A.C. 195           The Earth Sphere Alliance, having Oz as its military power supplier, seized control of most of the nations on Earth as well as the space colonies. To counter such tyrannical acts, certain colonies launched what was called "Operation Meteor", sending arsenal built by the most advanced technology to Earth, disguising them as shooting stars. However, the Alliance quickly caught on with the operation and had their objectives set to destroy and silence these weapons at any cost.           It was obvious that the target of the mobile suits sent to Earth was Oz. Various Oz bases were attacked and destroyed. Rumour had it that the suits were made of Gundanium, an extremely strong element that could only be processed in outer space. The current Oz MS troops were no match to these advanced Gundams from space. So far, whoever had contact with the suits were annihilated, except the ace pilot of Oz, Zechs Merquise.           He caught on with one of the carriers that contained the Gundam and succeeded in sinking the suit in the deep ocean. The pilot of the suit was not found and was thought to be dead by the military, though Zechs suspected that he might have survived. As of now, the Alliance and Oz had no information at all about the Gundam suits. All they knew was that the Gundams were very powerful and tactful. Someone was surely behind the actions of the suits, but the identity of the person was not known.           In an Oz carrier, Lieutenant Zechs Merquise ordered that the commander of Lake Victoria base be contacted. Within a few seconds, a young woman's smiling face appeared on the screen.           "Lake Victoria here. What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"           "You're looking good as usual, Noin." Zechs wasn't eager to get on to business at the sight of his old friend.           "Zechs! It's been one year and 22 days." The young woman smiled. "Rumours about the Lightning Count has made it all the way to Lake Victoria, you're a legend to many people here."           Zechs lifted the corner of his mouth. "You should know better. I heard that production of the Taurus suits are taking place at Lake Victoria. The recent attacks several Oz bases experienced might happen if the Gundams know about the mobile suit production."           "You want to face the Gundams, don't you? Just come over any time." Noin nodded.           "Thanks, Noin." He nodded his head in return before the screen went blank.           "Lieutenant Zechs, we're heading for Lake Victoria then?" An officer behind him asked.           "Yes. Looks like I'll let Noin help me again this time."           "Again? I recall that you were the top graduate of Lake Victoria and Lieutenant Noin was second. She helped you?"           "She was always trying to be second..."           "...." The officer tried hard but couldn't really understand the meaning of these words. "We'll arrive at Lake Victoria at 6:00 sharp tomorrow morning." * * * * * * * * *           At 5am in the still of the night, the officer in the control room of Lake Victoria base spotted something unusual on the monitor. "Get Commander Noin!! I've found several bombs planted around the base!"           Noin quickly entered the control room surveying the monitors. "No need to worry about the bombs, His Excellency made this base bombproof six years ago. Units 1, 3, and 5 search the north parameter, units 2, 4, and 6 will take the south parameter with me. Move out!"           A young boy crouched at the corner of one of the buildings in the base, busy operating a panel. He smiled darkly as he pushed a button, but his smile immediately faded when only a couple of muffled sounds were heard throughout the base. "What the...?!"           Sensing the approach of something, he jerked his head and saw an Aries coming his way. He uttered something bitterly as he jumped on his motorbike and sped away from the scene. He skilfully conducted the motorbike out of the military base and headed for the wooded area not far away. The Aries had detected him and was in hot pursuit. A warning was heard. "Stop! Or I'll shoot!"           "If you can!" The boy didn't slow down one bit and kept speeding toward the forest.           Before he could enter the wooded shelter, the Aries fired a shot right in front of him and the force of impact sent the motorbike flying into the air. The boy slammed to the ground heavily with a grunt. He jumped up right away, only to see a net cast from the Aries engulfing him and locked him to the ground. Two more Aries joined the first as the pilots came out from their suits. Guns at hand, two Oz officers cautiously walked toward the boy and stopped at some distance.           The pilot of the Aries suit that shot the boy down came up behind them. "I told you I'd shoot."           The boy was furious at the sight of the person responsible for his current state. "I was shot down by a woman??! This is disgraceful!!"           The comm unit inside the Aries beeped when the female officer was going to reply. She jumped back on the Aries. "What is it?"           "Commander! We found the Gundam at sector 0501, please come over quickly."           "I'll be right there." Noin turned to the two officers on the ground. "Keep an eye on him before I get back." She went into the cockpit of the Aries and left.           The boy narrowed his eyes and took out a blade from his back. He tried to slide the net open, but it seemed to be made from some kind of metal and resisted the blade. The net locked him down in such a way that even though he could still move, he couldn't exert much force to deliver any blow powerful enough to cut through the net.           "Give it up, kid. That net was specially designed by Commander Noin. No one has ever got out of it on his own." One of the officers chuckled at the boy's futile efforts.           "I got caught by a female engineer? Oz actually allows women to be commanders?" The boy was even madder at the thought.           "Not an engineer, but the best soldier there is at this base. She just happens to be talented in engineering. Possibly received instructions from experts before she joined us. The ex-commander appointed her the position because she has the best piloting skills as well as strategic planning, not to mention she is the most caring person you can find around the base."           "You are friendly and talkative for a prisoner watcher." The boy said sarcastically.           "It's because I understand the ability of that net and therefore know that you can't go anywhere unless we release you."           The boy snorted and sat down on the ground cross-legged. He closed his eyes as if meditating, but he was sensitive to everything happening around him. His eyes opened abruptly when an Aries landed. "What have you done to Nataku?"           "Nataku? You mean your mobile suit?" Noin raised her eyebrows. "Nothing much. But what will be its fate is entirely in your hands."           The boy narrowed his eyes and looked at the tall girl standing in front of him intently. "What do you mean, woman?"           "It's Noin, kid." She corrected him. "How do you like your suit preserved without any damage until you can pilot it again?"           "Commander!" The two officers didn't expect her to propose thus.           The boy observed her for a few seconds. "What's the catch, woman?"           "It's Noin, KID." She emphasized on the last word. "You will not retaliate on Oz in any kind of manner in the future until the deal is over."           "Name's Wufei." He grunted. "I won't agree to any kind of deal if it isn't just. What is it and when will it be over?"           "When you can prove to me that all five of you Gundam pilots are together, I'll return your Nataku to you."           The two officers were shocked but remained silent. Wufei stared hard at Noin, as if trying to judge the truth of her words. "How do you know there're five of us? I'm not even sure about that myself. Is this some kind of trick you're trying to pull here?"           "I have sources." Noin smiled. "I'll give you my channel frequency so you can contact me any time, just make sure you don't call me when other officers are around."           "And if I decline?"           She shrugged. "Then I have no choice but to turn you in and destroy your suit."           "What?!" Wufei gritted his teeth tightly. "You're buffing! Nataku is stronger than any of your weapons. You can only harm it with another Gundam or self-detonate it, and you can't get in without my password!"           "I don't need to get in the cockpit to do that. Even if I have to, it won't be any problem for me. I've cracked countless codes before, including government and military networks. I locked and programmed the mobile suit so a password has to be inputted before one can do anything with it. The self-detonation device will be activated if the password is wrong in three consecutive tries, or if I launch the program manually."           "You surprise me, woman. I thought you were an engineer, but you are a soldier and a military base commander. Now you turn out to be a hacker." Wufei narrowed his eyes.           "It's Noin, kid." she smiled. "So what will it be?"           The comm unit beeped, Noin answered. "Noin here. What is it?"           "Commander, we've searched through the parameter without any success. Should we do another round or should we return to base?" The person in charge of the other search party inquired.           "Return to base. We'll go back after we finish this round as well." She instructed.           "Right. Either the invader is hiding very well around here, or he's down in the south. Please be careful, Commander." The screen went blank.           Wufei observed it with cool eyes. "It seems that you are well respected by your soldiers. What are you going to tell them when you return to base?"           Noin turned her gaze to the two officers. "Any sign of the intruder?"           "No, Commander. He probably got away before we've covered the whole parameter." The two officers answered in unison.           "Well!" Wufei mumbled. "I can't tell which side are you on by the look of things, but since it serves me right, do as you wish. I don't make any deals, wo... Noin."           Noin smiled and signalled the two officers to release him and gave an order through the comm unit. When Wufei stood free from the net, she walked up to him and they shook hands. Noin gave him her channel frequency and an Aries. She made sure Wufei left the parameter before recruiting all the units and returned to base.           A carrier foreign to the base entered her sight as soon as she landed the Aries. A jeep passed through the dock and stopped under the suit. Noin got out of her suit and descended to meet the visitors.           "Noin, are you alright? I heard someone tried to bomb the base and you went looking for him." Anxiousness could be detected as the masked man inquired.           "Lieutenant Zechs." She saluted. "We didn't find the intruder, but everything else is alright." She paused a second before continuing. "I guess you've just missed your target."           "Never mind that. You could have been killed if a Gundam really showed up." He sounded a bit angry.           "But it didn't." Noin didn't notice the unusual tone in his voice. "By now the Gundams are probably aware of Oz' interests in them. They might lay dormant for a while before they come out for a big target."           Zechs nodded. "Do you mind if I stay here for a while?"           "Help yourself, Lieutenant."           "What's with all the formality?" He frowned. "Just call me Zechs."           "Ok, Zechs." she grinned and walked away to check on the other Aries that were sent out. * * * * * * * * *           Noin walked into the bar and saw that no one but Zechs was there. She sat down next to him and ordered a drink. She glanced at him. "You look lonely."           Zechs took a sip from his glass. "I've been fighting alone for years now."           Noin took her drink from the bartender. "When are you going to be nicer to yourself? Self-torturing won't help you in accomplishing your objectives."           