It's Our Turn!
By Game Girl
The scientist looked through the telescope and made an unsatisfied "hmmm."
"What is it, Dr. White?" the student asked, leaning down.
"Take a look for yourself," he said, pushing back his chair to give room for the student to look through the telescope.
She put her eye on the lens.
"You see it, Hannah?" the scientist asked.
"Looks like an asteroid," she pulled back, "good god, and it heading straight for Earth!" she looked at the scientist, "Dr. White, it could destroy the whole planet! The asteroid looks like it could be big and it could hit earth in about a week!"
"Good job, Hannah," the scientist said, taking the calculations with the telescope, "the asteroid seems to be about 1000 miles wide. Perhaps the size of a state or small country."
"Could it destroy the Earth?" she asked.
"No, but it will defiantly destroy the colonies if they are in its path." He stated politely, "Depending on where the asteroid hits, it'll do moderate damage."
"What should we do, Doctor?" Hannah asked impatiently.
The doctor smiled, "a situation like this happened a year ago. Remember, Hannah? The battleship Libra was going to crash into the Earth?"
"Like yesterday," she said, "the Gundam Pilots saved us. Her eyes lit up. You think they'd….?"
"One way to find out," the doctor picked up the phone, "Lucile, get me the Gundam Pilots."
The Gundam Pilots came to the observatory with Relena, Hilde, Dorothy, Midii, Sally, Catherine, Noin and Lady Une. Doctor White gave a thirty minute explanation about the asteroid. It was indeed huge, like he said, the size of France. Might not do damage to the Earth, but it'll destroy any colony in its path, which was like half of them. If it hit Earth, it will land in the middle of Russia.
"Oh no," Relena cried, standing up, "how awful!"
"What can we do?" Hilde asked.
"The Earth isn't in real danger," Dr. White continued, "but the colonies are. Millions of people live in outer space and they could lose their lives in about a week. There will be meteorites perhaps the size between the size of this computer screen," he tapped the screen, "and your gundams." He pointed to the Gundam Pilots.
"Good Gravy!" Duo shouted.
"We need you to destroy the asteroid before it does any damage to the colonies," Dr. White told them.
"Mission ac…" Heero began.
"Wait!" Relena yelled, "you pilots have done enough all ready. As the leader of the world nation, I want to do this."
"I'm with Relena!" Hilde agreed. "And I can teach her! It's been a while since I've been inside a mobile suit!"
"You what?!" Duo shouted, "Hilde Shoodebaker, are you nuts?"
"It's SHI-BIKE-ER!" Hilde corrected harshly, "Schbeiker!"
"Whatever," Duo grumbled, "you risked your life when you helped me on the lunar base, you risked your life while letting me stay at your place and you really risked your life when you delivered that data on Libra to me! Now you want to take a dangerous mission! What the hell is the matter with you!"
"Are you saying this because I'm short?!" she cried, "come on, Maxwell, wanna fight? I'll rip that braid of yours right off!" she lunged at Duo, who gasped in surprise.
"Hey, hold it!" Midii grunted, stepping between them, "Relena and Hilde have a point."
"Thank you, Midii!" Hilde and Relena said in unison.
"I was a spy since I was a little kid, I had a sick father and three younger brothers. My father is dead now. I had to do some terrible things just to keep them and myself alive. I'm sick and tired of the things I've done!" she shouted, "this is my chance to do something right for a change!"
"Midii, that's over now," Trowa said in an effort to make her feel better.
"It doesn't matter," she mumbled, looking at him, "I can't forget what I did. Too many people have died because of me, maybe not directly, but I can still see the blood on my hands when I look at them." She paused to look at her hands, clenched them. " This may be my only chance to redeem myself, don’t you understand, Trowa??"
Trowa was silent.
"I had a feeling you wouldn't."
"Hey," Catherine whispered, "I think you should go for it."
"Catherine!" Trowa grumbled, "why don’t you just show her how to throw knives?"
"What do you think, Dorothy?" Relena asked.
