Tallgeese's Hangar
"What in the actual hell?" It was there, the Tallgeese. In it's hangar, like it had never been blown up. There wasn't even a scratch on it. It also wasn't like he last saw it, it looked like the one from Earth before it was remodeled again. "Noin, do you hear me?" Why would she be trapped in the Tallgeese? "Noin!" All the different things RTL had done so far to Relena and the other gundam pilots started to invade his mind. It couldn't be.
That group was dismantled. Not once did they try anything on anyone near him! After all, sure he was a gundam pilot, but even the other pilots weren't exactly friends. He even fought against them.
Why, why now? "Noin!" He used a lift to reach the chest compartment. "Noin, can you hear me?" He opened the door on the Tallgeese.
Nothing. No one was in it. He tried to call her back, but got no answer. Why was the Tallgeese there, and why was Noin not inside of it? He went down to the program that ran Tallgeese. This place was old, but that system should still work. In fact, the parts were replaced with all new parts. Someone replace the entire Tallgeese system.
He went into the program and looked around. He saw a certain section that was attached to some kind of camera feed. In fact, as he opened it up bigger?
He could see Noin, in a mobile suit. Not in any kind of gear, just an everyday outfit she was wearing. The pairing of that seemed to hit him harder. "Noin?"
She couldn't seem to hear him.
Hm. Zechs looked around the program. It definitely had some unique things. There were some things connected almost like mobile dolls, but no. That's not mobile dolls. What is that? He pulled it up and actually saw a diagram of the Tallgeese. He clicked on its right arm.
"Whoa!" He heard Noin's voice from the camera. "Whoah, whoah, what was that?"
I am somehow controlling her mobile suit. It was somewhat like mobile dolls, except it wasn't a fleet. It was actual interaction. If she is connected, there has to be a way to connect with her. He went back to the main area of the unit. He turned the camera and audio on.
"Zechs, there you are!" She was delighted to see him. "Did you find me somehow?"
"I found a suit that is connected with yours," Zechs said to her. "I have full control over you. I even have access to your self-destruct sequence."
"Well, I won't be doing that anytime soon," she promised. "What's going on? Is this that Revenge of the Lost thing?"
"I don't know yet. Maybe. They were supposed to have some access to one of the creator's research. They did manage to rebuild the gundam Deathscythe." Hmm. Duo Maxwell told the others that his friend, Hilde Schbeiker, was terrified. Influenced by the zero system.
Zero system. He moved around in the program, to see what kind of system was in the Tallgeese.
He took a step backward. "Noin, are you okay?" he asked her. "Noin!"
"Yeah, Zechs, I'm fine."
"Just. Stay. Relaxed." There was a zero system in the Tallgeese, but that wasn't all. It was labeled zero system, but the whole schematics were different. Targeting different sections of the brain with the stimulus, similar to what he felt in the Epyon. But. "Stay still."
They were also bouncing around as he tried to fix the dials. Like someone was playing with him. He banged his fist near the keyboard. He reset everything again.
He watched as they started to move around again. He moved back toward his camera to Noin. "Stay calm, Noin."
"I am calm," Noin said. "Considering I was just abducted at home for no reason and woke up in a mobile suit. I think I've been relatively calm."
"There is something like the zero system inside your suit," he warned her. "Stress might activate it."
"Oh. Then, I'll get spinny images of what could happen to me, right?" she asked.
"Normally, but this is different. The system last time was just automatic, eventually a button. It didn't have 'settings'."
"That doesn't sound good." Noin was starting to look distressed. "It affects the mind, I know that, when it gets stressed. If you can work with it, it makes your combat really good. I'll be fine if it triggers, as long as someone eventually gets me."
Would she? "Noin. There are several different settings, and they are moving around on their own." When he said that, he saw a memo pop up on his computer. "I just got a memo in the program of someone saying 'ha ha'."
"Someone in the program laughing?" Now, Noin was starting to get it. "You're not the only one controlling the suit." She looked around more. "There's gotta be a way to pop this top."
Zechs tried to eject her, but it wouldn't work. That part was sealed off. He went into the root files, but he was getting backtracked right back into the main screen. "Damn it!" How was he going to get her out of there? At least, get rid of the self-destruct button. He went into the controls again, clicked the self-destruct capability off.
It clicked back on again, with another memo that said 'ha ha' again.
"Zechs." Noin didn't sound well. "It feels hummy in my head. I'm warm and flustered."
