Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita.
I own nothing!
MOBILE
After Colony 195 – Sahara Desert; Earth
Usagi:
I'm home.
Or at least as close to home as I can be after living on the L4 colony for so long. This Earth is the closest I've been to anything remotely resembling what I used to call home in about a year. There is absolutely nothing like the feeling of real wind and rain, or the rays of the sun on bare skin.
Seven months ago I met Instructor H; an engineering genius and Quatre's mentor. I hadn't known then that my life would change again, but I've come to learn to roll with the punches. My life gets turned upside down on a regular basis. There is a pretty good chance that once this is over things will change again.
The good instructor is part of a resistance group against the Organization of the Zodiac; an organization whose main goal is to take control of the Earth. I wasn't told much, but according to Quatre, things were about to get pretty serious. The resistance was about to launch a major operation against OZ; an operation that involves Quatre and the Gundam Sandrock, a hulking mobile suit made of a rare metal called gundanium alloy. The Gundam is a machine made for war.
The night that my little brother introduced me to Instructor H, they asked me to join the resistance; to stop OZ from taking over and starting an all out war. I owed Quatre enough to at least hear them out. I've never been one to advocate for war or violence but in the end I decided that I would do whatever I could to help. I believed in their cause and I couldn't continue to be so naïve. Peace always comes at a price.
I stopped working for Winner Corp. and immediately threw myself into rigorous training with Quatre. It gave me focus and I have to admit that I enjoyed the physical exertion. I felt alive for the first time in years.
Then just about a week ago, Usa, Diana, and I arrived on Earth at a crowded space port, for all intents and purposes looking like colony tourists. I was supposed to await further instructions and just stay put. It didn't take long for Quatre's contacts; Rashid and the Maganac Corps to smuggle us away to their camp where we would be staying.
The camp is located somewhere in the Sahara; surrounded by desert sand with the ever constant blistering sun on our backs. The Maganacs welcomed us among their ranks with open arms. Usa and I are happy here, easily adapting to a very simple life. I wasn't fond of the scalding hot desert sand that seemed to get into everything and anything uninhibited, but I reveled in the fact that it was all natural. The colonies couldn't possibly fabricate anything like it.
I was anxious though. I knew Quatre's arrival on Earth would not be so simple. He would join us soon with Sandrock but there were many possibilities that things could go wrong. I was afraid for him. The fight against OZ would begin with what the resistance called: Operation Meteor.
I sat outside the tent Usa and I share in desert fatigues, a matching tank top, and a pair of desert terrain boots laced up on my feet. I had one of Usa's home study books open on my lap and I was leafing through the next chapter that we would have to work on together though my heart really wasn't in it. I was too worried about my little brother to concentrate.
I sighed and took a swig out of the water canteen next to me as I watched Rashid, the Maganac Leader, approach. His towering form cast a shadow shielding my eyes from the garish sun. I was able to look up at him without squinting.
He smirked at me, "we might have to get you a pair of goggles like Master Quatre's soon, Miss Usagi"
I shook my head and laughed, "Nah, they wouldn't look as cool on me."
He chuckled and hunkered down beside me. I welcomed the company. After living here for such a short time I haven't learned much about the quiet leader of the Maganacs. What I do believe is that he shares in my concern for Quatre. There is genuine concern for my little brother in his eyes. Rashid is a very reserved man, but I see great wisdom, strength and compassion in him. I don't have a single complaint about him or his men. They are a family and they'd welcomed me and mine as though we were family too.
"You are worried about Master Quatre." He stated, not really looking at me but at the sand dunes ahead of us instead.
"I am." I said not bothering to hide the truth. I would be a bundle of nerves until Quatre arrived safely. There was no sense in denying it.
He nodded.
"He will be alright. Master Quatre is a very resourceful young man." Rashid said at length sounding as though he were trying to convince himself as much as me.
"I know." I agreed, holding on to that resolve. I needed to believe that I wouldn't lose Quatre like I'd lost almost everyone else in my life, but as the wind picked in lieu of the coming storm, the dread in the pit of my stomach to deep seated root and spread like poison.