"Miss Relena, it will be an honor to finally fight for the colonies," she said, "it is, still, in a way, a war after all."
"Your missing the point," Quatre broke in, "you don’t even know how to pilot a gundam!"
"Then you could show me!" she said.
"Dorothy, I'd give you my heart from my chest," he said almst understanding, "the keys to my car, even my jet! But I absolutly cannot let you pilot Sandrock!"
"Why not?" she demanded, obviously hurt, "Quatre Rabera Winner, you're not much of a soldier yourself! All you do is drink your chamomile tea and tell people to surrender before you attack!"
"That's not true, Dorothy!" Quatre shouted, then groaned, "peppermint's my favorite."
"You should give the girls a chance," Noin said.
"We should all do it," Sally offered. "I can use Wufei's gundam!"
"Yes," Une agreed.
"No, Sally!" Wufei protested. "You have no right to pilot Nataku!"
"That's enough!" Heero shouted, then took a breath. He walked up behind Relena and placed his hands on her shoulders, his voice became calm again, "if they really want to do this, I won't stop them. I'll even teach Relena to pilot Wing Zero."
"Heero, are you crazy?" Duo demanded.
"I cant' believe you'd agree on this!" Quatre gasped. "She can't handle the ZERO system no more than you can!"
"She'll learn to use it," Heero said, giving Relena's shoulder a squeeze, "I have total faith in her."
Relena felt like she was going to faint, "really?" she turned to him.
"You're the leader of the world, Relena" Heero said with a nod. "People love you. You can give a moving speech about peace and influence people to fight for the right reasons. This is more than just a chance for you, in a way, it's like your duty, your mission."
"I'm surprised you'll let me do this," Relena mumbled.
Yeah, me too, Relena. Heero thought, but I can't make myself stop you from doing you feel so strongly about. I never felt this way when I was fighting. Maybe you'll surprise me and make one damn good Gundam Pilot.
Duo sighed, "okay, Hilde, if Heero is going to let Relena do this, I guess I can let you do it too." He told her, "but I'll warn you, piloting Deathscythe is much different than a Taurus!"
Hilde nodded, "I understand, Duo."
Midii looked at Trowa, "well?" she pressed.
Catherine looked at her and then at Trowa as if to say: If you teach her, then I assure you, everything will turn out like it should.
"This means a lot to you, doesn't it?" Trowa asked.
"Oh yes."
"Then Heavyarms will be your best friend."
"All you really have to do Quatre," Dorothy began, "is show me how to pilot Sandrock. How hard could it be? It's probably like a video game!"
"I've seen the way you fence," he said, running his finger over the scar he received from his duel, "You play for keeps, don’t you?"
"Well, I…."
"Sandrock is more than just a mobile suit," Quatre said, "it's not a toy. When you began piloting it, you become the suit."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Still think I have no right to pilot Nataku?" Sally asked Wufei with her hands on her hips.
"You seem strong enough," Wufei said, "just don't do what Meiran did."
"What happened to her?"
"She died."
"Noin and I can take you to space on a shuttle," Lady Une offered.
"Wait," Heero said, "just a minute. You can take them to outer space and they can destroy the Asteroid on one condition."
"What is it, Heero?" Lady Une asked.
"That we go with them."
"Fair enough."
"Not a bad idea," Duo said with a nod, "not bad at all."
The Gundam pilots gave instructions how to use their mobile suits. "What does this do, Quatre?" Dorothy asked, immediately pushing the button.
"No, Dorothy!"
A woman's voice, like a computer, began talking. "How are you doing today, Master Quatre? Goood. Please fasten your seatbelt and prepare yourself for war."
Dorothy raised an eyebrow and giggled as Quatre blushed.
"Now tell yourself you believe in yourself, Master Quatre." The computer went on. "Say it, 'I believe in me. I can pilot my gundam. I am in control.' Goood."
Dorothy pushed the button again, "something you'd like to explain, Quatre?" she asked though her giggles.
