Well, here it is: the *very* rough draft of my story. While reading, please keep a few things in mind: a) this is a *very* rough draft (the key word here being rough) b) this is also *unfinished* c) I know Heero wasn't really an orphan (persay) but I didn't find that out 'til after I started writing this, so just pretend! Please let me know what you think of it so far! I am really looking for comments regarding this little fic of mine. I want to know if you think I should keep going with this and finish it. Well, that's all. Enjoy!
Guardian Angels memories gone, faded away the past is immutable, Guardian Angel, watch me now ~ Future’s Recollection by Kat
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Help me, please...help me... pleaded the soft voice.
As he was running down the deserted streets of L1 colony, the voice grew closer and strangely familiar. Panting, he stopped his frantic search for whoever he was looking for as he approached a dilapidated warehouse in one of the worst neighborhoods of the colony. Flames of unknown origin were consuming the warehouse, and standing in front of one of the many shattered glass windows was a young girl, who seemed extremely frightened until she caught sight of him. Her face grew calm when she saw his visage, and a look of relief mixed with a spark of hope lightened her countenance.
She looked about seven years old, only one year younger than him, and once he saw her a feeling of warmth and familiarity crept up inside of him, although he could not remember who she was. Her short golden hair hugged her face as her gentle aquamarine eyes shined with a light all their own. I know those eyes, he thought. He smiled and approached her, extending his hand out to her own as if to invite her to come away from this sorrowful place reeking of destruction and pain.
As he did this, though, two burly men suddenly appeared out of thin air and one of them grabbed her, and began carting her away from him. He attempted to chase after the man, but the other kidnapper delivered a swift punch to his stomach followed by a hit to his face, and the man’s laugh was colder than ice. He collapsed on the ground helpless, watching as the two men took her away, crying out and reaching for him, and then disappeared. Tears began falling from his cobalt eyes as he passed into sudden blackness.
When he awoke, he found himself gazing around at white...nothingness. He was completely surrounded on all sides by blinding, unending whiteness. As he gazed around, struggling to understand where he was and how he came to be there, he glanced down at himself and was horrified at what he saw. His clothes were completely stained with fresh blood. He lifted his hands to his face and his eyes widened in shock and sick fascination, for they were completely covered in warm, crimson blood. Terrified, he frantically searched all around him for someone or something, anything, to tell him it was just a nightmare. But he was alone.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of rushing liquid and whirled around. A seemingly endless flow of red liquid was rushing towards him. At first, only a minimal amount flowed toward him, coming into contact with his sneakers and sliding around its new obstacle, like water hitting a rock in a rushing river. But soon, more and more came until it was over his head, tossing him around like a leaf caught in hurricane winds. He was drowning in blood.
He tried to swim to the surface but the level of blood only increased with his every stroke. He was going to die. Then, he heard a muffled voice call out to him, faint at first, then it grew stronger and clearer. The voice was delicate and ghostly, but he didn’t try to take the time to recognize it because he himself was running out of time. Then, there was a bright flash of blinding light and he woke up.
* * * *
Heero Yuy jolted out of his nightmarish sleep, sitting straight up and soaked with sweat. It wasn’t the first time this dream had occurred, but he had never become habituated with it or deciphered its meaning. He sat, panting, on his bed in the pitch black, the sheets twisting themselves around him like a snake coiling around its prey. Normally dreams like this wouldn’t bother him, the Perfect Soldier, but this one was so real and vivid. And the girl he kept seeing appear and get taken away, she was familiar to him. He knew her. Somewhere deep in his memory, buried beneath the bloodshed and war, was the image of that same girl and himself, but he couldn’t remember who she was. It was like the reflection of a ghost. Someone from his past in L1, obviously, but who was she and why had he cared so much when she was taken away from him? He had smiled at the sight of her, and he had also cried at losing her. Faintly, like whispers reaching out in delicate tendrils to his mind, he remembered caring for a girl long ago, when he was an orphan in L1...
Get ahold of yourself, Yuy. You have never cared for anyone and you never will. Emotions are obstacles that must be destroyed in order to complete the mission.
Satisfied with this last thought, he pulled himself out of bed and gazed at the digital clock. The glaring red numbers read 3:15. He didn’t need to be up for two more hours, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to succumb to sleep again. He glanced around the room at the other four pilots scattered in various places in their beds. They were all sleeping soundly; no one had heard him get up. Good, that means I can get some real work done around here.
Pulling on his usual street clothes, he silently made his way out of the room and down the corridor, towards the library where his laptop was set up. Closing the wooden door behind him, he sat down at his computer and began to type away mechanically, losing himself in the data and numbers.
An hour later, a face suddenly appeared in front of him on the screen. Lady Une.
“Heero, I didn’t expect you up this early. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised,” she corrected herself. “I have a mission for you all. I’m sending the details now.”
Heero watched the information flash on the screen in front of him as he absorbed it and formulated a plan to carry out this newest mission. It was simple enough.
“Ninmu ryoukai.”
* * * *
It was crowded at the political convention in L2 colony, where Heero and the others had been assigned their mission. Their task was routine to them: the assassination of a political leader who was causing trouble and unrest among the Preventers. Mr. Hukino Tamayoru had continued his anti-peace campaign for several years now, and it was becoming a problem due to the upcoming colony leader elections and the many followers he had accumulated over the years. If he were elected to office, it would mean disaster between the colonies and Earth.
Heero had, of course, been assigned to carry out the actual assassination, as it was his specialty among other fields. It hadn’t been difficult to obtain invitations to the convention for the five boys because the Preventers had high officials working in their ranks. He found a secluded spot on the balcony that circled the large room and stood there for quite some time, awaiting the chance to fulfill his mission. Tamayoru finally finished his speech, and as he was stepping down from the podium a gunshot rang throughout the room and he fell to the ground, a large bullet hole carved in his left temple.
Heero withdrew the gun and replaced it in its traveling holster hidden in his suit jacket. “Ninmu
kanryou.”
As he turned to leave his post and rejoin the others, he heard someone speak to him, although he was alone. “I know who you are, Heero Yuy.” Spinning around to face the voice, the speaker quickly found herself gazing down the barrel of a loaded gun as he addressed her in his cold monotone.
“Who are you?”
She shook her head in disappointment, causing her chin-length, layered blonde hair to swing gently about her face. Seeming oblivious to the threat he now posed her, the girl continued to speak to him. “You don’t have to live like this.”
A sudden shout from the crowd that was now forming around Tamayoru’s body drew Heero’s glance away for a half a second, but when he turned to face her again she was gone. Vanished. He looked all around for her or a clue as to which direction she went, but had no such luck. Suddenly, he remembered what time he was supposed to meet the others and glanced at his watch, realizing he had only a few minutes to report back. Kuso, forget it. I completed the mission and that girl was no obstacle to my task. However, I will have to find and eliminate her later. She’s discovered my identity and witnessed the assassination. With that thought in mind, he turned and made his way undetected back downstairs and through the exit that lead out into the crisp night air.
* * * *
The whole way back Quatre’s house, Heero was in deep thought and silent as usual. The incident on the balcony troubled him more than it should have, or at least more than he thought it should have. After all, it was only a girl who didn’t even have enough sense to cower at the barrel of a loaded gun. Surely she would be no problem to eliminate, but there was something about her that gently tugged at him in the back of his mind. She had appeared out of thin air and disappeared in similar fashion, she wasn’t even phased by the threat of her own death, but most importantly, she knew who he was and what he had done. Who was she? How did she know him? What did she mean by her words? How did she find him? The questions in his mind seemed to flow endlessly as he stared out the window at the cars that emerged out of the dark and rushed by them, then became swallowed by the darkness once again.
“ You don’t have to live like this.” Like what? He was simply following orders and completing his missions, like any soldier. True, he had destroyed more people and places than most armies ever had, but he was a Gundam pilot and that was one of the consequences of accepting that position. He didn’t know how to live any other way. He had once said himself the Gundams existed only for battle and nothing else. For him, there was no other way to live.
Get a grip, he scolded himself for thinking so hard on the matter. It was clear what was to be done. If she should show up again, he would kill her. Simple as that, and nothing more. You think too much, Yuy.
* * * *
“So, who’s this new person Relena’s bringing over? A friend of hers?” Duo asked through a mouthful of apple. It had been several months since the incident on the balcony, and all five boys had been called to Preventer Headquarters by Relena Peacecraft. All she had said was she was bringing someone over for them to meet, and that was all. She was acting strangely, even for Relena, by calling them here herself. They were completely in the dark on this one. The braided pilot leaned back in his chair as he looked to the others sitting around the dim conference room for some answers.
“I don’t know. We know as much as you do, Duo, which isn’t a lot. Your guess is as good as ours,” Quatre answered. It was rare that they were all called to a meeting like this. Normally, Lady Une would give them their missions over the computer and they would carry it out from there. The only time she ever called them down to Headquarters was when something drastic had happened, or when someone new who was important to their missions was brought in. They all knew it had to do with the latter reason, but they knew no more than that.
Silence fell over the room as footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway towards the conference room. Two, no, three, female voices were heard chatting as the footsteps drew closer and the doorknob rattled. One voice was Lady Une’s, the other was Relena’s, but no one could recognize the third. Then, the door swung open to reveal the Head of the Preventers, the Queen of the World, and an unknown third girl. As all eyes turned to the newcomer, Duo nearly choked on his apple.
Her slender, well-proportioned body was framed by the light streaming in from the hallway. Her shoulder-length golden hair gently hugged her face, which was glowing with a perfect smile and shining violet eyes. A white shirt was tied around her waist and the black tank top she wore clung to her body, in contrast to the baggy, worn-in jeans she was sporting. Her voice finally snapped Duo out of his trance as she addressed them. “So, you must be the famous Gundam pilots? Nice to finally meet you!”
“Yep, we’re the one and only. Or, the five and only...or...you know what I mean! I’m Duo, Duo Maxwell,” he said, jumping up eagerly from his chair and shaking her hand.
“I’m Laina, Laina Maloney,” she said smiling at him. “I’ll be your newest partner!”
All Gundam eyes turned to her in shock, even Trowa was surprised. “P...Partner?” Duo said, not understanding in the least. He thought he had heard her say she was their newest partner, but that couldn’t be right.
“Before you all have heart attacks, let me explain,” Relena intervened. “Laina is an old friend of mine from school, we’ve known each other for about four years now. All the time I have known her, she has been a Mobile Suit pilot, and a rather exceptional one, I might add. Seeing the recent need for more high class pilots within the Preventers, I asked her to undergo several tests in order to determine her skill level. The results from her tests were the most impressive I’ve ever seen, and Lady Une and Milliard had the same reaction. Her skills rank among your own, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her defeat some of you in battle. She is also highly capable of completing the hazardous missions we give her. With this newfound information, Lady Une and I have found it will be to the utmost advantage of the Preventers if she pilots a Gundam as well, increasing our numbers to six. We’ve already began construction on her suit and it will be ready within the next few weeks. That is the reason I brought you all here today, to meet your newest pilot. I trust you will show her the kind of respect and kindness she deserves,” Relena finished, sending a glance in Wufei’s direction. She knew he would have the hardest time accepting Laina as his equal, if not superior, fighter.
The boys’ jaws were on the ground, all of them still in shock at what Relena had just said until Wufei spoke out. “Naniiiii? A woman piloting a Gundam? Who in their right mind would allow such a weak creature to pilot the most powerful weapon in the universe?!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. He had expected his superiors to use more discretion when selecting new pilots, and to hire a woman?! This was injustice!
The other pilots merely glanced at him with exasperation. They had heard similar speeches one too many times before and knew to just ignore him when he got into one of his ranting moods. However, a voice suddenly snapped Wufei out of his disbelief. “Well, I’ll let you believe whatever you want to believe. The results from the battles and missions will speak for themselves,” Laina replied coolly. She had often received this exact same reaction from many male fighters, and it did nothing to upset her.
Before Wufei could retort, Quatre saw a need to intervene and stepped in. “I’m Quatre Raberba Winner. I’ll tell you the others names’ because the rest of them are all the silent type. That’s Chang Wufei, Trowa Barton, and Heero Yuy,” he said, pointing out each boy as he said their name. “Welcome aboard.”
“Arigatou. I think I’m going to like it here,” Laina commented, looking around the room at the faces of the other boys, her glance resting only momentarily on one of the pilots in particular. They were all very attractive, and yet so different from one another.
