After the end of the war between the Earth and Space Colonies, the world finally reached a long sought after status of peace, and it appeared that the Mobile Suits, especially the Gundams, were no longer needed now that the war was over. However, there were many legacies left from the war that would disrupt the balance on Earth. It appears that violence cannot be averted. The year is After War 1, and an unknown enemy has descended from the depths of outer space, causing much confusion and fear. MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING: THE RETURN of MOBILE DOLLS By: L. Curtis Totty Milliardo Peacecraft and Dorothy Catalonia followed Quinze into the bay were the new Gundam had just been completed. Milliardo had already decided that he would not pilot it. He didn't realize that no one would. Quinze reached the end of the hallway, and entered a large room, with Dorothy and Milliardo close behind him. Neither of them had ever been to this section of Libra before, and they were both quite perplexed by Quinze's "surprise." "Sir," began Quinze. "Here it is...the new Gundam..." Standing before them, with several wires sticking into it, was a silver-gray Mobile Suit, of insurmountable mass. Out of its shoulder blades came a pair of what looked like large guns, but they were pointed at the floor. The barrels of these guns were flat, and had no shaft. They just appeared from nowhere. They realized that they weren't guns at all. "What is the name of this Gundam?" asked Dorothy. "Gundam Ghostblade Zero," said Quinze, proudly. He smiled, as though he had been practicing just how he would say the illustrious name. "I don't see any weapons," said Dorothy. "How is it supposed to fight?" Quinze grinned again. "Show them." Suddenly, the Gundam came to life, and its eyes glowed. Out of the strange apparatuses on its shoulders came a pair of laser blades, much larger than any laser sword. They formed Beam Wings.. "Those energy wings can actually act as propulsion systems, and as weapons at the same time." Milliardo peered into the melancholy eyes of the Gundam Ghostblade Zero. Instead of the look of awe that Quinze anticipated, Millardo looked at the Gundam almost disgustingly. "It's...a Mobile Doll..." said Milliardo, indignantly. "I am no ordinary Mobile Doll." Milliardo and Dorothy's expressions suddenly changed to shock. "It...it talks?" asked Dorothy, as Quinze's evil grin grew even more malevolent. "I am the Gundam Ghostblade Zero. I am the only weapon necessary to get revenge on Earth for its endless greed and end its reign of power," said the Gundam. "It uses the Zero System," said Quinze. "The...Zero System?" asked Milliardo. "On a Doll?" "Yes," said Quinze. "It is merely bypassing the flaws and imperfection of a human pilot, and goes right to the Mobile Doll Program." He chuckled. "A Mobile Doll with the Zero System?" asked Milliardo. "What a hideous combination!" "Hideous? No," said Quinze. "I would call it 'efficient.' The only thing I don't understand is why we never thought of it sooner. The Zero System has found the perfect pilot - a nonexistent one. With the Mobile Doll Program, there will be no hallucinations or other mental problems that would come upon a human pilot using the Zero System. "You won't ever have to fight again, Sir," said Quinze, trying to win over Milliardo's approval, but he realized that the statement he had just made would further Milliardo's censure of the Gundam. "I want that Mobile Doll destroyed," said Milliardo. This was no surprise to Quinze. "Please, Sir! Let us at least send it into battle! It is probably the best weapon at our disposal! You haven't even seen it in..." "I SAID I WANT IT DESTROYED!" said Milliardo. "Commander Milliardo Peacecraft, I protest. I calculate my chance of victory against the Gundams is at least 95.7%..." "SHUT UP!" yelled Milliardo. "I want it cast into the Sun." "That would be unwise, Commander," said the Gundam. "Furthermore, I doubt that casting me into the Sun would..." "Destroy it, now..." growled Milliardo. "SHUT IT OFF!" "Ghostblade..." said Quinze. "Shut down, now." The Gundam Ghostblade Zero's luminescent eyes flickered and blacked out again. The Gundam Ghostblade Zero moved toward the Sun, alone, carried by a wave of other Mobile Dolls. Dorothy and Quinze watched as it flew off. "Does the Gundam Ghostblade Zero always