Gundam SEED Rebuild

Chapter 1 - A Life Saved

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED. Adrian Lockheed and his family are OCs.

Cosmic Era, Year 53

Kennedy Space Center Museum, Florida, Atlantic Federation - America

Lt. Commander Adrian Lockheed, a 33-year old Atlantic Federation naval officer with short dark brown hair and a light skin tone, walked about the museum of the Kennedy Space Center. It was a crowded place, owing to the increased interest in space exploration, especially after the successful Jupiter Exploration mission nearly thirty years ago. As he was on leave from the Pensacola Naval Base, Commander Lockheed figured that he would take the opportunity to visit the world-famous space center from which America launched humanity into deep space to the Moon and beyond. Now, it served as the Atlantic Federation Federal Aeronautics and Space Administration's research and development arm and an archive to continuously inspire the public.

Adrian was looking for one exhibit in particular, a rather recent and enormous addition to the ubiquitous lunar modules, rovers, and satellites that dominated the scene. True enough, he could easily spot the model of a massive deep space exploration ship on display in the center of the expanded museum; the Tsiolkovsky. It was the famed vessel that was designed and piloted by his hero, George Glenn, who also happened to be the first confirmed Coordinator in the world. While the whole world squabbled over his status as a genetically enhanced individual, and the resulting Coordinator boom from his revelations during the Jupiter mission, Adrian could honestly care less. Even though he was a Natural, he could only be inspired by the man who helped to improve the lives of many people living in the Cosmic Era. It was only unfortunate that radical groups like Blue Cosmos were allowed to run rampant, terrorizing Coordinators and Naturals who sympathized with them. Whether on the Earth or in the PLANTS in space, Blue Cosmos' radical environmentalism seemed to sink to newer lows by the day.

Even the sacred halls of the Atlantic Federation's Federal Assembly were not immune to the Coordinator controversy, as the pro-Coordinator Constitutional Republican Party and the Workers Party duked it out over legislative priorities, both directly and indirectly involving Coordinators. Blue Cosmos even had their fringe political arm, the Nature Party throwing political grenades into the mix, further polarizing the government. While they were by no means the majority, the Workers Party leadership was known to give them a lot of deference, as their presence in the Atlantic Federation's largest cities and influence in global corporations meant control over significant voting blocks. The Constitutional Republican Party in the Federal Senate and House of Commons fought hard to stifle the growing influence of the Nature Party over the Assembly, but it was not an easy fight as they were the minority in both chambers. This also had the effect of handicapping federal law enforcement and the military in defending against anti-Coordinator terror domestic and abroad.

Adrian wanted to take his mind off of the troubles that the military was facing right now, and enjoy the good things that George Glenn brought to space exploration and colonization. As he walked towards the exhibit, Adrian marveled at the design of the ship. It was as large as some of the old shuttle boosters he had seen, yet thanks to Glenn's engineering, it was capable of traversing the distance between Earth and Jupiter within a relatively speedy seven years, and then return by harnessing the gas giant's hydrogen as fuel. It was because of this innovation that regular commercial and military travel in space became possible.

"Incredible..." Adrian mouthed, remembering seeing the ship on live television as a boy. If anything, seeing the ship in person made him feel young and curious again. Turning his head, though, he was in for the surprise of his life.

Standing a few feet away from Adrian, was a group of college students congregating around an older man. Some of the college students were Coordinators, some easy to make out with their more varied hair and eye colors, with the rest being Naturals. However, it was the man in the center who caught his attention. Adrian's eyes widened in recognition.

It was George Glenn, in the flesh.

George Glenn was talking with the students, who were clearly interested and smiling at what he was talking about. If Adrian had to guess, it was concerning that fateful mission to Jupiter, where he found Evidence 01. He was looking back and forth between the model of his ship and the students, with a clear expression of nostalgia on his friendly face.

Adrian wanted to go over to the man, and actually say hello to his childhood hero. Yet, he felt a little sheepish and shy, not wanting to geek out in front of people, especially young adults. However, it was then that something flashed out in the corner of his eye. Reacting, he glanced over to a young man in a green jacket with a wide-eyed expression of anger and jealousy, pulling something out of his waistband and pointing it in Glenn's direction. The naval officer's eyes registered a Glock handgun in the man's hand. It was then that he saw the danger.

"GUN!" Adrian's voice echoed throughout the hall. It was then that a security guard noticed the young man pointing the gun, and reached for his own gun. The shooter responded first, firing five shots that hit the guard in the chest, sending him collapsing to the floor. People screamed and ran away in terror at the sound of the shot. It was then that the shooter looked at Adrian with rage, his surprise attack having been foiled. The naval officer jumped behind a display lunar module, narrowly avoiding getting hit by bullets.

