Episode 9

Lu blinked against the harsh light streaming in from the windows next to his bed. His head was pounding. How did I get here? What happened to the Gundam? He shot straight up in bed. "Rowan" Lu gasped and closed his eyes against the pain that shot through his body with the sudden movement.

"What?" She answered. Lu felt a hand on his shoulder easing him back down on the bed. He opened his eyes. She was leaning over him looking no worse for wear after their encounter with the Gundam. She was so close that he could have kissed her easily, had he not feared that she would belt him for it.

"You’re okay." He said opting to touch her face instead. She smiled bitterly.

"Yeah, I’m fine thanks to you, you idiot." She moved away from him.

Lu frowned. "Excuse me. I think this idiot saved your life."

"Exactly. It was my mistake. I turned my back on the enemy. I should have paid for it. You shouldn’t have interfered. Do you know how many people would have been effected had you died?"

"I wasn’t thinking about that…I just had to save you."

"No, don’t ever risk yourself for me. I’m not worth it. I don’t deserve your friendship let alone your life."

Lu sat up again despite the pain. How could she say that? Doesn’t she realize what she’s come to mean to me? "Rowan, I…"

She held up a hand to silence him. "Don’t." She leaned over towards him and tucked an unruly strand of hair behind his ear. "Just don’t. There are things you don’t know. Things that make this impossible."

"Make what impossible? How I feel about you? How we feel about each other? There’s something between us. Come on Rowan I know you feel it."

She smiled sadly. "Maybe I do. It doesn’t change things." She started to pull away again.

Oh no you don’t. Lu grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him. Before she could protest his lips were on hers. For a moment she was unresponsive, but then she gave in.

Lu’s heart nearly burst when he finally felt her respond. This is it, this was meant to be. Far too soon for his liking she pulled away. She sighed and caressed his cheek with the back of her hand. Lu closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

"If only things were different." She whispered and then she was gone.

Lu smiled to him self. He had gotten through to her for a moment there. "And if I did it once I can do it again."

***

In a Dark Wave facility deep in space the commander paced back and forth. "We must find Alpha. Preventer’s new Gundams are beginning to be a problem." He looked over at Megaere who had just arrived. "They are clearly too much for one Fury, as evidenced by the skirmish at K19."

Megaere snorted at the comment. "They got lucky. That’s all. I don’t need Alecto, to take care of Preventer."

The commander slammed his fist against the wall. "Don’t be arrogant Megaere. Lucky or not those two Gundams escaped you, and Preventer has three more ready to stand against us. We need Alpha to even the odds." He turned towards the others in the room. "Raise the price on Alpha’s head. Whatever it takes, find that pilot."

"Uh…sir with all due respect, the pilots were trained to be ghosts. If Alpha is still alive…"

Megaere cut off the speaker mid sentence. "Alecto is very much alive."

"But sir…"

Megaere growled at the man. "Alecto is simply hiding."

The commander nodded in agreement. "Even ghosts become visible from time to time. We will find Alpha, and then those fools in Preventer and ESUN will pay for standing against our new era."

***

Alex looked up to see a stern looking Rowan enter the kitchen of the Maxwell home from the hallway that led to Lu’s bedroom. "Is the Captain awake?"

She nodded her reply as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"I’m glad he’s going to be alright. The Captain is a good guy."

Again Rowan nodded. Alex was about to ask her if she had damaged her vocal cords in the fight with the Gundam when he heard a cry come from one of the family’s bedrooms. He and Rowan shot each other a glance as they rose to investigate.

The source of the cry turned out to be Solo’s little sister Sara who had had a bad dream about "cousin Lu" getting attacked by a monster during her nap. Alex was at a loss, he had never been around many children and the Maxwell’s were out getting supplies. What am I supposed to do now?

While he contemplated his options Rowan sat down beside the girl on the bed. Let’s see, maybe Lu is feeling well enough that I can get him to come in here and talk to her. Is that the front door? Maybe Solo’s family is back. Alex was starting to panic. How am I going to get this kid to calm down? Just then he realized that Sara had stopped crying.

He looked up to see Rowan motioning for him to follow him out of the room. Sara was snuggled back beneath the covers; her eyes closed with a peaceful expression on her face. "How did you do that?" He asked once they were back in the kitchen.

"You just have to know how to talk to them." She sighed taking a sip from her now lukewarm coffee. "I had to take care of my little sister growing up. I guess I still have a knack for it."

"Little sister huh? Why don’t you mention your family more often?"

Rowan’s eyes narrowed. "Why don’t you talk about yours?"

