A/N: Hello hello everybody, welcome to the new fic! I've been promising this one a while, especially since I've been posting (sporadically) to Miscommunications, a fic is a side-piece to this one—they're in the same 'universe', but the scenes in Miscommunications all take place before the main plot of Bring Her Back. Basically, I developed too many headcanons and fun scenes for one coherent story, but I just love writing this version of the characters too much to pass it up!
I'd recommend reading both fics—I think that Miscommunications will flesh out and help explain my perception of the characters and why they might make certain decisions in this story. Of course, it's not requisite that you read both, they can definitely still be enjoyed individually!
This fic is rated M for violence, language, sexuality and adult themes. Any explicit sex scenes will be included in the unedited version on AO3, but not posted here. (Personally... I'd consider it a 14A rating.)
Now, before I go and make this A/N longer than the actual chapter, here's the prologue. More to come very soon (I swear on my grandmother's grave chapter 1 will be up this weekend!).
Enjoy, and please review!
-picimadar
BLANKET DISCLAIMER FOR THIS AND FUTURE CHAPTERS: I'm broke as hell, and I don't own jack.
Bring Her Back
Prologue
"The subject is ready, Caesar."
A short nod cued a flurry of action behind the enormous observation window. Keyboards and devices clicked and navigated, a few technicians murmured instructions and checks with each other. Ice blue lights glowed to life, illuminating the area beyond the glass.
Their subject sat squarely in the centre of a smallish, square room. A throne-like seat dwarfed the room, extensively outfitted with cardiac and neurological monitors, display screens, and all manner of computational equipment.
Thankfully the equally diverse array of sedative drugs, pain-inducing electric probes and restraints had not been required for some time; their subject had learned to come willingly after the first hundred trials of their new system.
Caesar approached the glass, tapping through a few menus to access the subject's personal data. The readout was detailed, in keeping with his decades of experience with what the new government would politely call behavioural management or asset recovery. He preferred the simple, universal brainwashing.
"EVE, please dictate the most recent analysis results from Trial-145."
"Certainly, Caesar," a pleasant, digital voice replied. "As of the current time, the subject has completed 86 of 100 termination scenarios with no measured aberrations from the desired response."
"This includes considering the added data regarding the target's anticipated behaviour?"
"Yes. It includes data recovered from Preventer databases, the wreckage of multiple mobile suits and observation materials obtained from NERO staff."
"No aberrant responses." The computer did not bother to reaffirm as Caesar continued to flick through complex charts and data. "What was the added four minutes, thirteen seconds on scenario 47?"
Eve was silent for a moment, computing. New graphs displayed in front of Caesar, and a video was pulled for the forefront. A young man stood before the subject. The video's high definition crisply displayed the tears running down the subject's cheeks as she yelled something, brandishing a loaded handgun. The man in the video lurched forward, grabbed the subject's weapon and promptly shot himself through the brainstem.
"The subject engaged in a line of reasoning that lured the target to impulsively commit suicide," EVE clarified.
Caesar sucked his teeth at the dramatics. "A highly unlikely outcome."
"She did still have possession of the weapon, sir," a technician added.
"It's true. We're considering coding that as 'non-requisite violence'… she could have easily just shot him herself, but she lured him to do it instead." The two technicians glanced at each other and shuddered slightly.
Caesar closed his displays quietly, ruminating on the technicians' observations and peering out as their subject completed her final trial. Stepping through two automatic doors, the tall, olive-skinned man approached the throne. A feeling welled in his stomach and he felt his heart rate climb slightly; anticipation he had not felt in the decade since the Eve Wars was flaring back to life.
He waited until it was safe to remove the ultra-complex VR headset from the subject; they had been working tirelessly for nearly a year, and Caesar was a man of intense, crafted patience. The subject took one long breath before she looked up at him.
"State your name, subject."
Her eerie, chilling voice echoed slightly. "Relena Peacecraft Darlian."
"State your mission, subject."
Her blue eyes shone with savage energy, at odds with her otherwise vacant expression.
"Kill Zero-One."
Caesar smiled.