The Wildcard

Part 4: Hidden Strike of the Dark Gundam!

Written by Zelda

 

                The beast surprised him with a handspring. She had a stocky build, but could still move with agility if pressed to it. And it was on the injured wrist, to boot.

                “And what about doctor’s orders?” he asked with a smile.

                “I heal fast.” Zelda sneered back. “Shame you humans don’t do the same!” And with a dash, she was nearly on top of him.

                Domon barely managed to get his hands out, grasping the upper and lower halves of her jaw, pushing them back as she shoved forward, teeth gleaming in his face.

                “Good move!” she tried to mouth, muffled. Both of the fighters decided to relax, and Zelda dropped her stance completely as she sat, chuckling. “You’re awfully fast Domon. Better balance than Chibodee too, standing flat-footed like that.”

                “But he’s more agile.” Domon conceded. “Unless he’s taking up the time to start a special move, I’m lucky to land a hit. At least, that’s how it was when we last fought.”

                “I hope you don’t think we haven’t learned anything from those battles.” a new voice surprised the pair.

                Domon walked to the side of the boat, to see George approaching up the thin ramp. “Hey George, good to see you.” he nodded. “We needed a referee anyway.”

                George feigned offense. “I believe I command more respect than that, Monsignor Kasshu!”

                Domon rolled his eyes. “Actually, I have to leave for a bit. Rain wanted me to come look at something in the hangar, she probably needs my help calibrating some of the Burning Gundam’s systems. The hangar’s not far from here, I should only be a moment.”

                “We’ll wait for your return then.” George nodded to him, as he stepped up onto the deck of the boat, and Domon started off down the ramp.

                “Alright then, be right back.” Domon started off down the dock at a rather leisurely pace.

                So carefree, George thought. Most likely because he didn’t have a match today like Sai or Argo. Sai’s victory had been decisive to say the least. As much as George felt driven to win the tournament, he couldn’t help but also feel good at seeing his friends victorious as well. Just as long as it didn’t interfere with his mindset in the Battle Royale…

                “Hmph.” a snort came from the deck rail next to him. “You still awake in there, de Sand?”

                George was a little startled, having forgot the animal was even there. He smiled lightly at her, glancing her over quickly. Still catching her breath from the spar with Domon, the creature’s eyes were shining and lively. Her body looked a little less lean than it had when he had seen her last, but her muscle tone was still obvious and healthy. “My apologies.” he started, bowing slightly, and thinking of how strange it felt. “Simply thinking.”

                “Don’t be sorry.” the dragon dismissed him with a wave of her tail, smiling. “Everyone deserves a little time to get lost now and then.”

                “I suppose you know what that feels like.” George nodded. “Chibodee has told me a little of the story you told him before you two fought. It is quite a tale… though…” He hesitated. “If the story was only meant for him to know…”

                “It wasn’t.” Zelda shrugged. “A simple history of how my kind’s lived over the years.” she looked over at him and smiled. “You’re too nice, de Sand. Don’t apologize for being curious about me, most of you humans are. Besides, I can tell you’re a little uncomfortable about being that nice to me. I’m no lady, that’s for sure.”

                “Well, erm…” George stuttered. She certainly spoke like a person, and had the good manners of one, but she was still an animal.

                “George.” Zelda regained his attention. “I agree with you, to an extent. I’m no human, but I’m not a mindless beast either.”

                George grinned as she spoke. “You pronounce my name with a  French accent.” He noted. “Even I’ve stopped doing that. I guess it’s all the traveling. Yours is a strange race, dragon. Your government treats you like animals. Technically you are. But the story that Chibodee relayed to me is quite revealing. Instead of fighting back against those who you thought were dangerous, you tried to negotiate instead. And you came out here to fight the in the tournament alone, for the defense of your clan.”

                The dragon shrugged in reply, looking out over the bay and the boats moored nearby. “I guess I’ve just done what I’ve had to.”

                “They’ve been rather noble decisions.” the Rose Knight nodded. “I must say that I’m impressed by your courage. A great deal of the fighters I’ve faced on my way to the tournament have been sorely lacking in such things.”

                “Well.” Zelda smiled and dipped her head in slight embarrassment. “Whatever it was, it did the job. This is the beginning of a whole new life for my clan. And… I hope that we don’t cut ourselves off from humans now, just because we have the choice. You’re of a curious species yourself, you know.”

                “What I’m curious about,” George changed the subject. “Is your hand. Is it healing well?” he pointed to the bandages that still wrapped the injured limb.

                “It’s going pretty quickly, faster than it healed when I patched it up myself.” she replied, looking the wrist over. “I can put weight back on it now, the bones have fused. But… you’re right. This situation bothers me. Domon told me about the crests, he’s gone into a little more detail about the Shuffle Alliance. I just don’t see how it’s possible.”

