Disclaimer: After all the fanfics I've written, I think it's pretty obvious that I don't own Gundam Wing ^_^

This would be the technical chapter of the whole fic. If it conflicts with reality or any other Gundam technical facts, just try to go along and humor me, please? And it would be pretty long too. For comments, suggestions, flames or reviews, you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com

"So what do we do now?" Deity inquired, her fingers absentmindedly playing with her ring.

Rhys noticed what Deity was doing so he looked at his hand. He saw the same ring on his finger. He looked at the hands of his cousins, then his other friends. They all had the same ring --- the exact same ring their fathers had. "Hey guys, didn't you notice that we all have similar rings?"

Everyone glanced at their fingers. They saw a simple gold ring, much like a college ring, with a square black onyx at the middle. "They gave us these rings last Christmas, right?" Kai asked.

"Right. And if I remember it correctly, they told us that whatever happens, these rings will lead us to the legacy they'll leave behind," Deity told them.

They looked at one another, realization dawning on them. "So this ring will lead us to where they kept the Gundams," Trion stated.

"But Raidon already got the Gundams. What's the use of going to the place where they were kept?" Reina inquired.

"We could find something important there --- like a message or something that could help us defeat the Gundams. Besides, I'm sure it's where Tousan is. He'll tell us what to do," Jiiro answered.

"Hn. This ring is either a map, a key or both. But how does this thing work?" Lee queried, tinkering with his ring.

All of them removed their rings and tried to figure out how to activate them.

"I'm sure that to activate them, we should do something deliberate. Our fathers wouldn't want the rings to activate themselves by accident, especially since they are placed in our fingers --- an accident prone area," Kai pointed out.

"I agree. And they must have put some security checks in them to ensure that we're the only ones who can activate them," Rhys added.

"A DNA print," Jiiro voiced out.

Trion nodded. "It's possible. They told us that it's a legacy thing in the first place. DNA checks are the most secure of all security devices. And we all know that Uncle Heero and Uncle Duo are into those kinds of stuff."

"Hmm, let's see. What are the common DNA identification security checks? There's the thumbprint scan, the palm scan, voice verification, hair strand verification and the retina scan," Reina enumerated.

"Let's try them all," Deity suggested. "Ok, thumbprint scan." She placed her thumb on top of the stone. Nothing. "Next, palm scan." She placed the stone in the center of her palm. When nothing happened, she tried a different area in her palm. It was like she was making the stone scan her palm bit-by-bit. Still, nothing happened.

"Let me try," Lee told her. "What's next? Voice verification?" Deity nodded. Lee placed the stone near his lips then said, "Uh, what will I say?"

"Anything. Your can say your name," Jiiro suggested.

"Ok. Lee Fei Chang," he said to the stone. Nothing. "Next, hair strand verification." He took a strand from his head and placed it near the stone. Still nothing. "Last one. Retina scan." He looked up and placed the ring near his eye. Everyone waited with bated breath. "Whoa," Lee commented.

"What? What is it?" Deity asked.

Lee put down his hand and blinked. "It scanned my eye."

"So, it is a retina scan. Cool," Rhys remarked.

"And?" Reina prompted.

Lee looked at the ring. "I swear the stone changed color. Then I saw a number. 05."

"Change color?" Kai said, staring at Lee's ring. It was still black.

Jiiro tried it for himself. He looked up and placed the ring near his eye. After a while, he looked at his friends. "Yup. It changed color alright. I saw something like a grid. I think it's a map. And there's this number --- 01. But I couldn't clearly see the coordinates. They were too small. And once you remove the ring from your eye, it immediately changes back."

Kai furrowed his brows. "01. 05. If I'm not mistaken, those are the numbers of our fathers' Gundams. 01 is the Wing Zero while 05 is the Altron."

"So each ring points to a specific Gundam," Trion deduced.

"It must be a holographic map if it's that small. We need something to enlarge the image or hold it long enough so we can get the coordinates," Reina voiced out.

"Something to hold the image long enough" Deity trailed off as she remembered her Uncle Heero's visit to her Dad when she was 7 years old.

Deity tiptoed to her father's study. Peering in, she saw her Uncle Heero standing with his back turned from the full length mirror. Standing opposite him was her Dad, holding a ring that his bestfriend brought, which was similar to the one he was wearing. The two men's positions weren't unusual really, they always liked talking standing up and her Dad had always liked looking at the mirror. And personally, she believed that her Dad was the only person who had a full length mirror in his study.

"Nice, Heero. You managed to integrate a holo-map to the key ring. I'm impressed. This way, whatever happens to us, our kids would know where to look for the Gundams in case they were ever needed again."

"Hn. One should always be prepared. We'll give them the rings when they're old enough. By the way, give me yours so I could make the necessary adjustments to make it similar to my ring. I'll return it after two weeks."

Duo cocked an eyebrow. "What for? I perfectly know where I hid Deathscythe. I'm the one who put it there years ago, remember? I don't need the holo-map. I wouldn't get lost, if that's what you're thinking."

Heero gave him a look that meant 'baka'. "There'll only be 2 sets of rings --- the ones we already have and then the ones we'll give our firstborns. Our rings will be passed on to our firstborns' firstborns so I need to reconfigure them now that way when the time comes, all I need to change are the DNA prints."

