Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Mobile Suit Gundam Fan Fiction / Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Mobile Suit Gundam Tournament ❯ Level 2, Match 4 ( Chapter 28 )

Episode 28

Level 2, Match 4

Written By
Mark Moore

Author's note: With this episode, we're at the halfway point of Level 2. My goal is to wrap up Level 2 in August. Enjoy the story. Feedback is welcome.

The United States' match against Iraq is later today. Emma Sheen and Relena Peacecraft have just arrived in Iraq and been given a ride to the location of the match, the International Zone of Iraq in Central Baghdad.

Thursday, November 22, 2007, 9:52 AM, Iraqi Standard Time

Emma and Relena got out of the car and walked over to Murrue.

Emma saluted Murrue. "Sir."

"At ease."

Emma relaxed. "How's the Gundam coming along?"

"Good. It's ready as it'll ever be. How about you?"

"I'm fine."

Lunamaria was sitting in the cockpit, which was located in the Gundam's chest area. Standing at consoles on the ground were Nina and Lucette.

"Wanna try it out before the match?"

Emma smiled. "Sure. Thank you."

"Lunamaria, come down from there! Emma's taking over!"

Lunamaria unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the cockpit, immediately entering the elevator that had been set up in front of the Gundam.

Lunamaria rode down to the ground and walked out of the elevator.

"You ready?" Lunamaria asked Emma.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

Emma walked into the elevator and rode up to the chest level.

Emma got into the cockpit and fastened her seatbelt.

"Ready!" Emma called.

"Okay, raise the right arm."

At Nina's request, Emma pulled the lever on her console that controlled the right arm. The arm slowly rose up until it was pointing straight up.

Nina smiled. "Good. Now, make a fist."

Emma pressed the right fist button. The Gundam's right hand closed into a fist.

Nina nodded. "Good! How does it feel?"

"Same as last time. Just fine."

Murrue smiled. "Move the elevator. Let her walk around."

Some engineers used heavy machinery to pull the elevator and its shaft away from the Gundam.

"Go on, Emma!" Murrue yelled. "Take it for a walk!"

Emma opened the Gundam's hand and lowered its arm. She pressed another button to close the cockpit. Then she pressed the Forward button, and the Gundam started walking.

"May I activate the thrusters and fly her?" Emma asked.

Nina frowned. "No. Not until the match. Now bring it back. I need to do a final systems check."

"All right."

Emma brought the Gundam back to its original location.

"Power down, Emma."

At Nina's request, Emma shut off the Gundam. The blue glow in the Gundam's eyes disappeared.

Emma opened the cockpit and got out of it and into the elevator.

Emma rode the elevator down to the ground.

Emma walked out of the elevator.

Murrue smiled. "Not bad. We still have some time until the match. Relax."

Emma and Relena, each carrying a tray with a frankfurter and a can of regular cola, sat at a table in the mess hall of the local base. Relena sat to Emma's right.

Emma opened her can and took a swig of cola. "Why did I ever agree to fight this guy here?"

"He wouldn't budge. You had no choice but to agree."

"I ought to kick him a few extra times just for that."

Emma and Relena started eating their food.

Murrue entered the mess hall and walked over to them.

Relena smiled. "Murrue, join us."

"I already ate. We just received word that the Iraqi team is on its way. Finish your meals quickly. Then we'll get you prepped."

Emma walked into the elevator and pressed a button.

She rode up to the chest level of the Gundam.

Emma got into the cockpit and fastened her seatbelt.

"Power on!" Nina called.

Emma pressed the Power button, turning the Gundam on. The Gundam's eyes glowed blue.

"Can you hear me?" Nina asked.

Emma now heard Nina's voice through the cockpit's speaker.

"Yes."

"Okay. Close the cockpit."

Emma pressed a button. The cockpit closed.

Emma looked at her screens. The cover was being removed, and she got her first look at Iraq's Gundam. It was sand-colored. There was a machine gun in its left hand.

The Iraqi Gundam's cockpit door opened. The Iraqi pilot got into the elevator, rode up to the chest level, and got into the cockpit. He then closed his cockpit.

A message appeared on one of Emma's screens: "IRAQ REQUESTING VISUAL".

"The Iraqi pilot is requesting visual contact."

"Allowed."

At Murrue's permission, Emma pressed a button.

The Iraqi pilot's image appeared on one of Emma's screens. He was Arabic; appeared to be in his 20s; and had short, black hair; a mustache; and a short beard.

The Iraqi pilot smiled. "Greetings. I am Jalal al-Maliki."

Emma smiled. "I'm Emma Sheen. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"Likewise."

