The clinic waiting room was jammed with people. Refugees of some sort or
other mostly, with a few disgusted-looking citizens sprinkled in. Many of
the refugees were huddled families but Anavel Gato counted a good dozen
military types. They were probably Jion, but he didn't want to ask.
All the seats were taken so he was sitting on the floor. His friend Kelly Layzner lay on a spread-out overcoat, his head on Gato's knee. Kelly was covered with another overcoat and wearing all their warm clothing, but it still didn't keep him from shivering uncontrollably. His lips were grey and Gato kept a comforting hand on his right shoulder. He was too worried about the stump of Kelly's left arm to go near it.
After six hours, Kelly's name was called. Gato helped him to his feet and supported him into an examining room. The doctor was a woman, very young and very serious. She glanced at the chart prepared by the nurse and asked, "I can tell which of you is the patient. What can I do for you?"
Gato spoke for Kelly, who was lying feebly on the table. "He's been running a fever since last night. It won't break. We got a rented room so he didn't have to sleep outside, but nothing helped."
The doctor stuck a thermometer into Kelly's ear. "103. Not good. Could you take your shirt off, please?"
Gato helped Kelly strip to the waist and the doctor checked the remains of his arm. "The good news is, it doesn't look infected. The bad news is that if it's a virus it'll be harder to treat. I'm going to draw some blood to see if there's an infection someplace else."
The blood went off to the lab promptly. The doctor fed Kelly some analgesics. "You two are Jions?"
Kelly and Anavel exchanged a look. "Yes, we are," Gato said finally.
"I feel so sorry for you guys. I've been in Von Braun through the whole war and I've seen this town become a sea of dejected soldiers. A friend of mine runs a truck stop and says she gets a steady stream of green uniforms using the showers. I noticed you haven't sold your Academy ring yet, though."
Kelly managed a weak smile. "Commander Gato will never do that."
"Are you two managing to find food?"
Gato nodded. "We go to the various shelters, the Scott mission, places like that."
"Try the Friends' Kitchen on 54th and Green. It's run by the Quakers. You have to pay two credits each, but the food is good and nourishing, better than the shelter slop. More of it too. On Sunday the Cordon Bleu students volunteer their time."
"We'll check it out."
A nurse re-appeared with a clipboard. The doctor looked down at it.
"As I thought. It's viral, not bacterial. That means I can't do anything with antibiotics. I'm afraid all I can do is give you analgesic samples and hope you can get enough fluids to break the fever."
Gato took the packets of pills from the doctor. "Thank you. You've been very kind, very respectful of us."
The doctor smiled. "I've always been a neutral Lunarian, but Sieg Jion, you two, and good luck."
"What do we do now?" Kelly asked as Gato sat him down on a bus shelter bench.
"I couldn't spend the day squeegeeing cars or begging, so I don't have any money. I'm guessing we have to huddle under the bridge tonight."
Kelly nodded. "I'll be all right. I know you're worried."
"This is not what I thought the end of the war would be like."
"No. This isn't the end of the war. It's the end of the world."
The Kennedy Bridge was getting the nickname of Jion Forces Base Kennedy. Crowds of former Jion soldiers made their makeshift homes there. Far from finding companionship there, Gato hated it and loathed every second he had to spend there. True, they tended to look out for each other and a loose chain of command even existed. If it weren't for the occasional fight between followers of Giren, Dozel, and Kishiria Zabi things would be completely tranquil. It was such a constant reminder of how terrible things had become for Jion Royalists that it broke Gato's heart.
"Here you are, sir." The speaker was a Lieutenant (jg) who still wore his rank tabs on his ratty civilian clothes. He handed Gato a flattened refrigerator box. Gato lay it down and helped Kelly onto it.
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
"My pleasure, sir."
"Lieutenant, can I trust you to watch Lt. Layzner while I try to secure some funds?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'm going to hold you to your word as a Jion officer."
"Nothing's more sacred, sir."
"All right, then."
This was a lot of trust. The disabled Kelly now held both their dufflebags and thus all their earthly goods. Gato pulled on his overcoat and started up the enbankment.