"Just hold on, I will figure it out," he promised.
"Zechs. Even if you do." She groaned.
The memo came back on his computer again. 'Even if you do, you aren't actually near her, are you?'
"Damn!" He called up a number he didn't think he would ever have to call up.
Heero Yuy.
Heero had Sora and Sophia in the backseat of the car. He would have to get emergency tickets. They took nearly all of his money, but he had to get to Relena. He tried to call Relena, but she wasn't answering. Instead, he got someone else ringing him. "Zechs."
"Noin is strapped into another Tallgeese, with a system that is connected to Tallgeese's original system." Zechs spoke quickly getting to the point. "This system has the zero system in it, but at a more unique level. There are many settings."
"Put them on the lowest," Heero answered.
"Someone else also has the same control. They stop me from even disabling the self-destruction. There is an actual Tallgeese in this hangar too, it's not connected to this system."
Heero squeezed the steering wheel. "Did you say the original hangar?" He came to a slow stop and turned. She could have already been taken, it was worth looking into this clue first before heading out.
Original hangar. He didn't have one when he first came down, his Wing Gundam was in the ocean. It eventually got pulled up by Duo. "That place would have Howard there. Hilde was in the Junkyard before." Shit!
He turned again. This is personal. Revenge of the Lost always works with personal. It wasn't just a hangar, or it's first hangar. Duo built a life with Hilde when they lived in that Junkyard. But, the Tallgeese being found in its original hangar?
"What do you recommend?" Zechs interrupted him again. "Heero! I am running out of time, Noin is getting stressed, and this zero system is dangerous enough to erase her entire mind!"
Heero stopped again. Where do I check?! He could hear one of the twins starting to cry now. "I know how you feel." Okay, it was personal but Revenge of the Lost didn't have as much power. The Tallgeese hangar would be old and abandoned, plenty of time to work with it. Howard's area was occupied. Somewhere personal between Relena and I, easy for people to get to. He turned to the right. "Just fight whoever is at the other end of the program, Zechs. Even if she isn't there, if she is connected, then you have some kind of control too. Keep it as low as you can."
"That's not even how it works! There's a section with letters, one includes numbers, it's like someone took their own school project and just shoved it into here!"
"That's all I've got, now I've got to get to Relena!" He hung up, he needed to concentrate.
Someone really took the zero system and advanced it. It was made to make someone focus beyond all other things. Wing Zero. Epyon. Quatre's strategies. Even the mobile doll system. Someone took that concept of focused combat, and they did something to it . . . it was . . . it was . . .
Both of the babies were crying now, but Heero knew he didn't have much time. Either she was there, or they would leave to the colonies as soon as possible.
He stopped in the parking lot of St. Gabriel's institute. "Those . . ." Brilliant. He saw it right on the banner. Any of those normal people would flip seeing themselves on a huge banner. Apparently Saint Gabriel's institute was making money off his name attending there.
He grabbed a cap, and then grabbed the twins. This wouldn't be easy, but he couldn't leave them behind. Most likely, no one would see him at the event if he just stayed tucked away.
He went through the door, wishing he only had to navigate with one baby. He mainly looked to the wall, trying to find the information he needed. Oh, look at that. The entire dormitory he once lived in had been bought, and a new dormitory had already been built.
"No way, are you him?!"
Damn. Just, great. "Shut up or I'll kill you."
The civilian just laughed. "You sound just like him too. Why are you carrying twins? Oh, that's right, you had a relationship with-"
Out. Just, move. He ignored the civilian drawing a lot of attention to him, but it didn't stop others from figuring it out. They were even trying to take pictures of him and ask questions. Almost to the door, when-
"Hey, you! How did it feel when you had your humanity removed after you killed that girl! Did you know that was part of the zero system too!"
Huh?! He looked around, trying to figure out who had yelled that out. Who knew?! Oh, there's no time! He ran to the door and busted right through them.
The old dormitory. Private property, not even the school was allowed near there anymore. Perfect place. It should shake these obsessive people too if they followed.
He moved past the signs and headed in. The door was, as he predicted, unlocked.
The main area looked different, hollowed out to be taller. He headed through another round of doors.
Yep. He found it. Wing Gundam, the original blueprint when he first came to Earth. Standing perfectly in front of him, along with a system.