"I'm curious. Why did you insist on fighting here?"

"It is my home. I receive my fighting spirit from the desert."

"Oh."

"Why do you ask?"

"It's just that I'm not used to this heat. I'm glad that my Gundam is air-conditioned."

"Mine is not."

"I figured. I can't wait to get back to Tampa and feel the breath of Autumn."

Jalal grinned. "Perhaps I can speed your return."

Emma grinned. "You wish."

"May we keep the audio channel between our cockpits open during the match?"

"Sure."

"Thank you. Good luck."

"Good luck to you, too."

Jalal's image disappeared from Emma's screen and was replaced by an exterior view.

"Emma, the introductions are about to be made. Receive the audio."

At Murrue's order, Emma pressed a button.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Level 2, Match 4, of the First Gundam Tournament. We're here live in the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. Allow me to introduce myself to those of you watching at home. My name is Bright Noa. I am the commentator for this tournament. Today's match is Iraq versus the United States. The Iraqi pilot is Jalal al-Maliki. The United States' pilot is Emma Sheen. Iraq's Gundam - the sandy one - is 20 meters tall, 1 meter of which is taken up by the head. It is armed with a machine gun. The United States' Gundam - the white and dark blue one - is 19.6 meters tall, 1.1 meters of which is taken up by the head. It is armed with a beam rifle. The match is about to begin."

"Fight!" a simulated male voice declared over a speaker.

Jalal moved his Gundam forward and punched Emma's Gundam with its right fist. Emma's Gundam was knocked back a bit.

Emma made her Gundam jump into the air, then she fired at Jalal's Gundam with the beam rifle in its right hand. The shots hit Jalal's Gundam repeatedly.

Jalal fired at Emma's Gundam repeatedly with the machine gun in his Gundam's left hand. Emma flew her Gundam forward, out of the way of the bullets, and landed her Gundam on top of Jalal's Gundam.

"Overheating!" the simulated male voice of Jalal's Gundam declared.

Emma made her Gundam jump forward, landed behind Jalal's Gundam, and turned around.

Emma fired her Gundam's beam rifle repeatedly, hitting Jalal's Gundam over and over again.

"Overheating!" the simulated male voice of Jalal's Gundam declared.

Emma fired her Gundam's beam rifle repeatedly at Jalal's Gundam, hitting it repeatedly.

"Checkmate!" the simulated male voice of Jalal's Gundam declared.

Jalal's Gundam fell backwards.

"Well done! Glory to the winner!" the simulated male voice declared over a speaker.

"Damn it!" Jalal exclaimed. "How could this happen?!"

"And there you have it. The United States has beaten Iraq. It wasn't even close. The United States' win is entirely due to pilot Emma Sheen's impressive strategy. Iraq is out of the competition, but it is allowed to assist another nation of its choice. The United States moves on to Level 3. There will be more coverage on your evening news. Thank you for joining us."

Emma sat in her cockpit, smiling.

"Emma, you did it! You won!" Nina exclaimed.

Emma smiled. "Of course."

"Come on out!"

At Nina's request, Emma shut off the Gundam. The blue glow in the Gundam's eyes disappeared.

Emma opened the cockpit and got out of it and into the elevator.

Emma rode the elevator down to the ground.

Emma walked out of the elevator.

The cockpit of Jalal's Gundam opened. Jalal got out of his cockpit and into his elevator.

He rode his elevator down to the ground.

Jalal walked out of his elevator and over to Emma.

Emma smiled and offered her right hand to Jalal. "Good match."

Jalal shook her hand. "Thank you. I am humbled."

Emma turned and walked over to Murrue.

Murrue smiled. "You won. You kick ass, ma'am."

Emma smiled. "Thank you, sir."

"You may return to Tampa. We'll handle the Gundam transport."

"Thank you, sir."

Emma and Relena walked over to the car that they had arrived in.

"How bad is it?" Murrue asked.

Nina was looking over some preliminary statistics. "She didn't cause much damage - except for the legs. It shouldn't take long for us to fix it. Other than that, the battery just needs to be recharged, and more coolant needs to be added."

Murrue smiled. "Awesome. Less work and more money for us."

Lunamaria smiled. "Emma rocked today."

Murrue looked at Lunamaria. "Yeah, she was good."

Lucette smiled. "All of that sim training paid off."

Murrue looked at Lucette. "Yep."

Mobile Suit Gundam Tournament

Mobile Suit Gundam Tournament

Emma and Relena were sitting in the airplane. Emma was sitting by the window.

They were currently flying back to the United States.