Gato took a place in front of a drug store, squared his shoulders, and took a deep breath.
"Spare some change?"
"No."
"Thank you, have a good one. Spare some change?"
"Get a job, dirty Jeek."
"Bless you too, sir. Spare some change?"
"Buy your own damn booze."
"I don't drink!"
"What do you need the money for, honey?" asked an older woman with short grey hair, dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt.
"Gatorade. My buddy's got a fever and I have to bring it down."
"Why don't I buy it for you?"
"Thank you, ma'am. You are literally a lifesaver."
As they exited the store again, the woman said, "You should come by the Friends' Kitchen when your friend is better. You look like you could use a good feeding."
"This is the second time someone has referred us there. I assume this is Providence speaking. We'll do what you've suggested."
"I'm Miriam," she told him. "And you are?"
"Anavel."
"Pleased to meet you, Anavel. You better run along now."
Gato came back to the bridge into the middle of a brawl. Kelly was hanging on to their duffles as the junior grade lieutenant did his best to fend off three men Gato didn't recognize. Gato hurled himself into the fray, tackled the biggest one, and began pounding him. With the odds improved, even Kelly was able to make use of the "bad human stick" he kept close by to drive off the intruders. Gato retrieved the bottles and handed them to Kelly. "We must find a better neighbourhood," he said. He, the junior lieutenant and Kelly settled in with their backs to a wall, ready to face night.
The next day, Lt. Ceres (which was the name of the lieutenant jg) said, "I've decided I can't take this. I'm selling my Academy ring, getting a meal, and turning myself in to the Republican authorities. I was a nobody in the One Year War. De-Zabification classes have got to be better than this bullshit."
"Lieutenant! Don't lose heart!"
"Let him go, Gato," Kelly said. "We can't all be True Believers like you. I'm starting to crack a little myself." He took another swallow from the last bottle of Gatorade. "Run along now, son, and I don't mean that in a patronizing way. You have better things to do with your life than spend it under a bridge like a troll. Good luck, and don't forget about us."
"I won't, sir." Lt. Ceres saluted, then picked up his small backpack and headed up the embankment, looking as if the world was on his shoulders.
Gato sighed. "Another one falls. How are you feeling, Kelly?"
"Exhausted, but a lot better. Hungry."
"I think there's a place we should go."
The Friends' Kitchen wasn't the shelter-style cafeteria they'd been expecting. Instead, the space had small square tables covered with plastic checked tablecloths. There was a sign to seat yourself. Miriam came over to them right away.
"I see you boys found your way here." She looked at Kelly. "What happened to you?"
"He's had a virus," Gato said as Kelly pointed to the stump of his arm and asked, "Have you seen one of these lying around?"
"You probably haven't had any chance to work since yesterday, so you can just owe me. Laetura will be serving you."
Laetura turned out to be a small, dark woman about eighteen years old. Nonetheless, there were lines under her eyes and she looked as if she'd survived about as much as the men she was serving. Gato sized her up quickly as a recovering drug addict or the like. He had no idea, then, why Kelly suddenly seemed so interested in her.
"She seemed nice," Kelly said as they were walking back down the street.
"She's a crack whore!" Gato exclaimed. "I was reading the literature on the background of that place. It's for people coming off the streets to learn skills, or to give jobs to recovering junkies. Since waitressing in a place which serves only two options a day is not exactly a SKILL..." Kelly glowered at him. "Gato, you have no idea how unattractive snobbery is."
"I'm just looking out for your best interest, Kelly. Someday the Delaz fleet will find us again."
"And Jesus will come back, and the Mosciach, and the Mahdi, and King Arthur too," Kelly groused. "I'll take what I can get."
Kelly always had a better time begging than Gato because of his injury. Gato found a reputation as a consummate gentleman, and women often gave him a little money to walk them home safely. He received a few indecent offers because of his looks, but turned them down gently.
Every evening found them at the Friends', where Laetura began slipping packets of spare food to Kelly.