                Now it was George’s turn to shrug. “Neither do I. However, it is too strange to merely be a coincidence. You have no recollection as to when or how that symbol appeared?”

                “Well, it started just a few months ago, actually.” Zelda mused. “I can’t remember the exact date, because it didn’t hurt so much at first, I never paid it much mind. I was fighting my way through South America at the time, then I moved on to southern Africa as it got worse…”

                In the back of his mind, George was thinking again, only half-listening to her story. She had been through South America, where the Dark Gundam had been hiding out for such a long time. Was it just another coincidence that the symbol appeared there?

                “It dogged me for some time, and for some reason, the closer the time came for the tournaments, the more it started to hurt.”

                “I see.” de Sand nodded. “But you say it only does that from time to time. Can you remember what happened to you in an instance when it activated?”

                The dragon shook her head, tossing her purple scales. “I’ve thought about that.” she sighed, frustration showing in her voice. “But they all seem random, I don’t know if there’s any trigger…” And she trailed off.

                “It is quite a mystery.” George nodded, looking out over the water. But he glanced back when the dragon didn’t reply. She was slowly clenching her injured hand, her eyes narrowing into a wince as light began to glow through the thick bandages. “Zelda…?”

                “Talk--- about coincidence---“ Her voice was strained as she spoke. “I don’t understand this at all—“

                George looked around suspiciously for a moment. What could have triggered her crest this time around? He looked back at the deck to see the dragon hobbling off, her eyes squinted shut, trying to walk on the injured hand with little success. “Are you alright?”

                “It’ll wear off---“ she nodded sharply.

                George was distracted further by a burning feeling on the back of his own hand. Why was his crest glowing now too? The Rose Knight had only a few more moments to puzzle before the glow faded, on his hand and on Zelda’s as well. “My goodness…” he began. “What was that all about?”

                “Guys!” Domon’s voice came up to them from the dock.

                “Domon, what’s going on?” George leaned over the edge to look. “Did your crest activate too?”

                “Yes, it did.” Domon walked quickly up the ramp. “And I think I know why. I was watching coverage of Argo’s fight while I was in the hangar with Rain. He won his battle, but the other Gundam speared the Bolt Gundam in the shoulder. I think he must have gotten hurt.”

                “Poor Argo…” George started, frowning with concern.

                “Is he alright?” Zelda came up to the pair.

                “The announcer said it wasn’t anything serious.” Domon nodded. “I don’t think it’s any cause for worry.”

                “Domon, Zelda’s symbol activated right along with ours.” George spoke.

                “Hmmm…” The Neo-Japanese fighter rubbed his chin. “I really don’t know what to make of all of this.”

                Zelda was now flexing her hand with ease, and let out a relieved sigh. “Well, I’m glad Argo won his match, at least. I’ve heard stories about him, his strength is his trademark.”

                “That it is.” George nodded.

                The dragon glanced at the sun as it was sinking into the bay, then suddenly started as if she remembered something. “What time is it?”

                Domon checked a pocket watch. “Going on half-past four, why?”

                “I’m afraid I have to leave for now. I’ve got to go make some quick fixes to the Roaring Gundam, I’ve got a meeting with Prime Minister Wong at seven tonight.”

                “A meeting with Wong?” Domon twitched an eyebrow. “What for?”

                “To tell him that I’m withdrawing from the tournament.” Zelda nodded decisively. “I’ve accomplished what I’ve wanted to here, I have no more reason to fight. But he asked me to bring the Roaring Gundam along, so I just want to make it presentable.”

                “Will you come back here after your meeting?” Domon asked.

                Zelda smiled, looking a little sheepish. “If you don’t mind, that is. Han does catch some good fish.”

                Domon chuckled. “Now that you’re withdrawing from the tournament, consider yourself a guest of Neo-Japan. We’ll leave a light on for you tonight.”

                “Many thanks, to both of you.” the dragon bowed deeply to the pair. “Hopefully this meeting won’t take me too long!” And with that, the animal spread its wings and was soaring off over the bay like a scaly, purple seagull.

 

                The dragon sighed as she waited, filling her idle time by continuing to fix some of the wiring in the cockpit. Roaring Gundam had been severely damaged. With the time she had before she was due before Prime Minister Wong, she had barely been able to fix up the outward dents that Gundam Maxter had caused. Now she waited with her Gundam on the roof of Wong’s main office building. Her neural net trace system was barely registering all of the damaged circuitry, which was a blessing in disguise because then just piloting it back from the forest would have put her through a lot of pain. “Poor old hunk of junk.” Zelda spoke to herself. “You deserve better.”

                “So…” A voice drifted into the cockpit’s open door from outside. “This is the Roaring Gundam.”

                “Prime Minister!” Zelda called back, a little surprised. She leapt out of the cockpit and glided to the ground, landing and bowing respectfully before him. “Good to see you again, sir…” But she trailed off as she looked up, seeing a stranger there instead.