Just to twist that knife, just a tiny bit deeper, they actually put a large table that was big enough for two carriers, with a large sign that said welcome with a single balloon taped to it. Heero chose to put them down near his feet and went to the system.
He tried it with the suit near him, but just like Zechs, it wasn't connected to the suit next to him. He found the camera system.
Yep. "Relena." He turned the audio and the image feed communications.
"Heero?" Now he could hear and see her. "Sora and Sophia are crying."
"Yeah." He knew that.
"Comfort them," she insisted. "I can't do that from here."
"Where are you? Are you feeling okay?"
"I don't know for sure. It feels like a car for one, without a steering wheel. I think it might be a mobile suit," she admitted. "I was invited in for a meeting, like always." She had her professional suit she usually wore for those events. "I sat down. I guess, I was careless. I felt something in my arm. I tried to get out the door, but I don't remember reaching it. I am so ashamed."
"You are in a mobile suit." He bent down to look at one of them. "Do you know anything else about your location?" He moved back up and went into the zero system area. Ugh. He understood what Zechs was talking about now.
F.B.M. DNMWTO. 12PIL. Those were the section labels. The numbers weren't even making sense, just a senseless meter on each option. Right now, it was in the middle of all the options.
Heero started to look how to break into the physical system. There were definitely some functions he could set off down there, but this was just one control center. Terminating some of the functions, might destroy the ability to change the zero system adjustment at all.
"Heero. Are you comforting them?" she asked.
"Don't get stressed!" The twins crying was getting to her. I am not losing her to this because of crying. "Just stay calm, and I'll comfort them."
He moved down toward them. Okay. I've studied this. First, he would pick them up. They were a little better. They mainly wanted attention. He bounced them lightly. "It's okay."
///"Hey, you! How did it feel when you had your humanity removed after you killed that girl! Did you know that was part of the zero system too!"///
"It'll . . . be okay." Heero swayed them lightly. Removed humanity. He was gripping them tighter, and felt himself . . .
"It's okay, Heero," Relena's voice encouraged him. "It'll be okay. I know that it will be okay. Thank you for helping them feel better."
A light nod. He watched his phone start to ring again. It was Wufei's number. He already warned them about what Quatre said. He'd have to take time to catch them up on this. He took the babies and set them more on the side of the table, and scooted the monitor. It'd be good if the three of them saw each other while he dealt with calls. "I have to do something. Watch the children, and feel better."
He answered the phone just a small amount away. Of course, same thing with Wufei. "Is there somewhere you personally spent a lot of time with her at? A first meeting area." No, her colony was destroyed. "I found a control panel along with a brand new gundam at Saint Gabriel's. The control panel isn't to that suit, it's for another suit somewhere carrying the women. Zechs has access to Noin in the same way." Yeah, that was a yell.
"Both of our colonies are completely destroyed, where in the world would they decide to put communication?!"
"I don't know. Look, just find it. The zero system is in the suit, and it's . . . tough." Heero hated this. He really hated this.
He really hated this. He called back Trowa, and got a yelling Trowa and Duo on the line. "Somewhere personal. You'll find some kind of communications somewhere personal between each of you. They won't be there, but you can talk and see them. Duo?"
"Yeah?"
"This zero system is from hell itself. If you are the god of it still, I hope you can disable it. You have no idea what it can do." Fair warning.
"I saw Hilde. I know what it can do."
"You don't know what it can do! Trust me, they were just testing you. Probably to see how we handle the control system." Please no. "They will completely rewrite them."
"Oh, I'll get her back no matter how bad this system thinks it is," Duo promised. "Is it gonna be the Junkyard again?"
"You sold it not too long ago?"
"Right? Right! Shit!" Duo realized it. "I just sold it to someone that was still working with that damn group, didn't I?"
"Heero." Trowa was on the phone. "Do you see what they are doing with the zero system? You said Dorothy had her memory tampered with. Will it be reversible?"
Heero looked back toward Relena on the monitor, trying to speak sweetly to them. "No. There might be some connections made later." He looked at his own hand. "Some. Realization. They might get sparks back, but they'll never be the same." He had to stop it. "Things. They used to do. Words. The way they act."
"Trowa's already off, Heero, and so am I. I've got the phone. Keep in touch if anything else happens, and let me know if Quatre finds something new."
"Yeah." He hung up. He just watched Relena associate with the twins. The right smile. The right graces. Social interaction. Revenge of the Lost. Why didn't you just shoot me?