After the meeting was adjourned everyone except Lady Une, who was required to stay at Headquarters, headed back to Quatre’s mansion. During the ride back, Heero found himself once again lost in thought but this time about something completely different. Laina. She seemed vaguely familiar to him somehow, like he had met her somewhere but yet...hadn’t. There was something about her that he just couldn’t put his finger on. Something familiar, yet foreign.
* * * *
“So this is the Winner mansion? Homey,” Laina commented as she surveyed the large marbled entryway with obvious amazement. She wasn’t very accustomed to enormous houses, and she felt a little uneasy in such a large house.
“Sure is. Our buddy Quatre here is loaded!” Duo said, patting the blonde on the back with a laugh.
“Duo...,” Quatre hissed, throwing a glance at the American. He hated it when people described him only by his wealth. Seeing that he had silenced the loud-mouthed pilot, he turned to Laina. “Hai, it’s my father’s house. Come on, I’ll show you where your room is.”
With that, he guided her up the mammoth staircase, which sat in the middle of the vast entryway, and through the maze of corridors until he stopped at a large wooden double door. Turning the handle, he opened the door and allowed Laina to enter first, then followed her. He soon had to skid to a stop, however, because she was standing still just a few steps inside the door. She gasped at the size of the room, and it was only a bedroom!
“Nani? Is there something wrong? Do you want another room?” Quatre asked, wondering why she kept looking about the room with an open mouth. He had asked to have the room cleaned and the bed made, was there something he had forgotten?
“I...Iie. Nothing’s wrong. It’s just so...huge! I’m not used to big houses,” she stammered, setting her small backpack containing her things down on the bed. “I think I might get lost on the way to the bathroom!”
He chuckled at her surprise. Most people reacted that way after first observing his home, but eventually they grew accustomed to it. “Don’t worry, you’ll find your way around soon enough. If you need anything, just call down for one of us. I’m going to tell Rashid to have dinner prepared.”
Laina watched him leave through the doorway, then turned to face her bed. She glanced around the room, which in itself was probably the size of a large living room. The king size bed occupied the wall to the left of the door and across the room from the bed was a large oak vanity with a crystal mirror. Next to that was an illustrious chest of mahagony drawers, and directly opposite from the door was a magnificent pine desk. I...it’s beautiful. I know I’m going to like it here.
About a half hour later, a sudden knock on the door caused her to jump as she whirled around. She stared right into Duo’s smiling face looking back at her from the open door leading to the hall. “Mind if I come in?” he asked, his arm still leaning against the door frame.
“S..sure. You scared me! Don’t go sneaking up on me like that,” she replied, laughing.
“Sneaking up unnoticed is one of my specialties, Laina. You told me that, remember?” Duo answered, smiling. “Anyway, I just came to check on how you were doing. This place is really big, and most of those guys aren’t really any help.”
“Arigatou. I’m doing well, but it’s going to take a while to get used to this place. Luxury just isn’t my style.”
“I think I’m in love,” he said with a laugh. “A girl who doesn’t want the riches and glamor. Now there’s a rare find. How did you end up here, anyway? I mean, besides the fact that Relena asked you to come here.”
“I’ve been trained in mobile suit combat ever since I can remember. And to get a chance to not only meet the Gundams, but join them as a pilot! Do you even know what an honor that is? I bet you don’t know how famous you guys really are among soldiers and civilians alike,” she explained.
For some reason, something about her explanation made Duo’s stomach tighten. “That may be true...but I think there’s more to your decision than what you’re letting on. Call it a gut instinct. But no one in their right mind would give up their whole life just to meet some famous soldiers, and besides, I’m sure you know how lonely and miserable a soldier’s life can be. So come on, tell me the real reason why you came. I know I’m right, or you would have told me before. Onegai?” he pleaded.
Laina only smiled as she retorted, ”Sore wa, himitsu desu!”
“Man, you are one mysterious chick,” he replied while rubbing the back of his head, the ever-present smile still on his face. “Hey, dinner should be just about ready by now. You hungry?”
“Hai, starving! Let’s go.”
As Duo led her down to the dining room, he thought of what she had said to him about her reason for coming. ‘Now that, is a secret.’ What did she mean by that? Oh well, it’s probably nothing. I’m just overthinking it, that’s all. Besides, even if she does have some ulterior motive for coming, she still seems pretty cool. If she was an enemy, she wouldn’t be friends with *Relena* and she would have already tried to take us out.
* * * *
“Hey, guys! Glad you came down. I was just about to send for you,” Quatre greeted as the pair waltzed through the entrance to the dining hall.
“I can smell food underwater in a Pisces, Q. Would I ever be late?”
“Iie, good point,” he laughed. Turning to Laina as the seven of them sat down, he asked,”So, is everything working out for you so far? Duo isn’t bothering you too much is he?”
“Hey! I’m not a bother!” he shouted between mouthfuls of roast chicken.
“Iie. Without him I probably wouldn’t have found my way down to dinner,” she chuckled. “But other than that, everything is fine. I wanted to thank you for putting me up at your house. I know it must be awkward having a girl living here after you guys have gotten so used to just being with each other.”
“Naw, don’t worry about it! Having you around will spice things up a bit. These guys get pretty boring after a while. Two of them rarely talk, and the other one just rants about justice all the time. It gets really old really fast,” Duo assured her, stabbing another piece of steak.
“I have nothing to say to you guys. Why should I talk?” Heero commented absently in his usual monotone.
“And I do not rant about justice! That accusation has no basis, and its injust! Maxwell...” Wufei yelled.
“My point exactly,” Duo sighed, closing his eyes. This caused Wufei to stop in midsentence and sit back in his chair in silent defeat. Duo, with eyes still shut, just smirked.
The meal continued on in a somewhat peaceful silence for the next ten minutes, mostly due to the fact that a certain braided pilot was too busy shoving food into his greedy mouth to talk. Suddenly, someone’s voice broke the peace by addressing Laina. “Where do you come from?” Heero asked, seeming semi-disinterested. Maybe he knew her from one of the colonies he went to during the war.
“I don’t know.”
Everyone’s forks stopped midway to their mouths. They all glanced at her from the corners of their eyes, no one quite sure what to say in response to her answer. How could she not know where she came from, where she was born? Even Trowa and Heero knew where they were born, and they were both orphaned. A quiet, even toned voice smashed the awkward silence. “What do you mean by that? Everyone knows what colony or city they were born in, at the very least,” Trowa inquired.
Laina simply looked up at him and repeated,”I don’t know.” Then, she once again turned her focus back to her meal. Seeing that they would get no clear response from her, the rest of the boys gave up and returned to polishing off the remainders of their food. They had been in enough captive situations to know that once a person solidly refuses to reveal any information, there is no way to elicit anything from them without the use of torture.
* * * *
God it’s hot in here. They really need to repair the ventilation system in this hangar, Laina thought as she sat inside her Gundam, playing with the wires in the control panels. She had been working at re-calibrating her system’s speed and reaction time for a few hours now, and she was almost finished. Not wanting anyone to lay a finger on her suit, she did all repairs and upgrades to her Gundam herself. While working solo had the advantage of allowing her to complete the repairs in adequate time, she missed not having anyone to talk to. Besides that, doing all the work herself and moving sixty feet up and down on the rope all the time was tiring, not to mention grimy. But that’s the way she liked it. That’s the way things had always been for her: lonely.
“How long have you been slaving away here for?” Quatre said smiling, interrupting her thoughts as he poked his head in through the cockpit door.
Laina glanced at the clock on the control panel. “About five hours and counting,” she said with a happy, yet tired look on her face. “What brings you here to Headquaters?”
“We came to take a look at our Gundams, do some upgrading. It looks like you’re almost done, though,” Duo chimed in, looking in at her from the metal walkway that ran across the hangar about fifty feet up, just at the height of the cockpit.
“Hai, just about. The work is long and laboring, but the result is worth it. I bet with these modifications I could even outfly Deathscythe,” she replied, feigning an imperious attitude and turning her head up in the air.
“Yea right! Shiroiame could never defeat my Deathscythe!” Duo opposed.
“Nani? Well then, we’ll just have to settle this one in the next battle, won’t we?” she smiled, wiping her forehead with her arm. “God, I’m such a mess. A shower will feel so good after I’m done here.”
Duo looked her over and said truthfully,”You’re probably the only person I know that can look this good when their working.”
Laina felt her cheeks redden at his words. No one had ever paid her a compliment like that before, and certainly never one saying she was beautiful. All she was wearing was a pair of old jean shorts and a tank top, and her cheeks were a bit rosy from working for so long, so she couldn’t look all that attractive! “A...Arigatou, Duo. You’re the first person to say something like that to me. Ever. Congrats,” she replied rather meekly.
Both boys’ eyes widened in surprise. “Nani?! You mean no one’s ever told you you’re beautiful? Not even you’re mother?” Quatre said in disbelief. To be a girl as attractive as Laina and never receive any compliments was sad. Very sad.
She was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable, after all, she wasn’t used to being the center of attention. “Well, you boys better stop looking for thank you’s from me,” she said smiling,”because I have to get back to work now. I’ll see you guys in a few hours, ne?”
They nodded and left, walking off in the direction of their Gundams to join the others in making repairs. About an hour after they had gone to work on their suits, the screen on the left side of Laina’s mobile suit lit up to reveal Lady Une’s face. “Laina, I need you to suspend repairs on your Gundam. I have a new mission for you. The leader of a radical underground terrorist group, the Mizu Akai, will be arriving in L2 colony in a few hours. We have set up a meeting for you at a restaurant in the colony under the pretense that you have some new technology that you are interested in selling to a powerful terrorist organization. Do you accept?”
“Ninmu ryoukai.”
* * * *
“Evening, Laina. Off to another mission?” Duo queried as he watched her descend one of the many flights of stairs in the Winner mansion. As per Lady Une’s orders, Laina was staying with them at Quatre’s house to keep all of the Gundam pilots together in one place, making their accessability much easier than if they were separated. Besides, it’s not like the blonde Arabian didn’t have any spare rooms.
“Where else? I wouldn’t get dressed up like this for any other reason,” Laina replied smiling. She was wearing a long black satin dress with matching dress sandals and had her hair up in a French twist with little tendrils of hair swiping at her flawless face.
Unlike the other Gundam pilots she was staying with, her missions consisted mostly of information gathering and spy work, not assasinations and detonations. It was found by her superiors that eliciting rebellious plans against the Preventers could be done much more easily and accurately if the information came directly from the source: the leader or headfigure of the whole operation. And since ninety-nine percent of the time that person was a male, it was only logical, and more effective, if she did the reconossaince work herself. Setting up ‘meetings’ with the target was the most efficient way of learning information, since he often let his guard down while entertaining a pretty lady. This resulted in secrets and plans being uncovered and reported to Preventer Headquarters, where other soldiers would quickly formulate a mission to wipe out the rebellious forces. Simple. Effective. Lethal.
“I still don’t like the idea of you being used like some pretty doll recording device. What if the guy is strong and decides he wants to do more than have dinner with you? You wouldn’t be able to stop him,” Duo objected, the concern evident in his voice. After her introduction at the meeting, he had talked often with her at the mansion and they were becoming very close friends. He had taken it upon himself to look out for her, even when she was against him interfering in her missions, and had become quite protective of her. He couldn’t stand the thought of her alone with some strong, horny general who could easily overpower her.
“Duo, I’m hurt! You don’t think I’m capable enough to fend off some testosterone pumped attacker? I’ve been trained in self defense all my life, I grew up in a rough neighborhood. I’m a big girl. I can tie my own shoes and everything,” she replied, the smile still playing on her lips. He was a good friend, but he worried too much.
“I know, but....oh, forget it. I know you’re a tough chick, I just worry about you. I’ve seen some bad things happen to tough people, and I just don’t want that to be you,” he said somewhat sheepishly.
“Well, thanks for caring. Really. But you worry too much. I’ll see you when I get back. Ja!”
Duo watched her disappear through the door leading to the garage, gazing at the empty space a few moments longer after she had left, then blushed when he realized what he was doing. Maxwell, what are you doing? She’s your friend. Don’t think of her like that, he said, shaking his head and walking away.
“Damn, she looks sexy in that dress,” a voice suddenly commented out of thin air. Duo whirled around and found himself looking at Heero, who was watching the space that Laina had just left. Heero?!
“N..Nani, Heero?” Duo asked, completely and thoroughly confused by the ususally emotionless pilot’s words.
