In the Space of a
Heart
By Elly Leaverton
"Where's the Girl?" from The Scarlet Pimpernel. Lyrics by Nan
Knighton. Music by Frank Wildhorn
I remember days full of restlessness and fury.
I remember nights that were drunk on dreams.
I remember someone who hungered for the glory.
I remember her but it seems…she's gone…
He watched her. Every move, every little sigh, he took careful note of. The politics of her job no longer mattered to him, simply the fact that she was doing it. She was fighting to preserve the legacy they had built together. That was all that mattered to Trieze.
He was very much still the man Lady Une remembered. He wore the same clothes as she always remembered him in—dashing uniform, high boots, jaunty cape secured to his side. His large shoulders held the same confident pose, his hair still the handsome brown.
He sat on the edge of the desk
looking down on her as she signed several documents. She checked the clock. Signed papers, shuffled papers, checked the clock, repeat. Finally there was a knock on the door. She jumped to her feet and started to rush
to the door, but caught herself and called out instead.
"Come in."
Trowa Barton and Heero Yuy entered
the room.
"Gentlemen, thank you for
coming on such short notice." She
walked around the desk and handed them each a folder. "Full a briefing is enclosed, the shuttle is standing by,
but I need you to leave immediately."
The two pilots accepted their
folders. Heero quickly scanned the
first page.
Trowa asked, "Which shuttle
bay?" as he opened her office door.
"Three."
Heero looked up from the folder,
"Destroying a military base…mission accepted."
"Thank you," repeated Lady
Une as she hurried them out the door.
"She didn't waste words today
did she?" Trowa asked Heero as the two walked briskly down the hall.
"You're complaining?"
asked Heero with a note of surprise in his voice.
Over her tired slumping shoulders,
he watched with her as the two Preventers left. He stayed with her as she closed the door and returned to her
tasks.
"They
haven't changed much have they, my dear?" he asked her. She did not respond. Instead she turned and walked right through
him to sit down at her desk.
"Still
talking to the fleshies, I see," said a ghostly, older, male voice.
"You're
back." Trieze turned to look at the
ethereal form to his side.
"I couldn't leave you here alone talking to them. You might get dementia." The older ghost smiled.
"Can't you
leave me in peace?" asked Trieze.
"So you can
mope around talking to walls?"
"I only talk
to her."
"Same thing,
she can't hear you kid."
"There was a
time when you addressed me more respectfully."
"Ah death,
the great equalizer."
Trieze turned to look at Lady
Une. She was so beautiful. In the grand scheme of things, she was his
greatest creation. Her evolution nearly
destroyed them both, but the result was perfection. Naturally, like Pygmalion, he loved his creation.
She yawned, resting her head on her
arm. "Keep it movin' Une,"
she told herself. She reached up to rub
her own shoulders.
She pushed a button to buzz her
secretary, "Ann, when are Sally and Wufei due back?"
"ETA nine this evening. You'll have the place to yourself for a
while."
"Thanks Ann. Would you call the house and let Mari know I
won't be home tonight?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Lady Une closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
Where's the girl?
Where's the girl with the blaze in her eyes?
Where's the girl with that gaze of surprise?
Now and then I still dream she's beside me…
Lady Une did stay late. She left notes for both Preventers to see her
immediately on arrival. This had to be
acted on fast. There was no room for mistakes. About an hour after Ann had left for the night, her vid-phone chirped. She answered it.
A man with a scar running from
temple to chin looked at her. "Lady Une,
I understand the Preventers are taking a hand in this issue."
"You know the answer to that. What you are doing goes against everything
the Earth Sphere values."
"Ha!"
"Surrender now, before your people
get hurt." Lady Une ordered.
"I'm asking you for the last time,
as a friend. Call off your men."
"I will not do that."
The man sighed heavily, shaking his
head in disappointment, and severed the connection.
"Hmm," said Lady Une to the dead
screen. "I wonder why he did that? He
knows me better than that."
"He's up to
something, my love. He wanted to give
you a way out…" He talked to her in vain.
"Worried
about her?" asked the older specter.
"She never thinks
of her own safety. Never did. It's one of her flaws." His eyes never left her
face.
He drifted close by her. For the next hour he watched her work, an uneasy feeling filling his whole being.