"Lieutenant Sheen, the American evening news will be on shortly. Channel 11."

"Thank you!" Emma called to the pilot.

Emma pressed a button and turned the television in front of them on. She typed 1 1 on the keypad.

The evening news came on.

Peter Jenkins, the lead anchor, was sitting at his desk in New York City.

"Good evening, everyone. The fourth match of the second level of the First Gundam Tournament was held in the Green Zone in Iraq this afternoon. The participants were Iraq and the United States. The United States won. It will move on to Level 3. Iraq, meanwhile, having been eliminated from the tournament, has announced today that it will back the United States in the tournament. We're now at the halfway point of Level 2. We turn to our White House correspondent, Donald Samuelson. Donald, how is the White House reacting to this?"

"Peter, the White House is ecstatic that the United States won its second match and gained a new supporter in this tournament."

"Donald, will the resources of Iraq be beneficial to the United States?"

"I doubt it, Peter."

"All right. Donald Samuelson, many thanks. Now for the day's other news."

Emma turned off the television.

Relena smiled. "I'm so proud of you."

Emma smiled. "Thanks, sweetie. It was a piece of cake."

"Well, whatever it was, you made it. That's all that matters at the moment. Relax and enjoy your victory. Would you like some music?"

"Yes, please."

Relena pressed a button to turn on the stereo.

She selected a song and pressed Play.

"Don't Cha" (the explicit, rapless version) by The Pussycat Dolls started playing.

Emma closed her eyes and relaxed.

Emma and Relena walked into their living room.

Relena closed and locked the front door.

They dropped their duffel bags onto the floor.

Emma flopped on the couch, and Relena flopped to her right.

"What do you wanna do?" Relena asked.

"I dunno. Laundry, maybe?"

"No! Oh, Goddess, no!" Relena exclaimed. "I just wanna relax tonight."

"Yeah, agreed."

"Maybe I can make some hot Earl Grey tea for us?" Relena suggested.

Emma smiled. "Hey, good!"

Emma and Relena sat at the picnic table in their backyard, Relena to Emma's left.

Wind blew, making their hair blow in the wind.

They each sipped tea to warm themselves up.

Relena smiled. "Gundams are amazing. I'm surprised that there aren't more of them."

"Well, they're incredibly expensive."

"True."

"But at least it's not a waste of money as our space program."

"Why do you say that?" Relena asked.

"What has it accomplished? What will it accomplish?" Emma asked.

"I dunno. Maybe we could colonize the moon or Mars or even create artificial space colonies in which millions of people could live."

Emma chuckled. "You're dreaming. Think of the logistics. We'd need an insane amount of building materials. There are also plenty of risks. Do you realize how easy that it would be for terrorists to gas a colony? They'd kill millions of people instantly. That could conceivably be done on Earth with a nuclear bomb. Why would anyone be willing to give them 1 more way?"

"Yeah, true." Relena looked up at the sky. "Still, I've thought about this for a while."

Emma looked up at the sky. "Y'know, I might have thought about it, too,...or dreamed about it...or something."

The 2 women sipped their tea.

Friday, November 23, 2007, 9:25 AM, Eastern Standard Time

Emma knocked on Murrue's office door.

"Come in."

Emma opened the door and walked into the office. Relena followed and closed the door behind her.

Murrue was sitting behind her desk. Nina, Lucette, and Lunamaria were sitting in chairs.

Emma saluted Murrue. "Lieutenant Emma Sheen reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease, Lieutenant."

Emma relaxed.

Murrue smiled. "We recently got back. I thought it would be nice to have a little celebration."

Emma smiled. "Really?"

Murrue stood up. Nina, Lucette, and Lunamaria stood up as well.

Murrue opened her small refrigerator and passed out five cans of regular cola. She also took a can for herself.

The women opened their respective cans.

Murrue raised her can. The other five women raised their own cans.

Murrue smiled. "I propose a toast - to Emma Sheen, a fucking good pilot!"

"To Emma Sheen!" Nina, Lucette, Lunamaria, and Relena exclaimed.

Emma smiled. "Thanks, everyone."

All six women took a moment to sip their colas.

Murrue frowned. "Now that we've won our second match, we're in the final 8. We have to work even harder now, because the competition is at a whole new level. Our competitors, whoever they will be, will be the best quarter of the starting group. Also, there's a 1-in-7 chance that we're gonna fight Iran."

Each woman silently thought about that for a moment.

"Emma, I want you in the simulator as much as possible. Get in all of the training that you can between now and our next match."

"Yes, sir."

"Nina and Lucette, get the Gundam repaired. Keep everyone that you need as long as you need them."