“Watashi...I said that out loud?” Heero muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Blushing furiously at this realization, he quickly turned and headed back down the hallway to the library. Baka!
“Whatda know. The guy’s human after all, hormones and all,” Duo said chuckling and rubbing the back of his head with his hand.
* * * *
I might actually get a decent meal out of this mission, for once. These guys must have tons of money to be eating at a place like La Belle, Laina thought as the host pulled out a chair for her. Sitting lightly on the cushioned seat, she placed her bag on the marble floor and looked across the candlelit table at her target.
A man of large stature and form sat staring back at her in expectful silence. His hair was the color of sand, his skin tan, and his eyes a hazel color. He was a very attractive man, but an enemy nonetheless. She remembered her ‘reason’ for arranging the meeting with the leader of the Mizu Akai and began to elaborate on the ‘technology’ she possessed. “It was very kind of you to meet with me on such short notice, Wasuki-san.”
“Please, call me Seize,” he said smiling as he took a drink from his wine glass.
“Very well, Seize. I heard about your organization from my underground sources and would like to make a proposal to you regarding very state-of-the-art weaponry. This peace we have now is so restless, and the colony citizens, as well as the Earth, grow more arrogant everyday. I feel it is just a matter of time before one declares war on the other, not unlike the scenario in AC 195.”
“Hai, you express our feelings as well,” he agreed, looking up from the glass and into her violet eyes. “Our purpose is not to kill simply for the sport of watching others die, but to give mankind a second chance to redeem itself. However, the Preventers will not allow us to proceed with our objectives if we are discovered, which is why I agreed to this meeting. You said you had some new kind of weapon capable of defeating even a Gundam, the most feared of our enemies.”
Not able to hold his unwavering gaze any longer, Laina concentrated instead on the house salad that was now being placed in front of her. “Hai, that is correct. It is a posotronic rifle made for handling by a mobile suit. Its concentrated high-energy beam can pierce even the most rigorous of metals, including Gundanium Alloy, and slice through a mobile suit in less than two seconds.”
“Very impressive. But how much will this new arsenal cost me?”
“They are very advanced in their make, so the price will not come cheaply. But I assure you that you can win over against any opponent using these rifles. I have personally tested it on Gundanium Alloy and found the same result as with the other mobile suits: the laser tore through it like tissue paper,” she said, grinning at her acting ability. Lady Une had given her the background information on these alleged ‘rifles’, but she had to convince him that they actually existed in order to gain the information she desired. That task was much more difficult than just inventing a cover operation.
Seize’s gaze never wavered from her eyes. Everything about a person, their motives and personality, could be surmised from scrutinizing their eyes. If she was being sincere, her eyes wouldn’t even flinch. He had the smallest suspision she was telling her fair share of lies, but nothing in her gaze betrayed her words. It seemed believable, and a break like this would greatly improve his status with Dr. Matzuka. I’ll just have to keep my eyes on this one. She’s beautiful, but beauty can be lethal.
“You have a deal. I will pay whatever price you name for one hundred of these rifles,” he said, thinking only of securing his status in the eyes of his superior. Now that the business aspect of the evening was complete, it was time to have a little fun. He couldn’t let this attractive young woman and intoxicating atmosphere be put to waste. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is your name?”
She saw no harm in giving him her name. After all, he didn’t know her identity or her true reasons for coming tonight. “Laina. My name is Laina.”
“Laina...,” he said, as if trying the word on his tongue. “It suits you well. A pretty, uncommon name for an uncommonly pretty girl. I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward by addressing you like this, but I always say what’s on my mind.”
Something in his voice, in his eyes, unnerved her. She didn’t like where this was going. It greatly resembled a hellish night from her past, one which had scarred her deep within her soul. But, nightmares were meant to remain buried. “A...Arigatou. So, are you the head of your organization, or is there someone above even you? I’m curious.”
He smiled at her as she avoided his gaze. He would play along for now. “Iie, actually. I’m only what you would consider the heart of our little group. The real mind behind our organization is Dr. Hotai Matzuka. You might remember him as a member of the former OZ. He was the head of Genetic Engineering and Weaponry, and a brilliant man. Without him, our rebellious group could never have been formed.”
Their meals were served as he said this, and both of them began to peck away little by little at their entrees. About halfway through the repast, something occured to her. “Dr.Matzuka must really love the human race for devising a way of giving us a second chance to redeem ourselves. Mankind must atone for its conflictive past.”
“I suppose one could say that. He loves perfection, and the only thing he loves more is peace. He wants to establish a true peace that will last for eons to come, but we needed your help to accomplish our mission. My deepest gratitude to you, Laina,” he said, placing his hand over hers and looking deep within her violet orbs. Now comes the fun. He wanted to see how far she would let him carry on before she stopped him, and it was also a good way to verify if she was telling the truth. If she wasn’t, her eyes would betray her.
Laina’s mind began to race at his touch, recalling memories she wished would stay dead. Shaking, she quickly withdrew her hand and apologized. “Gomen nasai, but I have to leave. I suddenly don’t feel well. My apolgies, Seize. If you wish to contact me about your order, here is the number where you can reach me,” she said quickly, scribbling down the number of her voicemail. It was created to keep tags on her targets, and she gave that number out to them so everything said on the message would be recorded. But right then, she wished she never again had to see his face or suffer under his searing gaze.
Gathering up her purse, she grabbed her coat and headed for the front entrance as fast as she could without running. The doorman pulled open the enormous glass double doors for her as she stepped out into the cool, crisp night air. She was free. A limo pulled up in front of her and the valet yanked the door open for her and helped her inside, then shut the door behind her. Soon, she would be back at the mansion where it was safe. Where she was protected from her past.
Seize watched with amusement as she hurried out of the restaurant, smirking at the scene that had just taken place. Something had happened to her that made her unable to stand the touch of a man, that much he understood. However, he had been unsuccessful in his attempts to elicit the level of sincerity in her words from her eyes. Her gaze never betrayed a suspicious emotion, until he had read the level of fear in them at his touch. Perhaps she was telling the truth, but more likely than not she wasn’t. Uncovering her motives was going to be difficult, but he had dealt with her kind before. All they needed was a little patience and work. Then he would have her wrapped around his finger, unable to break free. However... I will deal with her when the time comes for it. I have other affairs to attend to at the moment. Grinning to himself, he payed the steep bill and left the building, heading back towards the Mizu Akai base. Right now, he had more important matters to deal with than Laina Maloney.
* * * *
It was 1:00 in the morning. Duo heard the front door creak open slowly, as if someone was trying to make their entrance as silent as possible, and then he heard footsteps padding across the marbled entryway floor. It wasn’t Heero, he was over at Relena’s house tonight, and none of the other pilots were even home. Something’s not right. It could be Laina, but she left over five hours ago. It wouldn’t take her this long to complete a mission. Jumping off the couch and turning off the glow of the TV, he headed for the door. Better check this out.
As soon as she had shut and locked the door, Laina collapsed in heap on the cold floor, sobbing. I thought I had shut away all traces of my past, but I guess I was wrong. I was so terrified when he touched me...I’ll never be the way I used to be. Ever. That’s what tonight has taught me. She pulled her legs up to chest and let the tears come rushing down her cheeks, then spilling onto her dress. No one was home. No one was there to comfort her. It was better that way, though, because then she wouldn’t have to tell anyone. She could keep everything locked up tightly inside of her, like she had always done. She was alone, and, for her, that was always best.
“Laina, are you okay? What happened? Did that bastard do anything to you?” Duo blurted out as soon as he laid eyes on her from across the room. He ran over to her and put his arm around her, trying to get her to ebb her tears. Deciding he had to investigate the strange noises, he had made his way to the door only to be confronted with a shattered and weeping Laina. He had never seen her cry before. He had never seen her sad. What the hell did that guy do? That bastard! He’s gonna pay for making her cry like this, he had thought as he ran over to her.
“Du....Duo. What are you doing here?” she choked out between sobs. She thought no one was home, and then here comes Duo, startling her and asking if she’s alright.
“All the others went out, so I’m the only one here. Come on, let’s get you to a couch,” he said gently. He knew that whatever had happened to her was horrible, and that it would take some time to calm her down. And he intended to help her in every way possible.
“H...Hai. That sounds good,” she replied meekly, allowing him to pick her up and carry her to the comfortable couch in the nearby den.
About ten minutes later, Duo had composed her enough to the point where she could relate the night’s events to him without sobbing. She was curled up on the couch with her head resting in his lap, facing towards the TV, and Duo was holding one of her hands while stroking her hair with the other. He was trying his best to make her feel as safe and comfortable as possible, and it seemed to be working.
“So, you think you’re ready to tell me what happened out there?” Duo asked softly, running his fingers through her silky blonde hair.
A sigh escaped her lips before she replied. “Yea, I think so.” She paused a moment here, as if gathering the strength needed to relate her story to her friend. “It was a routine mission,” she began. “I was eating dinner with the leader of a new rebellious organization, Mr. Seize Wasuki. Everything was going as I had expected; I was gathering the necessary information required by Lady Une. After I had succeeded in eliciting all that I wanted, he began to try and go farther than just business. I tried to change the subject so we were focusing on him instead, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He turned the tables on me and thanked me for being willing to help his interests. Then he reached his hand out and grabbed mine with his.”
She stopped her and began to shake, preparing to resume her tears. While he didn’t quite understand what was going on, Duo knew that he didn’t want to see her cry. He leaned down and cuddled her to him, stroking her hair and crooning, ”It’s all right, I’m here. Please don’t cry.”
His efforts were rewarded as she gained control of her shaking body and emotions. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and wiped her eyes with her hand, releasing a small, forced laugh. “Gomen nasai, this must seem ridiculous to you, me crying over someone touching my hand. You can’t understand though, what it feels like to have a stranger touch you. Gomen, there I go again,” she said, turning away from him to wipe her eyes.
“I could understand, if you would tell me,” he replied. As he was saying this, he tenderly put his arms around her shoulders and drew her near to him, so he was hugging her from behind. Slowly, he began to rock side to side, swaying her gently as he moved and resting his head against her soft hair. “I could understand, Laina. I’m no stranger to pain.”
Smiling a melancholy smile, she unwrapped his arms from around her shoulders and turned to face him with her head sagging. “You’re not ready for this kind of pain,” she replied, looking up at him sorrowfully as he struggled to comprehend her words.
As he was about to reply the laptop in the room began beeping impatiently. Sighing and shaking his head, Duo lifted himself from the couch and proceeded to answer the call. It was Lady Une. “I need the Gundams to report to Headquarter’s first thing tomorrow morning. We have a crisis that needs your special attention,” she explained. The screen went blank.
“A soldier’s work is never done, right Laina?” he said wearily. “Laina?”
The room was empty.
* * * *
“We have received a tip-off from one of our spies. This information is very reliable,” Lady Une began. It was the following morning, bright and early, and Duo hadn’t spoken to Laina since the previous night. He had heard crying coming from her room about an hour after the incident in the den, but he had decided against intruding into her personal business. Everyone needs a good cry now and then.
“We have received notification that a certain nameless terrorist group, numbering thirty members, is going to attack the political convention at L1 the day after next. There are going to be over fifty political pacifist leaders at this event. They are the most prominent government officials on Earth and the colonies,” Lady Une explained, handing each pilot a list of names of people in attendance at the convention.
“So, why call us here? That sounds like a simple enough mission for a few of the other soldiers. Why us?” Duo yawned. He was tired, and the mission’s difficulty level was low. Just spread out, find the terrorists, and kill them, therefore keeping the leaders alive. Simple.
Lady Une sighed deeply and looked him straight in the eye. “There is large number of possible civilian casualties. There will be over ten thousand citizens attending, which means that the soldier’s aim must be precise and quick. One slip and an innocent person would die. You all know your aim is the best of any soldier, on Earth or the colonies. That is why I called you here,” she stated, exasperated.
All eyes turned to Heero. Being the unamed leader of the Gundams, he was the one who decided wether or not they would accept the missions. Since they were the Gundams, they were not officially a part of the Preventer and could therefore act on their own accord. After a few moments of silence, Heero accepted. “Ninmu Ryoukai.”
A look of relief stole across Lady Une’s face; she had been worried he would not accept because of how minimal the risk was. At least, it was minimal to a Gundam pilot.
As the six of them were leaving, a thought suddenly occured to Lady Une. “And Laina,” she said as Laina was passing through the door,”you will be going with them. We need all six Gundams for this one.”
