Emotions are perhaps the only real partitions that separate humans from machines. Some say that the difference lies in the machine’s inability to act without some sort of direction from a human user. The question now posed is "What direction is given to the human?" Are emotions merely the result of different external stimuli from the human’s surroundings? If that is so, then perhaps emotions control the actions of humans. Emotions, therefore, which separate humans from machines, in the end, may very well be the thread that links them together.
The independence of the Space Colonies was achieved through a long-fought battle, which many propose was not entirely based in the Earthsphere’s need for the economic benefits that the Colonies provided, or in the Space Colonies’ desire for autocracy. There are still some people from Earth who think that the inhabitants of the Space Colonies somehow see themselves as a ‘Master Race,’ a somehow superior heritage that looks at Earth-born humans as impure. There are also Space Colony citizens who think that Earth-born humans, the new minority of the Solar System, are somehow in a higher, elite, aristocratic, almost noble class. Even in a seemingly simplistic, almost timeless theme of war aims, the human mind’s ability to doubt and suspect the differences of others retains its role as the backbone of civilization.
The year is After Exodus 249. A major change in the ranks of Vaughn Marisson-Kincayde’s Final Judgment organization has resulted in an apparent period of uncertainty. A game is played in which few know whether they have even been dealt a hand or not, and the rules appear to be improvised as the contest continues.
MOBILE SOLDIER N GUNDAM
By: L. Curtis Totty
An enormous crowd, hundreds of pairs of hands clapping together, in front of bright eyes and shining smiles. The sound echoed through the enormous hotel ballroom, drowning out the sound of footsteps approaching a lone podium onstage, several feet above the ballroom floor. A massive, redundant television screen in the background repeated the image of the man in the most expensive suit with the brightest smile and shiniest hair, standing at the podium. As the applause slowly died, the microphone’s amplifications of the special guest’s words of gratitude took acoustic dominance of the room.
"Thank you so much, you’re all too kind," said a boisterous, yet somewhat laid-back Vaughn Marisson-Kincayde, as he smiled and waved at his audience. "Really…" He laughed, making it known that he realized that there was no way he could control the room. "Thanks everyone, good night!" he said, playfully, as he feigned jogging offstage. Kincayde, of course, returned to the podium, as was expected at a social gathering with so many people important in society, important to his own profit.
"Ladies and gentlemen," began Kincayde. "I suppose you’re wondering why I called you all here…Well, I’m here to tell you, that thanks to my investigation, I have discovered that all hopes for tonight’s presentation to maintain a dignified atmosphere have been murdered by someone in this room!" He pointed fingers at several aged members of society, eliciting smaller outbursts of laughter. After Kincayde was satisfied with the reaction to his jest, he sighed, managing to hold back his jovial demeanor and get down to business.
"Seriously, though, ladies and gentlemen," said Kincayde. "You have no idea how glad I am that all of you could make room in your schedules for this sordid little affair of mine. The truth is, I was sitting alone in my bedroom, bored, so I thought I might share my boredom with all of you this fine evening. I didn’t really have anything really important to say…except, of course, I wanted to announce the release of MarisSoft Netellite v. 28.0!" A grand roar of applause from the guests at the banquet once again filled the room, and Kincayde was once again reduced to begging them to quiet down.
"For years, the Marisson Corporation’s Netellite System has been used to link individual computer terminals to the Solar System Internet. The people of the Space Colonies have been able to freely communicate with anyone throughout the Solar System. However, there has also been great difficulty in doing so. Log on times, downloads, and uploads have been slow, due to the need to connect to central processing systems to direct the user to whatever access point they desired. All this ends with new Version 28.0! The new configuration of the network system allows each and every terminal to be connected to every other terminal at all times. It’s only a matter of turning the connection on or off! In addition, just a little bit of the processing power of every computer in the network can be used for the download of a single file to a single computer. I call this the Total Area Network System, or TAN.
"Now, some of you may be concerned about the use of Netellite for hacking into other terminals. The new Netellite System comes equipped with the most advanced hacking- and virus-protection utilities available. Each user will be able to keep track of every use of their terminal for the Internet processing needs of others, and block out those it wants to. This capability is hardly detrimental to…say…a kid who just wants to download his favorite song, for he or she can easily and automatically find other sources to get what he needs. Now, every terminal in space will be linked together peacefully in complete communicational unity, or ‘Community!’ Clever isn’t it? I came up with that myself," said Kincayde, grinning.
"Any questions you may have will be fielded by the Senior Vice President of MarisSoft’s Netellite Development Division and his team of scientific geeks…I mean, ‘experts,’" he said, winking. In the meantime, I’d like to present to you, the latest Space Rap group signed to Marisson Recordings, singing from their debut album, Thuggin’ ‘Til Our Balls Falls Off, it’s the Kolony Kleanser Krew! Give it up for the KKK, everybody!"
Vaughn Marisson-Kincayde, his mission accomplished, left the podium just as the spotlight turned to the side stage, where the Kolony Kleanser Krew began to perform their first single, "We Some Fat-Ass-Gangstas." Kincayde exited the ballroom, and stepped into the limousine waiting for him. He began his ride back to the spaceport, where he would board a Carrier that would take him through space to the Colonnade. In the meantime, he rolled down the window to separate himself from his chauffeur, so that he could place a very private video phone call.
"Dr. Pharragan," began Kincayde. "Get your hands away from your crotch for a minute, and listen up."
"I don’t appreciate the audacity of the insults that you call ‘humor,’ Kincayde," said Dr. Pharragan.
"I suppose you did some research and found out what happened with the N Gundam and the Ghostblade ZERO," said Kincayde.
"I did, Kincayde, to an extent," said Pharragan. "I must admit that the N Gundam’s fusion with the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO occurred earlier than I anticipated, but at least it means I’m able to collect more data quicker."
"A true scientist, you are, Pharragan. Greedy for every bit of information, aren’t you?" asked Kincayde. "Tell me, what about the N Gundam’s ability to discard the bomb that I had installed in the Ghostblade?"
"Hard to explain, but I’ll try," said Pharragan. "It could be because when I originally programmed the capability into the N Gundam, the data on the Ghostblade that I gave it didn’t account for the presence of the bomb.
"On the other hand, the N Gundam may have somehow reacted to the Newtype Riser Caldwell’s desire to escape his Gundam prison. However, this conclusion won’t be conclusive until the N Gundam disconnects with the Ghostblade and chooses a new ‘host.’"
"Very interesting, indeed," said Kincayde. "We’ll just have to hope that some of the other Gundams receive technological upgrades, to check out this theory. Now, did you program into the N Gundam what weapons or what designs it would have once it fused with the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO?"
"Not at all," replied Pharragan. "The appearance of N Gundam Ghostblade ZERO, as well as its functions, were completely random. I think that somehow, Riser Caldwell chose what he wanted his Gundam to have."
