Gundread Wing

Disclaimer: Even though there is another fanfic based on the same idea of the characters of Gundam Wing crossing over to the universe of Vandread, I wanted to take a whack at it myself, hence the different name. In any case, the characters mentioned in this story belong to their own respective creators.

< >: Thoughts

Chapter One

Mission Accepted

Somewhere deep in space, the Earth colony ship known as the Ikazuchi cruised through the endless, dark vacuum. It had left its home world more than a year ago, and was now nearing a system in which several planets that were capable of supporting human life had been detected. The passengers were eager to disembark and start their new lives on those worlds, and they were more than prepared to colonize.

In the engineering section of the ship, the mighty power source known as Paksis Pragma hummed as its energy provided the huge craft with propulsion, navigation and most importantly, life-support. The huge crystal was encased in a housing, which contained and collected its vast energies to be used by the ship and its crew. However, it was too large to be removed from the Ikazuchi. Therefore, unless the colonists planned to live in the ship once they landed on a world, the reactor could not be separated and utilized. Plans were in the making, to recreate the ship as a kind of power station for the first city they would erect on the planet of their choosing. Furthermore, new scientific theories were being developed as well.

As a matter of fact, the engineering staff were about to put their first prototype through its paces.

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"So is everything all right?" The head technician asked his aide.

The aide nodded as he gestured to a large cylindrical object that was mounted on a large table. "We’re ready to test out the miniature Paksis generator."

"Excellent! If all the tests go well, then we’ll be able to mass-produce these portable power sources and distribute them to all the colonies that we establish. We won’t have to build all of our cities near the Ikazuchi once it touches down."

"It’s still incredible. To think that inside that device is enough power to keep a large city running for a hundred years nonstop." The aide remarked as he gazed at the device. The object was roughly the size of a beer keg, but within its metal casing was a fragment of Paksis crystal as big as a man’s fist. Normally, a piece that small would destabilize after being broken off the main body of the Paksis Pragma, but the reactor core was being maintained by the magnetic fields the casing produced.

"Keep in mind, that there’s enough explosive power in that casing that’s equivalent to ten thousand fusion bombs." The head technician warned. "Also remember that we still don’t know a lot about the Paksis Pragma. We’ve been receiving some strange reactions from it lately and some of the readings don’t make any sense at all."

His subordinate nodded. "I saw the reports. Hard to believe that an inorganic crystal can give off bio-waves. Are you sure that the scanners aren’t malfunctioning?"

"I triple-checked all the systems. Everything’s working fine. In any case, we haven’t detected any anomalies from the fragment that we chipped off the main reactor and the captain gave us the okay to go ahead with the testing."

"All right."

Both men went over to the console and began the testing procedures. The device was activated and started thrumming with power. For the first few minutes, all seemed to be well as the machine did as its creators had intended. However, just as the engineers were about to congratulate themselves, an alarm began to sound and the miniature Paksis generator started shaking violently.

"What’s wrong?"

The aide gulped as he saw the readouts on his console. "Oh no! The magnetic field pulse has become erratic! It wasn’t enough to keep the reaction stable! The Paksis is starting to decrystalize!"

"Oh no! If that Paksis decrystalizes, then it’ll explode like a nuclear bomb! We have to get rid of it, now!"

The assistant nodded as he activated the safety protocols. Instantly, the device was grasped by a robotic arm and was loaded into ejection port. In less than a heartbeat, the failed experiment was jettisoned into space and was sent hurtling into the airless abyss.

Both engineers let off a sigh of relief as they watched on the monitor. The reactor become a distant dot and two minutes later, a bright flash was seen. The shockwaves of the massive explosion washed over the ship, causing the hull to tremble and quake. However, the Ikazuchi held firm and survived the crisis.

However, what they did not know was that a new crisis would soon occur aboard their vessel. One that would have repercussions over the next three generations.

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A few moments before the explosion...

The miniature reactor flashed with light as it was about to release its power all at once. However, due to a coincidence of astronomical proportions, an object the size of a basketball slammed into its side. It was a simple piece of space debris that contained some rare, radioactive isotopes. When it came into contact with the energies of the Paksis fragment, it caused a chain reaction, which resulted in a massive explosion that ripped a hole in the fabric of the space-time continuum. The Paksis fragment burst from its metal casing and was sucked into the tear before it sealed itself up again.

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Another universe, Earth, the year is After Colony 199...

Heero Yuy nodded as he looked over the wreckage of Wing Zero. It had been two years since the forces of the White Fang had been put to rest. The rebellion had been led by the daughter of the late Treize Kushrenada, in which they had intended to carry out the original Operation Meteor. Fortunately, the Gundam Pilots had been there to stop the madness.