                “My apologies.” The man spoke, bowing in return. “Mr. Wong is running late, he is stuck in traffic coming from another meeting. I am an associate of his, I came to meet you so that you wouldn’t think he had not kept his end of the bargain.”

                Zelda looked the man over, taking in his purple jumpsuit and his long gray ponytail as it fluttered in the wind. “I know who you are…” she started. “You are the reigning champion, the pilot of the Gundam of Gundams. The Undefeated of the East. It is an honor to meet face to face.”

                “I thank you for the respect.” Master Asia smiled to her. “And I must say, I regret that we have yet to fight in the tournament. Your Gundam put in a spectacular match against Neo-America a few days ago.”

                Zelda bowed her head again in thanks. “Actually, that is what I came to speak to the Prime Minister about. I wish to withdraw from the tournament.”

                “Now that is a shame.” Master Asia shook his head. “Might I ask why? After all, you defeated a member of the powerful Shuffle Alliance, I would say you have the ability to truly contend for the title in the Battle Royale.”

                “I no longer have any need to fight.” Zelda explained. “I’d like nothing more than to return to my home territory.”

                “I see.” Master Asia nodded. “Then I congratulate you, dragon. And I suppose I’m not displeased with the outcome myself. I’ve heard of the many efforts you have made for your cause in Neo-America. It is a terrible shame, what people on this Earth have done to the planet. First, they poisoned it to the point at which it could no longer sustain them, and now things simply continue to build once again after the colonies were formed. A true shame indeed. But we are only fighters in the end, aren’t we? And now that you are no longer a contestant here, I can get a closer look at this very unique Gundam of yours… if you don’t mind, of course.”

                “Feel free.” Zelda waved her tail and smiled. “Although, I must apologize for the Roaring Gundam’s condition. It took some damage in its last fight that I simply haven’t gotten around to fixing.”

                Master Asia proceeded to go about inspecting the Gundam’s hull, complimenting the dragon on the ingenuity of the design aspects. The pair continued for several minutes, until they heard a door open nearby. Zelda turned to see the Prime Minister approaching, and climbed down from her Gundam to meet him. She bowed and greeted him with the same line she had intended for him earlier.

                “A pleasure to see you again as well.” Wong grinned at her. “After the fight you put up against Neo-America. Your deal with them made the match all the more intriguing.”

                “Well sir, with the battle over, I arranged this meeting with the purpose of withdrawing from the tournament.”

                “I must say that I’m rather disappointed.” Wong sighed, but then shrugged his shoulders. “But you’ve helped to make it interesting while you’ve been around. I understand that you no longer have a reason to participate. Very well then, as of now I’m removing you from the tournament by means of voluntary forfeit. All of your future matches will be cancelled and rescheduled with the remaining pool.”

                “Sounds agreeable to me.” Zelda noted. “I thank you, Prime Minister, for administrating the Gundam fights to this point.”

                “Thank you for the battles, Zelda.” Wong smiled. “You can be on your way now, if you like.”

                The dragon nodded, and turned back to her Gundam. She stopped as she saw Master Asia still examining it, now perched close to the cockpit. He hopped nimbly to the ground and bowed to her one more time, before walking to the Prime Minister’s side. The dragon waved to the pair as they exited the roof, heading back down into the building. Zelda was left alone with her Gundam, in the evening air on the rooftop. She looked into the remainders of the sunset, and couldn’t help but think that it was all very symbolic. Today was the end of an era, the end of the time where her kind would have to struggle for survival beneath the hardships that the human race had unknowingly placed upon them. She’d return home victorious, and her species would be far more assured of having a real future stretching before it. What an immense relief. The dragon took in a deep breath, and climbed back into her cockpit. “Alright Gundam.” she nodded. “We’ll take our time to say goodbye to our new friends. But the both of us are headed home.” She frowned slightly as the machine was sluggish to respond. “Come on now…” she grumbled, testing it as she flexed her muscles. “You made the flight over here, you can get me back to the docks…” But there was something strange, a rustling sound like dead leaves or crawling insects. It grew louder, spreading in the cockpit, until suddenly something rushed for her. Zelda cried in alarm as she felt wires, hissing, twisting, snapping tight around her legs as they braced on the floor. Her heart leapt in panic and she tried to tear herself away. The noise, the hissing only grew as the cockpit was plunged into darkness, and more wires shot out for her. As they engulfed her rioting body, they seemed to lash into it, sending searing electric shocks through the animal’s flesh, until she lost her senses entirely.