“Hai,” she replied, and swept through the door with the other five pilots. So, I’m finally going to get to go on a real mission. Yosh! Maybe now they will finally see what this ‘woman’ can do.
* * * *
Laina checked the number of bullets loaded in her gun for the third time; there were six, just enough for her to kill the five terrorists she was looking for. Each pilot was to take down five rebels in sequence one after another, all within the minimal amount of time. A signal was to be given by Heero near the end of the opening ceremony, and then all the Gundams would proceed to kill their five assigned terrorists as quickly as possible. The rebels were grouped in groups of five at various places around the convention hall, which made it very convinient for each pilot to kill them. The room was shaped like an enormous rectangle, with one group of terrorists near the podium, two on the right side of the room, two on the left side of the room, and one at the back of the room. Heero would destroy the group nearest to the podium first, Duo and Quatre would take the two in front second, Wufei and Trowa would kill the groups in back third, and Laina would dispose of the group at the exit last. It would have been a simple enough mission, if not for the enormous number of civilians in attendance. That would make it more complicated.
“...and peace has finally been achieved. To maintain peace, all that is needed is strong leadership with pascifist intentions and good relations between the Earth and the colonies. With those two things, peace will forever be ours,” finished Hatsuya Kamadake, the leader of the pacifist union of political leaders meeting that night.
No sooner than when the last words had left Kamadake’s mouth did the terrorists move in. Heero gave the signal, by reflecting light off a small mirror, and proceeded to kill the goup at the podium with his silencer on. They wanted to cause as little a scene as possible, hence the reason for the silencers. Duo an Quatre moved next, and then Trowa and Wufei, each boy springing from their hiding places behind the rebels and shooting each one in succession. It all took less than one minute for the boys to do their part, then it was Laina’s turn.
She waited until she was sure Trowa and Wufei were finished then pounced on the terrorists, killing each one with deadly accuracy. Smiling faintly to herself, she holstered her pistol. As she was turning to leave and meet up with the others, someone suddenly knocked her down, hard, before she had even turned all the way around. Glaring ferociously, she pulled herself up and whirled around, only to face another five of the terrorists, all armed and staring at her with icy coldness. Shimatta...
Without words, one of them advanced and began attacking her by letting loose with a barrage of kicks and punches. She blocked most of them and even got a few good hits in, but then one of the other men lunged at her, knocking away her pistol and sending it flying acrosst the marble floor. Bruised and determined, she looked at the faces of her attackers. “What do you want with me?” she asked coldly.
“We want you to die,” was the simple reply, and one of the terrorists leveled a gun at her head and fired.
A shot rang out.
Laina was knocked to the ground.
No pain. Doshite... There was no bullet wound.
Confused and dazed, she opened her eyes to see a brown haired young man lying on top of her. Startled, she attempted to get him off but drew in a sharp breath as she felt something warm on his side. Drawing her hand back, she gasped as she saw crimson blood dripping from it.
Quickly she scrambled out from underneath him and gently turned him over to reveal his bullet wound, and his face. Heero... Doshite? she asked him silently. The tears began to fall from her eyes and mix with the blood that was slowly spreading across the floor. Doshite?
* * * *
“He lost a lot of blood. The doctors say he’ll be lucky if he survives the surgery,” Laina informed the boys, who were all sitting in the cushioned seats of the ER waiting room in L1. They had rushed him to the hospital directly from the convention hall, but it seemed to Laina that they may have been too late.
Duo saw the sad, morbid look settling on her beautiful features. It didn’t suit her. “Don’t worry about it, gorgeous. We’re talking about a guy who fell sixty feet from his self-destructing mobile suit and landed on his head, and puts his own broken bones back into place to boot. He’s still alive, ain’t he? If the Heero I know is inside that OR, this won’t be any big deal for him. He’ll be walking around again in a day, I guarantee it,” he reassured her, leaving his seat to kneel in front of her and taking her hands in his.
“I know that, but....,” she whispered, hanging her head, ”it was my fault. It’s my fault he’s in that room right now! It should be me in there, not him. Not him.”
Salty tears came running down her cheeks and gently splashed onto Duo’s hands. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. “Don’t say that! It wasn’t your fault, there was nothing you could have done to prevent this. Heero did what he did and you had no control over it,” he said to her, raising his voice a little. “Don’t say that it should be you in there, because I know he wouldn’t have it any other way,” he whispered.
“How? How do you know that Duo?” she whispered fiercely.
“Because...,” he replied, looking towards the door that lead to the OR, ”everything he does, he does for a reason. He's not one to make stupid, rash mistakes.”
Unable to look at him anymore, she averted her eyes to stare at the wall. “But why? Why save me? Why risk his life for me?”
“That’s a question you’ll have to ask him in person, Laina,” he said gently when he saw the doctor approaching them from the OR, a triumphant look on his face.
“He’s alright, he’s going to be just fine,” the doctor told them as soon as he entered the waiting room. “That’s one hell of an amazing young man you’ve got there.”
Duo got up, taking her head in his hands and kissing her forehead. “Now go ask him, gorgeous. We’ll be right here waiting,” he whispered.
Nodding and wiping the tears from her eyes with her sweater, she pulled herself out of the chair and headed towards the recovery room with the doctor.
* * * *
“Come in,” came the groggy reply from within the room, in response to Laina’s rap on the door.
She pushed the creaky wooden door open and stepped over the threshold of his room. He looked strong, even with the machines and wires hooked up to all parts of his body. There never was a time when he looked weak.
Gliding over to his bed, she pulled out a chair and sat by the head of his bed, taking his hand in hers. “Hey, Heero,” she said quietly with shaking breaths, “you don’t look so good.”
“Laina,” came his surprised response after his vision had cleared. “I don’t feel so good.”
She could tell. His breathing was shallow and ragged, and his eyes didn’t seem quite able to focus. If it was anyone else, they would be knocked out cold from the drugs. But not Heero.
“You never cease to amaze me, you know that?” she said, smiling for the first time in twelve hours.
He coughed a little and turned to look at her. “I’m not really that amazing, you know,” he replied quietly, looking at her relieved face.
She was never one for beating around the bush, and her desire to know fueled her impetuosity. “Heero,” she said gently, looking him in the eye, “why did you save me? That bullet was meant for me, it had my name all over it. Doshite?”
He turned to look at the ceiling, as if he couldn’t tell her when she was staring at him so intently. “Something inside me just clicked. It seemed almost like an instinct,” he explained. “If you’re asking, I don’t really know why. But it was more than an instinct; I wanted to save you.”
She started to ask him what he meant, but stopped when she realized he had passed out again. Smiling to herself as she rubbed his hand with her thumb, she raised herself up off the chair and kissed his cheek. Heero...if you only knew. Or maybe you already do.
Gathering up her things a few mintues later, she turned to leave when a hand shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back towards the bed. “You’re her. It’s you, isn’t it,” Heero said softly. It was a statement, not a question.
She stopped. Turning to face him, she knew that he had known all along, deep inside. “I am many things to many people. What am I to you?” she questioned, her eyes quivering.
“A ghost, from my past. The only one who understands where I came from and what I went through. You’re the girl from my dream, my friend from L1,” he said, a small smile playing on his lips. “I felt something when I first saw you back at Headquarters that day, and I didn’t know what it was until now. I’m right, aren’t I?”
Tears began to well up in her violet eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed and once again took his hand. “I knew I couldn’t hide who I was from you forever. You always were smarter than me,” she replied between sniffles. “I thought you were dead to me, Odin. Iie, it’s Heero now. I felt so alone without you.”
There was something he had been wanting to ask her ever since Duo told them about that night she had with Seize. Duo had no idea what was wrong, but Heero hadn’t been able to sleep since then. “Laina,” he said softly, “what happened to you, after those men took you away?”
“I knew that was coming sooner or later,” she choked out with a small smile. “Are you sure you want to hear it? I don’t sugar-coat anything.”
“I’ve experienced pain just like you. I fought in a war; I’m no stranger to it,” he replied.
“Alright.”
Laina’s story
The night when those men dragged me away from you was the worst nightmare I had ever experienced. I don’t remember anything in particular about what they did to me; all I know is that I awoke next to a trash dumpster in another colony, which I soon discovered to be L2. Terrified and lonely, I stayed in the same spot for days on end, waiting for you to come and find me. I truly believed you were anywhere that I was.
Hunger eventually forced me out of my hiding spot and into the street. I scrounged what little food I could from trash cans or the occasional kind baker. The other orphans there formed these ‘orphan gangs’ that were their idea of a family. I never joined one, but I did watch them. And I learned. I learned how to sneak food from any shop I wanted, how to pick-pocket a few dollars from a passerby. They called that ‘working’ the crowd. Those little tips, among others, are what kept me alive until I was fifteen.
Of course, life was not all food and spare change. There were people that would try to take advantage of the orphans if they should happen to wander down a wrong alley. I never saw most of those kids again. Everyone knew what to look for in those kinds of people: a big fake smile, a few extra dollars, a gold chain, and an offer to stay in a ‘real’ home. ‘Just do a few small favors for me, kid, and you’ll be on your way to the top,’ they’d say. Most kids knew just what those ‘small favors’ were and stayed clear of all those offers; the kids that didn’t know, well, those were the same ones whose screams we could hear echoing throughout the darkness every night: a picture perfect whorehouse.
I was a member of the fortunate ones who didn’t ever have trouble with those kinds of people. I just stayed in my territory and they didn’t bother me. But, as you know, no good thing lasts forever.
On one particular night when I was fifteen I was wandering around past usual hours. I had just come back from working a crowd of late-night movie goers when I took a turn into the wrong neighborhood by accident. It was dark, but I could see the figures of five drunken men laughing and slurring nonsense at each other. I guess I kicked a can or something, becuase the next thing I know I’m lying face down on the pavement. They might have been drunk, but they were strong.
One of them turned me over and looked me up and down, licking his lips while doing so. ‘She looks like she would give a good ride,’ one of them said. Another agreed and soon they were tearing my clothes off in shreds. They didn’t even have the decency to go to a hotel room like the others I’d heard about. They just stripped me naked right there in the alley. I was screaming the whole time for someone to help me, but one of the men stuffed my mouth with a grimy old glove to shut me up. They took turns, one holding me down and the others watching as I was being violated right in front of God and all. Thankfully, I passed out not long after my mouth was silenced with the glove. My tears didn’t stop, though, not even when I was unconscious.
I awoke the next morning laying in a pool of mixed fluids: of my blood and theirs, and my body fluids and theirs. It smelled of filth and disgust. My clothes were in shreds all around me, and I huddle underneath tattered newspapers for the rest of the freezing day. I wanted to die right then and there, and I would have tried, too, had there been something sharp around. But I had no such luck and was left to feel violated, betrayed, and dirty. I think I could have taken a hundred baths and never felt clean again.
Close to dusk I was still in the same spot, huddled into a fetal position to keep the warmth as close to me as possible. I guess I started crying and wailing, because soon a lady was approaching my direction, looking straight at me. As she came closer, I recognized her as the nun at the local church, Sister Helen. She looked as if she had just come back from grocery shopping because she was carrying a lot of bags full of food. I was so hungry I didn’t even feel it anymore. She took one look at me and saw that I was in some deep shit. As she handed me some miscellaneous food items, she also handed me a fifty dollar bill. ‘I don’t think it would be safe for you at the church, dear child. These times we live in are so perilous, even in the House of God. Take this money and get yourself some clothes and a little warmth. God isn’t done with you yet,’ she said to me. Then she continued on her way.
Amazed that someone actually took notice of me, and treated me like a human being, I just stared at the money and food. I slowly unwrapped the bill and found another surprise inside: a small silver cross on a piece of hemp. I cried right then and there as I tied it around my wrist. That fifty dollars kept me from paying a premature visit to the grave. I managed to get a small, gritty apartment by agreeing to pay thirty dollars when I moved in and work off the rest of the debt. I did it, and I even found a decent job working at small computer store, where the owner taught me how to operate computers and other more advanced technologies. That was where I read about you.
When I found out that you had become a mobile suit pilot, I began saving all the money I could to train to be one as well in hopes that I could meet you one day. I enrolled at the mobile suit academy in L2 and learned my basic skills there, then came to Earth on an assignment. Once there, I dropped out of the military, but not before forming a few good connections with some of the leaders that frequented the base. It was there that I met Relena, who agreed to help me get an education at her school. I never stopped thinking about seeing you again, though, and I finally got the chance.
