Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
----
by rinoastar
----
Categorization: Ficlet
Archive: PRAORPOARI, any that ask
Warnings: none, really
Pairings: none (shocking!)
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me. It's on my
Christmas List, but I don' think I'm gonna get it. Please
don't sue me! I'm poor!
----
Brilliant flashes of light explode beyond the window
opposite the short brunette. His long brown hair is braided
intricately and he seemed to be busy doing something. He sets
a tiny package on a table near the window and runs from the
room. Seconds later, the package erupts into multicolored
fireballs and utterly destroys the table it was on. The
bomb, crudely made of plastic explosives and liquid nitrogen,
devastates the room, leaving only the tiny window from before.
On the other side of the window, an adorable little
blonde that looks to be about twelve looked up at the window
with wide blue eyes. He seems to be looking for something.
As he purses his lips, he scanns each window for something.
Finally, whatever it was comes into view. He raises a gun and
fires five quick shots. A groan comes from above the window.
The body of a man, a soldier, falls past the outside of the
window and lands on the ground. The blonde frowns in
thought and releases two more shots, then turns and runs away.
In the doorway, another short brunette, different than
the first, is busy scanning an unscathed computer in the
corner. With brutal efficiency, he shoves a data disk into
the drive and keys a word quickly. A moment later, he has
the disk in his pocket and a gun in his hand. Firing off a
complete round of ammunition, he shatters the screen of the
computer and destroys the disk and rom drives, effectively
sealing off the source of whatever data he had been
retrieving.
As the boy disappears around the corner, another
figure enters the room. This one doesn't bother with the
door, already falling off of its hinges from the explosions
and gunshots. He dives in from the window, a barrage of
bullets following chase. His wild green eyes are revealed
as his strange hairstyle flips up. He checks over his
shoulder, soaked in blood from an injury, and races out
the door.
As the taller boy exists the room, another young
boy appears outside the window. He is asian, probably
Chinese. His features are indistinguishable in the dark,
giving him a ghostly apparition-like look. His skin is a
mellow bronze, his hair midnight black, his eyes sloe, and
his clothing white. He glances back at the window to check
for witnesses and disappears into the forest. Shortly after,
an enormous mech, a Gundam, rises majestically from the
foliage. It's time for the real mission to begin.
Out of nowhere, dozens of smaller mobile suits
appear. They lack the grace and beauty of the first, but
they more than make up for it in number. Teasingly, they
flit about it, but it pulls out a trident and wipes them all
away. Time stands still as angry red lines of melted metal
streak through the Gundam's enemies. Then, everything
resumes and the mecha implode, leaving white fire and smoke
as the only proof they existed at all.
Four other machines rise out of the trees as the
first, tall and frightening. One spreads wide wings and
takes off, leaving with the valuable information they came
for. The other four stand still, waiting for more foes.
Naturally, they come, challenging the original mechs to a
battle they cannot possibly win. Still, they bravely
fight, and the Gundams annihalate the troop.
They wait for more enemies, but none come. Deciding
that this base must have had low security, they leave the
shell of a once great building behind. As the view of the
building changes, it becomes painfully obvious. The window
to the computer room, latched securely in a wall so thin
that a gust of wind could seemingly knock it down, is all
that is left of the base.
The giant mecha fly out, leaving the shambles of the
base behind them. They inconspicuously land in the desert
sands, hidden by cloak of night. The sands themselves have
cooled, making it safe for the pilots to cross them. Five
lithe shadows fade into the night, slipping into a nearby
mansion.
Once inside, the five seperate. Each goes to his
own bedroom, loaned to him by the small blonde pilot. In
the first room, the short brunette without a braid is seen
at a laptop, keying up his mission report and storing the
data disk for safekeeping. If he does not do this, it will
not be done. It is his duty to make sure the other pilots
do their jobs.
In the second room, the Chinese youth is seen
practicing his kana. He moves slowly, gracefully, as if
to some unheard music. His hands slide through the air in
a motion so familiar to him it is comfortable; his anchor
in this war-torn world.
In the third room, a nameless boy sits on the edge
of his bed, trying to recall beyond the present. He has
always been prone to amnesia, small bouts occuring from
time to time. Now, all he can remember is war times,
painful reminders of how horribly different he is from the
other boys his age. He looks out at the Arabian stars and
wonders how much longer will his duty last.
In the fourth room, the blonde leans over his
windowsill. He leans out as far as he dares, then leans
further still. In his mind, danger is not feared. Fear
is dangerous. One can tell that he is not yet used to
the danger of his lifestyle, or the consequences. He climbs
back in the window and wraps a thick blanket around himself.
His eyes hold a haunted look and he murmurs two words: "I'm
sorry."
In the last room, the brunette with a braid is bent
over his bed, turning down the sheets. Before he climbs
into the waiting silk, he pauses, then bows his head. He
repeats aloud a prayer Sister Helen taught him as a child,
one that has never been truer. "Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I
wake, Ipray the Lord my soul to take, " he whispers to
himself, glancing out his window at the lights on the
horizon. Explosions, as more innocent civilians die by the
hands of OZ. His last thought as he falls asleep is, "We've
got our work cut out for us. There's millions of people out
there to protect."