"The wind is picking up." Rashid noted, echoing my thoughts. "We should take cover soon. Will you be alright?"
"We'll be fine. Can I help the crew with anything?" I asked.
"We have to cover the mobile suits. An extra pair of hands would be welcome."
"Lead the way" I grinned, grateful for something to occupy my time with.
I stood with him, dusting off the sand though it was useless by this point and followed in his wake toward the sand dune where the smaller mobile suits of the Maganacs were hidden.
Unfortunately, the sand was as much a hazard as it was an ally in keeping the suits hidden. Getting sand in the hydraulics of the unit for example, would be disastrous. They needed to be covered up and shielded from the coming storm with large, heavy, sandy colored tarps.
The entire group hastened to pitch in and get the job done before it was too late. Before long, the sun was setting and the wind had picked up enough to send us all sprinting for the cover of our tents.
Usa and I settled in to wait out the storm; spending some time studying with her text books and playing a few card games. Eventually we laid out our sleeping bags and fell asleep.
I'm not sure how much time passed before the sounds of cheers and jubilant voices woke me up; a couple hours at least. Drowsy from sleep; it took me a moment to realize what all the happy noise meant.
Quatre made it!
I scrambled out of my sleeping bag and tent, eager to see him for myself. Having been roused by the noise as well; Usa was right on my heels as we ran full tilt toward the little cluster of people at the center of camp.
There he was standing in the middle of the group. Quatre was still wearing the space suit he traveled in on Sandrock, but the fastenings were undone and I could see button down shirt he'd worn underneath. I almost laughed. Leave it to my little brother to wear a button down and slacks underneath a space suit.
"Kat!" I shouted; and the rest of the Maganacs made way for us as I reached to pull Quatre into my arms for a hug.
"I was so worried…" I murmured against his hair, holding on to him as though he might disappear at any moment. I was beyond relieved.
"I'm here. I'm okay." He reassured me. "We had no trouble getting through."
The reassurance was all I needed. Grinning, I stepped back and moved out of Usa's way. She reached for him then too and Quatre immediately scooped her up into his arms.
"You made it!" she exclaimed.
"Of course I did." Quatre replies with a laugh, ruffling her already sleep mussed hair.
Usa giggled and hugged him while everyone took their turn in welcoming the illustrious young Winner heir to camp. It was a loud and raucous celebration as the men rekindled the camp fire and set about the task of making tea and dinner for Quatre though he'd insisted that they shouldn't go through the trouble of doing so.
They all had stories to tell. I learned a great deal about the Maganacs that night as we sat around the fire and told tales. I was completely fascinated even with Quatre who managed to let his business persona fall away to reveal a completely different person. I knew this is who my little brother really was beneath the Winner name and his association with his father's company. He is just a boy; all heart and compassion, the makings of a great leader.
Some hours later, the group huddled around the fire started to thin out. Usa had already fallen asleep in Quatre's arms and he carried her back to our tent. Diana, who'd been lurking inside my duffle bag in an attempt to keep sand out of her fur, emerged and curled herself beside my daughter to sleep. Once they were settled, Quatre and I sat outside the tent to talk.
"You really had no trouble getting through?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
"None. But the inbound trip was the easy part. We have a couple of hours to sleep then we'll have to pack things up here and move out."
I nodded accepting the news though I had hoped that we would have more time before things were set in motion. Time just didn't seem to be on our side. If they were already moving forward with Sandrock that meant H probably had plans for me as well.
"What do they need me to do?"
"I don't know" Quatre replied, looking a little disconcerted. "I have a package for you stowed away on Sandrock. One of the Maganacs will drive you back to the space port in the morning. Get a hotel room and open the package then. I suppose you'll have your instructions and whatever else you'll need."
"I'm sure it won't be anything too dangerous" I assured him, placing my hand over his and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
I could tell that Quatre was uncomfortable not knowing what task they had charged me with and where they were sending to.
"Usagi, please be careful. I would hate for anything to happen to you. It would be my fault for bringing you into this."
"I will be fine Kat." I said using the nickname I'd given him in an attempt to assuage him, "I've been through so much worse. You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. I could have said no and walked away, but I wanted to do this. I want to help you."