 

                Sai let out a gaping yawn before he shoved his face back into his bowl. He sat on the roof of the Neo-Chinese consulate, scarfing down a bowl of rice he’d managed to snatch from the kitchen when nobody was looking. Who were they to keep him from eating? He was a growing boy, after all. And up here on the roof, nobody would find him, not even the two monks. Sai wished the consulate would let him cook once and a while. He would have made a real feast tonight, to celebrate his victory. Instead, the monks had gone off to pray, and the consulate staff had eaten dinner early, leaving him with nothing but leftovers by the time he’d come back. “Ungrateful…” Sai growled, clicking his chopsticks together. “I’m gonna be the one to restore the Shao-Lin temple, and this is how they thank me?” He made up his mind to sneak back into the kitchen and cook up some lo mein later, when everyone had gone to sleep. But his thoughts of food were interrupted as he heard a strange noise in the distance. Sai blinked and stopped eating, staring into the bottom of his bowl as he tried to identify the sound. It was a kind of rustling, a kind of hissing that he’d heard somewhere before… Sai yelled out in surprise, nearly losing his balance and falling off of the roof as something very large, like a plane, roared over his head. He turned to see a red-colored blur skid and bounce to a stop along the edge of the consulate’s grounds. Sai regained his footing on the roof and tried to see through all of the dust the crash had stirred up. Was it a helicopter? A stray core lander? The Neo-Chinese child had a shiver of fear run up his spine as a pair of glowing red eyes solidified through the darkness. It was a Gundam. “Whoa… what the heck?!” Sai was now backing away along the spine of the roof. He’d learned that a red-eyed Gundam was typically not a good thing, and now one had crashed literally in his backyard! As the dust settled, pneumonic clicking sounded as the shadow loomed closer to him. A breeze blew over the grounds, and Sai gasped again to see the Roaring Gundam standing before him! “Yeesh, you scared me there!” Sai Saici scolded. “What’s with ruining the turf?”

                In reply, the Gundam stalked closer, although moving shakily, nearly tripping over itself.

                Sai frowned and stood still. Something was definitely not right. There was a loud rustling noise and he realized that the broadcasting frequency for the cockpit com must have been activated. The sound was tinny with interference.

                “Sai… please….” Zelda’s voice slurred, high with panic but slow and twisted.

                “Zelda?” Sai Saici edged closer along the roof, as the Roaring Gundam nearly tripped and fell into the building.

                “Run Sai…” the dragon’s voice hissed. “I have--- no control!” Her voice was blotted out by a rush of static before com went dead, and just moments later the Roaring Gundam’s axe-like tail took a slash through a garden near the Gundam’s hind foot.

                The Neo-Chinese child could only back further along the roof in a mix of confusion and surprise. “Zelda, what are you doing?!” he yelled to the Gundam. “What’s going on?”

                In cold reply, the Gundam’s eyes burned a brighter red, and it wheeled back into balance, hissing a breath of hot exhaust that nearly burned Sai’s skin. At this, he took off running, somersaulting to the ground and skidding off for the hangar. If he could reach the Dragon Gundam, he’d be able to level with Zelda face-to-face. What on earth was she thinking, coming here and ripping up the consulate grounds?! His thoughts were interrupted as sets of claws came slamming down behind him, trying to catch up to him as the Gundam leapt and pounced. Sai Saichi barely scuttled into the hangar in time, writhing into his trace system as the Roaring Gundam clawed down the hangar doors. The Dragon Gundam shot free through the roof, sailing up into the air.

                “Stop it NOW Zelda!” Sai Saichi demanded. “Or I’ll make you stop!”

                The Roaring Gundam howled defiantly at him, and took to the wing, flapping up faster and higher than his Gundam’s booster jets could carry him. Sai barely brought out his staff in time to block the Gundam’s bladed tail as the dragon suit spun in midair and came crashing down on him, as it had against Chibodee in their earlier fight. Both Gundams fell  back to the ground, rattling the buildings around them as they landed on their feet.

                “You think a dragon can beat my Dragon Gundam?” Sai frowned. “Well, we’ll get to see. I’ve been wanting to try this on you!” With an emphatic pose, he struck out one Gundam’s dragon’s shaped hand, shooting a plume of flames for the Roaring Gundam. The dragon suit responded by curling its neck back and shooting a blast of its own, one that Sai quickly realized was much stronger. As the heat pressed him back, he stabbed his bo staff into the ground and used the freed hand to join in the fiery blaze. Roaring Gundam pressed forward despite the intense heat. Sai was stunned as he saw the Gundam’s outer hull actually begin to melt, the red plates along its head and neck oozing and twisting as gravity pulled the melting metal down. But he was called away by a loud alarm buzzer, telling him he was nearly out of fuel for the fires! Sai could only watch as the blasts from his Gundam’s hands dribbled down to nothingness. The Roaring Gundam ceased its assault at the same time, leaving the two veiled in acrid smoke. Sai quickly lost the melted Gundam, and spun around, trying to keep his guard up. “Come on out Zelda!” he yelled, straining to keep the nervousness in his voice to a minimum. His head started to swirl again with questions as to why this could be happening. Wasn’t the animal their ally now? Why would she want to fight? The Neo-Chinese child was jolted violently back into reality as a searing pain crackled across his chest. He stared at the front of his cockpit to see three deep claw-marks torn across it. The sphere was instantly flooded with smoke, smelling strongly of burning metal and plastic, stinging his eyes and burning his nose and throat. As he choked and stumbled back, he could see nothing around him but a burning red light, from the hovering eyes of the Roaring Gundam.