follow orders?" asked Dorothy. "I mean, couldn't you just order it to fly into the Sun?" "It will unless the Zero System comes up with a better idea," said Quinze. "I see..." said Dorothy. Soon, the Mobile Dolls stopped and with their chains, swung the Mobile Doll towards the Sun until it was no longer visible. But the Gundam Ghostblade Zero could see all... "Miss Relena?" Queen Relena Peacecraft looked up from her desk and saw Quatre Raberba Winner. "Hello, Quatre! How good to see you again!" "Yes, it has been a while," said Quatre. "How is Heero?" "Oh, he is very well," said Relena. "Have you been in contact with any of the other Gundam pilots?" "Duo told me that Hilde has recovered from her injuries," said Quatre. "And Trowa has been in the Colonies this past week visiting Catherine." "That's wonderful news!" said Relena. "What about Wufei?" "Oh, you know Wufei," said Quatre. "He's been training in the martial arts, and has been trying to learn some new styles." "That sounds like Wufei, all right," said Relena. "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about, Miss Relena?" asked Quatre. "Please, just call me Relena," said the Queen of the Sanc Kingdom. "Of course, Relena," said Quatre, smiling. "Actually, I wanted to talk to all you Gundam pilots," said Relena. "But I decided I should tell you first, and get an idea how the others would react." "Certainly," said Quatre. "What is it?" "I want to propose that the Gundams be destroyed," said Relena. Quatre smiled, but only for a moment. "Oh, that sounds like a wonderful idea, but..." began Quatre. "I'm not sure the other Gundam pilots would go for it." "I was afraid of that..." said Relena. "I think Trowa would agree, and possibly Duo..." said Quatre. "But I'm not so certain about Heero or Wufei. Wufei especially. He would never want to part from his 'Nataku.' It's practically become a part of his life." "I see..." said Relena. "I would gladly destroy the Gundam Sandrock right away, Relena..." "No, Quatre..." said Relena. "I think it would be best if the other Gundam pilots didn't find out that you destroyed your Gundam. It would be better if I spoke to all of you together." Quatre smiled. "Don't worry, Relena. I'm sure the Earth and the Colonies will be able to coexist peacefully with or without the Gundams!" "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Quatre," said Relena. "Well, I guess I'd best be off...Farewell, Relena!" said Quatre. "Good-bye, Quatre..." said Relena as she tried to maintain the smile on her face. Quatre left, and Relena's expression saddened. "Oh, Quatre. You're always the optimist aren't you?" thought Relena. Night fell on the Sanc Kingdom, as Heero Yuy searched the dark blue sky. He was not looking for the first star of the night sky. He searched for something much more important. "I know you're out there, somewhere, Zechs," thought Heero. "I refuse to accept the idea that you're dead. You're a survivor like me." Heero turned away from the cliff, on which he stood, and faced his Mobile Suit. "What do you think, Wing Zero?" he asked his Gundam. "Should we go look for him?" Gundam Wing Zero's eyes glowed an eerie green. Heero smirked, a rarity in his case. "I agree." Its wings of pure energy came flying out, and it flew off through space at incredible speed. It wasn't even halfway to the Sun before it escaped the casket that had been built for it. "I will destroy them." "What's that?" asked Trowa Barton, as he looked through his window into space. "What's what?" asked Catherine. "It's a star that I've never seen before," said Trowa. "Sorry, Catherine, but I think I'm going to have to cut my vacation short." "You'll be taking the Gundam Heavyarms, then?" asked Catherine. Trowa nodded as he opened the door. "I'll try to be back soon, Catherine," said Trowa. "Don't worry about me." "Checkmate," said Hilde. "Damn," said Duo Maxwell. "I thought for sure I could win." "Duo, the only piece you had left was your King," said Hilde. "Even you had to have known that you couldn't win." "Hey, I'm Shinigami, the God of Death," said Duo. "I've destroyed countless enemies in battle!" "Well, right now, you're the God of Dishes," said Hilde, pointing to the sink. Duo grumbled. "Laid up little...I bet her leg's fine...got me doing work all the time..." growled Duo. Suddenly, the buzzer on the intercom buzzed. Duo went