Cold Metal
By Mangaka-chan
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 and its character; they belong to Sunrise
"Well, Miss Halevy, how does it feel?"
Louise flexed her left arm, clinching and unclinching her hand and nodded. "It's good. I have full range of motion and flexibility, and I don't feel any pain at the attachment site."
The white-robed doctor sitting across from her smiled approvingly. "That's great news! We've been working on the development of this new model for years and this is our first clinical trial of the Pseudonervous System, so it's important to know as much as we can about its performance. Now, you haven't had any sort of inflammatory response to the arm? Any sort of itchiness or redness?"
Louise shook her head, and after some lengthy questions about her progress the doctor seemed satisfied.
"Let's meet again two months from now, and if you experience any sort of discomfort please contact me as soon as possible." The doctor stood up and shook Louise's hand. "And I would like to thank you again, Miss Halevy, for your generous contribution to our project. This new prototype will go a long way in restoring mobility and returning people to their normal lives."
Ten minutes later Louise was sitting in her private sedan, being whisked off to the airport where she would board a private plane to meet with Earth Federation officials about financing their new mobile suit development program.
Her sleeve had been rolled back down to cover her left arm and on her hand was a gold ring. Louise touched the ring and twisted it tenderly. The ring felt cold to the touch despite fitting snuggly around her ring finger. And it wasn't just the ring; the hand that wore it emitted no warmth either.
Louise's brows furrowed. She retracted her right hand from the ring and brushed away a stray strand of cropped blond hair. Lifting her prosthetic hand from her lap, the doctor's words echoed in her ears:
This new prototype will go a long way in restoring mobility and returning people to their normal lives.
The cold, slender fingers closed into a fist. Over the horizon the airport materialized, and Louise Halevy knew she was taking one step closer towards fulfilling her goal…and one step further from the life she had left behind.