Duo shook his head. "You really think of everything, huh, Heero. It's a great idea, but I really hope that they wouldn't have to use it."

"As do I. It's just a precaution. Peace can only last as long as everyone maintains it. And if ever someone forgets the lesson from the past wars and try to disrupt the peace, the Gundams will be there to remind everyone about it and set everything back in its proper order."

"Yeah. You're right. Hey, do it again. I want to see it," Duo said, tossing the ring to Heero.

Heero caught the ring with his right hand. He was about to place it near his eye when he saw a puff of blue hair from the doorway. "Deity, is that you?"

"A mirror," Deity whispered. "We need a mirror, guys."

"What for?" Rhys asked.

"I remember Dad and Uncle Heero talking about integrating a holo-map with the key ring. When Dad asked Uncle Heero to show it to him again, Uncle Heero's back was turned against a mirror."

"The mirror might hold the image longer once the retina scan is complete," Trion stated. "It's worth a try." He went to the full length mirror in the living room and stood with his back turned as he faced the opposite wall. He looked up and placed the ring in front of his eye. He felt his eye being scanned and when it was complete, the stone turned red. He then saw a number --- 04. He raised the ring a little above his head making it face the mirror. And to everyone's surprise, they saw a holo-map being projected to the wall Trion was facing. But instead of an X that one usually see on treasure maps, a spot was marked with the number 04.

"See, I told you we need a mirror," Deity said happily.

"Hey, that's on Earth!" Rhys told them, pointing at the map.

"Let's try our rings," Jiiro said. The other 6 took their positions and copied Trion's earlier actions. The holo-map on the wall now showed 7 marked areas--- 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, T and a symbol that looked like two crescent moons, one facing the right, the other left, connected at the middle by a line. The first 6 points were placed in some sort of a hexagon while the connected crescent moons (which looked like an elaborate letter 'H') points at the middle of the hexagon.

Reina frowned. "I know what your rings are pointing at, but what about mine? What does that symbol stand for?"

Everybody shrugged. "Well, we could find out. There must be a reason why they gave us the rings. Since the 6 locations are not that far from each other, we could land on the middle where Reina's ring points at then proceed to our respective destinations. We could meet there again afterwards," Kai suggested.

"Good idea. That particular area has lots of mountains --- a perfect place to hide Mobile Suits. We could bring our motorcycles so we could go to and from the rendezvous point," Rhys amended.

"Who would have known that the Gundams were stored not that far from each other. Sure, they might be 2-3 hours away from each other but they're not like placed in different continents. Or in the colonies," Reina said.

"It must be intentional. They must be doing something that requires them to be near each other," Lee pointed out.

Trion gave a small smile. "And our rings are not only maps but also keys to the storages. We should have guessed that our fathers have their own access to the storage facilities. It's impossible that they let the security cards be the only means to get in."

"We better get going. It would be dark soon. And we still need to make some preparations for our trip. Kai, can you ask Rashid to send us a shuttle ASAP?" Jiiro asked. Kai nodded then headed to the vidphone. "Trion and I will gather supplies, Reina and Deity will prepare the food, the rest will check the motorcycles. Oh, and someone must talk to the Principal and invent some valid reason so we'll be excused from school for the next couple of days."

"I'll handle it," Rhys said. "I'm the oldest and the supposed 'legal' guardian of the group. I'll tell them that we have a family emergency. They wouldn't question that."

Kai turned off the vidphone and turned to them. "The shuttle will be here in an hour."

"Ok, let's go to work. What do you guys want, by the way --- tuna or chicken?" Deity asked.

It was already past six when their shuttle landed. The shuttle door opened and the 7 kids went out to survey their surroundings. It was a forest, not a dense one at that but enough to be a good hiding place of something. After a careful inspection of the area, Lee said, "There's nothing here."

"Reina's ring points to either an underground base that is so secure even we couldn't find access to or it just points to the center of the six locations," Rhys remarked.

"Like a guide or a landmark," Trion added.

"Whatever it is, we better go. It will take us at least 2 hours to get to our respective destinations, an hour to search the premises then another 2 hours to get back here," Jiiro told them.

Kai looked at his watch. "Ok, synchronize watches --- 6:15 pm. We'll meet back here after 5 hours." Everyone nodded after adjusting their watches.

They went back to the shuttle to grab their backpacks and get their motorcycles. Deity took her backpack and rummaged through her things. "Food. Flares. Commlink. Flashlights. Extra clothes. Batteries. First aid kit. Extra bullets. Oh, there it is," Deity said as she pulled out her gun and tucked it on her waist.

"It's a good thing our fathers taught us not only combat exercises but also how to use guns behind our mothers' backs," Reina commented, mimicking Deity's gestures.

"They knew that we'll be needing these skills someday. Their foresight had served as well, as always," Lee said, climbing on his motorcycle. The others did the same. Before Reina climbed behind Deity, she turned to look at her brother. She saw him staring intently at her, Kai, Rhys, Lee and Trion regarding her and Deity solemnly as well.

"Don't worry. We'll be careful. Promise," Reina told them.

"Yeah. We'll be fine. We won't do anything stupid," Deity added.