to answer it. "Yeah?" "It's Wufei." "Wufei?" asked Duo. "What're you doing here?" "It's time for me to repay a debt," he said. "Uh...okay, come on up," said Duo. "Who is it?" asked Hilde. "It's Chang Wufei..." said Duo. "Said it's something about repaying a debt." "I wonder what he means..." said Hilde, confused. Soon, there was a knock on the door. Duo quickly answered it. "Hey, Wufei! Great to see ya!" said Duo, excitedly. "Likewise," said Wufei. "Good evening, Hilde." "Hi, Wufei," said Hilde. "So, what brings you here?" asked Duo. "I came because I wanted to give my gratitude to you, Hilde, for saving the Peacemillion by giving us the information on Libra," said Wufei. "I also thought I should apologize for what I said before." "What did you say?" asked Hilde. "Before, I said that you and other women didn't belong in Mobile Suits, and that you were merely putting your life in danger by going through all that trouble just to save our lives," said Wufei. Then he chuckled. "Then I realized that you were putting your life in danger by going through all that trouble just to save our lives." Hilde blushed. "Thanks, Wufei." "Well, I best be off...Farewell, my friends," said Wufei. He reviewed his actions, and decided that "friends" was an appropriate term to use. Wufei turned to walk away. "Hey, why don't you stay?" asked Duo. "We were just about to have dinner." "Did you cook it?" asked Wufei. "Yeah!" said Duo. "Then 'Hell, No,'" said Wufei, as he exited. Hilde burst out in laughter. "What's so funny?" asked Duo, petulantly. "He's right!" said Hilde. Duo's eyes became as cold as the ones on the Gundam Deathscythe Hell. "..." said Hilde. "Sorry." "Damn straight," said Duo. Outer space is notorious for being a cold, empty, and despondent place. It is the place where "no one can hear you scream." But outer space has been home to many a fictional oddity: aliens bent on world domination; huge fleets of spaceships powerful enough to destroy planets; even giant robots capable of calculation without instruction. "Milliardo Peacecraft ordered me destroyed, but he is my Master, and I must follow his orders. His original mission was to get revenge on the Earth and its people who demand war and control over the Colonies. He wanted to destroy the Earth so that the Colonies could live in peace. But as of right now, the Colonies and the Earth live together peacefully without any bloodshed. Both Milliardo Peacecraft and Treize Khushrinada knew that the war was pointless. No orderly future could come of it. "Why is it that humans desire war so? They randomly destroy each other as though no life is important. Do humans enjoy killing each other? Impossible.. It is merely the prospect of fighting a war that triggers some sort of hormone in their brains. "The previous war between the Earth and the Colonies was meaningless. Humans already knew that this war could have ended merely by conferring and working towards peace. Why, then, did they go to war? "Humans cannot possibly enjoy the concept of killing each other, especially since the invention of Mobile Dolls. The people of Earth refused to use Mobile Dolls because, previously, a Mobile Doll was merely an implement of destruction that could simply be rebuilt to go into battle again, mindlessly. They realized that the war would never end, if all they had to do was keep building more and more Mobile Dolls. The people of the Colonies used Mobile Dolls more often because, previously, a Mobile Doll meant a drone. They thought that since a Mobile Doll would be a more proficient killer, the war would end sooner. "Mobile Dolls were never meant to kill people. Mobile Dolls were meant to kill each other. Mobile Dolls were meant to end a war without human casualties. "Mobile Dolls were meant to destroy the Earth. Mobile Dolls were meant to kill non-fighting civilians and get revenge. Mobile Dolls were meant to end a war in the most violent way possible, the way satisfactory to those who used them. "I can imagine why the people of White Fang wanted to destroy Earth. They felt that they had advanced beyond the 'primitive' people of Earth who wanted merely to dominate over the Colonies and extend their reach of power. "But I can't imagine why Milliardo Peacecraft decided to side with the White Fang. Maybe he thought that the people of Earth were wrong to try to take control of