At about nine o'clock the next morning the alarm went off signaling that the Libra was advancing toward them. All six of the pilots ran to their Gundams, and took off within minutes.
When they arrived on the scene something over came Katja and she pulled out an old Matallica disk, put it into the CD player and set it to the song "Fade to Black ." Then transferred an auto signal to all of the Gundams.
"Duo, don't advance. I'll take care of them," she ordered.
"What are you crazy? This is your first battle, you can't do it alone!!" Duo shouted.
"Duo just listen to this and stay back. No matter what!" Katja said sternly her face showed no expression.
Once he started to protest Katja terminated the connection, except for the music.
It was a very mournful song starting off with a soft guitar duet. It seemed fitting if she were to die now to have some calming music to begin her exit.
Drifting further everyday
Getting lost within myself
Nothing matters no one else
I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me
Need the end to set me free…"
The first mobile doll began to advance and Katja took out her first weapon, the scythe. It was fashioned just like Duo's, but a little special. The mobile dolls would advance and she would cut them down like trees.
Whoever was controlling them wasn't very good, she thought when she got a moment to think.
Katja continued to cut them down. With the help of the Mercy System, which isn't as controlling as the Zero System, but in many ways stronger, Katja found the best rout directly to the Libra. It just happened to be through about one hundred mobile dolls. So she continued to fight, the song blaring in her ears along with alerts from the computer.
Finally Katja was right in front of the Libra. It was an oddly shaped ship. It was four squares that came together at one point in the center. That was where the beam cannon was located. Katja was gearing up to slit it in two when the cannon when off. She dodged it just in time. The beam just missed her.
"This is insane, Katja! Get back here!" screamed Quatre in desperation from a distance.
Katja didn't answer.
"Forget her, I'm going in!" shouted Wufei as he engaged in the battle.
"Main cannon ready to fire, sir!" called the operator of Libra's cannon.
"Fire!" shouted Zechs.
"Katja, Wufei the cannon's charging!" yelled Quatre.
Neither Wufei nor Katja heard him. Both were caught up in the moment, Wufei fighting on pure emotion and Katja flying off the handle with her music.
The cannon went off.
The computer Alerted Katja to it, but she was not in danger. It was Wufei. He was in the direct line of fire.
A line of mobile dolls were in her way. After on upward swipe of her scythe the first mobile doll slit in two. Once the scythe was through the first mobile doll Katja pushed a button causing the pole to fracture near her hand and a beam sward exploded up to fill the vacancy.
Spinning around in what looked like slow motion, she thrust the sword across the next two dolls, and continued to slash her way to Wufei.
After she tore through the last doll, Katja flew full speed to Wufei, crashing into him and shoving him out of the way.
"What are you doing?!" he yelled furiously as he regained control of his Gundam
"My job," Solemnly replied Katja with a face like stone.
Just as Wufei was going to continue to fight with a mobile doll beside her, the beam struck.
Her Gundam rattled and sparks flew from the control pane. Katja grunted and strained with the controls trying to keep from spinning off into space.
"Katja, get out of there, you'll explode!" shouted Duo as his picture came up fuzzy on her screen. Katja forced her facial muscles to create a smile and responded.
"I…can…handle…it…don't…worry…about me… Du…"
Her sentence was interrupted by a sudden bolt of electricity that shot through her body. Then finished with a blood-curdling scream that slowly tapered off as she passed out.
All the while Duo looked on at the picture transmitted on his screen, then it vanished. The transmission was terminated.
The beam sent out by the cannon melted away to reveal her Gundam tattered an worn by abuse, panels of Gundanium were bent and some almost falling off, frayed electrical wires spouted sparks, as the Gundam floated still.
Once the cannon had fired the mobile dolls had stopped and retreated to the battle ship Libra.
"Remember Gundam pilots, I will follow through, "said Zechs, former Oz commander now going by his real name Milliardo Peacecraft, over an open channel on the radio.
But it fell on deaf ears as Trowa and Duo hooked up towing lines to Katja's Gundam and took it back to the Peacemillion.
When they reached the Peacemillion and locked their Gundams in, Trowa was the first to reach Katja in the Guardian Angel. He punched the emergency open button and the gate fell open. A few sparks were spewed from fayed wires hanging in the entryway, but he wasn't in danger.
Right in front of him was Katja. With her head unconsciously tilted forward, and a steady stream of blood running down her face and patches of soot smeared on her cheeks and forehead.
Her hands still grasped the lifeless controls of her Gundam. Trowa first reached in to pull her hands off the controls. But like what often happened to him, her muscles had contracted to hold that position and wouldn't let go. He slowly unfolded her fingers and laid her hands in her lap. Then tried to undo the harness. It wasn't like his, which you just need to push a button and it opens. He couldn't figure out how to get hers undone, and continued to struggle with it.
Duo came up from behind him trying to help. He had a platform, which hovered by the opening, so they had something to lay her on when they got her out.
"I can't get her out, the harness won't open," said Trowa as he tried to pull on the straps to see if the mechanism would release.
"I've got a knife, we'll cut the strap," said Duo as he frantically reached to his boot for his knife.
"Good. Make sure you cut it on the strap," said Trowa as he grasped the harness where the straps came together, and held it away from Katja's body so Duo wouldn't cut her. Both shoulder straps fell limp on her shoulders; Trowa tossed them over the back of her chair out of the way. Before they could slide her out of the leg straps Duo knelt down and pried her right foot out of a shackle the held her to the chair.
"What's that?" asked Trowa.
"A safety measure. If the Gundam were to explode, the cockpit would seal off and be ejected. This is only to keep her from floating about the cockpit, and to prevent further injuries," replied Duo as he strained to remove Katja's foot.
"Why didn't we have that feature?" asked Trowa.
With one final pull Katja's foot finally came free. Duo stood up and started to help Trowa slide Katja out of the leg straps, as he answered.
"I guess because she was meant to take a beating not us," said Duo as they laid her out on the platform. His eyes scanning over her, it always pained him to see her hurt.
They cleared the gate and floated down to the floor where the other pilots were waiting along with the medic crew.
When they reached the floor the medic crew got a hold of her and started to inspect her for injuries as they ran off to Med. Bay. Leaving Duo and the rest of the pilots behind, worried about their friend.