The 5 guys nodded. They knew that those 2 were more than capable of protecting themselves but they couldn't help worrying. They regarded themselves as one big family, and they protected and cared for each other fiercely. They would be damned before they let anything happen to any one of them, especially their 2 girls. When Jiiro saw that everyone were ready to go, he said, "You all go ahead. I'll secure the shuttle by activating the cloaking system and putting on the camouflage net first before going on my way."

"Goodluck," Rhys told everyone before putting on his helmet. Five motorcycles then emerged from the shuttle and went their separate ways.

Deity and Reina stopped at the foot of a mountain. "This is the place. It's got to be here somewhere," Deity remarked as both she and Reina went off the bike. They took out their flashlights and started searching for a way inside. They looked for a hidden slot where the security card could be inserted, an irregularity in the mountain side where a door was supposed to be or a square hole where the key ring would fit.

"I found the card slot but not the ring slot," Reina announced.

Deity kept searching. Then she felt something. "Found it." She placed her hand near the ring slot, making sure that the black stone was inserted into the square hole. All of a sudden, they heard a loud noise as the side of the mountain parted, revealing a large warehouse. Upon entering, the big doors suddenly closed, and if it weren't for their flashlights, they would have found themselves in total darkness. They looked for the control panel and finding it by the side of the door, they turned on the lights. It was a big rectangular room, virtually empty, except for a computer terminal placed at the far end.

Deity pointed to the left. "Dad might have put Deathscythe there."

Reina nodded, noting a security panel where Deity was pointing at. The two girls walked over there to get a closer look. "They really went to a lot of trouble securing this place. If I'm not mistaken, it has infrared sensors and motion detectors," Reina commented. "They really didn't want the Gundams to fall into the wrong hands."

"But the Gundams still fell into the wrong hands," Deity bitterly said.

Reina put a hand on her bestfriend's shoulders. "Come on, we still have to look for something our fathers might have left for us." Deity went to the computer terminal and started hacking into his father's files while Reina looked around.

After a moment, Deity pouted. "Nothing here. Just a bunch of useless files, games, pictures, porn and blackmail vids."

"I have this feeling that we're missing something," Reina remarked from the other side, sweeping a glance at the room one more time. Then something caught her eye. She went to the wall near the computer terminal, examining the bust mounted on the wall. "Hey, this bust looks a lot like Deathscythe, isn't it?"

"Where's Wing Zero and Tousan? They should be here," Jiiro wondered as he worked on the computer terminal. It wouldn't come as a surprise if the others found the storage facilities empty since they already knew that Raidon had the Gundams. But Wing Zero? A small smile suddenly appeared on his lips as he found something interesting among his father's files. It was an encoded file addressed to him and Reina! And the good part was, it was dated just a few hours earlier today. He immediately began cracking code after code. Tousan surely knew how to give me a hard time, he said to himself, knowing that his father intentionally made the codes harder to crack to test his hacking skills. When he cracked the last code, he read the message.

I'll be waiting for the seven of you at the other side. Use Wing Zero and the ring so you can get there.
Tousan

Then all of a sudden, the file was deleted.

Jiiro frowned. Use Wing Zero? He didn't even know where Wing Zero was, much less how to use it. He then remembered seeing a bust of Wing Zero by the wall at the side of the computer terminal. He went to the bust and studied it. He noted that both of its eyes were hollow. He looked at his ring then placed it near the left eye. Nothing happened. He then placed it near the right eye. He saw the stone changed color. He inserted the ring inside, afterwhich, he heard an electronic voice saying, "Please state your full name."

"Jiiro Adin Yuy."

After stating his name, the wall in front of him parted, revealing a large elevator.

"This is one big elevator. You can fit a Gundam in there. Or maybe a large truck," Rhys commented. He went inside. The door automatically closed then he felt himself descending. After a few minutes, it stopped. When the door opened, he saw a large tunnel.

Lee surveyed the tunnel. It wasn't brightly lit but it wasn't that dark either. There was just enough light to see what was ahead of him. "A Gundam can walk upright here. Hmm, maybe they use this to transport the Gundams somewhere without the risk of being seen." But the tunnel seemed endless. It might take him a long time to reach the end. He looked up and saw a hand-glider apparatus attached to the ceiling.

Trion smiled when he found the glider. "So, that's what they use to travel through this tunnel. Looks like fun." He then noticed metal hinges at the wall that could be used as a ladder to reach for the glider. But he had no need for those things. He was an acrobat, just like his father. He stepped back then lunged into the air. He grabbed the glider and pushed himself. The glider started to slide. And just a few seconds later, he found himself gliding fast through the tunnel.

Kai wondered where the tunnel would lead him. He had been hanging from that glider for along time now --- maybe an hour and a half, but he still hadn't stopped moving. His arms were beginning to tire out. "It was like traveling back to the rendezvous point." He then saw a light ahead of him. "Finally, I reached the end." He readied himself and when he neared the tunnel's opening, he jumped off, landing gracefully with one knee bent. "I would have to thank Jiiro and Trion for teaching me how to land safely and properly from a great height."

He stood up and saw a vast chamber. At the center of the room was a big glass tube that reached to the top and to the bottom, both ends he couldn't see. "With the size of that thing, I say two MS standing side by side could fit in there. Or a space shuttle."