 

                “Master George! Master George, do wake up!”

                George de Sand spun in his sheets, sitting up violently. He found himself staring into the alarmed eyes of his butler.

                “Raymond, it’s the middle of the night!” he protested. “What’s going on?”

                “I’m terribly sorry to wake you, Master George.” Raymond bowed. “But we’ve received an emergency call from the Neo-Chinese consulate. It seems that they’re being attacked!”

                “Attacked?” George rustled quickly out of bed. “Is it the Dark Gundam?”

                “No sir.” Raymond shook his head. “I believe it’s been identified as the Roaring Gundam! It and the Dragon Gundam have disappeared on the consulate grounds.”

                “The Roaring Gundam?” George frowned. “But why would it attack? Is Zelda its pilot?”

                “I’m afraid I do not know the details, Master George.” Raymond shook his head. “But the consulate has been evacuated. They’ve called upon the police, but you know that mobile suits couldn’t stop something as powerful as a Gundam. The consulate has also called Neo-Russia, Neo-Japan, and Neo-America for help.”

                “And I’m sure they will too.” George nodded darkly. “Ready the Gundam Rose. The Shuffle Alliance will get to the bottom of this situation.”

 

                Domon Kasshu strained to see through the smoke. “Stay close.” he ordered. “Sai Saici’s lost in here too.”

                Behind him, Argo, George, and Chibodee shuffled in their respective Gundams, hovering on the edge of the consulate grounds.

                “I don’t like this.” Chibodee growled. “I don’t like this at all.”

                “Argo.” Gundam Rose turned to face the Neo-Russian suit. “Can you fight with your wounded shoulder?”

                “Just a scrape.” Argo snorted.

                “Sai Saici!” Domon called out. “Where are you? Answer me!”

                There was a response, faint and crackling with static. “Bro!--- Bro is that you?”

                “Where are you?” Domon repeated, hedging further into the smoke.

                “Over here!” The Dragon Gundam called out. “But don’t come any closer--- she’s in here too!”

                “Zelda attacked you?!” Chibodee frowned.

                “I don’t know why! She told me to run--- sounded like she was in trouble---“ There was a loud pneumonic hissing off to the right of the group, and the Dragon Gundam stumbled awkwardly into the clear air. Sai Saichi hung close to the doorframe of the open cockpit, coughing. “I’m okay.” he waved to the others.

                “That’s it, I say we charge in there, pin her down, and make her give us some answers!” Chibodee pounded a fist into an open palm.

                “No no, bad idea!” Sai Saici coughed in protest. “Something’s different about her, she’s stronger than ever! I didn’t last for a minute against her.”

                “Unbelievable…” Domon started. “But how are we supposed to corner her in all of this smoke?”

                “I think I can help with that.” Argo nodded. Stepping a safe distance away from the group, he brought out his ball and chain, and swirled it not horizontally as he usually did, but vertically. The wind it created quickly blew the smoke from the consulate grounds, also wisping away from the form of an angry-looking Roaring Gundam.

                “Zelda!” Domon called. “Why did you attack Dragon Gundam?”

                The Roaring Gundam reared onto its hind legs and let out a loud snarl in reply, its eyes blazing red.

                “Impossible…” Sai Saici stuttered. “I… I melted the outer hull… and now it’s back to normal!”

                “But how could that be?” George frowned.

                “I know how.” Chibodee snarled. “Self-recovery, a trademark of the Dark Gundam!”

                “Chibodee’s right.” Domon struck a fighting stance, not taking his focus off of the Roaring Gundam. “There’s no other way that the Roaring Gundam could have restored itself.”

                “So that’s it! We take her down!” Chibodee sprung out and charged the dragon suit. “This time I’ll finish what I started in the arena!”

                “We must charge together!” George nodded, catching up to Chibodee as Domon and Argo flanked alongside.

                To the immense show of force, the Roaring Gundam hissed and crouched low, waiting for them to come. It kept almost perfectly still as the four Gundams charged, the Gundam Rose bringing out its fencing foil. The Roaring Gundam didn’t react until the foil speared through its hull, and then swung out its wings in response. Like a ring of blades, the wings swirled up into the air, stabbing into all of the Gundams that surrounded them.

                The Bolt Gundam was struck in the shoulder, and Argo reeled backwards from the added pain that the trace system put on his own wounded body.

