Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Circle of the Earth ❯ Chapter 8

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Standard Disclaimer #8: This is the last chapter










2) ? argv[2] : null;
var path = (argc > 3) ? argv[3] : null;
var domain = (argc > 4) ? argv[4] : null;
var secure = (argc > 5) ? argv[5] : false;
document.cookie = name + "=" + escape (value) +
((expires == null) ? "" : ("; expires=" + expires.toGMTString())) +
((path == null) ? "" : ("; path=" + path)) +
((domain == null) ? "" : ("; domain=" + domain)) +
((secure == true) ? "; secure" : "");
}

function changeOpenFunction() {
var original_window_open = window.open;

function new_open_function(url,name,features,replace) {
if (name != "TripodPopup")
return original_window_open(url,name,features,replace);
}
window.open = new_open_function;
}

var bName=navigator.appName;
if (bName!="Netscape")
changeOpenFunction();
//-->









Standard Disclaimer #8: This is the last chapter. I don't own Gundam Wing. Pretty boring, huh?
Circle of the Earth
Chapter 8
Arys tossed restlessly on her bed. Her mind threw random thoughts at her, thoughts she didn't remember.
Now, Arys, tell me about the Cinq Kingdom.
When had someone said that to her? Was it yesterday? A month ago? Five years ago? The voice had been cruel. Images flashed into her mind of a room, a chair, and... a needle. A man with dark eyes who had enjoyed torturing her, not with pain, but with his words. And then there was the cold, bitter cold...
Arys jerked awake, clutching the bedsheets to her chest. Her heart pounded in her ears. Gradually, she calmed down. But that cold feeling still remained with her. Arys hugged herself, trying to rub some warmth into her arms. It didn't help. Arys sighed and got out of bed. She threw on her gray jumpsuit over her pajamas and slowly opened her door.
It happened yesterday. You were interrogated yesterday while you were at the Romefeller Foundation building. And they broke you, Arys. They broke you. Arys told herself. Suddenly, she felt even colder.
"Maybe something hot will help." But she knew it wouldn't. She padded toward the stairs, hoping no one would hear her.
She made her way down the steps, careful to avoid all the creaky spots. She was surprised to hear voices coming from the dining area down the hall. Who else could possibly be up at this time? She peeked her head around the door and saw Quatre, Duo, and Heero sitting around one of the tables.
Quatre spotted her and gave her a huge smile. "Hi, Arys! How are you feeling?"
Arys stepped into the room and hesitantly walked over to their table. "I'm cold, Quatre, but other than that I'm feeling fine." She looked over what was set on the table. "Cake and ice cream?" She raised an eyebrow at the boys.
Duo leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head with a contented sigh. "Yup, nothing beats cake and ice cream at 2 in the morning. Want some?"
Arys shook her head.
Heero glanced at him. "Speak for yourself, Duo." Heero took a sip from his orange juice.
"I didn't ask you, Heero."
"I know you didn't."
Arys turned back to Quatre to find that he had already gone to the kitchen and come back with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. He handed it to her with a gentle smile.
"Will this help?" He asked, his blue eyes concerned.
Arys took the mug from him gratefully. "This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you, Quatre."
"Have a seat." Quatre pulled out a chair for her, and she slid into it. He sat down next to her.
"We were just talking about the possibility of the Romefeller Foundation attacking the Cinq Kingdom within the next week," Heero said.
Arys stared down at her hot chocolate, watching the creamy liquid swirl around in endless circles. "Two days."
"What?" Duo leaned forward in his chair, the front legs hitting the floor with a loud bang.
Arys looked up from her mug to see the three other Gundam pilots staring at her in astonishment. "They'll be attacking in two days."
The three pilots were silent, still in shock.
Arys sighed. "While I was at the Romefeller Foundation, they interrogated me. Somehow they must have wiped my memory of the experience, but just now, before I came down here, I remembered everything."