I came here because I wanted to see you again. I came here because you were the only one who had ever cared about me. But when I realized that you had lost your memories of L1, I decided to stay close by you, pretending that I was someone else. I just wanted to be near you again, like when we were kids. You were my only friend, and I was so lonely without you. And I almost lost you again tonight.”
------
He sat staring at her for a few moments after she finished her story, then slowly put his arms around her and and embraced her, stroking her blond hair as she sobbed into his shoulder. “I thought you were dead, too, Laina. After those men took you away...I’ve been so lonely. It hurt so much when I lost you, I shut everything out and my life became a blur of battles and bloodshed. It’s all I know now. I had forgotten everything about my past up until now, because it hurt too much to remember,” he said. “When I saw those men trying to kill you, everything suddenly came back to me...our days together in L1, how we only had each other growing up on the streets. Those men took you away from me, and I thought they killed you. When I realized you had come back, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you again.” A lone tear fell from his face, landing on her shoulder.
“But now that we’ve found each other, that’s all over. We don’t need to hide, at least not from each other. I won’t tell them until you do. You’re secret is safe with me,” she said softly. “We’ve got each other, and that’s all that really matters.”
* * * *
An hour later, after reminiscing about their days together in L1, the nurse came in and informed them that visiting hours were up. Laina gave him a kiss on the cheek and squeezed his hand, then left the room with the young woman. She said that Heero would be out of the hospital in no time at the rate he was recovering. He never could stay down for long, Laina thought.
“How’d it go?” Quatre asked gently when she appeared in the waiting room. She had been gone for two hours, so something must have happened back there.
“Perfect.”
* * * *
A shadowy figure moved silently across the tiled floor of the lab, the large array of beakers, liquids, and test tubes casting an eery glow over his countenence. The figure approached a man sitting at the glowing screen of a computer, who was typing away rapidly as if the machine had become one with his fingers. Slowly, the shadow began to open its mouth to speak but was cut off by the other man. “What do you want, Seize? Have you brought me news about the current situation we’re in?” the man spat.
A quiet laugh. “Iie, doctor. Sadly, no. I have brought news of a different kind; I believe the Preventers are on to our little plot,” Seize replied casually.
“Honto? You think so?” came the nonchalant answer. “I doubt if they really know what we’re doing here. Besides, even if they do, it’s too late. I’ve almost perfected the chryogenetic freezing techniques that I need. The Preventers can do nothing to alter their fate,” he rasped.
A small smile began to tug at the corners of Seize’s lips. “Do you really think we can pull this off? Cleansing mankind of its sins and starting anew is a pretty large scale operation.”
“God created the world in six days. I can surpass His creation in a matter of minutes,” said the raspy voice. “And mine will not be so filled with imperfection.”
"How much time till the storm, doctor?”
Without so much as twitching an eyebrow, the man sitting in the chair pushed a small button on the keypad. The rows and columns of numbers on the screen began to expedite in their calculations and soon charts and diagrams replaced the raw data. A small window began flashing repeatedly at the two men. Now it was the doctor’s turn to smile. “All that is needed now is the chip.”
* * * *
As Duo had predicted, Heero was up and walking around again within the next twenty-four hours, just as emotionless and inscrutable as before. After his umpteenth brush with death, the Japanese pilot hadn’t changed his attitude toward anyone. Anyone, that is, except for Laina.
“I’ll be damned, Yuy. You get shot clean through your side and you’re up and running again in two days. Sometimes I think God skipped over you when he was handing out the ‘one life, that’s all you get’ passes,” Duo said, shaking his head. They were all sitting around the outdoor pool at Quatre’s mansion, enjoying one of their well-deserved days off.
No response came from the recently bedridden boy.
“Well,” Duo laughed, “it’s nice to know that that bullet didn’t affect your personality.”
Ripples of laughter could be heard coming from the other side of Heero’s chair. Laina raised herself up onto her elbows and looked around his laptop at Duo’s impish grin. “Honestly. Sometimes you’d think the two of you were related or something,” she said smiling.
This comment received an emphatic “Iie!” from both boys, which only caused her laughter to grow. “You know it can’t be true, Laina. If it were, I would have self-destructed the right way long ago, but I’m still here,” Duo replied.
“True, true,” she sighed, the grin still playing on her face. She glanced over at Heero, who was typing away at his laptop on the poolside table like there was no tomorrow. “What are you working on now, Heero? This is supposed to be our day off.”
He stopped typing long enough to spare her a small smile. “I have to sort through all of the unusual shipments made to the colonies in the past few weeks, by orders of Lady Une. I’ve come across some strange orders so far, but nothing too extraordinary,” he explained. This week he was checking through all the biological and chemical shipments made to the colonies by all the known suppliers. It was a tedious job, but an important one nonetheless.
“I see. What a dedicated soldier you are, sir.”
“I do my best m’am,” he replied. The other pilots had grown accustomed to this sort of conversing between the two of them. Their explanation for it was simple: it was Heero, and his whole way of life was an enigma to them.
Satisfied with this last conversation, she dropped back into her reclining chair and lowered her sunglasses to ward of the brutal rays of the desert sun. Not ten minutes after she had finally begun to relax, Heero tapped her lightly on the shoulder. “You’ve got a call.”
“Hnn...,” she responded, not quite awake. “Okay, arigatou.”
She stretched her arms and lifted herself up off the reclining lawnchair, then plopped down beside him in his chair. It was Lady Une, of course. Leave it to the Head of the Preventers to call on her day off. “Laina here. What’s up?”
“Sorry to disturb you on your day off, but you just received a message on your ‘client’ mailbox from Seize. He wants to see you again about the ‘order’. Meet him at eight o’clock tonight at the Café Papillon in L1. Your shuttle leaves in two hours from the Arabian spaceport. Good luck,” she informed her. The screen went blank before she even had a chance to reply.
“Man,” she whined. “It never fails! A soldier’s work is...”
“Never done,” Duo finished with a grin. “That’s my line.” Then his face turned serious. “Laina, are you going to go? After what happened...”
“I’m fine, Duo, really. Besides, I’m a lot stronger now,” she said with a glance at Heero. “And on top of that, I know that if he does try anything again, he’s gonna have some fists to answer to.”
“And a gun,” Heero added. He had heard about what Seize had pulled the last time, and after hearing about what happened to her in L2, he fully understood why she was so terrified that night at the restaurant. Even now it was easy for him to discern that she was apprehensive about the whole thing, but she wouldn’t let it show. He knew that she was strong, but the past can be more influential than one would like to think. She was his only friend from L1, his link to his history there, and he’d be damned if anything was going to happen to her while he was around. Seize would have more to answer to than just a few bullet wounds if he tried anything tonight.
“Now, now, boys. Let’s not be violent. I haven’t even left yet,” she said, glancing at her watch. “But I’d better leave soon. Orders are orders.”
Duo picked himself up from the towel he was laying on and helped her gather her things. “I’ll go help you pack. Two hands are better than one, especially when you’re pressed for time.”
“Arigatou. We’d better hurry, hun,” she prompted him as he was gathering up his towel to hand to the maid. “Ja, mina! I’ll call you when I get there, Heero. I promise.”
He nodded and smiled, then watched as she made her way back into the house with Duo. God, it was nice having her near him. While he loved Relena and loved talking to her, it just wasn’t the same. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to have a conversation with someone who had experienced the same childhood as he had. Laina and himself were connected by that feeling that runs deeper than words, and he hadn’t felt so complete in all his life as he did at that moment.
* * * *
“Are you sure you want to do this? I just don’t want you to be alone with that bastard. I swear, if he pulls another stunt like he did last time...” Duo growled, balling up his fist and punching his hand with it.
“Of course I’m sure. What do you think of this one?” Laina’s muffled voice asked from the closet. She was trying to find the best possible outfit to wear that night, one that would really impress any guy. She needed a lot of information, and this was the best way she knew how to get it. Seize was still a guy, after all.
Suddenly, as she was fixing her dress, a horrendous pain shot through her whole body, causing her to collapse on the carpeted floor of the closet. Oh God, it feels like I’m being stabbed by a hundred sickles, she thought, trying her best to keep her pains to herself so as not worry Duo. She could hear him calling to her though, asking if she was alright, his voice rising in alarm when he received no reply. Then the pain was gone, just as suddenly as it had come. “I...I’m fine, really. You can breathe. Now, like I was saying before,” she said, wanting to avoid his questions about her sudden attack. “What do you think of this one?”
“Why are you asking me? It’s not like I know fashion!” Duo groaned, sensing that she didn’t want to talk about whatever had just happened. “Honestly, gorgeous, I don’t know why...wow...w-wow!”
She smiled as she came out wearing a white satin dress that hugged her hips and flared out around her legs. The back was cut down to her lower back and the neckline was low enough to show just a peek of her cleavage. It was the most figure fitting dress she owned, and it apparently achieved the desired reaction she was looking for. “You like it?”
Duo had to make a visible effort to minimize the size of his eyes and shut his jaw. “L...like it? Do the words ‘hot and sexy’ mean anything to you? I mean...damn! I wish I was the head of an evil organization,” he blurted out in one breath. He was always honest when he gave his opinion, even if it meant being perfectly blunt.
“Honto? You think so?” she said, blushing at his words. “I guess I’ll have to get used to receiving compliments around you, ne?”
He glided over to where she stood and took her hands in his. “Spin for me,” he requested, giving his best impression of puppy-dog eyes. It worked. She spun around in a small circle with her arms spread out, allowing him the pleasure of being the first to see her in her dress. Duo let out a wolf whistle.
“Duo...,” she said, swiping at his face as she attempted to quiet him. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand as it neared his face, placed his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him.
“Nani?” he breathed and kissed her.
Laina’s eyes shot wide open. What is going on here?!? He’s supposed to be one of my best friends, not a love interest! I have to stop this before it gets out of hand, she thought wildly. But she found herself unable to pull away from him, and, even more to her surprise, she found herself returning the kiss hungrily as she closed her eyes. It had been so long...
With all the strength he could muster Duo slowly pulled away from her, leaving her head in his hand and her eyes closed. “You better get going, or you’ll miss your shuttle. Take care, hear me?” he said softly, squeezing her waist and then brushing out the door.
“D...Duo,” she whispered to the empty room, her hand finding its way up to her lips. “Arigatou, Duo.”
* * * *
Why does he insist on meeting in these horrendously expensive restaurants? Oh well, it’s not like I’m paying for it, Laina thought as she entered the lavishly decorated and acclaimed restaurant in L1. She had barely made her flight because of the confusing situation with Duo, but luckily she had arrived at her hotel room just in time to change and head out to the meeting place. But now that she was here, she wasn’t so sure about her confidence around Seize as she had been before. To be truthful, she was terrified.
“I’m so glad you could meet me on such short notice, Laina. I ran the idea of the positron rifles by the doctor, and he seemed pleased with your proposal. We’ll take one hundred of them,” he said, taking a sip of his wine. Doctor Matzuka had advised him to play along with the Preventer in order to lure them into a state of security, then he would smite them like so many ants: completely unaware of their impending doom and easily disposed of. However, Seize disliked the idea of leading her on like that. Despite his efforts to keep the relationship strictly business, he had grown attached to her and her beauty. Perhaps he would talk to the doctor about sparing her for himself...
Breathe, Laina. Breathe, she told herself. She was anxious about the way he was looking at her, as if his mind was on something completely unrelated to the current conversation. “H..hai. I’ll send you the bill as soon as I can get the order compiled,” she said briskly. God, she wanted to get out of there! But she had to stay until she had found out all she could about his organization’s plans.
“Where has your pretty little mind wandered off to?” he asked, giving her a smile that sent chills up her back.
“I...I was just wondering...what exactly does your organization plan to do with my rifles? Obviously start a war of some sort, but what kind?” she replied. It was now or never if she wanted to get the information. A fist began to grow inside her gut, as if telling her there was something evil in his mood.
He smiled. “Well, I guess you have earned the right to know, so I’ll tell you. We’re planning to cleanse all of mankind: we’re wiping the slate clean and starting anew. Dr. Matzuka has developed a deadly computer virus that, once inserted into a colony’s mainframe computer, will cause that colony’s weapons system to malfunction and open fire on the colony itself. It will crash into the Earth’s surface and bring about another ice age, thereby killing all the inhabitants on Earth. Meanwhile, that same virus will send itself to the other colonies and cause the weapons systems there to malfunction as well, resulting in each colony shooting each other out of the sky and exterminating the failed human race. Your rifles will be the firepower behind out mobile suit force that has been erected to keep control over those who might interfere, such as the Gundams. We have worked out every possible detail; our plan is flawless. God will be overthrown and Dr. Matzuka will decide the fate of mankind.” Now I have no choice; she must be taken to the doctor. What a shame..., he thought, smiling maliciously.