Where's the girl
Who could turn on the edge of a knife?
Where's the girl who was burning for life?
I can still feel her breathing beside me.
Trieze felt another life force on
the other side of the door. He stepped
through to see a man in black, moving silently towards her door. He watched in horror as the man set up a
door sealer. He connected a nitrogen
gas bottle to the bottom of it. Slowly,
the man let the gas start to flow. It
hissed softly.
He stepped back through the door.
"Nitrogen,
he sealed the door—She'll asphyxiate. Does she hear it?" he looked at the other specter.
"Your
focused Lady?" The older ghost gestured to Trieze's love, who was deeply
engrossed in her computer screen.
He moved to her through the desk to
kneel directly in front of her. "Lady, my love,
listen. Please listen. Hear it. Darling you must hear it."
He felt
the older specter grasp his shoulder. "There's nothing you can do, Trieze. It will be painless. In another five minutes
she will be able to hear you again."
"No, I don't want
that." His lips
forming a snarl as he spoke, his calm composer nearly gone.
"Why?"
"My daughter." He stood up quickly. "I must do something."
"It is
almost nine, you might try Merian, sometimes she can get though."
"Of course!"
Treize focused on Wufei, the room blurred. He found himself looking at the young Chinese boy who was piloting a shuttle into Bay three. Treize's heart sang its happiness that the two preventers were so close. They could save her!
"Merian!"
he called.
An airy form slid from the chest of the Chinese boy. The form coalesced in to a young Chinese girl. She still held her fierce, harsh, fighter look she had in life.
"Why do you
call me?"
"You must contact
Wufei! Lady Une is in danger…"
"I cannot…my place in his heart gets smaller and smaller…"
"Please! I beg you. For the sake of love please try." The urgency of the situation plus his in ability to
help, ripped the last shreds of his composure away.
"It will upset him
to think of me."
"She will die!"
Merian looked at Trieze, she sighed
deeply. "I do not want to hurt him again."
"He will be sad if
Lady Une dies…you've seen his heart."
"Yes, that is
true. Her place is smaller than mine,
but it is there." She turned to Wufei, her form flickered as
her ghostly hands melted into his head.
Wufei gasped.
"What is it Wufei? You look like
you've just seen a ghost?" asked Sally from her seat.
"I…I was thinking of someone from
L5. Someone whom I haven't thought of
in a long time." Wufei shook his head. "I must be tired."
"It was memories of the colony which
caused you to join the fight for peace wasn't it? It's natural you'd think about it now," said Sally.
"That must be it," Wufei agreed.
"This isn't
working!" Trieze exclaimed.
"I'm
trying," hissed Merian. "Sometimes this helps." She plunged
her ghostly hand deep into his chest, looked into his eyes and screamed "FEAR!"
"Something's not right…" Wufei said.
"What do you mean?" asked Sally.
"I don't know, woman" Wufei
snapped, "I just have this feeling…it's
never wrong."
"Let me contact Lady Une." Sally's
fingers flew over the keyboard. "That's
odd, there's no answer."
"She wouldn't go home tonight would
she?" asked Wufei.
"Not likely," replied Sally.
"Merian! You did it!"
"Yes, for your
sake I hope it was in time."
Treize concentrated on Lady
Une. He found himself back in her
office. She was slumped in the
chair. Unconscious.
"Dear
God! Wufei! Please hurry!"
"It won't be long
now, Trieze,"
said the other ghost.
And I know
She remembers how fearless it feels
To take off with the wing at your heels
She and I took this world like a storm!
Treize watched through the door to
see the Preventers arrive.
"No, don't open it Wufei!" said Sally as she rounded
the corner and saw the door. "We need respirators! I'll get them!"
She sprinted to the sick bay.
Wufei shut off the gas and the
sealer. He opened both windows in the
room outside. And waited impatiently,
for Sally to return.
"I see them
at the door, my Love," Treize called into the room behind him. "Please hold on!"
"Mister
Trieze?" said a weak voice.
He stepped back through the door. She stood there in her ethereal form. Golden tendrils of life linked her to the form in the chair. One thin golden tendril linked her to him.
"My dear
Lady."
"Trieze? Is
it you? Am I dreaming again?"
He rushed to her and swept her up
into his embrace. "My darling, it's not a dream. You are dying."