He then heard a rumbling noise coming from one of the other five tunnels connected to the chamber. Deity, on her motorcycle, came barging in, Reina dismounting from the glider behind her. Then he saw Rhys, Lee, Trion and finally Jiiro came out of the other tunnels, also dismounting from the hand gliders.

"Umm, surprise?" Deity said.

"Yeah. Fancy meeting you all here," Reina added.

"Deity, you used your motorcycle?" Lee asked.

"Well, yeah. When we got out of the huge elevator, we saw only one glider in the tunnel so we went back up and got my motorcycle."

"I sure hope I thought of that," Rhys commented.

"Why? Didn't you enjoy the glider?" Trion asked. "It was really fun."

"I enjoyed it at first. But hanging 50 ft above the ground and moving very fast for more than an hour and a half took a toll on my arms," Rhys replied.

"I know what you mean. My arms are really sore from hanging for a long time. Our fathers really have a weird notion of fun. Or exercise for that matter," Kai amended.

"I have this distinct feeling that we're under the area where we landed earlier," Jiiro commented.

"Yeah. I think so too. The time we traveled through the tunnels, not to mention the direction we traveled to would surely lead us back where we started," Lee added.

"But if that's the case then this sucks," Deity remarked. "We wasted time traveling to and fro."

"I know. If only we found access here from the top then we could have used this glass tube and I'm sure that by this time, we're already at the bottom," Trion said.

"Did you find anything?" Rhys asked. Kai, Deity, Lee and Trion shook their heads.

"Wing Zero wasn't there," Jiiro told them.

"Huh?" was the collective response.

"But I found a note from Tousan. He said, 'I'll be waiting for the 7 of you at the other side'," Jiiro quickly amended.

"So he must be down there--- a shared underground base of our fathers. That's what my ring is pointing at," Reina said, stepping closer to the large glass tube. She circled the tube, looking for a control panel when she saw a square hole on the glass surface. She inserted her ring, afterwhich they saw a platform from the top of the tube descending. It stopped in front of them and the door opened. The 7 kids trooped in. The door automatically closed then the platform started descending once more. After ten minutes, they felt the platform stopped. When the door opened, they found themselves in another vast room --- some sort of a laboratory. They went out and were greeted by a familiar voice. "You're right on time. I've been waiting for you."

They all turned to where the voice came from. "Tousan!" Reina yelled, running towards Heero, her brother following her in a slower pace.

Heero's face softened as he hugged his daughter. Reina had always been the affectionate one in the family. Releasing Reina, he turned to look at his son. They regarded each other silently, and with his one hand, Heero reached out to tousle his son's already unruly hair, much like his hair. Rhys, Kai, Deity, Trion and Lee watched the Yuy family reunion with wistful eyes. They wished that their parents were also there with them.

Jiiro was the first one to speak. "They got Kaasan," he told his father.

Heero's face hardened again. "I know. She wanted to stay and I couldn't persuade her otherwise. But I promised that I'll be back for her." He turned to the other kids. "We'll get them all back," he promised. The five kids nodded and smiled at him. They very well knew that Heero never broke his promises. "But I'll be needing your help."

Before they could respond, they heard a beep from the main computer terminal. Heero went to it and pressed a button. The face of Raidon Langley appeared on the screen.

"Good evening, citizens of the ESUN. I know that it's already late but I promised that you'll be hearing from me soon, right? So here I am. I don't want you all to think that I don't honor my word." And the scary part was, he actually thought that he was being honorable.

Heero narrowed his eyes while the kids snorted. "Honor? You know nothing of honor," Lee muttered.

"To continue, I'm sad to announce that the whole Preventers organization is no more. I've confirmed reports that all agents were killed during the last battle." Ironically, he didn't sound that sad. Actually, he sounded more pleased than sad. "But don't despair. From now on, Dais Rogue would replace the Preventers in protecting the whole ESUN, occupying the main base here on Earth and in MO-II. That covers the first part of the changes I'm implementing as the new President. The next part is that I'm demolishing the Congregation." He stopped for a dramatic effect, letting the information sink in everyone's brains. "From this day onwards, I now have complete control over the ESUN. I now possess absolute power --- deciding on everything, having a say on anything. My decision would always be the final decision. But aside from that, life would go on as before. Though I have to warn everyone that I don't tolerate any insurgence or treachery. So those who are planning to overthrow me, well, just forget about it ok? This warning extends especially to you, Heero Yuy. Don't try anything stupid, and if ever I felt even a small aggression on your part, I'm going to kill your wife. She's here with me and I'm a little trigger happy. If you're planning to rescue her by attacking the Palace, I'm going to send the go signal to my secret base to blow up one colony after the other until you stop your attack or until your dead. That works both ways. If you try to locate my secret base first, which is very impossible I assure you, and attack it, I'm going to kill your wife without a second thought. So you see, there's no use retaliating. I'm the only one with a vast military power in the whole ESUN, I even have the 4 Gundams and the Tallgeese on my side. Nobody could possibly defeat me," he told everyone with grim conviction. "That's all. Goodnight." The transmission was then terminated.

Lady Une looked down when she heard the news. "A-all of them dead?" she said in a broken voice. "Please forgive me, everyone," she prayed to the dead souls of the Preventer agents under her.

Midii, Sally, Marimeia and Toby were also crestfallen. And though Noin was just a part-time agent, she still felt grief-stricken. They lost all of their comrades in a single day!