Laina gasped as she saw the pure evil plain in his eyes. Now it was time to leave. “Gomen nasai, but I must get back to Earth to complete your order. I will send you the bill as soon as it’s ready. Sayonara,” she rushed as she quickly stood up.
“Please, let me take you back. This is a dangerous place for a beautiful woman to be caught wandering around in alone.”
It’s more dangerous to stay here with you! she wanted to scream. “Iie, I’m fine. I really need to travel by myself, I don’t do well with other people on long flights,” she said, trying her best to avoid his icy gaze.
“Iie, I insist. You may be a Preventer, but that doesn’t mean you’re invincible,” he rasped, looking up to observe her reaction. He had hit right on target.
She dropped her purse. “N...Nani? What did you just say?” she whispered. She hadn’t heard him correctly, that was the only explanation.
“Preventers aren’t super-human. They need protection, too, sometimes.”
Her eyes widened in pure fear as her heart rate soared. How could he know? How? She hadn’t said the slightest thing that would tip him off. She had to get out of there, fast. Who knows what he would do if he got her alone.
His smile was nothing short of evil. “I know everything about you, Laina Maloney: age 18, occupation as a Preventer special agent, birthplace L1...” he rambled on in a monotone.
She stumbled backward, knocking against the opposite table. “S..stay away! Don’t come near me!” she whispered, terrified. Then she ran out of the restaurant as fast as her shaking legs would carry her. Her attempt to escape was futile though; he grabbed her arm as soon as set foot outside.
“Oh no you don’t. We’re just getting to know each other. Let’s go meet the doc, shall we?” he said, smiling devilishly at her. He was enjoying this as if it were a game of cat and mouse.
Laina’s thoughts flew about wildly in her head. What could she do? He was much stronger than she was, so self-defense wouldn’t be of much help to her. She could only think of one thing. “RAPE!! RAPE!! HELP!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. His hand quickly flew to her face and silenced her mouth.
It was too late. As she had expected, and hoped, five men and a few women came rushing out of the restaurant in a confused state of mind. But with one look at the position she was in, they understood the situation. Immediately the men pounced on Seize, kicking and punching and beating him like wild animals. Seize, though, was only down and out for a period of about two minutes; soon he pulled himself up and commenced a fight with the other five men. He had them all unconscious in a matter of minutes.
Smiling to himself at their weakness, he looked up to locate Laina and take her back to Dr. Matzuka. She was gone. Kuso!! The doctor is not going to like this, especially after I told her about our plans. But there is a plus: she doesn’t know about the chip. That fact alone is going to save my ass.
* * * *
She ran for her life down the darkening streets of L1. She was blinded by fear and anger, she had no idea where she was or where she was headed: anywhere but back there, with him. Tears were streaming down her face, smearing her makeup, as she ran. A few raindrops fell on the pavement beside her, and soon it was pouring down rain. The colony’s weather control system was programmed to create rain twice a week in order to water the plant life. Of course it had to rain tonight, she thought cynically. If it didn’t rain, it wouldn’t be my life: a living hellhole.
Suddenly she found herself wishing that Duo were there to hold her, and tell her everything was all right. He had always been there for her when she needed someone to talk to, someone to lean on and a shoulder to cry on. Why didn’t I listen to you? Why did you just leave the room that night? After he kissed her, he simply left, leaving her wondering and confused. She never would have expected him to kiss her, but, even more, she never expected to find herself kissing him back. I wish you were here, Duo. I need you, she cried to herself, splashing through another puddle.
She had been fooling herself all along. The world hadn’t changed and neither had she since that night in L1, when she had been fifteen and vulnerable. Convinced she had become stronger because of it, she had always put on a facade of complete coolness and laughter, but that’s all it was: a facade. Underneath the mask and the smart quips, she was terrified and alone. Since Heero had regained his memory, however, she had been feeling less and less alone, and becoming stronger and stronger. Then Seize had tried to kidnap her tonight and all her confidence and strength drained from her, shattering at her feet like a carefully constructed crystal mirror. Baka! You haven’t changed at all. You’re still the scared, vulnerable girl you were when you were fifteen, she thought angrily.
Then a gripping pain seized her body, forming in her gut and spreading throughout her whole being, stabbing at her like a thousand knives. Shimatta, not again! Why does this...keep...happening to me? she thought, clenching her teeth. She collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain and holding her stomach. Duo... she pleaded silently, and then passed into blackness.
* * * *
“You did what?!” Heero raved as soon as the words had left Duo’s mouth. The five boys were sitting around the table in the dining hall the evening after Laina had left for L1, and Duo had finally told everyone about what had happened in her room the day she had left.
Duo was fumbling for the right words to say in order to avoid the wrath of a furious Heero. He knew the Wing pilot would be angry, but he had to tell them sooner better than later. They had to know before she came back from the colonies or else the tension and awkwardness in the air around the two of them would find its way to the others. That would lead to a round of questioning followed by a flight of fear from Heero. Either way, Duo would have to face him. “I…I…hai…I did kiss her, but it wasn’t anything more than that, Heero, I promise! Why are you getting so angry about it?” he rushed, slowly backing up from the table and Heero’s general vicinity.
His face was red from anger and shock. How could one of his best friends put the moves on his childhood companion? More than that, one who had had a very traumatizing experience? It was beyond his comprehension why Duo still showed his face around the mansion. “Why am I angry? Why?” he whispered harshly. “I’ll tell you why. She’s my only link to my past and my friend, one that I thought I had lost. Things happened to her that I wouldn’t even wish on OZ. You don’t understand her.”
Duo could see his anger begin to ebb, and gained a little more confidence despite the fact that the other pilots were still holding Heero in place. “Maybe not as well as you, but that doesn’t give you the right to judge who she will or won’t associate with. She may be your childhood friend, and she may have had undergone some very dramatic experiences, but I have just as much right as you do to talk to her!” he yelled. This was ridiculous! He thought he was the only one who could be friends with her!
Heero jerked violently, wrenching free from the grasp of the other pilots. “Watch your tongue, Maxwell. You have no idea what she’s like or what she needs right now. I don’t want to see you near her, unless we are on a mission and Lady Une orders it. If you lay a finger on, I will personally send you on a one way trip to Hell,” he threatened, glaring viciously at the Deathscythe pilot. If Laina ended up worse off than she already was because of Duo’s testosterone levels, he would never forgive himself. She was still recovering from that night in L2, and he would not lose her to the demons in her head.
"Been there; done that," he replied sharply. "You can’t do that, Heero. She’s not some possession that you can guard like a rabid dog. You can’t keep me from seeing her,” he held.
"You don’t know her! She doesn’t need this now, and if you…”
“I love her, damnit!” he screamed. Heero stopped, his mouth hanging open and hand frozen in mid-air. The other boys just stared at him, wide-eyed: even Trowa. “I love her,” he repeated, more quietly, “and I know I don’t know her as well as you do, but I do know this: everyone needs love, Heero. Especially those who haven’t experienced it; they need it most of all.”
Heero couldn’t even form the words to say. He had never expected Duo to admit that, he had just assumed it was a hormone charged crush he had developed within the last few days. Thinking that was the case he had pounced on Duo as soon as he had relayed the events of the previous night, in order to protect Laina from further mental trauma. He knew that no one had ever loved her in that way before, that she really needed someone to care for her as more than just a friend, but the last person he had expected that from was Duo. This changed everything. “D..Duo...,” he began, unsure of how to respond.
Unable to bear the scrutiny of the others, Duo turned and fled the dining hall leaving everyone standing and wondering. As he turned to leave, Quatre saw something glistening on his cheek. A tear…you really do love her, don’t you, Duo?
* * * *
An icy smile spread across his face. It was finally complete, and it seemed to be working flawlessly. Now he could search for the holder of the chip with the push of a button, and soon he would be able to fulfill his destiny.
When the idea had occurred to him to conceal the final component of his carefully laid plan inside a human, he never dreamed it would take this long to locate it again. Knowing that if he was discovered with the microchip it would mean certain death and the end of his glorious plan, he had decided to implant the chip inside a human child. That way, the final step of his plan could be completed when he had perfected the freezing technologies he needed, and the holder of the chip would still be alive.
He and a team of his followers had journeyed to L1 in search of an orphan child who would not be missed if taken captive, and, conveniently, a raid on the colony had been carried out that same day. The confusion and panic made it all the easier to snatch a healthy child and implant the chip within them. Unfortunately, now that the time had come to finally carry out his mission, he could not locate the one component he needed: the human containing the chip.
So, he had built a device that sent out a signal on the same wavelength of the microchip, which allowed the chip’s location to be traced for a few seconds when the signal had contacted it. It wasn’t much time, but a few more small windows of time were all he needed until the carrier was found. Then the cleansing of Mankind would be at hand.
“You’re smiling, Dr., is something wrong?” Seize asked absently, focusing his attention on the device the doctor had in his hand.
“Iie, iie, everything couldn’t be more right,” he replied, smiling wider. “It’s finished. The time is finally at hand; we will fulfill our destiny and cleanse Mankind of its combative nature and start anew with a new breed of human. It will be glorious.”
Seize eyed the tracking device and asked, “We will discover the identity of the carrier within a few days, will we not?”
“Hai, that is correct. I have already pinpointed the carrier’s location to a general area on Earth. It won’t be long now,” he finished, an icy laugh escaping from his twisted mouth.
* * * *
Heero was worried. Actually, worried was an understatement. It had been two days since Laina had left for L1, and he hadn’t heard so much a snippet of news about her from the Preventers. She had promised to call, and she always kept her promises. Always. Something was very wrong.
“Hey, Heero,” Duo asked tentatively, “you wouldn’t have happened to have heard from her recently, would you?”
He turned to face Duo, who was poking his head in through the library’s wooden doorframe. Even in the dim light he could see Duo’s anxious expression and sense his apprehension about her unknown situation. “Iie,” he replied solemnly, “if I had heard anything, you would have been the first to know.”
The longhaired brunette hung his head in disappointment. “Yea, I know. Thanks anyway,” he muttered, obviously downcast. He was toying with the idea of taking a shuttle out L1 to search for her or her whereabouts. “You know, I might just go up there and look for myself. I hate waiting around to hear from her. I should have gone with her; I knew that guy would pull something. And if he even so much as touched a hair on her head…” he began, clenching his fists.
“Gundam pilots,” a voice interrupted him, seeming to come from thin air. Both pairs of eyes turned to the laptop screen, where Lady Une’s normally straight face greeted them. She looked vexed about something. “We have an emergency concerning one of your fellow comrades.”
The color drained from Heero’s face. “Nani?” he asked, barely able to say the word.
She inhaled deeply, and then exhaled a sigh as if she was about to tell them it was the beginning of the Apocalypse. “Laina is here at the hospital at Headquarter’s. We had not heard from her since her arrival on L1 and so, accordingly, we sent someone to check on her. We discovered her body lying in the street about a mile from the restaurant. She looked as if she had been there for at least a few hours and was experiencing a severe case of shock. We immediately brought her back here to the ER ward, and she’s in stable condition as of now. However, we do not know if this is only temporary or if a relapse will occur due to the fact that it took our men so long to locate her. It would be best if you two and the others made the trip out here to come see her. I have a feeling the reason behind her condition has to do with much more than a case of shock.”
The screen went blank leaving two bewildered and extremely concerned boys staring at the computer. Without a word, Duo left to inform the others of what had happened and Heero busied himself with their shuttle arrangements. In an hour, all five of them were on a shuttle headed towards Headquarters, and Laina.
* * * *
Dr. Matzuka tapped his fingers nervously on the wooden desk where his computer lay. He smoothed his dry lips with his tongue and addressed the man before him in an increasingly angry tone. “Are you sure she doesn’t know about the chip?”
Seize flinched under his searing glare. “H…Hai. Gomen nasai, Dr. I should never have said anything about it to her in the first place. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit.”
The old man’s icy laugh sent shivers down Seize’s spine. “You want to make up for almost ruining twenty five years of research and planning? Fine then. Bring me the human with the chip, and then we will see,” he ordered, pointing to the screen of the tracking device. “We shall know the exact location in a day. The machine needs to recharge right now, however. Every time I use it, it drains a great deal of energy from the supply.”
