The Stoic
by Anjel
Well...Um...
This is my futuristic version of a futuristic story. Did that
make sense? Anywho.... The Gundam pilots, and the whole Gundam
thing..isn't mine... So don't sue me!! You can't have my
collection of dust!! It's mine, I tell you!! MINE!! Oh...
sorry...
In other notes, things you may need to know... ~ see that
squiggly line? Any words inbetween two of those are
telepathy...Kay...Now on with my..er.. The Insanity! Oh...and
anything centered...that's a dream sequence... Tee hee.
"You can't do this," she cried.
"Welcome to reality, Baby." the man smirked at her. "We can, and we just have."
"You can't draft people for this kind of thing!" She ran after him.
"Face it, they've been drafted," He walked off smugly.
She glared at his back and raced inside. After running up the stairs, she started packing. Three suitcases lay on the bed, as she stuffs clothing into hers. She ran to another room and grabbed her make-up, throwing it on top of her clothes.
"I hate Advanced Calculus. I have tons of homework tonight," a girl's voice, downstairs, complained.
"Girls?" She ran downstairs and tried to smile cheerfully. "Don't bother with your homework..we're..moving."
***
Sammy woke up with a start. That stupid dream again. She stared at the maching as it registered that she was awake and gas started filling the room again. She thought about holding her breath, but knew that didn't work. She'd tried that before and finally passed out, and then was drugged. She vaguely wondered what day it was. She tried to shrug, but realized that took too much effort and let herself accept the forced slumber.
The tears streaming down her face, couldn't stop the inner burning pain, the massive hurt inside. It couldn't stop the heavens weaping on her huddled form; it couldn't stop. Weeping, and trying to hid in the soaked clothes she wore, she curled in a ball. The rain continued falling, as did her tears.
The sun refused to show its shining face, the sky darkened in grays; the wind blowing angrily at her. Her body, battered and bruised, hurt no where near as painfully as did her heart, shattered into shards. Heartbroken, she picked herself up, wishing for oblivion. But the world went on, ignoring her plight. Little children frolicked in the rain, adults ran to the safety of cars and buildings, and dogs spashed in puddles.
"How sad," she thought. "That I can walk around looking as I do; crying as I am, and no one stops to ask what's wrong. Nobody acknowledged by pain."
Limping along, she pulled her jacket around her tighter, and tugged her old suitcase behind her. "Alone," she thought. "What a depressing word." The rain mingled with her tears and she tasted them on her lips. The bitter salty taste filled her mouth and she liked her dry lips.
She tried to think of her mother, who, after all, left her here. She remembered being urged to run. They'd already left her sister elsewhere and her mom told her to hide; running on. She'd brought the men after her... But, some men had stayed behind and after being beaten up, she had managed to crawl away to an alley.
She grimaced as she tried to put weight on her left foot. Turning around, she saw the men running after her. She ran, limping painfully, and fell. "Mother," she murmurred.
***
Sammy woke up crying. She listened to the machine, still sobbing. As the gas came back in, she whispered. "Memories..." As her body relaxed, she thought of her sister and smiled. She exhaled softly, and mumbled, "Kat..."
Garrison frowned at the unconscious girl. "What good are they if they're drugged?!" he asked no one in particular.
"Lighten up. Is she ready?" McGregor asked.
"As ready as the Phoenix pilot was," he answered, saracastically.
"Who's this one?" McGregor asked curiously.
"Does it matter?" Garrison frowned. "Obviously she's not a fighter, like Danny. I'm not sure she'll make much of a fighter pilot."
"The Stoic's ready for her," McGregor commented. "Mot much of a fighter, huh? From what I heard she came in barely alive."
"What?!!"
"Well... The thugs, er -guys, sent after her, beat her up pretty good after they caught her again the second time. And from what I can tell, the first time wasn't so easy for her either."
Garison studied the unconscious girl in the men's grasp. Her blonde curls covered her face and her slumped over form didn't seem to boast of height. She had to be shorter than Danny: maybe 5'6", 5'5". She was wearing standard issue prisoner clothes: Gray sweats.
"She doesn't look hurt to me," Garrison commented.
McGregor laughed. "Now? Of course not. What, you think she came yesterday?!"
"Well...when did she come then?" he asked, annoyed.
"Same day Danny did, just a few hours later. She's been unconscious since then. Drugged ot her toes! They've had nurses cleaning and feeding her since then." McGregor was no longer smiling. "Poor girl."
"Hook her up," Garrison commanded, dismissively. It wasn't his job to care. He looked pityingly at the girl. She looked so vulnerable; so small...
"Yes sir." He looked to the men. "Just drag that poor defenseless girl over here."
"That's enough, McGregor."
"You think she can handle it, Garrison?"
"Danny did." Garrison started walking away.
"Danny wasn't drugged for a half year, wasn't so young; wasn't so small. As you said sir, Danny was a fighter."
Garrison paused. "So it seems, is this one."
"Yes, but how much fighting can you do against a drug machine and lose, before you quit fighting? Before you don't care anymore?"
Garrison kept walking, trying not to let those words get to him. It doesn't matter. Once she's one with the Stoic, she'll fight.
McGregor watched him leave until he was out the door; then turned to the girl. "Looks like it's your turn, little girl." She groaned as he hooked her up, but didn't move. "What've they done to you?" he asked sadly. He shook his head and forced himself to be cheerful. "Just one more...and there! Now we'll turn on the Stoic and let it merge with you..."
~~Wake up!~~ the insistant voice commanded.
~~Go away~~ Sammy thought.