"It helps me get in a fighting mood. Just don't put it in self detonate mode."
"It's this button right?" she was about to push it.
"Don't touch it!" he slapped her hand. "it will take days to rebuild Sandrock!"
"A lot of nice gadgets you've got here," Hilde noted, looking the cockpit over, "but pretty much self explanatory."
"Told you it was different from a Taurus," Duo muttered. He continued to show her different buttons and their uses.
"Relena," Heero murmured, leaning into the cockpit, "this will be different and confusing at first, but you've got to keep focused or the ZERO system will mess you up."
Relena looked at the joysticks. She put her hands on them, "so, this is like your office, huh?" she asked.
Heero nodded, "Yeah, I guess so."
"Interesting."
"What happens when I run out of bullets?" Midii asked.
"Pull this," Trowa pointed to a lever, "it'll make the left arm lighter. And press this button to release the Gundanium blade."
"Thanks, Trowa." Middi murmured, "I should handle it."
"Think you got it figured out, Sally?" Wufei asked.
She nodded, "thanks for your help, Wufei." She smiled and looked at the buttons. "Quit a Mobile Suit you have here."
Doctor White came with them, "I have some bad news."
"What is it, Doctor?" Lady Une asked.
"Two colonies have been partially destroyed with meteor showers. The asteroid is heading close."
"I guess we better get to outer space quickly then!" Dorothy shouted.
They went to space. Relena spent most of her time in the Wing Zero, just sitting in the cockpit, hands on the controls, not taking the suit anywhere. She should be spending time with Heero and her friends, but she was taking a risk and she wanted to be ready for anything that happens.
"Get a grip, Relena," she murmured to herself, "you've wanted to be close to Heero so he can make you strong." She clenched the controls harder, "well, this is as close to Heero as you'll ever get."
"Talking to yourself, Relena?" Hilde asked, about to aboard the Deathscythe, "you know, if you don't want to be heard, you shouldn't leave the radio on!" she laughed and buckled herself in.
"Oh, whoops," Relena mumbled though her foolishness, "I guess I'm nervous."
"Hey, how about we all go for a test flight?" Hilde asked challengingly, clicking switches. "It always cheers me up!"
"Wait for us!" Dorothy cried, behind her were Sally and Midii.
They flew around outside in space for a while. Hilde did a thing or two with the scythe, "I can see why Duo likes this so much!" she moved it around like a baton, it never left Deathscythe's fingers.
Midii saw some meteors, no bigger than Heavyarm's head. She aimed at them for target practice. Biting her lip, she remembered Trowa. She fired then closed her eyes, thinking she didn't hit it. But she did. She opened her eyes. "I don't believe it!"
"I wonder where the girls are," Quatre mumbled.
"Just off on a testflight," Noin said. "They'll be back."
Quatre looked out the window and saw Dorothy piloting Sandrock.
Dorothy was having trouble handling Sandrock, "come on move!!!" she said, turning the joysticks. "Oh, great!" she leaned back and hit one of the joysticks, "it's not equipped properly for space, man!"
"Hey," Sally said to her, "try to do whatever Quatre would do."
"Uh, guys," Hilde gulped, pointing Deathscythe's finger outward, "is that it?"
Everyone turned to what Hilde was pointing at. It was the Asteroid.
"You know," Dorothy whispered, "it's a really beautiful thing, even though it can cost the lives of so many people. Just look at it!"
The asteroid was hurling toward space, like a ball that God threw in a ballgame.
"We'd better go back and tell everyone," Hilde said, "you comin' Relena?"
Relena was silent. She kept her eyes on the asteroid.
"Miss Relena, come on!" Dorothy called out.
Hilde came to her and grabbed the suit, "let's go, we must tell the others!"
"Y-yeah…sure," Relena said. But I will stop this thing. She thought.
It's our Turn! 2
They went back and got into their space suits. Heero told Relena more about the ZERO system as she put her helmet on.
"I understand, Heero," she told him.
Dorothy pulled her hair back in a pony tail. Quatre came to her as she got back in the cockpit.
