Dr. Jei had plans for the two unfortunate pilots and the two replacements that would be needed to fill in whenever necessary. Little did the other four know, there were reasons for each and every move any one of them made or didn't make. It was already destined to happen as it did or would. There was no changing the future.
The two boys and two girls sat in different chambers taking a written test. Each week they were to be tested for written, which included academic subjects such as mathematics, engineering, physics, mechanics, history, and some basic overviews of choice languages, physical, which was a test for speed, agility, accuracy, and the ability to carry out something properly under stress and pressure, and training technique, which was where the training technicalities came out and showed themselves to allow analysis to solve problems before they became too big both in technique of certain moves or functions and also the mental state of each pilot.
The mental state of each pilot's mind was so extremely important that almost every training instructor became ill with paranoia. Well, they would if they could. But they were trained to take the pressures and were there to teach and to learn, not to take ill because they were failing. Failing was not an option at the Gerdam facility which was called the "Aladium". [uh-lae-dee-uhm] {the 'a' in 'lae' is pronounced like 'cat'}
Duo muttered as they were leaving the training hangar for a lunch break, "You would think that the priveleges we should get should exclude timed written tests." He shrugged, looking straight ahead. He commented briefly on the good judgement of the written tests, then went on to wondering about the choice of the piloting team. "Then again, I guess we'll need it. But you know who was good at those timed written tests? Quatre, that's who. He whizzed right through 'em every single time! And Trowa. Trowa was the best of us all at the training technique. He was very absolute. Odd that they didn't make it and someone who's a nobody like me should be here." The thought wasn't odd, it was that Duo was actually thinking such a thought was queer.
Catherine looked him straight in the eye, though he hadn't been looking. "No one here's a trifle. And if there was one, I'd be the last in everything. I've been in the circus business my entire life, and I live the life of a normal woman. I used to, that is, until I met Trowa and watched him grow up. I grew up with him and I learned a lot though he's younger. He's been through more, and I'm sure you've been through more than I ever have."
Duo nodded mutely. He hadn't commented on Heero's 100%s on all three tests, and he did not feel any remorse for it. Of course Catherine already knew
that. Everyone knew about Heero's undauntingly high scores. Duo himself did average on the written; being an orphan he didn't have proper schooling from a young age. The physical had its goods and bads; he usually did well on this but still Heero topped all of them. The training technique was the most difficult for him. Though he wasn't bad at it, he hated it the most and rushed through everything. The Test Persons evaluating everything would constantly pick out faults that were not usually present. It was extremely frustrating for him.
Heero picked up a tray and moved off to begin a line near the lunch counter. There was an array of different maki rolls and types of sushi, as well as rice balls, udon noodles, and several other types of good food. There was even a short counter with Western-style foods, which Catherine eagerly went to take a good look at. Relena followed closely behind Heero, picking out small, delicate foods for a light lunch.
Duo ended up with something called a 'subway sandwich' from the 'American Delicatessan' and some rice balls. For dessert he managed to get his hands on green tea swirl red bean ice cream. The others eyed his selection dubiously and through grinning mouthfuls he explained that really, it was actually good. [I mean, he is the bottomless pit, isn't he?]
"What is that, exactly?" Relena asked, a little disgusted.
"Well, green tea ice cream, swirled with red bean ice cream. In a cup."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course it's in a cup. I can see the cup."
"You said exactly," he retorted cockily, tilting his head backwards to catch the last drop off his spoon.
Catherine felt an edge catch in Relena's throat as she drew in a sharp breath. "I think we should finish eating so we can have time to relax for the rest of the time. We had an hour and a half total, and we've only been here twenty minutes." She didn't know why she was easing the situation; she just was.
Heero glanced around the table. Duo nodded, finished with his ice cream. Relena folded her napkin and set it neatly on the table. That signalled she was ready to leave. Catherine had brought up the suggestion. And he himself had been done long before. There was no reason that that idea would not work.
"Should be go back to the complex?" Duo asked, standing up and stretching. "We can loaf around and then go back fifteen minutes early." Duo was late much of the time, though he liked being puntual. It just didn't work out that way all the time.
The four ended up sitting on the sofas watching movies. They talked, however, and one thing that was good about being out in the real world longer was that things happened so quickly you knew more than people who left the day before you. So Catherrine had much to tell the other three about the Earth and the colonies.
"You didn't know?" she inquired incredulously. Heero had just commented on the whereabouts and howabouts of Trowa. "He's gone to school to learn about politics and such to join as a representative in the New Alliance!"