George Glenn and the students around him saw what was happening, and made a break for the exits. Unfortunately, the shooter caught on, and fired several shots. The bullets hit a female student and a male student, with the latter falling on and tripping Glenn. George Glenn hit his head on the floor, stunning him for a bit.

"Ow..." George groaned in pain, temporarily dazed. As he regained his senses, he found himself surrounded by two of his injured students. He gasped to see blood on the back of their shirts. He could hear a choking sound from the girl beside him. George's eyes widened as he deduced that one of the bullets hit her in a lung. "Oh, God no!" He put his hands on her back, trying to apply pressure. However, his spine chilled as he heard the sound of a gun being reloaded. He looked up to see the young angry man in the green jacket, inserting another magazine into his pistol and racking it.

The shooter looked towards the male student he shot. "Look what you made me do..." he murmured, "you just made me shoot my fellow Naturals, you freak! Coordinators like you cause nothing but violence and hatred!"

George Glenn could only look on in bewilderment and fear. For perhaps the first time in his life, he really feared that he was going to die at the hands of a madman.

"Well, here's a my final message to you, demon..." The man pointed his gun, with tears and clenched teeth. "For the preservation of our blue and pure world!"

George shut his eyes, ready for his demise. Gunshots rang out, but after a second, George realized that he had not been hit. He opened his eyes to see his would-be killer collapse to the ground in pain. The gunman clutched his right shoulder and left waist in pain; he had been shot by someone else. It was then that George got a good look of his savior running up to him. It was a young Atlantic Federation Navy officer in his blue uniform, carrying a compact handgun in his hands.

Adrian Lockheed ran up to the assailant and kicked the gun away from him. He trained his concealable .45 caliber handgun on the shooter. "Don't move," he ordered, "or I'll shoot again!" The young man looked at him, and with rage still in his eyes, he begrudgingly raised a bloody hand in surrender. Seeing that he was not going to put up a fight, Adrian glanced over to George Glenn. "Call the police, and get them to send an ambulance here!"

Still not getting over the shock of the shooting, the First Coordinator nonetheless had the faculties to reach for his cellphone and dial 911, explaining what was happening.

George Glenn followed his two students as they were led out on stretchers into two of the ambulances called to the scene. The paramedics were working hard on the girl as she was in the most critical condition from her lung wound. He was also followed by Commander Lockheed, who was now apprehensive and on guard for more potential attackers. The two men watched as the two students were loaded up and driven away in haste to the nearest hospital. It was then that George calmed down enough to finally face the man who saved him.

"Thank you... and sorry... about all of this..." George shook Adrian's hand in weary gratitude.

"I just did what any good citizen would do," Adrian replied. He glanced over to see the police sealing off the area with tape, while the shooter was carried out on a stretcher with rifle-toting SWAT officers flanking him. The rest of the police were scanning the area for additional threats.

Adrian frowned at the man who glared at George with hatred in his eyes. He had just tried to kill his hero out of some twisted idea that he was responsible for the violence and hatred involving Coordinators. Then again, it was quite typical for these kinds of people to project blame onto their intended victims.

George himself was deeply bothered by what had transpired. Sure he encountered verbal opposition and insults to his name, but this was by far beyond what he would expect, especially from what a man who should be going to college instead of shooting up a place.

It was then that the officers approached the two. One of them came forward and asked, "so can either one of you tell us what happened here today?"

"Well..." George Glenn began, his photographic memory being too vivid for his liking now, "I was just with students on a tour from the University of Daytona when I heard the gunshots ring out. I was helping to rush the tour to the exits when he shot those two who fell on me..." Adrian could detect the tension in his voice over those particular students who were injured. "Next thing I knew was that he was right on top of me with his gun, ranting about how I caused the shooting..."

"And that was when I stepped in," Adrian replied next.

"Excuse me?" The officer questioning them perked up.

"I was the one who called out 'gun' before he shot a security guard," Adrian explained, "he tried to shoot me too, but I get to cover just as he turned his attention to Mr. Glenn here. I got the chance to pull out my gun and shoot him before he could fire another shot."

"If it hadn't been for him, I'd be a dead man," George replied.

The officer looked between the two, and seeing that they had nothing more to tell, he closed his notebook.

"Well, George Glenn," the officer said, "not only are you an accomplished Coordinator, but a really lucky one indeed."

"I wonder if there's such a thing as a luck gene," the other officer jested.

George wasn't laughing though. Still, he wondered if it was just luck or something else played a role. In his mind, he could only thank God that Adrian had been in the area. And yet... something else seemed wrong here. He just couldn't put a finger on it.

