Disclaimer: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing belongs to its respectful owners, Sunrise, Bandai, and the other companies whose names hav

Disclaimer: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing belongs to its respectful owners, Sunrise, Bandai, and the other companies whose names have never truly surfaced in my mind, but do own Gundam Wing regardless of whether I remember them or not. I do not own the rights to Gundam Wing, and this fic is written for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

Warnings: 4x?, probably some shounen ai/ yaoi in there somewhere. Future appearances of insert character. Angst. And some bastardization of computer junkie terms. Be forewarned.

Rating: PG, so far. I'm trying to be safe here, but I may up it if I decide to be more cautious.

Setting: Alternate Universe (AU)

t_j: Well, I did it; I dug myself in a hole. Dragoni was bored, and I decided to find something that will keep her occupied for the time being. And, knowing full well that she was a fanfic author, and being a fanfic author myself, I came up with a fanfic challenge for her to write to. And she basically told me that if she had to write a fic for that challenge - I won't tell you what it is, else it'd really mess things up ^_^ - then I had to write for it, too. So, here it is, be it good or not. Hope you enjoy it, minna-san, and please read and review this! Thanks!

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Lost

by Tyrne_J

A long time ago, someone told me that if one was ever lost while traveling in the space, that person was as good as dead. It never bothered me before - in this profession, we're already dead - but now, as I watched someone else entering for the first time, the words of that man came back to ring in my ears.

And the thought scares me.

Not that the man still lived in my memory - that actually was a relief of sorts, that I could still remember - but the thought that one could still get lost in the space, even after all these centuries of technological studies designed specifically for survival there; that was frightening.

Hilde nodded curtly at us, her lips pursed and her eyes grim as she gripped the armrests of her chair tightly.

"I'm ready. Let's do this."

Beside me, Howard gave a low chuckle and began to enter in Hilde's coordinates, winking at me as he typed away. "Looks like the newbie's ready, eh? Good thing we're sending someone to look after her; she looks a little too excited for this." A few more taps, and he looked up again. "So, you ready, Heero?"

"Ready." The low voice answered steadily, and I knew, without looking at him, that the man was staring at the tiles above him, as if trying to see through them.

And now it was my turn. I turned to check the stats screen, and found what I was looking for. "'K, Heero, you have Wing, and since Hilde's not initiated yet, she'll be tagging onto your system, so make sure to compensate." Not really new stuff; they were briefed on this before, so it wasn't as if I was telling them something that should surprise them. "Remember, the object of this is to just skim for a bit, get a little info, and then back out. We'll need more time to plan what's next, so don't try anything we'll all regret."

"Okay." "Hn."

Being the newbie, Hilde needed some sort of initiation, and everyone else had decided that this was the lightest trip we could put on her, without putting on too much of a strain. A former trainee for OZ, she had some experience in pulsing, but for this - with us - it was slightly different.

I tugged my headphones over my head, adjusting the microphone until it hung just beneath my lips. "Okay, initiating send-off." I tapped a little on the keyboard in front of me, and heard an affirmative beep.

I raised my hand to the screen above me, and the reflection caught my eye. Blue eyes, and several strands of blonde hair, swinging to cover a round, kind-looking face. And, despite the seriousness of Hilde's send-off, I found myself smiling as I watched the blonde give orders to the men behind him.

And that was when the words of the old man swept through my head as if he were right beside me, as if I were the one taking the first trip into the space.

Once you're lost, you're as good as dead -

I didn't remember hitting the tag, but when I looked up again, they were already inside. The soft sounds of the other techs applauding behind me covered the faint whirring sounds of Wing as it came to life, and I could see the pilots' stats gradually move toward an acceptable state inside the assist's shield.

There was a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at Quatre. "Hey," he said, a small grin on his face. "Let's go get something to eat. Wing's got it covered for the moment."

"Sure." I stood up, grabbed my jacket. He looked at me questioningly - it was summer, and also unusually hot for this area - but I ignored the look, because I couldn't stop thinking about what that man said.

Losing myself in the space is one thing - like I said before, I'm as good as dead. But losing someone else -

- especially someone special to me, someone I'd give everything just to -

That's an entirely different thing.