“Understood, Dr. I will do as you say. When should I expect the miracle?”
A malevolent smile spread across Matzuka’s face. “Doomsday is only three days away.”
* * * *
“Mhm…” Laina groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. “Wh…what the…Duo? Heero?” she questioned, confused. The last thing she remembered was running down a dark deserted alley during a rainstorm, and then… nothing. Where was she?
Duo smiled, wiping away the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. “Oi, gorgeous. The docs all said they didn’t expect you to pull through, but I told them to shove it; they don’t know how strong you are. I knew you’d prove them wrong.”
She made her best attempt at a smile for him before turning to face Heero, who looked as if he hadn’t slept for days and was at the breaking point between calm and complete insanity. “Daijoubu, Heero?” she asked kindly.
“Hai, just relieved. Don’t scare me like that, ne? I thought I’d lost you again,” he whispered, taking her hand and barely able to utter a word. He could not remember the last time he had been more frightened than he had been just a few hours earlier. Facing an entire army of Mercerius mobile suits would have been a joy compared to what he had undergone.
Laina simply smiled in response to his obvious concern. “Heero-chan, did you think that, after all the work I went through to find you again, I would give up that easily? Gomen, but you’re stuck with me for a long time to come,” she assured him, waving her finger back and forth through the air.
“Well I, for one, am glad about that. These boys here, they need to have a woman around the house,” Duo replied, earning a slightly annoyed glare from Heero. He countered by flashing the Victory sign at him with his impish, playful smile spreading wide across his features.
“Oh, so now I’m just a piece of eye candy for you boys?” she quipped, arching her eyebrow with her arms folded across her chest.
“Oi, iie! I didn’t mean it like that!” he rushed, emphatically waving his hands back and forth in front of him. “I just…well…I missed you. I can’t imagine the house without you there,” he admitted, blushing slightly.
She slapped him. An utterly shocked expression rapidly replaced the shy smile on his features as he rubbed the stinging area. “That was for leaving without explaining yourself,” she explained. “And this…” she whispered, pulling him down to her level and gently kissing him, “is for coming back.”
Heero merely smiled at the two of them. He knew now that Duo wasn’t just toying with her emotions like he had so many other girls; he really and truly cared for her. Most importantly, though, he knew that she felt the same way in return and she would be happy. That was all that really mattered, anyway.
“Gomen nasai, sirs,” a nursed apologized as she peeked in through the doorway, “but it’s time for her tests. You’ll have to leave, but you can wait in the Waiting Room until she’s finished.”
Sighing and shaking his head at Father Time, Heero leaned down and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. “Gomen, but it seems we have to go. We’ll be back as soon as we can,” he promised, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. He then stepped toward the door but paused when he passed Duo, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t stay too long,” he urged lightly. Though that’s what he had said, his eyes read something entirely different. She’s yours now. Just don’t hurt he; she’s already experienced so much pain.
Smiling at Heero’s unspoken statement, Duo replied, “Don’t worry.” I won’t, I promise. I wouldn’t bring pain to a part of my own soul. Nodding in comprehension, Heero made his way to the door and swept out of the room, leaving Duo and Laina with a few minutes of privacy.
As he turned to face her, Duo’s smile broadened into something indistinguishable. “It’s too bad we only got to spend a little time together. You gonna be alright by yourself?” he inquired softly, lightly tracing the edge of her jawbone with his finger.
“Being alone is what I do best,” she returned quietly. Noting the sad and disturbed expression that crossed his face at her words she added playfully, “But you know, with you around, I may have to work a lot harder at it than I used to.”
“Count on it, gorgeous,” he rejoined with a smile. Before the nurse could hassle him with more requests to quit the room, he leaned down and lightly brushed his lips against hers. He stroked her cheek with back of his hand and then departed the room, winking at her one last time before he turned the corner of the doorway and was gone. God, it was good to have her back and safe.
I guess I’ll have to get used to being with someone who cares for me, instead of always being alone. But I think that’s an adjustment I can make. Still grinning to herself about what had just occurred, Laina didn’t pay any mind to the doctors entering her room to begin administering her tests. She didn’t even notice when one of them withdrew a long sharp needle from his pocket and began advancing cautiously towards her, the needle poised in his eager hand. She looked up just in time to see something flying down towards her arm and yelled as it pierced her skin, blood already trickling from the wound. Kuso she cursed silently, as two more men came at her with outstretched arms to lift her from the bed once the tranquilizer had taken affect. Not today, boys. Not when my life has just been restored to me!
With her head already beginning to spin, she managed to roll off the bed before one of the men had time to grab her arm. The split second his back was turned was all she needed to sweep his legs out from under him. Pulling herself up from the ground, she delivered one swift kick to the man’s stomach and one to his head, rendering him unconscious. Struggling to stand upright, she turned to face the other two who were charging at her. She led forward with both her fists, making contact with their jaws. Seizing their temporary distraction, she quickly jabbed her elbow into one man’s stomach and the brought her two clasped hands down upon his head, causing his face to hit her upraised knee and pass him into darkness. One to go. I hope I can manage it before I pass out.
She was beginning to waver as the dizziness became more prominent, and she had to utilize tremendous focus just to keep herself upright. Realizing that time was running out she acted swiftly, kicking the last attacker’s head as he was clutching his jaw in pain. Howling in rage, he ran at her intending to stab her with another needle he had extracted from his jacket. “The Doctor requires you and no other for the completion of his work! I will not be the one to disappoint him!” he roared. Chuckling to herself the way she always did when she was about to win a fight, she straightened her arm out to her side and swung it forward, allowing his neck to make contact with her outstretched limb. His legs flew out from under him and he fell backwards, landing on the floor and moaning in pain. “We will have what is inside of you before long, mark my words…” A swift kick to the head silenced him before long.
I shouldn’t…have done…that she thought groggily as the drug began to overpower her. She stumbled around the room and managed part of the way to the bed before she collapsed on the tiled floor, knocking over the metal table of medical supplies and succumbing to the numb void of her lightheadedness once again.
“What the hell was that?!” Duo yelled as he heard scuffling coming from Laina’s room, followed by the sound of metal objects clanging to the floor. Hollering for Heero to follow him, he turned and ran back towards her room, which he had only left not more than three minutes ago. What could have happened in such a short amount of time?
The startling sight that confronted him when he entered the room provided the answer. Strewn about the room were medical supplies, sheets, and a few overturned pieces of furniture; three men lay scattered and unconscious throughout the room; Laina was sprawled on the floor in the middle of the frenzied scene, passed out with blood dripping from a wound on her forearm. Alarmed and frantic, Duo ran to her side and placed his arms around her, pulling her up from the floor and drawing her near to him. Heero entered the room, took one look at the sight surrounding him, and his eyes immediately filled with hatred as he stared at the men on the floor. If not for Duo’s expostulative urgings, he would have shot each one of them between the eyes then and there.
“Who could have done this?” Duo spat, ferociously glaring at the unconscious attackers. “Do you think these guys just did it for the hell of it…or do you think… someone put them up to it?”
Heero knelt beside Duo and Laina, surveying her to assure there were no serious injuries and, finding none, assessed that she had been knocked out by some kind of drug. “What concerns me more,” he muttered, almost to himself, “is why they would go to all this trouble just to get their hands on her.”
Sensing there must be some clue as to her attackers’ identity, Heero walked over to the nearest man and searched him. All he found was a carrying case intended for tranquilizer needles and a brown leather wallet. Curious, he opened the wallet to search for some kind of credentials or license. What he found was a plain red card containing the man’s name, some kind of serial number, and the initials M.A. at the bottom of the card. The thing that startled him most was what was written underneath the initials: And the day of Judgment shall arrive, cleansing mankind of all its impurities. Glory to the Ark!
What the hell…he thought. Maybe she’ll have some idea what this is about. But… I have a feeling that somehow this is connected to something much larger than anything we’ve ever dealt with before. It may even be too big for a Gundam…
* * * *
His eyes narrowed in perturbed consternation. “So, in other words, you’re telling me you did not get the girl, is that it?” he demanded.
“H..hai…that’s one way of putting it,” replied the other man nervously. “We didn’t think she’d be able to hold up like that under the drug…”
“That’s no excuse!” the first man roared. “We need her to carry out our objectives! She is essential to this operation, do you understand? I want her here, in this room, by this time tomorrow night. If she is failed to be produced, I will find my own way of dealing with this seditious behavior,” he threatened heatedly. “And let me assure you, you’d be much better off to comply with my wishes.”
The other man, seeming somehow smaller than he had been when he had first entered the room, only nodded fearfully before hastily exiting the dim lab. It was very beneficent to one’s health not to upset the Doctor in any way.
Sighing in livid irritation, the Doctor turned back to his glowing computer screen and began typing away, seemingly becoming lost in the endless flow of numbers. Suddenly he ordered to the dark room, “Come out of your hiding place, Seize. I won’t castigate you yet.”
Materializing from the blackest corner of the lab, the figure of a man of medium build could be seen outlined against the many illuminated screens in the room. “I wasn’t hiding, I was merely waiting until your reprobation of the rats was complete,” he answered with a smile.
“Don’t ascribe yourself so highly,” the Doctor scoffed. “It was your fault they did not manage to bring her here. You never informed us of her male friends.”
He laughed in response. “You need not worry about them. They have no idea what they’re up against, and neither does she. Natural selection is a powerful force with which to reckon,” he assured him.
“This isn’t natural selection, Seize,” the Doctor corrected, “we’re just expediting Mother Nature’s process. But in order to do that, we need the girl.”
Seize merely grinned. “Don’t worry about her, Doc. She’s as good as ours. And you know what the best part is? She’s going to save us all the work of capturing her.”
* * * *
Blackness. There was nothing surrounding her but utter darkness, occasionally interrupted by flashing visions of a dark room with many different bottles and glowing beakers. There was a man, a sinister man with nothing but odium reflecting in his murky eyes: contempt for something that he had lost, or perhaps something he had yet to find. Hands were reaching down to seize her in their ravenous clutches, bringing instruments of metal and sharp steel closer to her with every breath she dared to take. A maniacal laughter could be heard resounding throughout the dim place: the laughter of an odious revolutionary whom she never wanted to confront alone again. Fragments of terrifying expressions wafted to her ears between the intervals of laughter: she will be the key to Mankind’s undoing…with this modification, our glory is inevitable…not even she will be aware of the consequences of this day… She screamed for help, but no one came. There was a bright flash of orange and red, and the phrase Glory to the Revolution Pure echoed in her head long after the whispering voices had ceased and the darkness had enveloped her once again. Then came the frantic sounds of someone calling her name. No, that wasn’t right. There were two; two voices were calling to her, urging her to return from this dark void. That could be arranged.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open accompanied by the strains and moans of returning to painful consciousness. Eventually, the amorphous objects in front of her conformed to two familiar figures she knew very well: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy. She had been comatose for twelve anxious hours. “Oi, guys, did I pass out again? You know, I’m really getting sick of this,” she rasped, attempting to regain some semblance of her former smile.
Sighing a sigh that released all the restless stress of the past half-day, Duo returned her grin. “You know what, gorgeous? So am I,” he replied warmly. “Do you have any idea how worried you make me every time you do that?”
“Iie, as far as I know. I always seem to be unconscious when that happens…” she countered playfully. Endeavoring to raise herself from her incapacitated position on her bed, she pushed herself up almost to fall back again upon the mattress. “I guess I’m still a little weak from that drug. What the hell did they get me with, anyway?” she queried, her voice scratchy.
“Tranquilizer. A big one,” Heero supplied nonchalantly. He came closer to her bedside and knelt beside her with Duo at his back. “Laina, I know you just woke up and all, but I need you to see if you can answer some questions for me. You see, I think we’re up against more than just an average group of thugs; we’re racing against Time itself.”
She nodded in consent, promising to supply whatever information she could.
“Good. Arigatou, Laina-chan,” Heero thanked her affectionately before continuing. “Now, when we found you and the guys in the hospital room, you were all, obviously, unconscious, so I decided to try and find out who the thugs were. I searched one of them and found this card on him. I had no idea what the red color, the initials, or the saying printed at the bottom meant, but I thought that perhaps you might have some clue as to why they’re after you or who they were,” he explained, handing her the card.
