The next attack didn't come with warning.
It came with precision.
---
A remote logistics corridor on the edge of unified space went dark.
No distress signal.
No battle report.
Just silence.
Until a single automated probe transmitted back fragmented data before going offline.
---
On the *Argonaut*, Rika replayed the footage for the command crew.
The screen flickered.
A convoy of transport ships drifted in formation.
Then—
Space itself distorted.
Helix units emerged instantly, surrounding the convoy in perfect formation.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
The transports were disabled within seconds.
But not destroyed.
"Pause," Leon said.
Rika froze the frame.
Mira leaned forward.
"They're not attacking the cargo…"
Rika zoomed in.
"…They're targeting specific containers."
Leon's eyes narrowed.
"Extraction operation."
---
The footage resumed.
Then—
Something else entered the frame.
A massive Helix structure.
Not the same as before.
Smaller than the super-weapon used at Hestia.
But far more intricate.
Multiple rotating rings surrounded a central core, each emitting shifting energy patterns.
"It's not a weapon," Rika said slowly.
"It's a field generator," Flint added from the back.
Rika nodded.
"Whatever they're doing… it's localized."
The footage cut out.
---
Captain Rolf turned to Leon.
"They didn't want to destroy the convoy."
Leon finished the thought.
"They wanted something from it."
---
A second transmission came in.
From another sector.
Then a third.
Same pattern.
Different locations.
Helix was moving across multiple points simultaneously.
Mira crossed her arms.
"They're building something."
Leon shook his head.
"No."
He looked at the projection again.
"They're setting the stage."
---
Hours later, the unified command issued a directive.
**All available high-performance mobile suit units are to intercept Helix operations immediately.**
Which meant—
Leon was going.
---
The target zone was a dead sector of space.
No colonies.
No fleets.
Just darkness.
Perfect for Helix.
As the *Argonaut* approached, sensors began to fluctuate.
"Interference field detected," Rika reported. "That structure is already active."
Leon stepped into the cockpit of Aegis.
"Then we shut it down."
Mira's voice came through.
"Try not to trigger another near-colony explosion."
"No promises," Leon replied.
---
They launched.
The moment Aegis crossed into the field—
Everything changed.
Sensor data warped.
Targeting systems lagged.
Even visual tracking felt… delayed.
"What the—" Mira started.
Rika's voice cut in, strained.
"The field is disrupting perception! It's not just jamming sensors—it's interfering with reaction timing!"
Leon's movements slowed—
Not physically.
Mentally.
Like the world was half a second behind.
"This is bad," Mira said. "We can't fight like this!"
Helix units emerged.
And immediately pressed the advantage.
Their movements were unaffected.
Perfect.
Precise.
Deadly.
"They designed this for us," Leon realized.
"For pilots."
---
Then—
A new signal entered the field.
Cutting through the distortion.
Fast.
Stable.
Familiar.
Leon's eyes narrowed.
"…He's here."
---
The AGE Gundam burst into the battlefield.
Its movements were sharp—clean—unaffected by the lag that plagued the others.
Flit's voice came across the comm.
"You're reacting too slowly."
Mira blinked.
"What?!"
Flit continued calmly.
"You're relying on real-time response. That won't work here."
Leon dodged a delayed strike, barely avoiding a direct hit.
"Then what does?" he shot back.
A brief pause.
Then—
"Prediction."
---
Flit moved through the battlefield like he had already mapped it.
Each Helix attack met empty space.
Each counterstrike landed exactly where it needed to.
He wasn't reacting.
He was anticipating.
---
Leon gritted his teeth.
"That's your answer?"
"It's the only one," Flit replied.
Leon hesitated for a fraction of a second.
Then made a decision.
"Fine."
---
Aegis shifted.
Instead of reacting to incoming attacks—
Leon started reading patterns.
Movement arcs.
Attack intervals.
Positioning logic.
He stopped chasing the present.
And aimed for the future.
---
It wasn't perfect.
But it worked.
His movements sharpened.
Cleaner.
More deliberate.
---
Flit noticed immediately.
"…You're adapting."
Leon smirked slightly.
"Don't sound so surprised."
---
Together—
The two Gundams began to stabilize the battlefield.
Flit handled precision suppression.
Leon controlled engagement flow.
Different styles.
But now—
Complementary.
---
At the center of the field—
The Helix structure activated fully.
Energy surged outward.
The distortion intensified.
Then—
A new presence appeared.
Variable Two.
And beside him—
Another.
A second elite unit.
Larger.
Heavier.
Radiating overwhelming pressure.
Mira's voice trembled slightly.
"Leon… there are two of them now."
Variable Two's voice came through calmly.
"Dual variables require dual opposition."
The second unit stepped forward.
"Designation: Variable Three."
---
Leon exhaled slowly.
"Of course."
Flit's voice remained steady.
"Then we divide them."
Leon shook his head.
"No."
He looked toward the two Helix elites.
"Together."
---
For the first time—
Leon and Flit moved in perfect sync.
No hesitation.
No conflict.
Just alignment.
Two Gundams surged forward—
Against two evolving enemies.
---
The real test had begun.