At age eighteen, Heero Yuy was now taller and his face was more defined than it had been during his days as a Gundam pilot. Currently, he was wearing a pair of faded jeans, brown leather boots, black muscle shirt and a matching leather jacket. His dark brown hair wafted in the night air in its usual, tousled style of disarray. His hands were in his pockets as he surveyed the remains of the most powerful Mobile Suit to have ever been created.

Wing Zero had not been touched since its final battle. A few yards away were the shattered and useless components of its mightiest weapon, the Twin Buster Rifle. The main body of the mecha was now just an empty shell of mangled Gundanium alloys, burnt-out circuitry and rusting servos. The unique wing verniers were bent out of shape and damaged beyond all hope of repair. The power cells had long since been exhausted. And the heart of the Mobile Suit; the Zero System, was no longer operational. There was nothing that could be salvaged and in this time of peace, such a devastating weapon was not needed nor wanted.

The Gundam Pilot of Colony L1 sighed as he decided that that it was time to stop reminiscing about old times and get on with the rest of his life.

"Rest in peace, Wing Zero."

With those words, Heero turned and headed back to where he had parked his motorcycle. A minute later, he was speeding down the road, away from the reminder of his past.

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High above the Earth’s atmosphere, a bright light flashed across space. The object had just emerged from a violent trip across the fabric of reality and was now plummeting toward the blue planet. The heat of reentry made it glow red-hot and caused its molecular structure to undergo another transformation. It began speeding even faster toward the surface of the planet, heading right for a certain area when an old relic of the last Mobile Suit war lay.

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As he rode on his cycle, Heero thought about the direction that his life was taking. Since his early childhood, he had been trained as an assassin and warrior. He was proficient with all types of firearms and was a master strategist. His physical abilities had all been enhanced and he was whiz with computer equipment. He had been created to be the perfect soldier.

However, it seemed that he had been trained to make himself obsolete. What use was a great warrior when there was no war? Where does a soldier go when there were no battles to be fought? With the attainment of true peace, what was Heero supposed to do without a mission?

For a time, the Gundam pilot had been trying to fit into this era of no aggression. He had gotten himself a job as a mechanic at a space dock facility. The job paid very well, but it was very monotonous. Nothing ever changed and Heero often wished he was back in Wing Zero again and fighting against OZ or the White Fang. However, Mobile Suit production had sharply declined and were now being used for civilian projects. Heero’s greatest talent was considered worthless.

As for his social life, though he had slowly begun opening up his emotions at the end of the war, the former Gundam warrior still retained much of his serious, all-business, straightforward, and cold attitude. He had been more than willing to show his growing affection to Relena, but unfortunately she had become ever more involved with politics and maintaining the peace. As a high-ranking ambassador for the new Earth Sphere Alliance, she kept a very busy schedule. Eventually, both Heero and Relena came to accept the fact that they were not meant to be and drifted apart, with him retreating back into his cold, hard shell. Heero infrequently kept in contact with his fellow Gundam pilots as they too had their own lives to lead. Wufei was now part of the Prevention Organization. Quatre had his father’s empire to see to. Duo ran his salvage yard with Hilde, and Trowa remained with the circus. So where did that leave the greatest of the Gundam pilots?

Just as he glanced back at the place where the wreckage of his Gundam was, he caught a glimpse of something flashing down toward it. He stopped his cycle and watched as the object fell. Then a bright flash of light was seen, marking its landing and Heero knew that he had to check it out. He turned his cycle about and headed back toward Wing Zero’s resting-place.

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The Paksis Fragment had hit the main body of Wing Zero hard, and imbedded itself into the chest area, just above the open cockpit. Immediately, the piece of alien crystal became alive, literally. Without the reactor's magnetic pulse to keep it in check, plus the unexpected chain reactions caused by the dimensional rift, the Paksis started to undergo a physical metamorphosis. Instead of destabilizing, it melted into a kind of gel and seeped into the Gundanium alloys and defunct circuit boards. When it reached the inactive Zero System, another reaction took place as power was fed through all the decaying relays. The Paksis began assimilating all the stored data that was imprinted on the main computer's memory files. This included the schematics of the customized Gundam and of its pilot. The wreckage became bathed in light as tendrils of crystal began forming from various parts of the mass. Each tendril writhed about, seeking and probing its surrounding. When each tendril came in contact with a piece of Wing Zero, it snagged the component and drew it back toward the main body. Limbs were reattached, parts became fused, and missing areas became whole again. The most powerful Gundam in existence was being resurrected!