                Domon pulled a wing spoke out of his own Gundam’s hull, and stepped back to bring up his energy saber. “This ends now Zelda!” he yelled, swiping at her. The Roaring Gundam folded its wings again, leaping backwards to avoid the beam.

                “Watch the tail!” Chibodee warned, pouncing forward to snatch the axe tail away before it severed the Burning Gundam’s right hand off.

                “Look!” George pointed. “Look where I struck her!”

                As the four Gundams watched, and the Roaring Gundam struggled, the hole in its hull started to heal, and within moments it looked as if the Gundam had never been touched!
                “That’s self recovery alright!” Chibodee growled. “Zelda, talk to us now! WHY are you following the Dark Gundam!?”

                “I know how to get an answer.” Domon frowned, flattening his hand and plunging it like a blade into the chest of the Roaring Gundam. He pulled the cockpit free, only to find a mass of cables actively trying to wrench it back into the hull. The cockpit’s door popped open, revealing Zelda entirely swathed in wires, dripping with blood and oil from all of her struggling.

                “Domon…!” she howled out to the towering Gundam. “Domon…. please help me!---“

                For a moment, the Burning Gundam was frozen, its pilot in shock. The dragon was coated with DG cells, on every part of flesh not wrapped with wires. Only her face was free, but even now she was struggling to open her jaws against the cables wrapped around it. Zelda had been infected with Dark Gundam cells, but how, and when? Neither he nor any of the Alliance members had detected any trace in her before. Did she ally herself with his evil brother in such a short time? And if she had, then why was she begging for help? Domon’s thoughts were cut short as the Roaring Gundam’s cockpit was suddenly pulled from his hands. “What the---?” he started. But something else, a loud noise and a whoosh of air, distracted him.

                “Stay away from her Domon, if you value your life.” Master Asia warned him sternly, as his Master Gundam landed close by.

                Burning Gundam leapt back, leaving the Roaring Gundam to collapse at Master Asia’s feet. “Master Asia!” Domon yelled. “What do you have to do with this?!”

                As Domon was flanked by his Alliance members, Master Asia cackled, folding his arms. “You are all absolute fools. The crests you’ve inherited are hollow and void of both power and knowledge. That includes you, King of Hearts!”

                “What are you saying?” Domon snarled back.

                “The pilot of the Roaring Gundam is no ordinary beast.” Master Asia explained. “She bears a crest that has not seen the light of day for hundreds of years. Had you bothered to investigate it, you might have known better.”

                “Known what?!” Chibodee yelled. “Spit it out, old man!”

                “Zelda is the bearer of the Wildcard crest. She carries a symbol of immense power, one that is only activated from its deep slumber in the face of great evil. The Dark Gundam is that evil, the greatest evil that this fractured planet and your measly colonies have ever seen!”

                “I don’t understand…” Domon started. “The Wildcard is a crest of the Shuffle Alliance?”

                “That’s right.” Master Asia nodded. “The six of you would have made a full hand. Now, you’ll never have claim to her strength again. It belongs to the Dark Gundam!”

                “That’s impossible!” George interjected. “If she’s a member of the Shuffle Alliance, she’s immune to the DG cells.”

                “Again, an example of how your ignorance will be your downfall.” The Undefeated of the East laughed. “What good is immunity if the bearer has no knowledge of how to use it? Now, you will be witness to her conversion, her enslavement to the Dark Gundam!”

                “Not in this lifetime.” Argo growled, his Bolt Gundam taking an angry charge towards the Master Gundam.

                “No Argo!” Domon waved him back before continuing the Bolt Gundam’s halted charge. “He’s mine!”

                “Very well Domon.” The Master Gundam nodded sagely. “Then come and face me, and leave the rest of the Alliance to her!”

                With a snap of the Master Gundam’s fingers, the Roaring Gundam’s eyes blazed back to life. It sprang to its feet and charged, right past the oncoming Burning Gundam, and towards the four other Alliance members. Caught off guard by her speed, explosions went up from the hulls of the Gundams as the dragon suit charged between them, her wings spread out like dual scythes.

                Domon spun, looking back for a moment as the four Gundams went toppling to the ground, tearing up the grass on the consulate field.

                “Don’t get distracted!” came a command from behind him, and Domon found his own face slammed painfully in the dirt as the Master Gundam’s foot planted a kick in the small of his back. He looked up out of the top of his cockpit to see the four other Gundams being thrown in all directions. Even though the gaping tear in its chest was still healing, the Roaring Gundam was using incredible strength to make short work of the rest of the Alliance. Master Asia was still grinding his heel into his back. As Domon struggled through the pain to push himself off of the ground, a window into Chibodee’s cockpit appeared in his view.