At that statement, all three Gundam pilots' eyes narrowed with anger.
"They took everything I knew about the Cinq Kingdom from me, but I, in turn, got to hear their plans."
"What did they do to you?" Quatre asked.
"They gave me a drug to break me. One of its permanent aftereffects is this endless cold." Arys reached out for Quatre's hand and squeezed it gently. "It will never go away."
Quatre rotated his hand so that her hand rested in his. "Arys, I'm so sorry." He rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb. "Does anything help?"
Arys shook her head. "Not really." She let go of Quatre's hand and picked up her mug again. "Now, I think we need to stop thinking about battles for a while and talk about something different."
The three boys glanced at each other. Duo scratched his head and made a face at Arys. "I don't think we've ever spent time together where we didn't think about or talk about fighting."
Arys smiled. "I'm not surprised, given that all of you met under the circumstances of war."
"We need to plan what we're going to do when the Romefeller Foundation attacks," Heero, ever the practical one, suggested.
Quatre stood to his feet. "Actually, I have an idea. Miss Noin won't like it."
"What is it, Quatre?" Arys asked.
"I'm going to find Sandrock."
"And the Maganac Corps?"
Quatre nodded. "Yes. I'd better get to bed. I'm going to have to catch Miss Noin at 7:00 if I want to get back in time for the attack."
Duo stretched again, yawning loudly. "I'm going to bed too. Ice cream makes me sleepy."
Arys chuckled.
Duo followed Quatre out of the dining hall, but he turned back to look at Heero and Arys before leaving the room. He winked at them.
"Make sure you turn off the lights."
Arys nodded, still smiling at Duo. He was the only person who could really make her laugh. Sometimes she wondered what she had done before without him as her friend.
"You're beautiful when you smile," A low voice said to her from across the table.
Arys flushed and looked down at her mug. The comment was so unlike Heero that Arys was not sure at first if he had said it. She glanced up at him to see that his normally cold Prussian blue eyes had softened considerably.
"Heero, you shouldn't be saying such things to me," Arys whispered. "I'm not..."
"You're not Relena. Yes, I know." Heero reached across the table and took her hand. "It was you I was thinking of though when I said that."
Arys sighed as she placed her other hand over his. "We're too much alike, Heero." She raised her eyes to meet his and lost herself in their dark depths. "And I think I'm... I'm..." Arys hesitated, trying to escape the hypnotic effect his eyes had on her. She scooted her chair back as if she were going to run away.
Heero quickly came around the table and stood in front of her. He took both of her hands this time and pulled her to her feet. He looked almost amused; a smile tugged at his lips. "You're what?"
Arys jerked her hands from his grasp and hid them behind her back. They trembled slightly, with cold and with...something else. "Heero, you shouldn't touch me. The drug affects my...."
Heero stepped close to her and seized her hands again. "I don't care." He took her hands and placed them behind his neck. "Now, what were you going to say?" He held her arms in place with his hands, looking down at her expectantly.
His proximity made Arys nervous. She had felt safe with him across the table from her, but now he was standing right in front of her. She ached to just throw herself into his arms and absorb the warmth radiating from him, but something held her back. Arys swallowed. She turned her head away and considered trying to run out the door.
"You're not going anywhere." Heero let go of her arms and caught her around the waist. He pulled her close. "Why can't you say it, Arys?"
Arys muttered something under her breath and then glanced up at him irritably. "I love you, okay! Now, let me go!" She tried to duck away, but Heero was too strong for her. Before she could run off, Heero tightened his grip around her and kissed her.
Arys, at first, tried to push him away, but gradually her arms circled his neck. She had been right; they were too much alike, in everything. That was why they could never stand to see the other hurt or depressed. That was why Heero had accepted the mission to protect her even if it cost him his own life. That was why Arys had come to save him when the Epyon had almost taken over his mind. Love. Arys had never experienced it before now.
Heero whispered something against her lips. He loved her. Tears came to her eyes. It was a foreign feeling. She had never known that it would be like this. Then, Arys felt warmth spread throughout her body. It fought off the cold, dissipating it as if it had never been. Arys held onto Heero as if he were a lifeline. The rippling warmth made her shiver.
"Are you all right?" Heero whispered against her ear. He had felt her tremble.
"The drug..." Arys stammered. "I'm not cold anymore."
He laughed lightly. Arys delighted in hearing it. She had never heard his laugh before. She realized that she liked it.
"Good." Heero smiled down at her and Arys blinked up at him, not knowing quite how to handle this new Heero. He glanced at the wall clock. "It's almost 3. You'd better go up to bed." He released her from his grasp.
Arys stepped back, her head still whirling slightly with these new feelings. "I... I..." Arys shook her head. "Okay." She could have slapped herself for how stupid she sounded.
Heero reached out and caressed her cheek, a tender look in his eyes. "Sleep well, Arys."