She pushed back, "I can't die! Not
yet."
"You will
live, until the last of these connections fades." He lifted a gold tendril
to show her.
"They fade
so fast," she said in distress and clung to him even as her eyes stayed
fixed on the ribbons of life.
"Help is coming."
Come again!
Let the girl in your heart tumble free
Bring your renegade heart home to me.
In the dark of the morning
I'll warm you, I'll rouse you…
The masked figures of Wufei and Sally rushed into the room. Wufei grabbed Une's body and threw it over a shoulder.
"Up the stairs," cried Sally, "we
must get above the heavy nitrogen!"
Trieze and Lady Une were pulled
along by the tendrils as Wufei and Sally rushed up a flight of stairs.
"Oh
Trieze! There's so much I want to say
to you!" Lady Une whispered.
"We will
have forever to talk, my dear. Today
you must live," he told her.
"Don't you
want me to stay?"
"Very much. But I cannot give in to such selfish wants."
"We've gotta get the nitrogen out of her lungs," said Sally as she ripped off the respirator. "Start rescue breathing."
Wufei laid the body down on the
landing. Sally began pulling equipment
from her emergency bag. Wufei lifted
Une's chin, pinched her nose and began breathing for her.
"Mister
Trieze…I…" said Lady Une.
"The world
still needs your grace."
Lady Une choked as golden tears
poured from her eyes. "I love you."
"I want you
to raise my daughter. Please, Lady Une, they can only do so much. You must want to go back." Trieze
looked deeply into her eyes.
She sobbed, the pain in her heart too great.
Don't forget I know who you are.
We were cut from the same surly star.
Like two jewels in the sky, sharing fire.
Sally turned and brought out the defibulators. She charged them. "Clear!" Sally discharged the power into the body of Lady Une. It jumped.
Lady Une could feel the current. She saw the tendrils glow brighter. "No! Oh Mister Trieze!" She held on to his form.
"Let go my dearest lady, go back. Protect what we've built." He kissed her lips and removed her fingers from his form.
"Clear," Sally hit the body again.
Lady Une slipped quickly back into herself.
"I love..." Trieze started.
"Too late, kid. But I think she got the message." The older ghost stood next to him in the stairwell.
They both watched as Lady Une opened her eyes. Sally and Wufei smiled in relief.
Another specter appeared next to Trieze.
"In the end, I think I saved his heart more pain than I caused it." Merian said.
Trieze nodded, "Truly, it is the living that take the bigger share of a heart."
Merian nodded, "I will make room for them, both of them. He needs them."
Wufei clasped Lady Une's hand tightly. Sally put the defibulators down, and took up Une's other hand.
"What happened?" croaked Lady Une.
Where's the girl,
So alive and still aching for
more?
We had dreams that were worth dying for.
We were caught in the eye of the storm!
"Wufei, help me carry her to the infirmary." Sally started to lift her, but Wufei stopped her.
"I've got her, you get the doors,"
he ordered.
Soon only the three ethereal forms remained in the stairwell.
"What now?"
asked the older ghost.
"I will
continue as before, to watch her and my daughter."
"Still going to talk to the fleshies?" the older ghost asked.
"Tell me you don't
talk to Zechs when you watch him." Trieze eyed the older ghost.
"That would be a
lie. He named his son after me."
"So I heard," said Trieze.
"Poor kid,
you get a lot of teasing in school with a name like Otto," said the
older ghost.
The room blurred around the three
ghosts and took the shape of the infirmary. Lady Une lay on a bed with Sally examining her. Wufei was on the vid-phone calling for
medical reinforcements.
Come again!
Let the girl in your heart tumble free
Bring your renegade heart home to me.
In the dark of the morning
I'll warm you, I'll rouse you…
"Well, this is
where I get off,"
sighed Otto.
"Come visit
me again," said Trieze.
"Yeah, I'll
know where to find you." Otto
slowly faded, but his voice lingered, "Besides someone
has to protect you from dementia."
Merian sighed, "It is cold out here. I too must return to my place."
"Thank you
my dear, I am in your debt."
"I forgive
you." She dematerialized and slipped quietly into her place in the heart
of Wufei.
Trieze stepped over to the bedside
of his lady. How he wished their
meeting could've been longer. The
selfish part of him had wanted it to last.