Marimeia held her mother's hand. "Remember, it's not your fault. They fought bravely because they knew it was the right thing to do."

Lady Une squeezed her hand. "I know. Death is always a possible consequence of fighting. But it saddens me still."

Hilde sat down, shivering. "Oh God, our kids will be fighting them soon." Dylan, Haley, Carrie, Dierdre, Zeke and Mitzi exchanged worried looks. Their respective siblings and their other friends would face death real soon--- theirs or the deaths they would be inflicting on their enemies.

"Just thinking that they would fight that vast army and the Gundams too makes me wonder if they would ever survive," Dorothy silently said.

"They have to survive! They have to win! The alternative is unthinkable," Catherine remarked.

"I've seen those kids. They are their fathers' children. They will win," Ardy voiced out.

"Yeah. Believe in your children," Toby told them.

The five mothers looked at each other. "We do," they said in unison. "Just like we believe in their fathers," Noin added.

"So, the future of the whole ESUN rests on a handful of kids one again," Sally commented.

A sad smile appeared on Midii's lips. "And that's what makes it so reassuring. Only those who have pure souls can accomplish something that difficult and impossible."

Trowa reached up to turn off the monitor then returned to his bed. They were all stunned silent when they heard that no Preventer agent survived the last battle. Wufei was the only full time agent there but the other 4 were part-time agents, and losing all of their comrades weighed heavily in their hearts.

After a few moments, Trowa said, "He's thinking that Heero will fight him by himself. With that small mistake, Heero is in the advantage."

"And if it's any consolation, he didn't reveal to everyone that Heero is a Gundam Pilot. The people would just think that Heero might retaliate because he's the husband of the President and her Head of Security," Zechs said. "I do hope that they already are with him. That they figured out how the rings work."

Duo laid on his back, both of his arms cradling his head. "Those kids are smart. I'm sure they figured it out by now. And that they're already in the base with Heero."

"I'm glad that we thought of giving them the rings last Christmas or else there wouldn't be any means for them to get to the base," Quatre voiced out.

"The rings are really ingenuous. Each ring points to the location of a specific Gundam storage, also providing access to it. It also provides access to the underground base," Wufei stated.

"And Heero made everything so secure, none of us can even go inside each other's storage areas even if our rings are virtually the same, much less access the elevator once inside. The only persons recognized by the security computer in Deathscythe's storage facility are Deity and I. The same goes with the rest of you, right? But the security computer in the underground base recognizes all of us so we have complete access to it."

"I think Heero didn't input Reina's data on Wing Zero's storage," Zechs told them.

"Wing Zero would be Jiiro's Gundam. Reina has her own," Trowa replied.

Quatre then looked at them worriedly. "Do you think they stand a chance? I mean, even with them helping Heero, they're still outnumbered."

"They are our children. They will win. They're going to become Gundam pilots and Gundam pilots had always faced and overcome impossible odds," Wufei answered confidently. "Besides, Heero wouldn't send them to battle if they still weren't ready."

Quatre sighed. "I know. I can't stop feeling worried though. They're still very young"

"They're the same age as us when we fought," Trowa told him. "Heero and I even fought at a younger age."

"True. But they lived all their lives in peace, unlike us who grew up in a time of war. And we were trained to fight."

"I understand what you're getting at, Quatre. We are all fathers here. But worrying about them won't do them or us any good. We just have to believe in the abilities of our children," Zechs said.

Wufei nodded his assent. "Zechs is right. They might have grown in a secure, peaceful world but we taught them some skills that will aid their survival. And we instilled in them the importance of justice, peace and responsibility since they were little. They'll do fine."

"I believe in our children. And I also had accepted the fact that they had to fight. But it bothers me to think that they'll become like us. We've always shouldered the burden of fighting so nobody else had to suffer. If we fight, we're the only ones who will be tainted, who will be miserable, we are the only ones who will have to die. But after all of this, my angel will become the Angel of Death. And I'm the one who led her to become that. Because I am a Gundam pilot, and even if I don't want to, Deathscythe, fighting and protecting peace would still be my legacy to her," Duo said grimly.

Everyone remained silent. They knew how true Duo's words were --- they were all feeling the same thing. After this, even if their children survive the battle, they would never be the same again. Their innocence would forever be stripped away from them. And the thought that their children would end up doing the same sacrifice as they did, as well as they were the ones who brought this upon their own children gnawed at their hearts.

When the transmission was over, Rhys asked, "How can we help, Uncle Heero?"

As a response, Heero pushed a button on the computer terminal. They heard a humming noise as the wall at the far side of the room went up. The seven kids were shocked when they saw what was inside. Five Mobile Suits stood majestically, all of which were exact replicas of Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Altron and the Tallgeese. The colors were a tad lighter though.

Kai voiced out the question in everyone's minds. "Do you mean that the Gundams Raidon got were fakes and these were the real ones?"

"No. Raidon have the original Suits. These are the Experimental Suits we've patterned after them," Heero said. "What I need for all of you to do is to pilot these Suits."

"Umm, Uncle Heero, we don't know how to pilot Mobile Suits, much less if we could fight our own fathers," Lee told him.

"Don't worry. You wouldn't be fighting your fathers. They were not the ones who piloted the Gundams that attacked the Palace."

