Quatre and Rashid plan on opening one as soon as soldiers are gone." She crossed her arms across her coral colored shirt. It's long sleeves were pushed back, exposing her forearms. Duo rapped lightly on the door causing both to turn towards him.

"Showing him the OZ soldiers?"

"Yeah, he agrees with me. They must be bombs."

"Lousy fucking OZ. They plan to blow this place up because we're here." Duo growled.

"We don't know that for sure." Reminded Segundo. "They could be doing this because of the Maganacs."

"You might be right." Duo muttered. "I just don't want to see innocent people wrapped up in this."

"I think they know the risks, why else would they help us?" Kelima asked glancing over at Duo.

"I don't know." he admitted watching the OZ troops leave the street. "I really don't know. I'd just…" he trailed off and joined the other two at the window. A couple of children ran down the street laughing and giggling. "I'd just never want to see those kids hurt." They stood in silence for a few more minutes before heading downstairs to find Quatre.

Rashid called the four Gundam pilots to him and together they went to discover what was in the crates. Crowbar in hand, they opened one and gasped. Their worst fear had come true. The crates were filled with explosives set to detonate at midnight. Rashid, the leader of the Maganacs sighed deeply.

"This isn't good."

"It's because of us." Quatre said glancing at the other three pilots. "It's because you're protecting us."

"No," Rashid told him. "It's because we oppose OZ. They've found out about our small military force."

"Those are really sensitive explosives." A Maganac said staring down at the tangle of wires, counters, and explosives. "We can't move them or they'll blow up."

"We can't save the city, but we can save the people in it." Rashid stated. He turned to the growing crowd of Maganacs. "Go, alert everyone not to touch the crates. Have the citizens start evacuating. We need to get everyone out of here before midnight." Quatre stood very still, his body tense and fists clenched tightly at his side.

"Yes, sir!" the Maganacs chorused before spreading out to the far reaches of the city.

"We'll do what we can too." Kelima said. Duo and Segundo nodded.

"Thank you. I will make sure that your Gundams are ready to evacuate too." Rashid said as he began to walk towards the mayor.

"No, we'll stay and fight!" Quatre snapped. "We owe the people that."

"No, you owe it to the people to survive. All of you. Please, Quatre-sama." Quatre stared at the older man for a few minutes.

"NO! We'll fight. There are four of us. That should be more than enough!" Segundo put her hand on his shoulder.

"Come, we need to get ready. Sandrock and Death Scythe took heavy damage and we need to make sure they can operate." Quatre slowly turned to her. "There will be another time to fight, we need to run now. Survive so that we can come back." With a heavy sigh and slightly damp eyes, Quatre relented. Segundo guided him back to the secret underground base of the Maganacs with Kelima and Duo close behind.

"Don't worry, we'll repay them some how." Duo assured him as they went inside.

Relena Darlian sat quietly staring straight ahead. Across from her sat Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin sipping tea. The woman was a member of OZ, but was also a delegate from the Sanq Kingdom. She'd been sent by an unknown person to find Relena, who was the lost heir to the Sanq Kingdom's throne. Relena had not known until a short time ago that she was the princess of the fallen kingdom. Her father had confessed it just before he died. She didn't care if she wasn't his biological child; Relena would never consider herself anyone's daughter but his. Now that the Sanq Kingdom had been reinstated, she was to lead it. Which was why Lt. Noin had searched her out and rescued her from Lady Une's guards after she'd shot at the hateful woman. It was childish, yes, Relena thought, but it felt good to at least make the attempt. After all, Lady Une was the one responsible for Mr. Darlian's assassination. Relena clenched her fingers tightly about the teacup as she remembered. Upon fleeing from the scene of the incident, Lt. Noin had bumped into her and whisked her away to the Sanq Kingdom.

From what she had learned from Lt. Noin, a man named Zechs Merquise had asked her to care of the heir and keep an eye on her.

An eye on me indeed, Relena thought angrily. Of course, Lt. Noin had every intention of fulfilling her duty, so Relena had relented to being babysat. While they sat, Relena attempted to ring as much information about this mysterious knight of the Sanq Kingdom and her benefactor.

"How well do you know Mister Merquise?" Relena asked innocently. Noin placed her teacup back on the saucer.

"We've known each other for some time. He is a noble man." Relena nodded and took a sip from her own cup.

"How long is that?"

"Long enough." Noin replied, not giving away anything. Relena sighed knowing it wasn't worth trying to pry any further. Noin would supply information when it was necessary.

