Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Chapter 91 ( Chapter 91 )

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“Family Ties”

 

January 2007 ShenLong

 

Chapter 91

 

[Preventer Headquarters]

 

Sky took one look at his fellow agent who appeared to be going into shock. “Sun, snap out of it!” he demanded. “You need to keep monitoring the airwaves, find out how the other agents are progressing and if they have encountered any resistance. I'm going to get the Commander.”

 

Sun shook himself, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Shoving all the thoughts to the back of his mind, he looked to his fellow agent. “Sorry. I'm okay now. I suppose... Look, I know agents get killed and injured all the time, but we hear about that through a second source and consequently it doesn't touch you, doesn't seem real. To actually hear it happen, live...” Sun shuddered.

 

“It's alright. I can understand how shocking it is. I reacted in a similar manner the first time I was involved with a fatal shooting. You just have to try and put it out of your head and move on with what has to be done, try to save the rest of the agents and people who are depending on us,” Sky said, his tone soft and he gave a squeeze to the other agent's shoulder “There are counselors available if you need to talk. I found them to be a great help.”

 

Sun looked up into the sincere eyes of his friend and fellow agent. “Thanks.”

 

“I'm going to get the Commander, will you be okay?”

 

“Yeah. I'll be fine. Better get back to the job at hand.” Sun straightened himself up in his seat and began to fiddle with the dials again, checking on the other agents. Once he was sure his partner was okay, Sky left.

 

*

 

“Yes, Fiona?”

 

“Commander, I have Agent Sky here, he wishes to speak with you, he says it's urgent.”

 

“Send him in, Fiona.” Une's brow furrowed wondering what could be so urgent to have the agent come to her office and not page her as was the norm. The door opened and the agent stepped inside. “Sky?” Une questioned.

 

“Commander, I'm afraid I have some disturbing information.”

 

Immediately Une's thoughts went to the satellite and the agents currently there.

 

“I'm afraid it's to do with the agents and the senators currently being relocated.”

 

“What's happened?” Une's voice was low, almost a whisper as her gut clenched. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like this.

 

“Agent Saturn who was assigned to Senator Kinsen,” Sky paused to collect himself, Une noted the use of the word 'was'. “I'm afraid they were ambushed on their way to the safe house.”

 

Une raised an eyebrow. “Ambushed?”

 

Sky dropped his eyes to the carpet, his voice low. “Yes. They were attacked by a group of rioters as far as we could tell. They're... they're both dead.”

 

The air in Une's lungs left her with a whoosh, the room spinning for a second. “D-dead?”

 

Sky nodded. “I'm sorry, Commander.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Commander, with all due respect, I heard the gunshots myself. The communication is recorded as usual, I think you should listen to it.”

 

“And why would you say that?”

 

“The rioters, they gave us a message just before they killed the senator.”

 

Une lowered her head for a moment. “I see. Sky, go back to your station and have the recording ready. I'll join you in communications in a few minutes.”

 

“Yes, ma'am.” Sky turned and left, closing the door behind him.

 

Une cradled her head in her hands. “Oh god,” she whispered. “Is this nightmare ever going to end?” A stray tear managed to escape and roll down her cheek. Une wiped it away and chastised herself for allowing it to happen. She couldn't afford to fall apart now, not when so many lives depended on her being able to coordinate her agents and the Preventer organization to do their best to save them all.

 

Scrubbing her face and taking a deep breath to compose herself, Une straightened her shoulders and stood tall. She could have her breakdown later, preferably in the sanctuary of her own home. In control once again, Une left her office, informing Fiona of where she was going.

 

*

 

Sun looked up as Sky returned. “What happened?”

 

“The Commander is on her way here. She wants to listen to the communication herself,” Sky replied and took his seat again.

 

“Okay.” Sun made sure to retrieve the recording and have it ready for the Commander.

 

“Anything new?”

 

Sun shook his head. “Not at the moment. I do expect to hear from Agents Moon, Elm and Shadow soon. I haven't contacted Granite yet, thought I'd wait until the Commander has been and then let him know of the current situation.”