Relena sat up straighter at this piece of news. Heero hardly paid any attention to her at all, and she felt embarrassed remembering her first actions towards him when they met again after such a long time. He seemed to have missed her, but now, he was so cold...so unemotional...
Heero was talking. Relena was sitting on the arm chair with her slippered-feet propped daintily on the cushioned ottoman. She leaned back gently and felt her head nod. She was getting very sleepy with all this talk. Would the day not be over?
"So you mean that they were meant to not make it?" Duo asked, not believing anything he was hearing. "But how--what...how could they do that?"
Heero just shook his head. "There must be a reason behind this. Trowa will be joining the New Alliance as a representative, so our side will gain. But for sure they'll have balancing forces for those for the war. But Trowa should be able to outbest them." He paused momentarily as he took notice of Relena's head which dropped even further into the chair's back. She was completely and totally asleep. He suddenly had a queer thought that poor Relena, she was tired out, where's a blanket? But then he shook it out as immediately as it had come. He wasn't supposed to care, he was supposed to kill her.
"So where did they station Quatre?" asked Duo, not sensing any change in Heero's mood or manner.
Catherine shrugged lightly, her hair touching her shoulders, then rebounding with an elasticity of healthiness. "I'm not certain, but I believe he will be the one to plan out our missions and provide us with non-stop 24/7 information on the whereabouts of our enemy and allies. He should also give us information about their plans via Trowa."
Heero became thoughtful. "But there were five Gerdams. If Trowa and Quatre weren't supposed to make it, why were you a backup? Wouldn't they use someone else, someone who wasn't a backup? Quatre didn't have a backup."
Duo contemplated that statement. It was indeed very strange. "But I'm the one using the Candonite. Perhaps the person to use the Candonite wasn't Quatre to begin with. I wouldn't be able to use it without those adjustments that were made so quickly, and I watched them. Those adjustments were already part way to being my exact settings. They had to have known and made it seem different to the others. And now that I think about it, Catherine may be very close to Trowa, but she's not the same type as Trowa at all. Not one bit the same except for some small insignificant similarities. That's not enough to operate a Gerdam successfully. She must also be temporary."
Catherine did not feel put off by this at all. After all, it was indeed the truth. How to escape the truth? Mere futile attempts got you nowhere, as these four had already known long ago.
They woke Relena and decided to take it to Dr. Jei.
"Good. You have seen through it. Excellent." He smiled widely. "This was a test for you, however, one part is not entirely correct. Quatre had been a borderline choice of recruit. We had wanted him as a Gerdam pilot, but others begged to differ, saying he would be better off helping with other things. He was extarordinarily good at the written tests, so I just hope he'll do well. As for Catherine, she shall stay here a week then return home. She will only be here long enough for the others to come."
Relena was still confused, having first been rudely woken up by Duo, then pulled into a conversation that had been done and over with long ago. "Others?"
"Their names are Reina Foutete and Todousa Mokiniru. Reina is still sixteen, and Todousa is nearly eighteen. They will balance the age differences out evenly," Dr. Jay explained, showing them pictures and stats. "They were born on Earth itself, growing up in different areas. They should also help during decision-making for the better of the colonies and Earth."
Name: Reina Foutete [ray-nuh foo-tay]
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 101 lb.
Hair Color: Reddish-blonde
Eye Color: Hazel-bluegreen
Background: 50% French, 50% Scottish
Gerdam: Candonite
Personality: Reina is quiet, but she's usually optomistic and is very easy-going. She is rather shy, however, and extremely emotional. To be paired up with the Wing Zero system could really hurt her performance. She is very intelligent and passes the written tests with flying colors. She does not take anything for granted and is grateful for everything that is given opportune to her. She is not very sure of herself, though, and is a perfectionist. This causes some problems along the way when she finds something is not right be she cannot but sure that what she senses is correct. She is deep within conflict. Her past is clouded; she only remembers her foster parents which had taken her in from the bitter cold wind and biting rain on the streets of England when she was four. She lived with them a short while when they died in an airplane crash. She was then sent to a boarding school where she was ridiculed and teased. She is good in martial arts and had taken ballet for ten years. She is also compassionate towards everybody and everything.
Todousa Mokiniru [toe-doe-sah moe-kihn-nee-roo]
Age: 17, almost 18
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 7.5"
Weight: 132 lb.