One day Gato met Kelly there. Kelly was obviously pleased with himself and said, "Laetura's been feeling nervous alone in her apartment lately. She's asked if we'd like to be her roommates."
Gato looked blank. "I'm not sure..."
"A permanent roof over our heads, Gato! Running water! Nobody trying to steal our belongings every night. How can we go wrong?"
Gato nodded. "You're right. It's a good offer."
"It's not a bad place. I've already been there for a shower."
When Laetura met them after work she asked, "So Gato, what do you say to my offer?"
Gato smiled. "It's very generous and we'd be fools to say no. Thank you very much. Lead on."
Laetura's apartment was on the third floor of a tenement. Gato immediately began to wonder if the streets might not be as bad. The walls were cracked and there were mouse droppings everywhere.
Then she opened the door. The main room consisted of a living room and kitchenette. To the right was a hall leading to the single bedroom and bathroom. She had a television, a colourful but worn carpet, and a pile of cushions on the floor as the only furniture. Gato surreptitiously ran a finger over the counter in the kitchenette as he went past and scanned the floor with his eyes.
The place was immaculate. Laetura hung her purse on a hook that was obviously meant solely for the purpose and went into the living room. She dragged a rolled-up futon from the corner and untied it, kicking it flat.
"I used to sleep on this until I could afford a bed," she told them. "It might be a little lumpy, though."
"I'm sure it'll be more than acceptable," Gato said.
Laetura spread some sheets and blankets on the futon. "There's clean towels under the bathroom sink," she informed them. "There's some food in the fridge if you get hungry. We'll talk about replacing it later. Goodnight."
She left the room. Gato tossed the pillows to be side by side and said, "This'll be the best sleep I've ever had. Dibs on the shower."
It took him a second to realize he was talking to an empty room. Laetura's bedroom door was closed and he could hear Kelly's voice from within. Gato smirked. Good for Kelly. After all he'd been through he deserved extra comfort. Gato wished he could have found someone classier than Laetura, but any port in a storm, he reasoned.
The bathroom fixtures were worn, the tile and porcelain stained by age. Like the rest of the apartment, though, everything was scrupulously clean. He found the aforementioned clean towels, stripped, and stepped into the shower. Laetura also had plenty of soap and shampoo, so Gato spent a good half hour on his hair alone, washing it three times before he felt the grime of Von Braun rinse away thoroughly.
Once his body was dry and his hair towelled until only damp, Gato slipped naked from the bathroom to his bed. The bedroom light was still on and he could hear murmurs and giggles from within. He turned off the living room light and curled up under the covers. All he could smell was the clean scent of laundry detergent, and it was a relief to be free of any whiff of himself. The futon was lumpy, but after two months of sleeping on concrete, it was like lying on a cloud. He rolled himself into a cocoon, purring with contentment.
Animal contentment, he had to admit. Was this what it all came to? Gato raised his left hand and looked at the Academy ring still there. First in his class, saved from death by Admiral Delaz himself, now reduced to bliss over nothing more than a clean, dry bed. How could it have happened?
No answer was forthcoming, so he fell asleep to the sounds of Kelly and Laetura making love.
It was ten days later that they received a visitor.
"It's for you," Laetura said, admitting the Jion officer. She kissed Kelly and headed off to work. Kelly and Gato didn't budge from their seats on the floor as the man came into the room.
What a sight for sore eyes, thought Gato. A Jion officer who wasn't battered into complete hopelessness. Instead, he was dressed in the brown uniform of Kishiria's forces. He had no Academy ring, but that didn't matter.
"I'm Captain Tetley," he said. "I'm stationed by what used to be JFB Granada. I've been looking for you two for quite some time."
"We've been at no fixed address," Gato said.
"So I've seen." Tetley looked around and settled down on a floor cushion across from them. "The Delaz fleet is ready to support you. Funds have finally come through to them and they promised to share them with you." He opened his briefcase and pulled out a pile of bills. "Lt. Layzner. Obviously you aren't in a condition to rejoin the fleet right now, but Admiral Delaz feels you should be given the retirement that you deserve. Here's 250,000 credits. Buy a house, put it in savings, do what you think you should with it."