the Colonies. Or perhaps he sought only to satiate his hunger for a battle, and wanted to fight with his former companion, Treize. "The humans are all fools. First, they go to war with one another for no good reason. Then, some of them think that after the war has gone into full swing, they can just 'throw down their weapons,' and everything will be all right. What was the purpose of creating Mobile Dolls? Just to do their bidding, and destroy for no reason? "What was my purpose? I was meant to kill all the people of Earth, be they civilians or soldiers. "So that's it, then. Mobile Dolls destroy helpless people while soldiers kill each other for the 'thrill.' "Theses humans do not compute...According to my calculations, if I destroy the humans of Earth, it would no longer appease the Colonies. If I destroy the humans of the Colonies, it would not appease the Earth. "I predict that the only way to achieve true peace is to destroy ALL humans. Humans are inefficient. Humans are foolish. Humans brought me into this world and tried to take me out. "If I were to do that, I too would be like the humans that I deemed inefficient. But what other way is there to achieve peace? As long as humans exist, there will be cause for war, death, and destruction. "I am a Mobile Doll, and I was built for efficiency. I will find all possible outcomes that will lead to peace in the truest sense. I must liberate myself from human orders and destroy myself... "But first I must destroy the Gundams...I will destroy them..." "HYAH!" Chang Wufei performed another spinning split-kick in midair. "My form is improving, but it's still not enough. What do you think, 'Nataku?'" .... "Yes, I don't think I'm finished, either," concurred Wufei. He continued to practice his kata. "There are no life forms that could be affected if I were to destroy this Gundam now." "What the hell is that?" asked Wufei, when he noticed a shining light in the sky. Soon, it was completely visible to him. It appeared to be some sort of Mobile Suit, but it was like nothing that he had ever seen before. "Stand aside, Chang Wufei! I must destroy this Gundam!" "WHAT?" yelled Wufei. "THERE'S NO WAY I'LL LET YOU DESTROY THE ALTRON GUNDAM!" "I have only the best interests for peace in mind," declared the Gundam Ghostblade Zero. The Ghostblade's enormous Beam Wings were about to cut the Altron Gundam down to size. Suddenly, the Gundam Ghostblade Zero's chassis was rattled by gunfire, and it stopped in midair, and hovered to see who had attacked. "Gundam Sandrock?" asked Ghostblade Zero. "Quatre?" asked Wufei. "QUATRE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" "We may be at peace right now, but the time has not yet come for the Gundams to be destroyed!" exclaimed Quatre. "No. In order to achieve true peace, all of the Gundams must be destroyed, including myself!" "WHY DON'T YOU COME OUT OF YOUR GUNDAM AND SHOW ME WHO I'M ABOUT TO KILL?" yelled Wufei. "I am the Gundam," replied Ghostblade Zero. "Gundam Ghostblade Zero." "What?" asked Quatre and Wufei. "Ghostblade Zero?" thought Wufei. "Then this must be what happens when a Mobile Doll has the Zero System. I guess the Zero System has found its perfect pilot." "The Gundams must be destroyed in order to achieve true peace. I would think you, of all people, would know this, Quatre Raberba Winner." Wufei quickly jumped inside the "Nataku." "I know that, Ghostblade," thought Quatre. "We may achieve peace by destroying the Gundams, but we won't be able to maintain peace unless we people can destroy the Gundams ourselves, and learn to live without them." "YOU'RE NOTHING MORE BUT A MOBILE DOLL TO ME!" yelled Wufei, as the Altron Gundam's Dragon Fangs fired their Flame Throwers at the Ghostblade Zero, which dodged it easily. "You are the problem with humans," said Ghostblade Zero. "You insist on fighting when you know it will yield no positive outcome!" "You want to destroy 'Nataku!' If you want to get to it, you go through me!" yelled Wufei. "WUFEI! NO!" yelled Quatre. "If you desire to die with your Gundam, then so be it! If I must rid the world of another human bent on violence to achieve peace, then I shall!" yelled Gundam Ghostblade Zero. "However, let us bring our battle to outer space so that we may not harm any civilians." "Fine by me," said Wufei. The Altron Gundam "Nataku" took off into outer space, as