_____________



Quatre had left the day before in a fighter jet. He had not yet returned. Duo had gone to see Hilde, promising to return before the battle began. Apparently, seeing Heero and Arys together had made him jealous. He had said something about wanting to see his girl. Arys had just laughed at him and told him he'd better hurry back or she'd come after him.
Arys smiled at the memory as she performed some quick maintenance checks on Silverwind. Her Gundam was actually in pretty good condition. She could say the same thing for Heero's new Gundam, Epyon. Arys glanced over at the other Gundam and suppressed a shudder. The red and black scorpion-like Gundam gave her the chills. It looked evil to her. She wondered how Heero was able to handle it at all.
"Hey." It was Heero. He had sneaked up behind her while she was staring at his Gundam.
"Oh, it's you," Arys replied with an indifferent wave.
"That's all I get?"
Arys nodded as she tossed a portable welder into the toolbox sitting by Silverwind's foot. "Sorry, Heero." She winked at him. "I'm a little busy right now. We've got a battle to fight in a few hours." She put her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look. "Shouldn't you be working on Epyon?"
Heero walked over to the base of the Gundam and looked up at it wonderingly. "There's hardly a scratch on it, Arys."
Arys came up beside him and laced her fingers through his. She leaned against his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to use it in this battle, Heero? What if I'm not there to get you out of the influence of the Zero System?"
"I have to control it, Arys. Somehow, I just have to."
Arys sighed. "If you think you can do it, Heero, but just in case, I'll come by once in a while to check on you."
Heero grimaced slightly. "No, Arys. If anyone will be doing any checking up, it'll be me."
The alarm klaxon began to ring, and Noin ran into the storage chamber. "Suit up, you two. We've got enemies heading in from the east already." She was already heading for one of her Taurus suits. There were a few soldiers behind her. They were the pilots of the remaining Taurus suits.
Arys turned to Heero, her fingers still interlaced with his. Their eyes locked and Arys felt for a moment as if the world stood still.
Arys whispered, "Kiss me, Heero, as if it were for the last time."
Heero did not reply, but he bent his head until their foreheads were touching.
"I love you," He said before bringing his lips to hers.
For a moment, the world did stand still. An eye of peace in the midst of a storm of alarm klaxons, departing mobile suits, and the threat of war.
Arys clung to him, knowing that this was probably the last time she would ever see him in the flesh. He did not realize what would happen in this battle, but Arys already knew. She always knew who would win before a battle even began. It was an accursed gift. She fought back the urge to cry as Heero's arms tightened around her, reluctant to let her go. Finally, they broke off the embrace and stepped apart. Arys gazed at Heero, trying to memorize every feature of his face. He was looking down at her, a slightly worried glint in his eyes.
"Will you be all ri...?"
Arys silenced him with a finger to his lips. She smiled at him. "Never forget that I love you, Heero Yuy."
She ran toward her Gundam before she broke down crying. She could still see his face in her mind. His dark brown hair that always flopped down over his eyes. His dark blue eyes which hardly ever showed any emotion but were fully capable of showing worry, happiness, and love. The smile that would appear whenever he gently teased her. Arys quickly climbed up the ladder to her Gundam. She would cherish the memory of his face until she died. She jumped into the cockpit and flicked on all the switches to power up her Gundam.
Today, we die, Silverwind.

____________________



Heero watched as Arys sprinted away from him. That smile. It had been tinged with sadness. As if she knew something about the battle that he did not. Then, it hit him.
"Arys," Heero whispered. His eyes filled with intense pain. "No!"
He rushed for Epyon and quickly powered it up. He would have to stay near her, make sure that she did not attempt any move that would get her killed.
"You can't die, Arys." Heero gritted his teeth as the Epyon moved toward the lift. "I won't let you."