"He loves the Sanq Kingdom dearly and was key in releasing it from the Federation's control. And that Miss Relena, is all I will tell you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some other business to attend to. Thank you for the tea." Noin rose to leave. Relena watched the woman with short dark hair and dark blue eyes straighten her uniform. She was a nice looking woman and Relena briefly wondered if Lt. Noin of OZ was in love with Zechs Merquise, the famous Lightning Count.

"Thank you for stopping by. After what happened the other night at the Romafellar Foundation party, I still think I'm right. They're just fooling themselves. The Gundams will bring OZ and the Romafellar Foundation low." Relena stated standing as well. She saw a small smile briefly appear on Noin's face.

"You maybe right." She paused. "You said something about knowing one of the pilots?" Now it was Relena's turn to be tight lipped.

"Yes. He is my inspiration. I know he and the other pilots will bring peace back to this planet."

"You seem certain. Especially after their defeat."

"I am." Noin nodded, bowed and took her leave without another word to the girl. As soon as she had left the room Relena collapsed into the cushions of the sofa. How long would it take for her to find out if he'd survived the explosion? They said a second Gundam had carried his body away. He couldn't really be dead. She was certain that OZ was hiding something, what she didn't know. OZ was an underhanded group. First the coup d'etate after the leaders of the Federation had been killed, then drawing the Gundams out to fight, causing Heero to self-destruct. All they wanted was war and conquest. Relena couldn't agree with that, it was against everything she had been taught and believed. Hadn't Dr. J told her that OZ was the reason the Gundams had been sent to Earth? Yes, that has to be it, Relena determined. Sighing again, Relena Darlian, now Relena Peacecraft looked at her cooled tea and again wondered if Heero Yuy was still alive. Not knowing the extent of the Gundam's defeat, coupled with the fact that she hadn't slept well due to the general stress after Foreign Minister Darlian's death, was giving her a headache.

"I think I need to find some aspirin." She muttered getting up. "Then I need to do some research into the Sanq Kingdom and my biological parents." Determined on fulfilling the mission she'd given herself, Relena exited leaving two teacups sitting on the table.

Midnight, the time was drawing near. The people of the city had been gathered in the underground shelter and were being instructed when and how to leave. Duo watched and was saddened. They shouldn't have had to leave their homes. OZ shouldn't be camped beyond the city waiting for the bombs to go off, but they were. He began to walk towards Death Scythe with his head down. As he approached it, two young women stopped him. They smiled brightly.

"Here, for luck." Said one as she handed him a bouquet of flowers. Startled Duo took it without question.

"Come back to us unharmed." Said the other as she handed him a second. Kissing him lightly on the cheek, the two skipped away to rejoin their families. Duo stared after them as a huge smile crept across his face. He laughed then trotted over to his Gundam. Quatre was perched on Sandrock's chest making sure everything was all right.

"I don't want to leave them." He muttered.

"Oi! Quatre!" Quatre leaned over to look at Duo who was waving a bouquet in one hand and cradling another in the other. "I've got yours too!" He called just as he tossed it up to him. Quatre made a grab and barely caught it. "They told me to come back unharmed and good luck!" Quatre smiled.

"That we will. We have to come back, when we're stronger." He said.

"You guys about ready?" Kelima called as he hurried up to them. "We need to move out. Rashid said that he and the Maganacs would keep OZ busy while we and the civilians escape."

"Where do we go after this?" Duo asked. "Is there a base around here?"

"Only the one in the south. E2-zero. I bet Seyth is still there. Knowing her, she'd love to get her hands on your Gundams again."

"Getting to E2-zero will be difficult." Segundo said catching up to Kelima. "There seem to be a large group of OZ troops hanging around northern Africa recently. We might do better heading east or north."

"We'll go east." Said Quatre. "I know of some hiding spots that we can stay at."

"Sounds good. Now let's go!"

Rashid had given them orders to be ready when the attack came, so they wasted no time running systems checks. With their fuel tanks full and their Gundams ready, the four pilots waited for the signal.

Just before midnight the Maganacs struck. OZ wasn't prepared and faltered in an attempt to rally their forces. The Maganacs fought hard while the Gundams waited. It was important that they draw all the fire so that everyone could escape. Over the radios the Gundam pilots could hear the sounds of the battle above them, forced to wait until Rashid said it was all right. Kelima hated waiting and was itching to break out and fight OZ. Segundo remained calm and tried not to think about anything, but what she needed to do. Duo was quiet, but wished he could do something more than just sit there doing nothing. Behind the other three, Quatre sat in Sandrock praying that all the civilians would make it to safety and that none of the Maganacs would die. Please, don't die, he thought. I don't want to loose any of my friends.