Hair Color: Dark brown but lighter in sections
Eye Color: Honey-brown
Background: Some Russian and French but mostly Canadian
Gerdam: Retekar
Personality: This golden-tanned teenager is a champion swimmer. However, he had to quit due to financial problems. He had a family of eight; a mother and father, six sisters, and a younger brother. His father died when he was 12, forcing him to quit school and work to earn money for his family being the eldest male in the household. Finally when he was 15, his mother remarried and he went back to highschool. But not for long. There were murders, suicides, and shooting all around his neighborhood. His step-father was arrested and jailed for dealing with drugs, and soon after his mother was diagnosed HIV positive. She died within the year, right before Christmastime, both from the AIDs and also from malnutrition. He hated that year; he wished he could bury it beneath the folds of death's cloak. He never wanted to remember it, but recurring dreams made him feel as though he was responsible for his father's death which he knew nothing about. This made him a solitary, sober young man that walked between two fine lines of hatred and death. Sometimes he became oblivious to what went on around him and seemed in his own world for hours at a time, though this was very seldom. He feels not the pain and shock, but feels deeply and clings to love, compassion, and affection.
"When will they arrive?" Catherine asked, twirling a lock of hair around her fingers. When they came, she would go back, back to Trowa and the circus.
"In about six days. Reina will take your room, Catherine, and Todousa will have to make do with the pull-out couch in the living room," Dr. Jei replied.
All four nodded consent. They understood this fully and would have to adjust on their own for the new changes that were made to their life.
Dr. Jei started suddenly, looking straight at Duo. His eyes looked the same as if he were in the seat of Deathscythe Hell, ready to slash some evil opponent. He filed that thought away, remembering that Duo would then pilot the Opular. The new system was also extremely powerful, and would have extreme side effects. Then that triggered something he had almost forgotten to tell them about.
"Gerdam pilots, I have overlooked something that I should have told you from the beginning," he said apologetically. "I know this seems quite different, but we have another recruit that will not be piloting a Gerdam but will work behind-the-scenes with Quatre. Her name is Junedi Gutamela and she comes from Australia. She is second cousins to Todousa, though they do not know each other."
Heero's eyebrows lifted slowly, taking in the newest information. So many new people. This was going to be a rough and difficult transition.
Name: Junedi Gutamela [yoo-nay-dee goo-tah-may-lah]
Age: Almost 15
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 3"
Weight: 99 lb.
Hair Color: Dark blonde
Eye Color: Green and violet
Background: Uknown, however she comes from Australia and her mother was Todousa's mother's half-sister [step-sister]
Gerdam: none
Personality: This young teenager is very responsible, organized, and gets things done. She is extremely bright and quick to learn. Her past was a normal past, though she was brought up in a seminary for girls and boys. It was a good school and the children there received good educations, full stomachs, and led pretty happy lives. Her father had lost custody of her when a rumor had been spread that he abused her. It was not proven, and to this day no one knows other than himself and his daughter. Her mother died giving birth to her, and she was the first and only child of the married couple, thus giving her no siblings. She will be the one to map out routes and plans for the missions Quatre laid out for the Gerdams.
"Where is she?" Heero asked, speaking for the first time. He thought that she would be here already, along with Quatre, if they were to lay out missions. And he was right. Over one hundred percent correct.
Dr. Jei waved a hand over to his left. "As a matter of fact, they are here. And Quatre has been here since the day he disappeared in the testing corridors. Miss Junedi has just arrived this morning."
Quatre came in, holding a sheaf of papers in one hand and waving with the other. He was calling out something which sounded like hello, but of course they couldn't really distinguish the sounds from one another in the high-ceilinged hangar.
Following closely behind was a petitie young teenager wearing stylish glasses propped up in her short layered hair. Her eyes were very large and beautiful against her magnolia white complexion. She wore brown suede pennies, cream knee-highs, a brown-and-cream plaid skirt [with some green], and a brown sweater over a cream banana-neck tee. She was also carrying papers and a laptop in its case.
"Hey guys!" Quatre said as he came nearer. "How has everyone been? Hello, Catherine! Nice to see you again!" He looked over at Junedi. He motioned her to come nearer as she looked as if she were hanging back. "This is Junedi Gutamela, and she's going to work with me as my partner. Junedi, this is Heero, and this is Duo, and Relena...how are you, Relena?" he suddenly asked, looking at her strangely then glancing at Heero. She seemed out of sorts and very disorientated.