----
by rinoastar
----
Categorization: Ficlet
Archive: PRAORPOARI, any that ask
Warnings: none, really
Pairings: none (shocking!)
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me. It's on my
Christmas List, but I don' think I'm gonna get it. Please
don't sue me! I'm poor!
----
Brilliant flashes of light explode beyond the window
opposite the short brunette. His long brown hair is braided
intricately and he seemed to be busy doing something. He sets
a tiny package on a table near the window and runs from the
room. Seconds later, the package erupts into multicolored
fireballs and utterly destroys the table it was on. The
bomb, crudely made of plastic explosives and liquid nitrogen,
devastates the room, leaving only the tiny window from before.
On the other side of the window, an adorable little
blonde that looks to be about twelve looked up at the window
with wide blue eyes. He seems to be looking for something.
As he purses his lips, he scanns each window for something.
Finally, whatever it was comes into view. He raises a gun and
fires five quick shots. A groan comes from above the window.
The body of a man, a soldier, falls past the outside of the
window and lands on the ground. The blonde frowns in
thought and releases two more shots, then turns and runs away.
In the doorway, another short brunette, different than
the first, is busy scanning an unscathed computer in the
corner. With brutal efficiency, he shoves a data disk into
the drive and keys a word quickly. A moment later, he has
the disk in his pocket and a gun in his hand. Firing off a
complete round of ammunition, he shatters the screen of the
computer and destroys the disk and rom drives, effectively
sealing off the source of whatever data he had been
retrieving.
As the boy disappears around the corner, another
figure enters the room. This one doesn't bother with the
door, already falling off of its hinges from the explosions
and gunshots. He dives in from the window, a barrage of
bullets following chase. His wild green eyes are revealed
as his strange hairstyle flips up. He checks over his
shoulder, soaked in blood from an injury, and races out
the door.
As the taller boy exists the room, another young
boy appears outside the window. He is asian, probably
Chinese. His features are indistinguishable in the dark,
giving him a ghostly apparition-like look. His skin is a
mellow bronze, his hair midnight black, his eyes sloe, and
his clothing white. He glances back at the window to check
for witnesses and disappears into the forest. Shortly after,
an enormous mech, a Gundam, rises majestically from the
foliage. It's time for the real mission to begin.
Out of nowhere, dozens of smaller mobile suits
appear. They lack the grace and beauty of the first, but
they more than make up for it in number. Teasingly, they
flit about it, but it pulls out a trident and wipes them all
away. Time stands still as angry red lines of melted metal
streak through the Gundam's enemies. Then, everything
resumes and the mecha implode, leaving white fire and smoke
as the only proof they existed at all.
Four other machines rise out of the trees as the
first, tall and frightening. One spreads wide wings and
takes off, leaving with the valuable information they came
for. The other four stand still, waiting for more foes.
Naturally, they come, challenging the original mechs to a
battle they cannot possibly win. Still, they bravely
fight, and the Gundams annihalate the troop.
They wait for more enemies, but none come. Deciding
that this base must have had low security, they leave the
shell of a once great building behind. As the view of the
building changes, it becomes painfully obvious. The window
to the computer room, latched securely in a wall so thin
that a gust of wind could seemingly knock it down, is all
that is left of the base.
The giant mecha fly out, leaving the shambles of the
base behind them. They inconspicuously land in the desert
sands, hidden by cloak of night. The sands themselves have
cooled, making it safe for the pilots to cross them. Five
lithe shadows fade into the night, slipping into a nearby
mansion.
Once inside, the five seperate. Each goes to his
own bedroom, loaned to him by the small blonde pilot. In
the first room, the short brunette without a braid is seen
at a laptop, keying up his mission report and storing the
data disk for safekeeping. If he does not do this, it will
not be done. It is his duty to make sure the other pilots
do their jobs.
In the second room, the Chinese youth is seen
practicing his kana. He moves slowly, gracefully, as if
to some unheard music. His hands slide through the air in
a motion so familiar to him it is comfortable; his anchor
in this war-torn world.
In the third room, a nameless boy sits on the edge
of his bed, trying to recall beyond the present. He has
always been prone to amnesia, small bouts occuring from
time to time. Now, all he can remember is war times,
painful reminders of how horribly different he is from the
other boys his age. He looks out at the Arabian stars and
wonders how much longer will his duty last.
In the fourth room, the blonde leans over his
windowsill. He leans out as far as he dares, then leans
further still. In his mind, danger is not feared. Fear
is dangerous. One can tell that he is not yet used to
the danger of his lifestyle, or the consequences. He climbs
back in the window and wraps a thick blanket around himself.
His eyes hold a haunted look and he murmurs two words: "I'm
sorry."
In the last room, the brunette with a braid is bent
over his bed, turning down the sheets. Before he climbs
into the waiting silk, he pauses, then bows his head. He
repeats aloud a prayer Sister Helen taught him as a child,
one that has never been truer. "Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I
wake, Ipray the Lord my soul to take, " he whispers to
himself, glancing out his window at the lights on the
horizon. Explosions, as more innocent civilians die by the
hands of OZ. His last thought as he falls asleep is, "We've
got our work cut out for us. There's millions of people out
there to protect."