He fell silent. Noin didn't like the quietness so she tapped her sword against his, making rhythmic clinking sounds. Zechs stared blankly at the contacting swords for a moment, then he stood up from the chair, putting a stop to her little musical performance. Noin looked up at him.           "Noin..." He started. "Will you fight alongside me?"           She blinked a few times before she digested what he had just said. "I will be happy to do so." A bright smile accompanied the reply. * * * * * * * * *           Late that night, Noin looked out the window and saw the full moon. She called Howard.           "Howard, beautiful moon tonight."           "You bet. Someone here just commented about that a few minutes ago."           "Huh? I thought your workshop is closed at night."           "Not tonight. A kid is working on his MS so he can use it tomorrow. My little friend that came with the kid didn't want to stay in the workshop and decided to enjoy the night outside under the moon."           "A kid is working on his MS? You mean he's fixing it by himself?"           "Yeah. First class stuff if I say so myself, the kid and the MS."           "Funny. I encountered something similar today as well."           Before she finished, someone knocked on Howard's door and entered before he answered. "Hey, Howard! Can you believe that guy? He's actually meaning to get the suit ready before tomorrow morning so he can hijack the freight plane carrying Gundanium!"           The brown-haired boy with a long braid and cobalt blue eyes suddenly stopped in his stride and listened intently. "Hey! I swear I've heard that voice before when I was still in L2." He glanced around the room and saw the source of the sound. He quickly walked up beside Howard to get a good look at the screen.           "Who is this beautiful girl you're talking to, Howard?" The boy stared at the platinum- black haired young woman with matching deep blue eyes.           "And who would you be?" Noin smiled good-naturedly. She trusted Howard and thus wasn't afraid to be seen by his friends.           "He's Duo, the little friend I've always told you about." Howard replied.           "I run, I hide, but I don't lie. Duo Maxwell is my name, but you can call me Duo." He flashed a brilliant smile. "Say, were you the one that informed us about Bob a few years back?"           "You've guessed it, Duo." She returned an equally bright smile. "You don't happen to have a silver cross that looks like this one, do you?" She held up a cross from her neck.           "Hey! How did you know about the cross?" He exclaimed with a cross on his palm.           "Guess you forgot about me. Howard, please don't tell Duo anything about me. It would be dangerous for him."           Howard scratched his head. "Gee, so you knew Duo? Ok, I'll seal my mouth about you. I know how things are with you in a position like that."           "I should get some sleep now. My superior came today and he's going to inspect my work tomorrow morning. I'll talk to you next time." She winked and closed the channel.           "Hey! Wait a sec!" Duo yelled at the blank screen. "It's not fair! I want to know who you are!"           Howard pulled at the boy's braid. "Give it up, Duo. She will tell you when the time comes. I never would have suspected this outcome though." * * * * * * * * *           Witnessing the other kid took off on his Gundam, which was fixed using parts from Duo's Gundam DeathScythe, Duo could only wait at the workshop for the Gundanium so he could restore his Gundam. Having nothing to do, Duo sought the mechanics out in his room.           "Hey, Howard, got a minute?"           "Duo." The mechanic turned his head toward the grinning boy. "Yeah, what's up?"           Duo made himself comfortable in the chair. "I know you're keeping your mouth shut about the girl I saw last night so I'm not gonna ask you again, but at least tell me how you got to know her. I don't wanna be in the dark about someone who knows even a cross I have."           "Hm. Well, I first met her in L2. She was only eight years old at that time. I was having some business in the colony with the Sweepers. Anyway, on my way back to the hotel, I accidentally dropped an envelope that contained critical information about the Sweepers. If the envelope had gotten into the hands of the Alliance people, the Sweepers on L2 would be in very big trouble. I traced back the route I took, hoping to retrieve the envelope, and there she stood, with the envelope in her hand, waiting for the owner of it to come fetch it."           "No way! Not many people would be that honest, let alone an 8-year-old kid."           "Well, that's her." Howard glared at the boy. "Anyway, we became acquainted with each other and kept in touch after I came back to earth up until now. She came here to study about MS a few years back. She is quite an engineer."           "That's some story." Duo raised his eyebrows. "So she's from L2... that's where I am from, too. She sounded as if she knows me pretty well." He frowned slightly, deep in thought. He was going to ponder on the subject more when Heero, the boy piloting the Gundam, returned. Howard went out immediately to give instructions about what to do with the Gundanium he brought back, and the braided boy followed. ~to be continued~

Author's Note: Anyone still reading this after seeing the BIG change from the original plot line?^_^;; I like Noin too much so I was kinda mad when I saw the episode "Victoria Nightmare", but Wufei is also one of my favourite chars (he ties with Duo and Heero in my opinion^^). She is just amazing in here, isn't she?^^ You might have noticed that I've switched sides a bit. Normally, Noin is the one always showing her feelings toward the tall blond, but I've gave that role to Zechs :p Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to have the guy chasing after the girl. I know it doesn't show in the story, it will :) Comments and remarks are warmly embraced. Please tell me what you think of the story! ^__^ ~Handsome Puppy~