SD Gundam Fan Fiction ❯ SD Gundam Force ❯ Chapter Five: Gundam Force, Team Up! ( Chapter 6 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Shute gasped as the lift swept them through the clouds, looking down at the glimmering city of Neotopia beneath them.
“Awesome,” he said to Captain. “It’s- it’s unbelievable! Wow…It’s all so big…We’re up so high!”
Inside, he nearly fell over backwards, marveling at the massive array of machinery before him. Then, his shocked spell broke, and he shot off with a happy cry, examining everything and anything he could find. Captain, laughing lightly, followed him.
“Hey, it’s your Re-Equip Ring, Captain!” Shute cried, approaching one of the stations.
“That’s right, Shute,” Captain replied. “It’s maintained twenty-four hours a day, so it can be scrambled at an time.”
Shute touched the Ring. It was warm and sent a faint thrumming through his fingers. He pressed his ear against it, hearing the circuitry hum, and smiled.
“This is so amazing!” he cheered. “It’s like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one!”
Some attendants smiled down at the happy young boy as he and Captain mounted an escalator; one waved, and Shute waved back, all the while jabbering excitedly to Captain.
“This base is wild! It has so much cool mecha! And I can’t believe something on this incredible a scale is floating right over our heads, but hidden!”
“Actually, we are not floating,” Captain said. “Although it appears that we are floating in a cumulus cloud, Blanc Base- which is the name of our headquarters- is supported by satellites on ultra-steel wires.”
“Wow,” Shute gasped. “Hanging? From satellites? That’s totally mind-blowing. How does it work?”
A doorway beside them began to beep as an elevator was lowered into it.
“What’s that?”
“This is one of Blanc Base’s docking units,” Captain explained, standing by the door. “Each one has its own response mechanism so they can operate whenever the need arises. Shute, the Chief wishes to see you.”
“The head honcho? The big cheese? The top dog?”
“Yes. The commander of the SDG, or Super-Dimensional Guard.”
There was a hiss as the doors began to slide apart.
Shute gave an anxious gasp, then stiffened his shoulders and stood straight and tall.
The doorway opened- and out came the Chief.
“Good day, Shute,” he said. “As commander of the Super-Dimensional Guard, I would like to welcome you to Blanc Base.”
Chief Haro had a spotless suit, gold epaulets, and dozens of badges which shimmered magnificently. He wore an aviator’s cap. But Shute had to stifle a laugh because of his face. It was just like that of the Re-Equip Ring: a plain green orb with two eyes that glowed with every word he spoke. And, as Shute watched, two flaps on either side of the helmet fluttered unexpectedly, and Chief Haro’s hat slid down over his face.
Shute laughed.

“You brought them here as prisoners, then allowed them to escape?” the Commander asked. “What is the meaning of this?!”Zapper Zaku and Grappler Gouf mumbled something without words and looked at the ground, shaking in their armor.
“Further failure will not be tolerated. Is that understood?”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“Since you have both proved useless in this operation so far,” the Commander continued, “I have decided to bring in extra firepower. His record is…nearly perfect.”
“Oh, no, sir!” Zapper Zaku, realizing who the Commander meant, retreated so fast that he fell over his own feet.
“Surely you can’t mean…him?” Grappler Gouf choked, his claw trembling.
A doorway above their heads swung open.
“I am talking about,” the Commander said, “Destroyer Dom!”
A heavy, powerfully-built robot stepped out onto the deck. He was at least a good head taller than the other two, and twice as wide, covered in thick armor. He started towards them, trailed by a small yellow tank that had drills, guns, and bombs of all manner protruding from its sides.
The ship shuddered as the hulking robot moved, and Zapper Zaku gulped. “Uh, couldn’t he stay locked up- I mean, k-kept in reserve- for a while, sir?” he stammered.
Grappler lost his balance as Dom took another massive step, crashing down besides his partner. “He is an effective unit,” he added worriedly, “but sometimes he’s been known to become a little…too enthusiastic.”
At that, Dom lifted his head, and, with a mighty jump, landed before them. They clustered together like cornered animals.
“Y-You keep your distance!” Grappler Gouf pointed one trembling finger at the behemoth-like robot. “I still haven’t forgotten our last mission together, when you fried my motherboard!”
“That goes for me, too, you big lug nut!” Zapper added. “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten what you did! My device manager still freezes up on me!”
Destroyer Dom’s response was to thrust two bazookas into their faces. Instantly, any vestige of bravery left them, and they fell back.
“Do you two have any further objections?” the Commander chuckled.
“Nothing that comes to mind,” Zapper Zaku obliged, grinning tightly.
