Angel of Death
Chapter 1: The Gathering of Warriors
(Duo's POV)
"Angel within our midst," "Angel of Death Appears Again," "Angel Among Us." I read the headlines. Everywhere, people were talking about angels. I personally didn't get it. I still preferred Shinigami. I mean, what are angels compared to Shinigami, the Great Destroyer?? I paid for a newspaper and began to walk back to my apartment.
It was the year After Colony 200. Another war was starting up and I didn't have my gundam. I couldn't help. I was stuck here on L2 until the Preventors got back from the rebellion from the terra-forming project on Mars. Until then, Earth and her colonies would suffer from this new war.
I had finally reached my apartment on the outskirts of town. My door was unlocked. My years of training kicked in and I pulled out a pistol I always carry around with me. I kicked open the door and waited, gun ready.
I heard a click and winced slightly in pain dropping the gun.
"Duo… it's me," a voice said from somewhere in the shadow.
"Heero?" I asked looking around in the direction of the voice. There was no answer. Instead, a report came flying my way. I caught it with grace.
"Get packed. We're going to Quatre's."
"Alright, but what's this?" I pondered.
"A mission overview. Sally and Wufei want us to get working to stop the war here while they work on the rebellion on Mars. Now hurry up. The shuttle is going to leave soon.
"Alright, alright… Hold on Heero. You know, I don't see you for three years, but yet you're still the same." No answer. "All done. Where do we go?" There was no answer as usual. Heero just propped himself up from the wall that he was leaning against and walked out the door. "Hey, Hee- chan! Wait up!" Suddenly, a gun was at my face.
"Don't call me that," Heero said while putting his gun back. Some people never change! We got onto Heero's motorcycle and proceeded to the spaceport. We quickly boarded the shuttle waiting for us and sped to L4 where Quatre's mansion was located.
L4 was a long way from L2, especially with commercial shuttles, so to kill time, I took out the report Heero gave me and began to read.
Blah, blah, blah. The report read. I was beginning to get bored really quickly. Then, I saw a picture of a really cute girl wearing a light silverish-blue flowing gown and a mask. The caption read, "The Angel of Death." "Hey Heero, tell me something, what's the 'Angel of Death' doing in this report?"
"…Read the report, baka…" Heero stated before resuming clicking away on his laptop again. I began to read the report. It talked about the years 2000 AD to the present and the 'Angel' that appeared on the battlefield to destroy armies and help the wounded left behind, thus earning her the nickname 'Angel of Death.' The report also said something about different Angels through the decades: Fate, Lightwing, Eternity, and Nightshade. One picture contained a mobile suit. It looked like a gundam!
"Hey Heero, is this a gundam?" I asked pointing to the picture.
"Maybe. Probably, but we aren't sure. That picture dates from circa 2100 AD." Heero said without looking up from his laptop.
I studied the pictures. Then I looked up in surprise. In all of them, the Angel was almost identical except for the fact of a different gown and different mobile suits. The mask, the stature, and everything else was exactly identical! I kept this information to myself knowing that I wouldn't get anywhere telling the other gundam pilots. Then I dozed off.
~~
(Heero's POV)
I kept on typing while Duo slept. The Angel of Death. That name haunted me in my sleep. I kept on hearing it everywhere I went, ever since I saw her in my dreams. Who was she? What did she want? Was she the same person as the one in my dreams?
Those dreams. Every night they were the same. In every single one, she calls out for help. She is weeping. I come to her and make her feel better. She says… "Galaxy… I will never leave your side." Just when we were about to kiss, there was a flash of lightning and she is pulled away by something evil. Her last words are "Goodbye… Aishiteru!" And she disappears in a flash of silverish- blue light. Every time, I would wake up in a cold sweat. Were those dreams from a past life or were they something more?
The computer gave a chime and I looked at the files that I just hacked into. I cross- reference the database to search for a female with reddish, brown-black hair and a height of around 5 feet 6 inches. It wasn't much help. Too many people matched the description. I kept on searching and came across an interesting file. The name was Amara Battle.
That name was dangerously strange. So haunting. It meant eternal battle. I looked at her profile. A cheerful face appeared. She has been missing since AC 194. The year right before operation Meteor. Last seen on L4. I downloaded the file onto my disk for further reference. I kept on searching. The next name I came upon was Athena Light. She looked almost identical to Amara except for the angry eyes hidden behind her smile. She was also missing. I downloaded her file too.
