Gundam 00S: Crossover Episode Six

==Chapter 8: The Survivor ==

For several days The Traveller experienced surprisingly quiet peace. Understandably, this did nothing to help everyone’s nerves. The Ascent had never been this quiet before. Once again everyone was gathered in the conference room, everyone except Ash. “They’re probably pulling back to consider how best to deal with Lacus and her team.” Offered Jim.

“Speaking of them, where’s Ash?” Asked Charlie.

“I saw him about an hour ago, I believe he was heading to the simulator room. I asked him to add data from his mobile suit a couple hours ago.” Answered Syrene.

“No word from them huh? I’m rather surprised to be honest.” Said Longshot.

“We’re getting off topic.” Said Amuro.

“I don’t think it matters what we think The Ascent is up to. We need to prepare for the inevitable tide.” Replied Ransac.

“I agree. This is meaningless.” Said Heero.

“A brilliant display of that amazing people skill you have, Heero. And it beats sitting around doing nothing. The mobile suits are repaired, the ship is operating at 100% again, nobody is dying as far as I’m aware. Nothing else we can do to prepare.” Replied Jim. Ash entered the room.

“Just got a call from Elizabeth, Lacus wants to meet up with us. She says it’s important.” He said.

“Finally! Something to do! Any coordinates?” Asked Jim.

“I’ve already told them to Admiral Daryl. We’re on course. He believes we should be there in half an hour.”

“Well then, I guess we better head to our mobile suits.” Said Ransac.

As Ash had said, an hour later the group had made contact with Lacus and the Eternal. The team had immediately launched after Daryl’s shuttle. They received permission to dock. Ransac was surprised to see another mobile suit was in the hanger. Unlike the others, which had apparently been completely repaired after their previous meeting, this mobile suit almost looked mauled.

“What happened to that thing?” Asked Ransac as he climbed out.

“That is one of the reasons you’re here. We found that machine drifting in space.” Answered Athrun.

“And the pilot?” Asked Amuro.

“The other reason you’re here. Ash tells me you have regeneration equipment for medical purposes on your ship. We were hoping you would help. We can’t help her in the state she’s in.” Replied Elizabeth.

“Bring us to her.” Said one of the shuttle’s medics. Kira nodded and took them deeper into the ship.

“Did The Ascent do this?” Asked Amuro.

“No, this doesn’t match their style. They focus on ending the fight fast, they would never stoop to mauling a mobile suit like this has.” Explained Ransac. “There was no indication of who attacked?”

“None, who would attack someone like this?” Asked Athrun. Ransac considered the question. Before he could answer, Charlie walked up to the mobile suit as if in a daze.

“I know this machine.” He said.

“You do? What about the pilot?” Asked Banagher.

“Renki Miniki. You didn’t remove her pilot suit did you?” Demanded Charlie.

“We couldn’t, it seems her suit is the only thing keeping her alive right now.” Replied Athrun. Kira chose that moment to return with the medics. They were pulling a young woman along on a stretcher. The girl moaned, opening her eyes. Her eyes grew wide upon seeing Charlie.

“Charlie?” She said uncertainly. Charlie took a step forward before hesitating.

“Go, Amuro and I can move your suit.” Said Ransac. With a nod Charlie joined the medics.

“So what are we going to do with this machine?” Asked Amuro.

“That’ll be up to her. None of us can claim ownership over it.” Said Ash.

“We’ve already started repairing it. But we’re having problems with the material used to construct it. It’s similar to E-Carbon, but for some reason we can’t replicate it.” Said Elizabeth.

“Our engineers just figured out how. It’s called E-Cobalt, it seems to be a unique variant of the traditional material. Jim can explain it back on The Traveller.” Said Ransac. “Amuro, help me get the E.O.U out of here.”

Amuro nodded and climbed back into the Hi-Nu. Ransac coordinated his efforts and managed to get a hold with the True Guardian. A few minutes after that and they were back on The Traveller.