Quatre seemed unconvinced but let the subject drop, the corner of his lips curving into a half smile. We said our good nights then, and he retired to his own tent to sleep. I tried to do the same, but found myself lying awake on my sleeping bag for hours that night unable to sleep.
I caught the sunrise the following morning. The men were already up and about by the crack of dawn and I joined them. Stripping out my clothes, I washed up as best I could and threw on something that wouldn't draw too much attention at the space port; jeans and an olive green, long sleeve shirt. I laced up my desert boots knowing that those would still be necessary for now. After rousing Usa and Diana, I set off to help the Maganacs pack up our large camp.
The camp was reduced to nothing within the hour. We were thorough in making sure that there was no trace of us left behind. The last thing I did was pack all of mine and Usa's belongings in backpacks and put Diana into a pet carrier. Faiz, one of the younger Maganac boys, was loading our things into the truck that would be taking us back up to the space port when Quatre approached.
He came bearing a shiny, sleek metal briefcase. I finished buckling Usa into her seat and turned to meet him. Without preamble, Quatre handed me the complicated looking briefcase, none too pleased about doing so. I took the weight of the case in my hands and noted it was heavier than it looked, but the weight alone wasn't enough to tell me what I would find inside.
"The case is print locked. Only your thumb print will open it." Quatre explained before I could ask.
Suddenly all of the preliminary work that I'd believed was security precautions made more sense; the finger printing, DNA samples, digital recordings of my voice and the dozen or so head shots they'd taken of me were more than just for the sake of security. I nodded and added the briefcase to my luggage on the truck.
Quatre hugged me and I fervently hoped that this temporary parting of ways wouldn't become permanent. I couldn't even bare to say good bye.
"Be safe, Usagi." He admonished and then Quatre was leaning into the truck saying good bye to my daughter.
The entire Maganac crew came to see us off and I had a hard time keeping myself from bursting into tears. I'd only been with them for a very short period of time, not long enough to really get to know them well, but I knew that I would miss them.
It was time to go though, and I couldn't afford to break down. Faiz started the truck, as I climbed into the passenger seat and we drove off. The last thing I saw in the side-view mirror was Sandrock; its gundanium metal glinting in the sun.
The trip out to the space port was a sedate drive that went on for more hours than I cared to count. Faiz wasn't much of a conversationalist and Usa had already fallen asleep in the back seat a few minutes after we left camp so I found myself drifting between sleep and awareness. A couple of times I'd tried fiddling with the old trucks radio, but that proved to be a fruitless endeavor. So I gave it up.
The car ride was just too quiet and I was anxious for it to be over. It was a relief to finally be pulling into the port. I climbed out of the car and stretched, pleased to be outside of the confines of the truck.
Once again Faiz helped me with the luggage and then I lifted a sleeping Usa out of the back seat. The young Maganac stayed with us until we were safely in a cab. I wondered briefly why Quatre had instructed Faiz to leave me at the port instead of directly to the hotel but I figured it was just some sort of precaution.
I gave the driver instructions to take us to the nearest hotel which ended up being a couple of blocks away. I wasn't surprised; even here in Egypt, hotels are usually based around air and space ports for the sake of convenience.
I overpaid the cab driver once we got to our destination and he graciously waited for me to get checked into the hotel and for the bell boy to come help with the luggage. We didn't have much, but I wouldn't have been able to balance all of it along with the sleeping seven year old in my arms
The bell boy escorted us to a room on the third floor and I tipped him generously as well. I had no idea what to do with myself once I'd settled Usa into one of the beds. I sat there for several minutes just trying to convince myself to open the briefcase. Annoyed with myself for being so apprehensive, I reached for the case when of course at that moment my daughter decided she'd scare the wits out of me. I'd been so concentrated on the case that she startled me when she pounced from her bed to mine giggling.
"This" bounce "is" bounce "so" bounce "cool!"
I laughed, "Come here you little rabbit."
I held my arms open for her and she bounced into them in a fit of giggles. I tickled her and we both dissolved into laughter. It'd been a while since we'd had a mother daughter moment like this.