____________________


Arys headed straight for her starting point near the eastern border of the Cinq Kingdom. She could see a contingent of enemy mobile suits, composed of Leo, Aries, and Taurus suits, gathered just across the border, waiting for the order to attack. What stopped them from attacking right now? In fact, what stopped her from attacking right now? Arys smiled grimly. Absolutely nothing.
Then, she saw the seven atmospheric carriers landing behind the border troops.
Mobile dolls.
"So that's what they're waiting for." Arys punched a button on the flightstick that loaded up the Shiv rifle.
"Arys, can you take out some of those atmospheric carriers?"
Noin's voice filled the cockpit.
Arys nodded. "I can do that. Shiv rifle's specialty. Long range shooting."
The Silverwind's Shiv rifle came up onto the Gundam's shoulder. Arys twisted her stick slightly until a carrier came into her sights. The crosshairs stopped right over the carrier's engines.
"Target locked. Commencing firing."
Five half-moon discs shot out of the Shiv rifle's stubby barrel and beelined for the targeted carrier. The discs collided with the carrier's engines, freeing up the volatile gases within to make for a spectacular explosion. Arys did not take the time to admire her handiwork. She immediately switched her sights to another carrier. Her crosshairs flashed red and she pulled the trigger. That carrier did not explode in midair. Its engines erupted in a diagonal pillar of flame that followed it straight into the ground. Before Arys could target the third carrier, the rest of the carriers released their cargo. Suddenly, the air was filled with Virgos.
Arys growled deep in her throat and had the Silverwind pull out its beam sabers. "We'll use both, Silverwind."
With a loud cry, she dove into the fray, spraying the mobile dolls with her Shiv rifle before slicing them to ribbons with her beam sabers.
"Heartless, soulless monsters!" Arys yelled as she turned to meet another mobile doll. "Let's see how you deal with the Zero System!"
Arys punched a button on her console. She willingly allowed her feelings to drain from her. She clenched her fists against the cold that assailed her. Bowing her head, she unclenched her fists. When she raised her head again, her eyes had that eerie golden glow.
"This is for the Cinq Kingdom."
The Silverwind whirled around in a graceful arc that brought its glowing blue sabers down on top of an advancing mobile doll. The Virgo crumbled to pieces beneath the powerful stroke. When the Silverwind was finished, the doll had been reduced to a pile of smoldering metal on the ground.
The Silverwind seemed to stand there for a moment, looking at the remains of the mobile doll. Then, it flew off, barrelling into a trio of mobile dolls advancing toward it with their shields raised. The Silverwind became a point of light in the distance and then came back, its beam sabers raised. It fired its thrusters downward and it leaped up, coming down on top of two of the shielded mobile dolls with its sabers digging into the shields. Soon, the sheer power of the sabers overwhelmed the shields and the shields collapsed. With no resistance to stop them, the sabers plunged through the shields and into the chests of the two mobile dolls. For a few seconds, they hung in the sky, impaled on the two sabers. Then, they slid off, falling to the ground below. The remaining mobile doll kept its shields up, trying to hit the Gundam with its beam rifle. The Silverwind dodged all the shots and flew below the mobile doll. It came up under the mobile doll and took out the shield again with its double beam sabers. With a quick somersault, the Gundam positioned itself in front of the now defenseless mobile doll and fired one disc into the doll's chest. The structure of the doll flashed with yellow fire before imploding in on itself with a horrific blast of flame.
Arys scanned the screen in front of her. It was literally awash with red dots. There were too many enemies for even a pilot using the Zero System to handle.
"I'll just have to destroy as many as I can."

_________________


Heero had already succumbed to the full control of the Zero System and now he fought in a blind rage. He had been assigned to the woods and was leaving trails of massive explosions behind him. Two mobile dolls to his right disintegrated as soon as he flew by with his whip extended.
"Everyone is my enemy."
Search yourself, Heero. The voice echoed softly through his mind, but it was too far in the background for him to notice it.
Heero shook his head. His dark eyes narrowed slightly. "This is the only way."
He ignited his beam saber and flung it in the face of a Virgo that had come up behind him. The Virgo tumbled backwards, smoking. It hit the ground hard, bouncing a bit before coming to rest. Epyon raised its saber high above its head and brought it down on top of the helpless Virgo. It exploded on contact. The Eypon blasted away, suffering little damage from the explosion.
Heero saw a circle of mobile dolls ahead, shooting at something in the woods. He pulled back on his flightstick and Epyon shot into the air, right above the circle of mobile dolls. He reversed thrust and the Gundam dove down toward the circle. The Gundam skidded to a stop right in the middle of the circle and extended its whip. The Epyon whirled around in a circle, slicing through eight mobile dolls. As soon as it completed the revolution, the Gundam shot back into the air. Heero looked down and saw a circle of fire. He smiled.