“I’m looking forward to it!” Grappler Gouf chimed in, much too brightly.

They boarded the Komusai, which flew at the Zakarello Gate. The Gate hadn’t been reattached to the Komusai yet, and it floated through the mists like a lone, yellow rock.
As soon as the ship hit the Zakarello, it made a gagging noise and rejected them, turning bright blue.
“Hey! What did you do that for?” Zapper Zaku asked.
“Something not right, sir,” the Gate rasped. “Like fishbone caught in back of throat, Zakarello.”
“Well, open the portal to Neotopia and hurry!” Zapper looked uneasily at Destroyer Dom, who was lovingly stroking the bristling tank beside them. “We don’t have a moment to lose.”
The Komusai tried again, and as the trio disappeared, Zakarello made a sickly noise.
“Urp…Not feel good, Zakarello…”

“We are here today to honor your courageous exploits,” Chief Haro began. “In commemoration of the heroic rescue of our forces from the alternate dimension, we are ready to welcome you to the Gundam Force.”
“I’m gonna be in the force?” Shute gasped, hardly able to believe it.
“Yes, my boy. And because you’ve demonstrated your compatibility together, I’ve decided to assign you to the same unit as Captain. But be warned: the SDG missions are extremely dangerous. Knowing that, do you still want to join up with us?”
“Yes,” Shute replied. “I want to protect Neotopia, along with Captain, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”Chief Haro held out a box and opened it, revealing a golden badge like the one Captain wore.
“This badge marks those belonging to the Gundam Force, beings who risk their lives for dimensional peace. Acceptance of this badge means you’ll try your hardest, no matter what the situation.”
With a nod, Shute reached out and took the badge. It was light and cool in his hand, and his face glowed in pride as he pinned it to his vest.
“I welcome you to the Gundam Force, special member Shute!” Chief Haro cried, saluting.
Just then, an alarm went off. Screens flashed red; a soldier came running up the stairs.
“Sorry to interrupt you, sir, but we have a major tactical problem! The Dark Axis is appearing at the dimensional transport device proving grounds!”
“They’re what?!” Chief Haro exclaimed.
“Dimensional transport device?” Shute repeated, confused.
“It’s a top-secret experiment being conducted at Lab C, an SDG research facility,” Captain explained. “It would make it possible for us to invade the alternate dimension where the Dark Axis resides, and bring the fight to them.”
“They must have found out about it somehow,” Chief Haro said. “Captain Gundam and special member Shute, this is an emergency situation. Protect the dimensional transport device!”

“Well, that was a lousy ride,” Zapper Zaku grunted.
He, Grappler Gouf, Destroyer Dom, and all the Zakos lay in a pile on the ground after being thrown from the Komusai, which hung halfway out of the Zakarello Gate. “Now our transport is stuck in the gate! And those Gundams are nowhere in sight- what a disaster!”
He lifted his head and saw an unusual structure far off to the west. It was blue and orange, comprised of many spinning wheels, towers, and glowing lights.
“What the- What’s that contraption?”“No idea,” Grappler Gouf replied.” He looked from the tower to the Gate, and his eye lit up. “But I’ll bet that’s what gave the Gate a case of indigestion.”
“Target acquired!”
In a flash, Dom was on his feet; plowing through their ranks, he charged at the device.
“That’s so typical of him!” Zapper Zaku groaned. “We haven’t even checked out what the thing is yet, and this idiot’s ready to go over there and blow it up!”
“If we don’t go, too, we’ll look like cowards,” Grappler Gouf noted, scowling.
“Okay, here’s an idea!” Zapper Zaku jumped to his feet. “If we make a big enough mess, the Gundams will be bound to come and investigate! It’s a brilliant idea; glad I thought of it. Okay, Zako legion, it’s time for a little mayhem!”
The Zakos cheered.
“That’s far enough, Dark Axis!”
Captain landed in front of them. A small helicopter landed beside him, and Shute jumped out.
“Well, that worked,” Grappler Gouf muttered.
Zaku clapped a hand to his forehead.
“I won’t let you evil ones have your way,” said Captain defiantly.
“Thanks for showing up so promptly,” Zapper Zaku called, aiming his machine gun at the two. “As long as you’re here, we thought we’d take the opportunity to pay you back for that little disappearing act you pulled on our ship!”
Just then, a section of the walkway between them slid open, and someone crawled out, muttering crossly. “Can’t get a dang thing done around here…”
A thin, lanky boy, with dark skin and gray eyes clambered out of the hole. His green T-shirt, which was just a little too small, bore the words Super-Dimensional Guard, and a golden badge. He wore bell-bottom jeans, big, brown boots, and goggles with tri-colored lenses on his forehead.