"Hey patchworker!" George and Adrian turned to see a sizeable group of protesters jeering and shouting at them.

"Space monster!"

"Nazi!"

"Patchworker!"

"Space freak!"

"Test tubie!"

"It's your fault, Coordinator!"

"Fascist space monster gotta go, hey hey! Go home!" The protesters began to chant menacingly as the police gathered to make a wall, blocking them from George Glenn and the scene.

Adrian narrowed his eyes at the group. A few others were trying to break up the majority, but to no avail.

The police officer sighed, "its those darn protestors again. These kids from Orlando and out of state keep going around and stirring up crowds when these kinds of crimes occur. They're being brainwashed in these colleges by Blue Cosmos and their radical socialist enablers."

George Glenn had nothing to say, as he drank in the sight of the police and protestors scuffling over his presence. Looking to the side, he could see fear and silent anger in the eyes of the locals, some of it at him, but mostly at the shooter and the throng of protestors supporting his actions. 'My goodness, have I been so blind all this time?'

The officer turned to the young AF Navy officer with an apologetic expression. "Mr. Lockheed, I think you and Mr. Glenn here should head home. The last thing we need is a riot on our hands. We can assign a police escort for VIPs, as you two are subjects to the crime."

Adrian nodded in agreement. Glaring one last time at the protestors, he then nudged George's shoulder."You can stay with me for the night, Mr. Glenn."

With a solemn glance towards the opposing crowds, George accepted, "thank you young man. Just call me, George, please."

Adrian drove up to the hotel he was staying at. It was a modest hotel, but the staff were quite hospitable. Right beside him in the car was the celebrity Coordinator and scientist, George Glenn. He had not said a thing since the shooting, and was lacking his usual smile. If anything, he had been staring out of the window in contemplation.

"We're here," Adrian said as he parked the car. Shutting off the engine, he and Glenn got out of the car. Glenn looked towards the entrance, where police cruisers were positioned, red and blue lights flashing as they barricaded the place. "Come on," Adrian prompted George. The two went inside the lobby.

To George, it felt like an enormous relief to be out of the public for a while. "I can't thank you enough, Adrian, for saving my life," he said.

"It was nothing," Adrian humbly replied, "I couldn't stand by and let a massacre unfold." He rang the bell for service.

The receptionist turned to face them. "Hello? Can I help you?" he asked.

"Hey, Charlie, I'm having another guest staying for the evening," Adrian informed.

The receptionist then looked towards the older man. He rubbed his eyes and did a double take.

"Is that...?" he whispered. "...who I think it is?"

"It's... a long story..." Adrian replied. The receptionist then saw the police cruisers posted outside.

"What happened?" Charlie asked.

"A crime story is what happened," Adrian replied, "George needs a safe place tonight."

The receptionist nodded. "Very well," he said. "And it's a bit of an honor, really."

George was touched at the kindness he was receiving. As the two went upstairs, George began to start a chat with the young man.

"So, why are you even here?" he asked curiously.

"I just wanted to see the new exhibit for your Jupiter Exploration," Adrian told him, "I'm a big fan of your space exploration and military service."

Glenn smiled. "I appreciate it," he said. Then his smile faded. "But... what is happening here?" he asked. "Why did that young man hate me so much? I thought..."

"It's the hip thing on our college campuses and in the media right now," Adrian sighed as he opened the door, "it's the cool thing to proclaim love for the environment and all things green, while Coordinators and supporters are being slandered as freaks and Nazis for the mobs to harass and beat down on."

Glenn's mouth fell open. "Why...?" he asked. "Who could be...?"

"Blue Cosmos," Adrian replied, "you heard that guy say, 'for the preservation of our blue and pure world'. Their version of a blue and pure world means doing away with Coordinators by any means necessary."

Now Glenn was worried. "But why? We're just as human as anyone else."

"Not to them..." Adrian said as he laid down on his bed. He then threw a robe and towel to George, who caught them quite easily despite his age. "Help yourself to the shower."

"College student shoots up Kennedy Space Center Museum."

"This is ENN live with a breaking news report. At 2:00 PM US Eastern Time, a mass shooting involving Coordinator George Glenn has taken this small town community by surprise."

Adrian watched with unease and wariness. As he changed the channels, he saw that the shooting had spread across to the national media as more and more channels started reporting. However, what really troubled him was that the bias implicating George Glenn for the violence. Furthermore, it was too much to be coincidence that they were magnifying the coverage of protests against George Glenn.

"Hate and George Glenn have no home here!" One protestor chanted.

"Inhumans! You do not belong on Earth! Go back to space!"

"Humans are Naturals! Naturals are humans! You are artificial! An object!"

"We will fight this extraterrestrial scourge!"