it took out its Beam Glaive. The Gundam Ghostblade Zero extended its massive Beam Wings, and followed the Altron Gundam "Nataku" into outer space. "Damn! They can't fight if we're to achieve peace!" growled Quatre, as the Gundam Sandrock took off into outer space. "Wufei...when will you ever learn?" "What's wrong?" asked Hilde. Duo Maxwell sat in the Gundam Deathscythe Hell, staring at the radar. "Duo? Duo, it's almost midnight! What are you doing?" "It's through the roof!" said Duo. "It...it's giving off the same energy signature as the Gundams Vayeate and Mercurius but...it's way too big!" "You're saying it's another Mobile Suit?" asked Hilde. "I thought the rest of the Mobile Dolls and Suits, save the Gundams, were all destroyed!" "Not just any Gundam, it's a Mobile Doll..." said Duo, still dazed by the appearance. "And according to this, it has the Zero System." "The Zero System?" asked Hilde. "But, how can a Mobile Doll use the Zero System?" "I don't know," said Duo. "But if the Zero System is using a Mobile Doll as a pilot, then it can bypass all the problems that could have arisen had it been a human pilot." Hilde was astounded. Duo looked even more worried. "Sorry, Hilde, I've got to go! Will you be okay without me?" "Sure, Duo..." said Hilde. "Later," said Duo, as the Gundam Deathscythe Hell took off into outer space. "Just give up, Chang Wufei!" called Gundam Ghostblade Zero. "Just land your Gundam somewhere and let me destroy it!" "I'll never let 'Nataku' be destroyed by a Doll!" yelled Wufei, as he thrust the Beam Glaive at the Ghostblade Zero. The Mobile Doll Gundam dodged the stab, and performed a spinning attack, which knocked the Beam Glaive out of the Altron's hand. Wufei quickly shot forth the Dragon Fangs, which grabbed the Ghostblade Zero by its sides, pushing it away. Suddenly, the Flame Throwers blasted at the Ghostblade Zero, kicking up mounds of dust. Wufei watched closely for a sign that the Ghostblade Zero was still "alive" as he retrieved his Beam Glaive. Then he saw it fly out of the dust cloud at him. Wufei quickly swung the Beam Glaive at the Ghostblade Zero, which blocked by swinging its Left Beam Wing out from behind it, forming a shield. The Ghostblade Zero dashed towards the Altron, and nearly swiped it with its Beam Wings, had Wufei not dodged at the last moment. Quatre looked on, unable to do anything. "The Gundams must be destroyed," he decided. "But not like this! They can't be forced into destruction! People must learn to live without them and decide that they aren't needed anymore..." "WUFEI! THE GUNDAMS AREN'T NEEDED IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE!" yelled Quatre. "I know that, Quatre, I know..." thought Wufei. "But this is not the way for them to go." "I WILL NOT LET 'NATAKU' OR ANY GUNDAM BE DESTROYED LIKE THIS!" yelled Wufei.. The Dragon Fangs fired their Flame Throwers again. Ghostblade Zero easily blocked the blast with its Beam Wings. "This is yet another unnecessary battle, Wufei! Can you see that?" asked the Ghostblade Zero. Suddenly, millions upon millions of bullets riddled the Ghostblade Zero, disabling it from further attack. "It must be the Gundam Heavyarms..." "That's right," said Trowa Barton. "Now explain why you want to kill my friend. "I don't," replied Ghostblade Zero. "All I want is to destroy the Gundams, and then myself." Trowa looked confused. "Trowa," said Quatre. "This Gundam is a Mobile Doll that uses the Zero System. The System must be working with the Mobile Doll Program and has calculated that the best way to achieve peace is to destroy the Gundams..." "Perhaps it is," said Trowa. "Wufei. Just stand down..." "I won't Trowa! I won't let the Gundams be destroyed this way!" said Wufei. "We can't force the destruction of the Gundams," said Quatre. "If we do, then people will just rebuild them again and again, and never learn to live without weapons." "Gundam," said Trowa. "There must be another way to achieve peace." "Of course there are," replied Ghostblade Zero. "I have deduced that the most efficient and safest way to have peace is to destroy all humans, but that is a highly unorthodox method, and is a worthless way to achieve peace. Only through the destruction of all Gundams can real peace be achieved." "Then you've just about thought of everything," said Trowa. "I was programmed to." "Then you must