"I'm fine, thank you. Nice to meet you, Junedi," she replied, though it just not be overlooked that she sounded extremely exhausted and looked it, too.
Junedi spoke for the first time. "Nice to meet you too....is it--wait...I'll get it...Relena? And Catherine, nice seeing you again!" She sounded a touch nervous at the beginning, but the friendliness could not be mistaken. However, as Catherine's name rolled off her lips, a cold sound caught its edge.
Catherine did not seem any more warmer than Junedi had. "Yes, pleased to see you again, Juni."
Duo looked at both of them. "Juni?"
Junedi looked a trifle embarrassed. "That's what everyone calls me. I know it seems silly, but--"
"Oh, no! No hard feelings, I was just being curious as usual. So you're from Aussie, are you?" Duo cut in hastily, not wanting to make Juni more uncomfortable than she already was. She seemed rather shy.
She blushed and Catherine answered for her. "She's from Aussie, but I knew her. She was an exchange student to a school that came to see our circus."
During this little exchange, Juni's eyes wandered over to Relena and Heero. Heero was giving her a cold once-over, and Relena just looked on with a feeling of boredom, disinterest, and sleepiness. She couldn't be blamed, however. It was indeed an exhausting day for anyone, let alone a girl that had not grown up trained to practice military arts for a whole day after waking up at the crack of dawn.
"Juni, do you have the pull-outs of the stats? We should give it to them, along with the maps we had ready," Quatre said as the others crowded around to see what they had in store for them. "The Zumin are already attacking various tourist attractions around Earth, killing millions of innocent people. Something must be done to stop this. Any ideas?"
Duo suddenly looked up. "You mean we have to choose what to do?" he asked, surprised at the openness of the mission layouts.
"Actually, yes. They decided you were old enough and mature enough to become a part of the team to select and choose what you need to do. Afterall, you're the ones who have to carry out a mission. You know whether you can do more or if you'll kill yourselves trying the impossible," Quatre explained seriously. You could not miss the hint of regret touching base in his voice.
Heero nodded, motioning them to go on with the plans. "And where are they planning to attack next? Do you know?"
Juni scanned the papers. "As of yet, no. But we're working for you 24/7 when we have to, so we'll know soon enough. We do know that the places that are vulnerable for attack are large city tourist attractions where major New Alliance representatives live and station. That way, the representative is killed a well as what the Zumin think are people who love their representatives," she replied, a sadness overtaking the entire group.
[On a spacestation out off the outer rim of the Moon]
Monotriese laughed harshly, sitting at a table with his second man. They had finished their plans to annhilate representative number 57, and were drinking their evil concoctions during their short but dark break.
"Ha ha ha, the ones they love shall die because of us, but we shall end their misery by killing them! Generosity is always at its best with the Zumin!" the second man said sardonically, sneering as he finished. His name was Tuwaki Sasikano, a man in his mid-thirties. He would ascend leadership if Monotriese did die. But that task proved to be extremely difficult. Monotriese was different. He was not human.
[back on Earth]
The six dined together in the main dining hall that night, tackling their missions with a vengence. They were on a one-way road, a road that would save Earth.
Juni gave a yelp. She jumped back in her chair suddenly, and all of them thought she had a seizure or a heart-attack or something.
"What's wrong?" Relena said with alarm. She had taken a short nap before dinner with Heero's insistence, and she was not quite so sleepy.
Quatre peered over her shoulder at the laptop screen. They had been waiting for food to be served and could not keep from working. When he read the article, he gasped.
"But obviously he wanted us to see it," Quatre argued, pointing at the beginning.
"What is it?" Duo asked impatiently, getting up out of his chair and flinging his napkin to the side. He had sat across from them and had to go around to see the screen. He was extremely curious to see why Juni acted so strangely.
Juni answered him. "It seems that the leader of the Zumin, Zunir Trobelevski, is not human! He is not fully human, that is, and he is not a mutant. He changed his name when he found he was different. He had been taken in on Earth by scientists, and he had been sort of an experiment. He had not been born on either Earth nor the colonies, and he later named himself what he is today, Zuni Monotriese. His original name no one knows, though whether he himself knows it or not we'll have to find out."
Heero sat silently. Zuni Monotriese, leader of all Zumin. His original name not known, the name he gave himself Zunir Trobelevski. Hmm...Polish-sounding. Perhaps he was brought up in Europe. But how? Had anyone seen him as of recent times? Heero certainly had not, nor had he even seen pictures. What were the differences between himself and humans? Was it obvious to the naked eye? Or to natural human beings living in this space age and time? If he wasn't human and he wasn't a mutant, then what was he?