By the time we got to L4, I had downloaded over 20 files. All these women looked exactly the same except for the facial expression, date of birth, and date missing. Strangely enough, they all disappeared at the same age and before or during a war.
"Please fasten your seatbelts as we approach L4. Thank you," a flight attendant spoke over the intercom. Duo stirred and opened one eye groggily. I closed my laptop quickly. I would solve this problem later.
~~
(Trowa's POV)
"Incoming message," the computer said. I looked up from my mask. It was from Heero. I had to get to Quatre's house quickly. Quatre would send a car to escort me soon. I quickly packed my stuff and made and excuse with the manager and I waited for the limo that would take me to Quatre's house. During the ride, I looked at the scenery. Too bad all this would be destroyed if the war came here. I felt so helpless. That was about to change. I was going to rejoin my past life as Trowa Barton, pilot of Gundam 03- Heavyarms and help save the world once again. The car finally drove up to the front door of Quatre's mansion, where he was waiting.
Quatre hadn't changed much since the Mariemaia incident but I could tell through his friendly façade that something was definitely wrong.
"Hey Trowa! How's life in the circus?" I just smiled gently at him and followed him into the house. "You know where your room is. I'll be in my office downstairs if you need me, okay Trowa?" I nodded and headed upstairs.
~~
(Quatre's POV)
I walked to my office and closed the door. *Sigh. At least the guys were getting back together. Over the past few months, all I could think about was the war. I couldn't help just yet. The gundams were being rebuilt. That was a relief in itself. Soon we would fly out and save the world again. But as of now, all I could do is think of where the war would strike up next.
I really didn't care who would win. All I wanted is to return to my pacifism ways. 'Think, think, think. Where is the next target? Where will the next battle be? When will it be? Will the gundams be finished in time?' I was getting a terrible headache. I should drink some tea to calm my nerves.
As I was sipping my tea, my eyes settled on a pamphlet. It was for the new college colony located around the L1 area. Hannah, one of my sisters worked there and sent me the pamphlet. Maybe I should visit her one day. One day after the war. I started flipping through the pamphlet.
The college was called Academy of Olympus ~ For Girls ~. It had very beautiful scenery and excelled at academics and the arts. The school was founded just a few years ago. Then I saw a picture. There she was, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smirk just like the day I first saw her: Dorothy Catalonia.
If she went to that school… But the rebel group, the White Claw, was after her! That meant, they were going to target that colony very soon! The White Claw was ruthless and had emerged after the defeat of Mariemaia from the remains of the White Fang and Mariemaia troops who still wanted to fight. They wouldn't care if they had to kill millions of people, they would get what they want, and what the wanted was her…
~~
She stood alone in the middle of a field. Empty, sad, blue eyes stared into space. Her pale blonde hair billowed with the breeze. No longer visible was a glint of light whenever there was battle. Her love of battle was gone like a feather in the wind. She couldn't remember anything. The furthest that she could remember was one day miraculously waking up and seeing kind eyes looking at her. Ever since that day, she had been enrolled in this college. Her savior was the headmistress, but she had only seen her a couple of times. She was always out on business trips or things like that.
Flashback
"Welcome to the Academy of Olympus. My name is Artemis. I am the headmistress of this school. You are welcome to stay as long as you wish."
The woman speaking didn't seem like a headmistress. She was very young and very kind. When she looked at you, there seemed to be an aura around her that drew you to her and allowed you to trust in her. She had brownish-black hair and matching eyes.
End Flashback
Artemis had been her savior ever since. She took her to different colonies, bought her fancy clothes, and treated her like a sister. However, something was missing. Her memory from before. She needed to know exactly who she was. She couldn't go living her life like this. It wasn't fair.
She took out a brochure. Artemis said that she needed to go out on a vacation and spend some time alone. The colony of L4 seemed like an inviting place. She kept on flipping through the brochure. Her eye caught on a very familiar looking face. She tried to remember who the young man with the kind blue eyes was. The caption said that he was the heir to Winner family fortune- Quatre Winner. Why did he look so familiar? She sighed. 'I guess I will have to go to Artemis and ask her if I could go to L4 when she comes back.'
End chapter.