Chapter 6 – The Gundams Awaken
(~2,000 words; focused on empire-building, technology escalation, and the first field test of the new mechs)
Dawn over the desert
The Citadel's silhouette had transformed into something more imposing. What had once been a fortress was now the heart of an expanding machine complex.
Steel walls stretched outward in concentric rings, each new barricade fortified with reinforced plating and anti-air turrets. Inside, cranes rotated massive components into assembly bays where towering shapes took form.
Shawn stood on a catwalk above Assembly Hangar 1, arms folded across his chest. He was dressed in a tactical uniform woven with chakra-reactive fibers—an experimental armor that adapted to his Hashirama cells.
Below, the first Heavy Assault Gundam neared completion.
It rose ten meters tall, gleaming black and crimson. The cockpit hatch lay open, awaiting its pilot. Tubes fed liquid coolant into the core reactor buried in its chest. Hydraulic limbs flexed experimentally, hissing steam.
Alpha Squad Commander, helmet under one arm, approached.
"Unit One's diagnostics are nominal. Weapons systems calibrated. Chakra linkage stable."
Shawn nodded, eyes locked on the mech's angular helm.
"Power it up."
"Sir."
The commander gestured to the technicians. A siren wailed through the hangar. Amber lights strobed across the floor as generator capacitors charged.
With a deep, guttural roar, the Gundam's reactor engaged.
Panels on its shoulders glowed with red sigils—an aesthetic echo of his own Sharingan. The machine's head lifted, a single optical visor sweeping the observation deck.
Shawn felt a surge of pride that verged on something like reverence.
Here was proof that he was no longer merely scavenging or surviving. He was building—shaping steel and will into a war machine worthy of the legends he intended to eclipse.
Testing grounds – two hours later
They transported the Gundam out beyond the Citadel's perimeter, to a flat expanse of sunbaked clay and scattered wreckage.
Drone cameras hovered in a loose formation, transmitting live telemetry back to the command center. Clone Infantry ringed the perimeter, rifles ready to intercept any opportunistic Reavers.
Shawn entered the cockpit himself. The interior was surprisingly spartan—just a pilot's couch, a control harness, and an array of touchscreens and holographic readouts. He strapped in, feeling the neural interface prickle along his spine.
Engage.
The cockpit dimmed as the system linked with his chakra pathways. A moment later, the mech moved with the precision of his own limbs.
Fingers flexed. Massive servos whined.
He took a slow step forward, testing balance. Dust billowed around the armored feet.
Perfect.
He raised the left arm, palm out. The embedded cannon swiveled and locked into place.
TARGET LOCK: Range 2,000 meters.
WEAPON: Chakra-Enhanced Railgun.
A red icon pulsed on the HUD.
Shawn inhaled, then released his power.
Fire.
The shot ripped the silence apart—a thunderclap of displaced air. The projectile, wrapped in a swirling helix of chakra, vaporized a derelict Reaver tank in a single strike.
Cheering rose from the clone ranks.
Citadel – Command Chamber
Alpha Squad Commander returned to the Citadel ahead of him to relay the success. Inside the command chamber, the holographic map of the desert flickered with expanding territory markers.
[Territory Claimed: 10 kilometers radius.]
[Ore Node Control: 3 active extraction points.]
[Reaver Resistance: minimal.]
Already, resource convoys were moving to secure the new perimeter. Shawn knew it wouldn't stay quiet for long.
He tapped the console, bringing up a list of new build options.
[AVAILABLE PROJECTS]
Gundam Production Line (Mass Production)
Orbital Defense Network (Phase 1)
Aerospace Fighter Prototype
Clone Vat Upgrade: Elite Template
And in the top corner, a blinking alert.
[Incoming Message – Unknown Origin]
He frowned.
"Open channel."
A woman's face appeared. Pale skin. Black hair. A wry, amused smile.
Venom.
But different—more refined. Her symbiote formed elegant, shifting patterns across her shoulders like a living cloak.
"I've been watching," she purred. "You've built something…beautiful."
Shawn studied her carefully. Even on the screen, her presence exuded a dangerous charisma.
"Observation is free," he said. "Interference will cost you."
Her smile widened.
"Who says I wish to interfere? Perhaps…collaborate."
Behind her, the ship's walls rippled with symbiotic flesh. She leaned closer to the camera, her gaze intimate.
"Your soldiers are efficient. Your machines…impressive. But you lack one thing."
Shawn's brow rose.
"And that is?"
"A weapon that lives."
For a heartbeat, the chamber fell silent. He considered her words—and the unspoken promise that came with them.
"We will discuss this," he said finally.
Her expression turned sly.
"I look forward to our…meeting in person."
The transmission ended, leaving a faint hiss of static in her wake.
Clone Vat Complex
Returning to the vats, he oversaw the latest decanting cycle. This batch was different: Elite Clone Troopers, their genetic templates enriched with even deeper Uchiha and Senju code.
As they emerged from the fluid, each raised a fist in salute. Their chakra signatures burned brighter—enough that even untrained sensors would pick them up as mutant-level threats.
Shawn knew the moment the Avengers realized what he was doing, they would come. And when they did, these soldiers would be ready.
Late evening – in the desert
He walked alone through the perimeter gate to clear his mind.
The dunes glimmered under starlight. Somewhere overhead, Venom watched. Perhaps Natasha Romanoff did, too. And beyond them—an entire universe of cosmic powers waiting to see what this upstart warlord would dare.
I will not disappoint them, he thought, closing his eyes.
His chakra roiled inside him, answering his ambition.
Tomorrow, the first aerospace fighter would launch. Soon, the Citadel would be only the first of many strongholds.
And after that?
The stars themselves.
END OF CHAPTER 6