"Yes, sir."

"Lunamaria, until the major repairs are done, assist Emma in her sim training."

"Yes, sir."

"Relena, keep cheering Emma on. She needs your support."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir, I have a request."

"What is it, Emma?"

"Relena has expressed interest in becoming a Gundam pilot."

Murrue looked at Relena in surprise. "Really?"

Relena smiled. "Really."

"Are you any good?"

"I think I'm all right."

"Well, Lunamaria is our obvious back-up pilot, but there's no reason to wait until the next tournament to start training. You would have to become an officer. Are you okay with that, Relena?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right. Emma, you supervise her training."

"Yes, sir."

The women finished their colas in silence.

They dropped their cans in the trash basket.

"Dismissed. Get to work, everyone."

Emma opened the door and walked out of the office. Relena, Nina, Lucette, and Lunamaria followed her. Lunamaria closed the door behind her.

Lunamaria smiled at Emma. "Come on, champ. Let's hit the simulator."

Emma smiled wickedly. "I'd love to hit the simulator."

Lunamaria and Emma laughed.

Emma, Lunamaria, and Relena entered the simulation room in the base.

"Who wants to go first?" Lunamaria asked.

Emma smiled. "You go first, Relena."

"Thanks." Relena got into the simulator. "Okay, I'm ready."

Emma made some selections on the computer console. "The drone that you'll be fighting is a combination of everyone's Gundams. It's what I've been fighting since the end of Level 1."

"Right."

The screens inside the simulator turned on. They displayed a city street at night. Skyscrapers appeared to Relena's left. The drone appeared in front of her.

"Fight!" the simulator's male voice declared.

Relena moved her Gundam forward. She swung the left arm at the drone. The drone jumped and avoided the attack. Relena jumped and fired her beam rifle. The blasts hit the drone repeatedly. Relena then kicked the drone three times with her Gundam's right leg.

"Overheating!"

Relena knew that she had caused damage to the drone. She activated her Gundam's thrusters and flew the Gundam into the sky. She fired at the drone with her beam rifle.

"Not enough power!"

Relena's Gundam landed back on the street. The Gundam didn't have enough power for long flights and had to recharge.

The drone came at Relena and kicked her Gundam five times with its left leg. Relena punched the drone three times with her Gundam's right fist. Then she kicked it six times with her Gundam's right leg.

"Overheating!"

Relena knew that she was close to victory. She kicked the drone five times with her Gundam's right leg.

The drone swung at Relena's Gundam with the beam saber in its right hand. Relena activated her Gundam's thrusters and flew her Gundam into the sky.

"Not enough power!"

Relena's Gundam landed back on the street.

The drone fired at Relena's Gundam with the beam rifle in its left hand. Relena jumped and avoided the attack.

After Relena's Gundam landed back on the street, Relena fired at the drone repeatedly with her Gundam's rifle.

"Checkmate!"

The drone fell down.

"Well done! Glory to the winner!"

The simulation ended. The screens went black.

Relena got out of the simulator.

Emma smiled. "Pretty good, Relena. Your reflexes are pretty good."

Lunamaria smiled. "So is your strategy."

Relena walked over to them and smiled. "Thanks."

"Do you want to try it again?" Emma asked.

"Nah. You go. I've got 4 years until my first match. I think that's enough practice for today."

Emma and Relena walked into the hangar. Emma was horny, and she couldn't ignore the feeling between her legs any longer.

"What are we doing here?" Relena asked. "Let's go home."

"I can't wait until we get home, sweetie. I'm horny, and I need you now."

"Now? Where are we going to find the privacy?"

"What about in the cockpit?"

"The cockpit? Are you insane?"

"Come on. It'll be fun."

"What if we get caught?"

"We won't. Trust me."

"Oh, very well."

Emma and Relena walked over to the chest area.

Emma opened the cockpit.

Relena climbed into the cockpit.

Emma climbed into the cockpit and lied on top of Relena, facing her.

Emma closed the cockpit.

When their privacy was assured, Emma kissed Relena on the lips.

Emma parted her own lips and shoved her tongue into Relena's mouth.

After a while, Emma finished the kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that all day."

Emma licked Relena's face repeatedly.

"Mmm, that feels good, sweetie."

Emma smiled. "I'm glad that you like it. Would you like me to lick lower?"

"Ooh, yes. Please."

"Then you'll have to take off your clothes."

Relena took off her clothes.

Emma likewise took off her own clothes.

The next match is Spain versus Italy. Who will win?

Next on "Mobile Suit Gundam Tournament":

"Level 2, Match 5"

You will race with the tide.