                “This isn’t working!” he grunted, frustrated. “With these stupid DG cells she’s stronger than even we were, under the Dark Gundam’s control!”

                “They’ve nearly taken her over!” Sai remarked. “She was covered with them! How did that happen so fast?!”

                “Master Asia said she didn’t understand how to use her own immunity---“ George started, getting cut off by a cry of pain as a blast of flame from the Roaring Gundam ripped across his flank.

                “I do not understand.” Argo noted, his voice also tight with pain as the Bolt Gundam staggered to its feet. “We--- were not immune---“

                “No, not until you got your crests!” Domon shouted, finally getting out from underneath the Master Gundam’s foot. He leapt to his feet and spun to face Master Asia again, unleashing a flurry of kicks that his sensei blocked effortlessly. “It’s--- our hyper mode--- that allows us to drive the DC cells out of others--- and ourselves!”

                “Then let’s do it!” Chibodee shouted back, his crest flaring on his hand.

                “Absolute fools.” Master Asia cackled. “Did you hear nothing of what I said before? You cannot cure her with your pathetic hyper mode or your wretched crests. Zelda is on the cusp of giving her body and soul to the Dark Gundam. Nothing will cure her now!”

                “There’s… there’s nothing we can do?” Sai backed away from the enraged Roaring Gundam.

                “Don’t believe him!” Domon shouted, trying not to turn his back on his sensei. “If she’s a member of the Shuffle Alliance, we can’t give up on her!”

                “Pay attention Domon!” Master Asia snarled, and roped the Burning Gundam with an energy ribbon, yanking it tight and pulling the Gundam’s arms painfully tight along its sides. “Your fight is with me!”

                Domon cried out, nearly falling to his knees with dizzying pain. He could feel his shoulders grinding at the edges of their sockets. With a growl, he activated the machine guns along the sides of his Gundam’s face, riddling enough bullets through the energy ribbon to cause it to dissipate. “Listen to me guys!” he yelled to his Alliance members. “You have to try and get through to her, get her to activate her hyper mode!” With that, he turned his full attention to battling Master Asia.

                Smoke was now leaking from a tear across the Gundam Maxter’s chest, and Chibodee swiped to see through it, grunting. “He says it like it’s so easy!”

                “We’ll have to talk her through it…” George started.

                “Seems better than fighting her about now!” Sai agreed. “We’ve gotta try something before she turns our Gundams into scrap!”

                Chibodee let out a ragged sigh, and backed away from the dragon suit, watching as his Alliance members did the same. They surrounded the angry Gundam as it lashed its tail and wings at anything coming within range. “You can hear us Zelda, I know you can!” he started. “You’ve gotta fight this thing!”

                “The Dark Gundam cannot be allowed to gain control of you!” George seconded.

                “You are frightened.” Argo spoke, his voice now ragged and sounding surprisingly weak. “Overcome your panic and channel it against the DG cells. Clear your mind, dragon!” he commanded.

                The Roaring Gundam reeled backwards, its eyes burning red as a metallic scream emanated from its jaws.

                Even though he was trying to keep his focus on his Master, Domon couldn’t help but shudder at the sight. It was almost like how Allenby looked, locked into the clutches of her Gundam’s Berserker system.

                Without warning, the dragon suit came crashing back to all fours, its neck and tail thrashing as if in a balanced seizure. Twitching and wheeling, it spun halfway around, slammed its head into the scarred earth, and reeled upwards again.

                “That’s it, keep at it!” George urged her on. “You’ve got to fight back against the Dark Gundam’s hold on you!”

                The Roaring Gundam shook down to its very core. Old wounds and poorly sealed seams started splitting open, wires and cables snaking out to repair the damage. But the Gundam looked like it was falling apart. The red was bleeding out of its eyes. The gaping hole in the dragon suit’s chest that Domon opened reemerged, and the spherical cockpit capsule sagged through. Finally, in one convulsive shudder, the Gundam collapsed, its eyes going black, the cockpit lolling out like a yo-yo on a string.

                “That… wasn’t her hyper mode…” Sai Saici spoke, stunned.

                Nobody moved for a moment, watching the fallen Gundam. In the distance, even the fight between Domon and Master Asia had paused. Nothing in the dragon suit moved.

                “Fools!” Master Asia’s voice boomed over the eerie silence. “You’d break her sooner than break the grip of the Dark Gundam. It will not be defeated so easily!” Master Gundam sprang from its fighting stance and leapt away, its wing-like cape snapping around its body. Activating its boosters, the Gundam raced just over the ground, reaching out a hand to grab the Roaring Gundam’s cockpit and tear it away from the rest of the frame. Master Asia soared upwards without another word.

                “Master, come back here!” Domon yelled angrily, the spokes on the back of the Burning Gundam springing out to follow.

                “He’s kidnapping her!” George started. “We cannot simply let him!”