"How unfortunate!" exclaimed Kincayde. "To think that I went through all the trouble of giving the Ghostblade the Syringe Sniper, just like Riser’s old Mobile Suit, and he didn’t even want it anymore!"
"Yeah, right…What a shame…" said Pharragan, with a somewhat sardonic tone. "At any rate, let’s just hope our young friends manage to live long enough to allow us to complete the necessary research."
"Of course," said Kincayde. "My prayers are with your daughter, Pharragan."
"Er…thanks…" said Pharragan. Dr. Pharragan then terminated the communication, as Kincayde’s limousine neared the spaceport. He decided to rest his eyes for a bit.
"Lawson," said Kincayde, to his chauffeur. "Slow the car down a bit, I want to take in the scenery…"
"With your eyes closed?" asked Lawson.
"Of course," said Kincayde, smiling.
Episode 06: To Fly On Solid Ground…
"See this thing right here?" asked Tyrahl Jackson.
"Yeah," said Kenzikou Rainier, half-chuckling. "What is it, exactly?"
"It’s a unique cable, designed to transfer digital information and energy at the same time," said Tyrahl. "This is what your Gundam’s Gearshift Cell uses to increase the energy of all of its parts."
"Right," said Kenzikou. "So was that the problem?"
"Not really a problem…just, you know, a minor inconvenience, really," said Tyrahl. "Just tighten it up a little. Your Gundam should be responding a little faster, now."
"Was this the last one?" asked Kenzikou.
"Yeah, I’m pretty sure I got them all," said Tyrahl. "But we won’t really be able to test it out until another Rogue shows up…"
"You fix his Gundam yet?" asked Lareika Keaghen, shouting up at the two Gundam pilots, standing on the drawbridge-like cockpit door of the Gundam Freakstorm Gear.
"Yeah; it’s still ugly though," said Tyrahl, as he jumped down in front of Lareika.
"You guys are just jealous," said Kenzikou. "My Gundam’s beautiful and you know it! Ain’t that right, baby?"
"I was wondering why you kept asking me to install a woman’s genitalia on that thing," joked Tyrahl. A look of half-disgust, half-amusement came over Lareika’s face. Kenzikou responded to Tyrahl by climbing into his Gundam and making its left hand form an obscene gesture. Tyrahl could only reply "Real mature, Kenzikou…"
"Hey, Nathaniel!" shouted Kenzikou, to the other side of the warehouse. "Is your Gundam working okay?"
"Yeah, it looks like it…" said Lienfei Nathaniel, looking back towards the Gundam Talonfang Stealth, as he walked towards the others.
"Hey, I could put in a few upgrades," said Tyrahl. "Power up your weapons, add new ones – I’ve got plenty of parts! I could even get you a novelty license plate."
Nathaniel chuckled a little. "Yeah, I guess…"
"Hey, what’s the matter with you, man?" asked Kenzikou. "You seem a little quieter than normal. You ain’t still messed up from our last battle, are you?"
"Don’t worry," said Nathaniel, as he stopped beside Lareika. "I’m just fine…"
"It seemed kinda weird that the guy in that Gundam would take off like that," said Kenzikou, referring to Riser Caldwell. "When that ‘N Gundam’ merged with his Gundam, I thought for sure he’d try to blast us all into little bite-sized portions…"
"He said he was the leader of something called ‘Final Judgment,’" said Tyrahl. "But there was something about it all that didn’t seem right."
"Yeah, like why would he threaten to destroy that Resource Satellite, and then just take off like that?" asked Lareika.
"Maybe he wanted a release," said Nathaniel. Everyone looked at him.
"What do you mean?" asked Kenzikou.
"Huh?" asked Nathaniel, as if snapping awake, suddenly. He grinned, sheepishly. "Oh, I don’t know…"
"Leafy…"
"…I guess I just zoned out…"
"…Don’t follow me…"
"…Just forget about it…"
"…You know you can’t…"
Rannai’s words still formed a whirlwind in Nathaniel’s mind. He rubbed his eyes, feeling as though he had just awakened. "What time is it?"
"AM 9:29," said Kenzikou. "I think we’ve been in this warehouse too long. We’re in NY-19C796, one of the biggest Colonies in space! I think it’s time we checked out the city!"
"Okay, let’s go!" said Lareika, enthusiastically.
Tyrahl grabbed Nathaniel’s arm and yanked him forward to join with the rest of the group, as the four Gundam pilots approached the exit of their abandoned Mobile Suit Hangar, ready to enjoy a short break from battle.
"This looks like a pretty good place," said Riser Caldwell, as he stepped inside. He looked around and saw dozens of people sitting at tables, drinking, watching several different Internet Televisions; all of them showing different live football games. He found a barstool and sat down.
"Hey, bartender," shouted Riser. "What kind of beer you got?"
"That depends, kid," said the bartender. "What kind of ID you got?"
Riser groaned with exasperation, and rose from the barstool. "Screw it," he said. "See you in two years."
Colony NY-19C796 had been a common hangout for Riser Caldwell and his Mobile Suit Gang, Death Row. By AM 9:29 that morning, he had been to several of the old Mobile Suit Hangars that they used to use for parking, and a multitude of the city’s many sights. He thought he could find clues to his friends’ whereabouts, but so far, he had come up with nothing.
Besides the question of the safety of the rest of Death Row, Riser also wondered who the girl was that appeared before him when the N Gundam and Gundam Ghostblade ZERO merged into one. As he walked down the street, he looked back towards the location of the warehouse where he had left the N Gundam and Ghostblade ZERO, separate. He was still somewhat surprised at the ease in which he managed to get the N Gundam Ghostblade ZERO into the Colony and then diffuse them. He thought for sure that it would attract attention, even though he entered the Abandoned District of the Colony, where few people ever went. He knew that most Colonies had no special system or special force to keep Mobile Suits out, but this was NY-19C796! Surely, they would have been on their guard.
Riser decided to simply forget about it. He put the thoughts of Death Row, the thoughts of Kincayde, the thoughts of his Gundams and that girl, and the thoughts of the other Gundams, away in his mind for the moment. After seemingly walking aimlessly through the city, Riser found himself at the front entrance to Recovery Hills Mall, one of the most popular malls in the city. He remembered going there with the rest of Death Row, and also that Recovery Hills had a nice food court.