Kelly accepted the money. "Laetura and I have been talking about buying a scrapyard. There's a huge business here, and it's only getting bigger."
"We have a mission for you, Commander Gato. It involves taking a job here in Von Braun, though."
"Pilot?" asked Gato.
"Mail room clerk."
There was silence in the room. "What?" Gato exclaimed.
"Anaheim Electronics here has bought out Zimmad and Jionic Companies. They've got a lot of new hotshot engineers straight out of school, and still in school in some cases, doing their doctoral work. We need to know what they're working on. The mail clerk is allowed everywhere and he has access to all correspondence, going in and coming out. For this mission we need a man who knows mobile suits, who looks and acts sincere, and who is likable. We thought about recruiting Char Aznable for the job because he used to wear that mask and because no one knew Jion mecha better than he does, but he has the social skills of a rhinoceros."
Gato smirked. "I know Colonel Aznable. You're right."
Tetley handed him some money, not nearly as much as he'd given Kelly. "Take this and go to a lower-end department store. Buy some dress pants, shirts, and ties. You've already been hired at Anaheim, so just show up for work on Monday. Here's the directions and who you need to see. I'll be checking in with you periodically to see what you're finding." Tetley got to his feet, not without some difficulty. Gato and Layzner did as well. "Gentlemen, we will see our country return to power and you will see your homes again. Sieg Jion."
After he'd left, Gato looked down at the money. "I think I can scrimp enough on clothes to get us a couple of steaks," he said to Kelly.
Kelly sighed. "I'll sleep with you if you buy me a steak."
"Are you kidding? I don't even kiss on the first date. Come along, Skippy. Let's find where the lower middle class shops."
###
Nina Purpleton sipped at her coffee and made a face at the computer screen. The joint of the Gundam's arm would not support even the weight of the limb as presently constructed. So...
"Niiii-na!" Nikoka squealed at her and grabbed her wrist. "He's delivering the mail again. You have GOT to see this guy. He's gorgeous!"
Nina's sister employees were gathered around the doorway of their section, staring outward. The object of their attention was handing mail out to other areas.
"For pete's sake, Nikoka, you're acting like a bunch of construction workers. Leave the poor mailboy alone."
"You haven't seen him!" Nikola gasped. The engineers scampered back to their desks as he neared their doorway, then took surreptitious peeks as he walked by. There were some express delivery parcels for Nina so she was the one who had an excuse to look directly at him.
Nikola was right. The new mailboy was thin in a way that made her think he had lost a lot of weight due to stress or sickness. He had a nice smile, pretty hazel eyes, and greying blond hair tied back in a ponytail. His hand brushed hers as he handed her the package and their eyes met. Her heart skipped a beat. Darn, she thought, he IS cute.
There was nothing appropriate to say to him but, "Thanks."
After he'd gone, leaving her with a lasting memory of a well-formed bum inside his slacks, Paula came over to her.
"Isn't he a doll?"
"He's cute all right," Nina agreed. "It'll be nice looking at him two times a day." With that, she returned to her work.
Anavel Gato smiled as he walked away from that section. He'd already been into the box handed to Nina Purpleton. She was a few months from her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, quite a smart cookie. The box was components from Mr. Amuro Rey himself. Idiots! If they'd had any sense, they would be building new Gundams safely on Earth, not on neutral Luna where there was nothing to keep a Jion like himself from knowing all about it.
"Interesting," said Captain Tetley as they had a stroll in a Von Braun park one night. Gato was wearing a pair of dark green dress pants and his service overcoat, now dry cleaned and mended. He almost felt his full dignity as an officer in His Majesty's armed forces returned to him. "I think it would be beneficial to us if you got to know Miss Purpleton better."
"I'm in full agreement, sir."
"This wouldn't have to do with the fact that she's very pretty, would it? We've taken surveillance photos, we know she's a dish."