"Hey, if you're going to pilot Sandrock," he began, "you'll need these," he threw her his goggles.
"Thanks, Quatre," she said with a smile. She immediately put them on her head. "Maybe they'll give me luck."
"Remember," Lady Une said, "you have only ten minutes to do this. Too many colonies are in the asteroid's path."
"Ten?" Hilde stressed, "Ha--I only need eight!" she started up Deathscythe.
Relena got out and transformed Wing Zero into it's second shape. She flew straight to the asteroid. For a split second, she saw and image of herself. "What the?" she whispered. Then remembered Heero's words: 'The ZERO system shows you who your true enemies are.
"Hey, Relena, wait up!" Hilde cried. "What is she doing?"
Relena landed in the middle of the asteroid. She saw herself again. "Am I really my own worst enemy?" she asked herself. "Think, Relena…What would Heero do?" she remembered when he self detonated. "Then that's what I must do." She reached her hand to the self detonation device. She left it there, trying to find the nerve to do it. "Should I?"
Hilde landed on the asteroid, then felt something give underneath her feet. She was in a soft spot. She looked down and it gave her an idea.
"Hey, Hilde…" Duo's face came up on the screen, "be careful, don't kill yourself!"
"Don't worry, Maxwell, I'll be fine…"
"It's Shinigami," he corrected with a grin, "SHINI-GAAAAMIIII!"
"Right."
Duo thought of what Sister Helen told him. It was the only thing he could really think of, "May God bless you and keep you?"
Hilde smiled, "thanks…"
Duo stepped back and gave her a thumbs up, "kick some ass for me, will ya?"
She nodded, "you bet." Then she and Duo turned the screen off at the same time. She released the buster shield into the asteroid and it went all the way, taking off a big chunk.
"My turn!" Midii cried, raising the gun. She blew it into pieces.
Dorothy finished off smaller pieces with her machine gun. She turned to Relena, who was still standing in the middle of the asteroid. "What is she doing?" she said.
Relena turned on the transmission, "stay away from here. I’m going to self detonate." She said gravly.
Hilde almost dropped Deathscythe's main weapon, "what are you talking about? You don't have to do that!"
"Yes, I do." Relena held her hand on the device. "It's the only way."
"Someone stop her!" Sally shouted.
Midii released the Gundamiam blade and flew to Relena. She was about to pry off the door to get Relena out but then Dorothy stopped her, pushing the blade with the sickle sword.
"Let Relena get used to the system!" she ordered, "she can handle it if you only let her!"
"She'll kill herself!" Midii objected.
"Relena!" Heero cried out, "what are you doing?" he leaned over the screen, "don't do it! Don't be a hero!"
"What would you do differently?" she demanded, "you would do the same thing, wouldn't you Heero?"
Heero was silent for a moment. She was right, "you mustn't do this! I'm a soldier…you're not. Too many people love you to see you die!"
"I'm sorry I'll have to blow up your gundam just save these colonies and Earth," she apologized, "but it's the only way." She reached her finger to the button.
"It's not Wing Zero I’m worried about," he mumbled as she shut him off.
Midii dropped her hands to the side, "well if she's going to do it, I am too!" she reached for the button.
"Midii, wait!" Trowa's face came up on the screen. He looked worried, concerned. His emotionless face, that mask that couldn't cry, now showed fear. Catherine was behind him, her arms on his shoulders in a comforting way. She too was worried.
"Trowa, she's right," Midii mumbled.
"Come on, Midii, think about people you'd leave behind," Catherine said behind Trowa.
"There is no one left for me to leave behind," she said with a tear in her eye, "they've all left me."
"No, stop!" Hilde and Sally went forward to the two girls in the gundams, who were about to throw away their lives.
Just as Relena was about to push the self deonate button, she was grabbed from behind. She made the gundam turn around and she fired the machine guns on her shoulders to her attacker, Lady Une, who was piloting a Leo.
