OK here comes some insanity. Please prepare yourself to hear Zechs called something silly and meet a new female character. If that bothers you, DON'T read the fic. Thanks.
This fic is an AU. I play with the time line and add a new pilot. Yes, it is a girl. Hey, there’s not nearly enough tough female characters in anime. The plot is sort of a what if? What if there had been a sixth Doctor, a woman, and the other Doctors made fun of her ideas. So she went to Earth and decided to prove she was right. So the boys get a new partner. Zechs and Treize get a new headache. And everything changes.
Disclaimer: I don't own GW. I'm poor. This story is for entertainment only.
Octavia ran through the base's corridors finding escape blocked at every turn. She knew she was being herded, but there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it. The OZ men were better armed and the rest of the base was under their control. Hell, she was the last free Federation soldier and only had one bullet left. If OZ ever figured out who she really was, well it wouldn’t be pleasant.
For a cakewalk, this mission was turning into a nightmare. All she needed were the codes for the OZ main computer; afterward, walking off the base would be simple. Then OZ attacked. Mother should have warned her. Why hadn’t she?
Turning a corner, Octavia found herself faced with a dead end. The sounds of pursuit slowed as the soldiers realized they had her. The youngster looked at the trap she was in; no windows, doors, or heating ducts. There was an old laundry shoot, but it had a padlock.
The choices were very limited. One bullet wouldn’t keep the bastards at bay for long.
"We both know you are trapped, young lady. If you surrender now, I promise no harm will come to you." Zechs Marquise’s voice echoed in the tiny hall. The chances of getting away just took another nose-dive. Marquise was a determined and clever officer.
"Is that what you told the soldiers on those other bases, just before you killed them? Do you take some sort of special, sick pleasure in killing unarmed, defenseless people, Metalhead?" The taunt was deliberate. Several other bases had been destroyed after they had laid down their weapons. A man like Zechs Marquise would never do such a thing, but if she could get him to make a mistake maybe she could find a way out. Hell, if it just bought her time, it would be worth making the man mad.
"Sir, let me take her!" A soldier yelled. Several men echoed the sentiment. Marquise was popular with his men. It was a loyalty the officer had earned.
"No." The man’s rich voice reached her once more. "Metalhead? Surely you can do better than that. Here I was starting to gain respect for you and this is all you can come up with?"
Octavia laughed. The man wanted to have a battle of wills? "It fits you.
Cold, hard. Did I mention, heartless? You have no idea what is really going on."
"I hardly think I am heartless. I am, after all, offering you a chance to leave the base alive. As for what is happening, I think I have a better idea than you." The girl was intriguing. Of all the personnel on the base, only she had given them any measure of trouble.
Avoiding all the traps and ambushes, she had managed to kill at least ten of his men and destroy the computer terminal. The loss of the latter would put OZ’s plans behind by at least a fortnight. He had to know who she was. Zechs Marquise did not like puzzles.
"And then what? A few sessions of questions, some torture, and finally you kill me? No thanks. I’m really not into that sort of thing."
Octavia had a plan. All she needed was a few seconds and to build up the hopelessness of her situation.
"I was rather hoping to convince you to work for us. You obviously have many skills worth salvaging. As for the questions, all you have to do is be truthful. Why protect a dead organization?" Zechs kept his tone reasonable and calm. Something about her last statement and tone bothered him. "I know you only have one bullet left. I counted your shots. Surely, you can see the futility of your situation. What choice do you have?"
‘You’d be surprised what a person can do with one bullet, Metalhead. People have changed the entire course of history with no more than that."
"Child," the OZ officer began. He did not like where this conversation was going. The girl’s yell cut him off.
"See you in hell, Metalhead!"
A single shot echoed in the hallway. It was follow by the thud of a body and the clang of a dropped gun. Zechs sighed, glad the mask hid the grief he suddenly felt. She had been a worthy opponent. With a slow gait, the tall man approached the dead-end. He really didn’t want to see the proud warrior lying in her own blood; dead by her own hand.
Instead of that terrible sight, Zechs rounded the corner to find nothing more than a gun. Looking around in shock, the former noble discovered the laundry chute. She had tricked them, he thought with wonder. The talking and taunting covered the noise of attempts to open it. When it became obvious the lock would not break, she used her last bullet to shoot it off. By making him think she was
committing suicide, she had bought precious moments to make her escape. The girl had manipulated him!
Zechs activated his communicator and ordered a search of the base. Seconds later, an explosion rocked the building. Running outside, Zechs saw an amazing site. In the middle of the base a new Gundam stood. What shocked him most was the fact that it looked, well, feminine. The form was lighter, thinner, and hence faster, than the other Gundams they knew about.
The main weapon seemed to be some sort of staff. Waves of sound cut through mechs and buildings wherever the staff pointed. The blond pilot marveled at the first sonic weapon he’d ever seen. It was devastating. What was not destroyed developed serious cracks and men collapsed as their eardrums shattered.
After wrecking most of the base and annihilating the mechs opposing it, the Gundam turned toward the building Zechs occupied. The staff came level with the young noble’s head. With calm beyond his years, Zechs looked death in the face. Neither the Gundam nor the OZ officer moved. Finally, a cheerful voice came from the massive machine.
"Well, Metalhead, it looks like I win this round. I think I’ll let you live. The next time we meet, you’d better be ready to die."
Leaning the staff on its shoulder, the Gundam turned and walked away. It had not gone more than five steps when it disappeared. The cloaking device would be worth a small fortune by itself. So there were six Gundams and six pilots. But where had this last one come from? One five targets had come to Earth. Did that make its origins Earth? Was it a coincidence that the sixth Gundam had shown up more than half a year after the war had started? Was it a recently built model? Sighing, Zechs once more activated his communicator.
Treize needed to know.
The only good thing about this whole mess was the girl. He knew what she looked like. Within five hours, the entire globe knew OZ was looking for a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen, with auburn hair and sky blue eyes. The report came to the attention of five young men. Their reactions varied, ranging from curiosity to anger that someone as weak as a woman would be fighting. The race was on. Who would find this new pilot? OZ or the Gundam pilots? What would they do when they found her?