~~Wake up! We're being attacked~~
~~Let them. I'm sick of fighting losing battles~~
~~You won't lose. You have me now.~~
Sammy blinked her eyes a few times. This wasn't her room, nor was it her prison cell. "W-wher-" her voice croaked. Someone poured liquid down her throat. ~~It's water~~ the voice answered her unspoken question. Sammy tried again. "W-where am I?"
"Hey there, Green Eyes. I'm your nurse, Mikah. We were hoping you'd wake up. We're under attack." The man smiled at her.
~~Do you know where I'm at?~~
~~Checking...Confirmed. Wing 5, room 12: the Sick Bay~~
~~Who are you?~~
~~I am part of you...We are the Stoic~~
~~Oh~~
"We must leave now," Mikah picked her up easily.
"Where?"
"Away from the battle. You're a very important girl, Green Eyes."
"The Stoic wants to fight." She felt the Stoic's insistang pushing stop. It'd gotten what it wanted. ~~She~~
~~What?~~
~~We are female~~
~~Oh~~
"The Stoic? It's talking to you?" Mikah grinned.
"So it...er, she says..."
"She? Most are called he's if they're given a sexual pronoun." He seemed curious.
"We are female." Sammy answered with a grin.
"Okay," he continued to carry her. He had paused before continuing when she'd commented on fighting.
"Where are we going?" she asked again.
"To find the Stoic. She obviously wants you with her."
~~We will be united~~
~~That's nice~~ Sammy thought.
"There she is," he pointed to one of the body suits.
~~Oh! You're pretty!!~~ Sammy exclaimed.
~~Thank you. We are pretty~~
Sammy walked towards the Stoic, reverently. That's part of me? she thought, amazed.
~~We are one~~
She reached out to touch it. Running her fingertips over the cool metal, she sighed. ~~How beautiful... May I...?~~
~~Of course~~ A door opened in the side.
"Oh. How'd you do that?" Mikah asked.
"Wait!! You can't get in yet! We have to do testing!!!" Garrison yelled out.
~~We don't need testing!~~ the Stoic commented, insulted.
~~Shh~~ Sammy jumped down. "Who are you?"
"Corporal Garrison; who are you?"
"We are the Stoic," she answered simply.
"Not again!!!"
"I think he means: What's your name, Green Eyes," Mikah tried to help.
"I am called Sammy." ~~How much longer will this take?~~
~~I don't know, Humans are improbable~~
A man in uniform ran to Garrison and handed him a clipboard and pen. "Sir."
"Ensighn." They saluted eachother and the man left. Garrison turned to Sammy. "Full name?"
"Samantha Anjel Price. Samantha: S-A-M-A-N-T-H-A, Anjel: A-N-J-E-L, Price: P-R-I-C-E."
"Thank God. I don't know what in the hell I would've done had you not known your name," he sighed. "Mother's maiden name?"
"Don't you have this on record or something?" Sammy frowned.
"You're records were destroyed. To the world, you never existed."
"Swanson. Her name was Linnea Swanson." She watched him scribble that down. "Aren't we being attacked?"
"It'll take them awhile to get through. The other pilots are out there."
~~They need us. Tell him that~~
"The Stoic says they need us," she complied.
"It does? It speaks to you?" Garrison sounded ecstatic.
"She does. But that's not the point. The point is, THEY NEED US!!" Frustrated, Sammy folded her arms and tapped her foot.
"Forget it. It's time for you to get out of here." He listened intently to the battle going on outside. "Get in the Stoic and follow the jet. Those are orders!!" Garrison managed to yell before Sammy was enclosed inside. He grabbed Mikah and ran to the waiting jet.
Sammy pulled on the earset and studied the inside. "Okay, where's your 'ON' button?"
~~I am on~~
"Oh. Can you talk out loud?" Sammy asked curiously.
"In here."
"And can others hear you?"
"In here."
"Just checking. Okay, can I put you on auto and let you follow the jet?"
"You can put me on auto."
"How?"
"I'm on auto...now."
Sammy felt the power of the Stoic under her. She looked out and noticed they were turning slowly away from the jets pathway. "What are you doing?"
"They need us."
"We have orders!"
"You have orders."
"You're part of me, therefore, you have orders too."
"We are still civilans."
"Are you saying we don't have to follow orders?" Sammy asked, shocked.
"They need us, can't you hear them?"
Suddenly the speakers turned on. "Deathscythe here. I got it!" a voice yelled out.
"Somebody block that! We've had no confirmation that the Stoic and pilot are out! Block that!"
"Aah! Deathscythe hit!! Damn!"
Sammy shuddered. "Can I talk to them?"
"You can; do you want to now?"
"First move our pathway with the jet."
"But they need us!"
"I'll handle it!" The Stoic righted itself and was now following the jet. "Now put me through."
~~Now~~
"This is the pilot of the Stoic, we are out. I repeat, we are out."
"This is Deathscythe, please confirm. Damnt! I'm hit again! Please confirm."
"The Stoic is out!" ~~Confirm it for them~~
~~All right~~ "Attention. This is the Stoic, we are safe."
"W-what?"
"Get out of there!!" Sammy yelled.
"You heard him, mission's over. Let's go."
"Heero, you don't run this mission."
"No, but I do." Garrison's voice came through. "Sammy and the Stoic are safe, now get out of there." He paused. "And Sammy? What in the hell were you doing?!!"
"Fighting the Stoic! I was trying to follow your orders; next time, give both of us orders!!"
"Stoic?"
"Garrison?" the Stoic replied.
"Hell."
I'll continue typing it up...later... ::evilly grins:: You like? Email me.