“Sorry to interrupt your revenge-o-rama,” he said disinterestedly, rolling his eyes, “but I was just in the middle of an important experiment, and now it’s ruined! Captain, I worked like a dog building this device, and these goons broke it in two seconds flat. So would you mind asking them to leave? And if that doesn’t work, vaporizing them or something?” He jerked his thumb toward the Zakos as he spoke.
“Don’t you threaten me, you little runt!” Zapper Zaku shouted.
“Captain, who’s this kid with the weird hat and the goggles on his forehead?” Shute asked, pointing to the boy’s tall hat.
“This is Doctor Bell Wood,” Captain replied, “of the SDG research Lab C, which is currently researching the dimensional transport device.”
“Doctor?” The boy couldn’t have been more than two years older than Shute, at the most!
Bell Wood turned to Shute. “Yeah. And you must be the new kid, the one they called in as a special forces member for the team.”
“Yeah, but I’m not a kid,” Shute countered. “My name is Shute.”
“Shute, huh?” With a few long strides, Bell Wood was at his side, looking him over skeptically. “Well, I still think I’ll call you kid, seeing as how you’re new to the force and all. So would you mind protecting my device, kid?”
“No one’s protecting anything, do you hear me?!” Zapper Zaku flung one hand at the construction site. “If this device is so important to you, then it will be our pleasure to destroy it! When we’re done, you won’t have anything left but scrap metal! Destroyer Dom, do you read me? Start blowing that thing to bits on my signal! GO!”
One tower burst into flames as a dark shape appeared. He toppled over another section and laughed.
“What do we do?” Shute breathed, his stomach twisting at the sound of the laughter. “This guy is insane!”
Destroyer Dom looked down at his three new victims.
“Target acquired!”

He lifted a large bazooka to one shoulder and began sending rockets all over the lab area.
Zapper Zaku laughed. “That’s it, blow it all up! And while you’re at it, get rid of those Gundams, too!”
A missile shot into the air- and came down in the midst of the Zako horde, sending soldiers flying..
“RUN” Shute cried.
“That sounds like a good idea to me!” Bell Wood agreed, and they both scrambled way as Destroyer Dom jumped down and turned towards them. He aimed, and-
Captain said rammed Destroyer Dom at full speed, knocking the bazooka out of his hands just as he fired. The rockets hit a small tower, which collapsed in a puff of smoke.
“Thanks, Captain!” Shute cried.
“You might want to disarm that dude!” Bell Wood advised, gaping at the destroyed tower.
With a sharp screech, the tower fell over. Captain started towards them, but Destroyer Dom tackled him, holding him back.
“NO!”
The shadow fell over Bell Wood, whose sticklike legs gave way under him. Shute pushed him out of the way, but then realized that he wouldn’t be able the move in time! He covered his head and screwed his eyes shut.
“Triangle Shelter!” cried a voice.
The tower hit the glittering shield and split in two. Bell Wood’s mouth dropped open.
“I cannot stand by while my compatriots are outnumbered,” Zero said, swooping down to meet them. Shute grinned.
Grappler Gouf and Destroyer Dom moved on either side of Captain.
“Don’t worry, big-mouth,” Grappler Gouf said, not taking his eye off the Gundam. “Your turn is coming.” He lunged at Captain, and Destroyer Dom fired. But Captain wrapped his hands around Grappler’s arm and threw him at the oncoming shot.
He jumped over Dom’s head and fired his rifle, taking out a few Zakos that had run towards Zero. The two Gundams raised their weapons and stood back-to-back.
“I had a feeling you’d come,” Captain whispered.
“Nothing is more repugnant than a bully who takes advantage of his superior numbers,” Zero noted disgustedly.
“It’s the end of the line for you, you pitiful piles of pusillanimous paraphernalia!” Zapper Zaku threatened. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Let’s get ’em, boys!”
They charged.

Zero and Grappler Gouf pounced on each other and started dueling, sword against sword.
An unfortunate Zako was knocked head-over-heels when Captain and Zapper Zaku collided on top of him. They threw wild punches at each other. They fought, Captain’s beam sword against Zapper’s axe. They brought out their machine guns and fired at each other.
Dom aimed a gun at Captain. “Target locked.”
The two of them swept right by him, still firing. Dom blinked. “…Target lost.”
Grappler ran past as fast as he could go. “I’m just gonna be over here for a sec. Don’t mind me-”
Dom aimed the gun at Zero, who came soaring after him. “Target locked.”
Zero sent a wave of fire at him, effectively torching the trigger-happy behemoth. “…Target lost.”