                “He’s too far away by now…” Chibodee let out a ragged sigh, standing down. “With our Gundams in this condition, we’d never catch him.”

                His point was proven as the Burning Gundam sputtered back to the ground, barely able to activate its jump jets in time to slow the fall from the failing boosters. “Darn it, I’m out of fuel!” Domon cursed. “How could this have happened?”

                Sai Saici looked nervously about from pilot to pilot, while an exhausted Argo kneeled on the ground to brace himself.

                “Well, we’ve certainly got a problem on our hands now.” Chibodee folded his arms as he stepped out of his cockpit.

                George was already on the ground beside his kneeling Royal Gundam, picking his way across the torn earth to inspect the twisted frame of the dragon suit. “How did this happen?” he wondered aloud. “Did she resist, or did the Dark Gundam force her to destroy her own suit?”

                “Either way.” Domon started darkly from over George’s shoulder. “It had to hurt.”

                “Watch out!” Sai yelled from behind them, and the two fighters had to leap back as a length of cable lashed weakly for them. The frame of the Roaring Gundam rattled weakly to life again as wires slithered from it, pouring oil and smoke.

                “It’s okay, it’s okay!” Domon put his hands up to get everyone to calm down. “Without a pilot, the Gundam can’t move on its own, even if its systems are infected with DG cells! It’s searching for the cockpit pod…” And after a few moments, the slithering cables flopped back to the ground and lay still, as the Gundam shuddered and was then silent.

                “Whew…” George started quietly. “This is serious.”

                Chibodee came up behind the pair, mumbling angrily. “Can’t believe he kidnapped her. What are we supposed to do now?”

                “Your Gundam alright Chibodee?” Sai asked, also rejoining the group.

                “Looks like we all got pretty torn up.” he grunted. “As if fending off one of the Dark Gundam’s minions wasn’t enough, we had to deal with two!”

                “At least that threat won’t repeat itself.” George sighed, turning to look at the smoking wreckage before him. “Without the Gundam, Zelda can’t fight.”

                “Don’t be so sure.” Argo sounded, his voice distant. The injured fighter stayed with his Gundam, leaning against a giant foot. But he held a determined look in his eyes that prevented his Alliance members from asking whether or not he was alright. It was clear that he had things other than pain on his mind. “If she’s infected with DG cells, and by now I think that’s clear, they could retrofit any Gundam or mobile suit to fit her neural net, and she’d be back in action. It’s not the machine that makes the fighter, not when the Dark Gundam is concerned. We’ve seen it take the most subpar Gundams and pilots, and turn them into monsters. We must go after the dragon.”

                “But how?” Sai asked. “The Undefeated of the East could be anywhere by now! How will we know unless he comes back for the Roaring Gundam?”

                “There may be a way…” Domon started, stepping warily over sparking cables as he came closer to the gaping hole in the Roaring Gundam’s chest. “If some of the panels are still here…” His hands were quickly coated with oil as he started pulling through the wreckage, as if he were doing a microscopic autopsy on a massive patient. “Rain told me about it once, I think. She said there were a few circuit panels just outside the cockpit that helped to control the cockpit’s electrical functions. Here!” He pulled back quickly, taking lengths of cord with him, wiping off a green panel with his cape. “Look, see the screen here?” he pointed to a small and cracked one. “It’s  hard to see… the power’s failing in the Gundam, but you see that dot there, how it’s moving?”

                “I do.” George nodded. There was a blinking yellow dot on the screen, and it was moving.

                “So she’s got a video game on board, so what?” Chibodee snorted.

                “This is no game, Chibodee.” Domon sighed, flustered. “It’s a tracking device! This panel is one of many dozens scattered throughout every Gundam. They’re designed to help crews relocate parts of the frame if they ever get torn off and lost during a fight.”

                “Hmph, that does make sense.” Chibodee nodded, wiping some oil off of his hands on the sides of his legs. “The Roaring Gundam’s built out of junk, but I guess even Zelda’s clan knew enough to include those in there.”

                “So all we have to do is follow the signal!” Sai brightened. “That’s not so hard.”

                “No, but the signal’s fading.” Domon frowned, shaking the panel to try and get a better readout from the screen. “The power’s dying off, we won’t be able to track them for much longer…” and as he trailed off, the screen went blank.

                “Great, now what?” Chibodee threw up an arm. “Back to tracking her down the old fashioned way again?”

                “At least the panel helps narrow down where we should look.” George nodded. “But that’s not the only thing we have to go on.” He balled a fist and held it up, showing that his crest was fading on his hand. It had been burning on the hands of all of the fighters, but they had been too focused on the fight to let the discomfort bother them. “The good creature is in pain. If we follow these, we’ll find either her or the Dark Gundam.”

                “Something tells me.” Sai muttered nervously. “That we’ll find them both in the same place…”

 

 

To be continued…