Reflections in a Brown Eye

Synopsis
Al asks Bernie if he is really the pilot of the Zaku and if the mobile suit has been shot down. Bernie is upset that Al isn't even frightened by the gun he is carrying, but rather amazed by it. Bernie says he didn't come here to be harrassed by a kid. Bernie realizes that Al is completely unaffected by war. He tricks Al by asking him if he wants to hold his gun and takes his camera, looking at the footage on it. The two fight over the camera, but Al then becomes fascinated by Bernie's rank badge.

Bernie asks Al if he'll trade the camera for the rank badge. Bernie takes out the video disc and gives Al back the camera, saying he's gotten what he wanted. Another Zaku lands nearby and picks up Bernie. Al heads home, excited over having the badge. As he walks home he passes by various wreckage, seeing the damage caused by the mobile suit fight. The kids return to school where Al, Chay and Telcott laugh at Dorothy for being wrong about mobile suits. Class is cancelled for the day and the kids go home.

At home Al puts the rank badge on his neck and pretends to be a mobile suit pilot. At Granada, Colonel Killing shows the remaining members of the Cyclops team footage from the video that Bernie took. Killing believes whatever was in the shuttle was top secret. He wants to obtain or destroy it. Killing says he'll be assigning a top pilot to their squad. Meanwhile, Bernie is belittled by a fellow pilot for his failure in the recent battle, his first. Bernie heads to the room where the Cyclops team is stationed and meets the team.

Bernie is told he's now part of the Cyclops Team. Steiner explains the mission, called Operation Rubicon. The team is to head to the Side 6 colony that Bernie was just at, pretending to be members of a commercial transport corporation. They'll be carrying a mobile suit with them. At school Al meets with his teacher in private over his bad grades. Al is depressed, worrying about the trouble he'll get in with his mother. This continues through to dinner that night.

That night, Al sneaks out of his room and heads outside. He is caught by Chris, and says he's on a dare. He says since she's a girl, she isn't allowed to come with him. Al returns to the downed Zaku and upon exploring falls into the cockpit, finding that it still works. At Granada, the fake commercial transport craft is prepared with Bernie sitting in the cockpit. Bernie is surprised when some fellow soldiers put a dead body next to him then shoot it. The craft departs Granada.

A group of mobile suit teams head past the craft and start a battle far in the distance. Bernie brings the transport ship closer to the colony and asks for landing clearance. His craft is permitted into the colony. Al wakes up and notices lights from the fighting outside the colony. The transport craft lands and Bernie heads out, providing falsified credentials to the security officer there. Bernie realizes he doesn't have receiver credentials and the security officer demands an inspection. Suddenly Steiner arrives with Mischa and Garcia, handing over some additional credentials. Steiner puts on an act and the security officer lets them go through without inspection.

Realizing its morning, Al rushes home and is nearly hit by a truck. The driver, who yells at him, ends up being Bernie. Al chases after the truck, which is accompanied by a series of other trucks driven by the other Cyclops team members. Al manages to jump onto the back of the last truck in the line. Realizing the Zeon soldiers are back in the colony, Al laughs with excitement.