The two boys and two girls sat in different chambers taking a written test. Each week they were to be tested for written, which included academic subjects such as mathematics, engineering, physics, mechanics, history, and some basic overviews of choice languages, physical, which was a test for speed, agility, accuracy, and the ability to carry out something properly under stress and pressure, and training technique, which was where the training technicalities came out and showed themselves to allow analysis to solve problems before they became too big both in technique of certain moves or functions and also the mental state of each pilot.
The mental state of each pilot's mind was so extremely important that almost every training instructor became ill with paranoia. Well, they would if they could. But they were trained to take the pressures and were there to teach and to learn, not to take ill because they were failing. Failing was not an option at the Gerdam facility which was called the "Aladium". [uh-lae-dee-uhm] {the 'a' in 'lae' is pronounced like 'cat'}
Duo muttered as they were leaving the training hangar for a lunch break, "You would think that the priveleges we should get should exclude timed written tests." He shrugged, looking straight ahead. He commented briefly on the good judgement of the written tests, then went on to wondering about the choice of the piloting team. "Then again, I guess we'll need it. But you know who was good at those timed written tests? Quatre, that's who. He whizzed right through 'em every single time! And Trowa. Trowa was the best of us all at the training technique. He was very absolute. Odd that they didn't make it and someone who's a nobody like me should be here." The thought wasn't odd, it was that Duo was actually thinking such a thought was queer.
Catherine looked him straight in the eye, though he hadn't been looking. "No one here's a trifle. And if there was one, I'd be the last in everything. I've been in the circus business my entire life, and I live the life of a normal woman. I used to, that is, until I met Trowa and watched him grow up. I grew up with him and I learned a lot though he's younger. He's been through more, and I'm sure you've been through more than I ever have."
Duo nodded mutely. He hadn't commented on Heero's 100%s on all three tests, and he did not feel any remorse for it. Of course Catherine already knew
that. Everyone knew about Heero's undauntingly high scores. Duo himself did average on the written; being an orphan he didn't have proper schooling from a young age. The physical had its goods and bads; he usually did well on this but still Heero topped all of them. The training technique was the most difficult for him. Though he wasn't bad at it, he hated it the most and rushed through everything. The Test Persons evaluating everything would constantly pick out faults that were not usually present. It was extremely frustrating for him.
Heero picked up a tray and moved off to begin a line near the lunch counter. There was an array of different maki rolls and types of sushi, as well as rice balls, udon noodles, and several other types of good food. There was even a short counter with Western-style foods, which Catherine eagerly went to take a good look at. Relena followed closely behind Heero, picking out small, delicate foods for a light lunch.
Duo ended up with something called a 'subway sandwich' from the 'American Delicatessan' and some rice balls. For dessert he managed to get his hands on green tea swirl red bean ice cream. The others eyed his selection dubiously and through grinning mouthfuls he explained that really, it was actually good. [I mean, he is the bottomless pit, isn't he?]
"What is that, exactly?" Relena asked, a little disgusted.
"Well, green tea ice cream, swirled with red bean ice cream. In a cup."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course it's in a cup. I can see the cup."
"You said exactly," he retorted cockily, tilting his head backwards to catch the last drop off his spoon.
Catherine felt an edge catch in Relena's throat as she drew in a sharp breath. "I think we should finish eating so we can have time to relax for the rest of the time. We had an hour and a half total, and we've only been here twenty minutes." She didn't know why she was easing the situation; she just was.
Heero glanced around the table. Duo nodded, finished with his ice cream. Relena folded her napkin and set it neatly on the table. That signalled she was ready to leave. Catherine had brought up the suggestion. And he himself had been done long before. There was no reason that that idea would not work.
"Should be go back to the complex?" Duo asked, standing up and stretching. "We can loaf around and then go back fifteen minutes early." Duo was late much of the time, though he liked being puntual. It just didn't work out that way all the time.
The four ended up sitting on the sofas watching movies. They talked, however, and one thing that was good about being out in the real world longer was that things happened so quickly you knew more than people who left the day before you. So Catherrine had much to tell the other three about the Earth and the colonies.
"You didn't know?" she inquired incredulously. Heero had just commented on the whereabouts and howabouts of Trowa. "He's gone to school to learn about politics and such to join as a representative in the New Alliance!"
