Gundam 00S: Crossover Episode 13

Chapter 17: Mars

 * The group landed inside one of the hangers of The Traveller. As Ransac was climbing out of the 00 Raiser, a bright flash illuminated the hanger. When the light had faded to a tolerable level, where SEED had stood now stood Charlie. He seemed a little disoriented but otherwise alright.
 * “You mind telling us what that was all about?” Asked Ransac.
 * “Where did that thing come from?” Added Amuro as he floated down to the floor.
 * “It’s a little complicated. SEED is like my guardian angel. He’s always there when I need him.” Explained Charlie.
 * “You have a mobile suit that can just pop into existence at any given time and you neglected to tell us about that?” Demanded Ransac.
 * “SEED isn’t exactly like a mobile suit. He’s something else entirely. Where I come from we call him an angel. And I would have had he been able to help us in any way. For some reason he was unable to even manifest himself until now.”
 * “Either way, we now have one less machine to worry about. I think we all need some rest. It’s been a hard time for all of us.” Said Ash. To this the group easily agreed. Ransac was about to leave the hanger when Ash pulled him to the side. “What’s up?” He asked.
 * “What do you mean?” Responded Ransac, confused by the question.
 * “Ever since you woke up you’ve been acting stressed. And I’m not the only one to have noticed, a few others have voiced their concern as well, Syrene included.”
 * “It’s nothing.” Replied Ransac. Hoping that would be enough. Under Ash’s searching gaze he knew it was a futile hope, he wasn’t going to budge until he got a decent answer. “While I was sleeping…something happened. I’m not ready to tell everyone yet, I doubt I ever will. It was something very personal.” Ash saw the truth in Ransac’s expression and took a step back.
 * “Alright then. I can understand that. I’m going to be in the training sim if anybody needs me.” With that Ash floated off. Ransac remained in the hanger, thinking things over. It wasn’t just his experience with Dom’s spirit, nor what he had learned during that time. It was being on the ship almost constantly. It was starting to become increasingly claustrophobic. While The Traveller was by no standards small, the constant lack of gravity and scenery was starting to tug at him. He knew he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Several other pilots had become more weary and were more and more often seen wandering the halls randomly when off duty. Ransac’s thoughts were interrupted as Syrene approached him.
 * “You have that expression again. What’s on your mind?” She said.
 * “We need a break. This ship is becoming a little too small for me. All these battles aren’t helping at all either. How long until we reach Mars?” He asked.
 * “Believe it or not, two hours. We were able to repair the GN-Drives of the True Guardian and put them to use. We’ve been using a full out Trans Am the moment everybody was secured on the ship.” This surprised Ransac. Normally there was an announcement whenever Trans Am was being used.
 * “Daryl didn’t announce it did he?”
 * “He did just before you guys returned. He didn’t tell you guys because he thought you needed a rest. Guess he wasn’t wrong.”
 * “The man rarely is. Tell Daryl thanks for me.” Believing the conversation was over, Ransac turned his thoughts to Dom. Eighty-nine years ago Daryl had made only one mistake.
 * Seeking a new pilot for the team, Daryl had recruited Dom’s cousin, Clare Bombardi, with Veda’s approval. This one mistake ended up costing the team dearly. Dom was killed in cold blood in battle, by non other than Clare herself, who then announced her role as a spy for Karith, the man who had created Ransac and who sought to eliminate Celestial Being in revenge. She hadn’t escaped the battle unscathed however. Ransac, in a flurry of powerful rage and despair had almost torn her machine to shreds. Even Milliardo had proved unable to stand in his way as he had tried to avenge Dom. If it wasn’t for his machine malfunctioning from overexertion, it was very likely Ransac would have succeeded. Despite their best efforts, Clare had almost managed to single handedly destroy Star Strike. The resulting effects on both Daryl and the entire team had nearly shattered them. It was only through necessity that the had managed to survive as a team.
 * “You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?” Questioned Syrene softly. This time she wasn’t talking about a break or machinery, Syrene was one of the few who knew Ransac still tore at himself with that memory. That and the feeling he should have done more.
 * “I saw him…after the battle back at Ceres. He came to me during my sleep.” Said Ransac.
 * “You saw Dom?”
 * “Yes. He told me something was happening. Something that could effect potentially the entire universe unless something was done.”
 * “What do you mean?” Asked Syrene, a puzzled yet determined expression crossing her face.
 * “Dom showed me something that looked like cracks in reality. He said that unless stopped, the damage would eventually cause everything to collapse into nothingness. I asked him how I could stop this. The only answer he could give me was that the pilots were the key somehow.” From her expression, Syrene was rapidly trying to digest all this while at the same time trying to figure it all out. The fact that she was working so hard to understand made Ransac love her all the more for it.
 * “Did he say anything else?” She asked finally.
 * “Ya. He said to tell everyone hello.” Both smiled a little. It was just like Dom to think about everybody else even in death.
 * Just as Syrene had said, The Traveller had arrived at Mars within two hours time. While the crew worked frantically to prepare everything for docking and repairs, Ransac, Charlie, Ash, Amuro, and even Heero made their way off the ship. Flying their shuttle was Longshot. He had been a welcome addition to the group as they departed for solid ground.
 * “Looks like the colony has been fixed up since we were here last.” He observed as the group landed within a hanger on the surface.
 * Ever since the Earth Sphere Federation had been able to quickly travel back and forth between Mars and Earth a large terraforming project had begun. Over the years parts of Mars had been restored enough to be able to sustain life, but only under the protection of special shields designed to hold in the atmosphere and keep out the harmful radiation the planet was constantly bombarded with. While covering only a small percentage of the planet, it was still a shining example of human tenacity and ingenuity.