"If I'm to be dating the young lady, it doesn't hurt she's a sweet-faced young blonde."
"You'll look good together. We'll arrange it. This is the plan..."
All the seats were taken so he was sitting on the floor. His friend Kelly Layzner lay on a spread-out overcoat, his head on Gato's knee. Kelly was covered with another overcoat and wearing all their warm clothing, but it still didn't keep him from shivering uncontrollably. His lips were grey and Gato kept a comforting hand on his right shoulder. He was too worried about the stump of Kelly's left arm to go near it.
After six hours, Kelly's name was called. Gato helped him to his feet and supported him into an examining room. The doctor was a woman, very young and very serious. She glanced at the chart prepared by the nurse and asked, "I can tell which of you is the patient. What can I do for you?"
Gato spoke for Kelly, who was lying feebly on the table. "He's been running a fever since last night. It won't break. We got a rented room so he didn't have to sleep outside, but nothing helped."
The doctor stuck a thermometer into Kelly's ear. "103. Not good. Could you take your shirt off, please?"
Gato helped Kelly strip to the waist and the doctor checked the remains of his arm. "The good news is, it doesn't look infected. The bad news is that if it's a virus it'll be harder to treat. I'm going to draw some blood to see if there's an infection someplace else."
The blood went off to the lab promptly. The doctor fed Kelly some analgesics. "You two are Jions?"
Kelly and Anavel exchanged a look. "Yes, we are," Gato said finally.
"I feel so sorry for you guys. I've been in Von Braun through the whole war and I've seen this town become a sea of dejected soldiers. A friend of mine runs a truck stop and says she gets a steady stream of green uniforms using the showers. I noticed you haven't sold your Academy ring yet, though."
Kelly managed a weak smile. "Commander Gato will never do that."
"Are you two managing to find food?"
Gato nodded. "We go to the various shelters, the Scott mission, places like that."
"Try the Friends' Kitchen on 54th and Green. It's run by the Quakers. You have to pay two credits each, but the food is good and nourishing, better than the shelter slop. More of it too. On Sunday the Cordon Bleu students volunteer their time."
"We'll check it out."
A nurse re-appeared with a clipboard. The doctor looked down at it.
"As I thought. It's viral, not bacterial. That means I can't do anything with antibiotics. I'm afraid all I can do is give you analgesic samples and hope you can get enough fluids to break the fever."
Gato took the packets of pills from the doctor. "Thank you. You've been very kind, very respectful of us."
The doctor smiled. "I've always been a neutral Lunarian, but Sieg Jion, you two, and good luck."
"What do we do now?" Kelly asked as Gato sat him down on a bus shelter bench.
"I couldn't spend the day squeegeeing cars or begging, so I don't have any money. I'm guessing we have to huddle under the bridge tonight."
Kelly nodded. "I'll be all right. I know you're worried."
"This is not what I thought the end of the war would be like."
"No. This isn't the end of the war. It's the end of the world."
The Kennedy Bridge was getting the nickname of Jion Forces Base Kennedy. Crowds of former Jion soldiers made their makeshift homes there. Far from finding companionship there, Gato hated it and loathed every second he had to spend there. True, they tended to look out for each other and a loose chain of command even existed. If it weren't for the occasional fight between followers of Giren, Dozel, and Kishiria Zabi things would be completely tranquil. It was such a constant reminder of how terrible things had become for Jion Royalists that it broke Gato's heart.
"Here you are, sir." The speaker was a Lieutenant (jg) who still wore his rank tabs on his ratty civilian clothes. He handed Gato a flattened refrigerator box. Gato lay it down and helped Kelly onto it.
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
"My pleasure, sir."
"Lieutenant, can I trust you to watch Lt. Layzner while I try to secure some funds?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'm going to hold you to your word as a Jion officer."
"Nothing's more sacred, sir."
"All right, then."
This was a lot of trust. The disabled Kelly now held both their dufflebags and thus all their earthly goods. Gato pulled on his overcoat and started up the enbankment.
Gato took a place in front of a drug store, squared his shoulders, and took a deep breath.