"For our pure and blue world!"

"Nazi Coordinators go home! Supporters are fascist racists!"

But something seemed to catch his eye as he changed the channel to Hunter News.

It showed the headquarters of Glenn, Inc., and outside it stood counterprotestors. They had in their hands signs that said "Coordinators are humans!" and other things like "Blue Cosmos kills!" and "God made all!"

It was then that Adrian's phone rang. He looked at it, and saw that it was his wife, Martha. He didn't even waste a second in answering. "Hello, honey," he said.

"Adri! Thank the good Lord you are alright," Martha was breathless, "I heard from the news that there was a terrible shooting in Florida. I hope you are no where near the scene."

Adrian chuckled a little awkwardly. "They haven't exactly reported it now, have they?"

"What do you mean?" Martha asked over the line.

Adrian paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. He then sighed, "I was there when it happened."

Martha's voice was cut off in a gasp. "Oh, God...!" she whispered.

"That guy went totally nuts, and tried to kill George Glenn," Adrian spilled it, "if I hadn't taken out my gun and shot him, he would have killed Mr. Glenn."

"Adrian... thank the Lord," Martha sighed, "be careful with yourself. I'm not ready to be a widow and a single mother over here."

"You know it," he teased back.

As soon as he hung up, Glenn emerged from the shower. It was then that his own smartphone rang. The Coordinator picked it up, and a familiar voice came over the line. "George? You there?"

"Andria?" Glenn recognized the voice of the COO of his company, Glenn Inc.

"Yes. I'm sure you saw the news?" Andria Yamasaki asked. "I was worried when I heard you had been attacked."

"I'm alright, Andria," Glenn reassured her, "a kind young man saved my life. I'm just bunking out for the night in a safe place." Adrian smiled, seeing that Glenn had another friend to talk to.

"That's good to hear. I was so worried." Andria's voice suddenly was muffled as a new voice came on the line. "George, you had me so worried!" Another female voice shouted, causing George to move the phone away from his ear. Adrian's eyebrow quirked up a little in amusement.

"Helen, Helen, please calm down," George Glenn reassured the woman that was his Natural wife, "I'm not dead here."

"As you can see, your wife was in hysterics when she heard the news," Andria explained. "I decided to call you as soon as she came into the room." Then her voice became serious. "George, we've got anti-Coordinator protestors outside the office. Most of them are supporters of Blue Cosmos, and well... it's got me worried. So I have the guards on standby for crowd control in case fights break out."

"I see..." George paused to process what was happening.

"We'll be in contact. But as it stands, I'm beginning to suspect that this is not a coincidence," Andria remarked. Glenn had to admit that maybe she had a good point. Her keen intuition was one of the reasons he had selected her to be his COO for his company. It also helped she wasn't an easy person to break, having been in the military for some years prior. Her ability to remain focused with laser precision on the company's policies of fair dealings and employment regardless of genetic typing was another reason.

"Understood, keep my wife safe for me until I figure out what else is going on. Lock all the doors, and if you have to leave, go through the back," George ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Andria replied with military crispness. Glenn chuckled a bit as he hung up the phone. No sooner had Glenn hung up, that Hunter News flashed with an update. He and his Natural companion turned to see what was up on the screen. There appeared Dean Banner, the famed conservative commentator of Hunter News. With rich dark hair and a face not unlike Sean Hannity of American fame, he was one of the network's top-rated personalities.

"This is Dean Banner this afternoon with an update on the assassination attempt on George Glenn."

Glenn felt his breath hitch as he saw the hospital come on screen. Dean's face was steely and professional, but his eyes betrayed the tension over what he was going to say.

"At 3:26 PM Eastern Time, two of the victims wounded in this horrific shooting have been reported dead from their wounds."

Adrian grimaced at hearing that two of the young people he tried to save became fatalities anyways.

"The names of the two victims have been released by authorities. Both are identified as Stanford Walton and Brynn Dane, a male Natural and female Coordinator. They are students from the University of Daytona present with a tour led by George Glenn at the space center."

Adrian looked to George, to see the man hiding his lips behind his hand. The spark that was normally present in his eyes had faded, as the images of the smiling deceased appeared on the screen from their school. George closed his eyes as his head was spinning from the news. The Natural didn't know what to say. In all honesty... this horrified him. Both men were terrified. And all because of one young man who hated Coordinators.

They had no idea just how big things were going to get in the fight to bring light back into the shadows.

This is my first Gundam SEED fanfic after a long hiatus. I hope to bring fresh ideas to a Gundam SEED AU where George Glenn survives his assassination, and changes the course of CE history in the process. I hope you all will be interested and support me in this endeavor.

Special thanks to Titanic X for her support and OCs!