"This is nice, Momma." She said once the giggles subsided and we caught our breath.
She was looking around the hotel room now and walked over to let Diana out of her carrier.
The room wasn't anything fancy; it was carpeted and furnished with two beds with the cliché hotel linens, a desk, an entertainment unit, a mini fridge, microwave, and a bathroom. All and all it was homey and clean which was the important thing.
"Finally!" Diana exclaimed. "I was wondering when you two would get around to letting me out. I'm starving!"
"I'm getting kind hungry myself." I admitted, "What do you think munchkin? Shall we order pizza?"
Usa made a face at the nickname but nodded eagerly. "Pizza sounds awesome."
"Pizza it is then." I said as Diana stretched and hopped onto my lap.
"Anchovies or something with chicken on it for me, please." She said.
"Ewe gross, Diana! Anchovies?" Usa protested.
"Well, I am a cat you know." Diana replied with an indignant flick of her tail.
"I'll see what I can do." I said with a laugh.
Flipping through the little advertisement booklet left on the hotel room desk, I found what we were looking for; a national and very commercial pizza chain that seemed to be pretty popular. I remembered seeing a billboard somewhere for it…
I picked up the hotel phone and dialed the number, placing an order for a simple large cheese pizza, a personal sized pizza with anchovies for Diana and two soft drinks.
It was nice that Diana could talk to us now that we were away from prying eyes. She'd had very few opportunities to do so, and I know she had to be getting tired of pretending. With a pang of guilt I was reminded of my teenage years when I first met Luna, Diana's mother. Luna always had to pretend that she was a normal cat of the non-talking variety. You could imagine my surprise the first time that Luna ever spoke to me. I will always miss her, but with a sigh I pushed the depressing thoughts away before they could consume me. I wanted to stay upbeat for the sake of Diana and Usa. Times like these were a rare treat and I didn't want to ruin their good moods with thoughts of the past.
With the pizza order placed, Usa and I took turns in the shower. I was out by the time the delivery boy knocked on the door. I paid for the food and we all sat around the little round dinette table furnished by the hotel.
I have to admit that the first bite of pizza was absolute bliss. I'd nearly forgotten how good it tastes since pizza hadn't been a staple at the palace in Crystal Tokyo nor at the Winner Estate on L4. We hadn't indulged in a meal like this in a long time. Usa and I nearly polished off the entire pizza by ourselves.
After we cleared out the remnants of our lunch we spent the rest of the day lounging around the room watching TV, playing cards and going over Usa's home study workbook. The less people saw of us, the better.
The entire time I was anxious about the briefcase. I was hesitant to open it in front of my daughter because there was just no telling what I would find inside. I didn't want her worrying about anything along with me.
It wasn't until after I'd gotten Usa into her pajamas and tucked into bed later that night, that I was finally able to open the brief case. Pressing my thumb to the sensor on the case it opened with an audible hiss. Startled by the sudden noise I glanced over to Usa on the other bed and could only see Diana's eyes gleaming back at me in the dark. Usa was still sound asleep.
Sighing in relief I opened the case further to reveal the contents; a laptop, a folder full of documents, and a 9mm fire arm with plenty of spare ammunition. I expected the gun but seeing it there was a bit of a shock anyway. I hated the thought of having to use it. As Sailor Moon I never had to kill anyone, at least not a human being…
The thought of ending someone's life was daunting, but I stopped being naïve a long time ago. I learned how to use the weapon and I wasn't about to hesitate using it in a dire situation. Hesitation now would only get me killed.
I proceeded to go through the documents in the folder first, feeling Diana's slight weight on my shoulder as she perched there to look at the documents with me. She didn't comment as I went through several files; various forms of identification all forged for both me and my daughter. Passports, birth certificates, ID cards and various other official looking documents that I would need; they were all flawless. I spent at least an hour looking through the entire folder.
"Is this going to be safe, Usagi?" Diana whispered in a great imitation of her mother as I contemplated the best way to change my hair. The odangos would have to go for sure, and I would have to see about Usa as well.
"I don't know." I confessed, "But I'm not going to worry about that now. We should get some sleep. There is a lot to do tomorrow."