"Spare some change?"
"No."
"Thank you, have a good one. Spare some change?"
"Get a job, dirty Jeek."
"Bless you too, sir. Spare some change?"
"Buy your own damn booze."
"I don't drink!"
"What do you need the money for, honey?" asked an older woman with short grey hair, dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt.
"Gatorade. My buddy's got a fever and I have to bring it down."
"Why don't I buy it for you?"
"Thank you, ma'am. You are literally a lifesaver."
As they exited the store again, the woman said, "You should come by the Friends' Kitchen when your friend is better. You look like you could use a good feeding."
"This is the second time someone has referred us there. I assume this is Providence speaking. We'll do what you've suggested."
"I'm Miriam," she told him. "And you are?"
"Anavel."
"Pleased to meet you, Anavel. You better run along now."
Gato came back to the bridge into the middle of a brawl. Kelly was hanging on to their duffles as the junior grade lieutenant did his best to fend off three men Gato didn't recognize. Gato hurled himself into the fray, tackled the biggest one, and began pounding him. With the odds improved, even Kelly was able to make use of the "bad human stick" he kept close by to drive off the intruders. Gato retrieved the bottles and handed them to Kelly. "We must find a better neighbourhood," he said. He, the junior lieutenant and Kelly settled in with their backs to a wall, ready to face night.
The next day, Lt. Ceres (which was the name of the lieutenant jg) said, "I've decided I can't take this. I'm selling my Academy ring, getting a meal, and turning myself in to the Republican authorities. I was a nobody in the One Year War. De-Zabification classes have got to be better than this bullshit."
"Lieutenant! Don't lose heart!"
"Let him go, Gato," Kelly said. "We can't all be True Believers like you. I'm starting to crack a little myself." He took another swallow from the last bottle of Gatorade. "Run along now, son, and I don't mean that in a patronizing way. You have better things to do with your life than spend it under a bridge like a troll. Good luck, and don't forget about us."
"I won't, sir." Lt. Ceres saluted, then picked up his small backpack and headed up the embankment, looking as if the world was on his shoulders.
Gato sighed. "Another one falls. How are you feeling, Kelly?"
"Exhausted, but a lot better. Hungry."
"I think there's a place we should go."
The Friends' Kitchen wasn't the shelter-style cafeteria they'd been expecting. Instead, the space had small square tables covered with plastic checked tablecloths. There was a sign to seat yourself. Miriam came over to them right away.
"I see you boys found your way here." She looked at Kelly. "What happened to you?"
"He's had a virus," Gato said as Kelly pointed to the stump of his arm and asked, "Have you seen one of these lying around?"
"You probably haven't had any chance to work since yesterday, so you can just owe me. Laetura will be serving you."
Laetura turned out to be a small, dark woman about eighteen years old. Nonetheless, there were lines under her eyes and she looked as if she'd survived about as much as the men she was serving. Gato sized her up quickly as a recovering drug addict or the like. He had no idea, then, why Kelly suddenly seemed so interested in her.
"She seemed nice," Kelly said as they were walking back down the street.
"She's a crack whore!" Gato exclaimed. "I was reading the literature on the background of that place. It's for people coming off the streets to learn skills, or to give jobs to recovering junkies. Since waitressing in a place which serves only two options a day is not exactly a SKILL..." Kelly glowered at him. "Gato, you have no idea how unattractive snobbery is."
"I'm just looking out for your best interest, Kelly. Someday the Delaz fleet will find us again."
"And Jesus will come back, and the Mosciach, and the Mahdi, and King Arthur too," Kelly groused. "I'll take what I can get."
Kelly always had a better time begging than Gato because of his injury. Gato found a reputation as a consummate gentleman, and women often gave him a little money to walk them home safely. He received a few indecent offers because of his looks, but turned them down gently.
Every evening found them at the Friends', where Laetura began slipping packets of spare food to Kelly.
One day Gato met Kelly there. Kelly was obviously pleased with himself and said, "Laetura's been feeling nervous alone in her apartment lately. She's asked if we'd like to be her roommates."