He aimed the gun at the transport device. “Target locked.”
A Zako crashed into the back of his head. Bell Wood had activated one of his construction inventions, and now dozens of claws were throwing Zakos through the air.
“Target lost.” Dom shook with anger. “Cannot lock onto target! Gallop,” he addressed the tank, “initiate Operation Wipeout! Fire on all targets!”
Two machine guns emerged from the Gallop and began firing on Shute, Bell Wood, Captain, Zero, and the other members of the Dark Axis.
“What does he think he’s doing?!” Grappler Gouf and Zapper Zaku ran across the bridge, followed closely by a trail of frightened Zakos. Every now and then a shot collided with the group, sending soldiers flying into the air.
Destroyer Dom laughed.
Captain and Zero held up their shields. Shute and Bell Wood ran.
“Come on!” Shute screamed at Bell Wood, who couldn’t move as quickly because of his thick boots. “Can’t you run any faster?”
“Big talk coming from you, Mr. Just-Add-Water Gundam Force Member,” Bell Wood shot back. “Try helping me out, kid!”
“What does that mean, ‘Just-Add-Water’? And don’t call me a kid! I’m part of the force- WHOA!”
An explosion hit the back of Bell Wood’s ankles and lifted him into the air. “MOMMY!”
“Final operation,” Dom instructed the Gallop. The machine guns stopped firing, and the tank folded open, revealing more guns than any of them had ever seen. And then, all at once, they all went off, decimating everything in sight.
A missile destroyed the tower behind Shute; the heat scorched the back of his neck. “He’s going to destroy everything!”
Bell Wood lay beside him on the ground. “I can’t look,” he sobbed into his hands.
“Why?”
Bell Wood leapt to his feet and uncovered his face. “Well, that’s a dumb question! He’s blowing up five years of my life!”
“Well, it’s built strong,” Shute assured him, faltering. “It hasn’t given in yet.”
“It’s about to,” Bell Wood fretted. “We’ve gotta stop him somehow!”
Zero and Captain glared at Destroyer Dom. “I can’t believe the strength of his firepower,” Captain panted.
“We must find a way to neutralize him,” Zero added, “and soon.”
Destroyer Dom aimed his tank at the two Gundams. “This concludes the oper- Huh?”
The sky blackened. Thunder rumbled. A large hole opened in the clouds over the battlefield, and a burst of fire blazed against the darkness.
“It’s- some kind of portal?” Grappler Gouf said, looking up.
“A new weapon?” Captain wondered.
“Prepare yourself, my friend,” Zero warned, readying his sword.
“Unusual…” The air around them grew hot and seemed to vibrate. “It feels as though the very fabric of space it being torn apart.”
Out of the fire came a robot which Captain had never seen before.
He had battle-worn, red-and-white armor and brown eyes that were so dark, they were almost black. He carried two long, thin swords and was seated upon a horse of some sort, that whinnied as it trampled through the skies on a trail of fire.
“Now what?” Zapper Zaku asked.
“I don’t think this guy’s bringing any good news,” Grappler Gouf gasped, futilely trying to dive aside as the fiery figure charged at them.
The stranger knocked Grappler Gouf and Zapper Zaku away, then slowed his horse to a stop. He glared at everything around him.
“Who are you?” Captain asked. “Reveal yourself!”
But the stranger merely lifted his head and the flames around his body died down. There was a strange similarity in this warrior: he wasn’t built like the others members of the Dark Axis, but more like a…
“You’re- a Gundam?!”
The stranger leapt at him with a yell, bringing his swords down. Zero dove in between the two and covered Captain with his shield.
“I get it now,” he said, eying the golden phoenixes stamped on the Gundam’s shoulders. “You are a Musha Gundam, from the land of Ark!”
“Ha! Very good,” the samurai laughed.
“I know Ark,” Zero continued. “It’s a planet that exists in the same dimension as my Lacroa!”
The samurai’s eyes glinted, and he stepped away. “I am Bakunetsumaru,” he said at last, nodding.
“I am Zero, the Winged Knight of Lacroa- and this is my compatriot, Captain.” Zero pointed to the Zakos with his sword. “Our enemies, the Dark Axis, have amassed their forces right across the way!”
Bakunetsumaru followed Zero’s gaze, narrowing his eyes. Zapper Zaku and Grappler Gouf both fell back, and the Zakos jumped.
Destroyer Dom wasn’t afraid. “You are simply one more target to be destroyed,” he growled. “That is my mission!”“If you think you can take me on, then fire at will,” said Bakunetsumaru. “But be warned: I am lethal when angered.”
“Gallop, lock onto target and fire!”