"I guess I should get some breakfast," thought Riser, as he walked towards the door. "Maybe on a full stomach, I’ll be able to make sense of all this…"
On the fourteenth floor of Recovery Hills Mall, far in the back of the seventh hallway, was an enormous clothing store called "The Notch" that sold the latest, simplest, most expensive fashions. Inside was a tall young man with black circles around his eyes from lack of sleep, black hair that swept over his eyes, a small beard on the bottom of his chin, and a pierced bottom lip. He was a very bored sales agent, trying to explain to a rather large young woman that none of the clothes would fit her because she did not limit her diet to air and water, without insulting her. Finally, the woman decided to leave and do some school shopping for her children at a more decent store, one that would treat her with more respect, namely "Notch Kids." The young man was very bored.
"Come back sometime, ma’am," he shouted to her, as she left. "Remember, ‘Jump Into The Notch!’"
"I hate this job," he thought. "Oh well, at least I don’t work at ‘Female Leg Bunker.’"
"Damn it, Shane!" yelled a man of age and experience, who had a bad comb-over and a nametag that read "Jacob, Manager." "If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, ‘The customer’s always right!’ Even if it doesn’t fit all that well, you have to convince her that it makes her look like a goddess as long as she buys the damn thing! I don’t care if she makes the cargo pants look like a thong! You’ve got to be a better salesman!"
"Whatever," said Shane. "Look, is it all right if I take my lunch break now?"
"It’s only AM 9:29, Shane! Not only that, but you were late to work!" yelled Jacob.
"Fine…" said Shane. "Don’t get your ass in a knot…"
"Look!" shout-whispered Jacob, pointing at a young girl who had just entered the store. "There’s another customer! Sell! Sell! Sell!"
Shane, rubbing his face in exasperation, slowly walked over to the young brunette before him. He looked at her, noticed that all she was wearing was a white tank top, a pair of faded blue jeans, and sandals. Her eyes seemed somewhat sleepy, but not quite as sleepy as his own. She looked lost, to him, in a way. But he had no time to worry about anything like that. She was just another customer, and he was a man with an important message to deliver.
"Jump Into The Notch, may I take your order?" asked Shane.
The girl’s eyes widened as she looked at Shane. Shane noticed this, and began to wonder if she even knew what sarcasm was. "Sorry," he said. "Is there anything I can help you with? Our new Fall line is…"
She simply pointed at a clothing rack with several hooded sweatshirts of different colors, all of which, in some place or another, read "Notch."
"Ah, you’re in luck. We’re having a sale today on crap. Everything must go." He turned away and began to walk towards the rack, and picked out a dark-grey sweatshirt. "This looks like a good one. What color would you…"
"You don’t like being here, do you?"
Shane stopped, and slowly turned to face her. "What did you say?"
A blank stare was all she gave him. Shane blinked, not sure that she even said anything. He turned back towards the clothing rack. "…This comes in double-extra small, and it’s made of one hundred percent…"
"There was something you were better at…"
Shane paused.
"…But you stopped, because you didn’t like the pain you caused…"
Shane turned to her again. And took a step towards her. "Who are you?"
She said nothing. The two stared at each other. For a long time, they were silent. Shane looked her up and down, trying to memorize a physical description of her. He paid close attention to her black hair, pale skin, and grey eyes. He looked around the store. For some reason, it seemed as if they were the only two people there. He swallowed hard, feeling the perspiration grow on his forehead. He thought the girl was crazy. "How did you know about…?"
"Shane, could you come here a second?" asked Jacob. "I need to have a talk with you!"
Shane slowly backed away, towards the checkout counter at the back of the store. He reached the counter and, while still keeping an eye on the mystery girl, asked Jacob what he wanted.
"Shane, you’re screwing up again!" said Jacob. "Look, if you don’t get her to buy something, I’m docking your pay!"
"I’m telling you, Jake…" began Shane, as he turned to face his boss. "There’s something wrong with her! She’s not right! She…Where’d she go?"
Shane ran back to where the girl had been standing, and then towards the store’s exit. He rushed out, and frantically looked around, trying to find her. He wiped the sweat from the small beard on his chin, and slowed his breathing back to its normal pace. He gave up, and slowly turned back to return to the store. As he walked back to the store’s women’s section, he noticed that the dark-grey Notch hooded sweatshirt he had shown to her was gone.
Far away from Colony NY-19C796, a Mobile Suit Carrier, surrounded by an entourage of Mobile Soldiers approached the SAMLE Space Station in the A24 Colony Cluster. After a long journey from the Earthsphere, the Carrier reached its destination, and began to dock in the SAMLE Space Station’s enormous airlock. As the airlock doors closed, the Carrier’s cargo was moved to the Mobile Suit Hangar, where it awaited its new pilot.
Capt. Matthew Guilden’s footsteps echoed through the empty corridor as he walked towards the Mobile Suit Hangar, pulling the glove of his pilot suit tighter onto his hand. He heard another set of footsteps approaching from behind, and without even turning or interrupting the stride, he knew exactly who it was.
"Hello, little brother," said Matt.
"Hey!" said Ishmael. "What’s up?"
"What are you doing out here?" asked Matt. "Where’s your Unit?"
"I asked my commanding officer for a short leave so I could come see you," said Ishmael.
"You’re talking about Lt. Darlene Millar, right?" asked Matt.
"Yeah, how’d you know?" asked Ishmael. "What, did you check the records or something?"
"I’ve got to watch out for my little brother, don’t I?" asked Matt. "So, how do you like being in Lt. Millar’s Unit?"
"It sucks," said Ishmael, indignantly. "She gives us Mobile Aides, Matt! Mobile Aides!"
"Ah," said Matt. "I remember back when I was new in the force and they gave me Mobile Aides. It was a year before I got any real Mobile Soldiers."
"So you know firsthand just how hard they suck," said Ishmael. "Isn’t there anything you can do, man? You’re a Captain!"
"You know, Ishmael…When I first started the force, I was disappointed when I got Mobile Aides. But I trusted my superior officers, and I was sure that they made the right decision in making me wait," said Capt. Guilden, looking his little brother straight in the eyes. "But I guess on today’s mission, I’ll put in a request to have your Unit come with me, and I’ll strongly recommend to Lt. Millar that you guys get Mobile Soldiers…"
"You the man, Matt!" said Ishmael.
"Just for today’s patrol!" said Matt. "There’s no guarantee that Lt. Millar will let you stick with Mobile Soldiers afterwards, so I would advise you not to screw up, and obey any direct orders given to you by your superiors – especially me!"
"Well, in that case, there’s this other girl in our Unit who’s pretty hot, so perhaps you could order us to go on our very own ‘special mission’?" asked Ishmael.
Matt simply chuckled. "I’ll, er…see what I can do."
The two brothers in the SAMLE Squadron arrived at the Mobile Suit Hangar, inserting their ID cards in the keycard reader at the entrance door. Ishmael Guilden was awash in amazement, as he saw the most incredible-looking Mobile Suit that he had ever seen. "You’re going to pilot that?"
"Yep," said Matt. "I know it’s been a while since I was even inside a Mobile Suit, but they decided that, with my track record, I was the best one for the job."