Gato looked blank. "I'm not sure..."
"A permanent roof over our heads, Gato! Running water! Nobody trying to steal our belongings every night. How can we go wrong?"
Gato nodded. "You're right. It's a good offer."
"It's not a bad place. I've already been there for a shower."
When Laetura met them after work she asked, "So Gato, what do you say to my offer?"
Gato smiled. "It's very generous and we'd be fools to say no. Thank you very much. Lead on."
Laetura's apartment was on the third floor of a tenement. Gato immediately began to wonder if the streets might not be as bad. The walls were cracked and there were mouse droppings everywhere.
Then she opened the door. The main room consisted of a living room and kitchenette. To the right was a hall leading to the single bedroom and bathroom. She had a television, a colourful but worn carpet, and a pile of cushions on the floor as the only furniture. Gato surreptitiously ran a finger over the counter in the kitchenette as he went past and scanned the floor with his eyes.
The place was immaculate. Laetura hung her purse on a hook that was obviously meant solely for the purpose and went into the living room. She dragged a rolled-up futon from the corner and untied it, kicking it flat.
"I used to sleep on this until I could afford a bed," she told them. "It might be a little lumpy, though."
"I'm sure it'll be more than acceptable," Gato said.
Laetura spread some sheets and blankets on the futon. "There's clean towels under the bathroom sink," she informed them. "There's some food in the fridge if you get hungry. We'll talk about replacing it later. Goodnight."
She left the room. Gato tossed the pillows to be side by side and said, "This'll be the best sleep I've ever had. Dibs on the shower."
It took him a second to realize he was talking to an empty room. Laetura's bedroom door was closed and he could hear Kelly's voice from within. Gato smirked. Good for Kelly. After all he'd been through he deserved extra comfort. Gato wished he could have found someone classier than Laetura, but any port in a storm, he reasoned.
The bathroom fixtures were worn, the tile and porcelain stained by age. Like the rest of the apartment, though, everything was scrupulously clean. He found the aforementioned clean towels, stripped, and stepped into the shower. Laetura also had plenty of soap and shampoo, so Gato spent a good half hour on his hair alone, washing it three times before he felt the grime of Von Braun rinse away thoroughly.
Once his body was dry and his hair towelled until only damp, Gato slipped naked from the bathroom to his bed. The bedroom light was still on and he could hear murmurs and giggles from within. He turned off the living room light and curled up under the covers. All he could smell was the clean scent of laundry detergent, and it was a relief to be free of any whiff of himself. The futon was lumpy, but after two months of sleeping on concrete, it was like lying on a cloud. He rolled himself into a cocoon, purring with contentment.
Animal contentment, he had to admit. Was this what it all came to? Gato raised his left hand and looked at the Academy ring still there. First in his class, saved from death by Admiral Delaz himself, now reduced to bliss over nothing more than a clean, dry bed. How could it have happened?
No answer was forthcoming, so he fell asleep to the sounds of Kelly and Laetura making love.
It was ten days later that they received a visitor.
"It's for you," Laetura said, admitting the Jion officer. She kissed Kelly and headed off to work. Kelly and Gato didn't budge from their seats on the floor as the man came into the room.
What a sight for sore eyes, thought Gato. A Jion officer who wasn't battered into complete hopelessness. Instead, he was dressed in the brown uniform of Kishiria's forces. He had no Academy ring, but that didn't matter.
"I'm Captain Tetley," he said. "I'm stationed by what used to be JFB Granada. I've been looking for you two for quite some time."
"We've been at no fixed address," Gato said.
"So I've seen." Tetley looked around and settled down on a floor cushion across from them. "The Delaz fleet is ready to support you. Funds have finally come through to them and they promised to share them with you." He opened his briefcase and pulled out a pile of bills. "Lt. Layzner. Obviously you aren't in a condition to rejoin the fleet right now, but Admiral Delaz feels you should be given the retirement that you deserve. Here's 250,000 credits. Buy a house, put it in savings, do what you think you should with it."