“How’s she doing?” Asked Ransac to Charlie. He had found him sitting in front of the medical bay. Apparently the doctor had asked him to sit outside until he was certain Renki was stable.

“The doctor says she’s taking the treatment well. She’ll be fully recovered in a few minutes.” He replied.

“Good to hear, she may be able to answer a few questions for us.”

“You’re not seriously going to interrogate her are you?” Asked Charlie. Ransac sighed.

“No, I just want to find out if she can tell us who mauled her machine like that.”

“Good.” Was all Charlie said. A few minutes later the doctor called him in. When Ransac tried to follow, the doctor stopped him.

“She asked for him specifically. I’d wait until you ask questions.” He said.

“Alright, I’ll be in the hanger if you need me.” With that Ransac turned back down the hall. When he returned to the hanger, he saw the others had already gathered.

“You know who did it?” Asked Jim.

“The doc wouldn’t let me ask. I may have a theory though.”

“Excellent, lay it on us.”

“Him.” The tone in which Ransac said it caused Jim’s eager smile to fade into seriousness.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I can and I am. He’s the only one who I can think of who would attack a mobile suit like that.”

“Mind filling us in?” Asked Amuro.

“You already know him. He’s the guy who attacked you and Charlie.”

“Hm, who is he anyway?” Asked Ash.

“We don’t have a name, he only told us the name of his mobile suit, the Guardian X.” Answered Jim.

“Guardian X? Does it have some connection to your mobile suit?” Asked Amuro.

“Yup, it was created to kill me. Back in the day I was piloting the predecessor to the True Guardian. It was called the Perfect Guardian. Back in the ELS War that machine was considered almost a god. Unfortunately it only managed to buy us some time against The Ascent. Guardian X was designed to eliminate the problem.”

“So what happened?” Asked Amuro.

“He beat me, completely and thoroughly. The only thing left of my mobile suit was the GN-Drives. I barely managed to come out alive, half my body was torched when my mobile suit exploded. Spent the next two weeks in a coma. If it wasn’t for Longshot having pulled me out of the wreckage, I wouldn’t had even made it that far.”

“Sounds like he needs to be dealt with.” Said Heero.

“And that is the sole reason for the True Guardian. When the time comes, I’m taking him down.” Replied Ransac. The group turned as a shuttle entered the hanger. Elizabeth practically dashed out of the craft. She almost soared past them in her hurry.

“We managed to find a recording of the battle.” She said.

“Conference Room.” Said Ransac. The group hurried to review the tape.

“You know, we spend a lot of time in here.” Said Jim as he slid the video disk into his laptop. A screen slid down from the ceiling to allow viewing. The video crackled to life.

“That’s not him. Said Jim. Is that a tail?” The group watched as a black and red mobile suit constantly shifted in and out of the screen. From the looks of it the pilot was eagerly tearing Renki’s machine apart. What at first seemed like static, soon cleared up to reveal insane laughter. Three words became distinguishable from the laughter.

“I am Sin!” Cackled the pilot before the video cut short, the camera had apparently been shattered by a powerful swing of the tail.

“Looks like we have yet another player on the field.” Said Ransac.

“I am sin? Is that is name or the mobile suit itself?” Questioned Amuro.

“The pilot is obviously insane, it could mean anything.” Said Ash.

“Rewind a little bit, three seconds before the end of the video.” Said Ransac. He thought he had saw something in the background. Jim did so and stopped it right on the mark. “There! You see that? The orange thing near the edge of the screen?”

“Ya? What about it?” Asked Jim.

“Looks like a wing, almost like a wing bit.” Sudden apprehension struck Jim.

“You think someone saved Renki from death.”

“I don’t think, I know. And more importantly, I know who saved her.”

“Who?” Demanded Charlie who had just entered the room.

“Milliardo Consulo. He’s still out there.” The second he said more to himself than to the others.

“Who?” Asked Amuro.

“Find a comfy place to sit guys, I have a story to tell you.”