Relena sat up straighter at this piece of news. Heero hardly paid any attention to her at all, and she felt embarrassed remembering her first actions towards him when they met again after such a long time. He seemed to have missed her, but now, he was so cold...so unemotional...
Heero was talking. Relena was sitting on the arm chair with her slippered-feet propped daintily on the cushioned ottoman. She leaned back gently and felt her head nod. She was getting very sleepy with all this talk. Would the day not be over?
"So you mean that they were meant to not make it?" Duo asked, not believing anything he was hearing. "But how--what...how could they do that?"
Heero just shook his head. "There must be a reason behind this. Trowa will be joining the New Alliance as a representative, so our side will gain. But for sure they'll have balancing forces for those for the war. But Trowa should be able to outbest them." He paused momentarily as he took notice of Relena's head which dropped even further into the chair's back. She was completely and totally asleep. He suddenly had a queer thought that poor Relena, she was tired out, where's a blanket? But then he shook it out as immediately as it had come. He wasn't supposed to care, he was supposed to kill her.
"So where did they station Quatre?" asked Duo, not sensing any change in Heero's mood or manner.
Catherine shrugged lightly, her hair touching her shoulders, then rebounding with an elasticity of healthiness. "I'm not certain, but I believe he will be the one to plan out our missions and provide us with non-stop 24/7 information on the whereabouts of our enemy and allies. He should also give us information about their plans via Trowa."
Heero became thoughtful. "But there were five Gerdams. If Trowa and Quatre weren't supposed to make it, why were you a backup? Wouldn't they use someone else, someone who wasn't a backup? Quatre didn't have a backup."
Duo contemplated that statement. It was indeed very strange. "But I'm the one using the Candonite. Perhaps the person to use the Candonite wasn't Quatre to begin with. I wouldn't be able to use it without those adjustments that were made so quickly, and I watched them. Those adjustments were already part way to being my exact settings. They had to have known and made it seem different to the others. And now that I think about it, Catherine may be very close to Trowa, but she's not the same type as Trowa at all. Not one bit the same except for some small insignificant similarities. That's not enough to operate a Gerdam successfully. She must also be temporary."
Catherine did not feel put off by this at all. After all, it was indeed the truth. How to escape the truth? Mere futile attempts got you nowhere, as these four had already known long ago.
They woke Relena and decided to take it to Dr. Jei.
"Good. You have seen through it. Excellent." He smiled widely. "This was a test for you, however, one part is not entirely correct. Quatre had been a borderline choice of recruit. We had wanted him as a Gerdam pilot, but others begged to differ, saying he would be better off helping with other things. He was extarordinarily good at the written tests, so I just hope he'll do well. As for Catherine, she shall stay here a week then return home. She will only be here long enough for the others to come."
Relena was still confused, having first been rudely woken up by Duo, then pulled into a conversation that had been done and over with long ago. "Others?"
"Their names are Reina Foutete and Todousa Mokiniru. Reina is still sixteen, and Todousa is nearly eighteen. They will balance the age differences out evenly," Dr. Jay explained, showing them pictures and stats. "They were born on Earth itself, growing up in different areas. They should also help during decision-making for the better of the colonies and Earth."
Name: Reina Foutete [ray-nuh foo-tay]
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 101 lb.
Hair Color: Reddish-blonde
Eye Color: Hazel-bluegreen
Background: 50% French, 50% Scottish
Gerdam: Candonite
Personality: Reina is quiet, but she's usually optomistic and is very easy-going. She is rather shy, however, and extremely emotional. To be paired up with the Wing Zero system could really hurt her performance. She is very intelligent and passes the written tests with flying colors. She does not take anything for granted and is grateful for everything that is given opportune to her. She is not very sure of herself, though, and is a perfectionist. This causes some problems along the way when she finds something is not right be she cannot but sure that what she senses is correct. She is deep within conflict. Her past is clouded; she only remembers her foster parents which had taken her in from the bitter cold wind and biting rain on the streets of England when she was four. She lived with them a short while when they died in an airplane crash. She was then sent to a boarding school where she was ridiculed and teased. She is good in martial arts and had taken ballet for ten years. She is also compassionate towards everybody and everything.
Todousa Mokiniru [toe-doe-sah moe-kihn-nee-roo]
Age: 17, almost 18
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 7.5"
Weight: 132 lb.