"Touché." He smiled "I guess neither of us wish to be very open about our pasts."

Rowan simply nodded.

Not this again. Alex thought shaking his head.

***

A few days later when Lu was up and around again, he snuck down to the hangar to look for Rowan. She had avoided him ever since the kiss, and Lu wasn’t about to let her continue to do so. He poked his head around a corner making sure there was no one there to spot him. He wasn’t actually supposed to be out of bed, and Solo’s mom would kill him if she caught him here.

"Looking for someone Lu?"

He froze. Busted. Lu turned to see an annoyed looking Jade.

"Lu you should be in bed. The doctor said it would be at least another week before you could train again."

"I know, I know. I’m not trying to go work out. I just wanted to find Rowan."

Jade smiled. "She’s with the others prepping the suits for patrol. I will tell her that you wish to see her, now go back to bed."

"Really, Jade, I’m fine. I’ll just go down to the hangar and see her off."

Jade arched an elegant eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "I said go back to bed."

Lu tried to move past her but she caught his arm in an iron grip. Damn she’s strong for such a small woman.

"Do I have to force you to go to bed Lu?"

He sighed in defeat. "I’m going. Could you tell her to come see me when she gets back?"

***

They were almost finished with their patrol when the attack came. A swarm of mobile dolls attacked them just out side of L2. Almost immediately the Hecate and Heavyarms II were surrounded. Heavyarms opened fire and the dolls began to scatter.

"Damn they’ve never sent this many before." Solo swore into the com as he slashed three mobile dolls with his beam scythe.

"Yes, these came in much larger numbers than before." Jade replied.

Solo glanced over to the space where the Dragon was fighting a crowd of mobile dolls. The green suit towered over the smaller dolls. It’s trident a flash of blue against the darkness of space. He smiled to himself, as he watched the suit’s flame-thrower roast several of the dolls. I’ll give it to Jadie… she’s good.

"Excuse me Solo, but if you’re not too busy staring at Jade’s suit, could you help me here?" Rowan barked. It appeared that the Hecate was a magnet for mobile dolls. Solo shook his head.

"I’m coming." He said and flew back into the fray, slashing mobile dolls as he went. "You gotta love this suit."

***

Another hour of fighting and the mobile dolls just seemed to keep coming. "Guys, I’m almost out of ammo." Alex said while launching his last few homing missiles.

"Everyone fall back to Heavyarms." Rowan ordered while cutting down the mobile dolls near her with Hecate’s heat rod.

"What now?" Jade asked.

"I don’t know. The three of us could try and hold off the dolls while Shadow escaped." Rowan said cutting down another mobile doll.

"I’m not leaving you guys." Alex cried sending another stream of bullets at the advancing dolls. "My ammo is just low…it’s not gone yet."

"Solo what do you think?" Rowan asked. "Solo…where the hell is he?"

"That baka is doing something foolish. I just know it." Jade replied scanning the battleground for Solo.

"Found him!" Alex said "Lower left quadrant."

Hades was surrounded and taking heavy damage. "Kuso, Maxwell we can’t take you anywhere." Jade cried as she launched the Dragon into the fray.

***

Eventually, the mobile dolls stopped coming but not before Solo and his suit took some heavy damage.

"Solo you alright in there?" Alex asked.

"Yeah man. I’m banged up, but I’ll live."

"You’ll wish you hadn’t survived when I get through with you baka. Why didn’t you fall back when Rowan ordered us to?" Jade grumbled.

Solo knew he had to choose his words carefully or Jade would roast him on the spot. "I was stupid?"

"Glad you admit it Maxwell." Jade said satisfaction evident in her voice.

The God of Death lives to see another day. Solo sighed. "Guys, I think I’m in need of some serious pain killers, can we head home now?"

***

"There…stop the tape." Megaere ordered the technician. "That mobile suit. Its fighting style seems familiar. Play that part again."

The commander entered the room. "Megaere what is this all about? I was in an extremely important meeting when I received a message saying that you had to see me immediately."

Megaere motioned towards the screen. "Have you seen this?"

"Yes Megaere I’ve seen the footage of Preventer’s Gundams. There is nothing of much value on that tape."

"Then you are either stupid or blind."

"What?" The commander roared.

Megaere pointed to the suit currently on screen. "The way that suit fights, its familiar."

"So, most Preventer trained pilots share a similar fighting style."

"No, that pilot is not a normal Preventer."

"What are you saying Megaere?"

"That pilot…" He motioned towards the screen again. "Is Alecto."