"I won't let you do this!" Lady Une cried. She shot at Wing Zero's face. "There is no time!"
Then it dawned on Relena, the image of herself she kept seeing was the weak person she used to be. And she was still weak. What was it that made her weak? What made her want to be strong? She racked her brain for an idea. "Lady Une…." She remembered the day her father was assassinated, "YOU ARE MY ENEMY!!!!" she raised her beam cannon at Lady Une.
"Relenaaa!" Heero shouted over the intercom. He started for the room containing the Taurus's.
"Stop this!" Hilde demanded, "we've got to blow up this asteroid before it destroys everything!"
"I thought Relena was a pacifist," Midii mumbled, dropping her hand from the self detonate device, "why is she fighting Lady Une?"
"Long story," Dorothy answered.
"You can't do this, Relena!" Lady Une told her.
"You killed my father!" she cried.
"I thought that was behind you now. Let's not fight now. You've wanted peace. And now you've got it."
"This battle isn't about peace!" she fumed, "it's about war! Survival!" she and Lady Une began to fight.
"We've got to get her out of there!" Sally cried.
"We're headed for that colony!" Hilde shouted in fear. She backed away, "Relena, think of the people's lives. We're doing this for them, not for revenge!" she went between her and Lady Une, "so are you going to be a bitch and fight Lady Une for something you've gotten over or are you going to do what you've came here for?"
"If Lady Une isn't my real enemy," Relena whispered, "then who is? Am I really my own enemy? Why am I so damn foolish?" she saw the colony they were headed for and reached her hand to the self detonate device.
"That's my colony!" Quatre cried. "My sisters are there!"
Dorothy heard the fear in his voice, "nooo," she said to herself. "Not this colony…." She found herself clicking the button that had the woman's voice recored on it.
"I believe in myself…goood. Believe…."
Relena finally caught hodl of her thoughts. "The colony!" she cried. "Goodbye, my friends…" Relena clicked the self detonate button, just as Lady Une opened her hatch. Relena found herself falling out of the cockpit and Midii Une caught her. Lady Une jumped into Wing Zero. It was all happening in slow motion, but still all too fast. "Lady Une?!!"
"You still have a life to live," she said as the alarm kept going off, "good thing that it did not self detonate automatically. Better go now."
"Come on, Miss Relena!" Dorothy urged.
They went to the shuttle. Midii kept hold of Relena.
"Lady Une, no!" Relena shouted.
Lady Une smiled as the Wing Zero was about to self detonate, "Treize…." She whispered, looking at the view, Two seconds later, the gundam blew up, starting in the center and then the top and bottom at once.
Heero came out in the Taurus, staying near the shuttle opening. He went to Midii, "give her to me," he ordered.
Midii did as he told her. They all went inside.
Dorothy chanted along with the saying, "I believe in myself…I believe in myself…." Quatre opened the hatch.
"Dorothy, are you okay?" he saw tears in her eyes. "What is it?" he came in closer.
"I saw the asteroid blow up…it was kind of…amazing," she looked up, "I hope your sisters are okay."
Hilde was furious, she opened up her hatch and jumped out. She went to Relena, who was still in shock. "what were you thinking, Relena?" she demanded, clenching her fists. "You have only been piloting a Mobile suit, like, what, five minutes and you try to self detonate?"
"I-I'm sorry, Hilde," Relena stammered, "it was the ZERO sytem. I saw myself as my worst enemy so I…"
"Listen," Hilde moaned, "you can't just say that you're sorry. You were so close to killing us all!"
"That's enough!" Duo restrained Hilde. "It's over."
"If you just focused on doing this all together as a team." Hilde explained, still angry. "I've been piloting mobile suits longer than you have."
"I know that," Relena murmured, "but it's over now, so forget it, okay? I've messed up, I really messed up and I'm sorry, I'm very, very sorry!" Tears swelled up in her eyes, "I've messed up! Maybe we should've left it to the Gundam Pilots instead. I just wanted to make a," she choked up, "a difference!" she removed her helmet, dropped it and left. Heero was right behind her.