Diana hopped off my shoulder and I began stowing everything back into the case. Tomorrow would be a big day. I couldn't let my fears overwhelm me when I needed to stay focused.
"Good night, Usagi" Diana whispered as she curled up next to Usa again on the other bed.
"Good night, Diana"
I curled up under my own blanket and thankfully sleep came quickly.
xxxxx
Early the next morning, I woke up with both Usa and Diana in bed with me. She was nearly hidden underneath a bundle of blankets while Diana was wound up into a tiny ball of fur above Usa's cotton candy hair like a little hat. At that moment I wished I had a camera to take pictures.
After watching them for a few moments, Usa began to stir. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes she stretched and yawned.
"Morning, Momma' she said while stifling another yawn.
"Good morning"
Diana stirred at the sound of our voices, ears twitching she uncoiled from her ball blinking at us sleepily.
"What time is it?" she asked in between yawns.
"Time to get up" I replied simply, smirking as I moved to sit at the side of the bed.
There was a simultaneous groan from both child and feline as Usa tried to burrow back under the covers.
"It's too early" she complained, her voice muffled by the pillows and blankets.
"It most certainly is not." I informed her as I pulled the blankets away and tickled her.
She laughed and squirmed all over the place "Okay…okay! I give up!"
"Good, come on we have a lot to do today."
Having coaxed her out of bed, I sent Usa into the shower while I ordered room service for breakfast.
I took the time to gather all of our belongings though there wasn't much; a lot of our stuff was still packed. Once I was done, I took the laptop out of the briefcase and booted it up. I needed a game plan and I was sure I'd find all of the information I needed on the computer.
As I expected there were a couple of encrypted files in the hard drive, one of them containing the location of the safe house I needed to get to as well as information about the school I was supposed to be infiltrating. I couldn't imagine what a school would have to do with the grand scheme of things until I saw the file about the girl; Relena Darlian, the daughter of a Vice Foreign Minister and representative of the UESA. Miss Darlian is a student at the prestigious academy I was headed to.
Bodyguard detail? I wondered. I couldn't believe that they wanted me to watch over this girl like a common babysitter. I frowned, thinking that H must have been laughing his ass off when he sent this to me with Quatre. He wanted me to teach too. I'd hated school as a teenager; the irony of this mission was just laughable. It had to be some sort of cosmic joke. Then again… it was obvious that this kid was important; otherwise I didn't think the resistance would waste their time.
After reading Darlian's file I closed up the laptop. Usa was out of the shower and room service had arrived with our meals.
"So where are we going?" Usa asked after swallowing a mouth full of scrambled eggs.
"You'll see" I told her as I took the paper cup of coffee to my lips for a sip. "We have a long way to go from here."
"Can't we just stay here for a while? I hate moving."
"No can do, Kiddo." I said wishing not for the first time that I could have left her and Diana back on L4. They would have been safer there than here with me; but Usa could not deal with such separation after losing her father. She'd pitched such a fit when I suggested it that I was afraid she'd go catatonic.
Needless to say, H had not been happy when I told him my daughter would have to come to Earth with me. In the end however, he decided that a child would help cement my cover. After all how dangerous could a woman with a little girl be?
"We're going to be on the move for a while. Remember I told you this is what it would be like if you came with me." I said patiently.
She nodded quietly and we let the subject drop.
We finished our meal and I went through our luggage one more time to make sure everything was in order, double checking that we had the right passports and paperwork set aside for our trip. I booked a flight to Tokyo, Japan and tried not to think about how it felt like we were going back home. I wondered if the Japan of this Earth was anything like ours; fortunately I wouldn't have to wonder for long. The flight would be departing in three hours...
Post Note from the Author: Sorry for the long wait folks! Hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter! Please read and review!
Also, I've been reading a lot of fan fiction written by in..bathrobe and she has a really fun thing she does with her author's notes where she asks a question related to the chapter. I really like that idea so I think I will try it out. Thank you for your amazing stories and ideas in..bathrobe! Your Twilight fan fics are amazing! All credit for this "Question of the Chapter" idea goes to her.
What is your favorite pizza topping?