"They've secured the airfield for us." Kelima relayed over the com link. "We can move out." The other pilots nodded and began to move. They slipped out with Maganacs protecting their position. In front, hunkered down in the dunes, Rashid glanced back to make sure they were all their.

"Go and may Allah preserve you." Rashid told the pilots as he watched the four Gundams escape into the desert night. A sea of fire and sand lay in front of him. OZ would not let up on their attack, but they were faltering, they would not win the way they had hoped. The Maganacs would see to that. Sandrock paused to look back at it, but turned back to the path to the airfield. Rashid wished Quatre-sama luck once more, before turning his full attention back to the battle.

They found several large empty cargo planes on the airfield with no pilots in sight. Quickly they chose the largest and loaded the four Gundams aboard. Segundo ran to the cockpit and started the engine. Taxing down the makeshift runway, Segundo pointed the plane east and took off.

"Take us over the battlefield!" Quatre yelled from the cargo bay once they were in flight. Shooting him a strange look, Segundo suddenly understood what he was up too. She turned the plane back over the desert. Quatre glanced over at Kelima and Duo. They nodded.

"Ready when you are." Duo called happily preparing Death Scythe. "Shinigami at your service."

"We'll let them have it sir." Kelima snickered, saluting. The cargo hatch remained open as the Gundams made their way to the edge. Fire Fight aimed its blowtorch down as the OZ troops came into site. Keeping the plane high enough so she still could to maneuver, Segundo buzzed a large group of Leos in their path.

"YEE-HA!" she screamed as OZ felt the power of Fire Fight's flame and Death Scythe's machine guns. The enemy scattered as she pulled up and away into the night.

Quatre hit the cargo door switch as the two Gundam marched back up into the main portion of the plane and lay down. The large door closed and latched shut.

"That'll give'em something to think about." Kelima gloated as he hoped out.

"Thank you all." Quatre said. Duo and Kelima smiled.

"It was our pleasure." They chimed before hopping to the floor and heading to the cockpit.

"You don't know how much that meant." Quatre whispered, following after them.

Heero opened his eyes. He ached, but it was a dull ache. Beside him someone moved. Turning his blue eyes towards the motion he found himself staring at Trowa.

"You're awake. You've been unconscious for nearly three weeks." Grimacing, Heero slowly sat up. He didn't recognize his surroundings.

"Where?"

"A traveling circus. They took me in and I brought you here." Trowa turned from him to stare at the television. The screen showed a newscaster reading off the news.

"OZ?" Heero asked. Trowa looked back at him.

"They defeated us and have sent us into hiding. They've been mocking us at every turn." He said. "I don't know what the others are up too. It was chaos after you self-destructed."

"How so?" Suddenly a face Heero didn't recognize appeared. She climbed into the trailer and smiled at Heero.

"I'm glad to see your friend is awake, Trowa." She said. Her eyes were a pale blue-gray color and her curly hair was a medium auburn. Heero noted her with no particular interest. She was just someone.

"I can make some soup." She offered.

"Thank you Catherine." Trowa said. Heero nodded. Catherine smiled again, trying to be as friendly as possible. She turned and climbed back out of the trailer. Trowa waited for her to be gone before he continued.

"We were forced to split up. I couldn't rendezvous with Jeden." He said. "I don't know where he or any one else is."

"Without either him or San, we can't find a Martian base." Heero muttered. The pain in his ribs was worse now that he was sitting up, but he ignored it.

"Without your Gundam, you can't do much." Trowa commented.

"It doesn't matter. We would be safer there." Trowa laughed. It was a nice sound. From outside Catherine could hear its rich tone. She smiled glad that someone had pried Trowa, if just for a moment, out of his shell. He had such a beautiful smile. She wished he would use it more often.

"You are concerned with our safety after self-destructing?" Trowa found this ironic. Heero sighed.

"I failed. I should have died, but I didn't. I'm not sure what exactly to do at the moment, but I do know that I must trust my feelings."

"Trust your feelings?" Trowa inquired moving towards the window.

"Yes, someone once told me that."

"I think I understand." Trowa stretched and leaned against the windowsill. "I still must do something though." He told Heero. The other pilot watched him, but didn't say anymore. The television broke the silence with a report of some sort of explosion at a development facility, but no Gundams were involved. Heero stared at the screen and for a moment thought he recognized someone in the blurred image presented. Major Sally Po?

