The Aim of Evil Intents (悪意の矛先 Akui no Hokosaki?) is the 18th episode of Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
Plot[]
In Northeastern Italy, the Trinity siblings initiate an armed intervention, destroying a small backwater base and its Hellion squadron. On the deserted island, Lockon notes to Setsuna that the Trinitys have carried out seven interventions, all against military bases. In Washington, two advisers inform Stegmeyer about the most recent Celestial Being attack and note that the new Gundams are acting differently from the old ones. The leaders of the AEU conclude that they have few options left and must cooperate more with the Union and HRL. In space, Soma asks Sergei if Celestial Being will attack their location, and Sergei answers that it could happen if their objective is to destroy the world. Wang meets with Alejandro and is surprised that he doesn't know much about the Trinitys. He comments that he personally believes their actions are going too far. Wang asks Alejandro if he thinks the Trinitys are part of the original plan, and he says it's a logical conclusion since they have Gundams. On the Ptolemaios, Ian gives a report on the Trinitys. He says that the technology used in the Thrones is the same as theirs, but their solar reactors are different and have shorter operational time. Allelujah wonders if someone stole their technology to build the Thrones, but Sumeragi notes that the plans for the solar reactor are only in Veda. Christina says that even if Veda was hacked, it would take a long time to build solar reactors, so Lasse concludes that there must be a traitor inside Celestial Being. In the Veda terminal room, Tieria finds that Level 7 data has been tampered with and that he can't access it. Ian asks Sumeragi what she plans to do, and she tells him it's dangerous to move now if the world thinks the Trinitys are their allies. Hong Long informs Wang that the can't find the bio data on the Trinitys, so she asks him to continue investigating. Elsewhere, Graham and Daryl visit Howard's grave to pay their respects. Daryl tells Graham that Howard believed the Flag ended up being chosen as the Union's new suit because Graham was the test pilot. Graham says he only tested it because he thought it had the best performance and expresses regret over the mock battle accident. He then vows in Howard's name that he'll defeat the Gundams with his Flag. In America, Kinue meets in a bar with a Realdo pilot who witnessed the Thrones firsthand in the Taklamakan Desert. He explains that he was waiting for a pickup after his Realdo was damaged, and he saw the Throne Zwei and its pilot reporting to a "Lagna." On the subway, Kinue decides to investigate the name Lagna, and the Realdo pilot is shot to death while walking through an alley. At a Spanish castle, Louise talks to Saji on the phone while her parents congratulate the newlyweds. The call drops, and Louise spots the Thrones flying overhead. Upset that people are having fun while she's working, Nena suddenly opens fire on the castle, killing most of the guests. Another shot traps Louise under a large pile of rubble.
On the Ptolemaios, Christina tells Sumeragi that there's no mission record in Veda from what just happened in Spain. Sumeragi is shocked that the Trinitys attacked civilians for no reason. Saji attempts to call Louise's phone, but he hasn't been able to reach her for three days. He asks about Louise at the school office, and an employee tells him that Louise was hospitalized as the result of an accident. Later, Saji rides a bus and reads the news that Gundams attacked a Spanish resort. At a Union base in Illinois, Graham is surprised to find an injured Billy working on the Custom Flag. Billy tells Graham that he thinks Eifman was targeted because he was close to discovering the secret of the Gundams and their special particles, so he was assassinated under the cover of an armed intervention. The base suddenly goes on alert when a Gundam is spotted over Iowa. Graham realizes that the only thing in Iowa is the Iris Corporation's military factory, which is completely staffed by civilians. Although Billy thinks it's reckless, Graham takes off on his own and heads for Iowa. In Iowa, Johann bombards the Iris factory, killing many civilian workers. Suddenly, Graham closes in at high speed and opens fire on Johann. After transforming, Graham rushes in for a close attack with his plasma blades. He knocks Johann away and grabs his beam saber, which he uses to cut off the Throne Eins' right arm. A shocked Johann retreats, and Graham considers that vengeance for Howard, but he suddenly coughs up blood from the high G forces. On the deserted island, Lockon tells Setsuna that the Trinitys attacked the Iris factory, killing over 800 civilians. Lockon says that what the Trinitys are doing is the same as indiscriminate terror attacks, and Setsuna runs into the forest. Sumeragi wonders if it will be possible to carry on their plans without Veda. She gets an e-mail from Billy about Eifman's death, and Christina calls her with urgent news. In Spain, Saji arrives at the hospital and finds Louise's room. Saji shows Louise the pair of rings she wanted and tells her he saved up for them by working extra. He's about to tell her that he loves her, but she says she can't wear the ring. Saji doesn't understand, so Louise shows him her bandaged, handless left arm. Louise begins to cry, and a nurse asks Saji not to upset her because she also lost her parents and several relatives. Saji walks slowly through the hallway and begins to cry. Elsewhere, the Trinitys fly over the ocean, and Michael says he's surprised there was someone that even Johann couldn't handle. Suddenly, the Trinitys come under attack from a beam weapon, and Johann spots the Gundam Exia. Setsuna declares that the Trinitys are spreading war and must be taken out. Setsuna pulls out his GN sword and rushes in to attack.