"How did you know?" Deity asked.

"Since I've known your fathers all my life, I should be able to recognize their fighting style by now. I've seen the way the Gundams fought and moved during the last battle and I'm certain that it's not them. Those pilots might have been good but it was evident that it was their first time to pilot a Gundam," Heero explained. Suddenly, he asked, "Did you use the simulation game I gave you a year ago?"

"All the time," Trion answered.

"Then you'll have no problem piloting these Suits. I designed that simulation game and the other ones we let you play since you were little to teach you how to pilot Mobile Suits, in preparation for the day that you'll need to fight." He then looked at Jiiro. "I need you to pilot Wing Zero for me."

Jiiro nodded. "What about me, Tousan? I want to help too," Reina said.

Heero didn't reply. Instead, he motioned for them to follow him. He led them to the opposite end. "Open it, Reina," Heero told her daughter when they reached the wall.

Reina saw a bust mounted on the wall, just like the one of Deathscythe she and Deity saw earlier. But she couldn't recognize what kind of MS it was --- it looked a lot like Wing Zero but she was sure that it wasn't. Well, she didn't care what Gundam it was as long as it would reveal something that would make her help the others. She inserted her ring inside the bust's right eye. An electronic voice then said, "Please state your full name."

"Reina Keiko Yuy."

Upon stating her name, the wall went up, revealing a Gundam that looked exactly like Wing Zero except that it was black and it had 10 planetary defensors. So that's where they patterned the bust, she thought.

"You'll pilot that Gundam, Reina," Heero told her.

"Is that another Experimental Suit?" Reina asked.

"No. It's an old Suit. It's called the HAVOC."

HAVOC? They'd read about that Gundam from history books and they'd heard stories about it from their parents. But unlike the other Gundams, there were no pictures of the HAVOC --- having only a few people who actually saw it.

"But I thought that it self detonated 20 years ago during Operation Domino and that the only person who had the plans and the ability to build it died in that explosion too," Kai said.

"Professor Arbus attached the HAVOC's design plans and everything about the interface matrix in his last transmission to the scientists. But even with his step-by-step instructions, it still took the 5 scientists 8 years to perfect the interface matrix. And when they died we continued with the construction."

"If what I read was correct, the HAVOC requires more strength to pilot than the other Gundams," Jiiro said. "Maybe I should be the one to pilot it. It might be too much for Reina"

"No! I'll pilot the HAVOC. I can handle it," Reina assured them.

"Don't worry about Reina, Jiiro. She can handle it. I wouldn't ask her if I know that she's not the right candidate for the job. She's more suited to pilot HAVOC as you are more suited to pilot Wing Zero. Besides, the original pilot of the HAVOC was a girl."

"But---" Jiiro started to say when a voice cut him off.

"Your father is right, Jiiro. I wouldn't have chosen Reina to be my successor if I know that she couldn't handle it." They all jerked their heads to the direction of the voice. They saw a pretty lady, about Heero's age, with shoulder-length auburn hair and gray-green eyes standing outside the glass tube. And inside the glass tube were their shuttle and a motorcycle. The lady smiled at them. "I thought that it would be better if I take the shuttle with me. It would be safer that way." She went to terminal and punched some keys. The platform descended again, taking the shuttle and the bike with it.

Rhys' eyes were wide. "H-how did you see the shuttle? We covered it with the camouflage net and its cloaking device was activated. How did you bypass the security systems? Jiiro made it himself!"

As an answer, Heero went to Athena, motioning the kids to do the same. "She's Athena Arbus Mazaki, the pilot of the Gundam HAVOC," Heero introduced.

Realization dawned on them. She was the girl that their fathers referred to as the Goddess of War, and the Perfect Pretender. Her skills were as legendary as Heero's. "So that's how," Lee said. They all studied her. At first look, nobody would think that she was a trained soldier - with her pretty face, slight frame and easy smile. But there was something about her that reminded them of someone else--- a guy, or someone just as strong. Their gazes settled on Heero. Then it clicked. Heero. Her aura, her stance even the intense expression on her eyes --- she was just like Heero!

Athena punched some keys again and they saw the platform rise up from below the tube, stopping by their floor. But its earlier contents were gone. "To be honest, it took me a longer time than usual to crack the code. Your son makes one hell of a security program," Athena told Heero. She then addressed the kids. "I kept your shuttle with my bike below. It's our underground garage."

"Now I know why you look so familiar. Kaasan has a picture of you. She said that you're one of her bestfriends," Reina said. Then she remembered something. "But you're supposed to be dead!"

"Yeah. You self-detonated the HAVOC, blowing up the whole colony where Damon's base was. Nobody even as skillful as you could possibly escaped that! It's simply impossible," Trion remarked.