 

“Good idea.” The sound of footsteps approaching had both agents turning to face the doorway, the Commander stepping inside a moment later.

 

“Sun, you have the communication for me?”

 

“Yes, ma'am. If you would take a seat over there and put on the head set I'll have it played through for you.”

 

“Thank you.” Une sat at the terminal indicated and slipped the head set on. Nodding to Sun, the ear piece crackled and then hummed before the static started. Une sat quietly through the entire recording, her eyes closing and head lowering when she heard the distinct screaming of Agent Saturn in the background and then the gunshot. Her skin paled as she listened to the Senator's words and then the next gunshot followed by the unidentified person's words. Communication ended, Une sat silently for a moment and then slipped the head set off.

 

“Commander? Are you okay?” asked Sun when the woman hadn't said anything.

 

Slowly, Une turned her head to face the two agents. “I will need to inform Agent Saturn's family, Senator Kinsen's family too,” she whispered. “We will also need to try and organize to retrieve the bodies.”

 

“Ah, ma'am, with all due respect, I don't think that would be a good idea right now. Sending more agents into the area to retrieve both men would be suicide,” Sky pointed out.

 

“True, but we can't leave them there, we owe them that much. Sun, make a note of exactly where the agent and senator were when this happened. Once things calm down we will send in a team to retrieve them,” Une ordered.

 

“Yes, Commander.”

 

“Inform the other agents and senators of what has happened but do not go into details. Once they are all relocated I want to know exactly what security is in place to protect them all.”

 

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

“Thank you, agents. I'll return to my office.” Une stood. “Has there been any further word from shuttles 121 or 221?”

 

“Not as yet. I can try to contact them if you wish?”

 

“That's okay, best to leave them be for the moment. If either one should call in I want to know immediately.”

 

Sun nodded.

 

With a soft sigh Une left the communications area and returned to her office.

 

* * *

 

[Satellite XRB 23 - Control Room]

 

Professor Hawkins chanced a glance around the room, everyone was intent on watching the drama outside of the domes. His eyes returned to the screen and the large amount of data there. The programming for the mobile suits was intense. Not only did you have the general programming of life support, fuel, guidance and navigation, there were the weapons, coordination of battle strategies and the response of the suit to the pilot.

 

Scanning though pages of data, Hawkins found the doll part of the program and noted it became even more involved. Whilst he was no beginner when it came to programs, just the depth of what was involved with a mobile suit had a headache forming. He located the area the young man had slotted the code into and smiled internally. It was buried quite deeply and if you didn't know what you were looking for, you would never find it.

 

Not that Hawkins had any intention of letting this lot know he'd found it.

 

The professor had a few options open to him. He could inform Barton of the find which would then no doubt necessitate his being involved in removing the code. Or he could plead ignorance, state he couldn't find anything at all - he didn't think they would swallow that for a second. His last recourse would be to state he'd located the problem but to fix it would take time and involve shutting down the suits completely.

 

The professor's eyes lit up as he had an idea.

 

Checking he wasn't being watched too closely, Hawkins typed away at the console, doing his best to look like he was still locating the problem areas when in reality, he was loading in another code. This code, he hoped, would back up his notion of needing to shut down the suits. The code he'd given the young man would have fried the doll program within the on board computers of the suits and there was no way that the doll mode could be reactivated without a complete rewrite - but Barton and his cronies were not aware of that.

 

This new code, would in theory cause the suits to completely ignore their pilots and act on their own. Sort of similar to the doll mode, but where the doll mode would see the suits fighting on their own this code would have them pretty much dropping their weapons and `dancing'.

 

Hawkins gave a soft snort as his mind supplied him with the vision of the suits all doing the can can or forming a conga line.

 

Unfortunately the snort drew Zaheer's attention back to him.

 

“What have you found?” Zaheer snapped and hung over the professor.

 

“Ah. I think I have found the problem,” replied Hawkins.

 

“You've found the problem?” Barton growled as he spun around to face the professor.

 

“Errr... Yes?”

 

“Then fix it!” demanded Barton.

