Chapter One: A Peace of Mind
The black branches of transplanted colony trees shone dark against the fading light. The newly established German colony spun lazily, rotating in the twenty-four hour time of Old Earth. Even though the dimming skies were peaceful, the scene below was not.
In front of a small house nestled deep in a neighborhood of New Berlin; Meike Schwartz and her parents fought a hopeless battle against the growing number of Vampires. Surrounded by the undead, they had no real escape. To retreat back into their house was to let the dark creatures lay siege upon them, slowly starving them to death. To flee into the expanse of deserted streets would only isolate them from any support. So, they fought, striking again and again with the deadliness of desperation and the calm of the knowledge that they were doomed, and they were losing.
With a small grunt of effort, Meike Schwartz ducked a blow from a Vampire, long brown hair flinging outward from her face, and swung her leg out, tripping it. It fell to the paved road with a thud, and she leapt across the small expanse of ground to shove a long shard of wood directly into its chest. The Vampire disintegrated into dust, which the colony's induced wind scattered in all directions, but Meike didn't have the time to watch. She was already evading the attack of another Vampire, dodging and punching with deadly accuracy. She could hear her father, Ute behind her, a long silver sword in his hand, the whistle of the blade singing through the dusk.
Her mother Micheala was armed with a small black pistol. The metal bullets couldn't kill Vampires, but they could hurt them long enough for her daughter or her husband to dispose of them.
Meike was losing track of time. The darkness of the night seemed to creep in slowly, and her body was weary beyond belief. She had never gone this long against a foe. A long sword came cutting through the air towards here, moving almost in slow motion, and she ducked beneath it. Twirling, she threw her leg out and slammed her foot into the Vampire's chest. Leaped across to stab him with her weapon. Leaped away as another attack came at her. Punched it in the face. Jumping backwards. The stake in its chest. Ducking another blow. Over and over and over, until finally she stumbled, hesitated for a fraction of a second too long.
Abruptly, time came rushing back. The sense of slowness she had felt was suddenly gone as the Vampire brushed the petite sixteen-year-old aside with its arm in contemptuous ease. She collided with the solid wall of her home, and her head spun as it cracked against the unyielding surface. She was going to die. She could see the Vampire arching its long sword for the fatal blow, simply watching her as the blade came slashing down towards her throat.
A sharp pain told her he'd succeeded. Her neck felt as if it was on fire, and she could feel the slow trickle of warm blood on her chest. But why wasn't she dead? Why was she still sitting here, looking upwards to the darkening sky?
Gunshots filled the air. The roar of motorcycles surrounded her head, and her weary mind insisted she look. Dimly Meike tried to focus. She could make out motorcycles, and figures on them, striking down the dark creatures that had overcome her city. She could perceive a figure running towards her, hear, vaguely, her father's frantic voice, her mother's high-pitched scream. The combination of a possible concussion and blood loss blackened the scene before her, and she slipped away into unconsciousness.
That's our house's ceiling.
The thought came unbidden, without warning, and with total surprise. Am in Heaven? Meike blinked, and the ceiling fuzzed. Blinking again, it came into focus, and she tried to sit up. Her throat throbbed with a dull ache, and she felt the white bandage around it like a brace."Dad?" she asked, struggling and propping herself up against pillows. "Mom?"
There was nobody in the room. The house was completely silent. There was only a note on a small wooden table beside the bed. What room am I in? She asked herself. The room was barely big enough to hold her bed and the table, and on the wall beside her was a small, wooden panel. Shaking her head to clear the fog that still hung over her eyes, she reached for the note.
Meike,
You won't find us here anymore. Your mother and I have to go. You must stay here and recover. Your neck is only a scratch, our rescuers managed to prevent him from totally decapitating you, but you have a medium concussion, and it could develop into something serious. The room you are in is a secret service room I had built years ago, when we first moved in. I am in such a delicate part of the government that it was a required precaution. Underneath the bed will be food and medicine in case you worsen. Behind the panel is a computer. You already know how to work it. You
must stay here until you are fully recovered. Do not leave the house. You will not be discovered unless you are careless and reveal your presence. We will come back for you.Your mother and I love you always, Marzipan.
Daddy
Meike's eyes blurred. She was left alone in her home, without the reassuring presence of her parents, to fend for herself. The cruelty of the universe smashed in on her, and a sense of isolation overwhelmed the exhausted teenaged girl. With a soft murmur she slumped back onto her pillows, the letter slipping from her hands and falling to the floor. Unnoticed tears slid down her cheeks as she lost herself in the dark comfort of unconsciousness.
Three Months Later
The bunks were dark this time of night, pitch black except for the light glow of a computer screen. In front of it sat a somber, brown haired boy with cobalt eyes, reading. His eyes flitted back and forth, scanning the email for the true purpose of the letter.
Abruptly his blue eyes narrowed. A predatory smile crossed his lips for an instant, and he quickly erased the message for safety precautions. Standing up, he crossed the room in lithe strides and flipped the bunker light's on.