"I see," said Ishmael, as he turned back towards the enormous Mobile Suit. "So this is the Gundam that the United Earthsphere Alliance has been working on all this time…"
The new Gundam was a large, greyish-white and light blue Mobile Suit, equipped with a powerful charged particle cannon called the Force Assassin, with a powerful laser blade affixed to it, called the Pulsar Edge. There was also a set of enormous Exhaust Thrusters – two on its shoulder blades, two on its hips, and two on its legs – for maximum speed. On it’s back was a large Turbine Generator, designed to pull in energy particles for the Force Assassin and Pulsar Edge. It was also equipped with a set of Planet Defenders – large, circular discs designed to work together to surround the Gundam in an electromagnetic field that turns energy attacks into harmless particles for use by the Turbine Generator.
"Ah, yes," said Matt, staring and smiling. "The Enforcer Gundam…"
"What do you think, Nate?" asked Kenzikou.
"What do I think?" asked Nathaniel. "Er…About what? What were we talking about?"
"What should we have for lunch?" asked Lareika.
"Oh, I dunno…I guess I’m not hungry…" said Nathaniel.
"Not hungry?" asked Tyrahl, somewhat shocked. "We’ve been flying through space, Colony-hopping for days without eating! We’ve been wandering through this mall all morning without any breakfast! How can you not be hungry?"
"I dunno…" repeated Nathaniel. "I’m just not…"
"Well, we’re going to the food court," said Kenzikou. "I don’t care what the rest of you are getting, but I’m in the mood for fried chicken!"
"You guys go on ahead…" said Nathaniel. "I just feel like walking around a bit…"
"You sure?" asked Lareika.
"Yeah…I’ll catch up with you guys a little later…" said Nathaniel.
"Okay, but meet in front of the restroom at PM 12:30, okay?" said Kenzikou.
"Right, got it…" said Nathaniel, as he turned away and walked in the opposite direction.
Nathaniel’s path seemed aimless to him at first. His head hung at a slight angle, his eyes stared at the tile patterns on the floor of the mall, and his hands filled the pockets of his pants as he traversed the many sections of the enormous shopping center. His mind had no control of his legs, which almost moved by nothing more than momentum. He was fixed on thoughts of Rannai, and images of her were all he could see in the seemingly moving tiles on the floor. He had lost all consciousness of his own body, and for short moments, experienced the illusion that he was flying on solid ground…
His silent thoughts were interrupted, his seemingly endless flight crashed, and his eyes opened, to see a young dark-haired woman sitting on the floor in front of him, wearing a pair of sandals, jeans, and a hooded sweatshirt from The Notch.
Embarrassed, Nathaniel leaned down to help her up. "Sorry about that," he stammered. "I wasn’t looking where I was going, I guess. Are you all right?"
The girl only nodded, staring at Nathaniel intently. Nathaniel noticed that she had grey eyes, and thought for a moment that it must have been some weird new style of contact lenses. He apologized again, stepped around her, and continued on his way.
"Be patient…"
Nathaniel stopped.
"…You will find her again…"
"What are you talking a…?" Nathaniel began as he turned back to where she was standing, but he saw only the many patrons of the mall, coming and going about their business.
"Maybe Tyrahl was right," thought Nathaniel. "Maybe I do need something to eat…"
"Break time, finally…" thought Shane Robertson, riding the escalator down from the floor above to the Food Court. He was relieved that, for the next hour he didn’t have to worry about making enough sales. Yet, his mind still ached, puzzling over the mysterious girl who stole the grey sweatshirt. His mind was so preoccupied with her that he nearly tripped over his own shoelaces getting off the escalator. "Don’t worry about that now…it’s time to eat…"
Shane looked around the food court, trying to decide where he should get his lunch that day. "Fried chicken sounds good, but I had that yesterday…I suppose I could try that Japanese noodle place over there, they might…Huh?"
Directly across the food court from Shane’s position was a person he did not expect to see ever again in his life, suddenly appearing once again, in the form of a young man ordering a calzone. "I don’t believe this…" Shane thought, as he steadily made his way around the tables of the food court, keeping his gaze fixed on him, as though he might disappear the way the girl did. "I can’t believe that after all this time…"
Riser Caldwell heard his name being called, just as he paid for his calzone. He looked around to see who it was, and standing not too far from him was a tall, lanky figure in a "Notch" sales assistant’s shirt, with a nametag that read: "Shane?" asked Riser, perplexed.
In that moment, both were suddenly willing to put aside all of their past differences. "Riser!" said Shane. "I haven’t seen in you in…what, two years?"
"It was that long ago?" asked Riser. "God…I remember the day you left, too…Hold on, I’ll get us a seat…"
"Okay," said Shane, as he stepped towards the same Italian stand where Riser got his calzone. "Just let me get a slice, right quick."
The two old friends were soon sitting across from each other in the bustling, populous food court, reminiscing about old times, updating each other on current events – at least, partially, in Riser’s case.
"How’s Death Row?" asked Shane.
"Oh…We’re all okay," said Riser.
"Hey, is Derek still trying to use his Mobile Suit to pick up chicks?" asked Shane, kidding.
"Oh yeah…" said Riser, lying. "Of course, the ladies would rather sleep with his Suit than Derek himself…" That elicited a long snicker from Shane. "So what exactly are you doing, working in ‘The Notch,’ all the way out here?"
"Well," said Shane. "After I quit Death Row, I started to get better in school. Eventually, I got around to getting ready for college. I applied to Ray University here in this Colony, and somehow I managed to get in. I work at ‘The Notch’ all year round to pay for it."
Riser thought about the possibilities that all his school counselors had once said were open to him as long as he worked hard. "Back then, I thought the only way to have control over my life was to have control of a Mobile Suit. It’s amazing the way it all turned out…"
"Hey, Riser…" began Shane. "Why’d we form that gang in the first place?"
Riser slowly sat back in his chair, thinking about Shane’s words. "I guess we don’t really know for sure, but I suppose we were tired of feeling poor and weak…We were just kids…"
"Yeah…" nodded Shane. "I remember how mad you were when I said I wanted to leave…"
"I should’ve been happier for you, man…" said Riser. "I was convinced that you were betraying your family, but you were just trying to better yourself…"
"Perhaps…" said Shane. "But, honestly…I wouldn’t trade those years for anything…"
"Yeah, I guess me neither…" said Riser. "Sure was a lot of excitement…" Shane nodded his agreement. "But working at The Notch must be an endless orgy, isn’t it?"
Shane laughed. "Oh yeah, of course…" said Shane, jokingly. "Although…something strange did happen to me earlier today…"
"Yeah? What?" asked Riser.