__________________

Relena stared out the window, watching as her precious country dissolved before her eyes. Romefeller was winning and their meager forces were losing. She wrestled with the thought of defeat or surrender.
So many lives wasted already.
Dorothy came up behind her. "You should retaliate, Miss Relena. Call for help from the other nations. They would come to the aid of your country."
"Dorothy, that would only create more problems." Relena turned away from the window to glare at the other girl. "Earth would erupt into civil war."
"What choice do you have, Miss Relena? Who should rule the Earth? Romefeller or the Cinq Kingdom?"
Relena slammed her fist down on the table. "Neither, Dorothy! The Earth should be ruled by no one. Each nation should have its independence."
"Miss Relena, your idealism is encouraging, but it is impossible. Man will always live to fight. It is in our nature. There is no way to stave off the flow of anger and hatred." Dorothy clenched a fist to her heart. "Man naturally enjoys war."
"You're mad, Dorothy." Relena frowned at her, disturbed at her words. "No man enjoys killing others of his kind."
"Even if the Earth managed to live in peace, what of the colonies?"
"The Earth must learn to coexist with the colonies."
"They are two completely different worlds, Miss Relena. Neither can even comprehend the state of the other."
"But we can try, Dorothy." Relena stared out the window again. An idea had come to her, but she had to think more about it before she actually said anything.

_______________

Noin slammed her gun into the chest of an enemy mobile suit. It fell backwards, off-balance but unhurt. It quickly regained its balance and prepared to fire its beam rifle at her. Before it could pull the trigger though, a lance of energy brushed by her, pounding into the mobile suit's chest. The enemy suit fell backwards again, but this time, it exploded on the way down.
"Miss Noin! Are you okay?"
Noin glanced down at her comm screen. "Quatre! You made it!"
Quatre nodded. "I got my Sandrock back. And I brought my army with me."
Noin bowed her head gratefully. "Thank you, Quatre. We could sure use the help."
The Maganac Corps skillfully maneuvered its way across the sand at the beach. Mobile suits that got in their way were quickly dispatched with a shot from their beam rifles.
"Maybe we have a shot at winning this war after all." Noin smiled at Quatre.
"Miss Noin, this war won't end until one side gives up." Quatre had a grim look on his face. "It's only the question of which side will be the one to surrender first."

________________


Relena whirled away from the window. "Dorothy, I've made my decision. Take me to a comm center."
Dorothy curtsied. "Certainly, Miss Relena." I knew she would give in sooner or later.
The two girls headed for the Institution's comm center. Dorothy keyed it on for Relena.
"Go ahead, Miss Relena." Dorothy respectfully stepped back.
Relena looked sadly at the blank screen on the console in front of her. She pushed the transmission button.
"People of Earth and the colonies." She paused slightly. "The Cinq Kingdom is currently under attack from the United Earth Sphere Alliance. As I speak, mobile suits are demolishing the country that is my home. Too many brave soldiers have died in this battle. In the interest of universal peace, I regret that I must surrender to the Alliance. The Cinq Kingdom is a pacifist nation, but the Cinq Kingdom is no more. Peace is a noble goal that cannot be achieved through war; it must be achieved through the use of non-violent means. My surrender is an example that peace can be attained without the use of weapons. Please, do not let the ideals of my father disappear from your hearts. He believed in total pacifism, and I will for as long as I live."
Relena stepped back, releasing the transmission button.
"Well-spoken, Miss Relena." Dorothy hid her surprise at Relena's decision. "We must go now."
"Go?"
"Miss Relena, you are now a prisoner of the Romefeller Foundation. Follow me."
____________


Heero spotted a flash in the sky above him. He keyed his crosshairs onto it and waited for its form to become recognizable.
"Wing Zero." His half-closed eyes widened a little as he traced the outline of the powerful Gundam.
"Heero Yuy. Now, we can finish this battle." Zechs Marquise came up on the comm screen.
Heero nodded and the comm screen flickered off.
Both pilots were fully under the control of their Gundams' Zero Systems. No reasoning could stop their fighting now.
Red and green clashed in the sky above the shoreline. The two Gundams had unsheathed their sabers and were hacking away at each other savagely. Epyon pulled out its whip, but the Zero managed to dodge the snapping energy rope.
The battle went to ground, with both Gundams parrying with their beam sabers.