 

“It's not quite that simple,” Hawkins replied. “Fuck!” he cursed as a blow to the side of the head from Zaheer sent his senses reeling.

 

“Of course it should be that simple. Just remove whatever it is he's programmed and the doll program should start to work again.” Barton looked at the professor as if he were an idiot.

 

Hawkins pulled himself together and rubbed the side of his head, willing his eyes to stop bouncing around in his skull. When his vision cleared and he was able to speak again, he turned to address Barton. “I can fix the problem, but to do so will require all the suits to be shut down.”

 

“Bullshit!”

 

Hawkins shrugged and then ducked as Zaheer went to clock him again.

 

“If you don't shut the suits down then the programming cannot be guaranteed to work. Anything could happen.”

 

Barton snarled and moved to the console, shoving the professor aside rather roughly. His eyes raked over the screen and tried to make sense of all the data there. He wasn't all that savvy with programming, but he did know something of it. His eyes told him the suits could be reprogrammed to work in doll mode without the necessity of shutting them down.

 

“I can't afford to have the suits shut down. In case you hadn't realized, there's a bit of a battle going on out there. You can program them without them stopping so I suggest you start on it.” Barton gave the professor a glare, “And don't do anything stupid.”

 

Zaheer cracked his knuckles to emphasize Barton's point.

 

Hawkins swallowed. “Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you.” He turned back to the console and began the task of supposedly reprogramming the doll mode.

 

With the professor engaged in getting the doll program up and running again, Barton turned back to the screen to see how the battle was faring. He noted the five Gundams had all joined up and formed a circle with the shuttle in the center. The Orion suits were continuously pounding them with their beam rifles, darting in to get a shot at the shuttle when the opportunity arose. With a quietly confident smirk, Barton could see how his suits still outnumbered the Gundams and it would only be a matter of time before they were completely taken down.

 

“Craven?”

 

“Yes, sir?”

 

“Notify all the remaining suit pilots that the glitch with the doll program is being fixed and they should shortly have that option available to them again.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Craven went back to his console and did as requested.

 

Continuing to work on the doll program, Hawkins snickered to himself. It would only be a matter of a couple of minutes before everything went down hill.

 

* * *

 

[Satellite XRB 23 Surface]

 

The suit pilots had all received the communication and were relieved to know they would be getting the doll side of their suits back shortly. The battle was starting to tell on them, they weren't as fit or as trained as a suit pilot usually was. Had they been given the proper length of time to continue their training then they would have been more than fit and ready enough. However, with the plan having been moved forward something had to be sacrificed.

 

The gold leader wiped the sweat from his forehead and rolled his aching shoulder muscles. He was tired and it seemed they weren't getting much further with their attempts to take out the shuttle or the other suits. Hearing the communication from the control room, he gave a sigh and hoped it wouldn't be too long before the doll program was working again.

 

Focusing back on the Gundams, he managed to get a lucky shot in and then ducked and pivoted as the Gundam returned fire. The comm link crackled and Craven's voice came down the line.

 

“All suit pilots listen up. The doll program should be reactivated. All pilots switch to doll mode. I repeat, all pilots switch to doll mode.”

 

The five Gundam pilots also heard the transmission.

 

“Fuck!” Duo cursed. “How the hell did they find the code?”

 

“Maxwell, can they reprogram the doll mode?” Wufei questioned.

 

“Not that I know of. The code should have fried the doll mode that's programmed into the suit computers. It should take a complete rewrite to have that system running again,” Duo replied.

 

“Yuy?” Chang asked.

 

“I agree with Duo. Based on what he's told us, the suits would need a rewrite,” Heero confirmed.

 

“Guys, I'd suggest we forget about the `how' and the rewriting, regardless of what you have told us, Duo, it would appear that these suits are about to become automatic and we're really going to have our work cut out for us,” Quatre stated.

 

“I'm open for suggestions,” Duo replied.

 

“Errr... Is it just me or do the rest of you see what I'm seeing?” Trowa asked, the confusion clear in his voice.

 

“What the fuck?” Wufei scratched his head.