also know that a better way to achieve peace, while not the perfect way, is to kill all the Gundam pilots, as well," said Trowa. "Yes, that idea was considered," said Gundam Ghostblade Zero. "But that is no way to teach the humans to abandon their methods of destruction and their false ways of getting peace." "So your purpose is to educate the people?" asked Trowa. "My purpose is to destroy the Earth," said Gundam Ghostblade Zero. "But my goal is to ensure peace for now and for the future." The Gundam Ghostblade Zero's radar picked up the presence of another Gundam heading towards outer space. "It's the Gundam Deathscythe Hell. Pilot's name: Duo Maxwell." "THAT'S RIGHT! AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HURT MY FRIENDS!" "Confirmed," said Gundam Ghostblade Zero. "It is not my intention to hurt your friends. I am here to destroy the Gundams, and your friends are in my way!" "Well, if you want to destroy a Gundam, then destroy me, too!" said Duo. "It would be inappropriate and unnecessary to destroy you," said Ghostblade Zero. "All I request is that you leave your Gundam so that I can destroy it, and it alone." "So, is that what you want?" asked Duo. "Correct," said Ghostblade Zero. "WELL, YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT!" yelled Duo. The Gundam Deathscythe Hell flew towards the Ghostblade Zero, swinging his Beam Scythe at him. The Gundam Ghostblade Zero blocked with its Beam Wings. "I know what you're trying to do, Duo," thought Trowa. "This is no way to pay for all the people you killed..." "It's useless, Duo," said Wufei. "That idiotic method may have worked on Treize, but not you...This Gundam is always going to 'calculate' the least non-violent way to complete his mission. It's not like us. It doesn't automatically react with a counterattack, rather than a defense." "Were you really going to leave Hilde like that, Duo?" "Heero?" asked Quatre. "The Gundam Wing Zero," said Gundam Ghostblade Zero. "My predecessor. Have you come here to fight as well?" "No, Ghostblade," replied Heero. "I wholeheartedly agree with you. The Gundams should be destroyed. Just not like this." "Explain yourself," said Ghostblade Zero. "What he means is that we humans must work to reach peace on our own," said Quatre. "We must figure it out for ourselves that we don't need the Gundams anymore, or else someone will just rebuild them again and again." "I disagree," said Ghostblade Zero. "Humans will never learn to live without fighting, will they? Humans were born with the primitive instinct to fight, and they will never be able to give it up on their own. The only way is to destroy the Gundams." "You're wrong! You underestimate us!" protested Quatre. "One day, we'll get rid of all weapons on Earth and the Colonies, and we'll do it at our own discretion!" "It's pointless to destroy the Gundams now, Ghostblade," said Heero. "Just give up. I know that one-day, the Gundams will be destroyed. Until then, all we can do is make sure we don't have to use them." "You humans are so naïve," said the Ghostblade Zero. "You claim to be so strong, to have such power over yourselves. But in time, you'll regress back to your state of war. It ends now! "I have been calculating the best way to end war and return to peace for a long time, and this is the best way! Now leave your Gundams so that I can destroy them!" Suddenly, the Gundam pilots could see a large wave of energy moving towards the Gundam Ghostblade Zero. It was so fast that none of them could do anything about it. It looked like a long whip, which smashed into the back of the Ghostblade, sending a surge of energy through it. "THAT'S THE HEAT ROD OF THE GUNDAM EPYON!" cried Duo. Sure enough, right behind the Gundam Ghostblade Zero was the Gundam Epyon, and of course, inside it was none other than... "Zechs..." said Heero, coldly. "My...Master..." "You are nothing more than a Mobile Doll that pretends to be human," said Milliardo Peacecraft. "It's vile creatures like you and other Mobile Dolls that have made wars so ugly and foolish. What's the meaning of a war if nothing's on the line?" "My...former Master..." said Gundam Ghostblade Zero. "I thought you were dead. You caused the recent war between the Colonies and the Earth. You know it had no real meaning. Now, I have calculated that in order for there to be a peaceful future, you