Hair Color: Dark brown but lighter in sections
Eye Color: Honey-brown
Background: Some Russian and French but mostly Canadian
Gerdam: Retekar
Personality: This golden-tanned teenager is a champion swimmer. However, he had to quit due to financial problems. He had a family of eight; a mother and father, six sisters, and a younger brother. His father died when he was 12, forcing him to quit school and work to earn money for his family being the eldest male in the household. Finally when he was 15, his mother remarried and he went back to highschool. But not for long. There were murders, suicides, and shooting all around his neighborhood. His step-father was arrested and jailed for dealing with drugs, and soon after his mother was diagnosed HIV positive. She died within the year, right before Christmastime, both from the AIDs and also from malnutrition. He hated that year; he wished he could bury it beneath the folds of death's cloak. He never wanted to remember it, but recurring dreams made him feel as though he was responsible for his father's death which he knew nothing about. This made him a solitary, sober young man that walked between two fine lines of hatred and death. Sometimes he became oblivious to what went on around him and seemed in his own world for hours at a time, though this was very seldom. He feels not the pain and shock, but feels deeply and clings to love, compassion, and affection.
"When will they arrive?" Catherine asked, twirling a lock of hair around her fingers. When they came, she would go back, back to Trowa and the circus.
"In about six days. Reina will take your room, Catherine, and Todousa will have to make do with the pull-out couch in the living room," Dr. Jei replied.
All four nodded consent. They understood this fully and would have to adjust on their own for the new changes that were made to their life.
Dr. Jei started suddenly, looking straight at Duo. His eyes looked the same as if he were in the seat of Deathscythe Hell, ready to slash some evil opponent. He filed that thought away, remembering that Duo would then pilot the Opular. The new system was also extremely powerful, and would have extreme side effects. Then that triggered something he had almost forgotten to tell them about.
"Gerdam pilots, I have overlooked something that I should have told you from the beginning," he said apologetically. "I know this seems quite different, but we have another recruit that will not be piloting a Gerdam but will work behind-the-scenes with Quatre. Her name is Junedi Gutamela and she comes from Australia. She is second cousins to Todousa, though they do not know each other."
Heero's eyebrows lifted slowly, taking in the newest information. So many new people. This was going to be a rough and difficult transition.
Name: Junedi Gutamela [yoo-nay-dee goo-tah-may-lah]
Age: Almost 15
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 3"
Weight: 99 lb.
Hair Color: Dark blonde
Eye Color: Green and violet
Background: Uknown, however she comes from Australia and her mother was Todousa's mother's half-sister [step-sister]
Gerdam: none
Personality: This young teenager is very responsible, organized, and gets things done. She is extremely bright and quick to learn. Her past was a normal past, though she was brought up in a seminary for girls and boys. It was a good school and the children there received good educations, full stomachs, and led pretty happy lives. Her father had lost custody of her when a rumor had been spread that he abused her. It was not proven, and to this day no one knows other than himself and his daughter. Her mother died giving birth to her, and she was the first and only child of the married couple, thus giving her no siblings. She will be the one to map out routes and plans for the missions Quatre laid out for the Gerdams.
"Where is she?" Heero asked, speaking for the first time. He thought that she would be here already, along with Quatre, if they were to lay out missions. And he was right. Over one hundred percent correct.
Dr. Jei waved a hand over to his left. "As a matter of fact, they are here. And Quatre has been here since the day he disappeared in the testing corridors. Miss Junedi has just arrived this morning."
Quatre came in, holding a sheaf of papers in one hand and waving with the other. He was calling out something which sounded like hello, but of course they couldn't really distinguish the sounds from one another in the high-ceilinged hangar.
Following closely behind was a petitie young teenager wearing stylish glasses propped up in her short layered hair. Her eyes were very large and beautiful against her magnolia white complexion. She wore brown suede pennies, cream knee-highs, a brown-and-cream plaid skirt [with some green], and a brown sweater over a cream banana-neck tee. She was also carrying papers and a laptop in its case.
"Hey guys!" Quatre said as he came nearer. "How has everyone been? Hello, Catherine! Nice to see you again!" He looked over at Junedi. He motioned her to come nearer as she looked as if she were hanging back. "This is Junedi Gutamela, and she's going to work with me as my partner. Junedi, this is Heero, and this is Duo, and Relena...how are you, Relena?" he suddenly asked, looking at her strangely then glancing at Heero. She seemed out of sorts and very disorientated.
"I'm fine, thank you. Nice to meet you, Junedi," she replied, though it just not be overlooked that she sounded extremely exhausted and looked it, too.