Kelly accepted the money. "Laetura and I have been talking about buying a scrapyard. There's a huge business here, and it's only getting bigger."
"We have a mission for you, Commander Gato. It involves taking a job here in Von Braun, though."
"Pilot?" asked Gato.
"Mail room clerk."
There was silence in the room. "What?" Gato exclaimed.
"Anaheim Electronics here has bought out Zimmad and Jionic Companies. They've got a lot of new hotshot engineers straight out of school, and still in school in some cases, doing their doctoral work. We need to know what they're working on. The mail clerk is allowed everywhere and he has access to all correspondence, going in and coming out. For this mission we need a man who knows mobile suits, who looks and acts sincere, and who is likable. We thought about recruiting Char Aznable for the job because he used to wear that mask and because no one knew Jion mecha better than he does, but he has the social skills of a rhinoceros."
Gato smirked. "I know Colonel Aznable. You're right."
Tetley handed him some money, not nearly as much as he'd given Kelly. "Take this and go to a lower-end department store. Buy some dress pants, shirts, and ties. You've already been hired at Anaheim, so just show up for work on Monday. Here's the directions and who you need to see. I'll be checking in with you periodically to see what you're finding." Tetley got to his feet, not without some difficulty. Gato and Layzner did as well. "Gentlemen, we will see our country return to power and you will see your homes again. Sieg Jion."
After he'd left, Gato looked down at the money. "I think I can scrimp enough on clothes to get us a couple of steaks," he said to Kelly.
Kelly sighed. "I'll sleep with you if you buy me a steak."
"Are you kidding? I don't even kiss on the first date. Come along, Skippy. Let's find where the lower middle class shops."
###
Nina Purpleton sipped at her coffee and made a face at the computer screen. The joint of the Gundam's arm would not support even the weight of the limb as presently constructed. So...
"Niiii-na!" Nikoka squealed at her and grabbed her wrist. "He's delivering the mail again. You have GOT to see this guy. He's gorgeous!"
Nina's sister employees were gathered around the doorway of their section, staring outward. The object of their attention was handing mail out to other areas.
"For pete's sake, Nikoka, you're acting like a bunch of construction workers. Leave the poor mailboy alone."
"You haven't seen him!" Nikola gasped. The engineers scampered back to their desks as he neared their doorway, then took surreptitious peeks as he walked by. There were some express delivery parcels for Nina so she was the one who had an excuse to look directly at him.
Nikola was right. The new mailboy was thin in a way that made her think he had lost a lot of weight due to stress or sickness. He had a nice smile, pretty hazel eyes, and greying blond hair tied back in a ponytail. His hand brushed hers as he handed her the package and their eyes met. Her heart skipped a beat. Darn, she thought, he IS cute.
There was nothing appropriate to say to him but, "Thanks."
After he'd gone, leaving her with a lasting memory of a well-formed bum inside his slacks, Paula came over to her.
"Isn't he a doll?"
"He's cute all right," Nina agreed. "It'll be nice looking at him two times a day." With that, she returned to her work.
Anavel Gato smiled as he walked away from that section. He'd already been into the box handed to Nina Purpleton. She was a few months from her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, quite a smart cookie. The box was components from Mr. Amuro Rey himself. Idiots! If they'd had any sense, they would be building new Gundams safely on Earth, not on neutral Luna where there was nothing to keep a Jion like himself from knowing all about it.
"Interesting," said Captain Tetley as they had a stroll in a Von Braun park one night. Gato was wearing a pair of dark green dress pants and his service overcoat, now dry cleaned and mended. He almost felt his full dignity as an officer in His Majesty's armed forces returned to him. "I think it would be beneficial to us if you got to know Miss Purpleton better."
"I'm in full agreement, sir."
"This wouldn't have to do with the fact that she's very pretty, would it? We've taken surveillance photos, we know she's a dish."
"If I'm to be dating the young lady, it doesn't hurt she's a sweet-faced young blonde."
"You'll look good together. We'll arrange it. This is the plan..."