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Heero's bike came to a dead stop when he arrived at the scene. His eyes widened in amazement, breaking his usual cold façade. It was like seeing an old friend come back from the dead as he could only stare in silence. In less than a minute, Gundam Wing Zero was whole again as it lay on its back. There were some differences in its appearance than what it had been before. The wings had a kind of crystal sheen to their surfaces, making them refract light. The blue and white armor with red trim was now white with black trim. Its overall form was sleeker and had more graceful lines.

Then, beyond all belief, the Gundam moved on its own accord. It slowly rose to its feet and stood tall. At an impressive height of over sixty feet, it surveyed its surroundings. When it caught sight of the broken Twin Buster Rifle, it extended a hand and more crystal tendrils appeared. They immediately picked up the pieces and fused them back together. The mecha's mightiest weapon was now in its possession again. Then the head of the Gundam turned and saw Heero.

Inside the cockpit, the newly restored and enhanced sensors focused on the human below. The monitors let off a series of flashes as his ID was confirmed. Wing Zero, though it was fully restored and powered up, was still missing its most vital component, the pilot.

In an instant, the mecha suddenly leaned forward and extended its free hand toward Heero. The former Gundam pilot was shocked out of his stupor as his reflexes and training took over. He managed to duck under the huge hand and swerve to the left. However, the Paksis-powered Mobile Suit would not be denied. It turned to follow his movements then decided to cut off Heero's avenue of escape. On its torso, two housings opened up to reveal the Wing Vulcans. The gattling guns opened fire, but not with bullets. The projectiles were solid energy plasma shots that burned like lasers, but had the same penetrating power as armor-piercing, high-powered ammunition. Heero stopped as the area before him was sprayed. Just as he turned to head in a different direction, he was immediately swept up by the Gundam and brought toward the chest area. The hatch opened up and Heero was deposited inside.

Heero struggled to escape, but the hatch closed up as he once again found himself in the control chair. That was when the monitor lit up and the Zero System activated itself.

Heero felt as if his brain was on fire as Paksis energy flooded his body. The strain was too much for him to handle all at once and he blacked out.

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Some time later...

Heero groaned as he came to. He looked about and saw that he was still inside the restored Wing Zero. However, he felt somewhat different. He reached over and accessed the hatch release. The cockpit opened up and the pilot was greeted with the first rays of dawn. He wondered what had occurred, the night before and why he was once again in the cockpit of his former Gundam. Weren't Gundams and other Mobile Suits unnecessary in this era of peace?

As he contemplated his situation, he then decided to test out the Gundam. Taking a deep breath, he closed the hatch and began starting up the controls.

Wing Zero spread its angelic wings and took to the sky.

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Somewhere beyond Earth's orbit...

Heero couldn't believe it. Wing Zero's reaction time was near perfect! With the enhanced Zero System online, the Gundam reacted as if it were his own body. Its maneuverability was better than he ever remembered and the speed output was mind-boggling! It put every Mobile Suit he ever piloted to shame. And its thruster output was beyond belief. He had shot into space and out of orbit without the use of a shuttle. He wasn't certain what kind of power source the Mobile Suit was using, but he began to suspect that it was of alien origin. If so, then Wing Zero may just have unlimited range.

The weapon systems were nothing to sneeze at either. The Wing Vulcans were now using a kind of ammunition that automatically regenerated itself. There was no longer any need to constantly refill the ammo belts. The beam sabers did not take as long to recharge and were capable of slicing through Gundanium like butter. As for the Twin Buster Rifle... well, if Heero was interpreting the computer readouts correctly, then whatever had revived the Gundam had also increased the weapon's payload and output. He could completely atomize two space colonies with a single shot. Furthermore, the rifle had its own regenerating power source as well.

Though he was quite impressed with the enhanced Wing Zero, the Gundam pilot still had to acknowledge the fact that such a machine was not required in this point in time. In a way, both he and the Gundam were considered obsolete. They were now out of place in a world with no conflict or missions. They no longer belonged in this reality. One more thing was the Gundam, though it was a thrill to control, was still no substitute to fill the aching void in Heero's heart. Relena was no longer there and Heero seemed destined to be forever... alone.

It was then that he spotted a flash of light that was nearing the Earth. Engaging the long-range monitors, he saw that it was a shuttle that was flying toward an orbital station. He then saw something else heading on a collision course with it.

Wing Zero sped forward like a hawk to intercept.

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Aboard the shuttle, Relena was startled from the book she was reading as alarms went off. Looking out her window, she gasped as she saw a derelict transport careening toward the station, just as her shuttle was making docking maneuvers. Her aide came to her side and informed her of the crisis.

"Miss Ambassador, we must prepare to evacuate immediately!"

"What's going on?"

