Author Notes

Okay, this a short chapter, I know, but it is simply to reintroduce Rael and Aria, as well as set the scene for the new 'season' of the story.

The screams of children searching for their parents echoed throughout the city of Alexandria. Each one pierced Rael's memories more. It was same, the feeling he had was the same as back then. Everything was so similar, even the looks of terror on the faces of the youngest children, now lost or injured amngost the debris. He couldn't understand how it could have happened. Who could have been so intent to rid the world of life that they would drop Junius Seven?

Aria was shaking next to him, her eyes fixated on the ruin that used to be Alexandria. Rael couldn't help but think that the tears she cried would have torn her apart with each drop. She was naive when it came to this, that much was obvious. As he glanced at her face, Rael thought to himself "what must she be thinking?"

There was a slight pain in his bicep as she clung to his arm in search of some form of comfort. Rael, however, could only stare at a small boy covered in bloodied clothes, dying in the arms of thier mother. Smoke rose up from nearly every building. Cars had been overturned by the tidal wave, rescue vehicles had been ruined. Rael had never felt so worthless. There he was, a ZAFT squad leader, powerless to help anyone.

All of sudden there was a loud rumble, and the concrete wall of one of the building began to fall in the direction of the grieving mother.

"Hold on!" shouted Rael as he sent the ZAKU speeding forward. Catching the wall diagonally on the back of suit, the cockpit shook violently. Within seconds, Miles had used his GUAIZ to pull the concrete off of the ZAKU, and with Alexei's aid, placed it safely on the floor. The mother stared straight up the Rael's ZAKU, now hovering over her.

"Is this how it felt before?" asked Aria out of the blue.
"Sorry?" replied Rael.
"When you did a similar thing for me and I gazed up at the Suit's camera... Did it feel this intense? ...this painful?"
"No... You... You didn't that look of absolute desperation in your eyes. Her eyes... They're filled with sorrow and nothing else. That is why you find it painful."

Aria didn't answer that time, instead she looked straight at the mother, who subsequently dropped her head back to her child and began weeping.

"This... This is just too wrong..." she said as tears once again started to flow down his pale face.
"This is much more the than 'wrong', this was delibrate. This was an act of pure aggression..."
"What do you mean...?"
"This was a warning... That's what I think anyway."

He could hear Aria gasped in fear as he spoke, but he couldn't shake the feeling that was only the beginning. The worst was yet to come, he was sure about that. A strong wind blew through the city, bringing with it small amounts of sand. The harsh sun light shone down, illuminating the painful truth of the devastation even further. "Too much," Rael thought to himself, "this is just too much..."

Looking around briefly, he noticed that Cadence has vanished. He had a feeling she harbored a greatdislike for Naturals. This had become apparent by her reactions to Aria, however, to simply leave them to die here was unbelievable in his eyes. Of course, he wasn't a Coordinator either, so does that mean she would happily abbandon him and his team if she found out?

"What will happen now?" said Aria, catching Rael off guard.
"I don't know, but we will do what we can to help these people."
"Why?" asked Aria, much to Rael's surprise.
"What do you mean 'why'?"
"Well, they're Naturals, and apart from you, your team are Coordinators. Don't Coordinators despise us Naturals?"
"Some do, yes, but not all. Do you think you would have been welcome to stay with us if the others despised you?"
"I... I guess not."

Rael flicked on the communication system before speaking again.

"Miles, Alexei, listen carefully! I don't know what's happened to Cadence but never mind that. Right now, your orders are to carry out rescue operations. I don't care if it's on foot or in your Suit, just help these people, understood?"

Two "yes, sir" messages came through the communication system at almost identical times. Rael watched as the two GUAIZ Suits went off in different directions. With a firm look of determination on his face, Rael turned to Aria and spoke once again.

"Let's go."