"I don’t know, it’s like…" began Shane. "Okay, there was this girl that walks into the store and I’m like ‘What can I help you with?’ or whatever, and she just points to the sweatshirts. So when I turn around to get it for her, she’s like ‘You don’t like working here, do you?’ and I’m like ‘What?’ But she only said something when I wasn’t looking at her. So when I turn back around she’s like ‘But you stopped, because you didn’t like the pain you caused.’ At this point, I’m totally freaking out! My manager tells me to come over to talk to him, and when I turn back around, she’s gone, and she took the sweatshirt with her! How weird is that, man?"
"Tell me," began Riser, suddenly very serious. "What did she look like?"
"Well," began Shane. "She had long black hair…she was wearing faded jeans, sandals…she had kinda pale skin, and I guess she was wearing some kind of grey contact lenses…"
"Her eyes were grey?" asked Riser, to confirm.
"Uh…yeah…" said Shane. "You know her?"
"Sort of…" said Riser. "At least I know she’s real…"
"Hey, you okay, Riser?" asked Shane.
"Yeah, I’m fine…" said Riser. "Listen, Shane…Have you heard anything from Death Row recently?"
"Not really…" said Shane. "But…I did see something on the news the other day. There was this Mobile Suit Gang attacking Colony NJ-61T387. They weren’t the same Mobile Suits that we used to use, but…it was weird. One of them had the same fighting style as Brent."
"What do you mean?" asked Riser.
"It was this one Mobile Suit that would take a laser cannon and just fly forward towards one enemy Suit while shooting at a completely different enemy, then use a beam saber to cut the one he was flying at down." said Shane.
"That sounds like Brent, all right…" thought Riser. "What did this Mobile Suit Gang do?"
"Well, they were fighting a Mobile Suit Gang, and took them all out. Then a bunch of SAMLE Officers came, and they started to try to fight back, and got rid of all the Mobile Soldiers, and then took down a bunch of the main Mobile Suits. After that, they just hightailed it out of there," said Shane. "The reporters said that when they left, they were headed towards the D91 Colony Cluster…"
"D91?" asked Riser. "There’s no way that the Colonnade could have made it all the way out there…Maybe they were sent there on another mission…?"
"Riser," began Shane. "You look like you know something. What exactly is going on?"
Riser rose from his chair, having hardly eaten his calzone, and bid farewell to Shane. "I’ve got to go, Shane…Nice to see you again…"
"But, Riser…I don’t get it…"
"I can’t really explain, Shane…Listen, I’ll see you…" said Riser. "Take care, man…"
"Well…all right, man. You, too…" said Shane, as he sat alone, eating his slice of pepperoni pizza. He was happy to see Riser again, glad that there were no hard feelings between the two of them anymore.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the food court, Kenzikou, Tyrahl, and Lareika sat in a booth, eating fried chicken, a cheeseburger, and a salad, respectively. They were waiting for their friend, Nathaniel, to arrive.
"What do you think is wrong with Nathaniel?" asked Kenzikou.
"What else could it be?" asked Tyrahl. "You saw what happened at the Natural Resource Satellite. The girl in that Mobile Suit was his girlfriend."
"I had only just met him that day," said Lareika. "But something about the way he’s been acting…it seems like that incident affected him…"
"You’re probably right," said Kenzikou. "I mean, he seemed a lot more cheerful before it happened. We talked a lot…The weird thing was, he didn’t seem quite as fazed the first time we met with that Riser guy and his partner, Rannai…"
"He knew that Rannai was the pilot of that Hardcore Mobile Suit, and at first, he was still willing to fight her, if necessary," said Tyrahl. "But after the Ghostblade ZERO and that other Mobile Soldier Gundam fused together, Riser was off the scene. I remember, after that, he tried talking to her, but she left anyway."
"Hey look," said Lareika. "There’s Nathaniel, over there."
Lienfei Nathaniel, getting off the down escalator, looked at his watch, and saw that it was PM 12:13. He looked towards the restroom area, and began to walk towards it, hoping to find the others there. It was then that he heard three voices calling out his name. He turned and saw that his friends were sitting in a food court booth, enjoying their meals. "I’ll be over in a minute! I’ve decided to order some french fries!"
Nathaniel soon returned with his french fries, and a small packet of ketchup. He found that Kenzikou was sitting alone. "Tyrahl and Lareika had to make a pit stop. What’s up?"
"Not much," said Nathaniel, sitting down.
"You enjoy your little constitutional?" asked Kenzikou.
"Yeah, I’m feeling a bit better…" said Nathaniel, as he munched on french fries. "So what are we doing after this?"
"I dunno," said Kenzikou. "To tell you the truth, I’ve kind of been having this weird feeling that we should get back to our Gundams. I mean, they might be picking up some Mobile Rogues on their radar."
"Yeah, you’re probably right," said Nathaniel. "If there’s nothing going on, let’s head for the park and hang out."
"That sounds good," said Kenzikou. He saw that Lareika and Tyrahl were on their way back, and soon all four Gundam pilots were standing, and then walking towards the exit of Recovery Hills Mall.
"These past few days were a nice break from fighting," said Lareika.
"Yeah, but we’d better get back to the Gundams, since there might be an alert of some sort, " said Kenzikou.
They descended a staircase into a nearby subway station. They paid their way in, and looked at the map for the stop nearest to the Colony’s Abandoned District. On the train ride, the four pilots talked rather vociferously and joked somewhat raucously with one another, slightly unsettling and annoying some of the older patrons of the subway. After about half an hour of riding, they were alone on the subway, nearing the deserted sector, and were soon back out of the subway system, walking down the old streets, passing decrepit buildings with boarded up windows, lost memories of times gone past. The Gundam pilots thought of their own home Colonies, how they had looked very similar to this, except almost all of the Colony was made up of fully inhabited areas that looked like these. Some Colonies were affected this way merely by age, others were partially destroyed because of the Space Colony Revolutionary War, but most were already in this condition, leaving little for the Mobile Suit Gangs to demolish for themselves. Soon, they were back into the warehouse.
"Doesn’t look like anything’s appearing on the radar," said Tyrahl, sitting inside, looking at his computer.
"Right," said Kenzikou. "Shall we head for the park now?"
"Let’s go," said Lareika. "Come on, Nathaniel!"
"No," said Nathaniel.
"What?" asked Tyrahl. "What’s the matter?"
"Yeah, wasn’t it your idea to go to the park?" asked Kenzikou.
"I know, but…" began Nathaniel. "I sense something…"
"Sense something?" asked Tyrahl, with perplexed doubt in his voice.
"It’s…" began Nathaniel. "It’s…"
"What?" asked Lareika.
"It’s…" continued Nathaniel. "It’s…It’s Riser!"
"Riser?!" asked Kenzikou, surprised. "Here?!"