Bakunetsumaru jumped into the hailstorm of bullets, knocking them away.
“Gallop, fire full arsenal!” A group of rockets, missiles, and bombs flew into the air, but Bakunetsumaru sliced them all in half- with a bang, they exploded, swallowing the dueling robots in a cloud of soot and fire.
“Wow,” Shute gasped.
“I’m glad he’s here,” Bell Wood cried, “but I wish he’d move away from my device!”
Grappler Gouf’s clawed hand shot out at the samurai. He grabbed it, threw it into the air, and struck out at the enemy. Grappler Gouf flew upwards and landed in a heap on the ground, his claw conked him on the head.
Then Bakunetsumaru ran at Zapper Zaku. He gave a frightened whimper and dodged the swinging swords, but then Baku flipped over and kicked him upwards. After a long, “AAAH!” Zapper Zaku landed on top of his partner.
“Prepare for circuit shutdown, little lost samurai!” boomed Dom’s voice. Bakunetsumaru felt the heat of rocket coming at his neck- he didn’t have time to evade or strike back-
In a flash, Captain was on the ground before him; he had taken the shot. His arm twisted and then broke as he slumped over.
“You…took the blow…” Bakunetsumaru said softly.
“It is my duty,” Captain replied. “I am a Gundam.”
“An attack from behind is an act of absolute cowardice!” the samurai barked at Destroyer Dom. “Dark Axis, your villainy can only be atoned through your destruction!”
“Target reacquired,” Destroyer Dom said. “Recommencing operation.” The Gallop withdrew its guns and revealed a large drill. Dom sprang on top of it and barreled forward, ready to impale the samurai.
Baku’s eyes glinted dangerously. He lifted his swords and a wild fire started behind him, the flames glinting on the steel of is swords.
He swung the swords in a slow, hypnotic circle, and they became one white ring, with a strange symbol glittering inside. The samurai charged through the ring, flames licking his heels.
“Kembu!” he roared, jumping into the air. “Tenyouken!”
Cutting a large X with his weapons, Bakunetsumaru sent a fiery cross hurtling through the air like a comet.
Destroyer Dom was knocked off of his Gallop and flew, shouting, through the sky. “Temporary retreat!” yelled Zapper Zaku as he was lifted into the air. The Dark Axis flew though the Gate and disappeared as it closed behind them.
Bakunetsumaru struck a fighting stance and a ring of explosions rose around him.

“Whoa,” Shute gasped, “what power.”
“He’s…some…kind of a…samurai…” Bell Wood as so shocked by the display that he could barely speak.
Shute ran over to Captain. “Captain, you arm- Are you going to be okay?”
“Don’t worry, Shute,” Captain chuckled. “A little maintenance will fix this scratch. It’s only a mecha-wound.”
“I heard that, brave warrior,” said Baku, coming over to them. “You lose an arm in battle and call it nothing but a scratch; boldly spoken. You have proven your heroism on the field. Speaking personally, you saved my life, and…I thank you.”
“Thank you, stranger,” Captain replied. “If the Dark Axis is your enemy, then you are my friend.”
“If you were to join the Gundam Force and fight with us,” Shute jumped in, “it would be like adding an entire regiment to our side!”
Baku cocked his head in confusion and touched Shute’s face. Shute grinned nervously.
“How soft your shell is,” the warrior noted. “No external armor...What is this creature? And what is this place? I could’ve sworn I was in the midst of a battle on my home world, but suddenly, I ended up here…”
“Zero,” Shute whispered, “who is this awesome fighter, and where did he come from?”
“He is a Musha Gundam, a samurai knight from the land of Ark,” Zero explained, “which exists not far from my Lacroa. He says his name is Bakunetsumaru.”
“Bakunetsumaru,” Shute called. “I was just made a member of the Gundam Force, so there’s still a lot I don’t understand, but…I know that, if you combined your strengths with Captain and Zero, the three of you would be pretty much invincible.”
“Hey, Shute.” Bell Wood came over, staring down at the ground, deep in thought. “I just wanted to say…how grateful I am for what the team did today, and that includes you. You and your friends played a big part in saving my device, so…I wanted to officially welcome you as a special member of the Gundam Force.
“Thanks, Bell Wood,” Shute replied. “I’m glad your work wasn’t destroyed.”
The ground shuddered.
Everyone looked up. A large X had been burned into the steel of the structure, and as they watched, the wheels stopped spinning and several pieces fell.
“Oh, no,” Bell Wood breathed.
With a mighty groan, the device crumbled- but louder than the deafening roar was Bell Wood’s horrified cry.
“MY DIMENSIONAL TRANSPORT DEVICE!”