"Please
know that you are someone I love, and I will always watch over you," he
told her.
Lazily, Lady Une turned her head in his direction. Trieze felt as if she could see him. A slow smile spread on her face. Maybe she could? Trieze was tired. With extremely care, he placed his hand upon her breast and allowed himself to return to the space she'd created for him. As the last tendrils of his essence slipped inside her, Lady Une placed a hand upon her chest.
"What are you smiling for?" Sally
asked.
"Hmm? I was?" Lady Une looked at
Sally. "Just happy to be alive, I
suppose."
Where's the girl?
Is she gazing at me with surprise?
Do I still see that blaze in her eyes?
Am I dreaming or is she beside me…now…?
The
End
More
stories by this author:
A Wild West
story Gundam Wing style! Join five familiar heroes as they saddle up for a
treacherous ride to rescue one small town from the clutches of a gang of
bandits in this classic tale set in America's Wild West.
When Mattie
and P.T., two cybernetically enhanced women, are captured do their captors
really know what they're in for? Work-in-progress. Subject to change.
What's
wrong with Hilde? This is a short "elephant in the room" piece.
You
might be a GW luvin' Redneck if...
A little
Gungam Wing humor, Foxworthy-style.
The Gundam Wing version of Auld Lang Syne.
Author's Notes and Lessons Learned:
This is my first attempt at the common
fan fiction style called a "Song Fic" and I'm not happy with it. It was based on a song that I felt embodied
the lives of Trieze and Lady Une as we know them. Unfortunately I found it very difficult to incorporate the verses
in to the action of the story. I felt
very confined by the need to do so. In
the end, it ended up being the theme of the past—the basis that the memory of Trieze
was living in. I don't think it worked
as a successful song fiction. Sometimes
the verses don't tie in at all, sometimes only a word or two fit. I didn't enjoy trying to force a fit. I don't think I will write another Song
fiction. I'm much more interested in
telling a gripping story than making a story work with a song. Well, we live and learn.
The afterlife concept comes from the
traditional saying "Our loved ones live on in our hearts…" In my mind the only real spirit or ghost in
this piece is Lady Une herself. The other
three are the memories of the original person that live on in the hearts of the
living. This is why each ghost retained
the look and demeanor they had as the person in whose heart they live remembers
them. The reason I bring Otto and
Trieze together is that Trieze lives in not only Lady Une's heart but also
Milliardo's therefore they have a connection. I bring Merian into the piece because she has always fascinated me. Wufei, through out the series, has always
had an uncanny sixth sense. He trusts in
feelings and decides who to trust based on them. Many people place Duo in the more emotional roles, but I see
Wufei as the one who depends and acts on emotions more. Anger, impulsiveness, pride and aggression
are the corner stones of his character. A huge part of who he is now is based on Merian. Before her, he was a scholar—he became her
to capture the fire to fight after her death. It makes sense then that he would have the best connection with that
piece of himself. I also see a heart
connection between Trieze and Merian in Wufei.
Would any of the three specters I present
here live with out the person to whom they are connected? No, I see them as a manifestation of the
memories of the living person. This is
how I justify the behavior of Trieze. Would the Trieze we know have lost his cool in this situation?
Perhaps…perhaps not. But the Trieze of
Une's memory is a manifestation of herself. She would panic at the thought of her own death now that she has Marimeya
to look after, therefore her memory of Trieze does as well. This is why the golden tendrils link to him
and pull him along as well, but since the story is told from his point of view,
he would never realize what the tendril connected to him meant. Do I think I
conveyed this concept to the reader? I
tried, but I don't think so. You be the
judge.
Where did I get that nitrogen gas stuff? Well, you'll probably laugh to know it came from an OSHA handout about the dangers of confined spaces. Nitrogen gas is heavier than air so it will fill a room much like water would. People in confined spaces have killed themselves this way. It is an extremely painless way to go—just like drowning would be if you forced yourself to relax and inhale. The deceptiveness of nitrogen gas is that you can't smell it or taste it because it's in the air naturally all the time. Therefore normal people would simply breath it in and just pass out. Carbon Dioxide would work this way as well and in this case would probably be the one used by the murderer because it's less expensive. I chose to use Nitrogen here because of the handout and to educate you on the dangers of it. OSHA can thank me later.