 * “Remember, we need to be back to the ship in an hour.” Reminded Longshot before walking away.
 * “And where are you headed?” Asked Ransac.
 * “On a walk.” He answered simply. With a shrug Ransac let him be, turning his attention back to the group.
 * “Well, you heard him, enjoy this while you can. Once we leave here we’re not getting off the ship until we reach Earth. Contact me on the com if you need me.”
 * “Will do.” Said Amuro.
 * “We’ll meet you guys back at the hanger in 45 minutes.” Said Ash.
 * “What he said.” Added Charlie before following him. Without a word Heero left to walk on his own. Not wanting to bother him and preferring to be alone for the moment he left him be. Instead Ransac turned to the market and went on a stroll.
 * The market was small compared to most, limited space forced the colonists to work with what they had. This usually led to a trade off of tradesmen depending on the day. Today the market was selling simple clothing and fruits. Ransac stopped briefly at a clothing store. His reason for stopping was a blue dress in the window. After considering for a moment he thought it would make a nice gift for Syrene. He had just been about to buy it when he froze. The strange sensation of being watched became strong and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end.
 * “Sir? Are you alright?” Asked the clerk, his expression one of concern.
 * “Lock up the store and find somewhere safe.” Ransac whispered. As he spoke he acted as if he was trying to score a bargain with the clerk. A simple flick of his eyes to the backroom was enough to convey the idea.
 * “Well, I hope we can do business later.” Said the clerk. It was impressive the way he had kept his expression neutral as he spoke. Ransac sighed and left the store.
 * “Now, where are you and why are you watching me?” Thought Ransac. Outwardly he seemed unchanged in his activities. In truth he was rapidly searching every inch of his surroundings and carefully scanning them with his Quantum Brainwaves. After several minutes of searching he found it. A faint flicker that spoke of weariness, the weariness of someone on the hunt and had found their prey. He nearly lost the flicker when he passed a group of Innovators, their quantum brainwaves nearly serving to hide it. With effort he was able to separate theirs from the one he was tracking. “This has to end soon, the longer I keep this up the more likely someone will get hurt.”
 * Ransac reached out further with his quantum brainwaves, constantly seeking someone else. After a few painstaking moments he was able to locate them. It took another moment for them to respond. Ransac transmitted a sense of urgency to them and prayed they understood the message. With a jump he realized too late that the communication was being listened too.
 * Ransac leapt into a roll as a bullet struck where he had been standing only a second earlier. Another barely managed to grave his shoulder as he reacted too slow to dodge it.
 * “Everybody take shelter!” Roared Ransac as he pulled out his gun and opened fire towards where he thought the bullet had originated. After firing a few shots he took off at full speed down the market place. He needed to get this assassin away from others before a stray shot ended up killing someone. Ransac turned his head behind him for a brief moment. During that time he saw a man caring a rifle dashing across the rooftops. During one of his leaps between allies the man fired a shot that grazed Ransac’s foot. Swearing to himself Ransac decided a change of tactics was necessary. Turning abruptly into an alley took shelter behind a dumpster. Crouching down he swore again as a bullet ricocheted and nearly struck where he was.
 * “Damn it where is he?!” Snapped Ransac out loud as another bullet struck the dumpster. Deciding his choice of shelter was inadequate, He dove away from the dumpster and charged back into the open. Firing several shots randomly towards the rooftops Ransac did something unexpected. In one single leap he managed to clear a building and land neatly onto the roof. “Well that was fun.” He thought as he dove into another roll. From the rooftop he could finally see his opponent. The man wore a black outfit that was adorned with random pieces of armor across his body, a red scarf covering most of his face. He was just about to fire another shot at Ransac when he suddenly dropped onto his knees.
 * “Go!” Roared Longshot as he fired another shot at the assassin, who had survived the first due to sheer luck. His shoulder armor had managed to stop the bullet at the last second. Longshot’s second bullet barely missed as the assassin dove over the rooftop and landed in a roll onto the ground. He took off towards the alley.
 * “Don’t let him get away!” Barked Ransac as he took off in pursuit.
 * “Ya, that was the plan.” Snapped Longshot in response. The two followed the assassin through a series of alleyways. At several occasions they had nearly lost him. He was obviously skilled at evasion. The assassin made another turn. Once again they barely managed to keep up.
 * Suddenly the assassins luck turned to the worst. From the rooftop dropped a figure who delivered a powerful drop kick to the man’s head. The assassin dropped almost instantly. Despite the probable concussion, he attempted to resume his escape. He was stopped by a sudden blow to the stomach by another person, dropping to his knees as the wind was torn out of him.
 * “Nice work Charlie, Ash.” Said Ransac as the two came to a halt. Heero emerged from behind Ash and pinned the assassin’s arms and legs from behind, holding him up so they could get a good look.
 * “Longshot called us when he got your warning. Looks like we got here just in time.” Said Amuro as he dropped from a rooftop. Amuro went forward and tore the scarf off, unveiling the man’s face. A red scar over his eyes was enough to identify the identity to Ransac.
 * “Well, good to see you again, Reginald. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.” He all but spat the words as bitter memories rose to the surface. With more than a little satisfaction he punched him straight in the face, knocking him out cold. “We’ll take him back to the ship. Maybe he can answer a few questions.”
 * “Well, good to see you again, Reginald. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.” He all but spat the words as bitter memories rose to the surface. With more than a little satisfaction he punched him straight in the face, knocking him out cold. “We’ll take him back to the ship. Maybe he can answer a few questions.”