"Everything you said is true. By that time, I already accepted the fact that I'm going to die. What I didn't know was that Grandpa made changes in HAVOC's internals. Instead of making the self-detonation device blow up from the cockpit, then spread throughout the whole body, he put several detonation devices in every part of the HAVOC, excluding the cockpit. And even if he made sure that the blast would wipe out a whole colony, he made the cockpit safe from it. The blast then served as a catapult for the cockpit to be thrown off as far away as possible at the last second. But being synchronized with the HAVOC, I still felt like exploding to pieces during that last second. So my cockpit drifted off with me inside, unconscious, for God knows how long. It was a good thing that the scientists found the attachments in Grandpa's last transmission, even detailing the change in HAVOC's designs so they started searching for me. When they found me, I was, again, in a coma. They took me in and cared for me then after 6 months, I woke up. Luckily, this time I didn't suffer from memory loss though I still have to undergo extensive physical therapy. After a year, I regained all of my physical faculties and skills. It was then that we started rebuilding the HAVOC. Grandpa taught me most of the things regarding the HAVOC's construction and having been the only person who could pilot it efficiently, I'm a crucial help to the scientists," Athena explained.

"But why would you want to rebuild the HAVOC? I thought everyone recognizes it as a mistake, a monster that shouldn't be unleashed to the world?" Jiiro asked.

"Well, the scientists thought that there might come a time that the Gundams would be needed again, and the HAVOC, having proven itself already to be valuable ally, would be a great help if that happens. What makes the HAVOC a monster is that it consumes the pilot's mind and body --- exerting too much physical and mental strain that is above any normal person could endure. But they saw that the HAVOC could be tamed by making the Zero system be activated manually. With this in mind, and the fact that as long as its pilot knows what he's fighting for, it is safe to rebuild the HAVOC. Besides, the HAVOC is an exquisite piece of machinery, the scientists couldn't resist rebuilding it," Athena answered.

"During that time, none of us was aware that Athena was alive or that the scientists were rebuilding the HAVOC," Heero told them. "Even this underground base wasn't built yet. But the separate storage facilities were. In AC 203, Dr. J contacted me and asked my help regarding the HAVOC. My computer company was starting to get recognized and they needed my skills, not to mention my resources and connections, to finish constructing the HAVOC. Because of the rapid demilitarization, it was harder for them to get the necessary materials without being questioned. So I contacted the other pilots and we all agreed to help them. Of course, we discovered that Athena was alive by then. But she asked us not to tell anybody about it, even Relena. And though I know that Relena will get mad at me once she finds out the truth, I still agreed to her request. We all did."

"Don't worry. I'll just tell her that I asked you to do it. She knew you and me well enough to believe that," Athena assured him. She then continued. "Also during that time, we came up with the idea of having our own anonymous, technical school. It was a perfect cover for our little 'reconstruction' operation, a great source of funding and also a perfect opportunity for us to share our technical knowledge and expertise to the younger generation. So we built RECON."

Seven eyes widened with the revelation. "WHAT?! You own RECON?!" Kai exclaimed.

"Well, yeah. Your fathers, the 5 scientists, and I were the founders, the Board of the Directors and the stockholders there. Who else do you think would come up with the idea of an anonymous school than those people who are hiding their identities? But don't worry. We can't influence any of the student's grades nor do we want to. We don't even look at them. Your fathers just provide the funding and the necessary technology that the school might need while I'm the one assigned to make sure that everything in the school goes smoothly. Like the Directress or the Head Mistress. That's why I was late in coming here. We had our monthly staff meeting. I arranged everything first before I go, knowing that I won't be back soon. But everything else we leave to the Principal and the teachers."

"So you're the Directress. No student in RECON had ever laid eyes on you," Reina commented.

"It's part of being anonymous. But the teachers knew me, obviously."

"With RECON built, we continued the reconstruction of HAVOC. The scientists then died one by one. When the last one of them died in AC 209, we decided to build this underground base. We transferred everything here and continued working on what the scientists left unfinished. The next year, I started integrating a holo-map to the key ring in preparation for the day that we'll give them to you," Heero said.

Athena continued with the story. "In AC 211, the HAVOC was finished. Of course, I couldn't wait to test it myself. After a few runs, we discovered that though the HAVOC was fully operational, I couldn't pilot it anymore. My body had been pushed to its limit by surviving two self-detonations that it couldn't possibly handle the physical stress and burden of piloting the HAVOC any longer. So I started to look for someone who'll be my successor. It was then that I chose Reina. Even at 8 yrs old, she was showing great potential. But I needed to ask permission from her father first."

"The other pilots and I have always accepted the possibility of you replacing us as Gundam Pilots one day. We are the only ones who know where the Gundams are hidden, it only follows that we'll leave the location to you and grant you access to the storage facilities. That way, if ever the Gundams were needed again and we're gone, you know where to get them. But we also know that in order for all of you to fully realize the Gundams' capabilities, you'll need special training. That's why we started training you bit by bit since you were little through those combat exercises, mind exercises and game simulations. We prefer that you wouldn't need to use these skills, but training you for something you might not need is better than being caught unprepared. Besides, your training is good for your physical and mental well being," Heero told them.

"When Athena asked my permission to make Reina succeed her as HAVOC's pilot, I wasn't surprised. I also saw what Athena saw in her and knowing the fact that finding a suitable pilot for the HAVOC is just as hard as finding a suitable pilot for Wing Zero, I agreed. By then, all of you were showing signs of advancement so we started personalizing each of your training, making it suit what MS you'll be piloting. In Jiiro's case, I started to expose him to the Zero System little by little through the game simulation I made for him while I subjected Reina to the combat simulations and mind exercises Athena designed for her. And when we thought that all of you were ready, we gave you the rings."

The seven kids were stunned with everything they learned that day. They felt like their brains were in danger of information overload.