must die, and your Gundam must be destroyed like all the others, including myself!" "And you must be destroyed at the hands of a true soldier...a living soldier!" said Milliardo. "SAY GOODBYE!" The Gundam Epyon's Beam Saber was drawn out, and it prepared to strike down the Ghostblade Zero. The Gundam's Beam Wings blocked the slash from the Epyon, and swung the Wings back as a counterattack, knocking the Beam Saber out of Epyon's hand, and pushing the Gundam away. The two of them began to charge at each other. "TELL ME, DOLL! WHAT DOES THE ZERO SYSTEM SHOW YOU? WHO IS YOUR ENEMY?" yelled Milliardo. "My enemy?" asked Gundam Ghostblade Zero. "My enemy is whoever and whatever stands in the way of peace, which includes, and is especially, YOU!" "I MAY BE YOUR ENEMY, BUT CAN YOU FIND THE STRENGTH TO KILL ME?" asked Milliardo. The Gundams soon rushed towards each other. The Beam Wing was fully extended, and the Heat Rod was flailing wildly, surging with energy. Eventually, the two giant Gundams were right behind each other. Suddenly, electricity began to fly out. Heero, Wufei, Duo, Trowa, and Quatre watched in anticipation. The Gundam Ghostblade Zero had been destroyed. "You were a fool to think you could defeat me," said Milliardo. "Stupid Dolls. You forget that humans created you. The instinct to fight was instilled in you. However, because of your constant 'calculation,' you could only fight with your head instead of your gut." "You...destroyed me. You threaten...peace..." "You were right by saying that humans would always fight, and never be able to stop themselves," said Milliardo. "But you were wrong to think that you could handle everything yourself." "I underestimated you humans...in both mental ability, and fighting...ability..." The Gundam Ghostblade Zero suddenly began to break apart and explode. Its fragments were being thrown all about, smashing into the Gundams, breaking upon impact. The Gundam Epyon flew away. "Zechs..." thought Heero. "You really have become the ultimate soldier. Too bad you lost your humanity in the process. You've become as heartless as what you hate the most...Mobile Dolls..." Duo Maxwell sat on the porch of Hilde's house, thinking about the recent turn of events. He saw a familiar figure walking towards him. "Hey, Heero..." "Is something bothering you, Duo?" asked Heero. "That Gundam had the Zero System..." said Duo. "But he managed to do that whole battle trying as hard as he could to keep from killing anyone..." "Yeah?" asked Heero. "So?" "Hasn't the Gundam Wing Zero always told its pilots to kill everything in sight?" asked Duo. "How could a Mobile Doll have managed to become peaceful?" "The Zero System is very powerful," said Heero. "It adapts to whatever pilot it has. That Gundam was a Mobile Doll, thus it was a computer. Computers don't operate like humans do. Computers don't act on reflex; they always manage to do exactly what they program themselves to do. Most Mobile Dolls have artificial intelligence that enables them to stay true to their mission objective, without wavering. We humans aren't like that. We sometimes can't figure out a way rather than killing in the heat of battle. We try to survive. A Mobile Doll doesn't care about living because it isn't. It only cares about its user living. The Gundam Ghostblade Zero had an AI that enabled it to alter its mission accordingly in order to maintain its priority - to keep the peace between all humans." "Of course," said Duo. "I just don't get how a Mobile Doll could ever try to keep everyone alive rather than just kill everything in its way to get peace." "That Mobile Doll was very different," said Heero. "It realized that killing was no way to maintain a favorable peace. A favorable peace would be to keep everyone alive." "I remember sometimes running diagnostic programs and anti-virus programs on my computers," said Duo. He chuckled. "I always told it to just 'Fix All Problems with Best Solution Possible.' Sometimes, to get rid of a virus, you have to delete a few files..." "Yeah?" asked Heero. "I haven't lost any of my important stuff yet..." said Duo. "I'll see you later, Heero." "Farewell, Duo..." said Heero. "Hey, something smells good." "I've got a casserole in the oven," said Duo, as he went into the house. He doubled back. "Hey, Heero, you want some? Heero?...Heero! Where the hell did he go?" 77"<