"I've just been informed that an old research carrier had somehow drifted into our space and it's heading right for us!"

"Can't they stop it?"
The aide shook his head. "They don't dare use the defense cannons since that carrier is too close and is loaded with extremely volatile isotopes that were slated for disposal. Destroying the carrier would cause a massive chain reaction that would destroy us all and create a fallout that would rain down on the Earth!"

Both of them looked out the window and saw that it was too late for anyone to do anything. In less than a minute, the carrier would crash into the station and destroy them all. However, that was when Relena spotted another flash of light, which quickly came alongside the carrier and began pushing at its bow. When they were close enough, the Ambassador gasped.

"It's Wing Zero!"

"A Gundam?!" The aide had thought that all Mobile Suits had been banned.

Relena however, was not concerned about that particular law. If Wing Zero was here than that meant that the pilot was...

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Heero pushed his newly enhanced thrusters to their limits as he desperately tried to alter the carrier's trajectory. Little by little, the massive craft had begun to change course. However the strain began to put stress on the hull and cargo hold. Several canisters were jostled as vapors and chemicals started leaking. The radioactive isotopes began glowing and some of the ship's decayed circuitry began sparking. The situation had turned critical.

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Everyone on the shuttle and station held their breath, as the massive carrier loomed ever closer. It looked like the end. However, at the last moment, the Gundam put on one final burst from its thrusters and the carrier missed hitting the station by mere inches. Then it began veering off toward deep space.

The people let off a cheer as their savior pushed the craft away from the Earth. On board the shuttle, Relena smiled. She knew who had piloted Wing Zero. Who else could it be?

"Mission... accomplished." She said, quoting the man she loved.

However, her warm feelings instantly turned to shock as the carrier suddenly exploded in a ball of light, engulfing Wing Zero. The shockwaves of the explosion shook the station and the shuttle.

When the light of the explosion died out, Relena looked for any sign of the Gundam. However, there was nothing but the remains of the carrier. In her chest, she felt her heart begin to break as she realized that Heero was gone... forever. Like the man who had been the hero of the Space Colonies, the Gundam pilot known as Heero Yuy had gone out in a blaze of glory and was now a martyr.

"Heero..."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

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In another reality...

"My Dread is stuck and I can't get out!" Dita cried out as she realized that she couldn't move.

"Come on! Move it! Move it!" Hibiki worked the controls of the Vanguard he was in, but it refused to budge.

Just outside of the reactor room, Jura and Meia were waiting for their comrade but time was running out.

Inside the old section of the Ikazuchi, the Paksis core began glowing in reaction to the impending danger. The newer section had just fired a couple of torpedoes at it. Below it, the pirate vessel was busy in extracting its crewmembers. On the bridge, Magno's eyes furrowed. They weren't going to make it.

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The space-time continuum was once again disrupted as a new rip in reality occurred. This time, the dimensional tear happened between the pirate vessel and the incoming space torpedoes. A bright flare of light as brilliant as the corona of a star heralded the appearance of a new player. Gundam Wing Zero had arrived.

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"What is that?!" Magno cried out as she saw what appeared to be a larger, more heavily armored version of the male Vanguards.

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Inside the cockpit, Heero shook himself out of the nausea and dizziness. His main monitor then began displaying the image of the torpedoes heading straight for him. Without a second thought, he nodded and reacted.

"Mission... accepted!"

Bringing out the Twin Buster Rifle, he engaged the targeting computer and fired.

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A huge beam of energy lanced out and blasted both torpedoes, just as the Paksis core let loose with its own power. In response to it, Wing Zero's Paksis also flared and released energy. The pirate vessel, the Ikazuchi and everyone aboard both vessels were engulfed in a light that dwarfed that of a supernova. A moment later, the ships and the Gundam vanished.

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Heero felt as if he were falling in a sea of green. And in his mind's eye, he wasn't alone. He saw four others, plus an oval-shaped object falling with him. One of them was a short, stocky male, while the other three were female. In one brief instant he saw the face of a beautiful girl with short, light aqua hair and a strange black headpiece worn over one side of her face.

Then everything went dark.

To be continued...?

Author's notes

Well, after constant pressure from a few readers, I've written the first and probably the only chapter of Gundread Wing. I decided that if I ever continue this, it would probably take over Gundam Evangelian. There are some ideas of having the other Gundam boys join Heero, but I feel that just one Gundam pilot would be enough. After reading Gundread on fanfiction.net, I felt that it was too rushed and not enough detail. In any case, you can probably tell that this would be a Heero/Meia pairing. They would be the most compatible, right? In any case, don't expect it to be continued any time soon, hence its place in the Maybe Now, Maybe Later, Maybe Never section.