"I have to go check it out…" said Nathaniel. He pressed a button on his Gundam Talonfang Stealth that remotely opened the ceiling door of the once vacant Mobile Suit Hangar, and activated his Gundam’s Shadow Device, which put his Gundam in stealth mode, undetectable by radar.
"Wait a minute!" shouted Kenzikou, as he activated his Gundam Freakstorm Gear. "We’ll come, too!"
Soon, all the Gundams were powering up, flying through the Colony, with the Talonfang taking the commanding lead, due to its incredible speed. Soon, the Gundams had left Colony NY-19C796, and were flying through outer space.
Kenzikou Rainier was determined to keep a major battle from breaking out. "As long as Riser has that N Gundam with him, he’s especially powerful. I don’t know if Nathaniel would be able to handle it…"
Lareika Keaghen was equally concerned for Nathaniel’s well being, but more about his emotional and mental health. "He really wants Rannai to be okay, but everything seems so bleak right now…"
Tyrahl Jackson followed in his Gundam Shockwave Storm, but his thoughts of Nathaniel were interrupted by a sudden vision that appeared in his mind. He could see a Gundam, more powerful than any they had ever seen, that somehow bore a certain resemblance to the Gundam Talonfang Stealth. "Is this another memory from the future?" he asked himself.
"Where?" asked Lt. Darlene Millar, swiftly moving towards the Main Mobile Suit Bay, followed by the other members of her Unit.
"They’re in the N73 Colony Cluster Area," said Sgt. Kenneth Michaels.
"Where are the others?" asked Lt. Millar.
"Psalter and Foster are already waiting in the Cruise Slayers," said Sgt. Michaels.
"What about Guilden?" asked Lt. Millar.
"They’re on their way," said Sgt. Michaels.
"‘They?’" asked Lt. Millar.
"Yep," said Sgt. Michaels. "As soon as they were notified, the Guilden brothers headed out for the mission."
"Oh yeah…" said Lt. Millar, remembering. "Matthew Guilden is the pilot of the new Enforcer Gundam, isn’t he?"
"That’s right," said Sgt. Michaels, as they arrived at the Mobile Suit Bay. "In fact, he’s going to be in charge of this mission. He sent the request to Capt. Carrel for our unit to accompany him."
"I suppose he wants us to give him data on the Gundams," piped in Colin Psalter.
"I can’t wait to see what the Enforcer Gundam looks like," said Celeste Foster, with a slight, reddish glow appearing in her face.
"You must be hoping, along with the rest of us, that Matt Guilden isn’t as much of a deviant bastard as his little brother," said Darlene, to Celeste.
"Who cares?" asked Celeste, half-joking. "Matt Guilden’s an Adonis!"
"Heheh…This should be an interesting mission…" said Colin, somewhat nervously.
"Let’s just hope that the Gundams don’t get away from us this time," said Sgt. Michaels.
"…Move out," said Lt. Millar. The four Cruise Slayer R708s, followed by a multitude of Advanced Soldier V325 and Savior Sentinel T911 Mobile Soldiers, took off into space, flying towards the N73 Colony Cluster, home of Colony NY-19C796.
Riser Caldwell, piloting the N Gundam Ghostblade ZERO through space, was gathering a plethora of data. "There are definitely some Mobile Rogues in the D91 Area," thought Riser. "Can’t be certain that it’s the other guys in Death Row until I get there…I do know that the Colonnade is way out in the G08 Colony Cluster Area, a considerable distance…Once I find the others, I’ll be able to scrap this –"
"CALDWELL!" yelled a voice.
"Gundam Talonfang Stealth…" thought Riser Caldwell. "What does he want?"
The Talonfang burned its way towards the Ghostblade, as though it had no intention of stopping. Abruptly, Lienfei Nathaniel deactivated the Shadow Device and Dragon Ailerons, and stopped right in front of Riser Caldwell. The two Gundams floated in front of each other outside the Colony they had just left, their pilots staring at their screens, at one another, with solemn countenances. Nathaniel broke the silence.
"Just what do you think you’re doing?"
"What am I doing?" asked Riser. "Why would you need to know that?"
"Don’t play innocent with me," growled Nathaniel.
"What exactly do you want?" asked Riser.
"I’m here to stop you," said Nathaniel. "You’re not going to take over Earth or whatever it is you’re going to do…"
The Gundam Talonfang Stealth suddenly began to fire its Rapid Machines at the N Gundam Ghostblade ZERO, which used its Radiance Wings to protect itself. N Ghostblade then flew towards the Talonfang, pointing the Golden Feathers of the Radiance Wings at the Gundam, prepared to strike. The Talonfang activated its Dragon Ailerons and flew relatively upwards, and hastily shot out its Hydra Fangs at the Gundam below.
"I’m not going to do anything to Earth," said Riser. "I’m trying to help my friends."
"What are you talking about?" asked Nathaniel.
The N Gundam Ghostblade flew backwards, extended its Radiance Wings, and shot several Golden Feathers at the Hydra Fangs that flew towards it, knocking them back. The Hydra Fangs retracted to their original positions on the Talonfang’s arms, and the Talonfang barreled towards N Ghostblade ZERO, huge laser blades jutting out of the Hydra Fangs, from between the Thunder Talons. With the support of these laser claws, the Talonfang Stealth threw a slashing punch at the Ghostblade, which once again defended itself using the Radiance Wings. The two Gundams were at a standoff of sorts.
"They’re Mobile Rogues, but not by choice," said Riser. "At least, I hope not. Some of them may have already been killed…"
"You expect me to believe you after what happened last time we met?" asked Nathaniel.
"I was being controlled," said Riser.
"By who?" asked Nathaniel.
"You wouldn’t believe me if I told you," said Riser.
"Heh…Yeah, right…" scoffed Nathaniel.
The Gundam Talonfang Stealth slammed its foot into the face of the N Gundam Ghostblade ZERO, forcing it backward. The Hydra Fangs shot out once again, surrounding the N Ghostblade in the Caloric Cables, holding it in place. Riser Caldwell, the former Mobile Suit Gang leader, could not escape the grip of his warden, the former convict, Lienfei Nathaniel.
"I figured you could understand what it is I’m trying to do," said Riser. "You knew Rannai, didn’t you?"
"What?" asked Nathaniel. "How did you know?"
"I could tell from the way you fought each other. Neither of you really wanted the other to be killed," said Riser. "In my years of experience as a Mobile Suit pilot, I’ve always been able to tell. There’s a certain indiscriminate ruthlessness between warriors that don’t know each other…Especially in Mobile Suits, because you don’t have to see your enemy’s flesh face if you don’t want to. It makes the battle that much easier…"
"Fine," said Nathaniel. "I’m trying to find her…"
"Let me go…" said Riser.