 

“If I didn't know any better I'd say those suits just discovered what used to be known as disco dancing,” Duo snickered.

 

“Guys? What the hell is going on?” Zechs asked over the com link.

 

“Looks like the suits are having a party,” Quatre stated, his eyes wide as he took in the sight.

 

All the mobile suits had ceased in their attacks and were currently jerking around, arms and legs moving in short, sharp bursts.

 

The suit pilots were just as confused.

 

“What the hell is going on?”

 

“My suit won't respond!”

 

“Shit! Why isn't the doll mode engaging? What the crap is this?”

 

The exclamations and questions flew thick and fast. In the control room, Barton felt his anger rising and spun on his heel to face Hawkins.

 

“What the hell did you do?” he spat.

 

Hawkins held his hands up in mock surrender. “I did what you asked me to do. I did say the suits would need to be shut down for the reprogramming to be done, but you insisted they wouldn't. This is what happens.” Hawkins felt rather smug and stole a glance at the screen where the suits were still `waltzing' around.

 

“Fix it and fix it now!” Barton yelled, his face turning red with the rage he was barely hanging onto.

 

“Okay,” Hawkins replied and began to type away. “I can return the suits to pilot only, as I said before, I'll need to have the suits shut down to reprogram for the doll mode.”

 

“Whatever! Just do it,” Barton snarled. “Watch him,” he snapped to Zaheer and then turned back to the screen. “Hurry it up,” he added a moment later as he watched the suits being cut down.

 

Back out on the surface, the Gundam pilots had observed their enemy for long enough. “They aren't responding to their pilots for some reason,” Heero stated as he watched the suits carefully.

 

“You're right, Heero,” Quatre stated.

 

“Then why are we sitting here and watching the show? Shouldn't we be taking out as many as we can whilst they're all trying to perfect the fox trot?” snickered Duo.

 

“Good point, Maxwell.” Wufei couldn't help but smile at the picture the suits all made in their weird way.

 

“I agree with Duo. We don't know how long they will be like this for so let's use it to our advantage,” Trowa said.

 

“Right. Everyone, attack,” Zechs said and turned the beam rifle to send off a volley of shots.

 

“Yeehawww!” Duo yelled and fired up the scythe, swinging it through the air.

 

Quatre raised his shotels and began to systematically slice through the suits around him, disabling them as best he could. Wufei used his thermal trident to similarly disable as many suits as he could. Trowa was relieved to be able to make each and every remaining bullet count, using his ammunition to fire through the vital parts of the Orion suits and send them crashing to the satellite surface.

 

Heero was doing his best to take out as many suits as possible with the buster rifle. He spun Wing around, sending the deadly beam piercing through the head section of two suits, then turning to fire off again at another suit. Zechs was also using the temporary lull in the suits' fighting ability t send several to the surface minus various `body parts'.

 

Deathscythe was having a field day, Duo systematically cutting through as many `limbs' as he could. He took some comfort in the knowledge that he wasn't destroying life, merely incapacitating it for a while.

 

Back in the control room Barton was turning a very unhealthy shade of red. His outrage at the way his suits were being decimated about to blow up when Hawkins thought he'd better shut down the code he'd embedded. He calculated the Gundams had managed to destroy around another eighty suits whilst said suits had been `partying'.

 

“How much fucking longer?!” Barton demanded, his eyes almost popping out of his head in fury.

 

“Should be back to pilot only now,” Hawkins replied and hit the enter button.

 

“All pilots, you should have control over your suits again,” Craven yelled down the com when he overheard the conversation between Barton and Hawkins.

 

“About fucking time!”

 

“What the hell was that?”

 

“Damned if I fucking know, but it's time for payback!”

 

With control now being reestablished, the Orion pilots scrambled together to take stock of their numbers and re think their attack.

 

The Gundam pilots also took advantage of the lull to do their own regrouping.

 

“How many would you say are left?” Trowa asked as his eyes scanned over the mass of suits hovering a short distance away.

 

“Unsure, but it looks to be about half of what they started with,” Quatre replied.