Midii was still confused, "I guess she wasn't exactly prepared about this, was she?"
Dorothy shrugged, "at least it's over." She saw something shimmering outside. "Quatre, look! It's so beautiful!" pieces of the asteroid was flying toward space. "and to think that the people on the colonies could have died today."
Midii smiled, "I helped make this happen," she said to herself, "nothing to be guilty about." She took off her helmet and raked her hair. "I'm glad I didn’t self detonate."
"Me too," Trowa said behind her.
She turned around and walked in his arms. "Trowa."
Hilde crossed her arms and looked at Deatscythe, "well, I brought it back in one piece."
"Thanks," he mumbled, but his voice didn't sound appreciative.
Hilde sighed, "what is it?"
"You didn’t have to be so hard on Relena. You try piloting Wing Zero!"
Hilde uncrossed her arms and removed her helmet, "okay, look, I'm sorry." She rested her helmet on her hip. "But you weren't there, Duo," she brought her thumb toward her face, "I was!"
Duo put his hands on her shoulders, "Hilde, you're not with OZ anymore." He said simply, as if she's forgotten.
Hilde's lip trembled, "I know that." She looked down and them met Duo's eyes, "but I'm still a Mobile Suit pilot, so don't you forget it!" she pushed her helmet in Duo's stomach.
"Ughhhh!" he grunted as he put his hands around her helmet. He dropped it, sank to his knees and grabbed his stomach, "augh…" he groaned, "Mannnn, you're one tough girl." He said as he watched Hilde walk off, more pissed than ever.
Trowa led Midii to the lobby where Catherine was waiting. She smiled and walked to Midii and put her arms around her, "I'm so glad you didn't sacrifice yourself." Catherine told her.
Midii shuddered and returned the hug, "I guess I just realized I still have something to live for."
Wufei waited for Sally in the mobile suit holding unit. "You made it," he said flatly.
"Thought I wouldn't?" she said in the same tone.
Wufei shook his head. "Nice job." He turned his head, smiled and walked off.
"Well," Sally crossed her arms and smiled, "that's the first time he gave me a compliment!"
Relena sat on the couch, her legs were shaking and she clasped her hands together as she leaned forward. Heero sat next to her, wondering what he should do.
"Maybe self detonating wasn't the best thing to do," she said, "but you would've done." She looked at him, "wouldn't you, Heero?"
He nodded, "Yes." He scooted close, "but I wouldn't be able to go through with it. I almost self detonated on Libra, I would have if Wufei didn't find my buster rifle."
Relena bit her lip, "I should've done that instead." She groaned, "but I kept seeing images of myself."
"Images of yourself?" Heero asked.
"Yeah." She cocked an eyebrow, "weird, huh?"
He took her hand, "it's over, Relena."
"Lady Une…."
"Relena, it's over," he said again. He gave her hand a squeeze.
She nodded, "I did what I came here to do. Let's go home."
Hilde heard Duo coming up because he was groaning all the way. "You want some aspirin?" she demanded, setting down her cup.
"Give me a gun instead." He sat next to her.
"Sorry, Duo."
"I pushed you too far," he groaned, "I forgot how tough you are."
"No, you're just a wimp." She smirked.
"Hey!" he shouted, "that hurt…"
"I'm, kiddin' Duo," she sipped her drink, "a wimp can't pilot Deathscythe."
Noin walked by them, "ready to go back home?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Hell yeah!" Duo cried. "Let's go home!"
When they went back to the Earth, the were surprised by a bunch of video cameras and reporters. The news was spreading through outer space and Earth.
"So, you're the heroines of outer space?" the reporter asked, pushing her microphone toward the girls.
"That's right," Dorothy said when no one else decided to speak. "We just did what anyone would've done!"
The reporter smiled, "will you continue to pilot the gundams?"
The girls smiled at each other, "well…"
"No!" Heero cried. The other real Gundam Pilots came behind him, "we forbid it!!"
The End