Deity then remembered something. "Hey, you said that those 5 MS are Experimental Suits. What do you mean by that? What's the difference between them and the original ones?"

"The difference lies on the way they are piloted. After we finished reconstructing HAVOC, we came up with the idea of using the HAVOC's interface matrix to create another MS system. You see, the interface matrix is advantageous in the sense that the pilot wouldn't need to rely on monitors or grip control handles. He only had to rely on himself, like any other soldier in battle. But there's one setback --- the interface matrix takes a huge toll on the pilot, both physically and mentally, having been synchronized to the Gundam body and mind. The pilot must be strong physically, his body taking the burden of moving the the Gundam as if they were one body and also enduring the pain of being hit. He must be able to think and do two or more things at the same time too. So we tried to develop a system that has the advantages of the interface matrix minus most of the dangers. And the Brainwave Control System is the result of that experiment. The Neo-Deathscythe, Neo-Heavyarms, Neo-Sandrock, Neo-Altron and the Neo-Tallgeese all have the BCS integrated in them," Athena said.

"How does this BCS actually work?" Lee asked.

"It works just like a virtual reality game, much like the one I made for you," Heero replied. "The pilot enters the cockpit from behind, standing up. He then puts on the interface helmet, thereby connecting the pilot's brain to the Gundam. Once activated, the pilot would feel like he was the one standing there, battling. If he sees an enemy, he can jump, kick or dodge, the BCS converting the pilot's 'virtual' actions into 'real' actions that the Gundam mimics. If the pilot needs his weapons, he doesn't need to remember where they are kept in the Gundam's body nor does he need to clear his mind and think 'fire vulcans'. There are virtual representations of each weapon that the pilot could see, all he needs to do is to pick up the weapon and the BCS would interpret the action, making the Gundam reach for it or fire it. And when the Gundam is hit, the pilot wouldn't feel the actual pain of it because he's not physically synchronized with the Suit. But he'll feel the impact just like any other pilot in any other MS. With the BCS, we managed to eliminate the mental burden of controlling the Gundam through one's mind while battling and the physical stress the Gundam exerts on the pilot."

"But because the brain is doing all the work, it still exerts some mental stress on the pilot. Though it's minimal, tolerable and not that dangerous. After piloting the BCS-integrated Gundams for prolonged periods, the pilot will need plenty of food and rest. It's like studying the whole day and night for three 2-hr long exams the next day," Athena added. She saw the kids cringed with the idea of studying for an exam. She smiled at them. "With sufficient rest, food and mind exercises, there'll be no problem."

"You refer to those 5 Experimental Suits as 'Gundams'. Is Neo-Tallgeese a Gundam too?" Rhys inquired.

"No. We suggested to your father to make Neo-Tallgeese from gundamium alloy but he refused. Zechs wanted it to be made out of Titanium alloy, like its predecessors," Heero answered. "We just got used to referring to them collectively as Gundams."

"When can we start our training?" Trion queried.

"We'll start training tomorrow. We know that you had a long day so you must get some rest. There are two rooms here with bunk beds. Both have their own bathrooms. Reina, Deity and I will sleep in that room," Athena pointed, "while you guys sleep on the next room."

"But first you must get your motorcycles and take them to the underground garage," Heero said.

"Why do you have an underground garage?" Jiiro asked.

"We couldn't possibly leave our bikes up there, could we? And we don't land shuttles here. Even if we secure them and this place is far from civilization, it's still too risky. We land at the nearest town then use our motorcycles to come here," Athena told them.

"Oh, so that's why you took our shuttle down," Kai remarked.

"Sorry if we compromised the location of the base," Deity said.

"No problem. You didn't know. Besides, I doubt that just anybody could find access here. We're just being cautious," Athena assured them.

"Come on guys, let's get our motorcycles. I'm starving," Jiiro told them while walking towards the glass tube.

"Yeah, me too. You'll love what Deity and I prepared for you," Reina said, following her brother, the others trailing behind her.

"This had been a long day. I can't wait to eat," Rhys stated.

"Then let's hurry up. My stomach is growling," Trion told them, inserting his ring in the square hole.

"Well, Reina and I wouldn't need to go very far. I just left my motorcycle at the second level," Deity said as they entered the glass tube.

"We should have thought of bringing the motorcycles with us in the tunnels," Lee grumbled before the platform rose up the tube.

Heero's faced hardened while Athena's eyes regained its cold, determined expression as they watched the rising platform. They knew that they had no choice, that they were doing the right thing. But in the back of their minds, they dreaded for tomorrow to come. For tomorrow, they would start stripping away those kids' innocence. And in order for this mission to be successful, they had to turn those kids into the ultimate fighting machines. Those kids' very own survival and the fate of the whole ESUN depended on it.

Heero looked at his wedding ring, conjuring up the face of his wife. Athena looked at him and though he had his soldier's mask on, she knew what he was thinking. "After this is over, tell Relena that I'm sorry too."

Heero stared at the wedding ring on his left hand, then at the key ring on his right. "We should also be saying sorry to those kids because of what we're going to do to them."

Athena nodded. They knew what they had to do, but, hell, it still was hard. And it was even harder for Heero. Because three days after tomorrow, Jiiro and Reina would become what she and Heero were. Perfect Soldiers.