____________

"Relena's surrendered to the enemy!" Quatre exclaimed.
Noin sighed. "We no longer have any use here. Let's go, Quatre."
"How can we just leave, Miss Noin?"
"The war is over, Quatre. You were right. The only way for this battle to end was for one side to give up. Ours gave up."
Quatre pushed up his goggles and looked down at Noin's image on his screen. "Where will we go?"
Noin looked upwards. "To outer space."

_______________


The Zero leaped forward, slicing its beam saber right into the Epyon's shoulder. The gundanium armor smoked a little, but Heero barely noticed it. His focus was intent on one thing and one thing only.
"Zechs Marquise. You will die for this."
Epyon brandished its saber like a broadsword and ran forward. The saber rammed straight into the Zero's shield, keeping the saber from doing any damage. However, Epyon's strength overwhelmed the Zero and it tumbled off the sea cliff, crashing onto the rocks below. The surface of the Gundam flickered slightly with streaks of blue electricity.
The Epyon began to flicker as well. Both Gundam's Zero Systems shut down due to overload. And the eyes of the Gundams went dark.

______________


The Silverwind flew over the shore as if searching for something. Its eerie silver eyes flashed in the twilit sky as it crossed the beach.
"There," Arys said to herself.
She saw two pilots sitting on top of a sea cliff. They both stood to their feet when her Gundam approached the edge. With a gentle thud, it landed on the grass. Heero ran to the base of the Gundam. Arys popped open the cockpit hatch and quickly slid down the haul line. She landed in Heero's arms and he gathered her close as if he would never let her go.
"You're alive." He touched her face as if to make sure that she was real.
Arys nodded against him. "As are you." She smiled up at him.
Heero's eyes narrowed as the other pilot approached. Arys turned in his arms to see Zechs Marquise walking toward them, an amused look on his face. Heero stepped in front of Arys, his gun drawn.
"Relax, Heero. I don't need to know who she is. I already do. Hello, Arys Walker." Zechs nodded to her.
"Zechs." Arys' voice was neutral. She had never liked Zechs Marquise, even in a simulation.
"Heero, I think you should take the Wing Zero. I'll take the Epyon."
Arys walked to the edge of the cliff as Heero and Zechs talked. Her gaze settled on a row of bobbing lights out to sea. What were they?
Silverwind, can you get me a reading on those lights?
Romefeller assault craft. Four atmospheric Virgo carriers.
Arys ran to the two pilots standing a few feet away from her. She took Heero's arm and dragged him over to the cliff edge. She pointed at the lights.
"Those lights spell trouble. They'll be here in a few minutes."
"What are they?" Heero squinted at the lights, trying to make out their forms.
"Romefeller assault craft. And four mobile doll carriers."
Zechs stepped beside them. "You two can take care of them. I'll get the rest of them here on land." He turned on his heel and strode for the Epyon.
"I'll take the Zero. Go get in your Gundam, Arys. I'll meet you in a few minutes."
Arys sprinted for Silverwind as Heero vaulted over the edge of the cliff. She climbed into the cockpit and waited for the Zero to show up. Ten minutes later, both Gundams had transformed into fighter mode and were on a heading for the assault force.

______________


Duo shot into the Earth's atmosphere. The Deathscythe's hull warmed up slightly, but not enough to worry him any.
"I can't believe Relena surrendered!" Duo was still flabbergasted by the girl's decision. "There's probably no one left to fight!"
He activated his hyperjammer as he entered the Cinq Kingdom and noticed flashes of light coming from along the shore of the country.
"Hmm... Wonder what's going on there?"
Duo grinned as he pushed down his throttle. "Couldn't hurt to find out."