"Argggh!" came a bedraggled noise from one of the sleeping figures. "Turn the lights off, you crazy nut!"
"Wake up!" The somber fifteen-year-old called. "We have a mission to perform."
"At this time of the night?" the same sleeping figure called back. He was lying on his front with his arms dangling over the side. "I don't think so, Heero. It's not happening." Heero Yuy stalked over to the boy and yanked his covers off. The cold air that was always present in the small bunk gusted through the barren room, and Duo Maxwell jumped and sat up quickly as the icy air touched his bare skin. His shirt was sleeveless and wrinkled, and the young pilot rubbed his arms in a frantic attempt to warm them up.
"Dammit, Heero, I'm freezing!" Duo exclaimed, and snatched his covers back. His long brown hair was in disarray, strands framing his normally cheerful face in a tangle, and a patch of hair was sticking up on his head awkwardly. He glowered at Heero with violet eyes.
"Didn't we just go to sleep?" mumbled Quatre Raberba Winner sleepily, starting to sit up in his bed. His blue-green eyes were squeezed tightly closed as he yawned, and platinum blonde hair tumbled away from his fingers as he ran them through his bangs. "It seems like just an hour ago…" he trailed off, tossing aside his blanket and standing on the cold wood floor. With another yawn he began to pad softly in his sock feet to another bunk.
"It was an hour ago!" Duo cried indignantly, grabbing his digital clock with both hands and shaking it violently. The clock rattled irritably, and the glowing red numbers flickered for a few moments, then disappeared. "Great! Now my clock is broken! This day just keeps getting better and better." Duo exclaimed, and he flung the clock against the wall with an offhand toss, where it shattered from the force of his throw. "But it's not a day, is it? It's the middle of the night!" Duo dropped back onto his bed with a groan and stuck his hands in his hair.
"Calm down, Duo." Chang Wufei said calmly from beside his own bunk. He pulled a sleeveless shirt on over his bare chest, ruffling up his chin-length black hair. "We're on call." The Chinese teenager rummaged through his bag and produced a small black elastic, pulling his hair back and tying it in a short ponytail.
"Besides, you've been wanting something to do. You were complaining just yesterday about the lack of excitement." Quatre pointed out as he leaned over Trowa Barton's sleeping figure. "Come on, Trowa. We've been assigned." Quatre poked Trowa in the side. "Wake up, Trowa." Trowa mumbled something – an unusual response for the solemn pilot - and tossed his blankets to the side and stood up. He began pulling on his jeans without a word, and Quatre returned to his own bed to dress himself. Duo shook his head and decided to ignore Quatre's logic. Swinging his legs off the side of the bunk, he reached underneath the bed and groped for his clothes. His fingers encountered his normal white shirt and black over shirt, but no pants.
"Damn! Where are my pants?" he cried, fishing around with a renewed effort. He jumped off the bed and kneeled on the floor in his boxers and sleeveless shirt, shivering uncomfortably and swiping frantically around under the bed. "My pants! Where're my pants?" Duo yelled, his voice taking on a slightly frenzied quality. Then suddenly, without warning, he froze. He stood up and pointed a finger accusingly at the group of Gundam Pilots. The other four pilots looked back at him in obvious confusion. "One of you has my pants." He said, eyes narrowed. On his bunk, Trowa combed his hair out in front of his face and cocked an eyebrow at Duo.
"Why would we want your pants?" he asked mildly, the one green eye visible from behind his hair expressionless. His brown hair obligingly smoothed itself forward and he ran a hand over it. Duo tilted his head slightly and stared inquisitively at the Latin pilot.
"Why don't you tell me? I want my pants!" His voice echoed slightly in the small, empty bunker. Quatre shook his head and uttered a small giggle. Duo shifted his accusing gaze to the small Arabian teenager. "So you've got them!" Quatre shook his head no and, grinning, pointed silently at the bunk above Duo's. His blue-black pants hung there, swaying slightly, as if mocking the American. Duo grumbled angrily and snatched them off the bunk, pulling them on over his boxers. The five pilots returned to their silent process of dressing, and a few minutes later, were all ready to go.
"Gundam time!" Duo cried cheerfully as they made their way through hallways to the Gundam hangar. His previous mood had dissipated with the thought of destroying more MS, and the American pilot nearly skipped as they reached the reduced gravity hangar. With a grin he launched himself into the air, flipping end over and end and landing neatly beside the hatch of his Gundam. "Beat that!" he cried victoriously, opening the hatch and turning to give the other pilots a wide grin. Wufei, Heero and Trowa ignored him, and Quatre gave him a small smile.
"Don't encourage him," Heero hissed at Quatre as the blonde-haired boy waved politely back at an energetically waving Duo. Duo made a face at Heero.
"I heard that!" he shouted down at the Japanese pilot, and with a flip of his head and a toss of his braid he disappeared into his Gundam. Heero shook his head disapprovingly and followed suit. A low roar filled the air as the Gundams rumbled and began the process of waking up. Minutes later only the echo of thunder remained in the docking bay.