"Why should I?" shouted Nathaniel.
"You sense it, don’t you…?" asked Riser. "…The presence?"
"What presence?" cried Nathaniel, trying not to believe him, even though he did have the feeling that there was someone else near them.
"Look over there…" said Riser.
Uneasily, Lienfei Nathaniel turned his Gundam’s head to his left. At first, all he saw were the stars in empty space. Then, he saw another light. It was almost nothing compared to the other stars, yet he noticed it all the same. The camera on his Gundam’s head zoomed in on the subject. Nathaniel saw something he never would have expected, or believed.
"That’s…impossible…" said Nathaniel. "It’s…It’s her…"
A distance away, floating in space, encased in an eerie blue light, wearing sandals, faded blue jeans, and a dark-grey hooded sweatshirt, and no spacesuit of any sort, was the mystifying girl, with dark hair and grey eyes.
"But how is that possible?" asked Nathaniel. "You can’t breathe in space!"
"Listen to me," said Riser. "I know your friends are on their way, but there’s another Gundam on the way, along with some SAMLES Suits. I suggest you get out of here and look for Rannai…"
Nathaniel’s attention returned to Riser. "But…but…How do I find her?"
"She’ll give you all the answers you need…" said Riser.
The N Gundam Ghostblade ZERO suddenly began to glow all over, and it soon appeared to Nathaniel that the entire Gundam had somehow been transformed into light. He watched as the light made the Gundam disappear, and seemed to fill outer space. Nathaniel blinked, and closed his eyes forcefully, to shield the blinding light. The next time he opened his eyes, the cockpit of his Gundam Talonfang Stealth disappeared, and all he saw around him was darkness. Before him, he could see her, with no clothes, speaking to him, without moving her lips.
"Is that what you really want?"
Nathaniel suddenly felt as though he were in the presence of a divine spirit, beckoning him to his salvation. Yet he was being jostled back and forth between the netherworld and reality.
"Want what?"
"You want to find her…"
Nathaniel felt awakened. He was no longer in reality, or in the netherworld, but another state altogether. He was to enter a new dimension, and he was ready.
"Yeah, that’s right…"
Her eyes closed, and Lienfei Nathaniel had been returned to his Gundam. He saw that his Gundam’s Caloric Cables were no longer wrapped around Riser’s Gundam, and that the N Ghostblade had returned to its previous state, nothing more than the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO. Nathaniel looked at his cockpit computer screen and saw the changes that had been made to his Gundam Talonfang Stealth.
The first major changes that Nathaniel noticed were the major changes to his primary weapons system. The Hydra Fangs had been transformed into a new weapon called the Cobra Venom. They were roughly the same sort of weapon as the Hydra Fangs, in that they were connected to the Gundam’s forearms via the Caloric Cables (which were now called the Fire Wires, now with jagged protrusions on them). A new weapon called the Serpent Scales replaced the Thunder Talons, the set of pincer claws at the end of the Hydra Fangs. The Serpent Scales were several enormous, jagged metal blades that jutted out of the Cobra Venom at various places. The Serpent Scales also respectfully replaced the Rapid Machines, because they could fly out of the Cobra Venom, connected by Fire Wires of their own. Each Serpent Scale also had two other phantasmal, energy blades appearing, seemingly from nowhere, near their respective base Scales. The laser blades that were once situated between the Thunder Talons were replaced by two sets of three laser blades – one set on each Cobra Venom – called the Rampage Claws. The enormous jet engines on the back of the Gundam, the Dragon Ailerons, were replaced by an enormous set of six metallic, blade-like wings, called the Sonic Souls. They allowed the Talonfang Stealth to reach incredible speeds, and flapping them could also fire enormous sonic shockwaves in all directions.
The Gundams Freakstorm, Atomsmash, and Shockwave arrived on the scene in time to witness the birth of the N Gundam Talonfang Stealth, and looked on at its incredible new chassis and weaponry.
"Amazing…" thought Lienfei Nathaniel, as he beheld the N Gundam Talonfang Stealth. "Is this really mine?"
"Nathaniel!" shouted Kenzikou. "What is that?"
"It’s the N Gundam again…" said Lareika. "It could only be that…"
"Guys, we’ve got company on our way!" shouted Tyrahl, looking at his Gundam’s computer screen. "It’s the SAMLE Squadron! They’re…" Tyrahl’s words trailed off as he "remembered" the future again, suddenly. He could see yet another Gundam on its way, with a company of SAMLES Mobile Suits in its wake.
"Attention, Gundam pilots!" yelled Lt. Darlene Millar. "This is the SAMLE Squadron, I order you to freeze or face destruction!"
"What is that?" cried Lareika, staring at the enormous Gundam with the SAMLES. Soon, the Gundams were completely surrounded by the SAMLES, frozen in place by gunpoint. The Gundam Freakstorm Gear was face to face with the Enforcer Gundam.
"What do you want?" asked Kenzikou Rainier.
"All of you Gundams will have to come quietly with us…" said Capt. Matthew Guilden, as his Enforcer Gundam suddenly pointed its Force Assassin at the Gundams.
"No way!" shouted Kenzikou. "Sorry, but there’s no way you can take all of us down…"
"Listen to us! Your punishment won’t be so bad! You probably won’t even get any prison time!" shouted Sgt. Ken Michaels.
"Enough!" yelled Kenzikou Rainier, interrupting him. "I won’t be reduced to the same level as the Mobile Rogues we’ve worked so hard to defeat! And I won’t be forced to sit idly by while they take over the Colonies before my eyes!"
"If you won’t stand down, you leave me no choice but to administer lethal force," said Capt. Matt Guilden.
"‘ADMINISTER’ THIS!" yelled Kenzikou as he merged his Dual Busters together into the Dual Buster Rifle and fired a salvo of energy blasts at the Enforcer Gundam.
In response, the Enforcer Gundam charged up its Force Assassin, and surrounded itself in Planet Defenders to protect against the enormous energy blasts. The force field absorbed the energy, and allowed it to flow into the Turbine Generator. The force field opened up just enough to allow the Force Assassin to fire an enormous energy blast at the Gundam Freakstorm Gear. The Freakstorm dodged, as Kenzikou powered up the Gundam with the Gearshift Cell, and unsheathed its Dyad Blades. The Freakstorm flew towards the Enforcer Gundam and swung its enormous weapons at the Gundam, which blocked with its Pulsar Edge. The two Gundams were deadlocked in close combat. The Enforcer Gundam suddenly rammed its knee into the Freakstorm’s stomach, and swatted it away with the Pulsar Edge. The Freakstorm managed to regain its balance, and prepared to fly back towards the Enforcer, but the Enforcer Gundam’s Force Assassin was pointed right at its face, and fired an enormous energy blast that rocked the Gundam Freakstorm, and struck it down. The Gundam Freakstorm Gear lost all mobility.