The instant she had read it over, she dropped the card to the floor with a trembling hand. “Oh God…” she whispered, her eyes frozen to the fallen object as if it were Death himself. “I didn’t think he was actually serious…oh God…”
Duo’s eyes had immediately become concerned at her unexpected reaction, while Heero’s had remained transfixed on her expression, her countenance confirming his earlier theory. There was a lot more to this than just a simple kidnapping attempt. “Laina…Laina…daijobu desu ka? What’s wrong? Do you know what this means?” he gently prodded, lightly holding her by her shaking shoulders.
Eyes remaining hypnotized by the blood red article on the floor, she only nodded in confirmation. After a few more whispered words from her friend, however, she once again found her small voice. “H..hai, I know what it means. And I’m terrified of it,” she murmured, almost to herself. She inhaled deeply and released it in a long, drawn out breath, as if preparing herself for her burial speech. “I’ll tell you what it means, but you also have to know that once you hear what I’m about to say you can’t ever ignore it again. You’re lives will never be the same; just like mine was changed, so will yours be. Are you sure you want to hear it?” she warned, looking up at both of them with a sort of pleading look in her eyes, as if she didn’t want to be the only one to bear this burden.
“Of course we do, gorgeous. I can’t just let you sit there and take whatever’s bothering you all by yourself, now can I?” Duo answered softly. “Tell us. We’ve been through Hell and back; we’ve seen it all.”
“Not anything like this; no one has since the beginning of recorded time…” she returned slowly. “It appears that we’re going to have to prevent the next Noah’s Flood, except this one will be much worse than anything God Himself could have ever concocted,” she began deliberately. “Now that I have you’re attention…”
She then proceeded to impart to them the entire lurid story: the Mizu Akai; Seize and the terrifying, exacting Doctor; their plan for the complete extermination of Mankind and the birth of a new civilization: one without the flaws and imperfections that this war-infested race had bred into its every being. She enlightened them with all she knew, everything, that is, except one crucial detail that she had only managed to comprehend within the last twelve hours: she was the key to Doomsday. Or rather, the chip inside of her was the key; she was merely a living container for it. But there was no need to worry them any more than she already had.
The Gundams had never truly shuddered before then, and it there was no draft in the still room.
* * * *
“So… how…how are we supposed to find this Dr. Matzuka, Laina?” Duo stuttered after he had recovered from listening to her story.
“Well…” she drew out nervously, glancing to her left, “that’s where you come in, Heero. I figure you can do some hacking here, a little file borrowing there, and have the location of their base within the next few hours…possibly…”
A smile graced his usually placid features. “You know me too well, Laina-chan. Of course I can get the location. It’s simply a matter of tracing large biomechanical, weaponry, and computer technology orders to a single name or company. Then I use a bogey program to ensure that none of the orders are decoys, and then a simple tracking program can narrow down the geographical location where the orders were placed. It’ll be cake,” he assured her when he observed the baffled expression that crossed both her, and Duo’s, faces. It wasn’t that difficult to understand…
“Whatever you say, Heero. You’re the Perfect Soldier here,” Duo laughed, placing a hand behind his head with his ever famous and impish smile.
Before Heero had reached the door to her room so he could begin his work, Laina called out to him. “And Heero,” she exhorted quietly, “please hurry. We don’t have much time left…”
* * * *
A triumphant smirk settled over his features as the list was printed. “Got it,” Heero proclaimed casually, holding up the paper as Duo and Laina entered the dim library. “We’re heading to colony L7. Get packed and bring the big guns.”
Although he wouldn’t openly admit it to the others, locating the Mizu Akai’s base had been much more difficult than anything he could have anticipated. He had run a check over all major military, technological, and biological shipments sent out within the past year. After discovering there were only ten organizations in twenty-seven different areas with such large orders, he had thought the job was nearly complete. What he hadn’t counted on was the virtual web of bogies, company fronts, and the altogether circuitous tangled mess that those ten organizations had so generously contrived for him once he had accessed their main databases.
Two hours later, after much cursing and several wrong turns, he had narrowed the list of ten companies in twenty-seven different areas to two companies in two separate areas. One of the organizations was said to be located in the newly built L8 colony where, as the report read, there was a great deal of biomechanical research being conducted. Luckily for Heero, Lady Une had informed him a few weeks earlier of the colony’s activities, for Preventer purposes, and biomechanical production was not one of the mentioned fields of study. This left him with one other organization and location: Takamaze Medical Research on colony L7, the colony’s leader in genetic engineering. The virtual system of tangled information the company’s Mainframe Security Division had devised had accounted for every possible option, and would have prevented any expert hacker from arriving at a successful analysis of the database. But he was not merely an expert hacker: he was Heero Yuy.
However, despite the fact that he had just overcome the largest hacking obstacle of his long career, he was deeply disturbed by what he had found. Weapons. Big ones and lots of them. He had also discovered an extremely lengthy list of genetic engineering equipment and supplies as well as the most advanced computer technologies he had ever seen. These people weren’t just planning a war; they were planning a Neon Genesis Revolution.
This could get messy.
* * * *
“Oi, are we there yet?” Duo whined as he glanced out the window of his Gundam and surveyed nothing but endless, black space.
A temperate chuckle. “Duo-chan, that’s the fifth time you’ve asked that within the last ten minutes. You know that L7 is located much farther out in space than the other colonies,” Laina reprimanded him lightly, her face materializing on the monitor in front of him. “Just relax and enjoy the peace; it may be the last time you’ll be able to without regret,” she added with a different kind of smile, one that seemed sincere yet weighed down by possible events to come.
“You know she’s right, Duo. This may be our last period of calm before the storm,” Quatre reasoned, his gentle face appearing on the screen next to Laina’s. “We should enjoy it while we can.”
A gruff snort could be heard in response to their comments. “You think too simply for a warrior. Right now we need to concentrate on the battle to come,” Wufei admonished, his voice as serious as ever.
“Fine, fine. I get it. Enjoy the quiet. But…” Duo wondered petulantly, “how long until we get there?”
Collective groans could be heard resounding throughout the communications systems, almost as if the other Gundams were all slowly shaking their heads in unison. Some things never changed.
After another half hour of somewhat silent flight, Heero’s voice could be heard addressing all the pilots. He informed them to activate their Gundam’s cloaking devices so as to remain undetected by the approaching colony; he also ordered them to speak only if absolutely necessary.
“It will be crucial to dock at different entrances, making it harder to perceive our locations within the colony. Just take the first unoccupied one you see and dock as quickly as possible. Remain in your Gundam. After we’ve all safely gotten inside, make for the central industrial area of the colony. That’s where the base is located. Don’t wait for anyone, and if there are soldiers in your way, well, you know what to do. Our objective is to destroy the colony; there are no residential areas located there due to the fact that it’s primarily a researching area, so casualties will remain minimal. That’s the plan. Heero out,” he notified them in his characteristic monotone.
Grinning the way he always did before battle, Duo replied, “Sounds like as much fun as a barrel of monkeys.”
And so the Gundams prepared for the battle to end all Evolution.
* * * *
Before Seize had even opened his mouth to speak, the Doctor stated verily, “They are coming.”
As if reprimanding himself, Seize slowly shook his head, seeming to say that he should have known the Doctor would perceive their arrival even before he himself knew. “Hai. They’re approaching rapidly and should arrive in a few minutes,” he informed him.
“Excellent. It seems the operation will be carried out on schedule after all,” Matzuka replied, almost to himself. “Prepare the welcoming party. We may have caught wind of their attack on us, but they are Gundams nevertheless and as such should be treated with the utmost care.”
Seize nodded in compliance. “Would you like me to prepare the Ark for departure? If we time it right, we could send the Gundams to Earth along with the colony and destroy two birds with one stone. The only trick will be getting the chip from the woman,” he devised, already moving towards the lab door.
The look of approbation that surfaced on the Doctor’s face provided Seize with all the approval he required. Smiling malevolently, he left the room and prepared to send out the mobile suits to welcome the Gundams to their humble base. Sickly, he wondered what the expression would be on each pilot’s face as they realized that L7 was one of the most heavily populated new colonies ever constructed; that their operation entailed much more than simply destroying the Earth and the colonies; that its sole purpose was to provide a barren, unpopulated place, stripped of all its impurities and false idealisms, upon which a new, flawless race of humans could be given birth; that the key to all of this lay with the woman they thought to be their ally, whom would be revealed as their death.
A macabre sort of humor settled over him at these thoughts. Even though he would not be able to observe their faces at these revelations, perhaps watching her countenance as she witnessed the deaths of her friends, knowing that she was responsible, would be compensation enough.
Perhaps.
* * * *
“Trowa here. I’m docked.”
“Wufei. I’m in position.”
“Quatre reporting. Ready.”
“Heero. I’m docked and ready.”
“This is Duo. I’m in position and ready to roll!”
No more words followed Duo’s confirmation. An almost palpable feeling of apprehension could be felt rising among the pilots. Where was she?!
Thankfully, a frustrated sigh echoed over the communications system. “I’m here, don’t worry, but thanks for taking all of the easy-to-get-to docking bays, guys! Looks like I’m going to have to enter through the trash hole,” she exasperated, referring to the only entrance at the far end of the colony, the maintenance bay, and the bay furthest from the industrial area.
A few minutes passed in tolerated agitation from the other Gundams before she finally reported again. “Laina here and ready. Let’s kick some ass.”
“Move out!” Heero enjoined as soon as she had confirmed her position. Immediately following his command, the Gundams stormed out of their respective bays and rushed for the central industrial park.
Since the cloaking devices were not of any use inside the colonies, they had a limited amount of time before they met up with the first of the expected militia divisions. They had one shot; if a battle broke out before the Gundams could reach the base, the Mizu Akai would almost certainly withdraw from the colony and flee to a more covert location, where they could carry out their objectives without interference. One chance was all they had, and they had to make it good. The fate of Mankind depended upon it.
As they began nearing the base, made obvious by the many weapons strewn about it, their hopes began to dwindle. Standing, and seemingly, waiting, for them was an impressive array of advanced mobile suits, pattered after an archetype the Gundams had only glimpsed in passing. They weren’t even half way to the base yet.
“Fantastic,” Duo muttered. “Even if we finish these guys off quickly, it’ll still give the bad guys enough time to hightail it out of here. Don’t we ever get a brake?”
An affable laugh echoed in response. “We’re Gundam pilots, Duo. We never get a brake,” Laina reminded him. “Looks like you guys have your hands full over there. Tell you what, you finish of the robo-dolls and I’ll take out the base. It seems our objectives are in need of some revision,” she informed them.
“What do you mean, revision?” Heero questioned.
“Have you taken a look around the place? There’s residential areas everywhere! It would seem that our friends manipulated the facts about this colony a little,” she devised. “I suppose it was good luck in bad luck that I entered the colony where I did. There are no mobile suits where I am and I have a clear path to the target. You guys, on the other hand, are a little tied up at the moment. I’m going to find a way to destroy the target without damaging the colony. Laina out.”
Before anyone could object to her designated course of action, she closed all communication circuits to her Gundam. This was something only she could resolve; a resolution only she was capable of.
Here goes everything.
* * * *
He impatiently drummed his fingers lightly on the metal table, glancing at the entrance to the lab every other minute. What was taking her so long? “Seize, you’re sure you detected her approaching, by herself?” he questioned, his irritation palpable. Now that the time for the Revolution was finally at hand, it seemed impossible to wait any longer. He had been waiting for twenty-five years already.
“Hai, I picked up her signal on the chip’s tracking device. It would seem that our plan is being executed much more smoothly than we anticipated,” he replied, arms crossed and gun ready in his hand.
“Then why is she taking so long to appear? She needn’t make a big entrance. She wouldn’t be somehow sabotaging the base or the ship, would she?” his mind queried aloud. Normally he wouldn’t be concerned by such trifling affairs, however, with the Revolution so close, and with so many things that could encumber their success, he was nonetheless worried.
Seize’s confident laugh answered him in return. “Don’t trouble yourself over one mere woman. She’s not powerful enough to affect us or our operation,” he asserted confidently. After all, she was one woman in the midst of a potent Neon Evolution. What could she possibly do to harm them?
The look of anxiety on the Doctor’s face lightened, but did not dissipate altogether.
A Story by Kat
like the dying winter winds,
recur on the tides of rebirth
to peculate the gentle heart
from the newly discovered soul.
like the stain of blood
upon white, innocent hands.
forever scarred; never forgotten.
a lamb who seeks to destroy
the slaughtering blade.
as I stand here, alone,
to face the setting sun.
roles reversed in the face of destitution.
a play of fate; a hand of fortune.
©Kat 2001