Junedi spoke for the first time. "Nice to meet you too....is it--wait...I'll get it...Relena? And Catherine, nice seeing you again!" She sounded a touch nervous at the beginning, but the friendliness could not be mistaken. However, as Catherine's name rolled off her lips, a cold sound caught its edge.
Catherine did not seem any more warmer than Junedi had. "Yes, pleased to see you again, Juni."
Duo looked at both of them. "Juni?"
Junedi looked a trifle embarrassed. "That's what everyone calls me. I know it seems silly, but--"
"Oh, no! No hard feelings, I was just being curious as usual. So you're from Aussie, are you?" Duo cut in hastily, not wanting to make Juni more uncomfortable than she already was. She seemed rather shy.
She blushed and Catherine answered for her. "She's from Aussie, but I knew her. She was an exchange student to a school that came to see our circus."
During this little exchange, Juni's eyes wandered over to Relena and Heero. Heero was giving her a cold once-over, and Relena just looked on with a feeling of boredom, disinterest, and sleepiness. She couldn't be blamed, however. It was indeed an exhausting day for anyone, let alone a girl that had not grown up trained to practice military arts for a whole day after waking up at the crack of dawn.
"Juni, do you have the pull-outs of the stats? We should give it to them, along with the maps we had ready," Quatre said as the others crowded around to see what they had in store for them. "The Zumin are already attacking various tourist attractions around Earth, killing millions of innocent people. Something must be done to stop this. Any ideas?"
Duo suddenly looked up. "You mean we have to choose what to do?" he asked, surprised at the openness of the mission layouts.
"Actually, yes. They decided you were old enough and mature enough to become a part of the team to select and choose what you need to do. Afterall, you're the ones who have to carry out a mission. You know whether you can do more or if you'll kill yourselves trying the impossible," Quatre explained seriously. You could not miss the hint of regret touching base in his voice.
Heero nodded, motioning them to go on with the plans. "And where are they planning to attack next? Do you know?"
Juni scanned the papers. "As of yet, no. But we're working for you 24/7 when we have to, so we'll know soon enough. We do know that the places that are vulnerable for attack are large city tourist attractions where major New Alliance representatives live and station. That way, the representative is killed a well as what the Zumin think are people who love their representatives," she replied, a sadness overtaking the entire group.
[On a spacestation out off the outer rim of the Moon]
Monotriese laughed harshly, sitting at a table with his second man. They had finished their plans to annhilate representative number 57, and were drinking their evil concoctions during their short but dark break.
"Ha ha ha, the ones they love shall die because of us, but we shall end their misery by killing them! Generosity is always at its best with the Zumin!" the second man said sardonically, sneering as he finished. His name was Tuwaki Sasikano, a man in his mid-thirties. He would ascend leadership if Monotriese did die. But that task proved to be extremely difficult. Monotriese was different. He was not human.
[back on Earth]
The six dined together in the main dining hall that night, tackling their missions with a vengence. They were on a one-way road, a road that would save Earth.
Juni gave a yelp. She jumped back in her chair suddenly, and all of them thought she had a seizure or a heart-attack or something.
"What's wrong?" Relena said with alarm. She had taken a short nap before dinner with Heero's insistence, and she was not quite so sleepy.
Quatre peered over her shoulder at the laptop screen. They had been waiting for food to be served and could not keep from working. When he read the article, he gasped.
"But obviously he wanted us to see it," Quatre argued, pointing at the beginning.
"What is it?" Duo asked impatiently, getting up out of his chair and flinging his napkin to the side. He had sat across from them and had to go around to see the screen. He was extremely curious to see why Juni acted so strangely.
Juni answered him. "It seems that the leader of the Zumin, Zunir Trobelevski, is not human! He is not fully human, that is, and he is not a mutant. He changed his name when he found he was different. He had been taken in on Earth by scientists, and he had been sort of an experiment. He had not been born on either Earth nor the colonies, and he later named himself what he is today, Zuni Monotriese. His original name no one knows, though whether he himself knows it or not we'll have to find out."
Heero sat silently. Zuni Monotriese, leader of all Zumin. His original name not known, the name he gave himself Zunir Trobelevski. Hmm...Polish-sounding. Perhaps he was brought up in Europe. But how? Had anyone seen him as of recent times? Heero certainly had not, nor had he even seen pictures. What were the differences between himself and humans? Was it obvious to the naked eye? Or to natural human beings living in this space age and time? If he wasn't human and he wasn't a mutant, then what was he?