 

Zechs did a sweep of the enemy with the shuttle radar system, freezing it in place as it lit up with the suit `blips'. His eyes scanned the screen, mentally adding up. “I make it roughly one hundred and twenty suits, give or take about ten.”

 

“Thanks, Zechs,” Quatre replied.

 

Heero sat in the pilot seat, his mind ticking over. “Everyone, listen up. Do you think you can continue to take out the suits between yourselves if Deathscythe and Wing were no longer in the battle?”

 

“Eh?” Duo was clearly confused. “Why wouldn't Deathscythe, or Wing for that matter be fighting?”

 

“Yeah, I'd like to know the answer to that too, Yuy,” came Zechs' voice over the comm link.

 

“What are you planning, Yuy?” Wufei questioned.

 

“Une's orders were to locate and bring in Barton alive. Now would be the perfect time to do that. His army is on its way to earth, the suits are almost finished off and what remains I'm sure you four can take care of. Duo and I can slip inside the Domes, locate Barton and arrest him.”

 

“Um, Heero? Whilst I agree it's a good idea, something tells me you won't be able to just waltz right in there and slap a pair of handcuffs on Barton,” Quatre stated.

 

“I know that,” Heero growled. “Duo knows his way through the Domes, therefore he's the logical one to take to navigate and locate Barton.”

 

“But why you, Heero? Why not Chang, or Trowa?” Zechs asked.

 

“No offense to either of them, but I'm much better suited to the job.” Heero neglected to add he wanted to dish out a little of his own payback to Barton before the man was taken into custody.

 

“He does have a point,” Trowa remarked.

 

“As much as I don't like it, I have to agree,” Wufei said.

 

“Then I take it we are all okay with the idea?”

 

Four affirmatives came back to him along with a grunt from Duo.

 

“Good. I think we should make a move now, it looks like the enemy is about to commence round two,” Heero said, causing the others to check their visual.

 

“Okay, how do you want to do this, Heero?” Duo asked as they began to break up a touch and prepare for the battle to recommence.

 

“Bring Deathscythe closer to Wing, we need to have them touch so you can engage the hyperjammers and cloak Wing too.”

 

“Ah, I get it. Sneaky bastard, aren't you?”

 

Heero grinned, despite no one being able to see it at that moment. “The best way into the satellite domes is through the shuttle port,correct?”

 

“Yes,” Wufei replied. “You will need to get into the depressurization chamber, then enter the dome from there.”

 

“Incoming, people,” Zechs interrupted.

 

All pilots looked to their view screens and noted the suits rapidly approaching, weapons at the ready.

 

“Let us know when you're going to disappear,” Quatre said as he swung Sandrock around and brought the shotels to the fore.

 

“Will do.” Duo managed to dance Deathscythe a little closer to Wing and took out another suit on the way.

 

“Keep in contact whilst in the dome,” Chang ordered, Shenlong spinning to slice through the arms of one suit, the dragon arm piercing another.

 

“Remember what Une said, Yuy. She wants Barton alive. Please make sure you leave enough of him intact for her to rip to pieces,” Zechs told the Wing pilot, the shuttle sending off another round of beam rifle fire and taking a minor hit in return.

 

“Good luck,” came Trowa's voice.

 

“Thanks, guys.” Duo maneuvered a little closer. “Almost alongside you, buddy.”

 

“Okay,” Heero replied and shot off another beam to take out a suit that had dared to strike Wing.

 

“Coming in on your left. Reach out with Wing's left hand,” Duo instructed. Heero obeyed, keeping the buster rifle in his right hand and randomly firing. “Almost there...”

 

Deathscythe leveled up with its companion, the left hand of Wing extended out. Duo switched the scythe over to Deathscythe's left hand, sweeping it through the air and taking out another suit. He lined up the giant hands and then closed Deathscythe's fingers around Wing's hand. Once the hands were touching, Duo hit the switch for the hyperjammers and opened the com link to the other suits.

 

“Hyperjammers engaged. See you guys soon.”

 

The giant, black mecha began to shimmer and fade from view, the white one beside it following a split second later.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...