Kenzikou Rainier sat in his Gundam, watching with disappointment as his Gundam’s mechanical systems began to shut down. He was saddened by the idea that he would be captured, and his chance to stop the Mobile Rogues would come to an end. Before, he had not planned what he would do if he were ever captured. All at once, he yelled at himself in his mind for his failure, for screwing himself over. He watched, resigned, as the Enforcer Gundam flew closer to his own Gundam, its Force Assassin staring him down. But Kenzikou’s thoughts were not on his inevitable prison sentence, or the notion that he had been dishonorably disabled in combat, and not killed with honor…
"I bet you’re laughing at me now, aren’t you?" thought Kenzikou. "From beyond the grave?"
…His thoughts finally turned back to his father. And then to Darlene. She was going to be the one to arrest him. He cursed himself again. Even after he had rescued her not so long ago. "Why did I have to let my emotions get in the way…?"
"Kenzikou! Are you all right?" yelled Lareika.
"I’m fine guys, but…" began Kenzikou, interrupting his own thoughts. "This Gundam is strong…way too strong…I want you guys to get out of here!"
"No way! We’re ready to help you, Kenzikou!" yelled Tyrahl.
"Tyrahl, this is no joke!" yelled Kenzikou. "I don’t care how skilled a pilot you are, that Enforcer is too much! I can tell!"
"We’ll just see about that!" said Tyrahl. He pointed the Shockwave Storm’s Assault Rig at the Enforcer Gundam and fired an enormous laser blast at it. With incredible speed, the Enforcer Gundam’s many Exhaust Thrusters allowed it to dodge the blast, and fire its own blast with its Force Assassin at the Shockwave. Tyrahl tried to quickly react, but the blast managed to knock out its propulsion systems, leaving it a sitting duck in space.
Tyrahl cried out in pain as the massive blast, too strong for his Gundam’s Quantum Receptors, damaged his Gundam. The force of the shock was also too much for Tyrahl’s body, and he found himself suffering from a severe injury to his arm.
"Damn…" said Tyrahl, uselessly. "Heh…The son-of-a-bitch took out my button-pressing arm…"
"Come on, guys!" yelled Kenzikou. "You’ve got to get out, now!"
"I guess that’s my cue…" thought Nathaniel. "Sorry guys, but I’m afraid I have to leave you now…"
The Sonic Souls extended with majestic force, the N Gundam Talonfang Stealth suddenly blasted off through space, away from the oncoming horde of Mobile Suits, towards the location of the Colonnade, where he hoped to find Rannai. Rocketing away, Nathaniel paid no mind to the distant stars he seemed to pass, focusing only on the path to find Rannai. He was on a straight and narrow path, a road through the cosmos. Again, he was flying on solid ground…
"Lareika! Get Kenzikou out of here!" yelled Tyrahl.
"Forget me, Lareika! Help Tyrahl!" shouted Kenzikou. "I’ve got some unfinished business with these guys!"
Lareika Keaghen, inside her Gundam Atomsmash Bomber, immediately understood Kenzikou’s sentiments. She could also sense the thoughts of the Mobile Suit pilots of the SAMLE Squadron. She knew that Kenzikou would be in no danger.
"Come on, Tyrahl…" said Lareika. The Burst Particles of the Atomsmash flew out of the Full Bombers and surrounded both the Shockwave and the Atomsmash in a protective energy field, and jetted them away from the area.
"We’ll get you out of there, Kenzikou…" thought Tyrahl. "Once we catch up with Nathaniel, we’ll come back for you…"
"Of course," agreed Lareika.
"I guess it’s time for me to leave as well…" said Riser Caldwell. He turned his Gundam Ghostblade ZERO towards the D91 Colony Cluster Area, and his Beam Wings powered up, and prepared to blast off. Riser’s attempt to escape, however, was interrupted, when he suddenly discovered a stowaway sitting on his control panel, with dark hair, grey eyes, faded jeans, a "Notch" sweatshirt, and sandals.
"So it’s you…" said Riser, unfazed. "I suppose you want to come, too…"
She said nothing.
"Fine…I get how you work…" said Riser. "If I close my eyes, will you tell me your name?"
"Adrienne…"
"Right…" said Riser, without opening his eyes. "Well, Adrienne…I’m Riser…Prepare for things even stranger than yourself…" And the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO disappeared into the stars.
"We’ve got to go after them!" yelled Ishmael Guilden.
"It’s okay, we’ve got one Gundam…" said Sgt. Michaels. "We can’t catch up to the others right now, but we’ll be able to use this one to get the information we need about them…"
"Gundam 01," said Capt. Matt Guilden, as the Enforcer Gundam closed in on the Freakstorm Gear. "You have the right to remain silent…"
"Perfect…" thought Kenzikou. He quickly finished installing encryption codes on the data in his Gundam Freakstorm Gear’s computer. "Let’s see what you’ve got in store for me, Darlene…"
Kenzikou Rainier was being carried back to the SAMLES HQ in his Gundam. He managed to get some rest, and wish the other Gundam pilots luck. Though he did not know for sure what would happen to him, he felt a strange safety with the SAMLE Squadron. He felt a certain self-assuredness that compelled him to save planning an escape for another day.
Far away, the lonely Natural Resource Satellite continued on its neglected orbit around the Earthsphere. It moved soundlessly through space, but there was one noise that echoed through the empty corridors of the Satellite, beckoning for even just one soul to listen.
"Log Entry/Message for 14 June, AE 249," said Dr. Pharragan. "Data collection on the Gundams continues. Adrienne responds to Newtype Lienfei Nathaniel. Therefore, N Gundam responds to Gundam Talonfang Stealth. Gundam Ghostblade ZERO goes completely back to normal. However, Adrienne mysteriously decides to continue travelling with Newtype Riser Caldwell. Will continue to monitor. Meanwhile, N Gundam Talonfang Stealth continues moving closer and closer to Artificial Newtype Rannai Slaine. The new N Gundam amalgam seems to heighten Lienfei Nathaniel’s senses. Despite the vagueness of the data in his Gundam, he seems completely resolved to find her. Newtype Kenzikou Rainier and Gundam Freakstorm Gear captured by SAMLES. Newtypes Tyrahl Jackson and Lareika Keaghen continue after Newtype Lienfei Nathaniel, once again as travelling companions. More data needed…I’m still researching…
"Still finding out the truth…Still completely committed to the mission…It won’t be long, now…You’ll forgive me…You’ll come back for me soon…Kincayde has no idea…I even told him where N Gundam came from, but he brushed it off…You’re coming back for me…You’ve got to understand…I loved Francesca…I couldn’t…I had…um…I just…
"End Log Entry/Message. Send."
77"<