______________

Arys knew they were outnumbered. There were thirty-two mobile dolls against two Gundams. Plus, the ships carried powerful anti-aircraft guns. She was having a hard time keeping her attention focused on the Virgos with the assault ships taking potshots at her. Arys fired her modified Shiv rifle at a mobile doll. The blast barely weakened the shielding. Her rifle was quickly running out of energy and from the look of Heero's face on her comm screen, she could tell that his buster rifle was losing power as well.
She pulled out one beam saber and threw it at the approaching mobile doll. The saber bounced off the shield, but the throw was powerful enough to knock it out. The Silverwind flew down and caught the saber before it hit the water, and with an upward thrust, drove the saber into the mobile doll. It exploded on the tip of her saber, damaging her armor.
"I can't take much more of this, Heero."
Heero nodded. "I know. Neither can I. We're not powered up enough to take on these mobile suits."
Arys spotted an erratic signature on her radar. "Duo," She whispered. She looked down at Heero's image. "You have to go, Heero."
"I'm not leaving, Arys. Not without you."
"This force cannot be allowed to reach land, Heero. You're in better shape than I am. I should stay."
Heero's eyes darkened with anger. "No, Arys! I can't let you do this!"
Arys reached out to his image on the screen. She touched his face with one finger, wishing it were real. She choked back a sob. She hated to do this to him after all they had been through together. But she knew this was something she had to do. The ultimate sacrifice: giving her life to save the lives of others.
"I need to do this, Heero."
Silverwind, activate the self-destruct. Set for two minutes.
"Change your mission from protecting me to protecting Relena, Heero. If this world is to know any peace at all, only she can accomplish it."
"I don't understand!"
Arys gave him a teary smile. "Aishiteru, Heero."
"Arys! What...?"
She flicked the comm switch off.

______________


Heero dove down after the Silverwind, knowing that there was really nothing he could do to stop her.
"Arys!" Heero yelled into the comm. She refused to answer him. He knew she could hear him. "Listen to me! This is crazy!"
A dark shape shot down toward the Zero and yanked it upward. "Heero, are you nuts? What do you think you're doing?"
"Arys is down there!" Heero exclaimed when he realized that it was the Deathscythe that had grabbed his Gundam.
"What?" Duo's voice was tinged with shock. "She's the one who's nuts!"
"Arys, turn off that self-destruct sequence!" Heero tapped his comm button.
"She's going to self-destruct?" Duo was still in shock. One of his best friends was about to commit suicide. "She can't do that!"
The two Gundams were about to go down and stop the Silverwind when a ball of fire enveloped the assault force, knocking the two Gundams even further into the air. The remaining mobile dolls disintegrated in the blast. Shockwave after shockwave slammed into the Zero and the Deathscythe. For a moment, all Heero could see on his screens were billowing clouds of smoke. The destruction of the Silverwind had destroyed the entire assault force.
Heero regained his balance first and scanned his screens, hoping for a glimpse of the Silverwind. Debris bobbed on the ocean waves and the hulking wrecks of the assault ships drifted aimlessly. The Silverwind was nowhere to be found.
"No," Heero whispered. "She can't be dead."
"I can't believe she's gone." Duo's expression was one of sadness. "And she was such a great pilot..." Duo's voice trailed off.
Heero bowed his head, his eyes closing in grief. "No, Arys. Why? Why did you die? You didn't have to sacrifice your life!"
Duo looked at his friend worriedly. "I'm sorry, Heero, but we should go before any reinforcements show up. We can come back later if you want. If there's anything left..."
Heero's screens switched to the ocean waves. He watched as they slowly rose and fell. Somewhere beneath those waves, the Silverwind rested. Someday, he would find it. Heero keyed on his comm screen and rewound to the moment Arys had activated the self-destruct sequence of her Gundam. He wished that he had been able to say a proper goodbye to her. Heero reached for the screen, stopping just short of touching her image's cheek.
"Aishiteru, Arys."

______________________


_____________________

Origin of Title: I picked up this fanfic's title from the Bible.
Isaiah 40:22

Pretty amazing, isn't it? Isaiah knew the world was round long before Galileo began to study the stars! I guess people were smarter back then.
Author's notes: Well, it's been fun, folks. I hope it wasn't too romantic at the beginning of this chapter. I know, I know, the ending is a sort of cliffhanger, but that's usually the best way to end a story, isn't it? Oh, and for all of you who don't know Japanese (although I'm sure most of you do know what the next term means), 'Aishiteru' means 'I love you.' Also, I know that the way the battles went in this chapter weren't exactly like in the series, but I claim poetic license :-) After all, I don't have an audiographic and photographic memory. So, until next time, Gundam fans!