Gunfire erupted as the rebel fighters ran for their truck. Around them the government military base smoldered from the result of the placed explosives. Sally Po, formally a major of the Federation, had come home to her native country only to find it under the dictatorship of a despicable man. After OZ's coup d'etate, she and other ex-Federation soldiers, had joined resistance fighters. Leaping into the open back, she instructed the truck driver to go. They sped away from the burning base with a small squadron of Leo class mobile suits on their heels.

"We have to go faster!" she called. The driver nodded and slammed his foot harder on the gas pedal. We may not be able to get these weapons to the camp, Sally realized as the Leos closed in on them. One truck versus five mobile suits weren't very good odds. A missile flew past and exploded in front of them. The truck rocked, then over turned. Sally and the others were thrown out onto the cold ground. Shaking off the initial shock, Sally looked up to see a Leo silhouetted against the night sky with its gun pointed directly at her. This is it; she thought and waited for the inevitable.

"GUNDAM!" Some yelled. "It's a GUNDAM!"

Chang Wufei heard the sounds of battle coming closer. Glancing up from where he'd been sitting on Shenlong's foot, he saw the telltale sign of mobile suits. Their lights, the brief fire as bullets sprayed the ground and the flare as missiles streaked to their target. Closing his eyes he thought.

"They're close." He said aloud.

"Whom ever they're fighting are not capable of defending themselves." Veir muttered. Wufei opened his eyes and noted that the other pilot was watching the battle through night vision binoculars. "A local guerrilla faction most likely." He put down the binoculars and hopped down from the rock he'd been perched on.

"Where are you going?" asked Wufei watching the brunette run towards Hard Rock.

"They can't possible win without mobile suits. I'm going to help!" Wufei contemplated for a moment then got up and climbed into Shenlong's cockpit.

"The weak shouldn't fight." He muttered as he started the Gundam up. "I'm weak too, but Nataku isn't."

They flew towards the battle. Veir hung back behind Wufei as he was now more or less his shadow. It seemed appropriate for the near complete black Gundam to play the silent deadly shadow to the already deadly near completely white Gundam.

"GUNDAM!" they heard. "It's a GUNDAM!"

Not just one, but two, Veir thought as he and Wufei attacked.

Sally stared at what she saw before her. Unit 05 had come to their rescue. He tore through the Leos like they were paper.

"Sally!" a man cried. "There's another!" Sally turned her head so fast that it nearly gave her whiplash. Another, no, that wasn't possible! She didn't see it, no she did! There, ripping a head off a Leo was another Gundam. It was like the others except for its dark coloring. It sent shivers down her spine.

"I've never seen that Gundam." Sally said slowly. Several of her comrades stared at her, but then remembered that she'd seen all the Gundams at New Edward's base the day OZ staged its coup and the Federation leaders had perished.

"Where did it come from?" demanded one person.

"I don't know. We should be glad it's here, they just saved us."

Knowing what he had to do, Trowa prepared. The circus was going to do a show on an OZ base. He had promised the ringmaster that he'd have something really spectacular for the grand finale. Grand finale, it will be my finale, he thought as he scanned the base. There were Taurus transport ships that would be leaving for space tomorrow. After tonight they wouldn't be leaving at all. Trowa tucked his binoculars back into his pack and made his way back to the tents. He had a show to put on.

Heero was safely tucked away in one of the trailers recovering still. Trowa sighed and walked to where Heavyarms was carefully covered. Getting the Gundam into the tent wasn't going to be as difficult as he had thought. Stepping up into the drivers' side of the truck, Trowa drove it into the main tent and began to set up. No one disturbed him, as he knew they would. After he was done he slipped back to check on Heero. He found Catherine sitting on the couch next to Heero. She was dressed for the show, but had brought him something to eat. Trowa entered silently.

"He's such a quiet boy." Catherine was saying. "I'm glad he's made some friends. Tonight's show is going to be exciting! If Trowa promised a big surprise, then it should be fine." She beamed as Heero took a sip of the soup she'd brought him.

"Catherine." The woman shot straight up. Placing her hand across her chest she turned.

"Trowa, you startled me. I brought your friend something to eat. I know it's going to be a long night and so…" she trailed off.

"I'm set up." Trowa stated. Catherine nodded and got up.

"I'll let you finish getting ready then. Bye!" she called as she left. Heero eyed Trowa as he sat down.

"You plan on doing it?"

"Yes." Trowa replied.

"You'll make her sad." Heero muttered motioning towards the exit.

"I do what is necessary."

"I failed."

"I won't. You've shown what must be done. The Gundams must not fall into OZ's hands."

"It will still make her sad." Trowa sighed and got up. He needed to get ready. Looking once more at Wing's pilot, Trowa wondered if he was doing the right thing.