OPEX NỨT
Summary: ZAFT and EAF conflict escalated to a higher level with very interesting results to both parties. Slight deviation from the original storyline but still within the GSD universe timeline.
Disclaimer: Gundam Seed Destiny is a sole property of its owners. The story is mine, hence, don't touch!
FYI: Pronounce Nứt is (noot).
Chapter 1
"I can't believe it!" A voice shouted. The distinct noise came from the throat of a male who is busy watching the news in the television. "That suit just took out six EAF naval ships!" His eyes kept on glued at the television which is situated in his counter. He noticed that a customer is approaching carrying two bottles of orange juice and two packs of crackers. The customer placed it in the counter and he hurriedly went to his cash register. He instantly encoded the purchases and looked at his customer. "Anything else?" He asked. The customer just shook his head and fished a bill from his pocket when he saw the total. He handed the money to the owner of the store and took the bag where the owner placed his purchases. He nodded his thanks and went out of the store. The owner secured his cash register and resumed watching the news.
The teen headed out towards a bench where his friend is seated. He sat down and offered the bag to his friend. His friend took the bag and took a bottle of soda and one pack of crackers. She returned it to her friend silently. For a moment, the two just ate and drank their fill. When they finished, they segregated their garbage and threw them in separate bins. Both of them stood up and walked away from the store.
"Where to?" The male teen asked the female. She just shrugged.
"Find a job, I guess." She answered. "We need to establish ourselves first."
"I'm sixteen and you are fifteen, who would want to hire us!" He said sarcastically.
"Come on!" She replied. "Have you noticed the soldiers that were being sent to war?" She pointed out.
"So you want to join the military." He answered dryly.
"You completely miss the point martian." She answered caustically. "Age doesn't matter." She looked at him sideways. "You're still hungry aren't you?" She asked, her brows drawn together, concerned to her friend's welfare.
"I'll manage." Her friend answered and sighed deeply. "You're right, we need to find a job before we do anything else."
She just nodded and looked at him. They continued to walk aimlessly and silently until she saw a HELP WANTED sign. She stopped suddenly that caused her friend to falter a step and looked at her. He noticed the sign and he could not help the feeling of elation that suddenly bubbled inside him.
"Let's go!" His friend walked briskly and began looking up street signs. "We need to ask some directions." As if the heaven is smiling upon them, they saw a police officer walking and calmly looking at the traffic. "Officer!" She called. The police officer turned when he heard a voice and noticed the two teens hurriedly walking to him.
"Yes? What can I do for you?" The officer asked the two teens.
"Where is Oakside Apartments located?" The girl asked.
"Oh!" The officer looked at them and gestured to his left. "Cross the street, walk straight and when you see a street named Narra turn left. A structure painted in yellow is the Oakside Apartments." He finished.
"Thank you!" The girl said with a smile and they hurriedly went to their destination, almost running. They arrived at the designated place and looked at the building. "Let's cross our fingers!" She said to her friend. Both of them went inside the building and approached a woman in her forties, who is busy mopping the hallway. "Excuse me." The girl said. "May we speak to the owner of the place regarding the WANTED sign?" The lady stopped at her mopping and looked at them.
"How old are you?" The woman asked her almost rudely.
"Fifteen ma'am." She replied. "But, we can do the work that is required." She added.
"And you?" The woman asked the male teen.
"Sixteen ma'am." He answered. "We are orphans and we really need a job." He implored.
The woman fell silent for a moment then nodded her head. "Follow me." She dragged the mop and opened a door. It is the supplies cabinet. She stored the mop inside, closed the door and wiped her hands in her apron. She led them to a room where a man in his fifties is sitting behind an office desk reading a newspaper. "These kids want the job we posted." She barked by way of introduction.
The man looked up and scrutinized them. "Orphans?" The teens nodded their heads. "Names?"
"I'm Sharya Sharp." The girl answered.
"I'm Lyle Brook." The boy answered.
"You're both hired." He barked. "Better than being in the military, I should say." He folded his newspaper and placed it in the table. He sat up straight and motioned for the teens to occupy the two chairs in front of his table. He smiled at his wife. "Thank you dear."
"I'll get something to eat." She replied and went out from the office.
"Now let's get to business." The owner of the apartment looked at them sternly. "First things first, I will not tolerate slackers." The two teens nodded and the man continued with his instructions and their job responsibilities.
Three months later, Sharya and Lyle found themselves adapting to their environment. The owners of Oakside Apartments, Josef Frein and his wife Ruthie, is quite fond of both of them and treated them with care. Lyle is in charge with cleaning the hallways and doing minor electrical repairs while Sharya is charged with cleaning the toilets and bathrooms. Once in a while, Ruthie let her help with the book of accounts and banking transactions. The two teens were given separate rooms, though small, but both of them are grateful to have found someone that will literally gave them a shot of owning a living and not squandering in the street. A surprise greeted them one morning, when the couple announced that a school located nearby the apartment is offering a scholarship to those who can pass their achievement test. The couple then added that they can work out the working hours as long as both of them will be studying hard for their education. The teens thanked them profusely and started going to a library to read even with few books around them. The war kept on raging and the two teens are trying their best to be updated regarding the current events. They secretly mused that the way the war is currently heading it will certainly never end. No treaty will ever appease both sides.
"Darn!" Lyle started running towards the school gates after school. "I'm going to be late!" He past the gates and sprinted as fast as his legs can carry. His destination is the park where Sharya is sitting and waiting patiently for him to arrive. He stopped in front of her catching his breath. "I'm not late, am I?"
"No." Sharya answered, smiling. "You're just in time." She gathered her things and stood up. She slung her backpack on her right shoulder and walked away. "Let's go find a computer first."
"We could use the one in the library you know." Lyle pointed out. "We can save that way." He explained.
"True." Sharya answered, grinning at his friend. "But, using the computers in an internet café is much…" she paused. "…safer."
They both arrived at an internet café and asked to use two computers. When both of them were assigned computers Lyle looked at her. "I'm decoy?"
"You're an expert on that." Sharya answered. "We need to know more and this is the only way we know how."
Lyle flexed his fingers and started typing furiously on the keyboard. Sharya is doing the same thing. Their eyes kept scanning the room while doing the job they really loved the most.
"I'm in." Lyle muttered, his eyes glinting with excitement. Beside him, Sharya is calm and collected while doing the same.
"Let's go." She said. Their fingers just flew on the keyboard with speed that would rival any stenographer.